Kids Chronicle

Kids Chronicle
Volume I Number I

Kids Chronicle Volume I Number II is Now Online!

Table of Contents

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Welcome!

Kids Chronicle is the class project of Room 19 at Marigold School. It is a fourth-grade class from the Chico Unified School District's GATE program, Chico, California, USA.

Staff Box

Kids Chronicle is for and about kids from Marigold School and is published as a community service for Marigold students, faculty, staff and parents.
Contributing Editors Students: Alaina Velasquez, Alex Boyles, Ashley Schaffert, Audriana Spencer, Blake Meline, Brady Lockhart, Cameron Forbes, Christopher Price, Curt Sawyer, Ellie Glusman, Hannah Sistrunk, Ismah Jawed, Jim Rudisill, Joey DuFloth, Jordan Lunt, Katherine Lambert, Korvyn Doenseif, Lauren Alpert, Mikey Anderson, Molly Gray, Nicholas Hansen, Nicole Crouse, Ocsar Hagstrom, Phil McGie-Hill, Vanessa Cox.
Teachers & Parent Helpers: Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Sloan, Donna Price, Stephanie Velasquez, Michael & Rhonda DuFloth.
Typesetting/Layout & Design done on a Power Macintosh using Microsoft Word & Typestyler by Joey's dad, a.k.a. "Big Kid Publishing," Forest Ranch, CA © 1995 Kids Chronicle.

Front Cover Story

What's Up With Mr. Miller, Our Principal?

by Joey DuFloth

My hands were sweating and my knees were shaking because I had to go to the principal's office. Fortunately for me, it was for an interview and not because I was in trouble.

Mr. Miller has been a principal for three years. He graduated in 1964 from Chico State and became a teacher and then later got his masters degree and became a principal. Marigold is his first school all to himself, and he said, "I don't ever want to leave; I love it."

He says the best thing about his job is "working with kids" and the worst thing is "too much paperwork."

His favorite food is "all kinds of chicken," and his favorite color is "raspberry, just like all the doors at Marigold." And his favorite TV shows are "all the comedies."

His favorite book is Goodbye Mr. Chips. He recommended I read it because "it is a classic." He went on to say it is a story about a teacher in England in the old days, and it inspired him to become a teacher.

In his spare time Mr. Miller likes to go hunting and fishing and play golf. He also likes to read. When I asked him "What's with the yo-yo?" he smiled and said his cousin entered the national championship a few years ago, and he just picked one up and started playing with it. He said, "elementary kids like it and it's a lot of fun, so I started doing it at school."

When I asked Mr. Miller about his thoughts on Measure A, he said he is "worried about double sessions and year-round schools." He also said he is "afraid that if there aren't enough high schools they might have to close Marigold or make it part of PV."

Finally I dared to ask Mr. Miller how old he is, and he said, "I'm 51...that's old huh?" and I joked him, saying "that's old but you're not senile." We laughed together, and by the time I left his office, I was no longer nervous, because Mr. Miller is a really nice, friendly guy.

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Editorial Page

4th, 5th & 6th Graders Want To Go To High School

by Cameron Forbes
If you people got to go to high school, why can't we?!

"I would feel bad because I wouldn't get a class in high school," said Joey DuFloth, "and I wouldn't get as good of an education."

"I would feel that it would be unfair for fourth, fifth and sixth graders that want to be in high school," said Hannah Sistrunk.

"I'd feel sad because I want a good education," said Lauren Alpert.

"I would be very happy if Measure A passed, because I would get a college education and I'd get the job I want," said Alex Boyles.

All these people need a high school education to do what they want. Lauren wants to be a marine biologist, zoo biologist or animal biologist. Joey wants to be a football or baseball star. Hannah doesn't know what she wants to be. Alex wants to be a doctor, so he can follow in the steps of his father.

People, we need $32,000,000 for the right amount of schools to be provided. We need your help desperately! We fourth, fifth and sixth graders will be much obliged if you help.

So... On November 7th vote YES on Measure A.

More Classrooms For P.V.

by Alex Boyles
If you don't vote "Yes" for Measure A, I won't have a place in high school! Measure A could save all fourth, fifth and sixth graders. If you don't vote "Yes" for Measure A, then 1,000 fourth to sixth graders won't be in high school.

We need $32,000,000 of local funding to be used exclusively for construction. But remember, it's your kids' education. I think it's worth it. Don't you?

