Holiday Issue! Pioneer Press
Volume 5, Issue 2 December 20, 2022
Holiday Giving
By: Rowan Cooley
I am sure everybody saw the HUGE pile of food that we were collecting in the hallway. Maybe you were wondering
what that was all about? Well, the holiday food drive is a school tradition where the elementary kids donate food to
help our community. Kids brought in food and toiletries to donate to families in our community.
Some foods that were donated are non-perishables like beans, noodles, cereal, and coffee. You can also donate shower
supplies like shampoo, conditioner, or soaps. From November 14th to December 2nd, kids brought in all of their
donations and everything was collected all together as an elementary school. These items were then sorted and
organized by the fourth graders, so that Sevastopol Elementary could brighten ten families Holiday season. And this is
only the elementary food drive, the high school also holds a food drive that will giving to more families!
Our goal for the holiday food drive was for the elementary as a whole to donate 1,000 food items. To sweeten the deal,
Mr. Schauske and Mrs. Neuman said if each grade level was able to bring in 100 items, we would get hot cocoa and
marshmallows. Elementary kids did awesome and brought in exactly 1,170 items! Way to go!
Thank you to everybody who was able to donate to a great cause, you all should feel good about how you were able to
make somebody’s Holidays a little better!
Gratitude & Empathy During the Holidays
By: Michal Dereszkiewicz & Boone Henry
People say that the most important part of the holidays is getting together with family and friends,
or giving gifts to others. Something important to remember for the holiday season is to show
gratitude and empathy to others. When you feel gratitude, you're pleased by what someone did
for you and also pleased by the results.
One way to show empathy to others during the holidays is to give to others who may be less
fortunate than you. Some ways to donate to those in need are the toy drive and the food drive.
Tucker LeClair says, “One way to show empathy is to donate to those in need.”
Even though we didn’t have a way to donate to the toy drive here at school, there were big boxes
outside of local businesses that you could drop off toys in. Logan Delarwelle says, “Giving gifts to others is a way to
show empathy.”
You could donate to the food drive at school by bringing food to your homeroom and giving it to your teacher. If you
donated, you put a big smile on someone's face.
There are many small ways that you can show empathy and gratitude every day to the people in your life! Make sure
to be thankful for all the small things that you may take advantage of usually. The 5th-graders even wrote letters to
special people in their lives to show their gratitude! Try writing a letter, or even a small note to somebody important in 1
your life. We hope that everybody can show and receive empathy and gratitude this holiday season!
What to Read This Holiday Season
What is your favorite book to read during for the holidays? We asked all the teachers at school what their favorite holiday
book is to read, and here are their recommendations!
Mrs. Albertson
Mr. Hilts, Mr. Schauske, Mr. Skiba
Mrs. Krueger, & Mrs.
Bowers
Mrs. Ayer Mrs. Grooters
Ms. Bortle & Mrs. Wiesner
Mrs. Bley
Mrs. Neuman Mrs. Huehns Mrs. Horvat Mrs. Asher
Mrs. Schroeder Mrs. Rikkola Mrs. Thomas
Did your favorite holiday book make it to this list? If not, that’s ok, ALL books that you enjoy reading are GREAT 2
books! Maybe check out one of these books and give it a try!
Also remember that RIF is coming up on December 21, so be sure to pick out a great book to read over break!
Get Into the Holiday Spirit
Holiday Concerts Tree Decorating Competition
By: Aayid Khan & Will Ortmayer By: Shaylyn Asher & Ali Czagas
This year’s concerts were organized by Mrs. Hasenjager What is going on in the SGI rooms around elementary? All
and Mr. Larson. They are winter themed concerts with of the grade levels have been challenged with a task; a tree
all elementary grade level performing in two concerts. decorating competition. This competition is just like a door
This year’s holiday concerts are on December 18th & decorating contest, but in tree form. The teachers and Mr.
19th in the elementary gym. The 2nd-5th grades Hilts thought that this would be a fun, competitive way to
perform at 12:00 for the Senior Citizen Concert and 6:00 help build Christmas spirit.
pm on December 18. While the 4k-1st performs at 1:45 We know what you’re all thinking; what are the details?
on December 19.
We have a winter concert because it is fun to perform Who? All the grades will compete in the
concerts and they will be sure to bring joy to students, challenge. The principals and specials teachers are
parents, and teachers. We hope to see everybody at the judging all the trees.
concerts! What? The tree limit is only one tree per grade to
see who can build the most creative tree.
