the nha news - norwalk housing · 2011-07-11 · page 2 the nha news local news dear officer...
Post on 14-Mar-2020
1 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
THE NHA NEWS
Oil Spill Was Largest In US
History By Clarentz Jean, 7th
Grade, Washington Village
This is an edited version of an original
article that appeared in The Washington
Village Voice in June
On April 20, 2010 there was a great
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off of
the coast of Louisiana that killed 11
oil workers from BP.
The impact to the environment and
wild life has been devastating. The
brown pelican, the state bird of Loui-
siana has been devastating.
A variety of procedures are being
used to cleanup the oil including:
dispersants being sprayed, boom
equipment and skimmers. It appears
to be helping to keep some of the oil
out at sea. The Gulf of Mexico oil
spill has cost BP $2 billion in clean
up costs already. This is a serious
disaster because we eat fish and other
marine animals and if that gets into
the fish and other marine animals
and that could be seriously dangerous
for us.
(Story continues on BACK PAGE.)
Written and Illustrated by the Children of the Norwalk Housing Authority After School Learning Centers
Local News 2
NHA News 3
Travel Section 4
Review Section 5
Opinions 6
Sports 7
Volume 1 Issue 1
2010 BACK TO
SCHOOL
ISSUE
What You’ll Find
Inside
This Issue
BP Oil Spill Finally Capped By Yianiellie Zuniga, 7th Grade
Meadow Gardens
BP finally capped the well this summer on July
15th, nearly 3 months after the explosion. Shortly
after they capped the well, they also replaced their
CEO, Tony Hayward who was not popular with
people. The amount spent on the clean up so far is
about 350 million dollars. And a new estimate of
oil that was spilt in the gulf is about 30,000 of bar-
rels each day.
Haiti Still Needs Help By Angeline Moresca, 4th Grade,
Roodner Court
Almost 7 months ago on Tuesday after noon on
January 12th in Port au-Prince, Haiti an earth-
quake struck the island with a 7.0 magnitude.
About 250 thousand people died and millions of
people were hurt, left homeless or impacted by
the earthquake. Haiti still need our help.
Page 2 THE NHA NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
Dear Officer Schwarz,
Thank you so much! I enjoyed having you
give me a tour around the Norwalk Police
Department! I hope we see each other again
or take another tour. My favorite part was
when we went to the shooting range and we
got to see the red and blue lights in the dark
and when you showed us your dummy and
when we saw how to clean your guns and all
about the tasers , guns and dummies. I hope
you enjoy our letters!
Thanks,
Curstin Williams, 8th Grade
* * *
Dear Officer Schwartz,
I would like to thank you for giving us the
tour. My favorite parts were when you locked
us I the jail cell. But my personal favorite was
the bullets and the shooting range. But the
part I really didn’t like was waiting for the bus
outside.
Thank you,
Trevor Thomas, Grade 6
* * * Dear Officer Schwartz,
I would like to thank you for the tour that you
gave us of the police department. My personal
favorite part of the tour of the police depart-
ment was when we got to dance in the shoot-
ing range. I also liked the taser gun. It was
interesting the way the two fishhooks hurt the
person who is getting tased.
Sincerely,
Nick Severino, Grade 5
NHA Children Take Field Trip to
Norwalk Police Department This summer children from the NHA Summer
Program paid a visit to the Norwalk Police De-
partment and Officer Schwartz. The thank you
letters from children from Roodner Court to
Officer Schwarz below capture the children’s
experience.
Fatou’s African Hair Braiding
Salon Opens By Penda M’bengue,
5th Grade Washington Village
Fatou’s African Hair Braiding Salon
specializes in flat twists, box braids,
Senegalese twists, corn rows, weaves,
kinky twists, Cassamas Braids, Invisi-
ble braids, corkscrews, interlocks, etc
hairstyles for women, men and and
children. My mom, Arete M’bengue
and my aunt, Maty Cisse opened the
shop in March of 2010 as a surprise for
my cousin, Fatou Ndiaye.
Fatou’s African Hair Braiding is locat-
ed on 973 Boston Post Road in West
Haven, Connecticut 06516. In addition
to hair braiding, the salon wants to of-
fer to do nails and eyebrows. They are
looking to hire someone who can do
nails and eyebrows. If you are interest-
ed, please contact (203)465-8075 or
(646) 287 8453 and ask for Arete.
On July 19th, I interviewed my mom
and asked her a few questions about the
salon and here’s what she had to say:
Why did you want to open the
salon? It was my sister’s idea.
What do you do in the salon? I man-
age the hair salon.
What is the most popular braids that
people ask for in the salon? Kinky
twists and corn rows.
What is the busiest tie for you? Fri-
day and Saturday.
How is the business working out for
you? Can’t complain :)
You can also find the salon on
Facebook at Fatoubraiding.
The NORWALK NEWS
NHA LEARNING CENTERS
Page 3
Leaders and Teachers Share
Thoughts
Throughout the month of July students sat
down with the various NHA Learning Center
Heads, as well as, some teachers and educa-
tion coordinators and asked them a series of
questions about themselves. Here’s what
everyone had to say.
WASHINGTON VILLAGE: Michael Crafter By Cyann Dickson,
3rd Grade
Who has
influ-
enced
you the
most?
My
mother
because
she took
care of
me and
taught me how to treat people with re-
spect.
What is your favorite movie? Brave-
heart because it is based on a true story
and the action is great!
Favorite Music? All.
Favorite Sport: Tennis.
Favorite School Subject: Social Studies.
Favorite Hobby: Going to the movies.
Favorite Video Game: Fight Night
Favorite TV Show: Family Matters
What are 3 adjectives you would use to
describe yourself? Smart Funny, pa-
tient.
