Volume III, issue IV

Inside this issue:

Page program for

Alabama

Legislature

2

Winshape Camps 3

Karate 4

Spring sports 5

Piper and Leaf

Opens shop in

Lowe Mill

6

Spring activities 8

DaVinci 12

The Excalibur Times

12th annual Excalibur Medieval Banquet

By Senior Abby Lankford It is the 12th annual Excalibur Medieval Banquet, the 4th day in April the Year of our Lord. All the gentlemen and ladies dressed up in their finest. In the faint background the band “Pleasant Grove Consort” plays. King and Queen Bond ar-rive looking breathtaking. The royalty greets their guest. The guests are intro-duced and took to their seats. Before we must dine, we must fight for our silver-ware. Cook Vanderhoeven has let the jester eat all the King's tarts so now she must entertain the King. To entertain him one brave noble honoree from each table must fight for the silverware. Lady Lauren Hurt, Sir Matthew Knaupp, Sir Gus Suarez, Lady Mattea Swegles, and Sir Clark Missildine must play the famous play Macbeth. The other battles for silverware were “Turkey Leg Golf, Storm the Castle, an Arrow Shooting and of course a good old Joust.” After the loyal servants pass out the silverware, the food in brought in and passed around. A plate had a chicken leg, a slice of roast beef, green beans, and roasted potatoes. Dessert comes next, warm apple cobbler. It is clear to every-one that the food is excellent. After dinner there are a few minutes for everyone to chat and talk among themselves. Lord Dick Steinberg has arranged a magic act for the King and Queen, if it does not please the King it will be “off with his head”. Lord Steinberg does his act showing “Pat the dime and his home” He attempts the greatest trick known to man, “The Great Sports Jacket Escape!” With every trick the audi-ence encourages him, the left side “WOW!” then the right “WEE!” King Larry is pleased and entertained; Lord Steinberg will keep his head this time. The moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived. King Larry announc-es an honoree one at a time. The honoree and family stands, is presented a cer-tificate with their character trait. Everyone listens close as the mother and father honor their child. “It matters what you say to your child, they will remember it for the rest of their lives and it matters to them. Praise your children.” Queen Kathy says. Everyone talks and chats as they leave the Grand Hall. Months of planning

from Lady Janet Knapp for this night have been a success.

Page 2 The Excalibur Times

Interested in Government?

The Alabama Legislative Page Program Might be for You!

By Senior James Haynes

George Washington once said that one of the primary goals in educating youth should be teaching them

“in the science of government,” for “In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And

what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of

the country?”

For students ages 12-18 who are seriously interested in Alabama government, the Alabama State Legisla-

ture offers a unique opportunity for young people to participate in the legislative process through its Legisla-

tive Page Program.

This past spring I had the chance to work as a Page at the Alabama State House of Representatives in

Montgomery. Along with about 12 other students

from across the state, I assisted members of the

Legislature over the course of three days by

performing errands on the floor of each house and

during committee meetings.

Usually these errands consisted of obtaining

copies of bills, resolutions, and other official

documents, as well as delivering messages to and

from Members. However, sometimes Pages receive

special requests: one Representative asked me to get

him a banana from his office.

One of the greatest advantages Pages have is the

privilege to work on the floor of the House or Senate

in the midst of legislative action. My favorite moment

was leading the Pledge of Allegiance before one of

the House sessions began.

To become a Page, the first step for students is to

tell their parents that they would like to Page. Second,

if the parents agree, they should contact the local House Member or Senator. Parents and students can find

this information at http://www.legislature.state.al.us/index.html.

The final step, after a Member of the House or Senate agrees to sponsor a student, potential Pages must be

excused from their schoolwork for the three-day period in which they will be serving at the State House. For

homeschooled students with more flexible schedules, this can be easier to do.

Each Page works for a three-day period (normally Tuesday - Thursday). The parents, parent or legal

guardian of a Page is responsible for arranging for lodging for the Page. Sponsoring House Members or Sena-

tors can often help with making such arrangements. In addition, Pages should bring with them sufficient mon-

ey for the purchase of all meals during their stay in Montgomery.

