The Urban Legend

The official newspaper of Urban Middle School, The Legend, is published by its students for its students, their families, the Urban staff, and the community of Sheboygan. We are open to questions, comments, or concerns from any of these groups.

As you know from the previous edition of the newspaper, there are several new teachers at Urban this year. Featured in the last article were Ms. Allen, Ms. Bohman, Ms. Cernak, and Ms. Fuhrmann. In this issue are Ms. Groelle, Mrs. Mohr, and Ms. Rogers. For those of you who don’t yet know these new additions to the staff, here is a little bit about them.

Crystal Groelle
What drew you to Sheboygan and/or Urban?
I grew up in Manitowoc, which is about 25 minutes from Sheboygan. Being located close to family and friends was very important to me.
The world is constantly changing, in order to prepare students for the future, we (the staff) need to stay current. SASD, specifically Urban, is always looking for ways to improve. For this reason, I knew I would be proud to work at Urban.
What other schools (if any) have you worked at?
I completed my student teaching in New Holstein at the middle school with 7th and 8th graders teaching Language Arts, Math, and English Language Arts. I also taught at the elementary school teaching 3rd graders.
I completed a long-term substitute position for a teacher on maternity leave in Mishicot. I taught 7th graders Language Arts.
Where did you go to school?
I went to school at UW-Manitowoc for 2 years, then I transferred to UW-Oshkosh for the remainder of my college career.
What are some of your interests or hobbies?
I enjoy being outdoors (camping, fishing, hiking).
Whenever I have the chance, I like to spend time with my family and friends. Game nights and movie nights are common among my family and friends. I also enjoy doing crafts with my nieces and nephew, and I like taking them new places (this summer they went mini golfing and bowling for the first time with me).

Cathy Mohr
What other schools (if any) have you worked at?
I started teaching 1st grade at Jefferson. After about 5 years, I moved to 5th grade at Jefferson, then about 5 years later I spent 1 year in 5th grade at Cooper. I then moved to Farnsworth Middle School teaching on the 6th grade team. I mostly taught science, but also did some reading as well. After about 5 years I moved to a 6th grade team at Horace Mann, again teaching mostly science with some social studies and some reading. I was there for you guessed it about 5 years. Last year, I was at Grant, Cooper, Longfellow and Cleveland in the PACE or Gifted and Talented program.
What drew you to Sheboygan and/or Urban?
Last year, the opportunity to work in/with the PACE program in the Middle Schools became available. I enjoyed my time in the middle schools and also enjoyed my time with the PACE program, so I thought my current position would be a dream come true. I am able to be at Urban, Farnsworth and Horace Mann this year working with groups of students and teachers. 
Where did you go to school?
I attended the Sheboygan Area School District. I started at James Madison then went to Horace Mann and graduated from South High. I graduated from Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee with my teaching degree. I then went back to Cardinal Stritch earning my Masters Degree in Education.
What are some of your interests or hobbies?
My family is very important to me and I love spending time with them. Since they are grown up, I really value the times we can all arrange our schedules to spend time together. I like to read and my husband and I enjoy gardening and cooking together.

Lynn Rogers
What drew you to Sheboygan and/or Urban?  
I was born and raised in the Sheboygan area and asked to come and teach hear to serve the ELL students.
What other schools (if any) have you worked at?
I have taught at Farnsworth MS and at Longfellow ES where I still teach half time. 
Where did you go to school?
I attended UWSheboygan, UWMilaukee, Lakeland College, and Marian University
What are some of your interests or hobbies?
I am currently studying German and would like to travel there again soon.

Looking for some fun apps to put on your new iPad? Here are a few to get you started!
Pip Camera is a fun photography app that lets you become creative with your photos. This app allows you to put your photos in some very unique frames and change the foreground and background to a different tone.  For example, you can take a photo and place it in a bottle frame while changing the tone to watercolor.
Since Pip Camera is an iPhone app, you have to make sure you click on iPhone apps tab at the top of your App Store screen when searching. It is also FREE!
Educreations transforms your iPad into a recordable board that you can add pictures to, draw on, and even add text! It allows you to create and share lessons with students, share your videos on the web, and organize sport plays. You can only save your presentations if you record at least one second. Educreations is an iPad app and iPhone app. Since Educreations has so much to offer, it’s hard to believe that it’s FREE!
Bill Atkinson Photocard is a great free app for book reviews, research reports, and so much more! When you first get this app it is best to go to the guide to get ideas on how to use the app, and start your “postcard”! For the front of your card you can use the nature pictures that the app comes with, use your photo stream, or take your own picture! On the back of the “postcard” you can write a letter, book review, or do it just for fun by adding stickers and a silly note! Once you are finished with your “postcard”, and have added a “stamp” of your choice, you can email or send your “postcard” postal.
Everyone loves experimenting with new apps, even teachers! 6th graders will have many opportunities to do so on their new iPads! The more apps you try out, the more you will learn. Have fun!

A Wisconsin winter has a lot of snow. Living in Sheboygan, we are lucky to be able to enjoy snow and   many fun activities outside in winter.  There are a lot of things to do outside like: snowboarding on a hill, ice skating on a lake, skiing on a high mountain, sledding on a high hill, riding a snowmobile, catching snowflakes on your tongue, dirt biking in the snow, making a snow angel, making a fort, or making a snowman.  After you’re done playing in the snow you can make hot chocolate inside with your family or friends. Mmmm…  Sometimes that’s the best part!