5th Grade will be playing “Up on the Housetop” When? The trees need to be done by December 21,
followed by “Hot Cross Buns,” with a finale of “Go and will be judged on December 22. .
Tell Aunt Rhody.” The 5th-graders also have the band Where? The trees need to be in the SGI rooms.
playing all together to help support the concert. Why? The school is doing this to spread
4th graders will be bucket drumming “Silent Night” Christmas cheer.
and will also be singing during the concert too. How? The trees need to be made out of school
3rd grade will be playing boomwhackers and jingle supplies, with student help, and nothing can be
bells, as well as singing. brought in from home.
2nd grade will be singing “Little Snowflakes,” “We Good luck to all grade levels! We cannot wait to see the
Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and “There Was a Pig.” finished trees and find out who the winner is!
1st grade will be singing “O Christmas Tree,” “Must be 4K K
Santa,” “Jolly Old Saint Nick,” and “Go in Peace.”
5k and 4k will be singing “He Will be Coming Down the 2nd 3rd
Chimney,” “Snow Pants,” “Jingle Bells,” “Listen to the
Jingles,” “Tooty Ta,” “Go in Peace,” “We Wish You a
Merry Christmas,” and “Nice Not Naughty.”
Now that you know all about the upcoming concerts,
we can't wait to see you there! It will be sure to spread
joy all around the school.
3
4th 5th
What’s Happening Around School?
Reading Buddies
By: Brennan Collins & Addison Solberg
For those who don’t know what reading buddies are, it’s when 5th and 3rd graders go to read with 4K or 5K. It is what it
sounds like, the older kids get paired with a younger kid and read together. Sometimes they also do fun activities, such as
learning words by going outside or even doing gratitude activities. We have been doing reading buddies for about ten
years, and everybody still enjoys it!
We do reading buddies because it's fun, but it is also nice for helping kids develop reading skills. When the older kids read
to the younger kids, it helps everybody’s reading fluency. It is also nice for the 4K-5K to chat with older kids, this helps
them feel more comfortable at school. Now when they walk down the halls, the little kids can see familiar faces. In fact,
Mrs. Ayer says, “I like how excited the little kids get when the 5th graders come.”
Fifth grade has reading buddies every Tuesday at 10:00 and 12:30, so that each homeroom can go. Mrs. Thomas’s 3rd
grade class also does reading buddies, and her class goes on Friday from 8:00-8:30. We asked the teachers if there was one
thing they could change about Reading Buddies what would it be, and Mrs. Horvat says the only thing she would change
is, “That we can do it more often.”
What 5th Graders Think About Reading Buddies
Milo says, “I like it because I like to read to them and do activities with them.”
Kylie says, “I like reading buddies because it's a time I get to read.”
Ryder says, “I like reading buddies because my reading buddy gives me Spanish
lessons and tells funny jokes.”
What 4k and 5k Thinks About Reading Buddies
Danielle from 5K says, “I like it because I think it’s nice and I like to read.”
Daphne from 4K says, “I like it because I get to read with one of my friends.”
Kingston from 5K says, “I like that they read to me and ask me what I like about the book.”
Peer Mentors
By: Maggie Thomas
Have you ever wondered what a “Peer Mentor” is? The goal of peer mentors is to match high school kids (mentors) with
elementary kids (mentees) that the mentee’s teacher thinks will be a good fit for them. Then, the mentees will work with
their mentors on what the teachers think would be good for the kids, whether that is social, academic help, or
enrichment.
There are a variety of things that kids do with their peer mentors. Here are some of those activities, but definitely not
all:
❖ Helping with homework
❖ Working on projects
❖ Playing board games
❖ Playing card games
❖ Sometimes, playing in the gym, if it is open
❖ Doing themed crafts
Right now, each peer mentor & mentee group will be making ornaments for a tree because the high school has a 4
tree-decorating contest, and the peer mentors always have a tree. Peer mentors is definitely a great idea!
What’s Happening Around School?
Art Collages
By: Brennan Collins & Addison Solberg
Have you ever wondered what the other grades are doing in art class? Well, now you can know! As you might
already know, the elementary kids will be making a gingerbread village mural. The mural is in the hallway behind
the Pioneer Room.
4K is working on making houses with geometric shapes. They will also be making polar bears for the
Christmas Gingerbread Village mural.
5K is working on making evergreen trees for the Gingerbread Village mural.
