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‘Project Runway’ Leaves Fashion Designer Stylin’

by Reporter Forest Green
St. Michael’s Parish Day School

As a young girl, Kenley Collins never imagined that she’d become one of the top fashion designers on the hit TV show “Project Runway.”

She recently told me that it was really fun growing up in Florida. Her dad was a tugboat captain, and she was by the water a lot. Her designs reflect this environment—they are very fun and colorful. She even uses rope and watery prints in her designs from her boating background.

Collins had no idea what she wanted to be when she was young. But at 16, she started redesigning vintage clothing. In college, she majored in marketing to keep her options open. After working in New York, she started getting serious about being a designer and tried out for “Project Runway”.

At first, she didn’t make it onto the show. For her second audition, she flew out to Los Angeles and found out she was one of only 16 designers chosen out of a thousand designers! She says she was so excited that she told all of her friends.

Collins ended up being one of the final three designers on “Project Runway.” She even got to show her line at Fashion Week! She says that being on the show got her a lot of publicity and opened many doors for her—new projects and an opportunity to be a stylist.

Today, Collins is busy designing clothes in her New York studio for her Web site: www.kenleycollins.com. She wants to tell all our young readers, “Don’t ever doubt your creativity. Let your imagination lead you into the person you want to become.”

Find Your Perfect Pet at Piggie Poo Rescue

by Reporter Annabeth Nix
Homeschool

Piggie Poo Rescue is an organization in Phoenix that rescues abandoned guinea pigs. It’s the only organization of its kind in southern Arizona. It gets about 200 guinea pigs every year. In October, it had 88 guinea pigs available.

Amanda Peterson, the Piggie Poo Rescue director, has been rescuing guinea pigs for two years. She says that guinea pigs are turned in so much because people don’t want to care for them for their life span of five to eight years. Her oldest guinea pig, named Tramp, is 9 years old. Do not get a guinea pig if you don’t want to take care of it for that long.

The advantages of getting your guinea pig at the rescue instead of a pet store are many. The guinea pigs there are well socialized and not kept in small cages. The rescue knows a lot about the critters’ personalities and how they get along with kids and other guinea pigs. There is a large variety to choose from, and the animals cost less. Your money will contribute to the rescue, and you will save a life.

There are guinea pigs in many different color combinations and breeds. To seek your perfect furry friend, visit www.piggiepoo.org.

Guinea pigs are easy to take care of. You need to feed them every day, give them water, clean the cage and play with them. Be sure to feed them lots of hay and veggies.

I rescued Janet and Chrissie from the Humane Society in Tucson. Janet is not shy towards humans, but she is not the dominant piggie. She follows treats. Chrissie is the dominant one, but she has to be chased around the cage before she lets anyone hold her. She is still very nice to her sister.

Both squeak a lot. Janet purrs, especially when you scratch her head. Chrissie hardly ever purrs. Both piggies are very sweet. Maybe you will have a sweet piggie like them some day.

They like guinea pig pellets (natural without food coloring), lettuce, carrots, sweet peppers, parsley, cilantro and more. Give them each several handfuls of timothy hay every day. Guinea pigs also need vitamin C and can be given vitamin C treats every three days. You should get a book on caring for guinea pigs before you consider getting a guinea pig. Good Web sites for guinea pig information and care are www.guinealinx.com and the Piggie Poo Rescue site.

Dr. Michael Samuels, a guinea pig vet in Tucson, studied his special training on his own. His location is Central Animal Hospital, which is a good place to bring your guinea pig if something is wrong with it. Dr. Samuels does routine care and surgery. Surgery on guinea pigs is harder than on other animals because of their small size. Also, anesthetizing them is more difficult. The most common reason for surgery is neutering. The most common reasons for other visits are digestive system and teeth problems caused by not feeding enough hay. Dr. Samuels recommends a visit of once per year because guinea pigs can have problems with their teeth as they get older.

Janet and Chrissie are two guinea pigs rescued from the Humane Society in Tucson. Janet is not shy towards humans but she is not the dominant piggie. She follows treats. Chrissie is the dominant one, but she has to be chased around the cage before she lets anyone hold her. She is still very nice to her sister. Both piggies squeak a lot. Janet purrs a lot, especially when you scratch her on the head. Chrissie hardly ever purrs. Both piggies are very sweet. Maybe you will have a sweet piggie like them some day.

Diwali Celebrates the Victory of Good over Evil

by Reporter Meena Venkataramanan
Manzanita Elementary

On Oct. 27, a big festival hit India. It is called Diwali. It is celebrated every year, usually in October or November.

Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. People wake up really early, around 2 a.m. All the people decorate their houses with lights and lamps. They also distribute sweets and snacks to friends and family. Then they burst firecrackers or fireworks. The main idea of Diwali is to celebrate victory over evil.

Our friends and family had a great time enjoying Diwali. We had a celebration together. We had cooking and drawing competitions, gift exchanges, musical performances, and great food and fun! I even got to be the emcee for a short period of time! I introduced the performers, such as violinists, flute players and dancers! I even made a PowerPoint presentation about Diwali to share with the audience!

