Teen Bacteria

Org

anism

of

the Yea

r

All new who

wore it better!

GAMES!!!

The scoop on all the

new couples.

Letters from our

editors. The sco

op on all

babies in bact

eria-

wood. Poems!!!

Teen Bacteria Page 2

Letter from the Editor

Editor: Katie

ject is perfect for letting us

show what we learned in a

creative way. I really enjoyed

thinking of ideas for our mag-

azine, and being creative as

possible.

I really enjoyed the

soil unit. Personally I liked it

better than the water unit. I

would not change a thing be-

sides the shortened lunches.

We are growing teenage girls

and we need a long time for

to eat. Good thing there was-

n’t any boys because then you

would have really been in

trouble. But besides from that

everything was absolutely

amazing.

Over all I loved the soil

unit. I loved all the opportunities

we had to get our hands (and

body’s) dirty. The field trips were

a lot of fun and gave us a chance

to get outside and get some fresh

air. I learned a lot about soil, more

than I ever thought I would know.

I learned a lot about our environ-

ment and how simple changes

would affect our ecosystem. I also

learned how to take care of our

environment.

All the opportunities to get

our hands dirty were amazing. We

got to stick our hands in the com-

post/ bat poop at the community

garden. On the day we did our ro-

tations around campus we got re-

ally dirty. First I weeded the rain

gardens and got a bunch of dirt

under my finder nails. Next I got

to play with compost worms at the

compost station. At every station

my hands got dirtier and dirtier.

After working with the worms I

got to go plat strawberries, make

newspaper pots, and make seed

bombs. The strawberry plant and

making the newspaper pots were

cool, but making the seed bombs

was absolutely amazing. You got

to mix together poppy seeds, clay,

and water. It made the mushy and

gooey mess, but it was fabulous.

My hands look like they got a fake

tan once I tried to wash the clay

off my fingers, but I loved it.

Once I was done washing my

hands I made my way over to

the commons to plant an herb

garden. Here I did not do

much. I sat in the bushes and

turned on and off the water

for the people. While my

hand didn’t get dirty, my butt

sure did. It still was a lot of

fun. The rotation day was

sure the best.

I really enjoyed all the

field trips. Going outside was

so much fun when we are

usually stuck in a classroom

all day. It is always good for

us to get fresh air. It is also a

plus that it was really sunny

because I got really tan. Just

in time for swimsuit season. I

also really liked having the

PE field trip at the same time;

it allowed us to take mores

pictures to add in our maga-

zine. I would not change an-

ything about the field trips.

Like I said before I

learned a lot about soil in this

unit, more than I thought I

ever would. All the learning I

experienced gave me a new

perspective on the soil we

step on. Before I called it dirt,

and thought it was there to

annoy me. Now I call it soil,

and look at it as a self-

sustaining environment. I al-

so feel like the magazine pro-

Letter from the Editor

Editor: Charlotte

Page 3 Teen Bacteria

and all these experiences have helped

me realize and learn about that. I was a

fun and enlightening experience of its

own.

This past week has been the

soil unit. Throughout the soil unit our

grade explored and learned things

about soil I never knew before. Dur-

ing the course of the soil unit we had a

lot of fun experiences as a grade and

within our small groups. Some of

these experiences included learning

about victory gardens, felid trips, cre-

ating digital soil magazines, enjoyable

gardening rotations, writing homework

essays and working in groups.

Victory gardens were a sub-

ject of great inspiration for me. Hear-

ing and learning about all the commu-

nity’s that had planted, harvested, and

cared for all their fruits and vegetables

made me long for a victory garden in

my community. Maybe someday I can

start one of my own. From my past

gardening experience I know that

when you grow something yourself it

tastes three times as good than the

store bought food. I imagine how

amazing it would be to have every

fruit or vegetables you ever ate was

grown by yourself or someone you

knew. That’s the kind of system I

hope for someday.

The field trip parts of the soil

unit were one my favorite. I like them

because they allowed us to not only

just learn about the concepts but actu-

ally get hands on experience. I person-

ally feel like that teaches us about soil

when we are working in it rather than

reading from a book. The field trips

were also a way for us to get out of the

classroom but still have it be a learning

experience.

