The Courier

Volume 89, Number 4 White Plains, New York 10605 April 2013

The One World Trade Center By Robert Marotta

Many Americans will never forget the destruction of the World Trade Center because a loved one had been killed or injured. Since 2006, however, the United States have been developing a brand new World Trade Center as a memorial for the 2,986 men and women who died as a result of the attack. Steel became visible one year after the construction began in 2007, and the building is supposed to be finished

later this year. The Freedom Tower will stand at approximately 1,776 feet on the site of the former Trade Center, which is higher than the Empire State building, which stands at about 1,250 feet. The building will also surpass Willis Tower in Chicago which stands at about 1,451 feet. However, a 408 foot-tall needle will balance on top of the top of the tower, which is the reason why it’s the #1 tallest building in

America. If the needle wasn’t there, it would just have to settle for second place. Of course, it’s almost 1,000 feet smaller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is still surprisingly standing at 2,717 feet! Inside the heart of the tower are twin memorial pools with bronze parapets around them. Inscribed on these bronze parapets are the names of the nearly 3,000 men, women and children who died

during the 9/11 attacks. Many believe that the pools represent the many tears of Americans and the trees symbolize new life, which is a very beautiful thing to consider. In addition to the pools, there will most likely be an observation deck, which is supposed to be completed in early 2015. There will probably also be retail centers, restaurants and offices there in the near future.

National

Women’s

Month! By Susan Paul

Have you ever heard of a month that especially appreciates women? Well, March is the month. We thank women for their roles in our community and history. Women’s History Month can be traced back to the early 1900s. This event begins in the week of March 8th and continues for the whole month. Before, this event only used to happen for a week, and was only conducted in certain parts of the United States, until various people went to Congress to declare it a national celebration called, Women’s History Month. This celebration is still continued and many organizations are becoming aware of the many influences women and girls continue to make. Many of these organizations are still going on today such as the Girl Scouts USA. Well girls, now we can declare ourselves better than the boys because we have a month especially honoring us!

Pope Francis I Pope Benedict XVI

The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI By Chris Kozlow

Pope Benedict XVI, formerly

Joseph Ratzinger, resigned from his post as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church on February 11, 2013 due health problems because of his advanced age of eighty-five. He is the first to do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Joseph Ratzinger became the 265th pope on April 19th, 2005 after the death of the much liked previous pope, Pope John Paul II, who reigned for twenty-six years, 168 days. Benedict XVI was a German pope, unlike most of his 264 predecessors who were mostly Italian. That is mostly because Vatican City, the capital of the Catholic Church, and also the smallest country in the world, is located in the center of Italy.

Benedict XVI’s papacy was short lived probably due to the fact that he was seventy-eight at the time his papacy started. A person can’t be eligible for the papacy if he is eighty or older. Benedict XVI barely made it under the bar. On February 28th, 2013, Benedict XVI’s papacy ended. On March 13, 2013, a new Pope was elected. Pope Frances the First took control as the Catholic Church’s pontiff. He is our first Pope from South America, specifically Argentina.

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The Courier White Plains Middle School

EDITORIAL BOARD AND STAFF

Editors-in-Chief

Danielle Herman-Highlands Christopher Kozlow-Eastview

Managing Editor Gabby Nobile

Associate Editor

OPEN

Webmaster

Chris Kozlow

Copyeditor Robert Marotta

Layout Editors

Danielle Herman Gabby Nobile

Sports Editor Steven Serna

Photography Editor OPEN

Office Manager

OPEN

Circulation Editors Robert Marotta Gabby Nobile

Staff and Contributors

Stachys Aho, Rory Campbell, Aryana Cooper, Jagger Dorantes, Kenric King, Jeff Mathew, Jennilee Mirtil, Nick O’Hanlon, Susan Paul, Alisa Thomas, Josh Thomas

Advisor

Jessica Rivkin-Highlands

Editorial Policy Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board and, unless otherwise noted, are written by members of the staff. The editorial board solicits responsible commentaries and letters-to-the-editor, but reserves the right to edit for style, grammar or space limitations. Letters and commentaries containing obscenity or libelous comments will not be published. All letters must be signed or they will not be published, however your name can be withheld upon request.