Linda Ferguson By Cyann Dickson, 3rd
Grade,
Who have you admired most and why? My
mother, she has taught me how not to be afraid
of who I am and enjoy being yourself because
you are unique.
When have you been the saddest person
ever? When my cat got lost.
Where do you go when you are off work? To the mall.
When did you come to Washington Village?
5 summers ago.
Why did you become a teacher? I wanted to
help people become good readers.
How would you describe yourself using 3
adjectives? I am quiet, organized and patient.
ROODNER COURT: Meet Ms Laura Turner
By Curstin Williams, 8th Grade
Who do you most admire? Oprah and Dr Oz
What is your pet peeve? Unfairness and injus-
tice.
Where did you grow up? Florida.
Favorite Subject: Science and Health.
Favorite Sport? Basketball.
Where would you like to visit? Caribbean Is-
lands.
Favorite Music? R&B, Classical, Jazz.
Who has influenced you the most? Individuals
who make the most sense, logical, reasonable
and fair.
Favorite TV shows to relax? Bill Cosby, Liv-
ing Single, I love Lucy, Andy Griffith.
When were you the saddest? When my Grand-
ma and Dad died.
Sherone Rose
By Angeline Moresca, 4th Grade
Who do you most admire? In life, first my
mother because she was a strong black woman
and Maya Angelou the writer. I would like to
meet Maya Angelou.
Favorite music? Jazz
Favorite subject? English, basket ball art?
How would your friends describe you? My
best friends would say that I am kind and relia-
ble.
When were you the happiest and the saddest?
I was the happiest when I finally got to live with
my mom. I was the saddest when my mom died.
When were you most proud? When I graduat-
ed from college and when I see any of my for-
mer students succeeding.
Where would you like to visit? I would like to
visit Africa because I would like to see the place
where my ancestors came from.
Favorite vacation? I had the best vacation in
Florida and Charleston, South Carolina.
What 3 adjectives would you use to describe
yourself ? I am confident, trustworthy and nice.
How would you spend your idea day? I would
like to spend my ideal day on the beach reading
and drawing.
COLONIAL VILLAGE Ken Riley By Julisa Evans, 5th Grade
Who would you like to meet? President Barack
Obama.
What is your pet peeve? Disrespectful kids.
When is your birthday? April 10
Where did you grow up? Orangeburg South
Carolina.
Favorite subject in school? History
Where have you lived? Orangeburg south Caro-
lina and Norwalk Connecticut.
Favorite hobby? Fishing
Favorite sport? Football
Where would you like to visit? Hawaii .
Favorite music? Jazz
How old are you? 56
MEADOWS GARDEN Katrina Ellis By Chaz Watkins 3rd
Grade,
Who has influenced you the most? I would
have to say myself first and close friends and
family.
Who do you most admire? I admire strong
willed individuals who are honest, down to earth
and real.
Favorite Movie: Coming to America.
It is a great combination of love, comedy ro-
mance and great talent.
Favorite Music: Old School, R&B, love songs,
neo soul music and hip hop.
Favorite Video Game: Super Mario Brothers.
Classics never die.
Favorite TV Show: Channel 12 News
Favorite Subject: Health and Science.
Favorite Sport: Basketball.
Favorite Hobby: Reading; playing family
games
When were you the happiest and saddest? I
was the happiest when I got engaged and gave
birth to my precious daughter. The saddest mo-
ment is when my mom had to have surgery on
my graduation day.
When were you most proud? I was most proud
when I graduated college.
Where would you like to visit? I would like to
visit Aruba and parts of Africa.
Washington DC By Syndie Lau-
ture, 7th Grade, Washington Village
Washington D.C is one of the most in-
teresting places in this world. Even
though I never had been to Washington
D.C, just reading about make me want
to go. I mean, places to eat, shop, enter-
tain you. Washington D.C has it all. It’s
located on the Potomac River, Virginia
on the southwest side and Maryland on
the
south-
east
side.
It’s
known
for its
hot,
humid
sum-
mers,
pleas-
ant
springs
and
au-
tumns and mild winters with seasonal
snowfall averaging over 17 inches.
When most people visit Washington
D.C they mostly drive or take the train.
Some facts about Washington is the
white house was originally called the
“President’s Palace” or the “President’s
House.” A Baltimore reporter once
called it the “white house” in a newspa-
per article and the name caught on. The-
odore Roosevelt made this the official
name in 1901. Also the white house was
designed by JAME HOBAN. Take a
picnic and enjoy spectacular views of
the Potomac River at this 800 acre park,
located just 14 miles from Washington
DC. Story continued on page 8.
Jamaica By Jazmin Bien – Aime , 5th
Grade Colonial Village
Jamaica is off the South Coast of Florida
and slightly smaller than the state of Ct.
The climate is hot and sunny, tropical is
average temp is 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
The capital is Kingston. If you go to
Jamaica you have to turn your US dollars
into Jamaican dollars. The exchange rate
is $60 Jamaican dollars = $1 US Dollar.
You can get to Jamaica by flying out of
JFK. Many airlines fly into Jamaica but
for example: you can go on Jet Blue for
a long weekend in September for about
$362 round trip.
Jamaica is known for its reggae music.
Some things to do in Jamaica include:
you can go to the YS Falls to visit and get
water there and have fun and you can
going to Dunn’s river falls it is some
thing like rocky water is coming down.
Some good food to eat in Jamaica is jerk
chicken and fish pork some food place
have pelican bar and roasted yam pepper
soup
Some places to go include Moon Dance
and it is in Negril. There is also 7 Mile
Beach which has a nice resort.
The best time of the year is spring. I like
the fruits that are guinep and jew plum
and Jamaica mangoes. Jamaica mangoes
are the best and they grow all over the
place, but be careful when you pick one.
Make sure it doesn’t have a worm. Ja-
maica Is The Best!!!!
