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Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Here comes a tropical island





By: Madison Dutily and Emily Flanagan
I’m pretty sure that we speak for all students here when we say we absolutely love vacations. On February 16, 2018 to February 25, 2018. Mr.DeFusco is taking 45 students, adults, and chaperones to Costa Rica! Costa Rica is a fascinating country with rich history and geography. The country takes up 5% of the world's species in its cloud, rain, and dry forests. Costa Rica has a lot of flying insects and other unique species. Since Costa Rica is a country with hispanic culture, there diet consist mainly on spicy food. For all students and adults going on the trip there will be an informational meeting on January 10,2018 at six-thirty, during the meeting people going on the trip will be discussing the itinerary, rooming, plane seating, etc. Once the group arrives in Costa Rica they will go zip lining, mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and whitewater rafting. They will also visit hot springs, an active volcano, costa rican school, and lots of wildlife. This is Mr. DeFusco's tenth international trip. He has been to China, Spain, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France, Monaco, and Costa Rica before. He also took students on a United States tour, they visited Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Even some teachers from Wood Hill are going to Costa Rica. Mr and Mrs. DeFusco, Mrs. Able, Mrs. Gross, Mrs. Heintzelman, and Mrs. Sherman are all going on the 9 day vacation! Mr. DeFusco chose Costa Rica because the students who went there before wit him loved it. He also enjoyed the trip a lot. Mr. DeFusco enjoys a lot about Costa Rica, his favorite activities are zip lining, beaches, visiting the volcano, and everything about the wildlife!















The Mask Makers-Los Fabricantes de Máscaras





On November 7 Sra.Villarreal and Wood Hill hosted Mexican Mask Makers . Two brothers were on tour and made a special trip to our school. One of their friends came with them to help explain and translate, he had apprenticed with their father. Manuel and Modesto carved a beautiful mask out of wood while they were here. Their friend explained their business and how they make the masks. After they had finished describing how the masks were made and the types of tools used to make them students from Sra.Villarreal’s class asked questions in spanish. Below are some of the questions and quotes from the students.




"Their father used to be the only one in the family that carved the masks. But then he passed his trade onto his sons and they started a business."





“I found it fascinating that they can make something so exotic out of something so original.”





"It was amazing to see the mask come together in such a short amount of time and the final product was amazing!! I enjoyed learning about their family business and their culture."





"I thought that it was nice to get a chance to ask them questions in Spanish and have them answer us. They really have an amazing skill, carving a beautiful, wearable mask from a simple piece of wood and to be able to work so fast is truly a wonderful thing to watch."



El Noviembre siete dos hermanos vinieron al aula de la Sra. Villarreal. Estos hermanos eran fabricantes de máscaras que habían viajado desde México y estaban de gira e hicieron el viaje a nuestra escuela. Uno de sus amigos vino con ellos para ayudar a explicar y traducir, había sido aprendiz de su padre. Manuel y Modesto tallaron una hermosa máscara de madera mientras estaban aquí. Su amigo les explicó su negocio y cómo hacen las máscaras. Después de que terminaron de describir cómo se hicieron las máscaras y los tipos de herramientas utilizadas para hacer que los estudiantes de la clase de la Sra. Villarreal hicieran preguntas en español. A continuación se encuentran algunas de las preguntas y citas de los estudiantes.




"Su padre solía ser el único en la familia que hacía las máscaras. Pero luego se lo pasó a sus hijos y comenzaron un negocio."





"Me pareció fascinante que puedan hacer algo tan exótico de algo tan original."





"¡Fue increíble ver la máscara reunirse en tan poco tiempo y el producto final fue increíble! Disfruté aprendiendo sobre su negocio familiar y su cultura."





"Pensé que era bueno tener la oportunidad de hacerles preguntas en español y pedirles que nos respondieron. Realmente tienen una habilidad increíble, tallando una hermosa máscara que se puede usar de una simple pieza de madera y poder trabajar tan rápido es realmente algo maravilloso de ver."

Cultural Cuisine: Duck





By Grant Moore

I’m back for another week of Cultural Cuisine! Though I haven’t started interviewing students, I will be featuring some of my memorized recipes, and a special set of recipes from famous Portsmouth chef, and owner of The Black Trumpet restaurant, Evan Mallet. This week though, there will be a proper recipe on how to cook a duck. I will show you how to dress a Christmas day duck in herbs and gravy.

