T h e S p i r e C r i e r S t . T h o m a s E p i s c o p a l P a r i s h S c h o o l

Be thankful for blessings at Christmastime

By Rafa Urbina

Once again, the fifth grade students had the opportunity to visit Holy

Comforter Day Care Center in Little Havana.

“Holy Comforter was a rewarding experience for all. We were able to

give food to people who are less fortunate. It really made everyone feel good

inside,” said Mrs. Rosen.

The students also were able to read, play music and play a game with

the kids. The students brought bags of books and a lot of food. The food was

given to the parents and the fifth graders ate at the end of the day with the kids.

Most of the children spoke only Spanish.

Everyone learned a lot and it was a good visit.

Vo l u me 2 7 I s s ue 2

D e c e mbe r 2 0 1 4

I ns i de t h i s i s s ue :

By Jack Silva

We recently celebrated Thanksgiving and I started thinking about what

it means to be thankful. I think Thanksgiving is about being thankful for all the

blessings that we have.

I think people may not think

about what a “thanks-giving” is, and

they end up taking it for granted. To

help with that, as we celebrate Christ-

mas, people could sit around the din-

ner table and say a prayer about what

each is thankful for and then talk

about it.

One of the things the fifth

graders are thankful for is that they

get to go visit Holy Comforter Day

Care Center in Little Havana to help

the children and their families.

Here are some quotes from

our journalism class about being

thankful.

“Being thankful is a gift that

everyone should be given.” - Laura Furniss-Roe

“Be thankful because one day all the goodness will catch up to you.” -

Laura Orban

“Most people are only thankful on Thanksgiving but I consider thank-

fulness a trait.”- Ava Riley Miles

“Every day is a blessing.”- Ms. Mayo

And then this one: “Be thankful for what you have before it is gone.”

Fifth grade students visit Holy Comforter

Mystery Teachers,

Creatures and

Sports Players

2

Yetis and Rhinos 3

Ask Kiki 4

Top 10 Movies 5

All About J.K.

Rowling 7

Top TV Show Poll 8

Riddles, Puzzles

and Mazes 9

Celebrating

Hanukkah 10

Student Fiction 11

This mystery teacher likes seahorses and sea stars

By Yara Haddad

This issue the mystery teacher is someone who has many facts to share. Try

to guess who this is.

Her favorite color is blue. She is from the Big Apple (New York City). She

says her favorite sport is Napping.

Her favorite team is Ferrari. Her favorite food is refined carbs and her favor-

ite restaurant is Subway. Her favorite place to shop is Whole Foods.

She has been working at St. Thomas for longer than 20 years. Her favorite

animal is a cat. Her favorite car is the Porsche 911 from 1968.

Her favorite sea animals are jellyfish, seahorses, and sea stars. She likes old

movies and her favorite song is “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. The answer is on the

back page. Good luck!

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 2

Here’s a hint: The

mystery sports player

used to play center for

the Miami Heat.

The mystery sports player is 7 feet 1 inch tall

By Jack Silva

Guess the mystery sports player? Hint: He’s an NBA player. We’ve

given you a few choices but there are many more. Here are some more clues.

He has been in a movie. He is retired. He is 7 feet 1 inch tall. He has

played on the Miami Heat team. He was a center.

He is now a sportscaster. And…he is obviously famous. Is it Charles

Barkley, Michael Jordan or Shaq?

This mystery creature has strong teeth

Crickets are a favorite food of this mystery creature

By Laura Furniss-Roe

This mystery creature lives in the environmental science room. He is very

playful. He likes to communicate with humans, but he has strong teeth. At age five

he could get cancer because his species is prone to get it. He is incredibly cuddly and

long and flexible.

He’s sneaky, He loves to eat. He loves to move around. Can you guess what

this is?

By Rafael Urbina

This mystery creature lives in the environmental science room.

He is a reptile and he is fairly large.

He eats crickets.

He is very fast but he is lazy.

He also eats kale. He has a tail.

He loves to hide in rocks and he likes water.

Can you guess what this is? Good luck!

By Nina Chehab

Have you ever heard of Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or the Abominable Snowman?

Well, that’s all the same as the Russian Yeti.

The Yeti is extremely powerful. It is believed that one of these monstrous

creatures killed nine teenage explorers in 1959; that case still remains a mystery.

The Yetis’ beds are usually found in caves or dark places. At night, they are

said to howl like wolves. They are supposed to look like gigantic gorillas.

None of us will ever see one though. It may not be a surprise but the Russian

Yeti lives in Russia.

