Easy/Off Brand S'Mores

Here is the easiest Sweet-Craving Satisfier. Yes, it only has three ingredients needed, but you can add another.

1. Crescent rolls
2. Chocolate Chips
3. Marshmallows
4. And if you really need it, melted butter

First, preheat the oven 375 degrees. Take a metal pan and cover it with tinfoil. Spray the tinfoil with Pam spray. Lay a sliced crescent roll on the pan. Space out the chocolate chips and marshmallows along the slice of the crescent roll. Roll up the slice and coat the outside with a little bit of butter to make it slightly more flaky. Finish the crescent roll can in the same way and space out the rolled up slices within 2 inches of each one. Stick in the heated oven and allow it to cook. The crescent rolls should have a time limit on the can but if not, cook for 10 mins or until slightly golden and not black. Take out the rolls, turn off the oven, and Enjoy!

Written by Keira Zirkle

Nine Year Old Drags Adults With Reporting Skills

It’s a sad day when a 9 year old girl can beat adults who have had proper training and a lot more experience. Today is the sad day that Hilde Kate Lysiak awesomely beat many reporters at their own job. In Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, there had been a murder. Hilde Kate Lysiak got a tip from one of the neighbors of the crime scene and went down to investigate. She was the only reporter to arrive. She did her job well, she went door to door to get more coverage and interviewed the cops on the scene as well. That Friday night, she wrote the story, had her father edit and post it on the newspaper website. The next day she interviewed police officers and neighbors again to get full coverage and update her story. She did a full reporter’s job even without the meager salary! Hilde unfortunately received hateful critique on her coverage on Facebook from her town’s citizens. On Sunday, Hilde posted a video that respectfully said, “I know this makes some of you uncomfortable, and I know some of you just want me to sit down and be quiet because I'm 9. But if you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computer and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?"

This is not the first major story that Hilde Kate Lysiak has covered. Since the past summer she has reported on “…possibly rabid skunk shot dead by police, several acts of vandalism, the many empty storefronts in downtown Selinsgrove and the removal of a Christmas wreath from a building after several years (under the headline 'Christmas Finally over in Grove!').” She has also reported on the arrest of the vandal whose crimes were featured in her earlier coverage. For a 9 year old, Hilde Lysiak does a better job than a lot of adults.

Written by Keira Zirkle

Poem of the Week

This poem, Call of the Night was published in 1911 by Barnes. After recognition for her poems, she became a freelance journalist and illustrator for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in NYC. She worked there until 1921, where she was commissioned by McCall’s magazine to work in Paris for journalism and poetry. She lived there for 10 years, and during that time she wrote an anthology, The Book, which included three stories A Night Among the Horses, Ladies Almanack, and Ryder. The next ten years of her life were spent travelling across cities in England and Egypt, New York City, NY, Paris, France. During her travels she wrote Nightwood. She returned to New York in 1939 to live and write one last piece, Antiphon, before her death in 1982.

Call of the Night

Djuna Barnes, 1892 - 1982

Dark, and the wind-blurred pines,

          With a glimmer of light between.

Then I, entombed for an hourless night

          With the world of things unseen.

Mist, the dust of flowers,

          Leagues, heavy with promise of snow,

And a beckoning road ‘twixt vale and hill,

          With the lure that all must know.

A light, my window’s gleam,

          Soft, flaring its squares of red—

I loose the ache of the wilderness

          And long for the fire instead.

You too know, old fellow?

          Then, lift your head and bark.

It’s just the call of the lonesome place,

          The winds and the housing dark.

"Call of the Night" was published in Harper's Weekly on Dec. 23, 1911. It appears in Barnes' "Collected Poems: With Notes Toward the Memoirs" (University of Wisconsin Press, 2005).

Written by Keira Zirkle

A Female Ghostbusters?!?!

The highly anticipated Ghostbusters 3 will be released in July this year. But the twist no one was expecting on this cult-classic? All of the main characters(Ghostbusters) will be played by women. The main characters will be Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Melissa McCarthy’s latest movie was Spy just last year. Kristen Wiig played the NASA PR Director in The Martian and Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are on the cast of Saturday Night Live. Sigourney Weaver will all be apart of it, taking up her role of Dana Barrett from the originals. Other notable actors are Chris Hemsworth and Andy Garcia. The movie will follow the first two ghostbusters plot, but with a twist on who the characters are. Instead of the three main characters as broke out of work scientists, these women will still have  their jobs as a “Columbia University academic, her ghost-chasing friend, the friend's business partner, and an MTA employee.” What do you think? Will Ghostbusters 3 live up to the hype?

Written by Keira Zirkle

How to Look 20 Years Older in 8 Short Years

Looking at my blog feed, a post came up that showed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address from his first year as president, to his last one just this month. The contrast is startling, because he looks as if he has aged 20 years.

Even though he will be turning 55 this year, these days it’s not that old. With the wonders of modern science, 55 is the new 45. Just out of curiousity, I looked into our past presidents. Starting from Barak Obama and going backwards.

Fortunately for George W. Bush, the only thing different from his first to last address was the lighting, couple more wrinkles, and a woman in a seat of power behind him.

George H. W. Bush got contacts and again a couple more wrinkles. If poor Obama is going to be the only one showing how the presidency affected his features?

He should be rewarded for his efforts, not let it age him!

Alright last one, let us see if Reagan had any negative effects from his presidency.

Slightly more wrinkles, a lighting change, an obviously better camera man and a few more grey hairs, but again not much difference from his first to last address within eight years.

Hopefully, the next president will not be as changed by the job as the presidents preceding him/her. But as it stands now, they will get more wrinkles at the very least.