Ducks originated from Northern South America and Central America. They are a descendant of the mallard, and people love to eat ducks, look at ducks, and make movies about ducks all around the world. The word duck comes from Old English “Dūce” or “diver”. It means to be able to “duck”, dive, or be able to bend under things. On Christmas Day, the most popular bird to eat is goose, but duck comes in second. People also like to eat ham, or roast beef. When I celebrate Christmas, we almost always eat duck. My dad sometimes dresses the duck in gravy, and almost always puts truffle oil, and various herbs on the outside. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and use it for Christmases to come!


Ingredients:

a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
½ nutmeg , grated
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 oranges or blood oranges , zested and halved
2 x 2 kg whole ducks , necks and giblets reserved and roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic , unpeeled
3 red onions , peeled and quartered
a few stalks celery , trimmed and chopped into chunks
3 carrots , scrubbed and chopped into chunks
½ stick cinnamon
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger , peeled and roughly chopped
a few bay leaves
2 kg Maris Piper potatoes , peeled and cut into large chunks
1 litre water or organic chicken stock
2 tablespoons plain flour
200 ml red port

Making the Duck

This festive duck is loaded with tasty herbs and spices, and the delicious fat is used to flavour the potatoes and port gravy.

Pick the leaves off one of the rosemary sprigs and place on a board with the nutmeg, orange zest, thyme and one tablespoon of sea salt. Chop everything together and rub the mixture all over the ducks, inside and out. Cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavours penetrate.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and place the shelves on the middle and bottom levels. Stuff the ducks with the remaining rosemary sprigs and orange halves, and the garlic cloves, then place them breast-side up, straight on to the bars of the middle shelf. Scatter the onion, celery and carrot in the bottom of a large, deep-sided roasting tray with the cinnamon, ginger, bay leaves, and chopped duck neck and giblets. Place on the bottom shelf beneath the ducks so it will catch all the lovely fat that drips out of them.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pan. Cover with cold, salted water, bring to a simmer and parboil for 5 to 10 minutes, then tip into a colander and chuff them up a little.

After the duck has roasted for an hour, take the bottom tray out of the oven, replacing it immediately with an empty tray. Spoon the fat from the veggie tray into a bowl. Put all the veg, duck bits and juices into a large saucepan, then add a little boiling water to the tray to get all the sticky brown bits off the bottom – this is what you’re going to make your gravy with. Tip the water and brown bits into the pan with the veg, top up with 1 litre of water or chicken stock and place on a medium heat, skimming off any of the fat that rises to the top.

Put your parboiled potatoes into the empty tray in the oven. Add a few more tablespoons of duck fat from the bowl, season, and place back underneath the ducks to cook for an hour.

Meanwhile, heat a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of duck fat. When it’s hot and melted, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a paste. Stir in the contents of the saucepan and the port. Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer gently for half an hour, stirring occasionally. By now the ducks will have had 2 hours in the oven and will be done. Lift them onto a plate, cover loosely with tin foil and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.

Pour the gravy through a sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing down on all the veg and other bits to extract as many flavours and juices as you can. Keep the gravy warm in the saucepan, again skimming off any fat on the surface.

Don’t carve the ducks – the best thing to do is to pull the meat away from the bones with a pair of tongs or with your fingers wearing clean kitchen gloves, then let everyone fight over the delicious skin! Serve with your potatoes and port gravy.




[Recipe from famous British chef, Jamie Oliver]









Brainteasers

We are adding in a new feature. Brainteasers! This while be a weekly thing, like the jokes. We will tell you the brainteaser, then a week after we will tell you the answer and another brainteaser. Are you ready for the first one? Here it is:

Q: There are three houses. One is red, one is blue, and one is white. If the red house is to the left of the house in the middle, and the blue house is to the right to the house in the middle, where is the white house?

7 West Endangered Animal Research Project

By: Pritha Yalakkishettar

Currently, on 7 West the ELA teacher Ms. Desjardins and the Science teacher Ms. Fargeorge have joined forces and we are doing research on an endangered animal inside Massachusetts. The animal I am doing research on is called the Saltmarsh Sparrow.

