by Jackson Fischer and AnneMarie Bowles

A lot happened in 2016; some things will be missed and some won't. It was an im-portant and newsworthy year for many people around the globe.

Things like Brexit, the Zika virus, and the Olympics were a small portion of the historical events that took place this year.

One of the most impactful events that happened during 2016 was the series of presidential debates, which could have potentially altered people’s lives all around America. It was the most viewed presi-dential debate in history, with around 84,000,000 people tuned in.

When the debates ended with a shocking turn of events, America’s new pres-ident elect was Donald Trump. A lot of people fa-

vored this but a lot more didn’t.

“The election affected me in many different ways,” said art teacher James Deaton.

This year didn’t only consist of global and international events. A lot of people had their own per-sonal adven-tures in life.

Eighth-grade language arts teacher Tricia Urioste said,

“The most memorable thing that happened to me this year is finding out that I was going to have my son.”

2016 has certainly been a memorable experience for people all around the world, but the excitement for 2017 is growing.

“I always look forward to a new year. It’s like a new beginning,” said Ashley Gomez, eighth-grade math teacher.

Looking back at 2016

Lincoln PRIDE—Personal Responsibility in Daily Endeavors

What you should know about next semester

by Lupita Guzman and Hayden Maes

Many people get fake Christmas trees, but people also get real Christmas trees. About 83% get fake trees and about 23% get real Christmas trees (this adds up to more than 100% because some people get both!)

Christmas trees were in-vented in Germany in the 16th century. They would start off by building wood

Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6 December 2016

“One of my many favorite dishes to make is Italian wed-ding soup,” said Ms. Garret-son.

Our art teacher Jim Deaton will teach you how to be a good artist, the fundamental skills of drawing, colors, and how to always have good ideas.

“My favorite part about class is helping kids that have al-ready started a project,” said Mr. Deaton. “I love when the kids learn to trust themselves and they gain confidence.”

Finally, Paula Blagrave is the robotics teacher and teaches you how to be open and come up with great ideas. She will teach you the design process, robotics hand and hand, Google Calendar, and Google Classroom. About 95% of the work is digital and you will do a lot of fun pro-jects.

Now that you know more about electives, you know what you will be working on. Have a great next semester!

by Julia Espinosa

Many kids always say that their favorite classes are the related arts. But those kids might not know what they're facing! Some of the related arts favorites are drama, cook-ing, art, and robotics.

Ray Rodriguez, the drama teacher here at Lincoln, used to teach ELA but wanted to try something new. Mr. Rodriguez would like to let you know that you will be learning vocabulary words in very strange ways, acting, developing personality skills, and for you shy people, he will make sure you over-come your shyness. One of his favorite activities is Martha, which you can see on YouTube.

“Our motto is: This is a risk taking mistake-making class-room. Celebrate and learn from your mistakes,” said Mr. Rodri-guez.

Rachel Garretson is the con-sumer science teacher, or as we all know it, cooking. You will be learning how to meas-ure and learning a lot of cook-ing techniques. Some of the recipes you will be cooking are calzones, fettuccine alfredo, cookies, muffins, and pumpkin rolls. But what she really wants you to learn is the difference between Tbsp. and Tsp.

pyramids and dec-orating them with evergreens and candles.

Performing arts teacher Ray Ro-driguez said “I put up Christmas trees every year. I don’t enjoy put-ting up the Christ-mas tree; I do it for my kids.” He usually puts up his Christmas tree after Thanksgiv-ing.

P.E teacher Alan Sanchez said “I like fake trees and real trees equally.” Also, when he gets a real tree, he goes into the mountains and cuts the tree down. Mr. Sanchez also puts up his Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiv-ing.

Art teacher James Deaton said “I like to put up Christmas trees. I put up my Christmas tree as

Real or fake?

soon as I have time.” Mr. Deaton also plants his Christ-mas tree when Christmas is over.

Some of the kids at Lincoln do enjoy putting up Christ-mas trees but some don't like doing it. They also prefer real trees over fake ones.

Even though there are many different ways and times to put up a Christmas tree, it is usually a tradition to do it with friends or family.

Page 2 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

Punny shirt

by Zyon Manzanares and Teresa Tamulewicz Have you ever been in a store and saw that one shirt that just made you laugh? The one that stayed in your mind? These shirts are known to express your inner humor and per-sonality.

“My favorite shirt was a shirt with a rhino that said, ‘Save the chubby unicorns’ on it,” said eighth-grade student Lexia Campos. Many people enjoy displaying jokes or memes on their shirts. Some of them make you laugh; some make you cry. These days, you don’t have to keep looking at Walmart for fun-ny shirts. You can create your own! Sites like Snorgtees.com

and Cafepress.com allow you to personally design apparel. “I saw an ugly sweater with a reindeer sticking out of a wreath,” said eighth-grader Matthew Vigil. These sites also have premade funny shirts that you can order with jokes, puns, and memes. They could make the perfect holi-day gift. “I bought a shirt for my nephew with a guitar that actually had a working guitar on it,” said Holly Anthony, an eighth-grade American history teacher. “The funniest shirt I saw was a shirt that said ‘You must have confused me with someone who cares.’”

by Sone Villa and Sofia Araujo Do you know how to solve a Rubik's cube? The color-coded cube has millions of combinations and problems you can solve. It has been around since 1974, and people are still trying to outwit the mixed-up cube. Kids have been bringing Rubik’s cubes to Lincoln Mid-dle School this school year, trying to align each side with the same-colored squares, as they pass from class to class. Since there haven’t been any major issues with the puzzles, Betty Scheppmann, assistant principal, isn’t con-cerned that students are

Cubic puzzle has staying power

carrying them around. “I have no problems with the Rubik’s cube, and they’ve been around for a while now,” she said. Students have tried to work the brain-stopping cube and even succeeded, just like sixth-grader Evan Doman. “It takes time and practice but once you’ve got it down, you could solve it multiple times,” he said. Donevyn Culkin-Hal is of a like mind. “Rubik’s cubes are really fun, and a good brain teas-er,” the sixth-grader said. Yet, it’s likely LMS students aren’t as fast as a recent robot that can solve the puz-zle in .99 seconds.

by Nolan Vigil and Taejah Johnson Rio Rancho Public Schools has asked Lincoln Middle School staff members to take microwaves and refrigerators home to conserve energy. Why take away the modern conveniences? The district must cut five percent from its budget, like many districts across New Mexico.

