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GRETNA MIDDLE SCHOOL/2ND SEMESTER : ISSUE 7 , MARCH 2013
GMS Quiz Bowl Teams Wins Knowledge Masters
!
In December, Gretna Middle School 7th and 8th grade quiz bowl teams
participated in the National Knowledge Masters Bowl which is an online competition.
The online competition allows for schools across the country, even worldwide, to
compete. This year 508 schools competed and Gretna finished 33rd nationally.
!
Likewise, there is also a statewide Knowledge Masters Bowl. Gretna students
took first place in the state competition, beating out 25 other Nebraska schools.
!
Students’ outstanding performances have earn them a spot in the National Quiz
Bowl Tournament held in Washington D.C. on May 30, 2013. This is the fourth year in
a row that Gretna has qualified for the national tournament.
!
The Gretna Middle School 6th grade quiz bowl team also qualified for the
national tournament. Sixth graders placed 51st nationally and second in the state
competition. Thus, sixth grad quiz participants also earned a trip to Washington D.C.
!
Congratulations to all involved, and good luck preparing for Nationals.
The Apple After
By: Kayla Michalski
Apple has been a leading industry in technology and has been bringing futuristic
ideas to life, always behind the mind of Steve Jobs.
After his tragic death, a lost fight to pancreatic cancer, in October 2011 people
were starting to question whether Apple could stay ahead of fellow rivals, despite their
loss. Now, almost a year since the genius founder's death, we are seeing new Apple
products all around. From new iPhones to iPads and even a new computer system
"Mountain Lion", Apple still seems to be growing, creating mind blowing technology just
like before.
In an interview with Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, after Steve Jobs' death he said
"Apple has a culture of excellence that is, I think, so unique and so special. I am not
going to witness or permit the change of it." He did live up to his word, too. The sales
for the new iPhone 5 are booming.
In only the first days of release Apple had sold over 4,000,000 iPhone 5's. Apple
is still, and always will be, thriving just like before.
PAGE 2
COMMUNITY NEWS
Bringing the House Down! (Literally!)
By Sam Brodersen
If you were anywhere around the city of Gretna on December 2, 2012, you
probably saw, or smelled the enormous tower of smoke rising form the city of
Gretna's largest house: the Kush Mansion. Once valued at just over $2.6 million
dollars, today, it is an empty lot.
Former NFL star, Rod Kush built the house in 1997, but faced with financial
setbacks; he sold the house for $1.6 million. That owner didn't keep up the house, so
it fell into despair.
Black mold (Deadly BTW) started to consume the house. Vandals destroyed
other parts of the house. Later, Sarpy County declared the house worthless. The
owner donated the house to the Gretna Fire Department to use it as a large testing
facility.
Later that year, the house was filled with pallets. Then, each room was set
ablaze and then extinguished. At the end of the day, the house was torched. Flames
erupted from the front entry.
The house was consumed in a matter of minutes. I even noticed a machine
dropping pine trees into the library! When the flames died down the only thing
standing was the main entryway. Blackened, and burned to a crisp.
On that Monday, on my way to school, we passed the wreckage, and it was
still smoking! Some people might call it a waste, but you try to live in a mold filled
house with water pooling on the floor. And, you try wearing a gas mask everywhere!
Gretna is Going Green
By Kayla Michalski
Gretna is advancing a lot of buildings to the town lately, as you all know. There is said to be
a new crossing mall with stores and some stores are coming to the Walmart center. There is,
however, a gas station called The Flying J on the outer part of town that is getting something new,
too. Behind the gas station, a new natural gas station is opening. Natural gas is what it says,
natural gas. It does not harm the Earth and people are hoping this will become our main energy
source. Many cars today are being built to power on natural gas. This new addition to our town
should possibly attract more people because natural gas cars go where the stations are. Not so
common now, this fuel could someday take over the world, which just might prevent pollution and
other harms the oil/gasoline cause. Congrats to Gretna for building this Earth - saver station so
more cars can be powered on natural gas.
