Nicklesville Drive Wrap-Up

By Kate

And the winner is..........

Friday the 13th marked the final day to bring in donations for the Nicklesville drive.  After a close race of advisory donations... Jeremy's advisory came out on top. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in this drive. It was a huge success across the board.

This friday, four students accompanied by Susannah and Mary, from student council will be traveling to Nickelsville itself to deliver the donations.

Thank you again to everyone who donated to make this drive a huge success, and congratulations to Jeremy's advisory!

Middle School Information Night

By Aisha Watt

Come to the MPR on Thursday, February 12th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm for Middle School Information Night! A chance for 4th and 5th grade parents to learn about the Middle School program and ask the teachers questions. There will also be 5th and 8th students to serve as ambassadors to the Middle School at Westside. Giving parents a chance to get answers from a student perspective. Join Us!

Lady of 1st Grade

by Carmen and Hanna

Lady is a short haired female guinea pig and the class pet for Margie’s first grade class pet. She is one and a half years old and came to Westside when she was two months old. Andrew, a first grade teacher, came up with the name, Lady, because the guinea pig seemed very ladylike.

We asked students what they thought of Lady and this is what they said:

“Lady is beneficial to the classroom because it's fun to have a pet to look at; if we didn't have lady there would be a lot of open space, really really cute.”

We also asked what they learned:

“We learned that she's really soft and she puffs when shes resting, that she likes lettuce, kale, carrot strips, bok-choi, broccoli and arugula.”

Finally we asked if she was a distraction?

“According to the students and teachers lady is not a distraction. But, at one time of the day she gets a little crazy, snack time. She squeaks loudly around snack time because she knows shes about to be fed.”

The students get to take her home on the weekends and Margie the first grade teacher cleans her cage. She is very popular with the students and is super cute!

Heading Home Event at Westside!

By Kate

Tonight, on Thursday February 5th, Westside School will be hosting a Town Hall and presenting its plans for the new building currently under construction. The Westside's Board of Trustees will share updates and highlights on the progress of the new building and open up the Capital Campaign to the public. Select students will also be performing dances and songs to celebrate the creation process of Westside's new home.

Here are some quotes from students regarding their excitement towards the new campus.:

"It's an extremely nice building. I think it looks very advanced, modern and will be able to enrich the academic achievement of all students while supporting visual and performing arts as well as athletics."

- Kate Leahy, 8th grade

"I am excited for the bathrooms and changing rooms at the new school."

- Carson Comick, 6th grade

"I am most excited about the gym because it is up to standard and for the electric bleachers."

- Nathaniel St. Clair, 6th grade

"The new school will look a lot better and there will be desks that can fit different groups."

- Hanna Meyer, 6th grade

"I look forward to having more room and just having a better looking school."

- Carmen Hummel, 6th grade

"I am looking for to being in a classroom with a wall of windows and the gym having electric bleachers."

- Henry Muench, 7th grade

"I am excited that the new school will look like the Four Seasons. It will be clean and the classrooms will be nice."

- Nate Wuethrich, 7th grade

"I think the newness and solar panels will be cool, and I'm happy we'll have a nice place to dance."

- Sophia Cohen, 6th grade

"I am excited for the gym and am excited I won't slip anymore, or hit the ceilings."

- Ashley Bocek, 6th grade

"It's gonna be bigger and it will have a nice grassy space."

- Juliet Anawalt, 7th grade

Salmon Project

by Carmen and Hanna

The salmon project is a second grade project that Westside has done for 5 years. The main idea of the project is to learn about the importance of salmon in the Northwest, to understand the salmon life cycle and learn to appreciate nature.

The salmon eggs came from Soo's Creek hatchery. 2nd grade purchased 200 eggs and 198 are living happily. We interviewed the second grade class and their teacher, Laura Holmes. Here are some of their reactions to the project:

"I enjoyed seeing the alvins grow, and watching the eggs hatch." Kiera

"I enjoyed looking at the dead eggs." Cormac

We learned, as interviewers,  that the salmon don't have mouths until they are 2 months old.

We also found out that all the alvins clump together for camouflage, because they can't swim with the heavy yolk sac that is connected to their belly. This is how they escape the predators.

All in all, the salmon project was fun for Hanna and I to learn about and is also a great  learning experience for the second graders.

Car Wreck Miracle

by Kayla

Twenty-seven year old, Kaleb Whitby had been driving down the familiar stretch of Interstate 84 east of Baker City in Portland, roughly an hour before sunrise. He'd been on the road for several minutes on January 17th and engulfed in an audiobook. He then spotted a semi-truck trailer in front of him start to sway. Has he downshifted and quickly tapped on his brakes and felt his 2008 Chevy Silverado slip on the black ice underneath him. He lost control and collided with the back of the trailer. He struck the trailer head-on and slid about thirty feet. The airbag didn't deploy and his truck went silent. His truck cocooned him tightly and he struggled to climb out. He grabbed his pocket knife and cut the seat belt and climbed out of the vehicle. Whitby should have died on Interstate 84 on January 17th, leaving his wife a widow and his son fatherless. Though, to just his luck, he walked away from the wreck with a black eye and a few scratches. It was a miracle that he survived and was able to be reunited with his family shortly after.

Chinese New Year- The Year of the Goat

By Nate

Chinese New Year is based off the lunar calendar. It falls usually during February when it is the second full moon. During every Chinese New Year there is a zodiac that goes with it. There are 12 animals including:  the rat, ox, snake, rabbit, horse, tiger, sheep, monkey, dog, pig, and dragon.  2015 is year of the goat and begins on Thursday, February 19th. The dragon is important to Chinese culture because many people think that we are evolved from them.

During Chinese New Year there are many customs that people follow such as; wearing red, getting a haircut, getting new clothes, etc. Most people wear red and gold, because the colors represent good luck and prosperity. People also clean their house because they want to get rid of the dust from last year. At CNY night people often gather with their families, make dumplings, and hang red lanterns. On CNY day people go and watch lion dances and set off firecrackers. Firecrackers represent scaring off bad luck from the past year. The lion dance is a costume that usually fits 2 people. However most people get it mixed up with dragon dance which can have up to 100 people holding the snake like body. The lion head is made up by a bamboo structure that has to be hand made. Some lion heads can weigh up to 50 pounds!

In Seattle's Chinatown there will be lots of festivities happening. Some are but not limited to, arts and crafts, performances, and lion dances. Most events will happen on the 21st at Hing Hay Park, admission is free.

Chinese New Year is a great festival that is similar to most new year celebrations so check out what's happening!