“I try to unplug my applianc-es when I'm not using them,” said Rachel Garretson, LMS consumer science teacher, who gets to keep these appli-ances in place because of the content she teaches. “Every little bit counts,” said principal Veronica Sanders, who turns off the lights in her office sometimes as she works. In other cost-cutting measures, RRPS has frozen hiring, except for essential positions that must be filled. A recent Albuquerque Jour-nal headline announced: “Rio Rancho schools cut budget by $1.8 million.” The same trend is happening in Albuquerque Public Schools, where the Journal reported a $4.2 mil-lion reduction.

Unplug it, please

Have you seen the giving tree in the LMS library?

by Nate Garcia and Ethan Hill

Christmas is about friends,

family, and gathering togeth-

er. Christmas is also one of

the favorite holidays of the

year.

People want many different

things for Christmas. For

example, sixth-grader Bren-

nan McHale said, “I want a

basketball court in my back

yard.”

Another sixth-

grader, Maddox

Presser, said, “I

want the game

Overwatch and

$200 for Christ-

mas.” But some

people want

smaller things,

like teacher Tony

Crawford, who

would like a teacup Chihua-

hua.

Kids usually want toys or

video games, but adults

want cars or other very ex-

pensive things like jewelry.

Nurse Jo Sanchez said, “I

think kids usually want toys

and something practical, and

adults want something more

expensive.”

Kids usually want some-

thing to play with, and

adults, especially men, want

tools and cars. Women usu-

ally want jewelry, fancy

clothes, and other things like

make-up or perfume. But

Ms. Sanchez would like a

new car for Christmas!

The average person

in the U.S. spends

about $830 on Christ-

mas presents. People

love Christmas, but

some go over budget.

Every year people

spend 15% more

money on Christmas

presents!

Page 3 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, I ssue 6

by Ahna Mosley and Ethan Dominguez

There are several different types of music such as classi-cal, holiday, and jazz! Lincoln is one of the many schools that teaches kids how to play this music. Our school has concerts coming up very soon.

For the holidays, Frank Slife, the band and orchestra teacher, is planning on doing concerts with his students. He is teaching them to play classical and some holiday music. Mr. Slife said, “They are learning holiday music for around the build-ing.”

The band concert took place at Rio Rancho High School. The choir concert took place at Rio Rancho High as well, but on a different date than the band concert. The Handel group performs at St. John’s Cathedral in Albu-querque.

Handel was a composer. One of his most famous pieces is called The Messiah.

Mika Proctor, our choir di-rector, is giving students a chance to sing with profes-sionals. This is a great op-portunity for Lincoln students in the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday after school until the day of the concert, which is Saturday, December 17.

“It is an amazing experi-ence to be able to sing a large work that is reserved for college and professional musicians. Maybe someday, they will have the opportuni-

ty to be a part of sing-ing the en-tire work,” said Ms. Proctor.

Pauline McDaniel, a student teacher for Ms. Proctor, is teaching

her class songs like Jingle Bells, Cold and Fugue, I Heard a Bird Sing, Christmas Spectacular, Let it Snow, African Noel, and Hanukkah Song. She said, “One of the choirs will sing acapella.” Acapella means without mu-sical accompaniment.

Come enjoy the holiday performance of the Handel group on December 17. EN-

JOY YOUR HOLIDAY!

Holiday performances What people want for Christmas

Presto! A magical series has appeared!

by Bella German and Rebecca Garcia

Author J.K. Rowling is known for her adventurous and magical series Harry Potter. She has won 16 awards for her outstanding books!

Rowling is 51 and her first book was published on June 30, 1997. She decided to start writing the book in 1990.

Most people have not yet seen the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is based on another of Rowling’s books. But sixth-grade science teacher Michael Sylvester has seen the movie, and he

says, “Yes I saw it, and it was fantastic!”

The movie stars actor Ed-die Redmayne as Newt Sca-mander, a beast breeder who wants to write a book about them. He runs into trouble when he visits America and accidentally releases three beasts (beasts were NOT allowed there).

Lisa German, mother of sixth-grader Bella German, says, “I loved the movie Fantastic Beasts! I prefer the books over the movies because the books have more detail, and in the books you can imagine what the characters look like and how their voices sound.” Her favorite character in the

Harry Potter series is Hermi-one.

She has read all of the books and seen all of the movies, except the newest in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. “I really want to read the new book,” she says.

Do you think that you would like to read or watch the J.K. Rowling series? Or do you think it’s not your jam?

Dates to remember:

Tuesday, December 13-Thursday, December 15

EOCs

Friday, December 16 EOC make-ups

Monday, December 19-Monday, January 2

Holiday break

ENJOY!