Written by Keira Zirkle

Easy Meal to Keep Your New Year's Resolution?

English Muffin Pizzas are an extremely quick, easy, and cheap meal. They only require ten minutes of your time, maybe fifteen if you are lazy. If you have ever made a pizza, then you would know that spooning some sauce over a flat surface and sprinkling on ingredients is not hard. There might be a video of a monkey doing that, if there isn't, there needs to be one. English Muffin Pizzas require $12 max if you decide to get quality ingredients from Farm Fresh.

In order to make English Muffin Pizzas, you will need:

• English Muffins
• Red Sauce (from a can or from a fancy jar, any will do)
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Any other toppings you want (remember this is healthy pizza, that would mean pepperoni, bacon bits, processed ham and sausage should not be on your pizza. Instead use turkey bacon cut and pulled into tiny pieces, real ham from the deli, or really no meat at all.)
• A spoon
• A microwave or oven
• Plate or cooking sheet

1. If  you are using the oven, set the oven on 400 degrees. If you are using a microwave, then do not do anything
2. Take an one English muffin and cut it in half. (1 English Muffin will suffice for snack, 2 would suffice for a meal.)
3. Place English muffin on plate or cooking sheet.
4. Add sauce to both pieces of English muffin. (One normal sized spoon should do the trick, two if a small spoon. If any more, it's too much red sauce which will add too much sodium content to your English muffins, remember this is healthy and making you happy by eating healthy pizza)
5. Add any other ingredients including cheese.
6. Place English muffin pizzas in the microwave for 1 minute or until you start hearing sounds. Or place the pizzas in the oven for 5 minutes.
7. Check your pizzas to see if they are cooked to your view of perfection and viola.

That’s it! This is a great meal and a great way to stay healthy.

Written by Keira Zirkle

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Top 10 Christmas Movies

We all have some of our favorite Christmas traditions. From listening to beloved albums to eating the best cookies ever, there are just certain things that Christmas wouldn’t be the same without. For me, nothing says Christmas like coming together and watching old Christmas classics. In the spirit of the season, here is a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies.

10. Frosty The Snowman

Who can forget everyone’s favorite snowman? He even comes with his own song. We all remember watching Frosty at Christmastime. His warm heart melted even the coldest of attitudes and helped us truly enjoy Christmas.

9.  The Year Without Santa Claus

Now we all know how big a part Santa plays in the Christmas season. So of course our childlike hearts loved a story that showed just how much we really needed Santa. Plus, who can go a Christmas season without the Snow Miser VS Heat Miser songs?

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This Christmas story, written by Dr. Seuss, tells all kids that the true meaning of Christmas does not come from Hoo-horns or the great Hoo-Tree, but from the small kindness in a little girl with horrible ponytails. Also, who could pull off that color green but the Grinch himself?

7. It’s a Wonderful LIfe

This movie has been preserved through the years as a feel good movie where a tissue box is right beside popcorn. This movie is arguably as tear jerking as Miracle on 34th Street, but definitely not as heavily endorsed by Macy’s. Plus it made a whole generation really like bells.

6. The Santa Clause

We all remember growing up watching the Santa Clause. Nothing says Christmas like watching Tim Allen have a mid-life Christmas crisis. Plus, by the third installation of the series, we just really wanted Santa to catch a break.

5. Home Alone

We all know that Home Alone is a true Christmas classic. No other movie taught us that we really don’t need our parents. Regardless of the fact that they made me seriously underestimate any burglar, this is still one of my favorite movies.

4. Elf

Buddy the elf what’s your favorite color? Yep Christmas and Will Ferrell in extremely tight tights go hand in hand. Plus, this movie gave thirteen year old me the best idea for breakfast. Let’s just say, syrup and spaghetti doesn’t taste as good as it looks.

3. A Christmas Carol

What can I say. Christmastime. A Christmas Carol. This classic story has been remade so many times that people can hardly remember a time before it. We also love to call people who don’t give us enough presents a Scrooge.

2. Nightmare Before Christmas

What's this?! Not surprisingly this movie is a favorite. While some choose to watch it during Halloween, I like to stay true to its original title. Plus, who doesn’t want to imagine Santa as a skeleton named Jack? This movie is a gem to be treasured by family and hot topic teens alike.

1. Charlie Brown Christmas

This lovable cartoon probably best represents the Christmas spirit for me. Whether it’s that decrepit looking tree or the magic of hearing Linus recite that super long Bible verse, A Charlie Brown Christmas always helps me get into the holiday season. Thanks Charlie Brown!

   

Overall, these are some of my favorite Christmas movies. Have a favorite that didn’t make it on to the list. Comment them below! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Written by Keira Zirkle

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HCA Mission Movement

At Hampton Christian Academy, our school is based on an underlying principle of serving others. As we go into the time before winter break, we can look back and see how the school has already been putting that principle into practice. From collecting items for the Woman's Shelter, writing letters to hospitalized children and soldiers, tutoring children at the W.H. Thomas Community center, collecting Thanksgiving food items for the Breakthrough Center, and collecting shoe-boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the entire school has worked together in their cause to help and serve those in need. These outreach programs have received incredible amounts of participation. It's heartwarming to watch all students come together and serve our community.

Even if you weren’t directly involved in some of the outreaches just mentioned, there is always to opportunity to work on another project or fundraiser. Until Christmas break, students can help NYSUM team collect toys and candy, and wrap Christmas gifts. Not that great a present wrapper? You could also continue to help tutor the kids at W.H Thomas. Also, if you have any other ideas about service projects that we could do, feel free to comment! We’d love to help in any way we can!

Written by Keira Zirkle

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