I guess the only question left to ask is: Do you believe in the Russian Yeti?

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 2 7 I s s u e 2

The Russian Yeti: Do you believe?

By Maddie Wagshul

Have you ever looked up rhinos? In my opinion, they are one of the

most adorable things on earth! Unfortunately, they are endangered.

You might think that rhinos are not prehistoric, but they actually have

been on earth since prehistoric times. Meet the wooly rhino. Think of a wooly

mammoth. It looked like an elephant with a lot of fur, right? Well, the wooly

rhino looked like a rhino with a lot of fur.

There are some sanctuaries to protect rhinos because not many rhinos

will survive outside of those sanctuaries. To find out more about rhinos and

how you can help them, go to www.worldwildlife.org.

Rhinos: Extinct and endangered

By Yara Haddad and Maddie Wagshul

This month for Christmas Tom and Tia are visiting Austria. Austria is a very

interesting place. It was founded in 1804. Austria’s population is 8.47 million and the

capital is Vienna. The official language is German. The president of Austria is Heinz

Fischer. The country animal is the Black Eagle and the flower is Edelweiss. The

country bird is the Barn Swallow.

Austria is bordered by Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Czech

Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia. The climate is mostly cool but, much

colder in the Alps. Independence Day is October 26th.

What to Eat in Austria

BREAKFAST: (Fréhstéck) rolls, coffee, sausage, even goulash.

SNACKS: Open sandwiches (belegte Brote), wurstsemmel, a roll filled with a sau-

sage, cheese and pickle, available from butchers or delicatessens. Bosna (or Bosner)

are available at sausage stands (wérstelstands)

POPULAR DISHES: goulash, wiener schnitzel, strudel, sachertorte, linzertorte

OTHER DISHES: noodles, broiled beef (tafelspitz), dumplings (schéberln), fruit

dumplings (zwetchgenknédeln)

PRODUCE: freshwater fish, beef, apples, cabbage, game

EXTRA FACT: The main meal is usually at lunchtime.

Tom and Tia find wonderful food in Austria There’s goulash,

strudel, dumplings,

sausage, and so much

more to eat in Austria.

The wooly rhino had a lot of fur.

Many students ask Kiki for help and advice

Hey Kiki!

When I was in Kindergarten, my BFF and I were really close. Now, it’s not the

same. I wish I could see her more but our schedules don’t work. What should I do?

Love, The Feeling Friendless

Dear Feeling Friendless,

Because there’s nothing I can do about your schedule, I strongly suggest that you

maybe get your parents to call each other. Maybe you can still see each other in

your free time and, even if it’s only a few minutes together, treasure your time. And

there’s always the weekends when you guys can get together and catch up. Best

wishes!

Dear Kiki,

I have a Social Studies retake on Thursday! How do I study? I’m so nervous! What

do I do?! Please help.

Love, Social Studies lover 123

Dear Social Studies lover 123,

Having a bad grade isn’t the end of the world. Study by making flashcards, games,

and use websites that you think will help you. And you can always go to your teach-

ers; they want to help you. Good luck!

Dear Kiki,

My big sister teases me. ALWAYS. How do I tell her to stop?

Love, Little Sister Blues

Dear Little Sister Blues,

If you try telling her to stop and she doesn’t, just walk away from the situation. You

can always find a special place in your house where you can relax and cool down. If

you’re arguing, don’t yell; it won’t help. Best wishes!

Dear Kiki,

Let me just say, you are awesome! I hope you can accept compliments, unlike me.

Whenever someone compliments me, I blush like crazy and I don’t know how to say

“Thank you.” Now, people think I am rude for not responding! Help?!

Love, Shy and Awkward

Dear Shy and Awkward,

Don’t worry about it! It’s just your personality. If you’re ever in the situation try

looking at their forehead, smile, and say “Thank you.” This way, people won’t think

you’re rude and you are getting compliments! If you ever think you need some prac-

tice, you can always practice in the mirror or with your stuffed animals. ;) Hope this

helps!

(continued on page 6)

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 4

There are Ask Kiki

boxes in the office and

in two of the fifth grade

classrooms. Kiki is

ready to help if you

have a question.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 2 7 I s s u e 2

Top 10 movies of 2014 and ones coming up By Yara Haddad

This year there were a lot of great movies. We checked the end-of-the year

statistics and these turned out to be the Top 10 Movies of 2014.

1. How to Train Your Dragon 2

When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave where hundreds of wild

dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider live. The two friends find themselves on a

quest and at the center of a struggle for peace.