Page 4 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

Dreaming of a white Christmas by Savanna Garcia and Kate Segal

What is a holiday without music? It is what completes the scene this time of year. “Christmas music makes me want to dance around the living room,” said Rachel Garretson, Lincoln Middle School’s cooking teacher. The three most popular Christmas songs, according to inter-net research, are White Christmas, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, and All I Want for Christmas is You. As amazing as Christmas is, most people cannot stand Christ-mas music for too long. “Yes I like Christmas music, but I don't listen to it until after Thanksgiving,” said Mika Proctor, LMS chorus teacher. Said eighth-grade American history teacher Holly Anthony: “Twelve days is how long I can listen to Christmas music until I get annoyed.”

by Madison Shadle and Lily Benham Christmas is a time for cel-ebration, but is it coming at us too fast? When should we start celebrating? “I think we should start getting ready for Christmas the weekend after Thanks-giving,” said Sherry Mon-toya, sixth-grade math teacher at Lincoln Middle School. That celebration should include Santa Claus. Or

Hectic holiday season

should it? Based on a survey of some sixth graders, 68 percent don’t believe in the white-haired man in the red suit. Eighth-grader Olivia Shadle is a believer, though. “I saw Santa when I was four at my grandma’s house,” she said. But, she added, the Santa at the mall is a fake. “I believe in Santa,” said Jace Zeyen, another eight-grader. But “I have never personally met Santa.”

by Klarysa Salazar and Maria Fernandez Lincoln Middle School staff and students seem to agree that decorating during the holiday season is the thing to do. The same could be said for many places around the country. “My favorite part of Christ-mas is putting the stockings up, because of the children's reaction,” said Kim Platero, a sixth-grade English language arts teacher.

Many stores around Rio Rancho and Albuquerque sell decorations, including Hobby Lobby and Home Depot. Then, there’s online shop-ping. Many like to purchase holiday lights. “I would put up a Christmas tree, lights, and other tradi-tional Christmas decora-tions,” said Kiara Rodriguez, a sixth-grader who gets to travel to Peru during winter break. Maybe she will see lights there, too.

Oh, lighted Christmas tree

The ugly trend by Ariana Rodriguez and Mac-

kenzie Kegelman

Everyone loves sweaters, but

what about ugly Christmas

sweaters?

There are parties centered

around them, and some say it

brings out people’s holiday

spirits. At Lincoln Middle

School, ugly sweaters can be

worn on Thursday.

Lauren Rodriguez is a sev-

enth-grader at Lincoln Middle

School, and feels that people

enjoy ugly holiday sweaters.

”It ties into the whole Christ-

mas thing,” she said. “It’s

funny, awkward, and makes

you feel like you’re in a mov-

ie.”

The trend toward this type

of apparel began decades

ago. In the 1980s, actor Bill

Cosby wore them on his tele-

vision show.

James Deaton, LMS art

teacher, said they include

“tacky images and corny

phrases” that people enjoy.

Alexandra Greenwall, a sev-

enth-grader isn’t a fan,

though.

”I hate ugly Christmas

sweaters,” she said. “They

are so ugly, most smell, and

they are itchy.”

Check out the holiday lights on a Rio Rancho home!

AVID students sponsored a movie night.

What’s under your tree? by Presley Saxon and Ashton

Galarneau

Christmas is quickly ap-

proaching and many parents

and kids are wondering what

they are going to find under

their tree. According to

aol.com, in 2015, the aver-

age person spent $805 on

Christmas presents.

In a study conducted at

Lincoln, it was concluded that

20% of students expected to

get money for Christmas,

28% expected to get clothes,

32% expected to get elec-

tronics, and 20% expected to

get something different for

the holidays.

”I want an iPhone and may-

be some money,” said fifth-

grade student Aubrey Galar-

neau. “I think I’m going to

get a jacket or a shirt.”

Eighth-grade language arts

teacher Tricia Urioste said,

”My daughter is getting a Big

Wheel she can drive.” She

added, “The most popular gift

when I was your age was a

chocolate phone.”

Since 2010, the amount

that people spent on Christ-

mas gifts has spiked by al-

most $100! In 2010, people

spent around $718 on aver-

age, and in 2015, people

spent around $805 on Christ-

mas.

When asked how much

they think their parents

spend on presents, one

eighth-grader said, “I think

they spend about $600. Sev-

enth-grader Avery Bader

said, “Probably around $100-

$120, maybe a little more.”

Page 5 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, I ssue 6

by Sean Nguyen

The first record of New Year’s was in Rome, when Julius Caesar announced January 1 on the Julian cal-endar as a national holiday.

Although celebrating it might have changed a bit over the next thousands of years, we still celebrate New Year’s. From popping a cork to just watching the New York City ball drop, we have ways to move on from the last year and look for-ward to the new one.

The NYC ball drop has many millions of viewers nationwide and a billion worldwide.

Josh Lacombe, substitute teacher and coach at Rio Rancho High School, and Holly Anthony, eighth-grade social studies teacher, both say, “I might watch some of the New Year’s shows” like the ball drop. It has been a tradition since 1907.

The first ball weighed 700 lbs. and was lit with a total of 100 25-watt lights. That ball is shamed by today’s ball, which is covered in 2,688 crystals and lit with

32,000 LED lights weighing in at 11,875 lbs.

Some cities have their own drop object depending on the state. Florida drops a 200-lb. tangerine and Indiana drops an Indy car.

On New Year’s Eve, people could also watch a movie while enjoying some cham-pagne, a traditional celebra-tion beverage. Americans will drink about 360 million glass-es of champagne on New Year’s Eve.

Eighth-grade language arts teacher Tricia Urioste says, “I’m going to watch a movie and drink some cider.”

Today only 45% of Ameri-cans make New Year’s reso-lutions. Journalism teacher Trish Pope says, “My resolu-tion is the same as every year--to be more patient.”

Mr. Lacombe says, “I want to start doing some push-ups every day after New Year’s.”

New Year’s is already just around the corner, so have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bringingin17

by Harley Forsythe and Vanessa Tomlinson

EOCs are coming. So get to studying because they count as 10 or 20 percent depend-ing on your grade level. EOCs are usually about 22 ques-tions.

PE teacher Racquel Cuaderes says, “I prepare my students by integrating content that will be on the EOC in all of my P.E. and fitness classes to help stu-dents gain rep-etition.” She also said that the EOC is a written test that asks for the five elements of fitness.

In a recent survey, 31% of kids say they are prepared for the EOCs, but the other 69% of students say no, they are not prepared.

Sixth-grader Maddox Presser said, “HECK, NO!” This is unlike sixth-grader Antonio Olmos, who said that he was prepared.

