KARATE
by Corey H.
I am in Karate. I’m a blue belt. A blue belt is the 5th belt. I only need three more belts until I’m a black belt. The order of belts is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, and black. Many of the Karate moves are in a different type of language. The language is Japanese. I’m kind of a Sensei. A Sensei is a teacher. If you get 100 points you get a star. Stars are very good. I have 20 points. Some of the moves are: roundhouse kick, lunge punch, formal attention blue belt, forward punch, and reverse punch. You can do Karate tournaments. I have four 3rd place trophies. One of them is up to my chest. You should do Karate too!

MY INTERVIEW WITH MRS. KURTH
by Mario M.

Mrs. Kurth has been a teacher at Benson for the
past fifteen years. When I was in first grade,
Mrs. Kurth was my teacher. She made the first
grade very special for me. First grade can be very hard for
kids to adjust to, for some it’s the
first time that they are away from home all day.
Mrs. Kurth said that when she was in school
her favorite subject was writing poetry. I asked
Mrs. Kurth what she would be if she were not a
teacher, and she said she would like to be a
songwriter. Maybe this is why she likes to play
the piano and sing songs in her spare time.
When you think about it, songs are poetry just in
a different tune. I hope that my little brother will
have the pleasure of having Mrs. Kurth next year
when he is in first grade, because Mrs. Kurth
is the kind of teacher that every child loves to
have.

INTERVIEW WITH MISS BERAN
by Valerie G.

Miss Beran is the Benson Primary School music
teacher and has been for the past year. Before
coming to Benson, Miss Beran was a private instrument teacher for five years.
She became a teacher because she loves music and kids.

Miss Beran has learned how to play all musical instruments, but her favorite instrument is the flute. She has performed in many school plays, including Fiddler on the Roof, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Edwin Drood, and West Side Story. Miss Beran has never sung in a school play, but she did play the flute in the pit orchestra. Her favorite song in the Benson winter program was “All For One,” and her favorite musical note is the sixteenth note.

Miss Beran has one pet, a dog, and enjoys reading in her free time. She has two younger brothers and has lived in Colorado and Greece. Her favorite movie is “A Room With a View” and she enjoys all types of music. Miss Beran’s favorite songs are “Enigma Variations” by Elgar and “Tune from County Derry,” by Grainger. Her favorite food is McDonald’s, and her favorite color is purple. Miss Beran loves the winter and would enjoy visiting New York one day.

I have enjoyed interviewing Miss Beran, and I love having her as my music teacher. She makes learning about music fun. Thank you Miss Beran for doing such a great job!

JOKES
by Katrina P.

1. How do you fix a broken jack-o-lantern?

2. Knock, Knock
Who’s there?
Boo
Boo Who?
Why are you crying?

3. What did the rug say to the floor?

Punchlines:
1. With a pumpkin patch!
3. I’ve got you covered.

BASKETBALL
by Kyle S.

Each team has five players on the court. You
want to shoot in the other team’s basket. Each basket
is two points. If you shoot behind the three-point line,
it counts as three points. If you get fouled, you get to
shoot free throws. Free throws are worth one point.
If you don’t dribble, it is a travel. Then the other team
gets the ball. I play for WIBA. My team’s name is the
Celtics. On my team are Scott, Joey, Allison, Anthony,
John, Justin, and Brittany. I like to play basketball!

A VALENTINE POEM
by Marisa W.

V is for very good hugs
A is for all the love you give
L is for liking people on Valentine’s Day
E is for eating lots of chocolates
N is for never forgetting who you love
T is for talking on Valentine’s Day
I is imagining your smile
N is for new friends on Valentine’s Day
E is for exciting things on Valentine’s Day

D.O.L. CORRECTIONS
by Elisabeth V.

please don’t tell james ill be their

Please don’t tell James I’ll be there.

wasn’t that what im doing

Isn’t that what I’m doing?

didn’t rebecca say thats her cat

Didn’t Rebecca say that’s her cat?

thats new york city that im pointing to on the map

That’s New York City I’m pointing to on the map.