Story continues on page 13

Page 3 The Excalibur Times

WinShape Camp 2014

By Senior Raven Hill “WinShape Camps is the greatest place on earth! We celebrate life, love and Jesus.”

WinShape Camp was started in 1985 in Mt. Berry, Georgia by Mr. Truett Cathy. That's right. The

creator of the tremendously successful Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant not only made a chicken sandwich, he

made a place for children to come and enable themselves to sharpen their character, deepen their Christian

faith and grow in their relationships with others.

“In 1985, God prompted S. Truett Cathy and his wife Jeanette to create a little piece of heaven on earth, known to us as WinShape Camps. Wanting young people to have a camp experience that went just a little deeper, Truett and Jeanette founded WinShape Camps, believing there are limitless possibilities when you invest in the lives of the next generation.” Lead Customer Care Specialist Lisa Stone explains.

WinShape offers several different camping options to choose from, including day and overnight

camps. There are numerous day camps throughout the country. There are even two locations right here in

Huntsville! The day camps are for boys and girls who have completed grades 1st through 6th. WinShape offers

a variety of activities, so there's something for everyone!

“... They are able to choose skills that range from horseback riding, pottery, archery, etc… Each year

we have a specific theme that each camper will be able to learn and grow deeper.” Stone says.

Each location for the day camps has different dates so for more information you can visit

www.winshape.org/camps/camps-for-communities/ to find a day camp near your location!

If your child is looking for more of an adventure, the overnight camp is something you should consid-

er! WinShape offers camps for boys and girls. The WinShape Boys Camps includes a one week experience for

those who have completed 1st through 5th grade and a two week experience for those who have completed 1st

through 11th grade at Mt. Berry, Georgia.

Story continues on page 11

Page 4 The Excalibur Times The Excalibur Times

Karate-Do:A way of life

By Julia Zeigler

Karate-Do is both a physical and mental workout. It takes strength, perseverance, and lots of hard

work to achieve anything in Karate.

“The hardest part of Karate, for me, is learning to push myself through the hard work,” Said Victoria

Rhoades, a 7th grade gold belt in Triad Martial Arts. Karate takes effort and mental persistence. In class, we

not only learn the importance of defense, but also the value of respect and many other character traits, includ-

ing self discipline.

“Karate-Do is different from the other martial arts in the fact that we learn discipline and the history

of our art,” Lee Caroline Bryer explained, a green belt in Triad Martial Arts.

Karate-Do is different from many other martial arts in the fact that the students concentrate not only

on fighting, but on the history and the background of their art. It is important to the students as martial artists

to understand why they are doing this art and the original purpose.

Although class can be fun, and the students enjoy it, it is not always easy. They sweat, bleed and work

hard together in order to better themselves and those around them. When they work hard and push them-

selves, it often encourages others in class to push themselves too.

“The most rewarding part of Karate is see how much stronger and more disciplined I get. I start stand-

ing up for others and it makes me feel good when I do,” Bryer said.

Karate-Do is very rewarding, but as Instructor Daniel Whisenant says,

“In order to get something good out of anything, you must put effort in.”

Page 5 The Excalibur Times

Spring Sports

By Sampley Barinaga

Spring will arrive soon, and the sports of Excalibur will trail along. Football season might seem like

it just ended, but preparation is already among the Excalibur Cowboys. A spring football camp will last for

about a month from April 21st to May 16th, the fee will be $100.

“The days the students will practice will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays,

starting at 5:30,” Said Coach Brett Hill.

“Cleats and a mouth guard is the only equipment that needs to be purchased from the parents, while

the helmet and pads will be provided. If you would like to use your own personal protective gear it must be

approved by the Cowboy’s coaching staff,” wrote Hill.

The participants also need to bring; endurance, courage, speed, sportsmanship, physical strength and

power of the mind. Players must be 8th-12th graders (12-19years) as of fall 2013. Players may not turn 19

yrs old prior to May 1, 2014. Players must be enrolled in middle or high school.

The Cowboys football team is populated primarily by homeschoolers but we also accept players that

are enrolled in other types of educational programming. If you have any questions regarding eligibility,

please contact the Athletic Director.