Interested in contributing to The Courier?

Contact Mrs. Rivkin at jessicarivkin@wpcsd.k12.ny.us

Editorial: Standardized Testing By Danielle Herman

Each year, every third through eighth grade student in New York takes New York State Tests, and each high school student must take Regents exams. New York State Tests, also called standardized tests, are supposed to measure the overall performance of schools and teachers throughout the state. If the majority a certain teacher’s students do well on these tests, the teacher is thought to be doing a good job. On the other hand, if many of that teacher’s students do poorly the teacher is supposedly doing a bad job. State tests are administered in many subjects, including science,

mathematics, and English language arts (ELA), and science.

Regents exams—another form of standardized testing—help determine whether or not you’ll pass a class and give you high school credits. In addition to high school students, middle school students who take high school classes such as Algebra I or Earth Science are also required to take a Regents exam. If you pass the Regents, you earn high school credits, while if you fail you must take the same course again. Regents tests can put a lot of pressure on someone, especially if they have to take

other tests, too. Eight grade students enrolled in high school courses must take both New York State Tests and Regents exams, which can be a lot of work for both the students taking the exams and the teachers teaching the curriculum.

Many students and teachers think that standardized testing isn’t a reliable method of evaluating the abilities of students; they measure your test taking skills more than your performance in a certain subject. Furthermore, students may not do their best on standardized tests due to time limits. They may run out of time and not

complete the test or rush through the test in order to finish on time. Evaluating teachers through standardized tests also has its flaws. A teacher may not necessarily be responsible for his or her students’ test scores. An exceptional teacher may have several students who aren’t good at taking tests, whereas an incapable teacher may have lots of students who do exceptionally well on tests. Overall, the standardized testing system can create unnecessary stress and put pressure on otherwise proficient students, teachers, and administrators.

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2013 Oscars By Robert Marotta The Oscars have come and gone again with Seth McFarlane as the host this year. The movies that were nominated the most were Argo, Django Unchained, Lincoln, Les Miserables and Life of Pi. Argo is about Tony Mendez trying to rescue American hostages from the Iranian government. Django Unchained is about a former slave, Django, and a German bounty hunter, Dr. Schultz, becoming allies to both capture outlaws and rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda, from the plantation owner named Calvin Candie. Lincoln takes place in 1865 when the American Civil War was reaching its inevitable conclusion. President Abraham Lincoln had to pass the amendment to ban slavery before peace came, or else the returning south could stop the law from being passed. Les Miserables is a movie based on Broadway musical. It takes place in the 1800s when Jean Valjean is released for serving nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of

bread. After he is taken in by a priest, he becomes the mayor of a town. He soon comes across Fantine, a single mother whose daughter, Cosette, she had to give up. She passes away and Jean Valjean must find her daughter to become a father to her. Throughout the entire movie, he is running from Detective Javert. Soon, Valjean and his daughter get tangled in the midst of the French Revolution, due to Cosette’s love for a rebel. Life of Pi is a movie about a Canadian asking Pi his life story. Pi came from India where his father owned a zoo. When his business doesn’t do well, they move to Canada to sell the animals there. While on the boat to there, the boat hits a sudden storm and Pi is shipwrecked with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger he called Richard Parker. When the Tiger eats all of the other animals, Pi must find a way to keep the tiger fed and domesticated.

Highlands Talent Show By Stachys Aho The students agree! The Talent Show was a big hit this year. We started with Julia Bellantoni, an 8th grade student, singing the National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” which was awesome with her operatic voice. The cheerleaders made a really good impression with their routines. The show continued with dancing and singing with different styles such as Latin, rock, hip-hop and romantic. Two students played “Starships” on the piano and everyone sang along. Another 8th grade student, Alanna Williams, sang three songs that were perfect and

the last was for a crush, which was a descriptive song. Rachel Rose, a seventh grade student, did a wonderful job creating and singing a song that she wrote. The Step Team took my soul out! It was complex, interesting, and the best beat I ever saw in my life. The rhythmic style and beats were truly amazing. The Ghetto Boys did a wonderful job exploring different beats and rhythms. The Select Choir sang “Some Nights” by fun. This was a beautiful song. There were many more wonderful acts at the 2013 Talent Show! I am looking forward to next years.

