Crazy Fall Weather

Crazy Fall Weather

By: Julia

Fall is usually the time of year where weather transitions from warm to cold. Fall is like a nice warm and cold mixture. But, 2016 is different.

How is 2016 different?

Last Thursday, November 17, it was a high of 80°, shorts weather. This weekend, November 19 and 20, has been around 30° to 40º.  A lot of people are blaming it on global warming. Is that the case here?

Global Warming

What is Global Warming? Google’s definition is “A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.” Some real world examples are: Sea ice not freezing as far out or as thick, which is bad for polar bears, life on the planet is causing ocean temperatures to warm, sea levels to rise which means places on the coasts could be under water in less than 15 years. Weather is climate, and human activities are making the climate get dangerously hot. To find more information, click here.

Typical Weather

Scientist say that “2016 will be the warmest year on record”, according to TIME.com. And we have already witnessed this while finishing Fall.”  Research site usclimatedata.com shows that the average high is 55ºF and the average low is 38ºF in November. This past Fall has had a weather swing; we have had either very hot or very cold, we have not had typical Fall weather.

Some ways to prevent global warming:

• Electric cars
• Walking
• Riding bikes
• Using less carbon dioxide

Have you been noticing the weather changes too?

Helping the Homeless

Helping the Homeless

By Anna S.

Homeless. We know that word. We’ve seen people asking, pleading for the bare essentials. BUT, who has actually taken the time to help them? The students at Glenridge Elementary have been working to try and at least help a few homeless shelters. During the month of October, students have been encouraged to bring in small donations and socks for the homeless.

No Place to Call Home

In the U.S. alone, 600,000 people live without a home. That is why fifth graders at Glenridge Elementary have set up a fundraiser to benefit the homeless. Now that October is over, the fundraiser is over too. During the month of October they have collected  $1,000 and 200 pairs of socks! More than anyone thought they would.

Decisions, Decisions

After the big fundraiser, the fifth grade teachers had to decide where the money and socks would go. After a good, long search, the fifth grade teachers came to a decision. half of the socks and the money would go to the Covenent house and the other half of the socks and money would go to Epworth youth centers.

What are the Shelters?

As a “thank you”, one presenter from each shelter came to talk to the fifth graders about how they impacted the community. So, do you want to learn more about the shelters? If so, read on. Both the Epworth and Covenent shelters are for kids. At Epworth, kids from 11 to 20 are eligible to get free meals and classes. “Over 30% of the kids in the Normandy School District are homeless.”  Said presenter Michael Sue. Ms. Michael Sue went on to say that Epworth and Covenent are kind of connected. They also learned that Epworth is celebrating its 152nd year. And, how there are 12 different locations. Covenant is a shelter for people 16 to 22 years old, with over 4,500 people. Mr. Miles from the Covenant Center helps out because he has a passion for helping young people.

“I Feel Proud”

The Glenridge fifth graders are most definitely role models to the kindergarten through 4th grade students. “Being a fifth grader means that lots of younger kids look up to us. I hope doing this fundraiser inspired them.”  Said 5th grader Anna S. Helping the homeless made most fifth graders feel good. “ I feel proud because we did something kind to help others I think we really impacted the community.”  said another fifth grader Julia M. Amanda M. says “ I'm glad we helped keep the homeless warm and impacted the community a lot.” One message fifth grade teachers were trying to send to the students was that even as a fifth grader they can make a difference in the world. Fifth grader Lucia d.P. agrees with the teachers and said “ Everyone that has made a difference in our world is older than us, but I think that we've proved to a lot of younger kids that we can also make a difference.  I think we had an important mission-- It was more than just collecting  socks, it was being a role model to others.”

Continue to Help!

Just because Epworth and Covenent have 100 pairs of socks and $500, we can't just think that they have everything that they need. Even small donations will make a big difference to the homeless community. Talk to people who work at a local homeless shelter to find out what they need, or to sign up to volunteer. To learn more about Epworth, click HERE. To learn more about Covenent, click HERE. Now that the students  have finished this fundraiser, what will they do ne

The mannequin challenge

The mannequin challenge

By: ashleigh

                     The 5th grade of glenridge elementary school is doing the Mannequin challenge!  we are bringing and props from home to use them for  a  mannequin challenge and when we are done setting up one of the fifth grade teachers went around and Videotaped us.

