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Rex Is a King Among Illustrators

by Reporters Liam Carmichael & Jon George-Sanchez
Coyote Trail Elementary
Adviser: Lisa Martin

Local author and illustrator Adam Rex just came to our school for a full-day author’s visit. Since my friends and I had read some of his books, we were invited to interview him. We were really excited because we have been reading one of his chapter books, “The True Meaning of Smekday,” and love it!

Adam Rex If you’re thinking, “Hmm, I don’t know about this book. Smekday?,” hear us out because this writer is amazingly funny. This hilarious book is about an 11-year-old girl who is trying to fi nd her mom. Her mom was abducted by aliens during an invasion. The book is a great adventure novel for ages 8 –12. The wild road trip that the main characters take ends up in Tucson, so it’s a fun read during this year of the Arizona Centennial.

Speaking of Arizona, Rex grew up in Phoenix and lives in Tucson. He says he wanted to be an artist since he was 5. His brother was 8 at that time and was better than he was at everything. He once heard his brother complain to their mom that it wasn’t fair that he was only 5 and a better artist. Rex was thrilled that this annoyed his brother, so he wanted to do the one thing that his brother wasn’t good at—art.

Lucky for us, because Rex is a wonderful illustrator. He has illustrated books for other authors and his own books. A great picture book of his for younger readers is “Tree Ring Circus.” His most recent chapter book is “Cold Cereal.” It’s the fi rst book of a new series, which will be followed by a book called “Unlucky Charms.” The main character in “Cold Cereal,” Scottish Play- Doh, aka Scott, has more than an unusual name. He sees things that others cannot, such as an actual leprechaun named Mick. Mick is on the run from an evil cereal company that has plans to take over the world. Can Scott and his friends stop this sinister plan? We urge you to read this entertaining book to fi nd out.

Other great Adam Rex books include “Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich,” “Frankenstein Takes the Cake,” and “Pssst!” Find out more about Adam Rex and his books at adamrex.com. If you want to see and hear him LIVE, go to the Tucson Festival of Books on March 10–11 at the UofA campus. He’ll be presenting and signing books several times throughout the weekend. See the schedule in this issue of Bear Essential News or check out tucsonfestivalofbooks.com.

Bike Fest Starts This Month

by Reporter Amera Roberts, Drachman Montessori
Adviser: Carol Kennedy

Bike FestThe Bike Fest has been around for 20 years, but it used to be called Clean Air Days. The purpose of the celebration is to show bicycling as a safe way to get around. There’s a lot of events going on from March 17 through April 22.

One celebration with the Bike Fest—it is called Cyclovia. It is a car-free event, where you can walk, skate, run, bike, and talk with your neighbors. This event is on Sunday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It begins downtown at Armory Park. It makes a 5-mile circle. You can come and watch the event at the park next to the school because it goes past our school.

Another celebration is Bike to the Zoo Day on April 21. Bike to the Zoo is sponsored by GABA (Greater Arizona Bicycling Association). When you get there show your helmet at the GABA table, then you will get a free ice cream and free admission to the zoo. They will have a bike rack to lock up your bike on while you are walking around the zoo.

For more information go to www.bikefesttucson.com to join all, you have to do is show up at the event. I hope you have a nice time at the event!

Arizona Wildcat Baseball Is a Hit!

by Reporter Trevor Andresen
Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary

Arizona Wildcat BaseballAfter Sunday’s big game against North Dakota State, I got to interview two Arizona baseball players and their head coach. The players are David Lopez and Konner Wade. The head coach is Andy Lopez.

As of press time, the Cats are ranked # 7 in the country! When I interviewed Coach Lopez, he stated that he has a strong faith in God. He expects his team to use their Godgiven abilities and not try to do more than they can.

Another cool thing about this year’s team is they have moved to Hi Corbett Field. The players said there isn’t much difference playing at Hi Corbett except for the fans. They love having more fans and like that they support them. David Lopez is a senior and wants to get his Masters degree in religious beliefs. Wade is a junior and wants to continue playing baseball for as long as he can. The players think that when they start Pac-12 play, every game is going to be important.

The players hope to have a good season and hope to see you out there!