The location of the practice field is on Research Drive in Huntsville. From University Drive, turn on

to Wynn Drive; Research Drive will be on

the right; Turn on to Research Drive and

follow it until you see a baseball backstop/

field on the left. The football practice field

is in the outfield. From Bradford Drive,

turn on to Wynn Drive; Research Drive

will be on the left; Turn on to Research

Drive and follow it until you see a base-

ball backstop/field on the left. The football

practice field is in the outfield.

Excalibur’s Track and Field program is

starting as well, for 4th-6th and 7th-8th grade

boys and girls. Practices will be held 3:30

to 4:30 Tuesdays, Thursdays at the UAH

soccer field in front of Spragins Hall.

“The uniforms, t-shirt, and entry fees come to a combined total of $80.00 dollars”, said David and

Ashley Cain.

“The events would include; Relay teams, 100m,

200m, 300m, 400m, 800m, 1600m, the long jump, the high

jump, and the softball throw (4th-6th) or the shot put (7th-8th),”

said Cain’s.

The meets that are scheduled so far are: March 21st at

Bob Jones, hosted by St. Johns; May 5th is the championship;

and May 9th and the 10th the Homeschoolers National Track

Meet is at Parkway High school in Springfield Missouri, (this

meet is open to anyone including seniors).

Page 6 The Excalibur Times

Brewing up Excalibur family success

By Senior Nathan Sprague

Former and current Excalibur student owned and operated Piper & Leaf Artisan Tea Company will be

making its move and finally opening up shop at Huntsville’s own Lowe Mill on April 1st 2014. Piper & Leaf

(Formerly Samovar Gardens) have made a name for themselves in north Alabama by jarring and selling differ-

ent flavored teas.

Starting up between former Excalibur students Connor Knapp, Bridget Christopher and Husband of

Bridget, Caleb Christopher, in a short time the company has gone from basement experimentations to popular

store front. “We first opened up shop at the Green St. Market in Huntsville on May 2nd 2013, and we sold out

the first week” MaryClaire explained. “We sold out the next week as well, and by the end of the summer we

were in 11 markets a week.”

“While we are moving into Lowe Mill, we will still also have a presence in the local markets as well.”

Says MaryClaire Knapp, current Senior at Excalibur and co-owner of Piper & Leaf. “We have been employing

people like crazy, and this coming summer we will be moving to out of town markets as far as Birmingham.”

Piper & Leaf, since the beginning, have also focused on using only locally grown food. Alongside oth-

er vendors such as Chef Will, and the Happy Tummy at Lowe Mill they will continue to focus on locally

grown ingredients for their teas and foods. They have even come up with a locally grown “tea-shirt” line to

complement the unifying idea behind their business, Focus on the small, the local, and the Family first. This is

why, while they have had to employ a large amount of new people, they have all been either family, close

family friends, or Excalibur students.

The new shop is also going to be a big step up from the simple market stand. It will be set up like a

coffee shop, with places to hang out, study, and converse. They will serve other treats aside from their many

teas as well. MaryClaire loosely referred to snacks like pastries, cupcakes and other sweets, and of course for

the diehard coffee lover, there will be coffee.

The shop will be open Wednesday through Saturday at Lowe Mill and more information about specific

times should be at http://www.piperandleaf.com/. So come on down, and show your support by stopping by to

Piper & Leaf at Lowe Mill at some point in April and onward!

Page 7 The Excalibur Times

Lowe Mill in Huntsville is the artistic

place to be

By Joel Kennedy

The Flying Monkey Arts Center is a

local entertainment center in the Lowe

Mills complex. With over 100 artists,

small businesses, restaurants, and live

performance venues, Lowe Mill Arts &

Entertainment is the Southeast’s largest

center for the Arts. The artists are avail-

able to speak to and to discuss with

their work and the work of other artist

there to help visitors to learn about their

inspirations behind their work, their

work processes, and to even purchase

work.

But what was Lowe Mill before the

hipsters raided it? Well, in 1900, Arthur

H. Lowe of Fitchburg, Massachusetts,

formed Lowe Manufacturing Company,

And started construction on the fifth

textile mill in Huntsville. Lowe Mill

opened in 1901 with 25,000 spindles

that helped to use all the locally-grown

cotton in the making of woven cloth.