Page 4 THE NHA NEWS
Orlando, Florida By Ariyanna Peterkin,
6th Grade, Colonial Village
Thinking about having vacation? Well, why you
don’t visit Orlando, Florida! Orlando, Florida is
the 82nd largest city in the United States. It’s the
5th largest city by population. Orlando used to be
called Jernigan after the first permanent settler
Aaron Jernigan. Now if you’re planning on going
to Florida then you should pack…… Sandals, T-
shirts, shorts, Capri’s, skirts, hats, etc.
Now the most fun part of visiting Orlando. Dis-
ney World! Disney World is full of rides games
shows and lots of activities. They just don’t have
Disney World they also have Magic Kingdom,
Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood studios, Disney’s
Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard
beach and also Downtown Disney. So if your
going to Orlando, Florida makes sure you visit
one of the places. Like I said before…. Thinking
of having a vacation why don’t you visit Orlando
Florida!
Dominican Republic By Nick Severino,
5th Grade, Roodner Court
I am from the Dominican Republic. It is a very
nice place to visit. Let me tell you about it. The
Dominican republic is in the Caribbean Sea on
the island of Hispaniola. The country of Haiti is
on the other side of the island. Santa Domingo is
the capital
and the
official
language is
Spanish but
English is
also spo-
ken.
It has the
second largest coastline in the Caribbean—1,000
miles long. Money used is called pesos. The
temperature range is between 80-90 degrees
Fahrenheit. Here are some names of the white
sandy beaches that I have been to: Boca Chica
and Caribe beach. There are big waves for surf-
ing and boogie boarding. My sister surfed on
those beaches. The national meal is called La
Bandera. It is rice, beans, plantains and meat. It
is also called The Flag. Visit the Dominican
republic it is great!
TRAVEL
Guatemala By Briana Tosado, 5th
Grade Colonial Village
Guatemala is in Central America. The
average temperature is very hot. It is
about 90 degrees. Guatemalans salsa
dance and celebrate. A dish in Guatema-
la is steak and eggs. In Guatemala’s his-
tory they danced and sang. The capital
of Guatemala is Guatemala City. Carne
Guisada is a big dish in Guatemala. We
make it at home.
Page 5 THE NHA NEWS
MUSIC
REVIEW:
Shakira By Cindy
Makaba, 5th
Grade
Meadow Gar-
dens
Shakira was
born on Feb-
ruary 2, 1977
in Colombia.
Shakira is a singer, song writer, musician,
record producer, dancer, and philanthropist.
Shakira is a very kind singer and also has
won 11 awards and went on 10 tours. Shaki-
ra broke through into the English-speaking
word with the release of laundry service,
which sold over 13 million copies world-
wide.
MUSIC REVIEW: Fergie By Eyesly
Zaniga, 2nd Grade Meadow Gardens
Fergie is a
beautiful
singer. Her
hair was
blond but
now she dyed
it black. My
favorite song
is Clumsy.
My second
favorite song
is Getting
Over You.
Now Fergie
sings with the
Black Eyed Peas. They sound good together.
My favorite songs that they do together are
I’m Gonna Rock That Body and Meet Me
Half Way and the song I Got a Feeling.
Fergie is really famous. She even sang well
when she was little. Fergie’s real name is
Stacy. She was born on March 27th 1975 in
Hacienda, California. She is Mexican. Her
school was Glen A Wilson High School. A
few more of her songs include: Glamorous,
Big Girls Don’t Cry. Finally, Fergie got
married to Josh Buhamel.
BOOK REVIEW: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid By Ann Papin, 5th Grade
Washington Village
Diary of A Wimpy Kid is a book by Jeff Kin-
ney. This is a realistic fiction novel about a
boy named Gregory “Greg” Heffley and his
daily middle school life. The book is a New
York Times best seller. The book takes
place during his first year in middle school.
The Cheese Touch is about getting cooties or
germs. The books is mostly about Greg’s
day to day mid-
dle school life.
I like this book
because it’s
funny and it’s a
good guide into
how to survive
middle school
life. I recom-
mend this book
for kids that are
in middle
school or going
to be in middle
school.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Call of Duty,
Modern Warfare 2 By Noah Ruffin, 8th
Grade, Colonial Village
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the game
of the year. It sold over 191,000 copies in the
US. In China, the game sold over 209,000.
That is the highest amount of games to be
solid ever, in a year, in a country. The Call
Duty Modern Warfare 2 story mode is very
tough on any challenge mode you choose
from. In the story you play as 4 characters:
Sergeant Gary (Roach), Caption Mactavish
(Soup), Private First Class Joseph Allen, and
Private James Ramirez.
The game went out to the PS3, X Box 360
and PS2. The creators of the game are work-
ing on putting it on with the WII. In the story
mode the missions are chosen from easy,
normal, harden, or veteran, In the free play of
the game, you can do mission with friends or
family. Now kids can play on online and
against people from different countries. It is
more fun because the new guns and new
maps are now downloaded into the system.
There are 2 old maps from call of duty 4 and
there are other new maps.
POP CULTURE REVIEW : Silly
Bands By Kamora Prince, 1st Grade, Mead-
ows Garden.
I like glitter silly bands and I like baseball
ones, and musical silly bands. I asked the
kids in my summer class at Meadows Garden
what their favorite silly bands were and here’s
what they said:
1. Eagle
2. Phoenix
3. Long Horn
4. Man on A Horse
5. Dragonfly
6. Princess
7. Ghost
8. Scottish terrier dog
9. Baseball player
10. Big Foot
My favorite game is call of duty WAR at
WAR and in the game you can play as Ameri-
can soldiers back in war world two and see
how far you stay alive in the free missions of
Nazi zombies. If you want to kill more zom-
bies in different places you have to pay for
them but theirs a cheat code to get the maps
for free unfortunately I can’t tell you this be-
cause I could get arrested. The creators of Call
of Duty did an awesome job on detailing the
zombies and the surroundings. I would give
Call of Duty 20 stars because if ever you get
bored, a surprise comes out of the game.