This summer Coach Lopez puts on his Baseball Summer Camps. The camps for youths 5–13 are July 9, 10, 11 and 12. His high school propect camps are July 21–22 and Aug. 11–12. This is Coach Lopez’s 31st year of doing baseball camps! He says it’s a great experience for the kids and him because he gets to see kids all over Tucson and how skilled they are. At the camp you learn a lot about baseball and the techniques of the game. The camp will be held at Hi Corbett fi eld. To sign up, go to the Arizona Athletics website, arizonaathletics.com.

Keeping Wild Cat Populations Strong

by Abby Caldwell, Holladay Elementary Magnet School

Of the four wildcats living in Arizona (bobcat, mountain lion, jaguar and ocelot), two are endangered— the jaguar and ocelot. Habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation due to human development endanger wild cat populations. Human development is when people take space to build things like roads, towns, ranching, agriculture, etc.

Melanie Culver, a U.S. Geological Survey geneticist at the UofA’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, says learning how to co-exist with wild cats, including living in ways that maintain good quality habitats for wild cats, would help keep wild cat populations strong.

“Almost all zoos are working toward conservation efforts of one species or another. Exactly which zoos have conservation programs for cats I don’t know, except I think all major zoos throughout the country probably have at least one endangered or threatened cat present at their zoo. There are 36 species of wild cats worldwide, 26 of which are endangered, threatened or vulnerable,” Culver says.

As a geneticist, Culver studies poop (scat). She says the shape of scat differs between cats and dogs, but that is not 100 percent reliable. “In the lab we extract DNA from the scat and obtain DNA sequences. The DNA sequence tells us the exact species the scat originated from.”

People can learn more about wild cats at the UofA’s Wild Cat Center, whose mission is to conduct conservation related research for all the world’s wild cats. Visit www.uawildcatresearch.org/index.html for more info.

Study Skills!

by Reporter Seewa Linda Buelna
Dodge Middle School

Do you need help with studying? Well there’s lots of different ways to help you study.

The fi rst way you can boost your learning is by asking your teacher(s) if you could go in during lunch and ask for extra help. You also might ask your friends to have a study session.

If that doesn’t work out for you, you could make flash cards, or you could make a game that helps you remember what you’re studying. Or you could just ask your friends or family to help you.

Happy Leap Year!

by Reporters Chelse Gonzales and Kaiyer Dupree, Drachman Montessori
Adviser: Carol Kennedy

Did you know that every four years we have a leap year? Leap year is a year when you add a day to the calendar. It takes the Earth a tad more than 3651/4 days to go around the sun. We usually have 365 days in a year, but every four years the quarters add up to give us one extra day. Who came up with leap year? Julius Caesar came up with leap year and told the Romans. They thought that if we didn’t have an extra day every four years, then the whole calendar would get mixed up. It started around 56 B.C. Leap year day is Feb. 29, a day longer than February’s usual 28 days. After 2012, the next leap years are 2016, 2020, 2024, and its keeps going on by 4 years. For that “tad more,” there’s another leap year day added only on centuries that are divisible by 400. All this to keep our calendar right!

Celebrate 100 Years Arizona

by Reporter Kaylee Wong, Alice Vail Middle School

Celebrate 100 Years“Celebrate Arizona” by Joan Sandin is a great educational book for young readers. This book takes place in the early 1900s when Arizona was not yet a state. The book guides you through a series of events that leads up to Arizona becoming the 48th state of the United States of America. At fi rst I didn’t know anything about Arizona and how it became a state, but now I know lots of important facts. For example, did you know that President William H. Taft signed the paper that made Arizona a state? And we just celebrated the 100th anniversary of Arizona—the day it became a state back in Feb. 14, 1912!

Sandin herself painted the great watercolor pictures depicting these historic times around the state. You get to see Arizona and how its people looked 100 years ago! I enjoyed the rhyming couplet poems about Arizona that go along with the pictures. There’s also a timeline of how Arizona achieved statehood. It shows how President Taft decides to put Arizona territory to statehood. So if you’re interested in finding out facts about how Arizona became a state, get “Celebrate Arizona!”

The Story Behind St. Patrick’s Day

by Reporter Levi Fallavollita, Old Vail Middle School

The 2003 U.S. Census found that 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry. Since I’m among them, I wanted to find out more.