2. The Lego Movie

Emmet is an ordinary LEGO construction worker who is thought to be the

prophesied “Special.” He is recruited to help stop an evil tyrant from trying to con-

quer the world.

3. The Boxtrolls

A young orphaned boy who has been raised by cave-dwelling trash collec-

tors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. This movie is based on the

children's novel called “Here Be Monsters” by Alan Snow.

4. Mr. Peabody & Sherman

This is about a time-travelling advanced canine and his adopted son and their

adventures as they try to fix a time rift that they created.

5. Big Hero 6

There is a special bond between the plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax and

young tech prodigy Hiro Hamada. The two team up with a group of inventor friends

to form a band of high-tech heroes.

6. Annie

Annie is a young, happy foster kid who is also tough enough to find her way

around the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby, An-

nie has had a hard-knock life with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. Things

change for the better when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate

Will Stacks makes a campaign move and takes her in.

7. Rio 2

It's a jungle for Blue Macaws Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they're

hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. When Blu tries to fit in, he

meets the vengeful Nigel and his father-in-law.

8. Maleficent

This is about a creepy fairy godmother who is driven to curse an infant prin-

cess only to discover that the child may be the one person who can restore peace to

the land.

9. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander's day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more embar-

rassments. He begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him and his family.

They all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very

bad day.

10. Dolphin Tale 2

The team of people who saved Winter's life get back together to help her find

a companion after her surrogate mother dies. The mission is to help her remain at the

Clearwater Marine Hospital.

The new Annie movie

will be released in

theaters on Dec. 19.

Kiki wants to help you with friend troubles

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 6

(continued from page 4)

Dear Kiki,

I have a friend who seems to be taking friends away from me. She’s pretty sensitive

and she only thinks about herself or others sometimes. She never really cares about

me and thinks I’m mean to the world. Sometimes she’s a great friend and BFF but

I’m still really confused. Next there’s JEALOUSY. She has great talents and when

she wins an award, my body fills up with jealousy. How do I stop this? I want to talk

back but I don’t want to hurt her feelings. How do I deal with my entire situation?

From, FriendTrouble011

Dear Friend Trouble011,

Whenever you have trouble, you can talk to your parents. For all you know, they’ve

went through the same thing. But if you want to solve it on your own, try talking to

her in a gentle way. When she’s excluding you, try asking to join. Now for jealousy:

there is no reason to be jealous. If she wins an award, be happy for her and you’ll

see she’s going to be happy for you when you win something. Best of luck!

Dear Kiki,

One of my friends is being mean! She acts nice but then bossy. She steals my best

friend and uses her as a maid sort of. It makes me feel bad.

Love, Rainbow 888

Dear Rainbow 888,

I think that you should walk up to your friend that you think is being taken away and

ask her if she’s been seeing it. Then, both of you tell the girl being mean to you that’s

been mean to you that you’ve been noticing something fishy going on and that it’s

making you feel kind of hurt inside. If you think it’s still going on, tell a teacher to

help you solve it. Best Wishes!

Whenever you have a

problem, try talking

with a parent or a

teacher to get help.

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 2 7 I s s u e 2

Learn more about the famous author J.K. Rowling By Maddie Wagshul

Have you ever read Harry Potter? Have you heard about it? It seems impos-

sible that only one person made this whole plot.

Our storywriter’s story starts on July 31, 1965 (which means the writer is

now around 49 years old). Joanne Rowling, or Jo as she’s called by her family,

started writing stories when she was 6 years old! She didn’t like fighting real battles

in real life, but she LOVED fighting battles in her imagination.

For college, Jo studied many languages, including French. Malfoy, one of

Harry’s enemies, has a French name. Mal means bad, and foy (it is actually foi in

French) means faith. Jo named many of the characters’ names after things. For exam-

ple, the Weasley family is named after the weasel, which is one of her favorite ani-

mals.

In the year 1992 she got married to a man named Jorge Arantes. A year later

she had a baby named Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes. In 1993 she divorced Jorge

and took Jessica to live in Scotland. Jo lived on public assistance, meaning that she

got a check every month for food. Jo would sometimes go hungry because there

sometimes was only enough food for Jessica. Seven years after she started writing

the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (known as Harry Potter and

the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States), it was ready.

Guess what? Jo’s book was sold to Scholastic for about $100,000! The thing

was, Scholastic thought that boys wouldn’t like the book if it was written by a girl.