Overall I really enjoyed creat-

ing the digital soil magazine. For one,

I was a way for us to be creative yet

still have a sufficient amount of infor-

mation within. Also, I liked how it

was almost like a creation that came

pretty easily to us instead of a giant

project we had to stress about the entire

unit. It was really fun to think of amus-

ing and entertaining pages. I really

enjoyed this.

The garden rotations on Tues-

day were a mixed experience for me.

For the most part the stuff we were do-

ing was fun but I felt like we didn’t get

enough time to really get fully into any

of them. I had the best time potting

strawberry and poppy plants and I can’t

wait to start my own little garden.

Writing homework essays

weren’t my favorite things in the world,

just because, who likes writing essays?

But I can appreciate how they did help

me get more into a concept than just a

simple lecture. Although they were

tiresome most of the time while writing

them I learned new and amazing things

I had never knew before. So I guess I

didn’t mind them that much.

Working in small groups was

the other favorite part of the experi-

ence. I loved working in small groups

because I takes a bit of the stress of

your should always knowing your part-

ners have got your back. Also, my

specific group worked really well to-

gether. We were able incorporate just

the right of fun and silliness but then

also use our times wisely and get good

work done. We all worked really well

together and in the end were able to

create extra pages to our magazine in-

cluding game and couples sections. I

had a great time!

Overall I really enjoyed the soil

unit. At the beginning of this week I

believed soil was a lifeless being inca-

pable of anything. Boy was I wrong.

Soil is much much much more than that

Te e n B a c t e r i a P a g e 4

Let t e r to the Ed i to r

Ed i to r : Cady

a ball. You could then throw the seed ball anywhere and grow poppies.

Over the past week the entire seventh grade has been doing the Soil Unit. In our small groups we’ve taken field trip and doing thing around our school, such as planting herb gardens. The Soil Unit taught me that soil and the or-ganisms that live in soil are es-sential. Soil and plants are a food source for the millions organisms that live in soil; without soil, the food web would collapse. Soil is what grows our trees and all our plants. Without soil, our trees wouldn’t grow and our oxygen wouldn’t be okay to breath. Soil also is what plants, such as fruits and vegetables, grow on. Not only is soil essential to or-ganisms, but also essential to us. Soil gives our food and ox-ygen; we couldn’t live without it.

I learned a lot during the Soil Unit, but two things we did really stood out to me. One of the first field trips we took was to Arlington Garden. As part of our rotations, we walked through the labyrinth. While we were walking, we were supposed to be concen-trating on something in our minds. While I quickly forgot

to keep think of something, I felt very relaxed after I had fin-ished walking through. If I could use one word to describe the garden it would be oasis. Like someone said, it was like an oasis. There were busy streets all around the garden and it was in the middle of a city, yet it was so peaceful. You couldn’t hear the cars unless you were concentrating on the sound.

On the second to last day of the Soil Unit, we did five rotations. We planted a rain gar-den in the back of Mudd, like the seventh graders before us had, and then we learned about worms. Earthworms are an es-sential part to planet. It was surprising how something so small had a huge impact on us. By far my favorite rotation was the tree walk. I learned the names of several trees, learned how to see of a tree wasn’t healthy because of something that had been done to it, and the conditions that had to be good for a tree to grow. We planted strawberries in a differ-ent rotation, and created seed balls. You had to put seeds in a pot with a bit of clay. Before the clay dried, you rolled it into

P a g e 5 Te e n B a c t e r i a

Seen Couples!

Te e n B a c t e r i a P a g e 6

Photo Montag e

By : Cady

There are approximate-

ly 422 different species of ge-

raniums. Geraniums can be

found intemperate regions, in

the mountains of the tropics,

or in the eastern part of the

Mediterranean region. Gerani-

ums typically have five circu-

lar petals and can be pink,

white, red or blue, though the

most common color is red.

Taraxacum, better known as

dandelions, are a flower native

to Eurasia and North and South

America. A dandelion flower

head is composed of hundreds

of smaller flowers and seed

head. There are two types of

dandelions, both edible in dif-

ferent ways. Dandelions are also

great for gardens. Its taproot

will bring up nutrients for some

plants, and also add mineral and

nitrogen to the soil. It is also

known to release a gas that

helps fruit ripen.

Roses are one of the

most well known flowers.

There are over one hundred

species of roses and grow all

over the world. The flower is

usually large and colorful, the

colors ranging from white to

deep red. While the flower is

very beautiful, the stem is often

covered in rose thorns for pro-

tection.