If you don't vote "Yes," Cameron Forbes wonÕt be able to find the cure for rabies. Remember, it's up to you. Please vote "Yes" for Measure A.

We're Lucky At Marigold

by Korvyn Dornseif
We are all so lucky to go to Marigold School. Here's why: I think we are lucky to go to Marigold School because we have great teachers and an excellent principal, and I have a lot of fun every day. One of the reasons Marigold is so good is because the teachers do their job and they don't like one student more than another. I think I'm lucky to go to Marigold because it's way better than my old school, Little Chico Creek, and I like our principal, Mr. Miller, a lot more too.

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Opinion Page

Kids Are People Too! Give Us A Choice...

by Nicole Crouse
If you're a kid, you probably know what it's like to get pushed around all the time! Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I should get pushed around. Haven't your parents told you to do something that's not fair? You say some remarkable line, like "that's not fair," then you get in trouble and sent to your room. For example, in computer class I was saying something to my friend. Now I'm not allowed to talk for the rest of computer class. It's just not fair. Kids can't make any choices. Maybe I'm only four feet tall, but does that mean I should be bossed around? Kids should be able to make their own choices.

Give us some credit. We have minds of our own. You know when parents were kids, things were different. Women couldn't do anything. Things are different now. But not all parents are like that. Some parents can be cool.

Hot Lunches

by Nicholas Hansen
The hot lunches taste like gruel. I had hot lunch today. I had a taco. It tasted like gruel. So I didn't eat that ucky-tasting taco. I think we need better hot lunches at Marigold. How do I think they can make lunch better? Get Domino's Pizza, or send a sheet home and ask for some recipes. I think you could get better food at jail. I would rather starve than eat hot lunches at Marigold. That's my opinion.

What Goes On At Recess

by Hannah Sistrunk
I think recess is getting too rough, and here's why. Some of the sixth graders are trying to act tough to younger kids. I think this should change because they are being mean to other people. The main reason I think they do this is because they want to act cool in front of their friends, but this is no excuse. I have seen them do it, and it greatly disturbs me. So please do your best to prevent bad actions at recess.

Yucky Bathrooms

by Alaina Velasquez
When I walk into Marigold's bathroom, I feel like a toilet monster is going to eat me up. Actually, you can't even go into one because they are always locked! One time I had to go to the bathroom really bad, and all the bathrooms in the school were locked!

I think the toilet monsters are always having parties and they don't want anyone to disturb them. They lock the doors all at the same time so no one can use the bathroom. Sometimes they spend hours in there! When the monsters have had their fun, they unlock the doors and leave such a mess, and the janitors have to clean it up.

I wish that the bathrooms at Marigold School would always be clean and unlocked. I think that the kids at Marigold could help the janitor out and make Marigold School's bathrooms be the cleanest ever!

Bike Paths

by Phil McGie-Hill
We want to ride bikes without getting run over. We want more bike paths because I can barely ride my bike to the nature center. Probably it's hard to ride your bike anywhere in Chico without riding into the street. I think it would be nice to raise taxes a little for bike paths.

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Kids Newslines

Windows 95 vs. Mac

by Christopher Price
PC users have always wanted a Mac operating system for the PC. But is Windows 95 as good as the Mac?

Mac
1. All programs are 32-bit clean, and some can do multitasking.
2. You can type up to 31 letters.

Windows 95
1. Not all are 32-bit clean, and if even one 16-bit program is running, you can't do multitasking.
2. If it is not designed for Windows 95, you can only type 8 letters, but if it's 32-bit, you can type 250.

So, Windows 95 looks good, but it has its limits also. So you want to buy a Mac but still want to run Windows or DOS? Well, for $200 you can purchase Soft Windows. It's a 486 emulator, you can still run the Mac OS, and it's much faster. You make the choice.

Nintendo: Secret Points

by Jim Rudisill
If you play Nintendo, here are some great tips for having more fun with your games. For Super Mario Brothers: Continue after all lives are gone; the code is "A" (hold) "start." If you die (game over), you have to start at the beginning unless you do this code: Wait until the title screen appears. Press and hold on the "A" button and hit "start." For two players hit "select" and then do above.

More tips next time!

An Invitation For Pen Pals in Cyber Space

by Joey Du Floth
E-mail is electronic mail you get on your computer screen through a modem and the phone from friends all across the world.