However in 1999, realtor Gene

McLain bought Lowe Mill, but in 2001,

sold it to Jim Hudson, a Research Ge-

netics founder, who is now the current

owner of Lowe Mill. And that is how

Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment was

born.

Lowe Mill smoke stack and lily pond photos by

Angie Hood

Page 8 The Excalibur Times

With spring on the way, so are the projects that people have been working on all fall and winter.

The Von Braun Center is booked with all sorts of musicals, ballets, plays, and more. In the Mark C.

Smith Concert Hall you will find a variety of things going on. On May 2, the Black jacket Symphony- Prince

is presenting “Purple Rain”. Right after that on May 3 is the Rocket City All-Star Comedy festival. Multiple

dance studios are going to be performing: May 17 is The Dance Company, May 24 is the North Alabama

Dance Center, May 27-28 is the Community Ballet, and May 30-31 is Jill’s Studio of Dance.

In the South Hall, on May 17 is Trampoline & Tumbling. On April 12-27, Fantasy Playhouse pre-

sents “Three Fairy Godmothers”. Also going on at the Fantasy Playhouse, May 2 Jim Parkers Songwriters

series, tickets: $20 and $25. May 3-7 is Theater of Huntsville.

At Ford’s Chapel United Methodist Church, on April 19 from 1-4 pm is a pirate themed Easter argh

hunt. Come dressed up in a pirate costume and enjoy food, games, entertainment, a treasure hunt and prizes.,

“I would say this is for people of all ages! We will have a variety of things for everyone. Children

ages 0-2 will have their own area to hunt Easter eggs in and ages 3-5, 6-9, and 10-13 will have their own

treasure map to see if they can find the missing treasure. Each age groups treasure is Jesus,” Fords Chapel

children director Kristen Todd said.

Olivia Carroll has been dancing for 13 years.

“Dance has taught me independence, commitment, responsibility, respect for every artist in the

world, when you fall down you have to pick yourself up and try again, and if you give something your all

and really work for it, you can live your wildest dreams.”

Olivia attends Steps of Faith Performing Arts center where she takes ballet, jazz, contemporary, and

hip-hop. They have a summer recital on May 17th at Lee High School. Instead of doing the Nutcracker last

year for Christmas, they put on the ballet production of Narnia.

Spring activities gearing up

By Phoebe Goerling

Page 9

The Excalibur Times

Random Things About WWI By Olivia Wilkes

Though many people seem to be relatively familiar with World War Two, not many know much

about the First World War, the one that set the stage for the second one. This year marks the 100th anniver-

sary of the start of World War One. Beginning on June 28th, 1914 and raging for nearly 5 years, ‘The War

to End All Wars’, was a terrible, trying, fascinating, fate-shaping, dividing, and uniting test of human heart

and spirit. In honor of the anniversary of this crucial event in our history, here are 20 interesting, surprising,

and humorous, more or less well-known facts about the Great War and the years it encompassed.

Explosives blowing up in one battle in Ypres, Belgium, were so loud they could be heard in London, 140

miles away.

The British at first categorized their tanks as ‘males’ and ‘females’. ‘Male’ tanks were equipped with can-

nons, while ‘females’ had heavy machine guns.

The fortune cookie was invented in America in 1918.

At the Battle of the Marne between the French and Germans, the French had no trucks to transport reserve

troops from Paris to the front lines, so they used taxicabs instead.

The first electric traffic light was used in 1914, though it only had one color light at the time: red. Yellow

and green were added for the first time in 1918.

In 1916, Albert Einstein proposes his general theory of relativity.

British soldiers nicknamed British sausages ‘Bangers’ in WWI, because the sausages had such a high water-

to-meat ratio due to meat shortages that they popped and splattered when cooked.

In 1914, 4-year-old May Pierstoff wanted to visit her grandmother who lived far away. However, May’s

parents weren’t sure if they could afford a train ticket for her, when they thought of an idea. The postal

service was a relatively new idea at the time, and most things weighing less than 50 pounds could be

mailed, including chicks. May’s parents took their daughter, who was 48 ½ pounds, to the post office,

classified her as a ‘chick’, paid the 53-cent postage, and put her on the train to be mailed. The post clerk

delivered her to her grandmother’s house that night.