1st grade is working on Poinsettia Flowers right now.
2nd grade is working on gingerbread men for the Gingerbread Village mural and a hot cocoa painting.
3rd grade is working on snowmen for the mural, and they are doing a project based on Charlie Harper's
geometric art style by making cardinals.
4th grade is working on winter mountain landscapes.
5th grade is working on gingerbread houses for the Gingerbread Village mural, and they recently started
making barn landscapes with watercolors.
These projects show all of the effort that students put into their artwork to help create a group project. That sounds
like teamwork to me! I wonder what the village will look like at the end of the project!
5
Favorite Holiday Treats
By: Silas Martin & Jaya Lama
We know that everyone loves Christmas. We love the music, the food, the presents, and Christmas break. Do you
know what we also love? The treats! Here are the opinions of 4K through 5th on some favorite Christmas treats.
A majority of people we interviewed replied to cookies as their favorite treat, and I agree with that! There were also
different treats such as pretzel cookies and candy cane cookies which actually sound really good.
Well, as you can see our favorite Christmas treat is sugar cookies so here is a
common sugar cookie recipe that you could make with your family.
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS:
● 3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface Step 1
● 1 tsp. baking powder ● In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking
● 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
● 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened powder, and salt and set aside.
● 1 c. granulated sugar Step 2
● 1 large egg ● In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar
● 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk,
● 1 tbsp. milk and vanilla and beat until combined, then add
flour mixture gradually until totally
FROSTING combined.
Step 3
● 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened ● Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic.
● 5 c. powdered sugar Refrigerate 1 hour.
● 1/4 c. heavy cream Step 4
● 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract ● When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and
● 1/4 tsp. kosher salt line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
● Food coloring Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out
dough until 1/8” thick. Cut out shapes and
transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10
minutes (so your shapes hold while baking!).
Step 5
● Meanwhile, make frosting: In a large bowl
using a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth,
then add powdered sugar and beat until no
lumps remain. Add cream, almond extract,
and salt and beat until combined.
Step 6
● Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8
to 10 minutes.
Step 7
● Let cool, then frost and decorate as desired.
6
Traditions of Christmas
The History of Christmas
By: Grace Olson & Kailee Gilbert
Have you ever thought about how Christmas started? Even if you haven’t, you will learn about when it started,
how it became a holiday, and what people do on Christmas.
A church in Rome started celebrating a special day, and they called this day Christmas. In the 1800s, people
celebrated Christmas by giving out cards and decorating evergreen trees or singing Christmas songs in public places.
Christmas hasn’t really changed much since the 1800s.
Christmas became an official holiday in Rome in the 9th century, and now it is celebrated on December 25. It is a
holiday for children all around the world, and there are a lot of different things that people do on Christmas. A
common one is making Christmas gift lists. On one of these lists you write down all the items you want for
Christmas. A lot of children like this holiday because it’s like an extra birthday, where you get presents!
People also make desserts for Christmas. Some common desserts for Christmas are cookies,
gingerbread houses, chocolate, or bigger desserts like cheesecake, cake, and eggnog.
Christmas desserts are Grace’s favorite part about Christmas.
About 160 countries in the world celebrate Christmas. Some silly traditions all around the world are
Giant Lantern Festival (Philippines), Gävle Goat (Sweden), Krampus (Austria),
and Kentucky Fried Christmas Dinner (Japan). The point of this is to show that
not everybody's Christmas traditions are going to be the same. So, celebrate
Christmas however you want!
Hottest Gifts of 2022
By: Shaylyn Asher & Shane Leist
What did you asked for for Christmas? Here are some of the hottest gifts trending in 2022.
The most sold toy in 2022 is the Squishmallows Mystery Box. The stuffing in these plushies is ultra-soft and (big
surprise) squishy, they make great pillows or even cushions depending on the size. Alternatively, Squishmallows
have become a popular fidget.
Some children like Squeakee the Balloon Dinosaur. This dinosaur is related to last year’s favorite toy, Squeakee the
Balloon Dog. This popular toy is a “stomping, roaring, and dancing dino.” These interactive toys are just super fun.
LEGO’S are also a big request this year, “The reasoning is it challenges creativity.” LEGOS allow for children's’
imaginations to let loose and be creative. They can be works of art, fun, and creative things.
Another top toy for 2022 is the Frozen II Singing Elsa doll. “Elsa demonstrates powerful magical abilities from a
young age.” The magic Elsa Doll sings, talks, and lets her powers out! This makes it very appealing!