BAND NEWS
All-State Band
PAGE 3
All-State Regulars:
By Ben Rhodes
The 2012-2013 Gretna Middle School
8th grade band broke a school record.
The record in question was most
students to make the Nebraska State
Bandmaster's Association (NSBA) 8th
grade All-State Band.
This year, GMS sent 14 8th graders (13
regular members, 1 alternate) to the
band, which was held in Kearney,
Nebraska, on January 19. The
conductor this year was Michael
Sweeney, director of music publications
for Hal Leonard.
Andre Garivay
alto saxaphone
Alex Petrigash
clarinet
Mila Serefko
flute
Allison Pinkall
bass clarinet
Andre Garivay
alto saxaphone
Lindsey VanOeveren bassoon
Sam Moore
french horn
Nick vonRentzell
trombone
Trey Switzer
baritone
Alex Real
baritone
Nate Novak
tuba
Amanda Purintun mallet percussion
Ryan Samuelson timpani
Ben Rhodes
battery percussion
Alternate:
Josie Lowe-------------flute
Good Luck at
Malcom
March 15th
CLUB NEWS
PAGE 4
CAMPUS LIFE
By Hannah Doorenbos
Have you been to Campus Life yet?
It's a place both to play games and talk about things that can affect your
life in middle school.
It meets every Friday at 7 am in the drama room. Free donuts are provided
and you don't even need to sign up. Anyone can come and it's free!
Over 150 middle schoolers attend Campus Life every week. We have
talked about many things in small groups including: peer pressure, family,
friends, influences and expectations.
There are also events you can go to on the weekends. Come and see
what it's all about!
Art CLUB
Art club’s latest project benefits one of
our own. Each year Gretna Art Club makes pie
plates and sell them during spring
conferences. In the past, the money raised
has been donated to Gretna Neighbors,
This year, students made over 100 plates
raising $1,000.00. The money was given to
GMS student, Colton Prince to assist with
medical expenses.
By the end, there was only one pie plate
left; that plate was saved for Colton.
WANTED
Dragon’s
Pen
Fiery News
staff writers!
Join us for the next issue
PAGE 5
ENTERTAINMENT
It's An Ear Worm!
By Kayla Michalski
Several songs in 2012 can now be considered ear worms with this new word that
was greatly needed. Ear worm is the term to describe a tune that repeats in someone’s
head. As you remember, many songs centering on “Call Me Maybe” are in no doubt ear
worms. This, I would think, is one of the many terms that actually make sense.
Ear, as of course the body part that you hear with and a worm, almost suggesting
the song creeps into your head and doesn’t leave. Everybody has their own ear worm
song because different tunes catch on to the mind quickly. However, some songs
everyone catches on to them.
As confusing as this is, it is psychology which will probably be something no one
can ever specifically define. Whatever your ear worm is, I speak for everyone saying
this word is going to be an often used word.
SPOILER ALERT, Being a GURU about SUPERFOOD like BONELESS
WINGs makes me DOUBLE DOWN, but who cares, I'm TRENDING.
Banned Words for 2013
By Sam Brodersen
Every year, a good sized chunk of words is banned. You shall not say these banned words for 2013.
They are not bad, but people don't want to remember them. Here it goes...
Spoiler Alert
YOLO
Trending
Bucket List
Fiscal Cliff
Superfood
Guru
Job Creators
Double Down
Boneless Wing
Passion/Passionate
These are words that you just can't say anymore! :)
PAGE 6
H.A.L.
7th Grade
Quiz Bowl
8th Grade
Quiz Bowl
By Ben Rhodes
Recently, the 7th and 8th grade Quiz
Bowl teams competed in the Knowledge
Master Open computerized Quiz Bowl.
With a first place finish in Nebraska,
teams qualified for the national
competition in Washington, D.C.