REVIEWS
Page 6 THE NHA NEWS
EDITORIAL OPINIONS Stop the Bullying !!! By Julisa Evans, 5th Grade
Colonial Village
Bullying is a common issue in many
schools. Most kids get bullied in
school, on the bus, out of school, and
if you walk home, there can be people
that chase you.
Bulling can be physical; mind games
computer programs where you can say
mean things to people, and miss treat-
ed by not talking to somebody because
somebody told you not to.
Some ways to avoid being bullied
include stop talking to people who use
bad language because that would im-
mediately make them want to fight
you. Also do not hit somebody be-
cause that is going top make it worst
for both of you because you can get
suspended from school for hitting
somebody which is bulling so do not
hit because you can get in big trouble
for being physical.
Why do kids bully? Kids bulling be-
cause they think that is cool and to get
popular with other kids in their school.
They should stop bulling because it is
a bad habit and if they keep bulling it
can mess up their life when they grow
up to be an adult because they can
continue to make bad decisions.
I think that people should not bully
because it makes them look bad.
No Smoking and No Drugs!!! By DeMara Little, 6th Grade
Washington Village
Not smoking and not taking drugs is im-
portant because you’re healthier. When
you start smoking and or taking drugs,
you usually get addicted. I think this
issue is important because it will tell peo-
ple not to take drugs or smoke. Accord-
ing to the internet website: http://
nototobacco.org/ it says the following:
Cigarettes cause more deaths than co-
caine, auto accidents, AIDS. Alcohol,
heroin, fires, suicide and homicide. Ap-
proximately, 400,000 people die each
year from smoking and or taking drugs.
That 1100 people per day!! 60% of
smokers start at the age of 14. In my
opinion, if you are taking drugs or smok-
ing, I demand you to stop!
President Obama Is A Good President By Kamora Prince, 1st Grade
Meadow Gardens
The President is great and a good presi-
dent. He is the best president because he
is a smart and good writer. Two books
he has written are: Dreams From My
Father and The Audacity of Hope.
Choosing the Right Family Pet By Yianiellie
Zuniga, 7th Grade , Meadow Gardens
Animals are a big part of life, and most people think
they know everything about them. Sometimes people
get animals like snakes big spiders, and some endan-
gered spices and in the end they end up killing them or
the owners get hurt. I know many things about them
though and if you’re interested in getting a snake or a
big spider than maybe I can help.
Snakes can be very dangerous even if they aren’t ven-
oms. They still have sharp teeth and can harm you that
way. If you don’t know what venom is it’s a poison that
is located in a venom sack in the back of the snakes
eyes. The potent toxin travels to the front fangs into a
mini pouch and injects into it’s victim. This is one major
way that the snake and the big spider have in common.
The same system is used.
Maybe if you’re not interested in animals like snakes or
big spiders maybe you might want to get a less danger-
ous pet. Perhaps a puppy or a cuddly kitten. I can help
you with that too. First thing you should do is make sure
your completely committed to take care of another liv-
ing thing you have to walk it, feed it, bathe it, brush or
comb it and take care of its coat. Also I would see if
any family member has any allergies to the animal you
would like.
If you’ve done all of the above than your ready for the
next step. For example you wanted to get a Pomeranian,
and you think you know all you need to know about
them. But than and all of the sudden your cute little pup-
py cant breath and than your vet tells you that Pomerani-
ans suffer breathing problems and you say “well I didn’t
know that” you probably would feel embarrassed well to
avoid all of that embarrassment you should do research
on them and learn more about them, that way you would
know the right way to care for them.
Some animals are not great pets. Some can cause all
sorts of trouble. Have you ever heard of Charla Nash
the lady who was attacked by her friend’s chimpanzee
on February 17 2009. She was interviewed on Oprah
and revealed the damage that Travis the chimp had
done. He tore off some of her fingers, and face. On
Oprah, she had talked about here fear of him. She be-
lieves that what had triggered Travis to attack was her
new hair style. After the attack, Travis was put down.
Some victims aren’t as lucky as Charla and some have
died from animal attacks. Well, I hope you’ve all
learned more about the risks, facts and what happens to
you if are foolish and don’t know anything about the
animal you bought or have.
Page 7 THE NHA NEWS
SPORTS LeBron Moving to Miami By Autumn Peterkin, 6th Grade,
Colonial Village
On July 11th LeBron James announced that
he was moving from the Cleveland Cavaliers
to the Miami Heat. LeBron James originally
from Akron, Ohio called the Cleveland Cav-
aliers his hometown team. His fans were
very angry about him leaving causing their
selves to burn his jersey. He says: “I feel
terrible that I’m leaving and that I couldn’t
bring the
NBA cham-
pionship to
the city.
They’ve
wanted the
champion-
ship for so
long!”
Was it be-
cause he
wanted to be
on a winning
team? Or did
he choose
play how
much they were paying him? Or were the
players better on Miami Heat? My opinion is
that Miami Heat was paying more than the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
US Lacrosse Growing By Jalen Elliott,
5th Grade Meadows Garden
US lacrosse was founded on January 1,1998
but lacrosse started with native Americans.
They didn’t have string or metal to make it
with, so they used wood and straw. US La-
crosse resulted from the merger of many
different groups including the Lacrosse foun-
dation the NCAA rules that are followed are
followed by many Americans.