She had to use her initials, but Jo did not have a middle name. After her grand-

mother, her middle name became Kathleen. Now she would be known to the world

as J.K. Rowling.

In 2001, Jo married Neil Murray. They were going to have a wedding in the

Galapagos but Jo was worried that the press would interrupt it. Instead, they got mar-

ried in a library. In 2003 Jo had a son named David Gordon Rowling Murray. Two

years later, when she was working on the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-

Blood Prince, she gave birth to another girl, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray. Jo

dedicated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to Mackenzie, to her “Beautiful

Daughter.”

Jo turned from being very poor to a life as the second place highest earning

female entertainer in the world just behind Oprah Winfrey. In 2007 Jo finished the

last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in a hotel room. She wrote “J.K.

Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652)

on 11th January 2007” on a sculpture in the hotel room.

You might think she doesn’t donate, but she donated to a charity that helps

single mothers. If you want to read more about Jo, you should read Who Is J.K.

Rowling?

Even though a few Harry Potter books were mentioned, she also wrote:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,

and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.

The publisher thought

boys would not like

Harry Potter if it was

written by a woman so

they made Jo Rowling

change her name to

J.K. Rowling.

Student Poll: How favorite TV shows rank up

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 8

By Jack Silva and Laura Orban

We took a poll to see which TV

shows are the favorites among students.

Here’s what we found out.

Sports ESPN: 1

Sports Center: 1

NBA: 11

Fifa: 4

NFL: 0

MLB: 0

Reality

Dancing with the Stars: 2

Shark Tank: 5

Dance Moms: 1

So You Think You Can Dance: 1

Kids

Zoey 101: 1

H20: 2

Jessie: 11

Dog with a Blog: 3

Cartoon

Tom and Jerry: 10

Total Drama: 1

Teen Titans Go: 4

Scooby Doo: 1

Tom and Jerry is the

most popular cartoon

show.

Music

Voice: 16

American Idol: 0

X Factor: 1

America’s Got Talent: 1

Britain’s Got Talent: 0

Glee: 0

Fantasy Once Upon a time: 10

True Blood: 0

Lost: 3

Super Natural: 2

Talk Show

Jimmy Fallon: 14

Jimmy Kimmel: 2

Sitcom

Modern Family: 4

Friends: 2

Big Bang Theory: 3

America’s Funniest Family: 9

Oldies

Full House: 9

Boy Meets World: 3

Wonder Years: 0

Hey Arnold: 0

Twilight Zone: 3

P a g e 9 V o l u m e 2 7 I s s u e 2

Riddles, puzzles and mazes By Ava-Riley Miles

Q: What's the difference between the Christmas alphabet

and the ordinary alphabet?

A: The Christmas alphabet has NOEL! (No L)

Q: What do you call Santa when he goes down a chimney

with a fire?

A: Krisp Cringle!!

Q: What does Santa say in the beginning of a race?

A: “Ready, set, HO!”

Q: What do they sing under the ocean in the winter?

A: Christmas CORALS!

Q: What did Mrs. Claus say to Santa when they looked up

in the sky?

A: Looks like rain, dear. (REINDEER!)

Q: What’s Santa’s favorite candy?

A: JOLLY ranchers!!

Q: Why did the elf go to school?

A: To learn his ELFabet!

By Yara Haddad

Q. What kind of bird can write?

A. A pen-guin

Q.What do you get if you cross Santa with a detective ?

A. Santa Clues!

Q. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

A. It’s Christmas, Eve.

Q. Why does Santa Claus like to work in the garden?

A. Because he like to hoe, hoe, hoe!

Q. What happened when the snowwoman got angry at the

snowman?

A. She gave him the cold shoulder.

Q. What do snowmen wear on their heads?

A. Ice caps.

Q. How do sheep say Merry Christmas in Mexico?

A. Fleece Navidad!

Q. What is a snowman’s favorite lunch?

A. An Iceberger!

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 1 0

Hanukkah is celebrated with menorahs and dreidels

By Ava-Riley Miles

I am half Jewish and I celebrate a holiday called Hanukkah each year. It is

right before Christmas, which many students and teachers at St. Thomas celebrate.

During Hanukkah, you bring out your menorah and nine candles. The word

“Hanukah” means dedication. The story behind the Jewish holiday is that a long

time ago, a guy named Antiochus IV Epiphanies told all the Jews that they had to

believe in the Greek Gods.

After he tried to destroy all of their temples, a group of Jews had a Hanuk-

kah miracle. They only had enough oil to last ONE day. The miracle was that the oil

lasted eight days! That gave the lucky Jews in that temple enough time to find a

fresh supply.