Assistant principal Betty Scheppmann says, “I pro-

vide lots of direc-tion for the teach-ers. I make sure teachers have enough supplies for their students and I also count more than 1000 EOCs by hand.”

Principal Veronica Sanders said, “There will be two tests a day and the rest of the classes will be for study-ing.” On Thursday,

if you have make-ups, you can't have free time, and on Friday, unless you have make-ups, you can stay home.

Take our advice and STUDY for your EOCs!

HARDCORE

Holiday goods

by Yasmin Lucero and Kaley Montoya

Do you remember when you were young and helped bake holi-day goods with your family? Maybe you still can participate and help out! Lots of people like holiday treats, like sugar cookies, brownies, apple pie, and more.

The teachers interviewed like sweets, but sometimes choose to not bake. Social studies student teacher Damon Cranston is like that. “No, baking is too much ef-fort, and I disagree with following instruc-tions,” he said.

Eighth-grade language arts teacher Erin Lopez said, “I do bake but not as often, because when I do, I’ll eat all of it.”

Lots of us tend to overeat when it comes to the holidays! No one can say no to sweets. It’s a yes.

People bake for other events, such as birthdays, Fourth of July, and Halloween. “I bake for every special activity event,” said consumer science teacher Rachel Garretson. But Christmas is still the favorite for baking treats.

S Kitts Page 6

by Olivia Encinias and Katie Rogers Plagiarism is something that happens, both intentionally and unintentionally. This school-related offense occurs when you pass off

ideas as your own, not credit-ing your sources, whether you do so on purpose or on acci-dent. Trish Pope a sixth-

grade English language arts and journalism teacher, said there are various reasons for plagiarism, including not hav-ing enough time, not caring about a particular class, or just being lazy. “On a scale of 1 to 10, I think plagiarism is bad up to a level nine,” she said. We agree. Plagiarism is theft. But there are ways to pre-vent it. Always cite where you find your information, or do your best to get permission to use images, video, and music. It is something that doesn’t need to happen.

Have you heard about : PLAGIARISM?

Leopards Rawwwr EDITORIALS Volume 10, Issue 6

Punishment bias in school by James Karoki and Lucas Escobedo We believe some students are treated differently than their fellow classmates when it comes to punishment. When Laurie Zirpel, who oversees the in-school sus-pension room at Lincoln Mid-dle School, was asked about students being biasedly pun-ished, she said that in some cases she feels that males are punished more severely than females. In schools that allow pad-dling as a punishment, John B. King Jr., United States secretary of education, said

black and disabled students are paddled more often than any of the other kids. We feel that this inequality should be explored. As a solution, staff members could re-evaluate how to make punishments equal for behav-ioral offenses. Also, offenders should not be separated from the rest of their classmates. Lastly, for repetitive offend-ers, staff should not give the same consequence over and over. Instead, they should try different punishments, if the original consequences were not effective.

Editorial cartoons

EOCs on the mind by Samuel Redd End-of -ourse exams are here. Even though we might not all want to take them and they bring us anxiety, the state of New Mexico believes they should be part of our middle-school experience. That means we should take them seriously. The finals, which take place Tuesday through Thursday, are meant to see what we have learned during the first semes-ter at Lincoln Middle School. “I think that teachers and students know and understand the importance,” said Veronica Sanders, principal. “They have been preparing, and I believe they will do their abso-lute best!” End of course exams are here. So let’s all study.

by Maddox Presser and Angelo Lopez

Donald Trump has won the electoral votes, and some are happy, but many are not. All over America, protesters are screaming, vandalizing and rioting. We have officially become ‘Merica.

According to CNN, people have vandalized the Trump tower, saying BLACK LIVES MATTER and NO JUSTICE NO PEACE! Various pieces of graffiti have Trump with his name modified to be the Nazi symbol or Trump posters being burned and ripped apart. One VOTE TRUMP bill-board had TRUMP crossed out and replaced with BER-NIE SANDERS.

Other reports were even more serious, like videos of people burning the American flag or damaging property at colleges. In some cases, peo-ple were pushing police cars over and breaking windows at places like Trump Tower. Some police even resorted to throwing smoke bombs and

other tactical grenades at protesters in Portland to be safe!

Many people were arrested and/or injured from violent protesting. Most people in this school wouldn't riot, but would protest.

Out of 22 people inter-viewed at Lincoln, Bernie Sanders was the most want-ed candidate with nine votes. People said, “He was AMAZ-ING,” or “He would’ve been perfect for us.” Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson came in second, with four votes each.

Most people interviewed were shocked Trump became president, and half were scared that he’s soon to be our commander-in-chief. Sixth-grader Julia Espinosa said, “I cry in my sleep, be-cause I know America will end one day.” After all, he has the launch code to nucle-ar bombs.

Page 7

The riots of Trump

Volume 10, I ssue 6

by Aaliyah Atkinson and Miyah McCrary

A.V.I.D. stands for Ad-vancement Via Individual Determination. This is a class that prepares you for college. It's also an interactive class with your friends that moti-vates you to start a career and helps you get organized.

Some people think that AVID is a class that helps you with reading, math, and ELA, but it's not. What we think is that AVID is a class where you communicate with the com-munity.

AVID teacher Natosha Bar-ricklow said, “AVID is an elective class for students with big dreams and goals.”

In AVID, we do TRFs, which stands for tutorial request form. We do these on Tues-days and Thursdays. On these forms, we put what were con-fused about in a class, then we

go up to a white board and present. People help us out when we're up at the white-board.

“Writing, inquiry, col-

laboration, and organization are key AVID skills,” said Ms. Barricklow.

“People should join AVID. It’s where we come together as a school family,” said eighth-grader Aaliyah Atkinson. It's a good class and you participate in community activities and it’s fun!

by Kyle Hernandez and

Lucas Houston

Discipline in high school has

changed a lot over the years.