After we get lots of good sources for our research we will begin to make a Google Site. We are going to build a website, that teaches other people about our endangered animal. Finding good websites for some of these animals are really challenging, so hopefully our websites will make it a whole lot easier to find information.

Joke of the week

What is the most musical part of  a chicken?
The drumstick! 

Tuesday, December 12, 2017



This is the Chateau Frontenac that the eighth graders in French class will get to see.
Interview with Ms. Cabaret About the Trip to Canada!

By Lisa and Madeline Shin


In a few months, the eighth graders who take French class will go to Canada. There, they will be eating nice foods and they’ll also look at beautiful tourist attractions. It will be a great spot to speak French! Since we wanted to learn more about this trip, we interviewed Wood Hill French teacher Mademoiselle Cabaret.  

Q: Where exactly are you going in your trip to Canada?
          A: We are going to Quebec and Montreal. Quebec is the francophone region, and the reason for this trip is for my students to visit a francophone country.

 Q: How many eighth graders are coming on the trip?
          A: So far, 20 students are coming to this trip to Canada.

   Q: Why did you plan this trip? What is the importance?
          A: I have a couple of reasons. Students always ask me to plan trips, so this is like an amend. Plus, I think traveling is a good motivation for learning languages. It is a great opportunity for first-hand learning. Hopefully, this trip will help the eighth graders keep trying to learn more French. This will bring them good memories of eighth grade French class

Q: What do you hope that the eighth graders will learn after the trip

A: I hope they will learn to take risks in other languages. I also hope they get to use the language in other countries. Hopefully they will get a good takeaway from the trip. Otherwise, they will learn the culture of the French thing. Some students have never ventured out of the United States, so I hope this trip will help them experience being out of the US.

Q: How long is the entire trip?            
          A: The trip is five days, so they’ll be travelling from April 13th to April 17th. That means they’ll be leaving on Friday of April and will return on Tuesday.

Q: Are there any other teachers coming along the trip?
          A: Yes, Mr. Giovanni and Mrs. Driscoll are coming along with me to be counselors in the trip.
 
Q: What hotel are you planning to stay at?
          A: I don’t have the names of the hotels, but we will be spending two nights in Quebec and two nights in Montreal. The name of the company is called Explorica, and they will tell me the hotel information in February.
  
Q: Which destination in your trip to Canada do you believe will be your favorite spot of the travel?
          A: Honestly, I think the castle, Chateau Frontenac, will be my favorite since I’ve never seen it. I like seeing architecture while traveling. I would love to see how the beautiful structure was built. I’m also interested eating at the maple sugar factory. It sounds fabulous and sweet.

Q:Is the trip mandatory for all 8th graders?
          A: Since they have to pay money, it is only optional. It is just extra curriculum for the eighth graders. 

Q: What is your mode of transportation?
          A: We are riding on the bus. It will be a seven hour trip. I keep thinking to myself that it’ll be ok.

Q: Any concerns about the trip?
          A: I hope that everyone will behave nicely. I hope the students will be respectful and that they understand they are representing the Wood Hill community and the United States. I hope it will be a positive thing for everyone.  

Q: If this trip goes well, will you plan another one?
        A: If this trip goes well, and if there is a good feedback from the students, I would definitely consider making another trip to other Francophone countries, like Europe, or Canada again.


Highlights from this trip:


  • The eighth graders and Ms. Cabaret will visit a castle called the Chateau Frontenac.
  • They will go to a sugar shack excursion to see how maple syrup is made. They will have a crepe dinner there too.  
  • The students will see Plains of Abraham battle.
  • They will go to the Bell Center, where the Montreal Canadians hockey team plays.  
  • They will visit McGill University.

Wood Hill Geography Bee

By Pritha Yalakkishettar

Calling all talented geographers! Are you ready for the Geography Bee? It’s going to be held on Dec. 22, from 8:15 am until 9:30 am. Throughout this week, social studies teachers will be using their class time to ask questions for the Bee. The students that get the most questions correct will be answering questions in the auditorium, alongside the winning students from the other classes.
Whoever wins the school Geography Bee will move on to the districts, then to state and finally to nationals! Get ready because Wood Hill is going on a fun geographical ride!