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Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Cradle

Written by Danielle Herman Reporting by Stachys Aho

Mr. Cradle has been a dedicated and friendly teaching assistant at Highlands for twenty-one years. Before he was a teacher, Mr. Cradle served in the U. S. Air Force as an aerial photographer. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Mr. Cradle decided to take up teaching as his second career because he likes working with children; he wants to make a difference and be a role model for students. He enjoys working in detention and Special Duty, for he likes to encourage students that they can do better.

Mr. Cradle is originally from White Plains. He graduated from Eastview Middle School, then White Plains High School. Afterwards, he continued his education at Empire State University. Mr. Cradle enjoys baseball and basketball; however, his biggest hobby is working with kids. After all his fantastic work here at Highlands, Mr. Cradle will be retiring in 2014. One thing he would like to tell all students is, “You can do better, and be anything in the future.”

Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Flynn By Chris Kozlow

Someone great came out of Dutchess County. Ms. Flynn, the rising star in Eastview’s teaching staff, teaches with an exciting attitude and keeps her students engaged in whatever her class is learning, no matter the topic. When Ms. Flynn was growing up in Dutchess County, an hour’s drive from

White Plains, her favorite subject was English. Ms. Flynn’s favorite teacher was Mrs. Seeger. She was Ms. Flynn’s favorite teacher because she was nice, fun, and understanding. After her years as a student in Dutchess County, Ms. Flynn was off to Western Connecticut State University where she studied English Secondary Education. And when Ms. Flynn says, “Work hard,” she means it because she worked very hard herself. That was clearly proven when Ms. Flynn earned her Master’s degree in Health Education from Southern Connecticut State University. A Master’s degree requires rigorous studying and very hard work which Ms. Flynn accomplished.

After her fantastic run with her own education, it was time for her to pass on her wisdom and knowledge. Ms. Flynn discovered her love for helping people and being around kids. Ms. Flynn chose health because she thinks it’s important for kids to know about their bodies and that they only have one chance to accomplish things healthily.

Ms. Flynn started teaching four years ago in 2008 in Hyde Park, New York. Then, she moved her talents to White Plains in 2011, where her career in White Plains began. Ms. Flynn has a bright future ahead of her as a teacher. I look forward to seeing her go far as a much-liked teacher in the White Plains City School District.

The Ritz Carlton By Aryana Cooper

Tuesday, March 5th, a group of respectful students were taken to the magnificent, jaw-dropping hotel known as The Ritz Carlton. The students were being taught about the service and hospitality industry. As the students took a tour around the beautiful hotel, they learned about difference places and the three various restaurants. After the tour, the students were taken out to eat lunch, which was amazing. There was pizza, mac & cheese, chicken fingers and more. The people from The Ritz Carlton were so nice, they gave a student a birthday gift and sang her “Happy Birthday”. She was elated. They gave us cupcakes, which we were all grateful for. When the students left, they left with knowledge about the industry and joy in our hearts for The Ritz! Student Spotlight: James Carrier

By Danielle Herman

Recently, Highlands student and athlete James Carrier and his hockey team made a great achievement. The team, called “Team Doritos,” went to a tournament all the way in Quebec, Canada. They worked hard and played ten games in the tournament. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round of the tournaments’ playoffs. Although they didn’t make it to the end, the team still played excellently and did their best. “Team Doritos” was formed just this year, but James Carrier has been playing hockey since he was four years old. The team includes kids from Westchester, Connecticut, and other nearby locations. They practice at the Wonderland Wizards’ Rink in Connecticut, and did a fantastic job this year!