The 8th grade team also finished
second at a Quiz Bowl Competition in
Seward, Nebraska, and earned third
place at the ESU#3 Quiz Bowl. The 8th
grade team has more Quiz Bowls
coming up soon, including one at
ESU#3.
6th grade Quiz Bowl Team:
Baron Varner
Jordyn Kuzel
Eli Spale
Camden Olds
Drew Dummer
7th grade Quiz Bowl Team:
Harrison Kallman
Jacob Mann
Greg Matya
Morgan Bartman
Sam Brodersen
8th grade Quiz Bowl Team:
Ben Rhodes
Ryan Samuelson
Luke Allgood
Samantha Moore
Erika Cornett
By Sam Brodersen
Quiz Bowl, a high-level thinking game that
requires both a high intelligence, and fast
reflexes. The 7th grade team has both,
regularly beating the 8th grade team on a
weekly basis. Recently, the 7th and 8th
grade teams qualified for nationals in
Washington D.C. We placed first in the
state, and thirty-third in the world! Currently,
the tryouts are being held to determine
which six out of the ten members get to go
to this remarkable event. The 7th grade
team includes Harrison Kalman, Jacob
Mann, Greg Matya, Morgan Bartman, and
yours truly, Sam Brodersen.
Cookie Quest
By Jordyn Kuzel
Sixth grade HAL and Math HAL have
now formed their companies and chosen
their cookie recipes and are currently
working on advertising techniques,
cookie themes, and marketing
techniques.
All seven cookie companies are
working hard to provide you with the
cheapest, best tasting, best smelling,
most popular cookie.
Cookies will go on sale sometime in
March. It’s up to YOU to decide the post
popular cookie. Which will YOU choose?
PAGE 7
IT’S A MATTER OF
WHO IS GOING GANHNAM STYLE?
By Ben Rhodes
On July 15, 2012, a video was uploaded to YouTube that would eventually become
the site's most watched video ever. The video also became the first on YouTube to surpass
one billion views, hitting the mark on December 21, 2012, averaging over 200 million views
a month.
The video in question was the official music video of the song "Gangnam Style," sung
by Korean rapper PSY (real name Park Jae-Sang). "Gangnam Style" became one of––if not
the most––recognizable song of 2012, and became a symbol for the year.
People the world over fell in love with the pounding introductory riff, the unmistakable
voice of PSY, and the famous dance for the song. Though sung mostly in Korean, with a bit
of English sprinkled in, people from every country watched the video, sang when they could
understand the song, and danced as much as they could.
PSY's international fame skyrocketed, becoming a celebrity in America as well as in
Korea, appearing on American TV shows to perform his famous dance of his hit song.
Even today, that video posted in July that would one day gain global stardom is still
ratcheting up views. As of February 16, the video had roughly 130 billion views, still climbing
every day.
So what can we learn from this? The world is more connected than ever, and
language doesn't have to be a barrier between people. A catchy beat, a famous video, and
"Gangnam Style" is all it takes to bring the world together.
LEGO STAR WARS 3: VIDEO GAME REVIEW
!
!
!
!
!
By: Ethan Grudzinski
promise you if you get this game you
wont regret it!!!
Lego Star Wars 3 is a very fun new
game. It is the newest Lego star wars
game. It has new weapons never
before seen on Lego Star Wars for
example: machine guns, and new
awesome rocket launchers. If you
want a new sick game such as this
one I strongly recommend it, you can
get it at game stop, WalMart, and I am
Shure a bunch of other places. I
!
SPORTS NEWS
PAGE 8
7th and 8th grade
Boys Basketball
By Ben Rhodes
7th and 8th grade
Girls Basketball
The 7th and 8th grade boys
basketball teams had very
successful seasons with both
teams from each grade finishing
the year above 500.
The 7th and 8th grade girls
basketball teams had an exciting
season. Congratulations B team
on going undefeated!