Debate Team

By: Nathan Chu

Recently, the school has just started its speech and debate team. We learn all about public forum debates and public speeches. This club is very popular with many students joining.  Whether or not the school will participate in competitions is still be decided. Currently, the students are working on debate topics for their first debate (Homework vs. No Homework, and Whether or not NFL players should be allowed to kneel during the national anthem). What a good start to this new after school activity.
By: Nathan Chu

Cross Country Race

By Christina Ilie

The cross country race took place at Andover High School at 3:00 pm. The race was on Wednesday, October 25, 2017. Sadly, it rained on the day of the race, but most people showed up. Wood Hill competed against West Middle School and Doherty Middle School. Everyone showed great sportsmanship, but they all knew there could only be one winner.

In second place was Ashley Sheldon, a 7th grader from Wood Hill middle. And in 1st place, drum roll please...Aimee Lu, an 8th grader from West middle! Congrats to everyone who competed!

Joke of the Week

Where do sheep get their haircut?
The baa-baa shop!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Joke of the Week

Q: What do you call cheese that's not yours?

A: Nach-o cheese.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Boda Borg


By: Christina Ilie

On Wednesday, November 22, 2017, students from Wood Hill went to Boda Borg in Malden, MA. Mr. DeFusco and Mrs. Sullivan were the chaperones for the trip. We went to Boda Borg and back with a bus. We left Wood Hill at 11 am and came back at 2:45 pm. Boda Borg is an arcade with quests. The quests are series of rooms with different challenges. There are three different levels, green, red, and black. The green level is the least physical, the red is in the middle, and black is very physical. The door leading to the quest will be the color of the level.


Inside of the quests, you have a time limit, you won’t be told the time limit. You also won’t be told what you have to do in the quests, or how many rooms are in the quest. If you fail, you will fail a lot, you can either restart or try another quest. When you restart, even if you were on the last room, you have to start from the first room. To visit the website, go to http://www.bodaborg.com/usa/boston/.

Joke of the week

Why couldn’t the pony sing?

She was a little hoarse.
Turkey Bowl
By Lisa Shin and Madeline Shin
This month, we had the annual and awesome Turkey Bowl!  For those who don’t have a clue about the Turkey Bowl, it is a football game between the eighth graders and the staff at Wood Hill.  The game goes like this. The staff plays football against four groups of eighth graders. This year, there were two mixed girls and boys group, a girls only group, and a boys only group. It’s very exhilarating and jubilant to see your teacher score a touchdown!  Interestingly, the staff have been on a winning streak-they’ve never lost a single match of Turkey Bowl for 16 years!  
The day we had the Turkey Bowl was an extremely rainy day.  Outside, it was raining persistently and it was freezing.  Although it was pouring during the entire duration of the Turkey Bowl, the eighth graders and the staff participating relentlessly competed for a touchdown.  However, as much as valiantly the staff and eighth graders fought against the rain, it was slowly proving to be an extreme disadvantage for both sides.  The rain made the football slippery, and some eighth graders tripped while sprinting for the ball.  (Trust me-dirt and water make a terrible combination of mud.) The teachers, as usual, were victorious in the rain. They managed to score more than one touchdown! The eighth graders struggled to catch up and in the end, the teachers emerged as the champions.

All in all, the eighth graders ultimately threw down the gauntlet to the staff.  The staff made amazing passes and throws, compared to the eighth graders reckless tackling.  Anyways, congratulations to the eighth graders and the staff for participating in the Turkey Bowl!

7 West Field Trip to Hindu Temple

By Pritha Yalakkishettar

On Dec. 4, 7 West is going on a field trip to the Sri Chinmaya Maruti temple (check out pics below) in Andover to learn more about Hinduism. This field trip is going along with the Social Studies curriculum of the 5 major religions, with Hinduism as one of them.  

This is going to be interesting for me because as a Hindu I go to this temple every Sunday for my Sunday school. It’s kind of like going to church for me. When we go on Sundays, we learn many, many things about Hinduism and Buddhism. We learn lessons and hear lots of stories. I’m kind of excited to see how my classmates are going to like it.

Chinmaya Mission was founded by Swami Chinmayananda in 1953. There are approximately 400 centers all across the world. I’m so happy that a huge piece of my culture is right here in Andover!