See, there are a lot of things to do in the snow. You can play in the snow with your friends, sisters, brothers, cousins; you can play in the snow with anyone and have fun.  Have a best Wisconsin winter everyone.

If you are wondering what is going on at Urban, here is your chance to find out! There is a lot going on each day, something for just about everyone. For instance, if you are interested in sports there are quite a few things to choose from. There is girls’ basketball in the new gym which started on February 4 and ends in March. All girls are welcome, just show up and play! If your interest is wrestling, it will take place from February through March. Archery will be starting in February and ending in March also, check the school website for details. Girls, who like to dance, start after school dance/ Pom Pons practice soon. If you have questions about any activity at Urban, the school website is your best bet for information.  Once at the Urban Middle School website, just click on “Student Links” on the top of the menu bar and scroll down to “Activities”. You can see everything you need to know about extra-curricular activities, clubs and sports. The point is that Urban has something for everyone!
                  Student Council sponsored a Valentine’s sale again this year. They were selling lollipops and candy hearts at 50 cents each. Students could write messages to be delivered with the lollipops and candy hearts to friends or classmates. The sale which ran from January 17th to February 8th promised to deliver the little treats on Valentine’s Day. A Valentine’s Day Dance was also held that day for all Urban students. If by the chance you missed this fun event, don’t worry there is still next year unless you’re a eighth grader.
                  Urban students, here is your chance to try something new. There are so many activities to choose from. Grab a friend, you don’t have to be an expert, come and join something because it’s all about having fun.

The book called Beautiful Creatures is a gothic, dreamy and lyrical supernatural southern romance novel. This book is recommended for 13 year olds and older. The critics rated this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.
 In this book, there is a boy named Ethan. Who has been having dreams about a girl who is falling, and he is trying to catch her, but he is falling too.  He keeps wondering why they’re falling and what the dream means. One morning he got out of bed and found that he had a new song on his iPod, called Sixteen Moons. It’s a very haunting song with a creepy melody.
 When he gets to school there is a new girl named Lena. She did not look like any of the kids at Jackson High, the school Ethan goes to. She had black pants and a black t-shirt, with a necklace of junk hanging around her neck. Some girls started calling her names. He didn’t see any anger rising in her, but he heard this pounding in his head saying, stop, Stop, STOP. It was growing louder and louder inside Ethan’s head.  Lena went to go sharpen her pencil to get away from it. As the “stops” were growing louder and louder in his head, the window shattered. Glass was all over the room. Of course, all the kids blamed Lena because she was obviously different.  She ran out the door crying and Ethan followed her home.
Through this whole book they fall in love, but their days are numbered, because Lena only has a certain amount of days before her sixteenth birthday. Lena is a very dangerous Caster (witch) who has unmistakable power. On her sixteenth birthday she will decide her fate to become a light caster or a dark caster. Each choice could change the world forever. What will she chose; light or dark?
Her fate will come soon enough… So if you love this little bit of information make sure to read the book and check out the MOVIE! It will be coming to the theaters on Valentine’s Day! Hope to see you there!

You take off the wrapper of your creamy, gooey treat. You smell a little bit of chocolate sweetness before you take a bite out of your favorite delight. Can you guess what that treat may be? If you guessed a delicious chocolate bar, you are correct! Let’s dive into this sweet treat’s history and maybe we’ll have a sweet treat at the end.
Chocolate comes from a type of bean, called the cacao bean (aka cocoa bean), found in tropical areas around the equator. It has been used throughout history to make a bitter drink. The Maya people were the first to use the cacao bean to make this drink. They started making this chocolate drink in 400 A.D. The Aztecs made the same drink as well. They called this drink xocolatl (sho-ko-la-tl). When the Spanish came over, the Aztecs showed them the xocolatl drink. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, the Europeans brought cacao beans to Europe to make this drink. The Europeans changed this drink by adding cane sugar so it could be sweet and not bitter.
During the Industrial Revolution, a Dutch family invented something that made a ton of chocolate. They had created mechanical mills. These mills squeezed cocoa butter out of the cacao pulp. Towards the end of 18th century, a Frenchman named Doret created the machine that manufactured the first form of solid chocolate, in Turin, Italy. In years to come, chocolatiers; such as the Cadbury brothers (Cadbury eggs anyone?), or Henri Nestlé of Nestlé chocolate; were able to tweak Doret’s recipe and make their own blend of chocolate.
Now, let’s have a treat. Let’s make some double chocolate chip cookies! For the cookies you will need: 1 ¼ cups of margarine, 2 cups of sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 2 cups of flour, ¾ cup of cocoa, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of chocolate chips. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, cream the margarine and sugar together. Once creamed, add the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the cocoa. Add the baking soda and salt and blend well. Now, add the flour into the creamed mixture and fold in the chocolate chips. Bake for 8- 9 minutes. This recipe makes 24-48 cookies.
When my family made these cookies, we were blown away. The cookies themselves are very rich, chocolaty and sweet. They are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat for anyone.  Now you can surprise everyone with your knowledge on the history of chocolate. Please excuse me; I’m craving a couple of these cookies. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Citings: http://www.food.com/recipe/chewy-double-chocolate-chip-cookies-53301 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate