Coon Rapids Middle School Student Newspaper Volume 3 Issue 3crmsthefalconpost.weebly.com/ December 22, 2016

Local News

10 Things To Do During Holiday BreakLydia Scheibe (8)

Holiday Edition of

Well, the jolliest time of the year is almost here, guys! Are you ready? Do you even have things to do during break? Well if you don’t, I got some for you.

Here are ten things to do during Christmas, in no particular order.

1. Go sledding (don’t forget to wear a helmet!)

2. Make a gingerbread house3. Spend time with family4. Sleep, of course5. Drinking Hot Chocolate6. Baking Cookies7. Watching Christmas movies with a fuzzy

blanket8. Secret Santa with friends9. Decorating the house10. Go shopping! (for yourself, or someone

else.)

Now that you have some fun ideas to do during the long break, get on it! Have a fun and eventful Christmas!

History of the Christmas Tree (7)

Around this time of year, many Americans erect a

beautiful and bright pine tree- known as a Christmas

Tree- in their house. They decorate them with ribbons

and ornaments and lights- every house, if not every

neighborhood, gleams with the red and green light of

the Christmas spirit. But have you ever wondered

where the idea of the ‘Christmas Tree’ came from?

In ancient times, people believed that the sun was a

god, similar to the Egyptians and the sun god Ra. Every

time the winter came around, the ancients believed

that their god had fell ill, thus shorter and colder days.

Only the Spirit of Winter Solstice could heal the god,

thus having more longer nights. The ancients hung

pine and other greenery to celebrate the health of their

god.

International News

Can Bacteria Change the World?

What would YOU like to see in The Falcon Post this year?

Find us on Facebook or our website to share your thoughts, make suggestions, or get involved!

Facebook- The Falcon PostWebsite- http://crmsthefalconpost.weebly.com/

In the romantic city of Paris, a scientist found that the bacteria in jellyfish glows. They wanted to know if that can be used for the lights so they save power.

They saw that the bacteria only glows for three seconds, but they tweaked it so that it would glow for three days. They wanted to make it last longer. They also wanted it to be britter so you can see it products. They want it to stay a glowing for a month or more. They launched their first production December of 2016.

The bacteria is called Aliivibrio Fischeri. That bacteria helps mariean animals glow under water like squid.The bacteria helps them see under water. When they glow they only glow for three seconds. Have you ever seen a jellyfish when it glows that is Aliivibrio Fischeri?

In France they are not allowed to turn on their lights between one a.m and seven a.m, so they can save power. They said this is not a suppose replace lights. The lights are blue, so in Paris when it is night the city will be lite up with blue. This has not made it to the U.S. yet. They have a plant that glows in the dark too.

This is a picture of glowee it is blue.

This is the plant in the morning and night.

Randomly Interesting

Service Dogs

Custodians at CRMSBy Skyler Bergstrom (6) and Mikayla Sullivan (6)

We interviewed some Custodians and asked them questions about the school and we think you guys/girls should pay attention to this because, they clean up after us and they clean a lot of are trash off the floor. Hope you enjoy.

A service dog is a type of assistance dog trained to help people who have disabilities. They are most commonly Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers, but they can be any breed or mix of breeds. They help their owner with many different things such as reminding them to take their medication, bring the phone to the owner if there is an emergency, respond to smoke

alarms, wake up their owner for work or school, and guide them if they are blind. When you see a service dog with a vest on this means they are working and shouldn’t be distracted. You could possibly place someone's life in danger because the service dog gets distracted. Owning a service dog provides them with physical, mental, and emotional enrichment.

They love their job!

The Falcon Post: What percentage of CRMS students make a mess per day?

John Wolford: 64%Tim Aschoff:40%Jeff Young:1%Mike Roe: 59%Donny Gustafson:50%

The Falcon Post: What is your least favorite place to pick up after the lunchroom, classrooms, or hallways and why?

John Wolford: “To many desks in classroom.”Tim Aschoff:”Lunchroom because I have to clean the floor.” Jeff Young: ”Classroom and hallway.” Mike Roe: “Classroom because there is nowhere too clean.”Donny Gustafson:”Classrooms because that's where all the kids spend all the time.”

The Falcon Post: What is your favorite thing about being a Custodian?

John Wolford: “The students.”Tim Aschoff: “The children.”Jeff Young: “Seeing all the things that go on during the day.”Mike Roe: “Interacting with other people.”Donny Gustafson: ”The hours.”

The Falcon Post: What is your least favorite thing about a janitor. And why?

John Wolford: “Going on days in the summer.” Tim Aschoff: ”Cleaning up throw up.” Jeff Young: “Cleaning up after someone thats sick.”Mike Roe:¨ “Going on nights when school starts.” Donny Gustafson: “Going on days.”

Custodians are a very key part of CRMS and we want them to feel important so when you see a custodian say thank you, do something kind to them.

Entertainment

Depression on the VikingsBy Ryan Wolfe (8) and Joseph Pleuger (8)

Book nerd or not, winter break is a good time to read. But one of the issues when finding a suitable book to last you all break. There are many genres to choose from so I've chosen a book from four major genres to help guide you to a BOOKERIFIC BREAK!

One genre is Non Fiction, not very popular but very educational. A book that looked interesting was Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. Bomb is based in the cold war after the unveiling of splitting an uranium atom. Against the race of time a group of scientist must find a way to make the Atomic Bomb before the Americans.

Realistic fiction is by far one of my favorites. Fault in Our Stars is a very popular heart wrenching story of love, cancer, sadness, and the power of friends at your side. Hazel Lancaster has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Thyroid Cancer. After attending a Cancer Support group she meets Augustus Waters… You'll have to read to find out the ending.

Books, books, and more books!By Maddi Lund (8)

The Vikings are in a huge slump right now having many of their players gone. They're also suffering

from many losses. Their record is 7-6 and just a few weeks away from the playoffs. The Vikings have

recently decided to kick off Blair Walsh after he decided to kick his way on out of the NFL, being

traded with Kai Forbath who is doing much better. We had good start but then we had some injuries

and then we went into a depression of losses. Now we are getting back into it after beating the

Jaguars by 9 points. It was pretty close with the Vikings defense fighting back. Recovering from our

last few losses. Will the Vikings make it far in the playoffs? Will there be a 2017 Vikings Super Bowl?

Or will everyone get injured on the first game and we drop out? With our record it is hard to tell but

we might have a chance. We´ll have to face some tough teams on the way. Only time will tell.

What do you think will happen?

Will the Vikes pull it together?

Comics aren't my cup of tea, but many enjoy the well illustrated pictures to go with the story. Shadow Hero is about a not just any ordinary comic hero, this is the first Asian American comic hero. Fighting injustice, and saving the helpless are the specialties of The Green Turtle.

Love magic, dragons, and kingdoms? Fantasy just might be for you. One of the most popular fantasy books out there is the Mortal Instruments series. When a fifteen year old girl witnesses a murder she is about to call the police, as she should, right as she is about to pick up her phone the murderers and boy disappear into thin air. Kind of hard to report a murder when not even a drop of blood can be there to prove the murder even happened.

I hope you have a BOOKTASTIC BREAK and read a few books, I know I will.

Holiday Features

Easy DIY Christmas Presents By Krista Eckert and Sada Green (7)

Simple Stocking Stuffers1) Socks2) Chapstick 3) Candy 4) Gum 5) Stuffed Animals6) Chalk 7) Itunes Gift Card8) Earphones9) MONEY$

10) Coal

RecipesMorgan Puttkammer (7)

Candy Cane Dip

Ingredients -1 Package (3oz)cream cheese,softened -2 containers (6oz each) yoplait original

yogurt(french vanilla)- ¼ cup crushed red and white peppermint

candies -28 chocolate fudge creme-filled tubular-shaped wafer cookies or chocolate wafer cookies

Directions

1. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese unit smooth. Beat in yogurt until blended. Stir in candies.

2. Save immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving time with wafer cookies.

Candy cane cookies

Ingredients1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough ½ c. all purpose flour 1 c. melted white chocolate⅓ c. crushed candy canes

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large

baking sheets with parchment paper.2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie dough

and flour, using your hands to make sure it's evenly incorporated. Roll dough out to 1/4" thick, then use a candy cane cookie cutter to cut out each cookie. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Let cool completely on wire racks.

3. When the cookies are cool, dip each cookie in melted white chocolate and roll the chocolate-end in crushed candy canes. Let set for about 10 minutes more.

Directions;1.) glue kitkat onto candy canes 2.) glue small candies onto kitkat to form a pyramid like shape (Put 4 on bottom, then 3 followed by 2, and one last candy on top)3.) wrap a ribbon on it and put a bow on top

DIY Santa’s Sleigh

What you will need; Two candy canes 10 miniature candy bars 1 full sized kit Kat candy bar glue/double sided tape Christmas bow and ribbon

Holiday Features

Top 5 popular Christmas movies in MinnesotaJosie Scott (8) and Hannah Larson (8)

It's the time of the year again where everyone's hanging their stockings, making cookies, and most of all setting up the Christmas tree. Towards the end of the day everyone's tired and ready to relax. So why not sit down with the family and watch some Christmas movies. Here's the top 5 Christmas movies in Minnesota.

1. It's a wonderful lifeThis movie is an old one, but it's still a Christmas classic that anyone will love. Starring James Stewart, Karolyn Grimes, Bobby Anderson and many more!

2. Elf This is one of my Christmas favorites. I think anyone can agree that this movie is great for anyone of any age. If you don't like Elf than you may be called a cotton-headed-ninny-muggins. The main character Buddy the elf is played by Will Ferrell.

3. Bad SantaThis raunchy comedy is great for people with a sense of humor and who love drunk mall santas. There's always that one kid that will never give up on santa and this young boy doesn't want to give up on this specific one. The drunk mall santa is well played by Billy Bob Thornton.

4. A Christmas storyNever lick a pole in the wintertime kids, you'll regret it. Flick sure did after he got triple dog dared to do it. This movie made the leg lamp, soup for swearwords, and many more things popular. The main character Ralphie is played by actor Peter Billingsley.