These are some of the most popular toys for boys and girls 2022. So, just maybe, one of these fantastic toys might
end up under your Christmas tree!
7
All the Parts of the Holidays
History of the “Naughty & Nice” List
By: Selma Gigstead
Have you ever wondered how Santa’s Naughty & Nice List started? Well,
the whole idea of kids being naughty or nice may have come from 16th
century Holland. Instead of stockings, parents placed their kids’ clogs, or
shoes, near the fireplace. Good children would find candy or treats in their
clogs. Naughty children, however, would find a lump of coal in their clogs.
Even though Santa might creates his list early in Decemeber, there is still time for children who are on the naughty list
to make it on to Santa’s nice list! However, you can still get on the nice list by; telling stories about the first Santa Claus,
St. Nicholas, listening to the song, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and other Christmas songs about Santa, and being
kind to your siblings and any other good deeds
On December 4th, Santa’s List Day celebrates the day that Santa puts together his list of naughty and nice children.
Santa is the one celebrating this day, because he is the one putting together his “naughty or nice” list. It’s also a day
meant for kids to start writing their Christmas wish lists, despite many kids not using this rare tradition of writing their
Christmas list on December 4th. The first mention of a list occurs in the song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by J.
Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. This Christmas song written in 1934, includes
the lyrics, “He’s making a list, He’s checking it twice, He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or
nice.” This shows where the tradition of the naughty and nice list originated. Many stories
were made and evolved to fit with the song lyrics such as: "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
by Mariah Carey (1994), The Crystals (1963), The Jackson 5 (1970), Jessie J (2018), and
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (1981). The song goes on to say that Santa Claus
sees everything that boys and girls do, so you better be good for goodness sake!
Are There Downsides to the Christmas Season?
By: Kailee Gilbert & Grace Olson
Everybody loves Christmas, right? Even though we all enjoy the gifts and spending time with family and friends,
there may be some negative parts to Christmas too.
Some people who go to big family get togethers, might be shy around family they don’t see all the time. Some
others don't like Christmas because people take too much of it for granted. For example, if they get a present they
don't like they’ll get angry and not be thankful for what they got. There is nothing wrong with liking or disliking
Christmas, but there is no need to ruin it for those who do like it.
Bella says, “Not many people understand what Christmas is really about. Some people think it's all about getting
presents but it’s actually about spending time with family.”
Stella says, “You have to wait to get your presents and I don't like the suspense of not knowing what my gifts are,
but I do like that I get so many presents.”
Nicole says, “I hate waiting for my parents to get up to open presents, but I do like that I get to spend time with
my family.”
No matter if Christmas is your favorite or not, you should still try to be in the holiday spirit and spread joy to
others.
8
How Do You Celebrate the Holidays?
Holiday Traditions
By: Maggie Thomas & Jack Toivonen
Have you ever wondered how people around the world celebrate this time of year? People from different
countries, cultures, and religions celebrate a variety of festive winter activities to enjoy the holiday season.
Hanukkah is a Jewish eight day celebration from December 18 - December 26. People celebrate by lighting a candle from
right to left each of the eight nights. They also give gifts every night for eight days. Playing the dreidel and eating food
such as sufganiyot, a type of doughnut, and latkes, a potato pancake, are also common traditions.
Kwanzaa is an African American holiday centered around life that anyone can celebrate. It is celebrated from
December 26 - January 1. Some of the colors worn to celebrate are black, green, and red. In Kwanzaa there is a
candle holder with seven candles; a black candle symbolizes the people themselves, three red candles are for the
struggle or blood shed in the past, and three green candles represent the abundance of possibilities the future holds.
Chinese New Year is a 15-day Chinese holiday. It takes place between January 21 and February 20, depending on
when the new moon rises. This holiday is centered around getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. Some
traditions are the Festival of Lanterns, lucky red envelopes, and dragons.
Christmas is a traditionally Christian holiday, but you don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate. One big
tradition is Santa visiting on Christmas Eve to leave presents for kids Christmas morning. Other traditions include
baking cookies, making gingerbread houses, decorating the tree, and opening Advent calendars. A unique tradition
is lighting Advent candles. These are five candles, three are purple, one is pink, and one is white which symbolizes
hope, love, joy, and peace.