Babe Ruth: Best Baseball Player
of All Time By Syrus Bradley, 5th Grade,
Colonial Village
My name is Syrus Bradley and I like base-
ball. My favorite team is the Boston Red
Sox. In my opinion, Babe Ruth is the Num-
ber One player in baseball. He was born on
February 6th, 1895. Babe Ruth’s real name
was George Herman Ruth. He moved from
the Red Sox to the Yankees in the 1918 sea-
son. Babe Ruth retired on June 13th, 1948.
He died on August 16th, 1948 and his death
was because of throat cancer, which he had
fought for two years.
Babe Ruth is my Number One baseball play-
er. I know he’s the best because he hit
homeruns almost every time he was at bat.
He’d point the bat where he would want to
hit a homerun and he would hit the ball
where he pointed at most of the time! Babe
Ruth was the number one hitter because he
hit homeruns!!
LACROSSE continued
I like lacrosse because you get to do
a lot of team work and I am good at that. I
would like to own my own lacrosse store one
day. The sticks come in different shapes and
sizes and colors. There are over 250,000 US
Lacrosse members and growing.
Kobe Bryant Lead Lakers to
15th NBA Title By Trevor Thom-
as, 6th Grade, Roodner Court
Kobe Bryant, also known as the LA
Lakers team leader helped lead the
LA Lakers to their 15th NBA Cham-
pionship Title for the 2009-10 season.
. He is also known for some other
things like being the Lakers guard the
sportsmanship guide and the Lakers
MVP.
Kobe Bryant was born on August
23rd, 1978 in Philadelphia. And you
know what? His father is Joe
“Jellybean” Bryant. He is not the
only child though, he has two sisters
named Sharin and Shaya. Kobe was
always I love with basketball.
You want to know what else is very
interesting? He moved to Italy when
was around the age of 7, 8 and 9.
While most kids in Italy were playing
soccer, Kobe was playing basketball.
Kobe Bryant By Jaki Elliott, 4th Grade, Mead-
ow Gardens
Kobe Bryant is 6’7’’ and he is a
guard. He weighs 231 pounds. On
January 22 he scored 81 points
against the Raptors. Kobe Bryant
plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He joined the Lakers in 1996 and
he never went to college. KB has
won 5 NBA Championships and 4
rings. Today KB’s jersey number
is 24. Four years ago he was Num-
ber 8.
Page 8 THE NHA NEWS
NEWS CONTINUED
24 1/2 Monroe Street Norwalk, Connecticut 06854
Phone: 203-838-8471 Fax: 203-838-6535
Website: www.norwalkha.org
Washington DC Travel
continued from page 5. The Washington DC region is lucky
to have wonderful bike trails. Jump
on a bicycle and you’ll quickly feel a
relief from hectic city life. Take the
whole family and explore the historic
C & O Canal.
Explore a quaint historic town just
over the Potomac River from Wash-
ington, DC. Visit colonial houses,
churches, and museums and shop for
antiques. Start at the Smithsonian
Institution Building where you can
pick up a map and information on all
of the museums. These national
treasures cover a wide range of sub-
jects from art to space exploration.
Plan to explore those you are most
interested in, but don’t try to see
everything at once.
Be sure to save time to see an IMAX
movie at the Natural History Muse-
um or the National Air and Space
Museum. Our national monuments
are truly spectacular. The best time
to see them is at night when they are
illuminated, less crowded and park-
ing is easier. During daytime visits,
take a tour bus. Listen to informative
park ranger talks and you won’t have
to negotiate congested city traffic.
While you’re there you’re definitely
going to get hungry so here are
Washington favorite places to eat.
Cheap Eat is a place where you can
find food for fewer than 25 dollars.
And Restaurant Eve is a place where
you can find the best dish, peoples
favorite is Lobster Disguise. After
you eat you might take a look at the
shopping places for example MAZ-
ZA GALARIE is one of the shop-
ping place to shop in Washington
D.C.
Most people says you have to go at a
best time of year well in Washington
D.C it doesn’t matter what time of
year you go your still going to have
fun.
SUMMER 2010
The NHA News
is published 5 times a year
by the children
of the
Norwalk Housing Authority
After School
Learning Centers
Publisher
N-Visage Communications
For information
about how your child can
participate in the
The Newspaper Program
Contact
Danielle Truini
203 899-1739
Continued from PAGE 1
The oil spill was so big, that it’s was
bigger than the surface area of Rhode
Island. The spill (which nobody really
knows how much there is) was estimat-
ed by BP to be leaking approximately
2.5 million gallons a day. It reached the
gulf coast and wetlands of Louisiana,
Alabama and hit the white beaches of
the Florida panhandle of Pensacola.
People lost money due to their jobs be-
ing tied to fishing, tourism and oil drill-
ing in the gulf. President Obama talked
to executives at BP about setting up a
fund to help residents of the gulf who
are lost money. BP agreed to set aside
$20 Billion to help those in the Gulf
region.
Flamingos
By Sanaiah
Dickson, 5
Grade Meadow
Gardens
Flamingos are
pink. They are
birds with long
legs. Flamin-
goes eat algae,
small insects
and small crus-
taceans like
shrimp.
Flamingoes get their pink color from their
foods. Flamingoes are native to Central and
South America. There are about 954,456 fla-
mingos left in the world. Flamingos protect
themselves by staying in large groups so they
can defend in large numbers. Some flamin-
goes are also from Florida.
The Washington Village
VOICE
On Tuesday, January 12,
2010 an earthquake hit
Port-au-Prince, Haiti at a
magnitude of 7.0. Many
houses were destroyed,
including the Palace Of
Haiti, where the president
lives.
According to President
Rene Preval 230,000 peo-
ple were killed from the
disaster, 300,000 were in-
jured and 1.2 million have
been left homeless. There
happened and people are
still reporting aftershocks.
But the good news is that
constructors from the
USA, Canada, Greece and
other countries are going
to Haiti to help rebuild.