The Penny Wars

By Christina Ilie


Penny Wars was a fundraiser organized by PAC. During Penny Wars, all of Wood Hill w put pennies in their jar. All of the money in the jars went to PAC who in turn gives it back to the school by supporting various teacher initiatives,


How does Penny Wars work? Every grade has their own jar. You put pennies in your jar to get more points. That sounds easy right? Well, there’s a catch, the other grades can put money in your jar (not pennies) to decrease your points. For example, if someone from a different grade than you put a nickel in your jar, you’d lose 5 points. The good thing, you can always get them back by putting even more money in their jar. The grade that gets the most points at the end wins a prize.

The total money we gathered was (about) $147.05. Fortunately for them, 8th grade won the penny wars! They worked really hard to win the prize, and it all paid off! Congrats to 8th grade and everyone who participated!

Professor Fi-It:Undecided

Dear Professor Fix-It,
My friends can't commit to a plan!I don't know what to do. They also sometimes act like babies. What should I tell them? How should I solve this?
Thanks,
Undecided
Dear Undecided,
If your friends can’t commit to a plan help them decide what to do, and once they decide on a plan make sure they stay on task and follow through with the plan until you've completed your task. One way to do this is to make sure that everyone has a job, likes their job, and knows what to do. Make sure that everyone (including you) is having fun. I hope this helps!
Good Luck,

Professor Fix-It

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Joke of the week

What kind of dinosaur loves to sleep?
A stega-snore-us.

The Emojis: Student Tech Help Desk

By Pritha Yalakkishettar

Are you a tech genius? Or maybe you like coding? Do you enjoy putting together websites and helping others with technology? Well, a group of students called the Emojis meet with Mrs. Downs every Wednesday last period. We talk about how we can help and improve Wood Hill technology wise. For example last week The Emojis helped the sixth graders set up their google drive and classroom.

If any teachers are having technical difficulties with their computers the Emojis Student Tech Help Desk are the people to call. Interested in joining the Emojis? Come see the fabulous Mrs. Downs in the Hub. :)



😀😋😎😒😆😐😛😝😞😠😡😢😘😍😌😖😳😼😱😰

Tweet About It!

By: Emily Flanagan

Have you seen someone do something awesome or kind? Then give them a shout out on the WHM Positive Vibes Twitter Wall. Tweets can be serious, friendly, or even funny. If you’ve seen someone do something, or someone does something nice for you, then write down a quick little tweet and put in the box inside The Hub. You'll be giving them some Wood Hill Positive Vibes.


Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Wolf Hollow Field Trip

By Pritha Yalakkishettar


On November 8 the seventh graders took a trip to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA. This place was started by Mr. Zee, our very own art teacher’s father. After Mr. Zee’s dad passed away Mr. Zee took on the wolves. Currently they have “6 and a half” wolves in the sanctuary, one of them is half wolf half dog, that’s why it's “6 and a half.”  Their names are Arrow, Grendel, Neveah, Bear, Argus, Linnea and Osa. Bear is the hybrid between the wolf and a dog, he was to be euthanized because it is illegal to keep a crossbreed between a dog and a wolf but thanks to Wolf Hollow he was saved.


We all know that Mr. Zee’s passion is all about art, he is brilliant at it and he loves it. But his other passion is working with the wolves at Wolf Hollow.


The wolves were not trained obviously, because as Mr. Zee told us, that if they tried to train them and tell them what to do they would try and start to challenge the humans that they worked with. Mr. Zee is very proud of what Wolf Hollow has become and it’s all about LET’S SAVE THE WOLVES! There was a point in time when people in America were completely wiping out the wolves killing them on purpose and setting traps. I at least thought that was absolutely horrific that’s why Wolf Hollow is trying to bring back these majestic creatures.

We had a great time at Wolf Hollow, we learned a lot about wolves and their lives. The link to Wolf Hollow’s website is down below, anyone who is interested should totally check it out! Also down below is a picture of Argus.




Fall Gala-A Night to Remember

By: Madison Dutily

Wow, Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Bobson never fail to impress us! On November 6, 2017, Andover High School, and all three Middle Schools had a Fall Gala. Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Bobson were in charge of directing all the Middle Schools. All the Middle Schools, performed “ The Raven”, and “ And the Night shall Be filled with Music.” We also did a song with choreography, with the high schoolers called “ Brand New You” from the Broadway musical “13”. During the 15 minute breaks in between the concerts, there was a concession stand selling water, chips, candy, raffle tickets, and pins to support the High School’s performing arts.