We have traditions, too! Maggie celebrates Christmas with both sides of her family. She has a party at her grandparents’
house with her mom’s side of the family, and another one at a different grandparents’ house with her dad’s side. Before
Christmas, Maggie also celebrates St. Nicholas’ Day. She loves all the treats of the holidays, especially candy canes and
cookies! Jack celebrates by putting up a tree and hanging ornaments while listening to Christmas songs. He also bakes
cookies and Lefse for his family. So, no matter what you celebrate, we all appreciate the same thing: family and friends.
Christmas or Thanksgiving?
By: Jillayna Fameree and Mayra Cordua Stenzel
Do you like Thanksgiving more than Christmas, or the other way around? Why do you like it? What do you like to do on
that holiday and what do you eat the most of? Let’s find out what students and teachers think!
Do you LOVE Thanksgiving? If you do, you are among the majority: 81% of the world enjoys Thanksgiving as their
favorite holiday! We can see why! All the food, the history behind it, and spending time with relatives. A fun fact about
Thanksgiving is that 216.5 million turkeys are raised every year. Shane said, “Thanksgiving is about putting your stuff
aside and hanging out with family!” Some people like to spend time with family, eat, or just have fun. “ I like spending
time with family and eating,” said Mrs. Ayer. Shaylyn’s favorite food is, “. . .Hawaiian Rolls!” Rowan loves, “The mac n’
cheese me and my dad make!” But Shane loves, “The green bean casserole…”
Do you like Christmas? 77% of the world loves it too, and celebrate Christmas, especially with family. Boone told us, “I
love the family part of Christmas the most.” But Shane’s rebuttal was, “I LOVE the scents of the Christmas air!” While
Rowan said, “ I love family, but mostly the amazing food!” A lot of people have favorite treats for Christmas like cookies,
hot chocolate, or candy canes, but some people like to eat foods from other places. “I like Lefse, a large thin potato
pancake served buttered and folded up,” said Jack.
All feelings about Christmas and Thanksgiving are very insightful and cheery! In the end, we love them equally! Mostly 9
because of family time and food, but the true love for the holiday is there too!
All About the Holidays
Holidays Here & There
By: Ella Grooters & Madi Jarosh
Did you know that there are many different holidays around the world, with a variety of ways people celebrate them?
Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s have all sorts of different ways people like to celebrate!
Many in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving by eating a big meal and enjoying fun family time. People in the U.S. celebrate
Christmas by frosting cookies and decorating a Christmas tree. The U.S. also celebrates New Years, and they celebrate by
staying up until midnight, eating a lot of delicious food, and spending time with their family.
What about Thanksgiving in Chili? Mayra says, “In Chile, we would pick the biggest house in the neighborhood, and
everybody would bring traditional Chilean dishes.” Some people in the U.S. celebrate a little differently. Taiya says, “For
Thanksgiving, we make cranberry juice and put it on a fancy plate.” That might be different than how you celebrate, but
everybody still has fun.
Christmas is celebrated in many different ways, too. People in Mexico celebrate Christmas from December 12 to January 6.
They celebrate with candlelit processions and Spanish Christmas carols. They have fireworks and dance as well. People in
Poland celebrates differently, “We would actually celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, December 24th, and we would go
to a house nearby and couldn’t open our presents until we found the Northstar,” says Michal.
People like to celebrate New Year’s in many different ways. Here in Door County, people get
together with family and friends, play games, and even go watch the Cherry Drop in Sister Bay.
Michal says that in Poland it is not much different, “For New Year’s we just have a party,” this
isn’t very different than right here in Door County!
No matter how you celebrate the holidays, remember to enjoy the time with family and friends!
New Year’s Eve
By: Ryder Ortmayer & Clara Kellan
People have many different plans for New Year’s, such as going out to eat, seeing family, or celebrating all night. A popular
thing people love around New Year's time is fireworks. Many people like traveling for the New Year’s too, so they can be
closer to family and friends. One of the biggest traditions of New Years is staying up all night! People like to watch the ball
drop in New York City, or even catch some great fireworks shows.
New Year's is celebrated around the world through many different traditions. In China they celebrate Chinese New Year.
They have fireworks, red clothing, and tons of decorations. Plus, if you are young enough, you get money! This happens on
January 22, not December 31. The Japanese New Year is celebrated by going to the First Shrine. This is where you visit a
shrine with your family and pray for a good year. This is also celebrated December 31. In Mexico, they celebrate on January
1, and they also have fireworks. They stay up really late and dance. Don’t be surprised if you see a bowl of grapes because
in Mexican culture, they eat 12 grapes which represents 12 wishes for 12 months.