Gasoline was about 12 cents a gallon around the start of World War One.

Along the Western Front during the first Christmas of the war, the Axis and Allies somehow reached an un-

official truce. On Christmas Eve, British, French, and Germans ventured out of the trenches, exchanged

gifts, sang Silent Night, and played soccer together. The next morning they shouted Merry Christmas to

one another. The fighting resumed that afternoon.

Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States during World War One, didn’t learn to read until he was

around 11 years old, yet he is the only President thus far to have earned a Ph.D.

Bayer Aspirin was made available to the public in 1915.

Story continues on page 14

Page 10 The Excalibur Times

From the Huntsville National Weather Service Office

A powerful storm system roared across the southeastern United States on Wednesday, April 27,

2011. This storm system spawned 39 tornadoes in the NWS Huntsville Forecast Area and a total of 62

tornadoes in the state of Alabama. This system also produced extensive flash flooding, large hail, and

straight line wind damage as well. However, this event will always be remembered as a tragic tornado event

which produced more strong (EF2-EF3) to violent (EF4-EF5) tornadoes than the historic 1974 tornado

outbreak.

In the wake of this system, hundreds of people were left injured and/or homeless, along with ap-

proximately 100 people who lost their lives in the northern Alabama area alone. Across the state of

Alabama, 248 people lost their lives and at least 2200 people were injured. The extent of the devastation

was unparalleled with countless homes, neighborhoods and even portions of cities or towns either partially

or completely destroyed. This storm system was responsible for one of the largest and deadliest tornado

outbreaks to ever impact much of the southeastern region.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=hunsur_2011-04-27_main

Page 11 The Excalibur Times

Winshape Camps story continued from page 3

The Girls One-Week Camp, located in Young Harris, Georgia, has eight options for camps. (for a

complete list, visit www.winshape.org/camps/overnight-camps/girls-one-week/ ). This camp offers

cheerleading, gymnastics, sewing and so much more. Just like the boys camp, this one week costs $675.

And finally, the Girls Two-Week camp offers four date options, June 1-13, June 15-27, June 29-

July 11, and July 13-25. Much like the Girls One-Week, this camp offers sewing, cheerleading,

photography, etc. This camp cost $1,735.

If you're a first time camper, Chick-fil-A is offering you a special gift: 50 percent off the tuition for

overnight camps! Don't let this offer go to waste, go register for camp right now!

For a much more detailed information on all the camps, you can visit

www.winshape.org/camps/overnight-camps/ or you can call Lisa Stone, the lead customer care special-

ist or email the camp at info@winshapecamps.org.

Boy’s camp photo from Winshape.org

Page 12 The Excalibur Times

Editorial: A Man Named Da Vinci a

by Noah Haynes

About a month ago I went to the exhibit displaying and explaining Leonardo Da Vinci’s thoughts and inventions at

the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. It was an extensive, awe-inspiring exhibit. I had no idea that Da Vinci had

created so many things. There were sections on Da Vinci experiences with flight, art, warfare, and musical instru-

ments. I was informed, though, that he is alleged to have written, “I have offended God and mankind because my

work didn’t reach the quality it should have.”

Da Vinci wrote about this work in numerous notebooks. Curiously, he wrote backwards throughout these books

and only wrote naturally when writing letters to people and other such things. We don’t know for sure why he chose

to do this. It is thought he could have written backwards so as to make it so other people could not read and then

steal his ideas. He also could have done so since he was left-handed and did not want to smudge the inked words he

wrote.

Flight was a great fascination of Da Vinci’s. He created several inventions that he hoped would enable humans to

fly. He wrote, on the subject of flight, “There shall be wings! If the accomplishment be not for me, ‘tis for some oth-

er.” It was not for him though he did create a parachute type invention that was tested and proven the work. (The

experimenter, though, had to detach from the recreated Da Vinci parachute before hitting the ground to avoid being

crushed.)

A list of Da Vinci’s practical devices would be quite long. He invented creations that would lift heavy weights, flat-

ten metal into sheets, and wind thread on a spool. Developing the ball bearing was also an accomplishment of his.

Other helpful, though not all working, inventions were flipper-type webbed gloves, an inner tube, and a bridge that

could be built quickly and easily by an army wanting to cross a river.

