The EXCEL Echo: May Edition

Tips & Tricks
SKIP HARD QUESTIONs
ELIMINATE ANSWERS
BUBBLE AT THE END
ANSWER EVERY QUESTION
GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

EAT BREAKFAST
STAY CALM

ENGLISH SECTION READING SECTION

75 Questions 40 Questions
5 passages - 15 Questions Each Use the Take 5 Strategy
Recognize the Question Patterns 7 0ut of the 10 per passage will give
Practice the recognition of independent you the line number.
& dependent clauses.

MATH SECTION SCIENCE SECTION

60 Questions Read the Questions First.
1-20 Easy Break Down the Questions as a
21-40 Medium process
41-60 Hard
Make 2 Passes







The Best
April Fools
Pranks

Are you an Aries?

As an Aries, you are the first sign of the zodiac, and as a result your
presence marks the beginning of something energetic or turbulent. An

Aries you are a very active zodiac, and are always looking for
competition because they want to be first at everything. Things they
like include comfortable clothes, individual sports, taking on leadership

roles, and physical challenges. On the contrary, they dislike the
following: Inactivity, delays, and work that does not use one's talents.

What an Aries looks like at DBE…

An Aries demonstrates courage, a strength in times of need or danger.
These are the students who get their work completed right before the
end of the 9-weeks, or have just the right amount of money left in their
account for the Wednesday special. Another positive attribute of the
Aries is that they are honest - these are the classmates who will cop to
not being the best group member in a team project, especially right
before the self-assessment that will expose them for the slackers they
are. Aries also are positive, as they tend to be emotional beings. These

are the students who try and find the silver lining, even if

A weakness of the Aries is that they have a tendency to be impulsive or
short-tempered. In essence, they let their emotions get the best of them

and can show their behind via explosive outbursts. Such are the
students, who get visually frustrated at slow WiFi or who eratically
jump up from their seats and leave to go to the bathroom for the sixth

time in a class period.

Top 5 Recent Country
Songs

1. “Scarecrow in the Garden”
-Chris Stapleton

2. “Five more minutes”
-Scotty McCreery

3. “When it rains it pours”
-Luke Combs

4. “With you I am”
-Cody Johnson

5. “We should be friends”
-Miranda Lambert

TOP 3 BEST ANIMALS

BY: JUSTIN DESTEFANO

Animals

1. Bald Eagle
- Because ‘Merica

2. Bald Eagle
- Also because ‘Merica

3. Irish Setter
- Because this is the type

of dog(s) i have



TOP 5 NBA KICKS

NBA BASKETBALL PG1 “FEROCITY”
COST: $110

NIKE BASKETBALL LEBRON XIV
“UNIVERSITY RED”
COST: $175

NIKE BASKETBALL KOBE AD
“OREGON”
COST: $160

ADIDAS CRAZYEXPLOSIVE
LOW

COST: $140

AIR JORDAN XXX1
HYBRID

COST: $155



Middle Schoolers Should Have Recess

When I left elementary school, I could no longer
go to the playground. The place where I expended

most of my energy of the day, was no longer
available for me. It was a huge change for middle

school me to go from having time to play with
friends and having fun to having to stay in class

all day, excluding lunch, was almost depressing
for me. Not only does recess have a mental
impact on kids, it also has a physical impact.
Childhood obesity has skyrocketed since the
1970ʻs and shows no signs of slowing down.

Having recess in middle school would help reduce
these rates by alot. Gym classes may be a

required class, but after children finish that
class, there is nothing stopping them from just
never exercising again. Having some time to get
some energy out and have some fun never hurt

anyone.

In this edition of What’s Cookin’ in the Kitchen we will be working on
a new recipe of General Tso’s Chicken. I will be making a video on how to
make General Tso’s Chicken, which I have never made before, so this will be

an exciting experience. The recipe I use will be in the video as well.
As I cook more and more, I notice small problems that can sometimes ruin

a dish. Cooking rice and chicken correctly can sometimes be a hastle.
Rice is particularly difficult to cook perfectly. To cook rice well add a little
salt to the water, boil the water, then add the rice and simmer it. Once the
rice is well cooked you can use a fork to fluff up the rice and make it look

delicious. Chicken is another issue, it can be hard to tell when the chicken
has cooked long enough or not. When cooking chicken you can use an extra
piece as a tester piece, if it is not cooked all the way, the other pieces won’t be

either. The test piece should be about the same size as the other pieces.
You can also use this piece to season to the perfect amoun by taseting the

one piece instead of all the others.

Saint Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

Saint Patrick, Patron of Ireland, was born in Roman Britain in the year
387 AD. 14 years later, he was taken from his home by Irish Pirates

during a British raid. He was taken as a slave to become a shepard. His
captivity lasted 20 years, and in his memoir, The Confession, St. Patrick
wrote that his escape was planned from a dream he had in which God
told him to escape Ireland by heading to the coast. There, he was aided
by sailors and returned to Britain. Years after his return to his family, St.

Patrick saw a vision, described in
The Confession as:

"I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus,
and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the

heading: 'The Voice of the Irish.' As I began the letter, I imagined in that
moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the
wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as
with one voice: 'We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk

among us.”
After his vision, St. Patrick decided to become a Priest.. After years of
study, St. Patrick was finally ordained a Priest by St. Germanus, Bishop
of Auxerre. Several years later, St. Patrick was ordained a Bishop and
sent to bring the Gospel to Ireland. Arriving in Slane, Ireland on March
25, 433, Patrick began to preach his Gospel. There are several legends

about what happened once he arrived on Ireland, with the most
prominent claiming he met the Chieftain of one of the Druid tribes,
whomst tried to slay him. Through interventions from God, Patrick was
able to convert the chieftain and preach the Gospel throughout Ireland.
There, he converted thousands of people and began building churches
across the country. Often times, St. Patrick used shamrocks to explain
the Holy Trinity and entire kingdoms were eventually converted to
Christianity after hearing Patrick's message. Patrick preached and
converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and
wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty,
traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461. He died at
Saul, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried
in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. His grave was marked in 1990 with a

granite stone.
"Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside
me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath
me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of

all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."