April 2013 Issue Of Paw Prints

Paulo Paw Prints
Volume XVIII - Issue 7 April 2013
Earth Day!
By Evan Rubenstein
Do you know what holiday is on April 22nd every year? Well, it is none other than Earth Day!
Earth Day is a holiday dedicated to demonstrating environmental protection. It is a very common
holiday around the whole world, as it is celebrated in over 190 countries each year.
Earth Day was first proposed as a holiday by John McConnell on March 21st, 1970. A
month later, Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day again on April 22nd, 1970, which
became the holiday we know today.
So how do you celebrate Earth Day? If you don't, it's never too late to start! Here are a
few ideas:
-Plant a tree! It is a simple yet effective way to celebrate Earth Day. Go to your local
nursery and pick out the perfect tree that you like. When you plant your tree, you will decrease
greenhouse gas emissions, as well as provide a habitat for animals such as birds. It will even give
shade for you!
-Make a bird feeder! (no, you don't have to do any
woodwork). To make a bird feeder, all you have to do is take a
pinecone and lather it with peanut butter. Once you do that,
sprinkle bird seed, nuts, granola, etc. onto it. Then tie it to a
string, hang it outside, and presto! You have got yourself a
homemade bird feeder.
-Cook a special Earth Day meal for your family and
friends. This meal should include a whole bunch of assorted
organic vegetables and fruits. This will surely get you in the
mood for Earth Day!
Paulo Intermediate School - IS 75
455 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island NY 10312
Mr. Kenneth Zapata, Principal
Ms. Donna Bonanno, Mr. Mark Herrmann, Mr. Mark Reinhold, Ms. Jessica Susca - Assistant Principals
Published online - www.is75.org
Staff - Mrs. J. Karpen, Faculty Advisor
6th Grade Staff: Maame Asante, Jenna Bonomi, Yostina Girgis, Ava LaGressa,
Victoria Panzella, Evan Rubenstein
7th Grade Staff: Madison Baialardo, Jessica Bailey, Dylan Cino, Regina Levy,
Marie Millares, Christopher Mazza, Amanda Milo, Samanta Molla
8th Grade Staff: Robert DeForge, Anthony Gangemi, David Ip, Yasvin Rajapakse

April Showers bring May flowers..
why?
By Marie Millares
This popular springtime rhyme can be
traced back to the 1500's. During 1557, Thomas
Tusser wrote a book "A Hundred Good Points of
Husbandry." In the book, he wrote "Sweet April
showers, do spring May flowers. This is an old
English proverb. It means that good things will
come tomorrow from unpleasant circumstances
today. So, if it rains in April, we will have
beautiful flowers in May.
Arbor Day
By Jessica Bailey
Arbor Day is a day when people
are encouraged to plant and care for
trees. Arbor Day was first celebrated
in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton in
Nebraska City. On April 10, 1872, an
estimated one million trees were
planted in the United States. In 1970,
President Richard Nixon proclaimed
the last Friday in April as National
Arbor Day.
Winter is Gone
By Robert DeForge
Winter is gone now
The air is becoming warm
Gone is the cold air
Mystery Teacher for April
By Paw Prints staff
No one guessed our mystery teacher for March. We are not going
to tell you who it is. We will wait until someone tries to figure it out.
Our mystery teacher for April is also a hard one. See if you can
figure out who it is and send your guesses to Mrs. Karpen at
jkarpen@is75.org. Good luck!
1. My first dog's name was Flip
2. A bumble bee once stung me on the neck
3. My grandma's family were Scots-Irish immigrants who came to America in 1746. 4. I
graduated from the College of Staten Island and New York University.
5. If I hadn't become a teacher, I would have my own show on the Food Network! 6. I
was the last of my generation to get a smart phone. 7. I didn't like anchovies until I was
23. 8. In Paris, I climbed the Eiffel Tower.
9. I love going to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. 10. In
college, I was an amateur photographer.

Pet
Corner
By: Amanda Milo
It's starting to feel more and more like spring, and what animals comes out during the
spring? Birds, of course! A good spring pet would be the musical bird, the canary. Canaries love to
sing, and are pretty birds. They make a great spring pet, and here's how you can take care of your
pet canary.
Caring for your bird is very important. They need to be
kept in a long rectangular cage. It should be wider than it
should be tall to allow birds to fly and not to just propel. The
cage should contain perches for your bird. They should be
placed at opposite ends of the cage. This encourages flight,
and flying is good for your bird. You can also put in a swing, but
make sure to place it where the bird won't fly into it.
Newspaper can be used to put at the bottom of the cage. A
bird bath should also be provided for your bird, so it is able to
clean itself.
Seeds are normally what canaries are fed. Although seeds are a food source for your
bird, it is not the best source. Commercial seed brands contain 2-5 different types of seeds,
but are usually high in fat and carbohydrates. Canaries also tend to only eat 1-2 of their
favorite seeds, Millet seeds usually being their preference. Pellets are a better food source
than seeds are. A mature bird may have a hard time converting from a
seed diet to a pellet diet. The pellet diet, however, provides all of
your bird's nutritional needs unlike the seed diet. These birds need a varied
diet, and should have pellets as most of their diet source, but not all of it.
Fresh, clean water needs to be available for your bird at all times. Canaries
are also given honey sticks as a treat every once in a while, but should not
be the main source of their diet. They can also
be fed people food. As to what you can feed them, as long as it is
nutritional food that you can eat, it should be fine. While feeding them
people food, common sense is what you really must rely on.
Some people food you can give your canary are eggs, fish or cheese. All
should be given in moderation. Junk food should be avoided.
Canaries make great spring pets; they are pretty, sing beautifully, love to fly, and each has
their own unique personality. You'll love your pet canary, as long as you take good care of it!