A long time ago, teachers

were allowed to hit or paddle

students when they misbe-

haved. Nowadays, kids get in

trouble with pink slips and

referrals.

According to our school’s

security guard Rich Misbach,

discipline has gotten a lot

less physical. The discipline

that Mr. Rich prefers when

working with students is ver-

bal counseling to try to make

them productive.

Our social worker Elesha

Fetrow said that she doesn't

know very much about disci-

pline in high school. “It is

basically the same type of

discipline we have in middle

school,” she said.

Journalism and language

arts teacher Trish Pope says,

“In high school, you can get

kicked out of school for cer-

tain offenses.” She also said

A.V.I.D.?

her son got a referral at Rio

Rancho High School once for

leaving school when they

were filming a school-wide

video.

Discipline is much weirder

than before—pieces of paper

instead of hitting the student

that got in trouble. High

school is more independence,

and that's why the discipline

can be worse than just a

piece of paper. The RRHS

website lists different types of

discipline for different behav-

iors.

This article is to help you

eighth-graders who are going

to high school next year :)

Leopards Rawwwr EDITORIALS

Discipline in high school

Stay still, don’t move! by Brennan McHale and Colin Friberg

The mannequin challenge is a challenge where you can’t move. It went viral not long ago. People like to scare others by going on their porch and doing the trick.

The challenge started on October 12, 2016, in Florida, and went viral throughout the United States.

A ton of people love the mannequin challenge.

“I think it’s a fun trend,” said eighth-grade social studies teacher Holly Anthony. “I also love the challenge called pay it forward where you do a good deed for someone.”

Drama teacher Ray Rodriguez said, “My class does a form of the mannequin challenge every day called tableau when

people walk in.”

Sixth-grader Ethan Hill said, “It’s fun when you do it with a lot of people.”

“I haven't heard of the challenge, but I think it's interesting,” said librarian Sue Brauning.

There are many other challenges, like the water bottle flip challenge and diz-zy challenge. But at the same time, dangerous challenges are the Sharpie shock challenge, salt and ice challenge,

cinnamon challenge, and fire challenge.

The next time you do a challenge, make sure it’s a safe one, and make it the challenge of the century.

S Kitts Page 8

by Selena Cde Baca and Contess Reyos Are you wired? If you drink Starbucks Cof-fee products, you could be. Enjoying a chilly Frappucci-no is the same as eating six doughnuts, according to online research. Then, swirl in the caffeine content. Many in the Lincoln Middle School community only drink it occasionally, especially during this festive time of year. “I honestly only drink cof-fee about twice a year,” said Lateefa Archuleta, a sixth-grade English language arts teacher. “My favorite drink is a mocha Frappuccino.” Alan Sanchez, seventh-grade P.E. teacher, said “I only drink Starbucks in the holiday time. My favorite Starbucks drink is a caramel

macchiato.’’ On the other hand, Graycie Platero, a sixth-grader, favors the pepper-mint mocha flavor. “I drink Starbucks every other weekend,” she said.

Starbucks = holiday pleasure

Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

by Bella Deaton and Landry Johnson Does the Black Friday super rush pull you in? There are mixed feelings in the Lincoln Middle School office about the big shopping day that occurs the Friday after Thanksgiving. “I don't like the crowds,” said assistant principal Betty Scheppmann. “The stores are just begging for trouble. It's crazy.” She said she prefers shopping online on Black Friday. On the other hand, principal Veronica Sanders doesn’t mind the busy stores. “I love shopping for shoes. I’m OK with the idea,” she said. “But I don't like that they open on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is the time for family, friends, not shopping.” According to CNN, about 154 million people shopped on Black Friday this year. Yet, they spent less money in 2016 than they did the previous year. “About 10 million more Ameri-cans shopped online than in stores over Black Friday week-end,” states information on fortune.com. Of the LMS students and teachers surveyed, most said they didn’t like the idea of Black Friday. “Black Friday is crazy; people go nuts,” said sixth-grader

Give your brain a break!

by Santiago Anaya and Caleb McBee One company offered 75 percent off on orders over $75. Another had free ship-ping. Still another slashed prices. Do you ever buy online? If so, be aware. “Make sure you buy from a good source,” said Michael Sylvester, a Lincoln Middle School sixth-grade science teacher. Joey Summerville, a sev-enth-grader, agreed: “Buying online can be dan-gerous if you’re not on the best websites.” As usual, Cyber Monday following the long Thanks-giving holiday, hyped many online sales. This year, many of the deep discounts lasted more than just one day. But, make sure you don’t get scammed and take pre-cautions so that your boxes don’t get stolen from your porch, experts suggest. There are many perqs to online buying, however. Just ask Courtney Bateson, LMS ed tech. “I think it's better to buy online, because I can stay in my pajamas,” she said. Also, you don’t have to wait in long lines and ma-neuver through large crowds. Or even leave your home.

Buying online Was it red or black Friday?

by Erin Vigil and David Martinez Winter break is almost here, and lots of Lincoln Middle School students and staff are ready to give their brains a two-week vacation. ” I’m going to my mom’s house in Arizona,” said Noelle Nel-son, a seventh-grader. “My uncle is also coming to visit, and I might go to the Grand Canyon.” For others, it is more about staying home. “There are so many things, it’s hard to pick just one,” said drama teacher Ray Rodriguez. “If I had to pick just one, it would be to spend time with my family and getting to spoil my kids.” Veronica Sanders, principal, tends to agree. “I love spending time with my family, especially now that my kids are older because I can joke with my kids and they can joke back,” she explained. Having a break in between semesters allows time for staff and students to unwind and catch up on sleep.

Page 9 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, I ssue 6

by Zach Herman and Severo Sisneros

The LMS food drive is to raise enough canned food for people that cannot afford food. The food drive is run by our Kindness Club.

When people donate food, it is given to people in our commu-nity that are unfortunate, including the homeless.

But how does it help? It helps the less fortunate who cannot buy food. Assistant principal Betty Scheppmann said, “It goes to families in the Rio Ran-cho community and community-based groups, such as the homeless.”