Professor Fix It: I Need Someone

Dear Professor Fix It,
I can't seem to tell who is my real friend because everything is getting hard for me and I need someone to be there.
Sincerely,
I Need Someone
Dear I Need Someone,
We've all been there. Go to the wall at the top of the sixth grade stairs. Do you see all the footprints? Those are people who have something going on that no one knows about. Your real friends are the ones who are always there for you. There the ones who don't tease you, be mean to you, or make you feel bad about yourself. If they are doing that then they aren't your real friends. Good friends should be there for you good, or bad news.
Hope that helps,

Professor Fix-It

Creature Feature: Gerbils

By: Pritha Yalakkishettar


Squeak, squeak, squeak….hear that? That’s the sound of a certain small rodent called a gerbil running tirelessly on its exercise wheel! The expected lifespan of a gerbil is 2-3 years but up to 8 years has been recorded. A gerbil’s body is normally 4 inches and it's tail is also about 4 inches. For house pets they are as good as hamsters, they are very social animals and when living in the wild they live in colonies so if you’re ever thinking of getting a gerbil as a pet I would recommend getting two of the same gender and around the same age. So a sibling pair would work best for them to feel comfortable and safe.


For housing a gerbil you need to be especially careful because they are strong jumpers. Aquarium tanks are ideal for them as long as you keep it closed with a secure mesh lid. Make sure your gerbils are supplied with plenty of toys that are safe for them to chew on. You can also give them empty toilet paper rolls, it is perfect for their non-stop growing teeth.


A lot of people mix up gerbils with mice, they do look similar but they are pretty different. Mice have naked, or hairless tails while a gerbil’s tail is covered in fur like the rest of it's body. Gerbils are also much bigger than mice, are commonly found in the desert and are a lot more clean than mice. Mice are smaller and are much more globally widespread, meaning they can be commonly found everywhere.


I used to have two gerbils, their names were Asa and Coro, which is Japanese for day and night. Sadly they passed away, but they lived their 3 year lifespan and they were wonderful pets to have. I hope you enjoyed this creature feature of the amazing GERBIL!


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Tyrone the First and Tyrone the Second


By Lisa and Madeline
It was a sad day when Tyrone the First died the first day he was introduced to Mrs. Fargeorge’s class. Tyrone was a Siamese Fighting Fish, and he was incredibly sick one. There were a lot of warning signs that Tyrone was going to die quick. He wobbled strangely as he attempted to swim, and some alleged that there was a problem with his bladder. He flipped onto one side more than four times. Whatever the cause, his scales were deadly pale, the color of crisp snow.  He seemed awfully ill. Some of the 7th graders predicted that Tyrone was going to have a short lifespan. And he did.  


He died the next day, lifeless in the water. Well, let’s just say we were unhappy that Tyrone the First died in a flash. Mrs. Fargeorge used his death as an advantage to buy another fish at PETCO, for free. She vowed that she would buy a new one. A few days later, a new fish had taken Tyrone’s place. It was named Tyrone the Second.


He was blue with a mix of vibrant red. He glittered the moment a ray light hit his scales. His impressive long fins gave a motion of power to his every move. His beady black eyes shone with pride. He swam with amazing grace in the water. Tyrone the Second was healthy and had no ill symptoms. He is the new and current fish of the 7West science classroom. He adapted quickly to his environment, taking in the premises of the aquarium to himself.  


Being a Siamese Fighting Fish, he guarded his territory with fierceness and pride. Feeding him, however, was a challenge. He ate his food pellets one by one, slowly grasping them in his mouth. Sometimes, he would avoid some of the food given to him! Fortunately, he ate most of the pellets.


Nowadays, Tyrone’s attention has been overshadowed by Panda, our new guinea pig. However, Tyrone still puts people in awe by his spectacular beauty. Don’t mess with Tyrone the Second.  Being a Siamese Fighting Fish, his stunning beauty hides a sheath of evil. Never, ever, underestimate this tough fish.    