Born in Britain, St. Patrick was captured when he was 16 by Irish raiders and sold into slavery. During his six-year captivity, St. Patrick had religious visions which gave him strength through faith. He escaped to France, joined a monastery and became a priest.

St. Patrick’s real name was Maewyn Succat. He took the name of Patrick after becoming a priest. He eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary and used the three-leaved green shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish.

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday held each year on March 17 to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick spent 30 years in Ireland establishing schools, churches and monasteries. St. Patrick’s Day is the most widely celebrated saint’s day in the world.

Originally a religious holiday, St. Patrick’s Day is now practiced by many people throughout the world with food, drink, parades and everything green. Some cities such as Chicago even dye their rivers green to celebrate!

Tucson’s 25th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival will be March 17. The Festival begins at 10 a.m. in the El Presidio Plaza and the parade begins at 11 a.m. at Pennington & Stone Avenues. In memory of the Irish who died in the potato famine, the food bank will be accepting canned food donations at the parade area, along the route and at Armory Park.

New Menu Is Healthy, Yummy!

by Reporter Erica Brooks, Prince Elementary

On Feb. 26, Chef Albert Hall and Haile Thomas made a new kids’ menu at the restaurant Acacia at Campbell and Skyline. There were kids from all over Tucson to taste test, especially me! If you’re asking, “Who’s Haile?,” I can tell you—Haile is the head member of the HGA Club. She wants to make America’s food healthier, especially for kids!

HGA stands for Healthy Girl Adventure Club. Any girl in America can join. There are online meetings for members like me to discuss what their plans. Haile did this because she kept seeing hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs and other unhealthy foods on the kids menu, while the adult menu was much healthier. Haile replaced macaroni and cheese with grilled chicken-pineapple pizza. They practiced six different healthier recipes than previous options. There were seven kids, including me, and we all enjoyed each healthy entree! The cooks made three different juices. Although, most people liked the pineapple- orange juice, the pineapple-coconut juice was excellent, too. We rated each menu item with a survey on paper. Check it out at www.hgaclub.com.

Set Out on an Adventure With ‘Puss In Boots’

by Reporter Amanda Shake, Catalina Foothills High

puss in bootsWe all know and love Puss In Boots, the charismatic crime-fi ghting kitty from Shrek. Yet, have you ever wondered what his life was like BEFORE he met Shrek and Donkey? Now you can fi nd out with “Puss In Boots,” just released on DVD and Blu-ray!

Long ago, Puss’ partner in crime, Humpty Alexander Dumpty, framed Puss for stealing money from their hometown, San Ricardo. The only way Puss can pay back San Ricardo is to team up with the traitorous egg and his new assistant, Kitty Softpaws, to fi nd legendary golden eggs. Humpty and Puss must put their differences aside to fi ght for what they both love the most. Along the journey, there will be action, romance, twists and turns, including an ending you’ll never expect!

Puss returns with all his wonderful qualities: his charming accent, his incredible skills, and—who can forget?—his adorable eyes. However, in addition to seeing this memorable character again, you will meet new characters that you’ll never forget, from the flair of Kitty Softpaws to the hilarity of Humpty Dumpty. See all this and more in “Puss In Boots”! The movie is rated PG.

Humane SocietyHumane Society Miracles

by Reporter Sierra Squires, Lulu Walker Elementary

The Humane Society is a non-killing place for animals to be put in homes. The animals there get love, exercise, and cared for every day.

Dogs like Sarah get home with people that keep them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately Sarah has been in the Humane Society for a couple months or so. Other dogs like Ice get adopted because they are sweet and kind. Ice was hit by a car a couple years ago, someone found him and brought him to the Humane Society. Some dogs like Chewy, get taken to the Humane Society because they get blamed for problems. Chewy was a small black Chihuahua who was taken to the Humane Scoiety because the kids in his fi rst house were beating him, so he would bite to defend himself; he’s a sweet little boy who got adopted by a family with sweet kids. One of the most surprising stories I heard was about Caya. Caya is a Siberian Husky that got the painful valley fever; she limped to the Humane Society and was lucky to be alive! They nursed Caya back to health and now she is healthy and happy pup.

