McTeacher fund raiser to benefit York Haven Elementary

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May 17, 2012

York Haven Elementary School’s annual McTeacher night fund raiser is 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at McDonald’s, 4245 N. George St. Extended, Manchester.

Come see the teachers and Mr. March (principal) take orders. A portion of all orders will benefit York Haven Elementary School.

Coupons are required when placing an order. They can be picked up at York Haven Elementary, 360 Cassel Road, or at any school within the Northeastern School District.

For more information, call the school at 266-5007 or email Maria Pender at penderm@nesd.k12.pa.us.

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Candy wrappers make a lovely prom dress

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May 16, 2012

Diane McNease in her prom dress made from Starburst wrappers, with Luke DeWitt at Ishpeming High School in Ishpeming, Mich. McNease tells WLUC-TV that she came up with the idea of making her prom dress out of candy wrappers when she saw a friend folding some. She estimates it took about 18,000 wrappers to make the corset of her dress, as well as matching hair bands and a purse. (AP Photo/WLUC-TV)

A northern Michigan teen put together one sweet prom dress, thanks to the help of classmates who collected thousands of Starburst wrappers for her.

Diane McNease tells WLUC-TV that she came up with the idea of making her prom dress out of candy wrappers when she saw a friend folding some. She estimates it took about 18,000 Starburst wrappers to make the corset of her dress, as well as matching hair bands and a purse.

The Ishpeming High School student wore the dress to Saturday’s prom in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The top half of the dress is made out of folded wrappers and the bottom looks more like a traditional gown. It took about five months to make, with help from family and friends.

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Reported by WLUC-TV, http://www.wluctv6.com, from ISHPEMING, Mich.

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Mayan calendar doesn’t end in 2012

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May 15, 2012

Conservator Angelyn Bass cleans and stabilizes the surface of a wall of a Maya house that dates to the 9th century A.D. in the Maya city Zultun in Guatemala. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Tyrone Turner)


Archaeologists have found a small room in Mayan ruins where royal scribes apparently used walls like a blackboard to keep track of astronomical records and the society’s intricate calendar some 1,200 years ago.

The walls reveal the oldest known astronomical tables from the Maya. Scientists already knew they must have been keeping such records at that time, but until now the oldest known examples dated from about 600 years later.

Astronomical records were key to the Mayan calendar, which has gotten some attention recently because of doomsday warnings that it predicts the end of the world this December. Experts say it makes no such prediction. The new finding provides a bit of backup: The calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years that could extend well beyond 2012.

“Why would they go into those numbers if the world is going to come to an end this year?” observed Anthony Aveni of Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., an expert on Mayan astronomy. “You could say a number that big at least suggests that time marches on.”

Aveni, along with William Saturno of Boston University and others, report the discovery in the journal Science.

The room, a bit bigger than 6-feet square, is part of a large complex of Mayan ruins in the rain forest at Xultun in northeastern Guatemala. The walls also contain portraits of a seated king and some other figures, but it’s clear those have no connection to the astronomical writings, the scientists said.

One wall contains a calendar based on phases of the moon, covering about 13 years.

Aveni said it would allow scribes to predict the appearance of a full moon years in advance, for example. Such record-keeping was key to Mayan astrology and rituals, and maybe would be used to advise the king on when to go to war or how good this year’s crops would be, he said.

“‘What you have here is astronomy driven by religion,” he said.

On another wall are numbers indicating four time spans from roughly 935 to 6,700 years. It’s not clear what they represent, but maybe the scribes were doing calculations that combined observations from important astronomical events like the movements of Mars, Venus and the moon, the researchers said.

Why bother to do that? Maybe the scribes were “geeks … who just got carried away with doing these kinds of computations and calculations, and probably did them far beyond the needs of ordinary society,” Aveni suggested.

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Online:

Journal Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

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Reported by MALCOM RITTER from the Associated Press. He can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/malcolmritter

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Can you find a newt?

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May 15, 2012

This video was shot in the United Kingdom, but you can find newts in your backyard if you live near a pond or a stream. Just flip over some large rocks or logs and look for them.


Take a look at some newts in this video by a young YouTube user. Have you ever found a newt or salamander near your home? Tell us about it in a video of your own or leave a comment. http://youtu.be/jGIbUK4nw00

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Kid Scoop: Tornado

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May 14, 2012

These stories were submitted to the Junior Dispatch by Kid Scoop, a Newspapers in Education program at the York Newspaper Co.

Topic: What would you do if a tornado was spotted?