If you have a computer and are hooked-up to an online service and want to chit-chat with a pal from Marigold School, then write me a letter at: nhgw01e@prodigy.com I would love to be your pen pal and will return your messages. We could talk about all the cool stuff on the Internet or anything else you want to, like baseball or skiing.

See you in the cyber-hood!

Animals With Eight Legs

by Curt Sawyer
Lots of people hate spiders, and some like them. Spiders are little animals that spin webs and walk on eight legs. Little insects get stuck or get tangled in the spider web. Then the spider comes quickly to wrap the insect in its web so the spider can save it and eat the insect later.

Spiders also have eight eyes so they can see better. The black widow and the brown recluse spiders both are extremely poisonous. The black widow has an hourglass shape that is colored red or yellow on its abdomen. The brown recluse spider has a dark brown, violin-shaped head. These two spiders are the most poisonous spiders known to people.

The Chico Jr. Panthers & Cheerleaders

by Ashley Schaffert
Hi, my name is Ashley. I'm a cheerleader for the Chico Jr. Panthers football team. I think we will go to the play-offs because we are pretty good this year. So far we have won about six times. I'm a cheerleader for the year of '95. I'll miss my friends in cheerleading next year, but I'll finally get a break! I got in cheerleading by getting a pass-out paper in class. Then I found out where to go and try out. Fortunately I was chosen from lots of great girls. My coaches' names are Sandy and Mandy. Mandy says she was interested in being a coach a year after graduation. She has been a coach for one year and wants to be a coach next year. She hopes with the same kids as this year. She loves cheerleading and wants to encourage kids. She thinks it is very rewarding. Mandy was a cheerleader for four years at P.V. and cheered for basketball and football. She also says it's a great program for the girls. It's very time-consuming, but it is worth all the hard work when you see the improvement.

The opportunity of being a part of the Panthers is available in May 1996 for next year's team.

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Gossip & Other Kids' Stuff

A Chat With The President

by Elli Glusman
Ashley Gellepes is 12 years old and has a brother named Dino. Ashley is in sixth grade at our school. She was elected student body president of Marigold School in September. Ashley's mom does people's nails. Her dad is a financial consultant.

Ashley said, "I am going to do so many things, but I'm not sure what." Ashley said she doesn't like it when people say, "I am going to make Marigold a better school," because Marigold is already a better school.

The Flooding By The Russian River

by Vanessa Cox
My family has a cabin at the Russian River and during the rains last winter we were afraid. Lots of rain and logging equals disaster. My mom and my dad were afraid that a mudslide would ruin our property. This could have happened because there were no trees behind one cabin and they could not soak up the water. I think that the people that cut down all the trees could have cut down only one-half of the trees and leave one-half so the trees will have enough time to reproduce and soak up the water so that the rain does not create a mudslide to hurt our or anyone else's property.

Gossip Column:
I Know Something You Don't Know

by Molly Gray
Like juicy gossip? Then you have come to the right place.

I know a girl who has a crush on a guy who has red hair.

Also I heard that the olives in the pizza, salad, etc. are cow eyes. Gross!

The cranberry juice... is it blood? Some cafeteria food is really gross! Hey, let's get rid of vegetables and bring in the chocolate. I wish vegetables gave you cancer and chocolate was the thing that kept you alive!

Guess what, maybe that is true. Maybe our parents are from outer space and that's why they feed us vegetables, and the government found out. So now they bury them so their blood won't make us sick.

My friend's neighbor was asked out by a guy who has "Marigold" shaved in his hair, and the neighbor went out with him.

Believe it or not, that's the gossip going around!

Interview With Mrs. Stephenson

by Jordan Lunt
What is your favorite thing about teaching? "Seeing the look of excitement on a student's face when they learn something new."

What is the worst thing about teaching? (It took her five minutes to come up with an answer.) "It's hard not having enough money to have the latest technology to do all the exciting things there are to do."

What do you do in your spare time? She loves to read, ride bicycles, garden, and go to her farm in Oregon.

What is your favorite kind of music? She likes "all kinds of music, but Mozart the best."

What is your favorite kind of flower? Her favorite flower is the iris.

What is your favorite book? Her favorite book is Watership Down. "It is a book with rabbits in it."

What do you think about Measure A? "Pass Measure A."

What is your favorite school? "Marigold."