The Haitian government
estimated that it is going to
cost about $3.8 Billion
dollars to rebuild the
country. Hopefully, after
that, things will work nor-
mally again.
is no home for the people of
Haiti, who now sleep on the
street. Some people think
sleeping on the street is safe
but is it really? Well, it is not
safe because when the disas-
ter happen the jail in Haiti
was destroyed and all kinds
of criminals escaped. Since
they escaped they are rob-
bing people when they are
asleep.
It’s been almost three
months since the earthquake
There has been a major
earthquake in Chile. But,
in Chile there was less
damaged than in Haiti.
There were approximately
500 people who were
killed, according to Chile’s
Office of Emergency Man-
agement.
The carnage from 8.8
magnitude quake didn’t
begin to approach the one
that happened in Haiti.
That earthquake made
212,000 dead and left
many people homeless.
Even if the earthquake in
Haiti was a 7.0. magnitude
earthquake, the quake was 700
to 800 times stronger and
depth which was 21.7 miles
compared to a 8.1 mile depth
of the quake from Haiti in
which a lot of damaged was
caused.
The coast of Chile has a histo-
ry of earthquakes. The honor
of the greatest earthquake of
all earthquakes recorded in
human history was the Valdi-
via, Earthquake or Great Chil-
ean Earthquake that meas-
ured 9.5 in 1960. Both earth-
quakes started tsunamis across
the Pacific Ocean.
Chile Hit By Another Earthquake By Fabian Castillo, 4 th Grader
Help Still Needed For Haiti By Clarentz Jean , 6th Grader
Written, Published and Distributed by the Children of the Washington Village
After School Learning Center
New Puerto Rico
Birth Certificate
Procedures
2
President Obama’s
To Do List
2
Obama’s Health
Care Plan
2
Fashion Icon: Coco
Chanel
3
Super Bowl 3
New Newspaper
Club
4
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
April, 2010
Issue
Volume 1
Issue 1
Last December, 2009, the Gover-
nor of Puerto Rico made a new
law about birth certificates.
Puerto Ricans need to issue new
birth certificates using state- of –
the art technology to limit the pos-
sibility of document forgery make
another birth certificate because
people are buying fake birth cer-
tificates identities and charging
$5,000 – 10,000 dollars on the
black market.
Approximately one third of the
4.1m Americans of Puerto Rican
decent could be affected. Puerto
Ricans usually have about 20 birth
certificate copies over their life
time.
Accord ing to Kenne th
McCauley Hernandez the Puer-
to Rican Secretary of State said
40 percent of identity fraud in
the U.S involves birth certifi-
cates.
Beginning July 1st this summer
native born Puerto Ricans hold-
ing the old birth certificates will
no longer be valid.
For more information contact
the US State Department.
Obama’s Health Care Bill Passes
Late Sunday night on March 21st,
Congress passed President Obama’s
health care Bill. Here are some things
that are included in the bill:
It makes insurance affordable and
gives insurance coverage to 32 mil-
lion more Americans that are cur-
rently not insured.
It gives people the same choices
that members of congress have .
It ends discrimination against
Americans with pre-existing medical
conditions (like diabetes, cancer and
heart disease.)
Kids can stay on their parents poli-
cy until they are 26 years old.
Page 2 The Washington Village VOICE
Puerto Rico Passes New Birth Certificate Law By Elizabeth Diaz, 4th Grader
President Obama’s To Do List? By Xiamary Castillo, 2nd Grader
I think President Obama needs to
help people in the United States.
Here is my list of what I think the
President should do.
Help people keep their homes
because people need shelter and
places to live.
Help people get jobs because
people need money for their
bills, food and to pay their taxes.
Help the environment like the
oceans and the earth because we
need to keep the earth clean.
Help people with their health for
things like diabetes, cancer and
heart disease.
.
Coco Chanel is recognized as being
probably the top French fashion de-
signer in history. She is famous for
designing the first little black dress.
Chanel started the hobby of design-
ing hats, which eventually lead her
into fashion. In 1913, Coco Chanel
opened her very first shop which sold
a range of raincoats, sportswear, and
jackets.
In Deauville, France where Coco
also had a shop, French women dur-
ing the World War I came to accept
her view that women were supposed
to dress for themselves and not for
their husbands. This all started off
when she wanted to become a caba-
ret singer. While she failed to get
steady work as a singer, it was here
that Chanel met a rich young French
textile heir named Etienne Balsan to
whom she soon became an acknowl-
edged mistress, but she kept her day
job in the tailoring shop which led
her to fashion. Balsan lavished on
her beauties of the rich life includ-
ing diamonds, dresses, and pearls.
While living with Balsan, Chanel
began designing hats as a hobby
which soon became deeper interest
of hers. After opening her eyes, as
she would say, Coco left Balsan and
took over his apartment.
Her hats were worn by celebrated
French actresses who helped to
establish her reputation. In 1939,
at the beginning of World War II,
Coco Chanel closed her shops.
In 1957 Coco Chanel won the
Neiman Marcus fashion award for
distinguished service in the field of
fashion that was yearly award creat-
ed in 1938 by Stanley Marcus.
Coco Chanel died in January 10.
1971 at age 81 she is now known
for her fashion and always will be
remembered.
going to be his last year, but he
couldn’t believe that he was playing
and having a good time.
After the game, the Saints football
team donated some of their money
to help out New Orleans after Hur-
ricane Katrina devastated the city in
2005.
Super Bowl! Super Bowl!
Super Bowl! Wow what a game!
On Sunday February, 7, 2010 the
Super Bowl between the Indianap-
olis Colts versus the New Orleans
Saints. The game ended with the
Saints beating the Colts with a
score of 31-17. Boy was it a game!