If I was in my house alone while a tornado came I would first try to stay calm. But if I can’t I would run to the basement while screaming. Go to the little room at the end of the hall. But if I forgot my lucky dog named spot. I would scream his name while running up to my room speedy quick. I would grab him run back down back to the room and sit in the darkness until I shake like crazy then panic. So that’s what I would do. — By Dana Cutti, Grade 4, Mrs. Lindsey

I would be scared if a tornado was spotted and I was home alone. I would get the candle box from the closet. I would get something to take downstairs to eat. I would get the flashlights from the garage. I would head downstairs to the rec room and turn on my weather radio until the tornado is here. Then, I would go under the steps because that is where my tornado spot is. It is safe there because it doesn’t have any windows. Last after the tornado has come I would get out and see all the damage. — By Jacob Meakin, Grade 4, Alloway Creek, Mrs. Gross

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From Carol J. Myers’ classroom, Grade 6, E.H. Markle Intermediate School

I would run into the basement and call my parents. If they were to tell me to go to another place in the house, I would move. I would stay away from the windows and take cover. That’s what I would do if a tornado was spotted near my house. — By Ricardo Taylor

As soon as I saw the tornado coming at my house, I ran for a flashlight. Then I ran for the basement. I heard the wind whipping and snapping the trees. Suddenly, I did not hear anything. Was it over? I walked out of the basement and saw trees and leaves lying everywhere. I could see the trail the tornado made. People were standing outside in shock of the damage. For the next couple of weeks people cleaned up the disaster. — By Jacob Werner

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Kid Scoop keeps you informed about tornadoes

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May 14, 2012

 

This painting by artist Meredith Steele shows a tornado, one of the most dangerous weather formations Americans can face.

Tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent and scary events. These storm clouds form when the temperature, wind, humidity and atmospheric pressure build up to a specific point and create a potentially deadly weather event.
In today’s Kid Scoop, you can learn exactly how they form and what you should do to protect yourself if you know one is nearby. You’ll know one is nearby because an announcement will be broadcast on TV or the radio and you might even hear warning sirens go off.
As described in today’s Kid Scoop and elsewhere on the Internet, there are some ways to keep yourself safe.

  • Go to a safe area deep inside your house, such as a room with no windows or the cellar.
  • Listen to the radio for information on when the storms have passed and if more are coming.
  • Don’t try to go looking for your mom, dad, grandparents or pets. They will do their best to stay safe with or without you. Your job is to stay safe too.

Here’s a look at a tornado actually forming, reaching down from the sky and making contact with the ground. http://youtu.be/006guBgSf14

Here are some tornado safety tips. http://youtu.be/EzBiEN6bXEY

And here’s a few quick science experiments you can try to simulate a tornado — without all that destruction. http://youtu.be/mzw3DcDblIg

What is Kid Scoop? It’s a special page that appears every Monday in The York Dispatch and other local newspapers. Aside from its main feature and the Writing Corner, it includes games, puzzles and jokes.

Get your copy of Kid Scoop in today’s edition of The York Dispatch, and be sure to assemble your own Write On! entry and submit it to NIE@ync.com. We’ll run every entry here!

Of course, you can submit those entries, and anything else you want, for publication here on the Junior Dispatch. Send your JD items to juniordispatch@yorkdispatch.com. Learn about what you can submit here.

 

Art from LakeMartinVoice and Meredith Steele via Flickr.com

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Camp Superkids is for children with asthma

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May 12, 2012

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center has announced that Camp Superkids, an annual residential week-long camp for children with asthma, ages 7 to 12, will be held July 15-20 at Summit Grove Camp in New Freedom.

“Camp Superkids provides an opportunity for children with asthma to enjoy a traditional summer camp experience,” says Ceal Curry, camp co-director and child life program coordinator at the medical center. “The children not only enjoy the camp activities and sports, but they also learn how to safely be active and have fun while managing their asthma.”

Highlights are:

– Camp activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, karate, outdoor confidence and teambuilding skills

– Learning how to manage asthma.

– Gaining a strong support system of friends with asthma and positive reinforcement from adults who volunteer their time and services.

– Registered nurses, a physician assistant, respiratory therapists and other non-medical personnel who are on-site the entire week

The cost is $400. Some scholarships are available for those who qualify. At the time of application, a $75 registration fee is due. This registration fee is deducted from the balance of the camp fee.

For more information, visit www.hopkinsbayview.org/campsuperkids; e-mail campsuperkids@gmail.com or call Ceal Curry, (410) 550-0374 or Heather Dougherty, at (717) 578-0465.