Do you make any New Year's resolutions ? A resolution is a challenge or goal for yourself to achieve for the year. A
resolution can be to go to the gym for two hours, get better at reading, or learn all your multiplication facts. Let’s see what
your school mates have for a New Year’s resolution! Do you have any resolutions? Are 10
Brennan C. says his resolution is to pass 5th grade. any of these similar to yours? What
Kailee G. wants to remodel her bedroom. do you have planned for New
Brennan S. wants to get a less busy schedule. Years? No matter what your plans
Asher f wants to try out cross country skiing. are, we wish you a Happy New
Leela wants to help out with her family more. Year!
Teddy wants to get better at baseball.
Holiday Celebrations Around Door County
By: Brennan Rass & Rori Orlock
What activities would peak your interest in Door County? Well, today we will share some with you. Maybe after
reading this article you might choose one to go to or participate in.
The Sturgeon Bay Thanksgiving Parade happens every year and
people go and watch it. It normally happens the day before
Thanksgiving. It has a lot of floats and candy. They even have a
float competition, and this year a Sevastopol family and business
won: Nick’s Tree Farm! The Jacksonport Thanksgiving parade is
cool too. The Sevastopol middle and high school band even performs
at the Jacksonport parade every year! This year they held a fundraiser for a girl named Alice
Mattson. The nine year old makes lovely art. The fundraiser was for her family and for
hospital bills. Even though she she has autism she is very passionate about her artwork.
Every year, kindergarten has a Thanksgiving feast here at school. Families bake delicious things
to share. This year it was on Tuesday, November 22. John says, “My favorite part of the kindergarten feast
was drinking the apple juice.” A lot of work goes into this festive
activity so that all kindergarteners can enjoy and make a special memory.
The Christmas parades happen every year in numerous places. There are big floats and lots of
candy. Rosalyn says, “ My favorite part of the parade is the candy. My favorite candy they
give out is Hershey's.” Police and firefighters always start out the parade. Santa comes at the end
of the parade along with the candy. After the parade, Santa is ready to be visited from kids of all
ages from 2pm-5pm.
Sturgeon Bay holds an annual window decorating competition where local businesses
decorate their windows and do a “window reveal.” The businesses decorate their
windows, then “wrap” them to be hidden. They then reveal them by ripping off the
wrapping paper to show off their displays. Each year people vote on which window is
the best. This year’s winner was Madison Avenue Market. This tradition is a great
way to get involved in the festivities next year. Clara says, “ Yes, I like going to the
window reveals because they are pretty and all the window decorations.”
The tree lighting for Christmas is so beautiful. When you go, there’s music which you can sing
along too, plus kids can go in the tent-like canopy and sing Christmas carols with the band.
They give some credits out to the band and helpers, and then starts the countdown,
“3… 2… 1!” You can also buy hot chocolate, apple cider, and flashy lights. Unfortunately,
this event was held on November 18, but you still can see the tree lit up at night in the town of
Sturgeon Bay.
New Year’s fireworks are a real treat for everybody. You can see all different styles
and colors to help celebrate the New Year. Ella says, “I like the fireworks that are
shaped like smiley faces or Christmas trees.” Some people celebrate New Year’s with
their family. Adela says, “I have my cousin over and we have balloons for each cousin.
We get pop the balloons to get gifts. Also, my mom throws around confetti.”
Hopefully you get to get out and enjoy some activities. Once you are out celebrating the holidays, remember to 11
enjoy the season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Silly Staff Introducing
“Kindhearted Twinkle
Meet Our Elves Toes,” or Mrs. Albertson.
This name fits her
By: Madi Jarosh & Ella Grooters because she feels she is
kindhearted and she likes
Did you know that all teachers have an elf to dance, and she has
name? Well, they do! Here are a few teachers’ twinkle toes while
elf names, and their origin stories. dancing.
Meet “Bouncy
Merry Dancer,”
also known as Mrs.
Rikkola. She thinks
her elf name fits
her because she
likes to bounce
from activity to
activity and she’s
very merry about
it.
Welcome “Jumpy
Giggle Pants,” aka
known as Mrs.
Wiesner. She got her
name because she
likes to be active and
she laughs a lot.
If you want to find out your elf name, or your teachers’, check out the elf name chart to 12
find a fun elf name for all of the people you know!
** Special thanks to Maggie Thomas for being our in house editor. **