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Book Review: Haven By Jennilee Mirtil

The novel, Haven, Kristi Cook, a girl named Violet enrolls into a boarding school called Winter Haven. Violet is somewhat drawn to this school and the secrets contained within. As the story goes on, Violet learns her so called “gift” in this school and how each student has one. Soon Violet meets Aiden, a boy whose future is intertwined with hers. Violet’s gift is to see visions of the past and future. The future holds great destruction for Violet and Aiden as their relationship grows deeper. Will this disaster cause Violet to lose her life just to save Aiden from his death? Read the book to find out!

Sonic All Stars Racing

Transformed By Nick O’Hanlon

I’m reviewing the new X-box game, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. This game has many exciting and fun racetracks. I was on the edge of my seat playing every one of them. I especially like Dragon Canyon, Samba Station, and Carrier Zone. Dragon Canyon has vivid graphics with weird plants and dragons. Avoid the plants or you get knocked off course! In this race you fly a plane and drive a boat and car really fast. Samba Studios is a Mexican themed racetrack with dancing cacti where you drive a car and a boat. If you hit a cactus, you spin out and lose time. My favorite race is Carrier Zone, where you have to land on an aircraft carrier—and watch out for those bomb and torpedo splashes! You fly a plane and drive a boat and car. My favorite characters are Sonic and Wreck-It Ralph (from the movie), but there is a character for everyone. Your vehicle will match your character. During the race, when you pass through a blue circle, your vehicle changes into another vehicle—like a car into a boat. This is my favorite part of the race. I really love this game a lot and I highly recommend it to all boys and girls!

Restaurant Review:

Red Lobster By Alisa Thomas, Josh Thomas, and Jeff Mathew

Red Lobster is a great seafood restaurant to go to with family and friends! For appetizers, you get free biscuits and salads. For the meal, you could get all types of seafood. There are lobsters, tilapia, salmon, and more. Not really a seafood person? Well, then you could have delicious chicken fingers or some sizzling steak instead! There are great desserts, too. A popular dessert is the Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie. It is a warm chocolate chip cookie with a melted chocolate center, covered with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. There are many refreshing beverages like a variety of juices and pink lemonade. If it is your birthday, they will come around you and sing “Happy Birthday” to you. The service is great and the waiters/waitresses are really nice to you while you’re there. Next time you want to go to a restaurant, you should go to Red Lobster in Scarsdale!

Preview: 42 The Movie By Steven Serna

This movie is a biographical movie about Jackie Robinson and his signing to the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the baseball color line. It highlights how Jackie Robinson had so much trouble at first, but as time went by and as he passed more milestones, people started to like him. He also started to have a good bond with the players. This movie will be released on April 12, 2013.

Game Review:

Minecraft By Jagger Dorantes

Minecraft was made by Markus Alexej Notch Persson, who was born on June 1, 1979. The main purpose for people who have the game is to survive as long as they can, by eating, sleeping, taking shelter, building and using like a sword and pickaxe weapons. There are monsters such as blazes, cave spiders, creepers, ghosts, magma cubes, silver fishes, skeletons, slimes, spiders, spider jockies, witch withers, and zombies. There is also another portal that takes you to another world where you can collect glowstone. You can also get pets. There are two types of pets, cats and dogs. They will not bite you because you control them. I think that Minecraft is awesome!

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Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful By Danielle Herman Oz the Great and Powerful is an exciting and fun movie great for audiences of all ages. This film is a prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz that tells the story of the wizard

himself and how the land of Oz came to be the way we know it. The wizard, Oz—played by James Franco—starts off as a circus magician in Kansas, where he is highly unsatisfied with his life. He wants to be known as great and powerful, which is hard to achieve in his black and white world. However, everything changes when he is blown away to the mysterious and spellbinding land of Oz. When he arrives, he is welcomed as a mighty wizard and is destined to fulfill a prophecy and bring

peace to Oz. Along the way, he encounters three witches, one of which becomes the notorious green antagonist in The Wizard of Oz. Oz the Great and Powerful is a captivating must-see for The Wizard of Oz fans and those new to the story, too. The movie is set in a beautiful and exhilarating fantasy world where you can truly believe that anything is possible. Although the plot takes a few unexpected yet clever twists and turns, it still stays true to the story we know and love.