Professor Fix-It: Hamster Expert

Dear Professor Fix-It,
What’s a European Hamster? One of my classmates keeps talking about them!
Sincerely,
Hamster Questioner


Dear Hamster Questioner,
If your classmate continually talks about these hamsters, I would ask them about European Hamsters. Typically when people talk about things a lot is when they know a lot about the subject. Your classmate probably wants to talk about it with other kids. Hope that helps!
Sincerely,
Professor Fix-It

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

THINK Week


By Nate Allen

Three weeks ago Wood Hill hosted a fantastic THINK Week! It made us 6th graders think more about being safe online and kind to others. Everyday we would have a different article to read and a question to answer based on the THINK acronym (T: truthful, H: helpful, I: inspiring, N: necessary, K: kind). There was a lot of very interesting information that I didn't know. An example of this is that Google's age restriction is 13 and older. We also watched the Screenagers movie trailer and I can't wait to watch it in seventh grade. Ismael, a 6th grade student said, “I think it was really nice that the teachers, principal, and staff thought of this and I think it would be good to unplug for a bit.” Raj, another 6th grade student, said, “I think THINK Week was a really nice time to unplug and think about the important things like being kind to others and ourselves.”

One article we read was about kids in high school that used Twitter to post positive tweets about their fellow students. This is amazing! The fact that they're using a social media platform that can spread bad remarks about others to be kind to their fellow peers is very cool. One tweet read, “Shadow Warrior Okay, hands down. You have the COOLEST name out our school. It is very powerful and courageous, you hold such a high authority it seems with such a name as Shadow Warrior! Good luck and the BEST of wishes to you in your future!” I think that this is one of the ways we should be using social media. Social media is a really good way to be kind to others! Wood Hill students can submit kindness tweets in The Hub to be posted to our Twitter wall bulletin board. Thanks to all of the people that made THINK Week happen and remember be safe online.

Yankee Candle Fundraiser

By: Pritha Yalakkishettar

Please support Wood Hill Middle School PAC! PAC stands for Parent Advisory Council, they organize all the school’s fundraisers and after the cookie orders we now have a Yankee Candle fundraiser! Wood Hill PAC teamed up with Yankee Candle which is a huge company that sells a wide variety of scents, decor items, and premium candles. Wood Hill wants you to get some amazing smelling products for yourself and to call all your friends and family to get some for themselves too! You can order online or through catalog shopping.

Here are some important dates you should know for this fundraiser. The sale starts Oct. 20, and end Nov. 3. Delivery of orders come 2-4 weeks after placing your order. When you’re ready to place your order, checks should be made out to Wood Hill Middle School PAC. Fill out the pink sheet with the number of items that you want, you will get the sheet and more information in the Yankee Candle envelope that your homeroom teacher will pass out. Hurry up and get those orders in now!

Mt. Major hike review

By Abinaya Ganesh and Christina Ilie

Last Saturday, we went hiking with Mr.DeFusco and Mrs.Sullivan up Mt. Major in Alton, NH. Mrs.Sullivan’s two dogs, Nemo and Pepper, joined us too! A group of nine students on the 14th of October met at 8:30 a.m. at Wood Hill. We split into two groups, got in the car, and started the 2 hour drive up to New Hampshire. When we got there, it was very crowded. People swarmed around like bees, just people everywhere! We finally started our trek up the mountain. Pepper and Nemo seemed the most enthusiastic to start hiking. The scenery was beautiful that high up. We kept stopping to take pictures, and we weren’t even at the top yet!

When we got to the top, we ate lunch, with the company of many bees and wasps. We waited about 15 minutes for Mrs. Sullivan and her dogs. We later found out that they lost the easy trail and had to come up with the hard one. We took a 30 minute lunch break, then started back down the mountain. Going down was harder than I thought it would be. At one point, we had to walk sideways to get down. Going down, we met a very friendly dog. He tried to pick up my friend, but she fell off the dog. To get to the cars, we had to walk along the very busy road. Unfortunately, Nemo and Pepper are TERRIFIED of cars. We got back school cheerful but tired. Overall, I think we all had an awesome experience.

Cultural Cuisine: Crêpes

By Grant Moore

This week in the Wood Hill Gazette, we are featuring a new section for Cultural Cuisine. Now, each week we will interview students around the school for their cultures cooking recipes and ideas. Cultural cuisine will also have a little history lesson right before each recipe! It will also include what might happen on weeks to come. We want all types of recipes from the simplest to the most complicated.

We want to know other cultures food, not just the boring normal food like a hamburger or a chicken wing. The Wood Hill Gazette wants to see interesting food from all countries like Germany, China, Italy, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, France, Canada, America, England, Ireland, Denmark, Russia, Mexico, and all the rest. We hope to put your family’s cultural cooking recipes in the Wood Hill Gazette this week, and weeks to come!