5. The Santa ClausThis movie was generally made for kids but adults also enjoy this Christmas classic. Tim Allen plays the role of a comedic ranting Santa. He does not believe in Santa but he has to accept his job as the old st.nick himself.

If you haven't seen any of these or at least a couple of these movies. It's Christmas time so get into the spirit, relax, grab a chair, and watch some movies with the family. Merry Christmas!

Local/National News

Dakota Pipeline Leak

The wife and parents of a Little Falls, MN man who was shot and killed while deer hunting are making an emotional plea, or beg, for the public’s help. They’re hoping for information that leads to the person who shot 41-year-old Terry Brisk, a father of four.

Brisk was found shot to death on the family farm while deer hunting on November 7. His parents’ farm is just east of Little Falls in Belle Prairie Township. There’s now a $20,000 reward for information that helps solve this month-old mystery.

“We just want some answers as to who done this terrible thing to our son, and to his children,” said Frances Brisk, Terry’s mother.

Her son was shot to death sometime between 2:26 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. on Nov. 7, a Monday.

“We have ruled out that this is an accidental shooting, and that this is definitely a homicide [murder],” said Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larson.

Morrison County investigators revealed Wednesday that Brisk’s rifle is still missing.

He was carrying a Winchester Model AE 30-30 lever-action rifle with a wooden stock and forearm, with no sling attached.

Larson cannot say if Brisk was shot at long or close range, or if there had been any kind of struggle.

Brisk’s widow, Pam Brisk, read a brief statement at a news conference, hoping to spur more leads in the case:

We don’t understand why this happened, but begging everyone with information to call or come forward so our family can have closure!

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morrison County sheriff’s office at 320-632-9233.

Just 150 miles away from the protests of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a massive oil leak has occurred. The Belle Fourche Pipeline in Billings County, North Dakota has spilled an estimated 4,200 barrels of crude oil, or 176,000 gallons of oil into a creek. This spill, is a great motive and incentive for the protests to continue as they already have for several months already.

The Protests The protests occurring inside of North Dakota, are happening at several points of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, but one of the main protest camps are located at the Standing Rock Reservation. This is because the projected map of the pipe runs through many important Native American sites, such as ancient burial grounds, and landmarks. They also fear for the safety of the environment, and the water in the area.

The LeakThe leak is almost ironic happening at such a time of the protests because it went into water, exactly what is being protested about, which is a much more serious matter than if it had leaked onto land and also being one of the points for not building the Dakota Access Pipe. This leak, although unrelated to the protests of the Dakota Access Pipe, just shows the very thing that the protesters are rallying against.

So what do you think about the leak of the Belle Fourche Pipe? And what do you think about the construction of the Dakota Access Pipe, because as shown by the protests, some decisions can still be in our hands.

Hunter’s Death Now A Homicide Investigation; Reward At $20K

By Justin DeMarre (6)

Just for Fun

Embarrassing Moments

All you have to do is find the embarrassing moment box in the IMC, grab a sheet of paper that is provided next to it, and write your embarrassing moment. To have your embarrassing moment in the school newspaper you have to provide your name (it can be anonymous if you want) , grade, and your embarrassing moment but be specific!

Do you have an embarrassing moment? Now it's your time to get it into The Falcon Post!

I can’t wait to see all of your embarrassing moments and see you next time.

Just for Fun

from all of us at The Falcon Post!

The Falcon Post Staff

Matt Strus (8)Editor-in-ChiefFavorite Sport:

Swimming

Maddi Lund (8)Managing EditorFavorite Person:

Jeffery Star

Lydia Scheibe (8)Soft News Editor

Favorite time to sleep:All the time

Nick Turgeon (8)Fiction Editor

Favorite Color: Purple

Ryan Wolfe (8)Sports Editor

Favorite Sport: Baseball

Joseph Plueger (8)Sports Editor

Favorite Food: Pancakes

Katherine Gohdes (8)Reporter

Favorite Activity:Volleyball

Hannah Larson (8)Photo/Graphics EditorFavorite Activity: Track

(cuz it’s better than swimming)

Halle Huttle (8)Advertising Manager

Favorite Activity:Dance

Josie Scott (8)Reporter

Favorite Thing:Can’t decide

The Falcon Post Staff

MiKayla Sullivan (6)Reporter

Favorite Color: Blue

Justin DeMarre (6)Reporter

Favorite Video Game: Undertale

Grace Hilst (7)Reporter

Favorite Sport:Soccer

Skyler Bergstrom (6)Reporter

Favorite Color:Sky-Blue

Ella Michel (7)Reporter

Favorite Show: Sailor Moon

Devin Decker (7)Reporter

Favorite Sport:Football

Kaden Yang (7)Staff/Student Reporter

Favorite Book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Krista Eckert (7)Local News

Favorite Quote:“Dream as if you will live forever, live as

if you will die today.” James Dean

Morgan Puttkammer (7)Social Media Manager

Favorite Color:Blue