Lilium, better known as

lilies, are a flower that grows

from a bulb. It has large promi-

nent petals. Most species of lilies

are native to the northern hemi-

sphere. Lilies can also be used in

food. The bulbs are edible,

though some may be bitter. Cer-

tain species of Lilies are grown

in China and are sold as a luxury

or health food.

BABY PICTURES!

P a g e 7 Te e n B a c t e r i a

Before After

Can you say exclusive!! Our editors have just recently unearthed this

breathtaking image of world pop sensation Sally Sunflower as a tod-

dler!!! This first image shows Sally as nothing more than a seed!

Info about sunflowers and their seeds: Sunflower plants are cultivated in

Sunflower farms for their seeds. Refined Sunflower-seed oil is edible;

sunflowers have 39 to 49% oil in the seed. Sunflower seed accounts for

about 14% of the world production of seed oils (6.9 million metric tons in

1985-86) and about 7% of the oilcake and meal produced from oilseeds.

Sunflower oil is generally considered a premium oil because of its light

color, high level of unsaturated fatty acids and lack of linoleic acid, bland

flavor and high smoke points. Sunflower is the preferred and the most

commonly used oil.

Te e n B a c t e r i a P a g e 8

BABY PICTURES!

Before After

Can you say exclu-

sive!! Our editors have

just recently unearthed

this breathtaking image

of world pop sensation

Sally Sunflower as a tod-

dler!!! This first image

shows Sally as nothing

more than a seed!

Info about sunflowers

and their seeds: Sun-

flower plants are culti-

vated in Sunflower

farms for their seeds.

Refined Sunflower-

seed oil is edible; sun-

flowers have 39 to

49% oil in the seed.

Sunflower seed ac-

counts for about 14%

of the world produc-

tion of seed oils (6.9

million metric tons in

1985-86) and about

7% of the oilcake and

meal produced from

oilseeds. Sunflower oil

is generally consid-

ered a premium oil

because of its light

color, high level of un-

saturated fatty acids

and lack of linoleic ac-

id, bland flavor and

high smoke points.

Sunflower is the pre-

ferred and the most

commonly used oil.

O r ga n i sm o f t h e Yea r

P a g e 9 Te e n B a c t e r i a

of the soil and takes all the nutri-

ents form the waste, then the give

the nutrients to the soil and the

plants around the bacteria. With-

out bacteria, plants and animals

could not obtain the nutrients

needed for them to survive.

As you can see, bacteria

are essential to the Earth and our

life. Bacteria and soil are what our

food grows from. The animals we

eat feed off of the plants that grow

from soil. The plants that also

grow from the soil supply us with

oxygen. Bacteria help soil in so

many ways. Bacteria help sup-

press and help fight diseases. Bac-

teria also helps break down waste

matter that is on top of the soil.

This is why we chose bacteria as

organism of the year.

Our editors had a huge de-

cision to make about who would

be the organism of the year. I

think we can all agree that they

made the best decision by choos-

ing bacteria. Head editor Katie

states, “Bacteria are such a key

part of our eco system that I can’t

even think of any other organisms

that come close to bacteria.”

While making this important deci-

sion they thought about these

amazing traits of bacteria. For

example, almost all of the food we

consume today is eventually

linked back the earth and soil.

There also a world crisis of soil

loss and pollution.

One reason bacteria is so

important is because it is a key

part of soil, and soil is one of the

main parts of the survival of the

human species. Soil allows plants

to grow and the human beings

need to eat the plants. I know you

are probably saying what about

meat? Well the animals we eat,

they eat plants. See how important

soil is for our diet? Also the plants

that grow from the soil supply us

with oxygen. Without oxygen we

would not be able to breathe, if we

don’t breathe we die. The soil also

helps decompose animals and hu-

mans. Without the soil and the

bacteria in the soil there would

be carcasses of rotting animals

and humans all over unable to de-

compose.

As you can see soil is very

important. Sadly soil around the

world is slowly disappearing or

becoming useless. We are con-

stantly polluting and mistreating

our soil. We are polluting our soil

to a point where it is unusable, and

we also constantly over use soil to

a point where you can’t use it to

your advantage any more. Farmers

are using pesticides that pollute

the soil, and they are over using

the land so they can’t plant there

anymore. This is a huge problem

because like I said before without

soil we would not be able to thrive

as a species.