Some foods are al-ways getting donated, for a good reason. As Ms. Scheppmann said, “Food like instant pota-toes, corn, beans, rice, etc.” So, basically boxed and canned foods that have a long shelf life, and also easy-to-make meals such as ramen noodles.

There are many reasons to donate to anything. For one, it's a good thing to do for your well-being and the well-being of oth-ers. Also for the people who are unfortunate to be in somewhat of a difficult financial situation.

You can start your own food drive by getting your family to help you get canned and boxed foods. You can get your neigh-bors to join in on helping others. You can also find places that help feed the homeless and donate to them.

Canning it up The Bowl is on the way by Mason Beauchamp and

Keano Widdoss

The Super Bowl, which

takes place next February,

has been around for 51

years and has become a very

popular sporting event.

The Super Bowl is a cham-

pionship in football where

the best of the best go head-

to-head. The Super Bowl is a

championship of the NFL

(National Football League).

Curtis Miller, teacher and

athletic director at Lincoln

Middle School, said, “The

Cowboys will have a shot, as

well as the Raiders and Patri-

ots.”

Sixth-grade science teacher

Michael Sylvester said “The

Cowboys and the Patriots will

go to the Super Bowl.”

P.E. teacher Alan Sanchez

said “The Cowboys for sure

will go to the Super Bowl.”

Most people interviewed at

Lincoln said that the Cow-

boys will win, but others

thought the Super Bowl 50

champions Denver Broncos

would have another shot at

victory.

Lots of people think that

this Super Bowl will just be a

regular one instead of a big

rivalry, but will it is the big

question. We will just have

to see who the two teams

will be.

Currently, the top five rated

teams in the NFL are the

Cowboys, Patriots, Raiders,

Seahawks, and Broncos.

Each team has a record of 8-

4 or better.

People are going crazy

about the Cowboys being the

best team, but are they?

That’s another big question.

The Cowboys have a record

of 11-2, which is putting

them in the first seed and

the top team in the NFL.

Summer vacation vs winter vacation

by Sumi Shrestha

Winter break is a nice time to take time off from work or school. But summer break is preferred more.

Not only is summer break longer, but you don’t have to be stuck in winter weather delays and cancellations. There are many places that are popular among families and singles to visit.

The most popular summer vacation spot is Hawaii, fol-lowed by Dubai. Favorable travel spots usually feature beaches, warm or cool weather, and beautiful scen-ery.

Whether or not people trav-el, water sports are popular in the hottest season of the year. Swimming or diving

are examples of water sports for the beach or the pool.

“For the summer, I like to do anything on the water. I don’t mean my bathtub, but a significant body of water,” said gifted teacher John War-ing.

Even in the winter, water-related activities are popular, if you count snow or ice as water. Most of these activi-ties take place at cold, snowy areas, like the moun-tains.

Although snow is beautiful, many people favor warm getaway spots in the winter. Bora Bora is the most popu-lar area to visit during the holiday season.

Winter break is two weeks long vs summer’s two-month

vacation. In spite of this, many people wish that either break, or both, were much longer.

“I look forward to retire-ment instead,” said art teacher Jim Deaton.

The snowy break is a great time to sit down with family and enjoy the most magical time of the year.

“In the winter I just like to stay home, drink hot cocoa, and watch Christmas mov-ies,” said eighth-grader Vanessa Prado.

Despite their differences, both breaks are a wonderful time to refresh and recharge.

Speaking of winter...

Page 10 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

Greatest movies of 2016-17

by Noah Lopez and Joseph Jasnoch Many movies we watch have either been amazing or absolutely terrible. So, we watch the amazing ones over and over until we hate them. Now, we must find new movies to satisfy our hunger. ‘Tis the season for blockbusters. This year, movies like Star Wars Rogue One and Transformers 5 hopefully will lift us off the edge of our seats. “I’m interested in Star Wars Rogue One, said Brandon Mar-tinez, a Lincoln Middle School eighth-grader. “It didn’t take them too long to make another movie in the series.” Many teens are looking forward to Marvel's Doctor Strange and others like Lego Batman and Assas-sin's Creed Counterpart. Science fiction typically is a popular movie genre. “I am excited for Passengers,” said Eric Yazzie-Campbell, a seventh-grade history teacher. “I am also interested in Doctor Strange.” When a group of eighth graders were asked if they all liked Doctor Strange, many indicated that they were excited to watch the movie at Rio Rancho’s Premiere Cinema. Other movies that people consider great are Spiderman 2 and The Dark Knight, a Batman franchise movie.

by Josiah Kiyohara and Dan-iel Santiago Thanksgiving is over. The turkey has been eaten and the memories made. For Dominic Savinelli, Lin-coln Middle School’s reading intervention teacher, “The turkey was the bomb.” In his Italian family, turkey is best alongside ham. Lateefa Archuleta, who

Lincoln Middle School club to spread kindness in 2017

by Alejandro Loza and Nina Zeyen A new year is right around the corner, and the Kindness Club has big ways it hopes to spread thoughtfulness across Lincoln Middle School. “We always welcome more mem-bers,” said club sponsor Elesha Fetrow, who also is a school counse-lor. “We become stronger when eve-ryone lives by a kinder code and shares through exam-ple.” Now, the club is busy col-lecting non-perishable food items for the holiday drive. In the new year, it will be

working hard on the Great Kindness Challenge, a pro-ject that in the past has in-cluded duct-taping Betty Scheppmann, assistant prin-cipal, to the wall, and a for-mer principal dressing up as Dumbledore from the Harry

Potter books and movies. “Kindness Club is mak-ing students want to do good things,” said principal Veronica Sanders. “It will help stu-dents see how to make better deci-

sions in life.” Tarra Adamson, a sixth–grader, is a member, and is proud to spread kindness around campus, whether it be a quote during the morn-ing announcements or being nice to those she sees.

teaches sixth-grade English language arts, loves the holiday because it means family to her. She said they deep-fried a turkey this year at her home. Those interviewed said they were thankful for many things, especially those clos-est to them. Others were just happy to eat lots of food.