I was even more joyful when I found out that I won the drawing competition! The assignment was to draw a picture of Diwali, and how you celebrate it. I drew a lady praying to a candle, or lamp. It was really fun!

At Christmas, Celebrate Loved Ones, Not Gifts

by Reporter Victoria Salcido
Banks Elementary

The true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with how much money you spend on gifts. It is the thought that counts.

People get so caught up in what they’re buying for someone and whether the gift is good enough to give. They worry that it won’t meet their standards. I have no problem getting others what they want—in fact, I personally, enjoy getting what I want and am very appreciative. But there’s more to Christmas than that.

For me, Christmas is a time to be with family, eat particular foods, open gifts and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a time to be with the ones we love, a time to celebrate, and a time to be together! My family and I look forward to opening the gifts that we get for one another. Each and every Christmas we are so joyful!

We do many special things around this time of year: Zoo Lights, Winterhaven, decorating for the holiday and much more. So have a merry Christmas!

‘Cole Family Christmas’ Is All About Sharing

by Reporter Courtney Shelton,
Sonoran Science Academy

Jennifer Bryan, author of “Cole Family Christmas,” was in for a big surprise when she married her husband. Turns out he is the grandson of Hazel Cole Kendle, an 88-year-old woman who enjoys telling stories to her kids and friends.

Just to make the Christmas of 1920 stick around forever, Bryan, a former USA Today employee, interviewed this great lady and got all the facts behind this enjoyable story.

“Her daughter and her other grandson wanted it written,” Bryan says.

Kendle, however, was just a baby when the story took place. Her sister, Ruble, who was 10 years older told the story to her. In the book, the characters read each other stories every night, especially since there wasn’t much else to do in the 1920s in a coal town like Benham, Kentucky.

Bryan didn’t get to see the original house that the 11-member Cole family lived in, but she got to see houses like it and she says they must have been kind of crowded. Hazel is the last living family member from her family.

“It was really gratifying to sit down with Hazel,” says Bryan, who also believes it is exciting to learn about your family. The book shares the importance of family and the true meaning of Christmas.

“It really is a rewarding experience to sit down with family members,” says Bryan.

Whether it is sharing stories or just reading a book, it is important to share and teach reading with your kids, brothers, sisters, and friends. To promote reading in kids, a minor character from the book, Hilda the goat, was animated at readaloud.org and gives fun reading tips to kids as well as to parents.

Of course, since the stories were passed through Ruble to Hazel and due to the fact that Hazel is getting older, the story has had some things added for more detail. Remember, if you read with your family, you might have fun stories to tell like Hazel Cole Kendle and Jennifer Bryan. Keep track of your memories!

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Making a Difference: Tales of Good Deeds

Hero Gives Homeless a Running Start on Life

by Reporter Pascale Steverlynk,
Rancho Solano Private Schools
Adviser: Stacey Lane

CNN Heroes, an organization put together by CNN, named Anne Mahlum as its hero for 2008. Mahlum, a former runner who currently lives in Philadelphia, has created a special activity to help the homeless.

Every morning, during her 5 a.m. jog, she would run past the same homeless shelter. The men at the center would cheer her on, but she kept running.

“Then one day, I stopped and thought—every day I am moving forward, but these men stay where they are and can never succeed,” Mahlum says.

She came up with Back On My Feet. Three times a week, Mahlum meets with 54 homeless people and 250 volunteers to run a few miles together.

“When you are looking at this huge group of people, you don’t know the difference between the homeless and volunteers,” she shares. “We’re a community of support, love and respect.”

Mahlum says running is a metaphor for life. “There is always another mile, you just have to take it one step at a time,” she points out.

You can take a step by helping a local homeless shelter. Some are just for women and children, others just for men, and yet others just for children. They are non-profit organizations that are mostly government funded, but some are church based and rely on donations. Aside from a temporary place to stay, shelters often offer meals, job training and counseling.

You can donate something that is on the shelter’s wish list. Or the next time you have a birthday party, instead of accepting presents for yourself, ask your friends to bring something for a homeless shelter.

“Last night in Arizona, 2,000 people slept in abandoned cars, under a bridge or on a friend’s floor. One thousand of them were children,” states Darlene Newsom, CEO of the Umom New Day Center. “The number one thing kids say that they want the most is a home.”

If we don’t look, we won’t know people need help. And if we don’t know, we can’t help. From one fortunate kid on behalf of too many unfortunate kids—please help!

Furry Friends Bring Cheer

by Reporter Andrea Kraetz
Rancho Solano Private Schools
Adviser: Stacey Lane

Neal Jennings started Pets on Wheels of Scottsdale in 1990. He wanted to do something different with dogs and remembered another program called Pets on Wheels in Boston.

Pets on Wheels of Scottsdale is a non-profit organization that asks pet owners to volunteer to visit places with their pets to help cheer up people in need. Pets on Wheels visits 15 nursing homes, two rehabilitation centers, a psychiatric unit for suicidal senior citizens, an adult day care, a school for low-achieving children, life-skill classes for developmentally challenged school-aged children and two cancer centers. It also makes a few homebound visits.

All in all, the volunteers visit around 2,000 people. Jennings has about 125 volunteers and about 130 animals (only three of them are cats.)