The inventor also created musical instruments such as a double-ended flute and a portable piano that strapped

around the player’s waist. This second instrument’s ability to work mystified me. The sign next to the recreation of

this instrument explained it this way: “[It works with a] continuously moving horsehair bow that’s operated via a sys-

tem of pulleys and a flywheel as the player walks along. A complex system of cams and pulleys move the strings across

the bow; a sound similar to that of a viola is produced. It has a range of three octaves.” Needless to say, this did not

really clear up my mystification very much.

Besides making musical instruments, Da Vinci also created warfare instruments. Such instruments included an im-

proved catapult and multiple-barreled cannons. He also invented a device similar to a tank. Two men could fit inside

this wooden creation on wheels. One would look out the small crack at the top and instruct the other which of the

several cannons spread out around the base he should shoot off.

All the things I had seen up to this point had been in one room. Now I walked along a hall and was introduced to

another, artistic side of Da Vinci. The words and pictures on the wall told me about how he had drawn out the Battle

of Anghiari. Then I came upon one of Da Vinci’s greatest work, the Mona Lisa. Today it is kept at the Louvre but it

has traveled around quite a bit. It was carried around by Da Vinci, stolen from the Louvre by an Italian wanting to

bring it back to its native soil, and kept in Napoleon’s bathroom. It has been reasonably damaged over time from acid

poured on the lower part of the painting, a rock thrown by a vandal at it in 1956, and water damage from its stay in

Napoleon’s bathroom. A man named Pascal Cotte, knowing just how much it had been changed over the years set

out to recreate it, and did. The most apparent thing is that it has darkened over the years, giving it an eerie effect. Da

Vinci never felt that the work was done and carried it around with him after he had first painted it, fixing and refixing

it. Da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” This was true for him; he died with the Mona Lisa still in his

possession.

I have always know that Da Vinci was a smart person and had accomplished a lot of things, but this exhibit really

opened my eyes to just how much he had accomplished. The name of the exhibit was called ‘Da Vinci, the Genius’,

and now I see and believe that.

Page 13 The Excalibur Times

April Edition Editor Raven Hill

The Excalibur Times Staff for 2013-2014:

Reporters:

Sampley Barinaga, Phoebe Goerling, Noah Haynes, Julia Zeigler

Editors:

James Haynes, content editor

Raven Hill, April issue editor

Joel Kennedy, October issue editor

Abby Lankford, December issue editor

Nathan Sprague, February issue editor

Olivia Wilkes, Senior issue editor

Journalism instructor: Mrs. Angie Hood

Page program story continued from page 2

The Page Program is definitely a great opportunity, and one that I wish I could do again, if I had the

chance. Students desiring to learn more about “the science of government” can definitely learn from it, as

legislators debate bills just as Washington himself would have over 200 years ago. For more information on

this Program, please visit http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/guide/student_teacher/page.html.

Page 14 The Excalibur Times

World War I facts continued from page 9

Because men to hire for ground keeping were in short supply, Woodrow Wilson instead kept sheep on the

White House lawn to trim the grass. Their wool was auctioned off and the money made was donated to

the Red Cross. One ram, named Old Ike, chewed tobacco.

In 1918, the German food sauerkraut’s name was changed to ‘Liberty Cabbage.’

Toward the end of World War One, German and Allie leaders met in a railway car in Compiègne, France to

discuss a truce. Twenty-one years later during World War Two, the French signed over their surrender

to Germany in the exact same railroad car, in the exact same city.

The first horse to become a Triple Crown winner since the series’ establishment in 1875 was Sir Barton, who

won all three Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes races in 1919.

Adolf Hitler fought it WWI and after one battle was temporarily blinded from a gas attack

The bane of the relatively primitive tanks used in WWI was not so much being damaged by enemy fire, but

rather falling into ditches and trenches and getting stuck in the mud.

Some well-known people who served in WWI include Humphrey Bogart, Buster Keaton, C.S. Lewis, Basil

Rathbone, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Though Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, the war officially ended when the Versailles Treaty

was signed on June 28, 1919, five years to the day since the war began.

Page 15 The Excalibur Times

Huntsville Veteran’s Park photos by Senior Raven Hill