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Northern’s middle, high schools win championships

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May 12, 2012

Five dance and color guard teams representing Northern York County School District’s middle and high schools captured first place finishes at the Atlantic Coast Championships, May 5-6 in Wildwood, N.J. The teams are now recognized as state and East Coast champions. Pictured is the Northern High School Color Guard team, from left, Betty Baker, Melitta Parzyszek, Becka Mull and Alissa Shafer; middle row, Susan Jung, Caitlin Reeder, Cheyenne McHone and Elise McAneny; and back row, Emily Altland, Mariah McCoy, Olivia Vuocolo, Rachel Elliott and Megan Zagoric.

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Did you see the wolf?

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May 11, 2012

A young male wolf from Oregon that has won worldwide fame while trekking across mountains, deserts and highways looking for a girlfriend has had what appears to be his first close encounter with people, and got his picture taken, to boot.

A federal trapper, a state game warden and a state wildlife biologist were visiting ranchers in Northern California to notify them that GPS signals showed the gray wolf was in the area, when they stopped to look over a sagebrush hillside with binoculars, said Karen Kovacs, wildlife program manager for the California Department of Fish and Game in Redding, Calif.

“There, all of a sudden, out pops a head, and there he is,” she said. “He appeared very healthy.”

The wolf was hanging out with three coyotes, and appeared curious about the people watching him. But he kept his distance, about 100 yards, Kovacs said.

“He has managed to stay off the radar as far as people getting visuals of this critter,” she said. “His healthy distance has probably served him well up to this point.”

OR-7, the Oregon wolf that has trekked across two states looking for a mate, was recently spotted on a sagebrush hillside in Modoc County, Calif. (AP Photo/Richard Shinn/California Department of Fish and Game)

In color: California wildlife biologist Richard Shinn snapped a photo, the first shot of the animal in color, and the department posted it on its website.

The sighting happened on private land in Modoc County, the sparsely settled northeastern corner of California.

The wolf, known as OR-7, left the Imnaha pack in northeastern Oregon in September, shortly before the state put a death warrant on his father and a sibling for killing cattle. That order has been suspended while a challenge by conservation groups is heard in court. OR-7 is a descendant of wolves introduced into the Northern Rockies in the 1990s, and represents the westernmost expansion of a regional population that now tops 1,650.

First in California: His travels took him down the Cascade Range and across the border into California in December, making him the first wolf in California in more than 80 years, according to the department. Along the way he was photographed in black and white by an automated trailside camera in Oregon. He has since gone back to Oregon and returned to California, making his first visit to Modoc County.

While his story has appeared in newspapers and websites around the world, OR-7 has yet to find a mate or even settle down since following his natural inclination to leave his home and head out on his own.

“We joked that it only seems right that the world’s most famous wolf makes an appearance in California and the paparazzi come out,” said Rob Klavins of the conservation group Oregon Wild, which held a contest for children around the world to name the wolf and came up with Journey.

Klavins said he views wolf recovery as a “real-life story of redemption.”

“This tells us how far we have come,” he said. “His brother’s story tells us how far we have to go. He was illegally shot in Idaho.”

Kovacs said state biologists have been keeping close tabs on OR-7, with the help of his GPS collar, which is visible in one of the photos taken by Shinn.

Eating well: Biologists have visited areas the wolf frequented after he left and found a track in the dirt in Northern California’s Shasta County. They know he has fed on the carcasses of deer, dug up the burrows of ground squirrels, and fed from livestock carcasses left out by a rancher. But as of yet, there are no reports he has killed any livestock.

The department also has been contacting ranchers to keep them up to date on the general whereabouts of the wolf, which is protected as a federally endangered species in Western Oregon and California.

“Most people have been appreciative,” Kovacs said. “We want to make sure we are doing our part to protect this animal so that it isn’t mistaken for a coyote” and killed.

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Online:

California Department of Fish and Game, http://1.usa.gov/IWs2pL

Reported by JEFF BARNARD of the Associated Press from GRANTS PASS, Ore.

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Northern’s Hershey the dog receives honors

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May 11, 2012

Hershey is pictured with, from left, Michael Walker, NMS assistant principal, Shelly Thomas, director of special services, and Cody Ebersole, NMS teacher.

For the second year in a row, Northern York County School District’s Facility Dog, Hershey, took honors at the 25th annual Exemplary Program luncheon on April 18 at Shippensburg University.

In October 2009, the district acquired the then 6-month-old chocolate lab as a Facility Dog in Training through United Disability Services for Northern Middle School.

Hershey’s Northern staff handlers/trainers were Shelly Thomas, director of special services, Sylvia Murray, Northern Middle School principal, and Cody Ebersole and Christine Carey, both Northern Middle School teachers.

Hershey was trained in the district and in Lancaster and received the title of Facility Dog in May 2011.

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