After our editors learned

that more about soil they felt like

the organism of the year award

should go to an organism in soil.

Bacteria are able to perform an

extremely wide range of chemical

transformations, including degra-

dation of organic matter, suppres-

sion, disease, and nutrient trans-

formations inside roots. After

learning these facts about bacteria

I assume you will agree with them.

Bacteria help the soil in a

very wide range of ways. They

help with the degradation of or-

ganic matter, they help protect

disease suppression, they help

fight diseases, and they help pre-

vent nutrient transformations in-

side roots. The degradation of or-

ganic matter means they break-

down any waste that is on the top

Te e n B a c t e r i a P a g e 1 0

Photo Montag e

By : Char lo t t e

Ms. Chabot Enjoys Nature!

Extremely famous scientist Ms. Chabot (who just released her first movie The World of Science) was seen strolling around the campus of Westridge School for Girls stop-ping to admire the plants and trees found there.

April 5, 2013

P a g e 1 1 Te e n B a c t e r i a

In this picture ( left) you can see Ms. Chabot with the Australian native Kangaroo Paw plant. Kangaroo Paws are brightly-colored, large, vividly colored, velvety flowers with no fragrance. Kangaroo Paws have a sturdy stem, which is a natural perch and makes them ide-al flowers for birds. Fine, brightly colored hairs cover the flowers and are, sometimes, part of the stalk. A single Kangaroo Paw blooms on each stem during spring (August - October). Kangaroo Paws make very good cut flowers and ornamentals.

Kangaroo Paws are exported widely globally and are grown commercially in the USA, Israel and Japan.

The Kangaroo Paw's shape and the position of the pollen-bearing anthers ena-ble pollen to deposit on the head of the feeding birds. Pollen is transferred in the Kangaroo Paw from flower to flower as the birds feed.

In this picture (top; right) Ms. Chabot cradles the exquisite Oxalis flower. Oxalis plants, also known as shamrock plants, are members of the wood sorrel family and are not related to true shamrocks. They were given this name because of their clover-shaped foliage. Oxalis leaves can be found in colors of green, purple, red or a combination of these colors. White, yellow, pink or red flowers appear once or twice per year. Oxalis is almost exclusively grown indoors, where it is easy to care for and requires minimal maintenance to thrive.

Teen Bacteria Page 12

Page 13 Teen Bacteria

Who Wore it Better

76% 24%

Which Poppy Wore it Better

Which Tulip

Which Daisy Wore it

Which Rose Wore it Better

55% 45%

87% 13%

35% 65%

Teen Bacteria Page 14

Poems

I just sit there for a while

perfectly content and happy with the world

almost as if just my presence here has created a barrier

that blocks all bad thoughts and feelings

from my mind so that all is left is peace and balance

around me I hear the blurred chat-ter of birds nearby

the wind brushing through the slowly swaying leaves

now, back in my room, if I close my eyes I can almost hear it

the sound of contentment that is now clobbered and drowned

by fear, anxiety and regret

- Charlotte

Madness

I am mad.

No, I am a fiery ball of rage!

How dare they!

I, who have always walked upon the

soil,

I, Who have always felt the organic

matter,

Along with the thousands of organ-

isms living in it

Underneath my feet

I refuse to be tricked into this!!

The big businesses are trying to re-

place

The good cold earth

With marble floors and

Wooden decks,

Skyscrapers and apartments

Until there is nothing left

I will not allow them to get away

with this!

I yell and shout!

Let the whole world hear!

I will not back down.

This earth

This soil

Is not theirs to cover up

It is for everyone

Because it is everyone

It’s all of our contributions

We have made this world

Our own

-Charlotte

The Hill

I take my last step up the hill

it is as if I have entered another world

flowers of every color surround me

sitting down in the shade and

feeling the cool marble and my burning

arms is a whole new level of happi-ness

closing my eyes I take a deep breath in

and smell a sweet hint of fresh jas-mine

that smell alone makes my feel

as if I have been transported to paradise

Teen Bacteria Page 15

Poems

the plants.

This allows the plant to live and

thrive.

The plants will drop leaves which

will give chemicals to new plants,

Causing a never ending cycle.

Before we die we strive to make a

mental mark on the world while

making a small physical mark.

We should leave this earth with-

out a physical trace of us left be-

hind.

That is why our time on earth……

Pulis et umbra sumus.