The quarterback for the Saints said
that “After being injured in the Su-
per Bowl, he thought that it was
Saints Win Super Bowl And Help New Orleans By Clarentz Jean, 6th Grader
Coco Chanel: Early Hat Fashion Icon By Penda M’Bengue, 4th Grader
Page 3
If I Were A Grown Up By Elizabeth Diaz, Age 9
If I were a grown –up
I would be a dance teacher. I love to dance.
If I were a grown up I would have twins
I would read to them every night and tuck them into bed.
If I were a grown –up
I would have lots of money. I would live in a fancy house and drive a fancy car.
If I were a grown up
I would be smarter than a fifth grader.
If I were a grown up I would polish my nails and dye my hair.
My hair would be dirty blonde.
If I were a grown-up I would live in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico has clean water and beautiful waterfalls.
If I were a grown up
I would drive my red Audi all over the world. (if I could).
I will always fallow my dreams. (even when I am a grown-up.)
24 1/2 Monroe Street Norwalk, Connecticut 06854
Phone: 203-838-8471 Fax: 203-838-6535
Website: www.norwalkha.org
Norwalk Housing Authority
Learning Centers
MISSION
The purpose of the Norwalk Housing Authority Learning Centers is to
ensure that children, primarily youth residing in public housing, devel-
op the academic and personal skills that lead to success in school and
in future life.
This publication is the result of the Washington Village Newspaper
Club.
The Newspaper Club is an NEW after school enrichment program
being provided by the Norwalk Housing Authority Learning Centers
in partnership with outside vendor N-Visage Communications.
The program increases student exposure to real world skills, current
events, non-fiction writing and graphic art. Through a combination of
weekly classes and the publication of a community newspaper,
children, between the ages of 10 and 14, develop life skills such as
organizing, communicating, prioritizing, meeting deadlines and cre-
ative problem solving. Working in small groups, students brainstorm
story ideas, perform group exercises, discuss current events and pub-
lish their work. More than just a newspaper club, the program focus-
es on exposing student’s to non-fiction writing, oral presentation, and
creative communications skills.
Children participating in the program will:
Write in a variety of newspaper genres including hard
news and feature stories
Develop an appreciation for humor and creativity
through the use of satire and symbolism in their editorial
and illustrative cartoons
Discuss current events (local, national and international)
and its impact on their lives
Publish their work regularly in a community newspaper
Learn basic journalism jargon, proofreading and editing
Conduct interviews through the use of various questioning
techniques
Learn basic communications skills including the im-
portance of first impressions, handshakes, and effective
presentation skills
Interact with community leaders and businesses in the
community through both interviews and the sale of adver-
tising space in support of the paper.
If you are interested in learning more about this program, please con-
tact Danielle Truini, Director, NHA Computer Learning Centers
203 899-1739.
Page 4 The Washington Village VOICE
Norwalk Housing Authority Learning
Centers Mission Statement
“The Norwalk Housing Authority Learning Cen-
ters are committed to providing our student residents with academic support and enrichment opportunities in a safe, comfortable environment
that empowers children to reach their highest potential and launch successfully into adulthood.”
The Washington Village
VOICE
BP Oil Spill:
Largest In US History By Clarentz Jean, 6th Grade
On April 20, 2010 there was a great oil
spill that killed 11 oil workers at BP.
The oil spill is so big, that it’s bigger
than the surface area of Rhode Island.
The spill (which nobody really knows
how much there is) is estimated by BP
to be leaking approximately 2.5 mil-
lion gallons a day. It has reached the
gulf coast and wetlands of Louisiana
and has hit the white beaches of the
Florida panhandle of Pensacola.
A variety of procedures are being
used to cleanup the oil including: dis-
persants being sprayed, boom equip-
ment and skimmers. It appears to be
helping to keep some of the oil out at
sea. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has
cost BP $2 billion in clean up costs al-
ready. This is a serious disaster be-
cause we eat fish and other marine
animals and if that gets into the fish
and other marine animals and that
could be seriously dangerous for us
Written, Published and Distributed by the Children of the Washington Village After School Learning Center
Editorial
Opinions
2
Food and
Entertainment
Reviews
3
Book Reviews
& Poems
4
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
Volume 1
Issue 2
People are also losing money due to
their jobs being tied to fishing, tourism
and oil drilling in the gulf. President
Obama is talking to executives at BP
about setting up a fund to help residents
of the gulf who are losing money. BP has
agreed to set aside $20 Billion to help
those in the Gulf region.
2010
SUMMER
ISSUE
Iceland Volcano Erupts and
Disrupts Airports By Fabian Castillo, 4th Grader
On April 14th 2010, a volcano erupted
named Eyiafjallajokekull, located in Ice-
land. Much of the airports across the north-
ern and western parts of Europe were
closed because of all the ash that spread
through Iceland over to Europe. Fewer
than half of the usual number of flights
were able
to operate.
Hundreds
of thou-
sands of
passengers
were af-
fected by
the re-
strictions.
A i r p o r t s
w e r e
closed be-
cause the ash cloud was at the altitude that
airplanes fly. This was the worst travel cha-
os since 9/11.
Scientists are saying that the volcano in
Iceland is still erupting and may do for
some time. Story continued on Page 4.
What You’ll
Find Inside
This Issue
Page 2 The Washington Village VOICE
EDITORIAL OPINIONS AND CARTOONS
Book Gives Teens Advice
on Good Eating Habits By Clarentz Jean, 6th Grader
On May 09, 2010, I read a book
about kids’ lives and all the prob-
lems they faced. One of the sto-
ries that I read was my problem.
A 5th grader wrote in 2005 and the
book is called Chicken Soup for
Preteen Souls.
The story was basically talking
about how big and chubby he
used to be and how he used to get
picked on by other kids at school
and then he made a big effort to
change his life and he became
slim and never got picked on
ever again. But the point of this
story is that the things the pub-
lic school are serving is really
bad for some kids.