7th grade records:
A team: 5-3
B team: 7-1
7th grade records:
A team: 4-3
B team: 7-0
8th grade records:
A team: 5-3
B team: 7-1
8th grade records:
A team: 6-1
B team: 6-1
Nebraska Hosts Its First Outdoor Hockey Game
By Hannah Doorenbos
Are you a hockey fan? If you are, good news!
On Saturday, Feb. 9 2013 an outdoor hockey rink, sponsored by
Ameritrade, opened here In OMAHA!
The first game was the Omaha Lancers vs. the Lincoln Stars. They are
long time rivals and have had many fights. The Lancers have won 5 Anderson
Cups and 7 Clark Cups, but they also made it into Sports Illustrated for having
no wins in 1986-87.
The Lincoln Stars have not won as many cups as the Lancers but they
have never had a winless season. The Lancers won the first game in the
Ameritrade Center with a score of 4 to 2.
The game was sparsely attended and the slushy ice caused problems
but the people who came said they had a great time! Later that evening, the
Omaha Mavericks lost to North Dakota 2-5.
GAMES
Fun Riddles
By Sydney Wagner
Question 1: What’s the longest word in the dictionary?
Question 2: Why did the boy eat his homework?
Question 3: What do you give a dog with a fever?
HINK PINKS
1. Cow chuckle ____________________________
2. Bruised hog ____________________________
3. Store cashier idiot ____________________________
4. Used honker ____________________________
5. Tossed batter ____________________________
6. Fur maintenance ____________________________
7. Girl from Switzerland ____________________________
8. Putty sled ____________________________
9. Pressed rug ____________________________
10. Scour the bath ____________________________
http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/hinkpinks/hinkpinks25pf.html
PAGE 9
PAGE 10
COMICS
Hink Pink
answers
1. Calf Laugh
2. Sore Boar
3. Clerk Jerk
4. Worn Horn
5. Throw Dough
6. Hair Care
7. Swiss Miss
8. Clay Sleigh
9. Flat Mat
10. Scrub Tub
ABOUT US:
DRAGON’S
PEN
FIERY NEWS
STAFF
Kinsli Auman, Sam
Brodersen, Madison Buss,
Hannah Doorenbos, Ethan
Grudzinski, Ty Hawkins,
Kenadie Janulewicz,
Jordyn Kuzel, Payton Long,
Kayla Michalski, Nolan
Rauhut, Ben Rhodes,
Amber Szaro, Sydney
Wagner and Bee Zollman
CLUB SPONSOR: Lois Holz
BOOKS
PAGE 11
BOOK REVIEW
By Jordyn Kuzel
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.
I LOVE this series! Harry Potter or Rick Riordan fans,
this series is for you!
Set in the cities around the world, Josh and
Sophie, two teenage twins, meet the immortal Nicholas
Flamel, his wife Paranel Flamel, and the evil immortal
Dr. John Dee. Nicholas Flamel helps to train them in
the elemental magics in order to get the Codex out of
grasp of Dr. Dee and to save humanity.
Beware: Once you start, you won’t be able to
stop! But, don’t take my word for it; read the books and
find out for yourself.
Walls Within Walls Book Review
By Hannah Doorenbos
Important Dates
~No School
March 22nd
Do you love mystery, adventure, and excitement?
~Spring break
No School March
29 - April 2nd
Then I advise you to read Walls Within Walls. It is
easy to relate to and pulls you in. It's about three
kids; Patrick, CJ and their sister Brid. Suddenly their
dad makes a top hit video game. The kids now have
to not only deal with being rich and moving to a rich
neighborhood but also starting a new school. Little
did they know their house holds a secret that may
change lives.
Riddle Answers:
Answer 1: Rubber-band --because it stretches!
Answer 2: Because his teacher said it was a piece of cake!
Answer 3: Mustard, it’s the best thing for a hot dog!
GAMES
PAGE 12
http://www.freeprintable.com/print/free-printable-brain-teasers/st-patricks-day-codebreaker-word-puzzle