Thanksgiving memories are made

by Mahli Toscano and Josiah Kingston It seems that technology is all around us, especially with to-day’s youth. But the real question is whether is it creating a more intelligent younger generation and society. According to Pewinternet.org, in 2020 the brains of multi-tasking teens and young adults are “wired” differently from those over age 35, which can be good and bad. “They spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge,” stated the website. Recent studies of IQ results,

too, demonstrate that mod-ern, tech-savvy young people are scoring higher than previ-ous generations. So, does this mean that technology will continue to transform the young? “Yes, there is a potential chance for more jobs, includ-ing the building of electronic robots,” said Paula Blagrave, Lincoln Middle School’s robot-ics teacher. LMS’ student body president Eric Sommala said the future is bright. “We are always getting new advancements in our civiliza-tion,” the eighth-grader said. “We gain more knowledge in time.”

Technology takeover

December 5-10, 2016

Red or green?

Page 11 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, I ssue 6

Popular rappers by Isaac Flores and Trevor Ahkee

Red and green chile are very popular in New Mexico. But even some fans don’t know that red and green chile are the same thing; they are just picked at differ-ent times.

Chile was the first plant domesticated in Central America and the first person to find chile was Pedro de Valdivia. Chile was first eat-en in 1700 B.C. India is now the largest producer of chil-es.

There are many dishes with chile in or on them. Some fa-mous dishes are enchiladas and chile rel-lenos.

“My favorite dish is the Navajo tacos with red chile,” said sixth-grade science teacher Michael Sylvester.

“I like the chile cheese-burger,” said seventh-grade history teacher Eric Yazzie-Campbell. They are normally made with green chile.

Chile is spicy because there’s a substance called capsaicin in it, and when it comes in contact with mu-cous membranes, it starts to burn. Some people don’t think chile is spicy because they come from a certain heritage in which they eat chile frequently.

“I think red is spicier,” said seventh-grade student Javon Jubert.

Chile is also surprisingly healthy for you. It is high in vitamin C,

has fiber and iron, and boosts your immune system.

Into the playoffs

Serving our students!

by Isaac Roacho and Stuart Smith

Some say that the most famous people in the world are

artists, either from drawing or performing in front of a crowd

singing your own original song. Most of the people who say

this are part of the big group of artists but they do have

their point.

Popular rappers come from all around the country and

even the world. Some rappers in the United States are

Drake, Desiigner, and Eminem. Eighth-grader Izel Conejo

said, “Drake is my favorite rapper of all time and I don’t

think that will ever change.”

Desiigner is a prime example of how young rappers can

come to fame in a couple of months and make millions of

dollars. Desiigner is from Brooklyn, New York, and is 19

years old. Even though he has only been rapping for a cou-

ple months, he has already made $4 million from his new

hits.

Eighth-grader Keith Brewer said, “I would hang out with

Desiigner for a day because he quickly came to fame and he

is probably the closest rapper to my age.”

While some people say rap is the best type of music, oth-

ers don’t say the same. PE teacher Kory Holt said, “I don’t

like it when things get too nasty and they say bad things

about sex or say profanity.”

When Mr. Holt says he doesn’t like profanity, he is really

saying he doesn’t like most rap, because lots of rap music

talks about these bad things. by Devon Alvarado and Ben Miller

The college football playoffs are a big event in which the top

four teams go to the semifinals to then compete for the national

championship game. All the teams have to work hard to get

there; no team automatically qualifies.

Seventh-grader Yasmin Lucero said “My favorite college foot-

ball team is the Oregon Ducks because my dad really likes the

Ducks, so I liked them, too.”

The college football playoffs have two semifinal games called

the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, played in Atlanta, Georgia, and the

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, in the beautiful city of Glendale, Arizo-

na. Both of these games are always played on December 31.

A total of 29 out of 37 people said that they like and watch

college football. Eighth-grader Hayden Maes said “My favorite

team is the Colorado Buffalos. I don’t like the New Mexico Lobos

because they are not very good.”

The first college football playoffs were in 1973 and it was a

division 3 game. The first Division 1 game was in 1978.

Math teacher and athletic director Curtis Miller said, “I like

Notre Dame because of the traditions and Rudy.”

He also said, “I prefer college football bowls over the Super

Bowl because I can actually go to and afford a college football

bowl.”

In our annual tradi-

tion, staff members

served students and

their families the

traditional Thanks-

giving lunch on No-

vember 18. It’s a lot

of fun and gives the

student cafeteria

workers a well-

deserved day off!

Cubbies rule baseball by James Brevig and Sarah Chapman After 108 years, the curse has been broken. The Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians in sev-en games, coming back from a three-game deficit. “I think it’s great for base-ball, the country, and for curses to be broken,” an-nounced Greer Gessler, a sev-enth-grade English language arts teacher. The most valuable player was Ben Zobrist, who hit a double to take the lead in the tenth inning. In the winner-take-all game, the Cubs beat the Indians 8 to 7. “I heard about it, and I cared a little bit about it,” said seventh-grader Adrian McNeeley. Principal Veronica Sanders

Page 1 2 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

isn’t a Cubs fan, but still fol-lowed the series a bit. “I never really grew up with baseball, but I have many friends that are Cubs fans,” she said. The last time the Cubs went to the World Series was in 1945, when the Cubs lost to the Tigers. Seventh-grade history teacher Eric Yazzie-Campbell

said of the 2016 series: “I was lis-tening on the radio and you could hear every-body was making a big deal about it.” Califor-nia resi-dent Michael Lee pre-dicted that the Chicago

team would win the 2016 World Series, in his 1993 school yearbook. When do you think the Cubs will win the series again? Predict it in your high school yearbook!