The Return of

Mariano Rivera By Steven Serna

Joe Girardi wasn’t convinced on using Mariano Rivera for Spring Training so soon. Mariano Rivera hadn’t pitched since April 30th of last season, three days before he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during batting practice in Kansas City. Mariano Rivera says, “I am 100 percent and I am ready for Spring Training and for the Regular Season to start.” But recently Mariano Rivera has announced to the public that he will be retiring before next season. “Mariano Rivera was like the Babe Ruth of pitching” (The Daily News). This season he hopes to raise his record of saves so no one can break the record. His record for total saves is 608 saves.

C B N H K Y P E V Z S N G P E I L O Y O G L B G U I N X N U G O I S T J N F N M I E E B Z E S T I V T Y R R L J J T C S D S A A O S A S K E U F N L B K O C D S I D C E A T F X P M O M A U N H U R N F C T D Y Z Z S V B N D O L I F J X U N N F L O W E R S W I B J B R B X K W N E D R A G E A P R I L Y F Y M G H Q P B J R J P H P D Y L P W R X P K B W S C E L U B R A B T A F R N J R R O J N J M S H X O S V D A D X Z N R O K E G B I O S M V N R I I V APRIL BEE BIRDS BLOSSOM BUTTERFLY DAISY DUCKLING FLOWERS

GARDEN GRASS LEAF MARCH RAINBOW SHOWERS SUN VACATION

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New Year’s Eve Ruined Due to Mr. and Mrs. Pac-man! By Kenric King

Mr. and Mrs. Pac-man ruined New Year’s Eve trying to eat the Time Square’s ball! Many New Yorkers and tourist went home disappointed swearing to destroy Namco and all its merchandise. Many popular vintage Namco characters are now going on strike against the selling and merchandising of Mr. and Mrs. Pac-man any further.

Dig Dug said that he was ashamed by Mr. and Mrs. Pac-man. After talking to a few Namco protestors, they started to chant, “Turning to evil so we can pay the bill”. Dig Dug then went on to translate that lots of the Namco characters were forced to be bad guys for the new Mario game.

Dig Dug says that if the vintage Nintendo Video

games don’t cool it him and a few video other game characters are going to start Namco vs. Nintendo vintage addition. Namco is talking of giving up Pac-man and asking for a merge with Atari, but it seem the government may be coming in and stopping this merge using the anti-trust act.

Real Tiger In White Plains! By Anonymous One day a tiger escaped from the Fluffy Unicorn Zoo and went to Highlands Middle School. He ate actual tiger mascot and went to Highlands’s football game. The Tigers were Dead Toads. Everybody thought that the tiger was the mascot and started to cheer for him. The tiger ate the entire crowd and started to run to town. All the football players ran after the tiger hoping they would catch it. Then the tiger started to eat the townspeople including all the pets. Lucky some of the townspeople survived the attack and went to the pitchfork and torches imperium and started to chase the evil tiger. Then the tiger ate the police officer and then the police were after it. Then soon enough everybody in White Plains were chasing after the tiger. But at the end, a huge dragon came and ate everybody, including the tiger.

The History of Unicorns By Kenric King

There once was a dragon whose name was Draco. He had 1,000,000,000,000 gold francs. He was Dutch and he didn’t like unicorns. They ate his gold lawn. Draco was a god of lighting he called his brother Ocard to fight these unicorns. Ocard was the god of thunder. He had 1,000,000,000,000 gold drachmas. Together they melted down their gold to make the unicorn cannon. Then they went out to Draco’s lawn and shot down every last unicorn. In the end there were lucky horse shoes and horns dug into the ground. Out of nowhere, a leprechaun came with illegal American money plates and steals the unicorn canon. Then the unicorn’s hooves and horns come back together and the rainbows turn into Zombie Unicorns. The Zombie Unicorns then eat Draco and Ocard. Then that is the end of thunder and lightning and there is good weather forever. Then unicorns ate the lawn forever and never stopped eating Draco’s lawn.