If you want to volunteer for Pets on Wheels of Scottsdale, leave a voice message at 602-735-6886. For more info about the program, call 480-488-1583 or visit www.petsonwheelsscottsdale.com.

Disney Star Shines in Eyes of Biggest Fan

by Emily Atwater
Christ Lutheran School

My favorite actress is Selena Gomez, the star of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” a great show on Disney Channel. She lives in Arizona, actually next door to one of my friends’ soccer teammates. This 16-year-old is awesome at all she does. I love how funny she is.

Selena loves cheerleading, singing and acting. I know three of her songs: “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” “Bang a Drum” and “Fly to Your Heart.” I think she will have many more in the future. She made a movie called “Another Cinderella Story,” which I give a two thumbs up. It was that great! She was also on the show “Barney” and in the movie “Horton Hears a Who.”

Selena’s best friend is Demi Lovato, who starred in “Camp Rock” and was on the “short” series “As the Bell Rings.” Selena and Demi have a new movie out—“Princess Protection Program.”

I love Selena’s look—leggings with a jean skirt over it, a T-shirt with a tank top over it, and usually Converse tennis shoes. It’s wacky and unique.

Selena is the best actress ever, and I try to follow her footsteps. I think everyone who watches the show will love her character as much as I do.

Teddies Teach Tots All About Hospitals, Docs

by Reporters Ashley Huneycutt and Arleigh Timmons
Phoenix Christian Academy

This summer, I took my teddy bear to a Teddy Bear Clinic at Phoenix Christian Academy. Child life specialists Ashley Robertson and Shea Short from St. Joseph’s Hospital were on hand to teach students at the school about hospitals and what doctors do.

First, students lined up with their teddies to hear the book “Franklin goes to the Hospital.” Then everyone played medical bingo while learning about stethoscopes, x-rays and operating rooms. Robertson and Short gave us bags with hats, booties, gloves, masks, bandages, cotton balls and a coloring book. While we went through the bags trying gloves and masks on ourselves and our teddies, Robertson and Short put on tiny finger casts to demonstrate how to make a cast. Real casting materials hardens quickly.

We enjoyed the interaction and experience as it continued well into the afternoon, even after the child life specialists were through. “It was quite fun. We played things like doctor and operating most of the day,” second-grader Kinsey Clyne says.

Students also learned first hand what a hospital visit is about in a friendly environment. “They made casts on our fingers and gave us real doctor things people use at the hospital, like a mask to keep the germs away and things to put to cover your shoes and gloves for your hands,” fourth-grader Jessica Rodriquez adds. For more info on Teddy Bear Clinics, call 602-406-4713.

Flag Features the Faces of Arizona Kids

by Reporter Brianna Crittendon
Sunnyslope Elementary

This fall, seventh- and eighth-graders at Sunnyslope Elementary found a totally unique way to make a mural of the Arizona state flag. True to the flag’s original colors, the students made faces or figures that were yellow, red, blue or copper to glue into the different sections.

This huge mural—it’s 6-feet by 8-feet in dimension—is called “We are the faces of Arizona.” It was hung up on the wall of the cafeteria to be enjoyed by all the students!

Longview Center Turns 10

by Reporters Jazmin and Brandon Finley
Monte Vista School

On Oct. 11, Longview Neighborhood Recreation Center hosted a 10-year anniversary celebration. The center, located at 4040 N. 14th St. in Phoenix, offers year-round classes and spots for toddlers, youth, teens and seniors. The celebration featured games such as jousting, basketball and baseball. Other activities included slides, bounce houses, obstacle courses and rock climbing. Outside on a stage there was live rap, krumping and dancing. A radio station had a booth set up and played music. A nutrition booth gave out mini basketball hoops. The fire department gave out hats. Inside there were chess tables set up and a basketball tournament in the gym. To end the celebration, there was a raffle for beach towels, DVDs and Waterworld tickets.

Boy Scout Mottos Build Character

Braxton Barger,
New Vistas Academy
Adviser: Stacey Trepanier

A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. A scout learns to be an exceptional young man while enjoying adventures like hikes and campouts.

The scout motto is “Be Prepared.” I had to use this motto on a recent camping trip. Upon arrival, it started to rain, and as the camp cook I wondered how I could start a fire. However, a fire was started under a canopy, and I cooked hamburgers and cookies. Afterward, we all enjoyed falling asleep to the rain pitter-pattering on our tent.

My scout troop learned to be prepared with tools—how to clean and prepare an axe, knife and saw, and how to use them safely. These tools come in handy when camping in the woods and for building items for projects. Scouts get to make birdhouses, toolboxes and many other diverse items.

The scout slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” The Boy Scout Handbook says, “Good turns are helpful acts of kindness done quietly, without boasting and without expecting reward or pay.” I try to do a good turn daily by helping my family without being asked or being kind to kids at school.

Whether hiking, camping or building something, or just going to school and being home with his family, a boy scout uses important life lessons and knowledge through his journey from boyhood to manhood.

Scouting is rewarding to the scout, adults involved with the program and to others in the community. Best of all, its fun!

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