LMS basketball shooting for a super season

by Sebastian Rubio and Ryan Amhaus

The dribbling is back at Lincoln Middle School. Will the Leopards eighth-grade boys’ basketball team have a great season? “Our goal for the team is to get on Space Jam 2 and defeat the monsters,” joked eighth-grade boys’ coach Al Gutierrez, who also teachers eighth-grade American history. All joking aside, he is hoping for a stupendous season. In the last two years, the LMS team has had a 35-1 win-loss record. Already this season, the eighth-grade boys’ team won the Bernalillo tourna-ment and beat Cochiti last Thursday. The wins were celebrated during morning announcements. Seventh-grader Lucas Escovedo’s job as the team manager is to “hype” the team up. His goal for his peers: “Stay undefeated and get better as the season goes on.”

The beginning, end

of Fidel Castro

by Julianne Marrufo and Connor Lopez Fidel Castro, who served as Cuba’s dictator for five dec-ades, died in late Novem-ber, leaving those behind in two camps: those who admired his initiatives and those who say he used his power to hurt others. Holly Antho-ny, Lincoln Middle School eighth-grade history teacher, said: “I was alive during the Cuban missile crisis.” This was a 13-day confrontation in 1962 between Cuba and the United States. Although official cause of death has not been released, Ms. Anthony believes he died

of “old age and emphysema.” The 90-year-old Castro is seen in many pictures smok-ing cigars. The Cuban leader was born

in 1920. When he fell ill in 2008, his brother, Raul, took over his lead-ership role. Mr. Castro leaves behind nine children. Many thought the former dicta-tor wasn’t effective.

“He was a terrible man, and the world is better off without him,” said Wes Koerner, a seventh-grade history teach-er. Added Sandra Cope, sixth-grade history teacher: “He did not let his country mod-ernize.”

The journalism students in Ms. Pope’s and Ms. Pearce’s classes

wish you a safe and wonderful winter break!

Page 13 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, I ssue 6

A new start

by Keith Brewer and Logan

Zachary

One of the most stressful

things in life is starting at a

new school, according to

many people. One of the

most common reasons why

people get stressed out is

because they are preparing

to make a first good impres-

sion on all of their peers.

For most people, changing

schools was very difficult.

“One thing that was hard was

trying to find new friends,”

said eighth-grade student

Bentley McNab. But luckily

for Bentley, he ended up with

many friends.

But there are some good

things about starting a new

school, too. One example is

getting a new start. When

by Sara Tafoya and Bela

Smith

Figgy pudding has gone

away, but the tradition of

caroling has always saved

the day.

Waiters were the first ever

to go caroling in Europe. This

tradition took place on every

Christmas Eve where they

would go from house to

house singing with joy and

pride. Afterwards, these

songs were spread across

the world for Christmas joy!

The top five Christmas car-

ols are Silent Night, O Holy

Night, Hark! The Herald An-

gels Sing, O Come, All Ye

Faithful, and I Heard the

Bells on Christmas Day.

Physical Education teacher

Alan Sanchez said, “The

Christmas carol I have heard

the most is Jingle Bells be-

cause it is well-known by

everyone.”

Christmas caroling is a fun

and educational experience

that has been passed down

from generation to genera-

tion. Seventh-grade social

studies teacher Eric Yazzie-

Campbell said, “I would go

Christmas caroling because

it’s a joyful and fun time with

my daughter, who loves to

sing.”

Caroling is sometimes done

by going to elderly homes or

around a school or scheduled

days to go somewhere excit-

ing! Choir Teacher Mika

Proctor said, “On December

8, my choir kids went to Don

Chalmers and the nursing

homes. This is where the

whole District goes and sings

carol songs.”

Seventh-grade language

arts teacher Greer Gessler

said, “I would only go carol-

ing if my wife wanted me to,

but don't give her any ide-

as!”

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! you change schools, you can

get a new opportunity as a

student.

”You get to meet some new

people,” said an eighth-

grader.

When moving schools, it

can be hard fitting in, but you

will make some friends. You

just have to be patient, be-

cause eventually, you will

find something in common

with somebody.

Switching schools can be a

very scary and nerve-

wracking experience. But in

most cases, things will start

to open up for you and get

more comfortable. So don’t

stress out too much over it,

because it will get better!

Do you think that spending time

with family is important?

by Deanza Garcia and Jalyssa

Gutierrez

It’s important to be with

family because it brings peo-

ple closer.

Most students seem to

agree. Seventh-grader Ashlee

Mainella says, “It’s important

because it teaches you life

lessons and it also teaches

you respect.” According to

research, family time also

builds character in children.

When you’re spending family

time, siblings don’t always

seem to get along. Seventh-

grader Ryan Casados says he

does not enjoy being with

family because, “You get in

fights with your siblings a lot.”

Other than fighting with your

siblings, it's important to

spend time with your family

because parents and children

can build a stronger bond

together.

Kids who have dinner with

their families and spend lots

of time with them are more

likely to stay out of trouble

and get good grades. When

children are around parents,

they are more likely to model

their behavior. This also

builds confidence in the kids.

Spending more time with

children makes them feel

more loved. There are more

reasons it’s important to

spend time with family, but

eighth grader Bentley McNab

says, “It’s most important to

be with family because they

made you.”

Congratulations to AVID students and teacher

Natosha Barricklow for a fantastic evening of Elf

and merriment!

About 100 people attended the Elf movie night on

December 9. Refreshments were served and elves

handed out candy canes to every member of the

audience!

Thanks to the students and Ms. Barricklow for all

of your hard work putting together a fun and fes-

tive evening for our Lincoln families.

Page 14 Leopards Rawwwr Volume 10, Issue 6

Lincoln Shuffle!

Harvest Dance Football game

This issue of the Leopards Roar was created by students in Ms.

Pearce’s and Ms. Pope’s journalism classes. THANK YOU FOR ALL

OF YOUR HARD WORK! HAPPY 2017!