Then for protein, the unicorns caught leperchauns and raised them like chickens. They learned how to farm and started to create a developed society. That is how unicorns started out when they weren’t evolved. Eventually they do evolve and go to Eastview Middle School. The lunch ladies have just done this cool science experiment. They have combined the coolest spices in the world which created a pizza that can talk. Then the pizza comes alive. This pizza starts to eat the Unicorn population. Unfortunately, the pizza becomes a zombie and leaves. The unicorn then comes alive. The unicorns start to eat penguins. They evolve by eating leprechauns. They ate the species now known as Irritatus Diegus. They hunted alongside students and the students and unicorns ate penguin wings. This now means the unicorns are no longer primitive. Thus ends another chapter in Unicorn Evolution.

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Scandal! Mario Caught on Human Growth Hormones By Chris Kozlow and Kenric King

On March 24, 2013, it was revealed to the world by Princess Peach that Mario, her ex-lover, has been using illegal Human Growth Hormones on his quests to save her from the evil Bowser. “(Giggle) He was just so strong. I couldn’t take the corruption. (Giggle).” Apparently, Mario has been munching on red mushrooms injected with so much HGH that the mushrooms literally were sliding on the open grass. Mario even chased some of these mushrooms. Apparently, this has gone unnoticed by the public. Characters and co-workers are dangerously hurt by Mario’s doping. “I’m tired of Mario jumpin’ all over me. I’ve had several back surgeries and Nintendo refuses to give its animated characters health insurance,” says a Goomba. “I’ve gone to the union but they are incapable of helping. At least we have dental.” Bowser shares his thoughts, “Grrrrrrr Grrrrrr Grrrrrrr Grrrrrrr Grrrrrr.”

(Translation: “I am fed up with the cheating. Mario should play fair, or I will start taking Peach again along with his precious, not-as-popular-as-him brother. Also, I’ll personally rip off his stupid mustache and use it as kindling.”) Nintendo has refused to comment on the situation, but one of their teenage interns who apparently will not be working there for long said, “If this is how the characters treat the people that admire them, I’m blowin’ this taco stand and heading to Ubisoft.” Nintendo later on announced that this teenage intern will be hunted down and “Hushed.” Mario has been constantly chased down and groped by the press for information on this doping. One reporter for IGN kidnapped Mario and threatened to burn his mustache if he didn’t give them the proper information. As Mario’s mustache smoked he screamed, “A-waddaya want-a. I’m-a just-a little

addicted to-a mushrooms! Please-a! I-a need-a this-a job-a! Peach-a is-a great-a with-a child. I-a need-a the money!” Peach responded to Mario’s claim that she is pregnant, “(Giggle) I’m not pregnant.” She refused any more than that. Yoshi, Mario’s companion from over the years, decided to separate from Mario and go out on his own. Nintendo announced that Super Yoshi Galaxy and Super Yoshi World are now in production. “Yooossssssssshhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiii.” (Translation: “I’ve been trying to push that dumb plumber out of the spotlight since 1981. It’s my time now.”) Nintendo is expected to make an announcement on their plans for how they are handling Mario’s doping situation. But with the announcement of the new Yoshi games and all the Nintendo characters moving on, it looks like the end of Mario’s tenure as Nintendo’s signature character.

APRIL 1ST, 2013 MUSTACHE AND BEARD SALE!!! By Alisa and Josh Thomas Have you ever wanted a beard or mustache but could never have one? Well, here’s your chance! Hurry, this offer begins and ends April 1st, 2018!

Pirate Mustache and Beard

Shakespearean Beard (“To beard or not to

beard, that is the question.”)

Mad Scientist Beard

Limited Edition: Golden Santa and Wizard Beard Pack

AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

BUILD-A-BEARD The North Pole

Next to Santa’s Workshop

www.buildabeard.com

HURRY, OFFER WILL END SOON!!!!