Did you know that a carton of
chocolate milk that they serve
at school has much more sugar
then a can of soda? So some-
body should do something
about these things.
Please help the kids in public
school eat healthier and you
should see a big difference.
Write or call your local Board
of Education about the cafete-
ria food.
US SECURITY
2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
Video Game Review:
Sonic Rider
By Mouhamed mbengue
3rd Grade
Sonic Rider is a four player vid-
eo game played on the Game
Cube and Wii consoles. It is a
race to see who is the best. It’s
an action adventure video
game. The best mode is Story
Mode. It is where you take your
hovercraft somewhere. For ex-
ample, you can pick any setting
like Green Cave Splash Can-
yon to play the game in or Metal
City.
The object of the game is to
keep your hover craft in the air.
You have to keep on spinning
your control. You can pick the
speed when you are racing. It’s
rated E for everyone. I give it 4
stars.
Kids Prefer Burger
King But Mc D’s Fries
Are For Me By Penda mbengue, 4th Grade
During May 2010, I conducted a
survey on which fast food is better
McDonalds or Burger King. The
table outlines my findings:
Amusement Parks
Provide Summer Fun By Victor Rodriguez, 4th Grade
Recently, I took a survey between Six
Flags and Lake Compounce. When I
started my survey, I thought that Lake
Compounce was going to win the sur-
vey, but instead Six Flags won the sur-
vey.
Overall, kids preferred the rides, the
food and the roller coasters at Six Flags,
but thought the water rides at Lake
Compounce were better because they
were not as fast and not as scary. No
matter which one you like, both are a
lot fun if you get a chance to go this
summer.
Six Flags
N e w
England
is locat-
ed be-
t w e e n
Hartford
a n d
S p r i n g -
f i e l d
Massachusetts and is open from 10-6
daily. Tickets can be bought on line for
$32.99 and children under 2 are free.
Parking is $15.00. www.sixflags.com/
newengland.Lake Compounce is locat-
e d i n B r i s t o l C o n n e c t i c u t
www.lakecompounce.com. Tickets :
Regular Admission $34.99, Junior Ad-
mission $ 25.99 ( plus a 10% admissions
tax) and children under 3 are free.
Parking is $7.00
The Washington Village VOICE
FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS
Page 3
Category McDonald’s Burger
King
Burgers 17 13
Fries 17 13
Milk Shakes 19 11
Chicken 13 17
Breakfast 23 6
Commercials 10 16
Mascot 7 21
Overall
Preference
19 10
Category Six
Flags
Lake
Compounce
Rides 4 3
Food/Snacks 5 2
Roller coaster 5 2
Water Rides 0 2
In my opinion McDonald’s is bet-
ter because their business is very
big with people crowded in the
restaurant. I love their fries be-
cause they’re thin and salty. I also
think that McDonalds is better be-
cause it has been open for about
70 years and Burger King has been
open for about 53 years so people
have known McDonalds longer
than Burger King.
I’d also say that McDonald’s is bet-
ter because, I also conducted a
short survey during the day
(separate from the kid survey) and
asked adults if they liked McDon-
alds better or Burger King. Half of
the adults said they loved McDon-
alds better because alot of
grownups grew up with Ronald
McDonald, even my parents. To
me Burger King’s fries are thick
and oily. So while Burger King is
OK, I vote for McDonald’s!!!!.
24 1/2 Monroe Street Norwalk, Connecticut 06854
Phone: 203-838-8471 Fax: 203-838-6535
Website: www.norwalkha.org
Book Review:
When You Reach Me By Elizabeth Diaz, 4th Grade
When You Reach Me, by author, Re-
becca Sted is a good book for kids
8,9 and up. The book is about a girl
named Miranda. She keeps getting
all these mystery letters and she
doesn’t know who is writing them!
One mysterious part of a letter says,
“I won’t be myself when I reach you.
I know you have shared my past let-
ter, I ask you not to share the rest.”
Whoa!!! Shocking right? I don’t want
to give away the mystery of the sto-
ry, but I really liked the book be-
cause it was scary and it make be
feel nervous. I couldn’t put it down
until I finished it. It a grabbing sto-
ry. The story can be kind of confus-
ing the first time you read it, but be-
cause it is such a good book , if you
read it one more time, it’s more re-
vealing. I give this book 5 stars.
Page 4 The Washington Village VOICE
Author Visits Local
Norwalk School By Ximary Castillo, 2nd Grade
On May 28th at Cranbury Ele-
mentary School, I interviewed
Barbara Park, the author of the
Junie B. Jones children’s books.
All of the books are about a girl
who does things wrong and then
fixes them.
Barbara Park has written over
200 books for children. Some of
her other Junie B Jones books in-
clude: Junie B. Jones and the
Smelly Bus, Junie B. Jones and the
Yucky Fruit Cake, Junie B. Jones is
a Barbershop Guy, Junie B. Jones
Graduates Kindergarten, Junie B
Jones is Not a Crook.
I like these books because they
are silly and funny at the same
time. They are also kind of weird
because, in all of her books, she
eats her cereal with orange juice
instead of milk! How weird is
that?
The Junie B Jones book series is
for kids ages 8 and up! I give
these books 5 out of 5 stars!
BOOK REVIEWS
I Like School By Fedjanaika Estime
I like school because: I can learn from my teacher. She let’s us do math. We do math together. She reads Charlotte’s Web to us. She reads Trumpet of the Swan to us. My favorite is Charlotte’s Web because Charlotte’s helped the pig and took care of him. My teacher and my school are the best in the whole entire world.
Iceland Volcano continued.
from Pg 1.
Since the day the volcano start-
ed erupting, airports across Eu-
rope have had to close on and
off again because of the ash
cloud.
top related