(we are but dust and shadow)

-Horace, Odes

-Katie

Garden Above me is an umbrella that is

the color of the fading sun.

Above me the sun is losing its bat-

tle to the umbrella that is shading

me.

In the distance I spy the palms that

stand higher than most trees in

town.

In the distance I see two birds fly-

ing in peace.

I hear the wind whistling in my

ears.

The wind is making the pages flip

as I wright,

But I feel like it is the sound far-

thest away.

I smell flowers attached to the

bush next to me.

I smell the dust making my noes

itch.

I smell the hand sanitizer on my

hands.

I smell the tangerines in my lunch

box.

Under my sanitized hand I feel the

coolness of tile,

The tile making up a beautiful mo-

saic.

The tile is set into the stone table,

Touching the soft petals with my

eyes closed,

Smelling the fragrant pollen,

The orange of the flower filled my

vision

Letting my senses tingle with the

unusual stimuli.

Over in the bushes it stands broad

shouldered and still.

It stands with such pride and

grace.

It stands with such confidence in

its structure.

You would never guess that it was

a pillar.

All this comes with the garden.

All of this comes with the spring.

What came with us?

What will leave with us? - Katie Creation The first beings on earth were

formed the same way.

But how they were form is argua-

ble.

Were they made by god and creat-

ed out of clay

Or were they created by science?

However they were made,

People can agree on one thing.

The time we serve on this earth is

valuable,

And when it is over we return

from where we came from.

If we are given life from the dirt

then we will be returned to the

dirt.

If we are given life from the water

then we will be returned to the

water.

If we are given life from the sun

then we will be returned to the

sun.

When we die we will enter the

dirt to create new life.

The fungi and bacteria will take

chemicals from us and give it to

Teen Bacteria Page 16

Poems

Barbaric Yawp!

The soil on the ground feels cold on my

hands.

After all I have learned,

I imagine it alive underneath my hand.

I enjoy the thought that everything

Comes from the earth.

We are only borrowing from the Earth

And what we think is ours really isn’t.

- Cady

Precious Life

Above me and all around me is a wreath

of wisteria,

The purple flowers are twisting and

wrapping its way around the metal.

The sound of wind blows through the

leaves,

Making them rustle.

And everyone is talking around me,

But they sound so far away.

In the sunlight, a leaf is a treasure,

Orange and yellow,

Sparkling with glints of gold from the

sun.

The smell is so peaceful and sweet,

And the garden is so serene

Wouldn’t it be terrible if it was all gone?

- Cady

Teen Bacteria Page 17

Song

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Green plants were meant

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Can’t stop growing.

Let’s do this one more time.

Oh, oh, oh.

Green plants were meant to

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Let’s do this one last time.

Just grow!

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Green Plants By: Katie

To the tune of starships by:

Niki Minaj

Let’s Grow!

Let’s go to the soil!

Let’s go get planting!

Daisy, what they going to

grow?

Have a plow, plow.

Found the dead weeds.

Nice plows like this are hard

to come by.

The weeds, let’s go get weed-

ing.

In the garden? Yes I’m in that

zone.

Am I weeding? Leave a good

plot.

I’mma blow of my money on

flowers and dirt.

I’m in the garden, garden.

I love to plant.

So give me more, more till I

can’t plant.

Get in the garden, garden,

like it’s your last chance.

If you want gloves, gloves,

there are over there.

Green plants were meant

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Can’t stop growing.

Let’s do this one more time.

Oh, oh, oh.

Green plants were meant to

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Let’s do this one last time.

Just grow!

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Higher than a sun flower.

Bump in my wheelbarrow, I

dig it.

And I ain’t spraying my pes-

ticides, I dig it.

Plant what you want.

Plant what you like.

Plant all you like there’s no

end in sight.

Water, water little plant.

Now everybody let me her

you say,

Plant, plant, plant.

They spend all your time be-

cause they,

Grow, grow, grow.

And if you’re a plant, you a

Grow, grow, grow.

My name is soil, but you can

call me dir-rt.

Get in the garden, garden,

like it’s your last chance.

If you want gloves, gloves,

there are over there.

Green plants were meant

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Can’t stop growing.

Let’s do this one more time.

Oh, oh, oh.

Green plants were meant to

grow.

Leaves up, and touch the sky.

Let’s do this one last time.

Just grow!