Casper Gone Wild By Nick O’Hanlon

Where the old school house lay, there were

ghosts at play. Right next to Grotto Ghoul School there was an abandoned apple orchard in which lived the evil Hydron with his pets, Medusius Aquatcoas and Cerebroid Droidicorous. In his underground lair Hydron was mixing up his transformation potion using Cerebroid Droidicorous’s transformadroid pill and Medusius Aquatcoas’s poison, parilization and hyperspeed ray. Hydron morphed into a ghost bartender. While the other ghosts were playing, Casper went into the apple orchard with his friend, Grinjin. Then Grinjin said, “I don’t like the looks of this,” as the apple orchard started to get darker. Ten minutes later Casper and Grinjin went to the ghost bartender (Hydron) and Casper said in a very meek voice, “Can I have one Ghostly Poweraid?” Hydron laughed disdainfully, “A puny ghost like you would evaporate and disappear with a drop of Poweraid. Are you sure you want this?” Casper said, “I want one triple strength!” Hydron poured the drink and laughed really loud. “How about one of my special ghost berry syrup toppings and a green jelly bean?” (which contain a transformadroid pill and Medusius Aquatcoas’s poison, parilization and hyperspeed ray.) Casper drank and steam came out of his ears. Smoke came from his mouth and nose. He started getting bigger and whiter by the minute. There was an explosion and when the dust cleared, he turned into a giant elemental ghost with super tight abs, huge biceps and technology built into him. Hydron wanted to turn Casper into a monster ghost he could control. Casper was turned into an evil ghost. Grinjin saw what happened and he had his special cellphone with him. He urgently called the ghost avengers on the planet Trainors. He had a button for each of their vehicles—a plane for Iron Man, a motorcycle for Captain America, a mech suit for Hulk, a spider car for Black Widow and propulsion pack for Thor. Casper had powers to take energy from anything. All of ghost world was afraid of him. The world was almost fully captured when the Ghost Avengers came. Casper challenged the Ghost Avengers to a battle. He said if he loses, he will return the planet to normal. If the Avengers lose, they have to be Casper’s servants for life. The Avengers agreed. With a flash of light, the battle was on. Casper captured Hulk and Black Widow in a net, but Iron Man sliced it open. Thor won against Hydron, andthe Black Widow and Captain America won against his pets. Then they all combined their powers--Thor’s Hammer, Iron Man’s Lasers, Black Widow’s web shooters, Hulk’s strength and Captain America’s shield and Hawkeye with his arrows and they beat Casper. Hawkeye’s arrow hit Casper in his weak spot and he turned to normal. Then Thor used the elemental orb to fix the earth back to normal. Casper will never drink Poweraid again!

Horoscopes By Chris Kozlow

Aries (3/21-4/19)

Taylor Swift is going to come to you. If she asks you on a date, just say no. Just say no.

Taurus (4/20-5/20)

If you happen to get Carly Rae Jepsen’s phone number, she probably won’t be expecting your call.

Gemini (5/21-6/20)

I suggest you go to Harlem for a vacation. Just don’t buy any cans of soda.

Cancer (6/21-7/22)

Don’t wake your older sibling, or you’ll actually experience The Walking Dead.

Leo (7/23-8/22)

Your parents are going to tell you that you are going to get a Facebook. Because you were always into cosmetology.

Virgo (8/23-9/22)

You will receive your Call of Duty. Apparently you had too much laxative.

Libra (9/23-10/22)

You’re internet connection will tumble down. Maybe that’s why they call it Tumblr.

Scorpio (10/23-11/21)

Don’t ever take a plane ride with Samuel L. Jackson.

Sagittarius (11/22-12/21)

If you’re hungry, don’t go playing games. Maybe just a little Peeta bread.

Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

You are going to get a chance to sing with Justin Timberlake. But unfortunately, you two will not be in sync.

Aquarius (1/20-2/18)

If Lady Gaga comes to you with a temper, don’t poke her face or the paparazzi will come after you.

Pisces (2/19-3/20)

In 2017, Johnny Depp will star as the dead Jack Sparrow in Parrotnormal Activity 5. Tell everyone.