Cats like Misty, end up in the Humane Society for several months. Misty is a seven year old cat that has been the pet of the month for two months because no one has adopted her. Some people just don’t think before they get a cat when they have dogs at home, Phoebe was brought to the Humane Society because when she was taken home the owners had large dogs that tossed her around. Some cats like Stoney end up alone because the owners can no longer take care of them. So you see animals have miracles, too.

Happy Hooves at TRAK

by Reporter Mariella Chavez, Ventana Vista

TRAK animailsHow can you tell if horses are happy? If If they’re horses at TRAK, they probably are! TRAK stands for Therapeutic Ranch for Animals & Kids. There are lots of other happy animals there, too, like sheep, goats, pot-bellied pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, rabbits, cows, donkeys, miniature horses, dogs and cats. Many animals are donated; others are rescue animals.

There are many different ways to get to know the animals at TRAK. During “members only” hours, you can spend time with the animals and learn how to care for them. “The animals have a way of making you feel at home,” says Scott Tilley, ranch manager. Annual family memberships ($100) are tax deductible. You can also have your birthday party there!

In June, TRAK offers week-long camps for kids aged 5–12. Activities include dyeing sheep’s wool, a watermelon-eating contest with a pig, milking a goat and making goat’s milk ice cream, animal-themed arts and crafts, and of course, horseback rides! (Private riding lessons are available, too.)

If you’re at least 10, you can volunteer at TRAK. According to Tilley, volunteering teaches a sense of responsibility and leadership skills.

One amazing story involves a brown horse named Chum. Three years ago, Chum, a starved and frightened horse, came to TRAK. “I knew Chum was a special horse; he was just starving to death,” says Tilley. Today, Chum is friendly, happy, and healthy too.

TRAK’s motto is “Kids, Animals and Service Together for the Tucson Community.” For more information about TRAK, go to its website: traktucson.org or call (520) 298-9808.

The Story of Sculptures

by Reporter Davion West, Holladay Elementary Magnet

Many sculptures have stories behind them, and these stories can be sculpted with clay, mud, marble, metal and sand. Artists shape their materials the same way a writer shapes a story!

“There are many war memorials and civil rights memorials that show a scene from that period in history that is relevant to the issue that is being depicted,” says Veronica Bell-Sandler, an art teacher at Holladay. According to Bell-Sandler, the fi rst step is to think of an idea and fi nd pictures of the subject. The photos should be from different angles so that the artist knows how to create it in three dimensions. The next step depends on the size of the sculpture. If it’s small, the sculptor may make a sketch. If it’s big they might make a scaled model.

“If you are making a huge sculpture, like the big one outside the downtown library or on the UofA campus, you would make a small model to show your customer,” says Bell-Sandler. Stories can be made from any material, of any size and on any scale. The artist may not have had the same story in mind as the buyer of the sculpture. In the end the buyer will have a story of his or her own.

Keep Your Teeth When You’re 102

by Reporter Mary Ruiz, Holladay Elementary Magnet

Do you want to know why you should go to the dentist? You can keep good teeth while still enjoying all your holiday candy is only one of the reasons why. If you get a cavity it can spread bacteria in your tooth, through the blood system and even spread to your heart. It could kill you! Dentists can prevent it from going to the rest of your body.

The good news is that you can have the same adult teeth for your whole life! “A cavity is a problem that can destroy an entire tooth and spread to other teeth and destroy them as well. So if the dentist fi nds a cavity and fi xes it while it’s small it can save your tooth,” says dentist Jacqueline Gloria Twarog-Huckabee at Tucson Mountain Dental.

Dental hygienist, John Wisthoff says, “if you catch a cavity when it is small you will just need a small fi lling, sometimes not even needing to get numb.” But “if there is a cavity and it is not fi xed, it can get bigger and bigger until the tooth breaks or it gets into the nerve and causes a toothache and an abscess, which is an infection,” Dr. Twarog-Huckabee says. “Then the tooth may need a lot more work to save it. If it’s really bad, we can’t even fi x it. It’s much smarter to prevent cavities,” says Dr. Twarog-Huckabee.

“You should be seen by a dentist soon after you get your fi rst teeth—when you’re 1 year old,” Dr. Twarog-Huckabee says.

Wisthoff points out, “We see patients from all ages ranging from (babies) to 100 years old—they all have good things, so I wouldn’t say there is a best age for a patient.”