What is the Mannequin Challenge, and why did we do it?

           For those of you that don't know what the mannequin challenge is, the mannequin challenge is where you take a moment And you Used props to come up with a scene from your daily life and you have to stand still and someone comes around to videotape this moment, so you are almost taking a  3D picture of your life.  Now that you know what the mannequin challenge is, You are probably wondering why a 5th grade class what do A mannequin challenge? Well when we did this we connected it to reading, and we are having a nonfiction reading unit so we're taking the nonfiction narrative books that we are reading and we're separating into groups depending on which book you have read and coming up with a scene from the book to use for the mannequin challenge, so that a teacher can come around and vidio tape us.

What we thought about the mannequin challenge

                     We did the mannequin challenge in november and we did it on the 22nd and that was the day before thanksgiving break so we had to wait 6 days before we could see the video of us doing the mannequin challenge, so we were very anxious to see it, and when we did we all loved it! And that wasn’t a surprise because we all thought it was very fun. Here are what some people thought about the mannequin challenge.  Abigail says:”it was fun experience to try not to move for a long period of time”.  Josie says: “I wish we could choose our own poses”

The Mannequin Challenge

Imagine your whole life you have to stay in one position. Maybe you're in the middle of a sentence or about to drink a cup of water and it's at the tip of your tongue! Or even maybe you're in the middle of a phone call.

Well Glenridge elementary school in Clayton Missouri did something like that.  On Tuesday Nov. 22 2016, kids from each class got into small groups based on what book they were reading and found one of the main ideas in that book and acted it out. Then fifth grade teacher Mrs. Mcqueen took a video with her phone of the whole entire fifth-grade acting out the scene. It's called The Mannequin Challenge.

“What is the meaning of The Mannequin Challenge?” Asked Daniel S. a senior at Clayton high school.

“Well, people wanted to just “pause” what they were doing or “pause” what they were looking at and focus on that moment and really think outside of the box and look what is going on, and think hard about what the “scene” really means.” I responded to him.

“How does The Mannequin Challenge work?”

“Well, One person can do it, or 2 people, or even a group can do it. You pick a scene to do and act out the scene and completely freeze and someone grabs a camera and video tapes it like it's a movie but everyone is still like a mannequin. You stand or sit still while the camera goes by. When the camera is filming you can't EVEN blink or breath heavily BUT, when the camera passes you can do all that blinking and breathing BUT don't move from your spot and don't even move your arm! (You know even if you actually were a mannequin and you wanted to move you REALLY couldn't! Imagine that!) It almost seems like you're pausing a clip from a movie!

Then I went to a 5th grader at Glenridge Elementary who did the mannequin challenge named Abby R.
“Why do you think the mannequin challenge was interesting?” I asked “I think it was interesting because, it was a hard challenge for people to stand or sit completely still for a while, and also think it was really fun.” Abby said.

“Do you think you would like to do the mannequin challenge again and why?”
“Yes because it was interesting to watch a group of people try to do something that has been going on world wide! And realizing that if you were paralyzed that you are completely still and you can't move anything also if you’re a mannequin you couldn't move! And realizing that if you were paralyzed that you are completely still and you can't move anything also if you were a mannequin you would been still forever!” Abby replied back.

The Cubs big win

The Cubs Big win

By Abby

The 2016 World Series champions are the Chicago Cubs! Everyone was really surprised that the Cubs won the big game because they were losing by 3 games to one  In the series but they came back and won!

History of the Cubs

For years and years and years, everyone has been waiting for the Cubs to win. It has been 108 years since the Cubs have one the world series and 71 years since the Cubs made it into the World Series! They won so long ago that my great great grandpa was living in Chicago when the Cubs won last time!