For our first weeks recipe, we will have a recipe from the author of this article, me, Grant Moore. I love the idea of French cooking; flavorful, elegant, and most of all, delicious! I will have a recipe on crêpes. The history of crêpes goes back to the 1100’s. Crêpes were invented in a place called Brittany [brit-n-ee] that is located in the Northwest region of France. That century, buckwheat was introduced to Brittany. Buckwheat is one of the key ingredients in buckwheat flour, which is used to make crêpes and is also used to make pancakes and other foods like that. Buckwheat is not a wheat, it is a seed. It is also gluten free! The word “crêpes” is derived from the Latin crispus meaning “curled”. Crêpes can be curled and rolled. I like to put Nutella in my crêpes, and then dress it in whipped cream and maple syrup. This recipe is sure to make your mouth water. Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:
1 cup cold water
1 cup cold milk
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups flour
4 Tbs melted butter
A rubber scraper

Making the Crêpes:
After finding the ingredients you need, put the liquids, eggs and salt into an electric blender. Add the flour, then the butter. Cover the blender and blend it at top speed for 1 minute. This recipe should make 25 to 30 crêpes if you make each one 6 to 6 ½ inches in diameter, to make half, put half of each ingredient in the blender. Take a skillet or pan that is 1 inch larger in diameter than the crêpe, rub butter on the pan or skillet, and pour an amount of the batter equalling the directed diameter onto the pan or skillet. Put the pan or skillet on a stove and put on medium heat and wait until the pan or skillet is just beginning to smoke then take the crêpe off. Finally, the crêpe should be all set and ready to eat. But don't forget to roll those crêpes!

Recipe Facts
  • To test if your crêpes will be light and thin, like they should be, you can use the first crêpe as a test subject.
  • Crêpes can also be used as a lunch, also known as a savory crêpe. Instead of stuffing the crêpes with strawberries, Nutella or whipped cream, you can stuff them with ham, cheese or turkey.
  • A lot of the times people forget to put the top on the blender…
[Recipe from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”]

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Cookie Dough Orders

By Pritha Yalakkishettar

Cookies? Who said cookies? I want cookies! Then order the amazing flavors of different cookies from the Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough and Lyman Orchards Crisps! Support Wood Hill’s latest fundraiser. Order your cookie dough by Oct. 24. That’s next week, so you better get your order forms ready! Have any questions? You can express your doubts by calling this number: 978-247-8800. The delivery date is Nov. 15, 2017. Guess what? The homeroom with the most cookie dough order forms wins...wait for it...a PIZZA PARTY!

You can order all kinds of different flavors, chocolate chip, strawberry shortcake, oatmeal raisin, and more! Plus they’re not only selling cookie dough, they’re also selling crisps! Apple crisps, peach crisps and even bumbleberry crisps! So, what are you waiting for? Get those orders in, and get them in fast, so that your homeroom can win a pizza party!


Music of the Night
By: Shannon Chu

On Monday, Oct. 30, the night before Halloween, the Music of the Night concert will take place at Andover High School at 7 p.m. At the concert, all three middle schools and the high school’s choruses will be singing. Middle school chorus members will sing “The Raven Watches Me” and “And the Night Shall Be Filled With Music.” The high school will feature additional songs.

Joke of the Week!!

Joke of the Week!

Baby Werewolf was eating dinner. He asked Mama Werewolf, "Mama, can I eat my vegetables with my fingers?" Mama Werewolf replied, "No. You eat your vegetables. Then you can eat the fingers."

New Guinea Pig in Ms. Fargeorge's Classroom

By Pritha Yalakkishettar


There’s been a new member added to the 7 West family! She is really small, with black and white fur, long nails and a cute button nose, can you guess what animal she is? Well if you guessed guinea pig, (or just looked at the title) then you’re correct! Her name is Panda! Yup, Panda the guinea pig. (check out the pictures below)

Did you know that baby guinea pigs or ‘pups’ are born with fur and their eyes open? Also male guinea pigs are called boars and females are referred to as sows. The oldest age of a guinea pig was 15 years old and it has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The 7 West guinea pig has brought lots of excitement and is a great addition to the team!