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Literary Corner

Book Reviews

by Katherine Lambert & Ismah Jawed
R. L. Stine is the writer of many scary stories. He lives in Central Park, New York, with his wife, Jane, and his son, Matt. Stine wrote Ghost Beach, The Haunted Mask, Stay out of the Basement, The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, Revenge of the Lawn Knomes, Monster Blood III, Welcome to Dead House, Girl Who Cried Monster, Let's Get Invisible and many more.

Here are some comments from other people. "Goosebumps is cool," says a fourth grader. Another says, "Nothing could be better." But grownups say, "Can't you read something better?"

The Haunted Mask, a freaky Halloween story, is one of the best. It is about a girl who is determined to scare someone on Halloween. She is doing this because she is known as the scaredy-cat of the school. People have made her look like a fool throughout the year. But now a single mask changes that. To find out how it finishes, read this book.

Another great book he wrote was Prom Queen. It is about a girl named Lizzy who is one of the five girls to be picked for prom queen. Then someone starts killing all of the prom queens. Simon, Lizzy's friend, is killed first. To find out who the murderer is, read this book.

When he isn't writing, R. L. Stine is the head writer of Eureka's Castle, a children's television show.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by Ismah Jawed
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! This book is about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I like this book because it is interesting and funny. I especially like the part when Mr. Wonka sends out five golden tickets in his chocolate bars. I like it when Charlie finds a dollar on the street when he is walking home. He uses the dollar to buy two chocolate bars. In the second one he finds a golden ticket! It's funny when Violet eats not-ready gum in the factory, and she turns into a blueberry. I also like the part when Augustus jumps in the chocolate river and he gets stuck in a pipe but finally goes through. If you want to know what happens to Charlie, read this book.

Roald Dahl also wrote other books, like Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The BFG, The Witches, Danny the Champion of the World, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, a continuing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Phantom Valley: "Stranger in the Mirror"

by Mikey Anderson
This is a story about twins named Stacy and Tracy. They switch places at school, but Tracy didn't go to Stacy's class, and Stacy's teacher wondered where she was. The girls' grandmother bought them a mirror at "Silverbell." They didn't know it, but the mirror was magical. During the full moon and new moon, you could see through the mirror to Phantom Valley.

I won't tell you what happened to Stacy and Tracy, but if you want to find out what happened to these girls, then you should read Phantom Valley: Stranger in the Mirror. I think it is a good book because it has really good descriptions.

Creative Writing:
Nora the Cat

by Hannah Sistrunk
As she sees the string she draws back and there is only watching and waiting. Suddenly she begins wiggling her behind frantically. As the string slithers out of sight, she jumps. Then, she runs...runs like a dog that had been stung by a hornet. As soon as she is close enough, she makes one final leap, trapping the string under her powerful claws.

How to be a Good Friend

by Audriana Spencer
There is an old saying, "To have a friend you must be a friend." Yes, to have friends you must be nice to them. Friends are people who like each other. You don't have to be a kid to have friends. I even have some older friends.

If you don't have any friends, then you must get some. Friends are there to help you when you need it. Here is a poem about friends.

Friends Friends
They like to play
Friends Friends
They play all day
Friends Friends
Are cats and dogs
Friends Friends
Are pigs and hogs
Friends Friends
They call to me
We are friends &
We are free.

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The Back Page

Ask Lauren Anything!
Questions & Advice

By Lauren Alpert

Kids Ask:
What do they put in the lunch milk? (Kathrine)
Dear Kathrine,
I think that they don't put anything in the milk, but you may like whole milk and it may be 2-percent milk.

Why is the lunch food so disgusting? (Nicole)
Dear Nicole,
For some reason frozen food doesn't taste very good and the food they serve in the cafeteria is frozen food, but of course they unfreeze it.

Parents Ask:
Why do kids hate veggies?
Dear Parent,
The reason kids hate veggies is because they don't taste good any way you cook them except in tomato sauce.

Why won't kids clean up their rooms?
Dear Parent,
Kids won't clean up their rooms because they mess their roooms up too much so it is too hard to clean them up.

Teachers Ask:
Why do kids always run in the halls?
Dear Teacher,
The reason why kids run in the halls is one of these: They are late for class or they want to get out to recess to play games.

Why are all the kids so wonderful?
Dear Teacher,
I think the kids are all so wonderful because the teachers are all so wonderful!

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