Eighth Grader Yiran He to Represent Murphy in Regional Spelling Bee

By Karen Li

Yiran He, currently an eighth grader at R.C. Murphy Jr. High, took the crown at the 2011-2012 Murphy Spelling Bee on December 16, 2011. The exciting event was held in the school library during the day.

Before that, classroom spelling bees were held in all seventh-grade and eighth-grade English classes to determine the contestants of the school spelling bee. A total of twenty-eight Murphy students competed in the school bee for the opportunity to represent Murphy in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

I, being one of the twenty-eight spellers, got to witness all the action for myself. After each round, the words became harder to spell and slowly, more and more students were eliminated. Finally, after nine hectic rounds, the champion speller of the school was named. The top three finishers were rewarded with medals for their achievement, while the other twenty-five spellers received certificates for their participation.

The top three finishers are listed below:

1st Place – Yiran He, 8th grade, awarded a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica and the option to take an additional language course of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Latin, Chinese, or more.

2nd Place – Spencer Ross, 8th grade

3rd Place – Rebecca Schneider, 8th grade

First place winner Yiran He is to represent Murphy Jr. High in the next step of the Scripps National Spelling Bee: the regional competition! The bee will take place at Hofstra University on March 18th, 2012.

“I am honored and stunned by the fact that I will be representing my school and classmates in the regional Long Island spelling bee,” said Yiran. “I never expected to win, as I’ve always been better at vocabulary than spelling, so I feel even more privileged to be able to compete in this next level. Many thanks to teachers, friends, and family for helping me reach this stage.”

Ashley Hong, an 8th grader and last year's Murphy Spelling Bee champion, placed fourth in this year's bee. “It was a pleasure to compete in the Murphy Spelling Bee again this year, and I wish Yiran the best of luck at the next level. She’ll do great.”

The Harmful Effects of Snoring

By Karen Li

Snoring is not only a nuisance to others around you, but recent scientific studies have shown that it can also damage your health. Believe it or not, snoring causes a cessation of breath, which is often times a symptom of the respiratory disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). If you snore in your sleep, you literally stop breathing about a thousand times a night. This leads to drowsiness during the day, multiple spontaneous headaches, and terrible mood swings on your part.

So, how do you suddenly stop breathing in the middle of the night? When snoring, the muscles in your jaw, throat, and tongue relax completely, thus causing your airway to be clogged. And once clogged, your blood pressure will skyrocket for a split second and then return to normal. This process repeats throughout the entire night, typically about a hundred to a thousand times. The more you stop breathing in your sleep, the more dangerous the effects of snoring will be. So far, science has shown that OSA can cause heart disease, heart attacks, hypertension (high blood pressure), strokes, diabetes, and depression.

See? Snoring is obnoxious and also dangerous to your health. If you do happen to snore, try to get out of the bad habit before it’s too late.

Santorum Sweeps through the West and Romney wins Maine and Nevada

By Jacob Klipstein

In the past two weeks 4 more primaries/caucuses have gone by and the results were surprising. Rick Santorum won Missouri, Minnesota, and a surprise in Colorado all in the same night. Before that Mitt Romney won Nevada but remember “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” as this win has not made a huge impact on Romney as he lost the next three to Santorum. Romney then won in Maine but nobody showed up so it is a small win for Romney but he looks to gain momentum as Michigan and Arizona come up.

Here are my predictions for upcoming states:

Feb. 28

Arizona: Rick Santorum

Michigan: Mitt Romney

Mar. 3

Washington: Rick Santorum

Mar.6 Super Tuesday

Alaska: Rick Santorum

Georgia: Newt Gingrich

Idaho: Rick Santorum

Massachusetts: Mitt Romney

North Dakota: Rick Santorum

Ohio: Mitt Romney

Oklahoma: Mitt Romney

Tennessee: Newt Gingrich

Vermont: Mitt Romney

Virginia: Mitt Romney

Those are my predictions but only time will tell so have a nice break and see you later.

Political Update: Romney and Gingrich are Neck and Neck

By Jacob Klipstein

There have been three primaries since the Iowa caucuses, and the results and mudslinging has not even reached the peak. Since Iowa, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman have dropped out and endorsed Newt Gingrich (Perry) and Mitt Romney (Huntsman). Another news break was a month after the Caucuses in Iowa, we found out Rick Santorum had actually won. After Iowa, Romney won in his backyard, New Hampshire, and again in Florida, a major delegate state. Newt Gingrich won South Carolina and has been attacking Romney left and right in debates.

Ron Paul was in fourth place in South Carolina and Florida, and Santorum may soon drop out due to complications to his daughter’s illness.

This race keeps getting more and more exciting and exclusive as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich pull further and further ahead of Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. This race is also leaving some independents, democrats, and Europeans in a dazed state, questioning the effectiveness of these presidential candidates. Stay tuned to find out more.

Fake Horoscopes: February

Your fake horoscopes!

By Anonymous

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19): A stray dog will shake your hand.

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): A magical plant will sing to you.

Gemini (May 21-Jun 20): You will rip your pants at a wedding.

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22): A panda will lick your wallet.

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22): You will discover a new planet.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22): Prepare for flying unicorns.

Libra (Sept 23-Oct 22): You will save the world from talking bugs

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21): The force will not be with you when you take your next test.

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21): You will have dreams about a certain nickel. ;D

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19): You will not find the ninjas in your room.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18): Jellyfish seem to have an attraction to you.

Pisces (Feb 19- Mar 20): You will be trampled by sweaty wrestlers.

Joe Paterno Passes Away at 85: What is His Legacy?

By Jacob Klipstein

On Sunday January 22, 2012 legendary Coach Joe Paterno passed away at age 85. His death came at a time where his legacy was questioned when his assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested for molesting children.

In a report in 2002, another assistant coach of Paterno, Mike McQuery, oversaw Sandusky's horrible act. When McQuery told Paterno, he did not tell police but the athletic director instead, who no longer has a job. In an interview with the Washington Post, Paterno said, “ I did not know what to do with the situation."

Joe Paterno, Mike McQuery and many others lost their jobs in the scandal. However, those were the least important casualties. The kids who were molested were the most important casualties. Their thoughts must be in our prayers.

Joe Paterno won 409 games and won two national championships against Georgia and the confident and showboating Miami Hurricanes. Joe Paterno was just replaced by a man named Bill O’Brien who was playing for the Super Bowl as the New England Patriots Offensive Coordinators.

So you might be asking what Joe Paterno’s legacy is now. His legacy was a legendary coach in college football who shaped many men’s lives. The scandal ruined the coach in the white shining armor. People say he is the “pope of happy valley”, or a supporter of Child Rape. In reality, he was just a frail old man, sick with lung cancer. Joe’s legacy should be of a legendary coach who, sadly, made a mistake before he had the chance to make it right.

School Pickup Lines!

By Anonymous

• 
  
  I wish I was Adenine on RNA so I could pair up with U ;)


• If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.


• Are you a magnet? Because I’m attracted to you!


• Life without you would be like a broken pencil...pointless.


• You’re like a student and I am like a math book; you solve all my problems.


• You must be an asymptote because I’m approaching you.


• I wish I was positive and you negative, ‘cause opposites attract.


• Pickup line for lunch:Do you have any raisins? How about a date?