The challenges of the Game

On November 2nd 2016, Game 7 of the 2016 World Series was played.The Cubs were winning at first. Then the Indians came back and scored three runs to tie it up at the end of the 8th inning,That caused extra innings! Right after the 9th inning, there was a 17 minute rain delay! After 17 whole minutes the Cubs and the Indians resumed the game. At the end of the 10th inning, the Cubs won the world series for the first time since 1908!

The Big Big crowd

To celebrate the Cubs big win on November 4th 2016 at Grant Park Chicago, about 5 million people gathered to celebrate the big win! That's more people than any other gathering of people In the western hemisphere ever! There was a lot of damage in the park due to all the people that came to celebrate. They are going to have to pay $388,000 for all the damage that was created!

Overall

Even though many St.Louisans didn't want to root for the Cubs, our rivals, many choose to anyways. Elise, a student who recently moved to St.Louis, said her family decided to root for the Cubs. She commented,  “My family is Brews fans,but we chose to root for the Cubs because we don't think the Cleveland Indians are very good.” I think the Cubs had a great year this year.[maybe even their best.] Maybe they will repeat it next year.

When Scientists Saw This, They Didn't Believe It -- And Neither Will You

When Scientists Saw This, They Didn't Believe It -- And Neither Will You

Have you ever heard of the Hoyo Negro, or the Yucatan Peninsula? Probably not, but it’s becoming more and more famous -- because there was a discovery in there that could change what scientists think about human migration and evolution.

During a dive in the Hoyo Negro (Black Hole), scientists found a Paleoamerican skull and many bones at the bottom. They brought the skeleton up and named it Naia (her scientific name is HN5/48) . She is 12,000 years old, yet Naia was only a teenager when she fell to her death in the underwater chamber.

Naia is the “oldest, most complete, and genetically intact” human skeleton ever found. She helped settle the debate as to whether Native Americans and Paleoamericans are descended from the same people.

The scientists carefully observed Naia’s mtDNA, bones, and skull, and here’s what they concluded:

• Paleoamericans and Native Americans did not have different ancestors, evolution created all the different somatic properties.
• Naia’s facial features relate to both groups of people.
• Her mtDNA is from Beringians and it relates to modern Natives and Paleoamericans.

This DNA confirms a lot of the team’s theories about the first Americans, but scientists continue to discuss whether Naia’s DNA actually proves the theory that Paleoamericans and Native Americans are descended from the same people.

The Mannequin Challenge By:Samara L.

G.T.B.S         Mannequin Challenge

By:Samara L.

Freeze everyone the camera is coming! Have you ever seen a mannequin? Have you ever heard of the #The Mannequin Challenge? Where did it start? How do you do it? Well I’m here to help you figure it out.

   What is the Mannequin Challenge

The Mannequin Challenge is where you just freeze. Hold your pose, don’t plank, and don’t forget to breath.

Why do we do the Mannequin Challenge?                                One reason you might do the challenge is you can save a moment forever. Another reason you might be a mannequin is just to have fun with friends! The last reason you might do the Mannequin Challenge is to have a piece of history forever or capture a piece of your life that won’t happen again !

So who started the Mannequin Challenge ?                       Well Jacksonville,IL is where it all started! Jacksonville High School started the Mannequin Challenge because they wanted to capture their senior year of high school, so they froze!

Who else is getting into the Mannequin Challenge?     Celebrities to dogs love bring mannequin. But, who else?  The day right before the election of 2016 Hillary and her crew froze on the plane. Football to gymnastic squads freezing for their future self. Schools everywhere, are being mannequin by relating school's work to the Mannequin Challenge.

How did the Mannequin Challenge spread?                     How do you do the Mannequin Challenge? Well to answer the second question you just ……… freeze or hold your pose! The Mannequin Challenge spread because Jacksonville posted their video. People saw it and started doing it, so now it’s a challenge now!

So are you going to do the #The Mannequin Challenge? Have fun doing the Mannequin Challenge! Thank you for reading another G.T.B.S!

Day of Choirs

Day of Choirs

Day of Choirs took place at three different elementary schools, Captain,Glenridge,and Meramec elementary schools but Glenridge was the one that was special because the Middle school and High school choir sang a song with the Glenridge choir and it was really special because it was the first time Glenridge did it with the other schools.