Now, we light a candle on the Menorah each day, during Hanukkah, to re-

member that miracle. There is also a game with dreidels.

Here are the directions:

1. Any number of people can take part in this great game.

2. Each player begins the game with an equal number of game pieces (about

10-15) such as pennies, nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, matchsticks, etc.

3. At the beginning of each round, every participant puts one game piece

into the center "pot." In addition, every time the pot is empty or has only one game

piece left, every player should put one in the pot.

These directions were found on the website www.myjewishlearning.com.

My personal favorite thing to put in the “pot” is M&Ms.

For fuller information on how to play and get dreidels, just email me at

amiles@stepsmia.org.

Christmas elves are up to the craziest things

By Ava-Riley Miles

Most people at St. Thomas have elves that come to watch over them after

Thanksgiving. Have you ever wondered about the craziest things elves have done?

If you have, you are in for a thrill!

For those of you who are not familiar with elves, there are two ways to get

one. You can either by one or send a letter to Santa asking for one. Then, you leave

crackers and iced water at night for the elves to eat. The crackers are to remind the

elves of crunching snow and the iced water to remind them of melting snow.

Each night, you sprinkle provided magic snowflakes on your elves and they

will “wake up” when you fall asleep and play games. When you wake up, you have

to look around your house. Sometimes, you’ll find them frozen in the middle of

your game! Let us know what your elves have done.

This elf had fun making

“snow angels.” In sugar!

Hanukkah is celebrated

over eight days and

each day a candle is lit

on the menorah.

P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 2 7 I s s u e 2

Student Fiction: Emily’s Christmas

By Laura Furniss-Roe

It was December 22nd. A girl called Emily Bird was strolling around her house and hoping for a good Christmas.

Emily lived in Oxford, England. Her parents were usually very strict with her and always wanted peace because they

were working on opening their own businesses and as Emily was an only child, she had no siblings to play with and her

friends were all on holiday. Her parents would be working all through Christmas Eve as they planned to release their

business on December 30th. Emily knew that her parents would surely spend all of Christmas day with her. Emily wasn’t

sure what present she would receive this year but what she did know was that she definitely had many presents to give.

Before Emily knew it, it was Christmas Eve. She was lying on her bed and thinking about reindeers, elves and

Santa Claus who in England she called Father Christmas. Emily had her iPad with her and just before her bedtime, she

searched up and read the story, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” She was really upset that her parents weren’t able

to read this story to her as they had one more thing to do before their businesses were ready and figured that they’d get it

out of the way in time for Christmas Day. Eventually, her parents came in to tell her that they would have their projects

finished by tomorrow and wished Emily a Merry Christmas and a goodnight. They turned out the lights and Emily lay in

silence.

Emily was still awake at 11:00. She couldn’t get to sleep! Emily worried that Father Christmas would never

come! Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound coming from the roof. “It can’t be,” Emily thought to herself. She got out of

bed, threw on her coat, went over to her mini porch and opened the door. She ran outside into the black, cool night and

stared up at the roof. Nothing was there except a little robin pecking just above her roof obviously trying to uncover a

worm or something fascinating. Emily sighed. She hugged herself as winters in England could be extremely cold and

went back inside. She hung her coat up and started to slowly make her way back into bed until her mother rushed into

the room. “Emily Frances Bird!” She said to her in an angry voice. “What were you doing outside at this hour? We heard

the beeping that warns us when the door opens and it freaked us to death! Get back into bed and go to sleep!” Emily

knew that her mother meant it. She knew that she was just worried about her safety but Emily doubted a happy Christ-

mas. Her mother then sat next to her and said in a soft voice, “Emily, are you upset because we never get to spend any

time with you?” “Kind of,” said Emily and felt herself starting to cry. “I always feel alone and you always seem so strict

with me. I was hoping that Christmas would make up for everything as it’s supposed to be a bright and merry season.”

“Don’t worry, it will be soon,” said her mother, trying to comfort her. “Come tomorrow morning it will be bright and

merry as ever! Your father and I just finished our projects. The business will start soon! I’m really sorry Emily, for eve-

rything.” “It’s okay,” said Emily. “I love you always.” “I love you too but you better get to sleep now or else Father

Christmas will never arrive to fill up your stocking!” her Mom said, tickling Emily. “Okay, I’ll get to sleep,” Emily said.

“Night, Mother, love you.” “Love you too.”