Day of Choirs was on Friday November 18 and included the Glenridge.Wydown Middle school,and High school choirs.
Day of choirs is a Clayton school district tradition.It's where the Wydown middle school and High school show chorus come to visit each elementary school and sing and do a perfomance each year each chorus sings new songs each year.
First the Middle school and High school choir go to Meremac elementary and sing then both choirs take a bus to Glenridge elementary then they go to Captain elementary and sing then the Middle school goes back to Wydown, and then the High school chorus goes back to Clayton high.

Glenridge Performance
First the Glenridge chorus sang two songs American tears and Heart of America then the Middle school came up and sang three song then when the middle school was done the

High school came up and performed three more songs then the Glenridge and Middle school chorus came up to the risers and sang a song called stand together and it was probably the first time Glenridge school has done something like this ever.The audience didn't seem to be that interested at all.The day of Choirs was a little different then last year but I’m sure the kids were happy because they got to miss a little school and the parents were happy to see their kids sing but it wasn't as much energy as last Day of Choirs  it was still a good performance.  

What did you think about Day of Choirs
Abigail:It was fun but I wish we could sing better songs
Angela:It was kind of fun and it was very crowded

The Festival with no Food

The Festival with no Food

By Josie

On Monday, September 5, 2016, there was a Greek Festival at the St. Nicholas Church in St. Louis, Missouri. During the Greek Festival there is a lot of Greek food to try and one of the activities is you get to watch a dance. That day I went with my family, and we met up with another family. Their daughter, Abigail, is also one of my best friends and she was in the dance performance along with another one of my friends, Amanda. Amanda was sitting at another table along with her family and my teacher, Mrs. Scotino.

    No more food at the Greek festival!

At the Greek Festival little did the workers know that their customers were going to go hungry! About 10 minutes after 12 o’clock, OH-NO, they RAN OUT OF FOOD! Right after we found out that they ran out of food the dance instructor, Georgia stated, “Sorry that we ran out of food, but we thank everyone for sticking around .” Luckily, we got to try some leftover chicken gyro from Abigail’s dad’s plate.

“Oh there was no food?” asked Abigail's Mom to Abigail's brother who was walking back from the food line with no food in hand and all the money he had before.

“Nope, no more food left” answered Abigail's brother at 12:20.  12:20?  I mean that is lunch time, LUNCH TIME, when everyone is STARVING!  But luckily we all had the dance to look forward to.

         

“Hopefully this will not happen next year!”-Josie Pratl

The Greek Festival happens every year over Labor Day weekend, and hopefully the workers will be prepared for next year and will have more food than they think they need. “Hopefully this won’t happen next year.” I said to Abigail

“Me too.” Abigail replied “Hopefully.”

“But your dance was amazing!” I said

“Thank you!” Abigail replied.

Mix it Up!

Mix It Up!

73 fifth graders at Glenridge Elementary?! Try fitting all of them at 9, 8 person tables! This means one person each day won't have a seat. So, the teachers must do something… right?

What should they do?

As the lunch supervisors thought about this issue, the one person without a seat is lonely. Should they rely on one person being absent each day? Should they get another table? The lunch supervisor thought about it. Then, one day in late September, they had an idea. They decided to add one table, then each day they will pick two kids from each class to sit at that table.

What's the point?

Why take 6 random people? You only need one extra seat you may think. Well, the mix it up table is more than just a few extra seats. Though it does help solve the too many kids problem it also helps different kids to get to know each other better. But, no lots of people like to mix it up 2 table some people don't really like it let's hear from them now. Epley W. says “it's useless and it slows us down.” and Lucia Dp. says “it's okay, but it causes unnecessary arguments.”

Mix it up even more!

Though fifth graders don't have assigned seats, they have to sit at 3 certain tables (with their class). Angela C. says “the whole grade should sit together.” Though they don't mix the whole grade up every day, once a month they do. That day is called mix it up day and its purpose is to get kids to sit with different people. It's a  school-wide event, going on during each grade’s lunch time. Maybe, one day 5th graders will be able to sit wherever they want.