The rest of the night was the most magical set of events in Emily’s life but she didn’t know that she was about to

meet a character who she would never forget. Before falling asleep, Emily gazed out the corner of her window where she

had left the curtains open a tiny bit in order to see. At around 11:45, Emily saw the most wonderful thing ever but

thought that she was dreaming. She saw a reindeer. His black, shiny nose flashed under Emily’s porch light which she

had turned on to get a better look at the reindeer. His round, dark brown eyes stared at Emily’s and his warm breath

fogged up the window. The reindeer’s antlers stood proud and tall on the very top of his head. He clicked his hoof and

jingled the bells attached to a rope and reins around his neck. He was one of Father Christmas’ reindeer. Emily was

amazed. Before she knew it, she was standing outside right next to the reindeer with her coat and boots on, stroking his

shaggy, fuzzy fur. Then the reindeer turned to reveal a small basket attached to one rope that was around his body. It

concealed a note. So, nervously, Emily took out the note and read it. It said:

Dear Emily, I hope that Dasher has delivered this message in time. He is Dasher after all! I know that you have been a

little upset about your parents’ work but don’t worry- they are finished now. In the meantime, for the rest of the

(continued on the next page)

The Spire Crier is published by the fifth grade

journalism class for the students of

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School.

Reporters: Nina Chehab, Laura Furniss-Roe,

Yara Haddad, Ava-Riley Miles, Laura Orban,

Jack Silva, Rafael Urbina, Madeleine Wagshul

Journalism Advisor: Ms. Christina Mayo

Journalism Class Assistant: Emily Wong

W E ’R E ON TH E WE B

A T S TEP SM I A . ORG

G O TO S CH OOL L I FE

AND CLI CK ON

P UBLI CATI ONS

5692 North Kendall Drive

Coral Gables, FL 33156

305-665-4851

T h e S p i r e C r i e r

S t . T h o m a s E p i s c o p a l

P a r i s h S c h o o l

Mystery Teachers: Mrs. Kniseley

Mystery Sports Player: Shaq

Mystery Creatures: Gizmo the Ferret and

Epoch the Bearded Dragon

(continued from page 11)

holidays I thought you might want some company. Take this elf. Her name is Kasey. Every night, you must sprinkle

these special snowflakes on her for her to come alive but be warned, she may get up to a little mischief. As an excep-

tion because I am giving her to you late, she will stay with you until January 30th in which she will travel back to me. I

expect her to have all her things with her, packed up and ready to go, the night that she leaves. Wherever you place

her, even in the tightest corner in your closet, she will still be able to escape. Elves have the talent of working their

magic. For the upcoming year and from here on, she will arrive at your house in late November and come back to me

the night of Christmas Eve. Kasey will surely keep you company. Have a

very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Sincerely, Father Christmas

Emily carefully took out the tiny box of snowflakes and Kasey

the elf and just stared. She looked up at the reindeer. “Dasher,” she

thought to herself. That was the reindeer’s name. By this time, it was

midnight and Emily was very sleepy. She decided to say goodbye to

Dasher, take Kasey inside and go back to sleep. She stroked Dasher for

the final time and he gave her a slight shove back towards her door.

Emily waved goodbye and Dasher cocked his head. She went back inside

and just as she turned around, there was a click of hooves and Dasher

was gone. Emily yawned and got back into bed. She sprinkled snow-

flakes on Kasey and placed her carefully on her bedside table. She de-

cided to tell her parents that Kasey had appeared on her bed and not tell

them anything about the reindeer. It would be Kasey’s, Father Christmas’, Dasher’s, and her little secret.

Emily woke up at 10:00 o’clock. It was Christmas Day. She looked around her room to find that Kasey had

hung up a big banner in her room that said “Merry Christmas!” and she was sitting on top of it. Emily laughed at her.

She scooped Kasey up and ran to her living room and right up to the big, ivy green Christmas tree to see bundles of

presents and her stocking completely full! The mince pie and whisky that she had left out for Father Christmas and

carrots for the reindeer were gone. “Merry Christmas!” her Father said. “Start opening your presents!” Emily dived

in. She loved the presents that her parents had given her and her parents loved the presents Emily had bought them.

Emily and her parents also celebrated the finishing of her parents business. After a wonderful Christmas lunch, Emily

emptied her stocking. Somewhere in her cluster of stocking gifts she found a little card from Father Christmas, Kasey,

and Dasher with Dasher’s hoof imprinted into it. Emily smiled.

It really had been the best and most magical Merry Christmas ever!