Literary Corner
April Showers & May Flowers
By Amanda Milo
April showers
bring may flowers
April showers
down from the sky
periods of rain
tinkling against windows
falling to the ground
to make puddles meant to be stepped in.
May flowers
brought by April showers
are the aftermath of the rain
They drink the rain through April
and come out in the spring
to say;
April Showers brought me here,
for now I am a May flower.
Rain
By Dylan Cino
Spring
By David Ip
Why, in spring, do we have so much rain?
It gives me a lot of pain!
To see the rain drop
And hear the thunder pop! I
watch the lightning flash
That strikes everything to ash
Rain is definitely not fun
I hope it's almost done!
April Showers
By Evan Rubenstein
When rain pours
I play board games to pass the time,
listen to music; it makes me dance and chime.
Watch a movie to outlast the night,
thrillers or horror movies, to give me a fright.
When the sun comes out, we go out and play,
and prepare for the next big rainy day!
Rain is wet.
Anything in the rain gets wet.
If you go outside after it rains,
it will be slippery.
Nobody likes it when it rains
because rain makes puddles.
Spring
By Madison Baialardo
Spring is here
Flowers are blooming
Leaves are growing
The sun is shining
Sports are starting
Spring is here.

Trees
By Jessica Bailey
Trees can be short, trees can be tall.
Whatever kind, I like them all.
They give us everything, they give us air
From berries to cherries, from apples to pears.
They give us different fruits, and grow in different shapes.
We care for trees as if they were our own.
Start planting in April and May
So everyone can enjoy Arbor Day!
April
By Marie Millares
April is the month before May,
When there are rainstorms almost every day.
April is the time for sweaters,
And sweater weather is better weather.
Happy April!
Spring into spring
By Maame Asante
Spring is coming, it is near,
Now it's time for us to cheer
Spring means warmer weather.
Spring means lots of fun.
Spring means flowers will bloom.
Spring means lots of sun.
Everybody cheer, because spring is near.
Spring is Here
By Regina Levy
I sit on my porch and gaze out onto my block
The sun's rays begin to bother my eyes so I look away
Only to find a butterfly, flying peacefully flower to flower
Resting on one for a moment then going on to another
I smile as a breeze hits my face when I realize
Spring is here!

An interview with Mrs. Bassista, a 7 th grade social studies teacher.
By Chris Mazza
Q - What is your favorite color?
A - My favorite color is green.
Q - What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
A - I enjoy reading and spending time with my family.
Q - When you were a kid my age, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A - I wanted to be a 2 nd grade teacher.
Q - Growing up, what was your favorite meal your family cooked and why?
A - I loved chicken parm.
Q - How long have you been a teacher?
A - I have been teaching for 20 years.
Q - What did you do at your first job?
A - My first job was at McDonalds. I took orders.
Q - Do you have any pets?
A - I have a chocolate Labrador, Baylee
Q - What is your favorite vacation to go on?
A - I love to go on cruises, especially to the Caribbean and the Bahamas. I
would love to go to Hawaii.
Q - Did you want to be anything else besides a teacher?
A - I originally wanted to major in business but instead I went to
college and took education classes.
Q - If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?
A - I would listen to my parents’ advice. They really do know what they
are talking about.
Spring Flowers
by Victoria Panzella
Blue, Purple, Yellow, and Green
Look at how beautiful these flowers can be
Spring time is here
Flowers have sprung
Now it's time to have some fun in the sun!

Science Corner
David Ip
Hey guys! Here's a cool experiment about how to make
your own lava lamp! A lava lamp is any color liquid (the lava)
that aimlessly flows around in a jar.
1. Fill 75% of an empty plastic soda bottle with vegetable oil, and then fill the
rest of the bottle with water.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring; this will color the "lamp" whatever color
you want.
3. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into 8 pieces, and drop in one of the pieces
into the bottle. This will cause it to bubble. When the water stops bubbling,
continue adding pieces (with the same process) until there are no pieces left.
4. Close the bottle and move the bottle side to side. The "lava" will be
floating back and forth!
This is an easy and fun way to make one of the coolest things around! Who
said that lamps can be boring!
Spring Word Search
By Dylan Cino
V
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Spring
Roses
Clouds
May
Trees
Picnics
Chirping
Flowers
Daffodils
Showers
Birds
Planting
Earth Day
Rainbows
Tulips
Rain
April
Sun
Singing
Arbors
R
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Book Review
By Evan Rubinstein
Looking for a magical and amazing book about Greek mythology? Well, if you
are, then the book "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan will be perfect
for you! "The Lost Hero" is a novel about a boy named Jason who is the
son of Jupiter, a Roman God. He and his friends, Piper, daughter of
the goddess Aphrodite, and Leo, son of the god Hepheastus, must
overcome many obstacles in order to fulfill a prophecy. The book has
many mythical creatures as well as demigod warriors (Both are very
awesome!) By reading this book, you will have a better understanding
of Greek mythology and its concepts, as well as have a very exciting
pastime on your hands. Once again, I highly recommend that people who crave adventures,
battles, and great stuff like that should read this book.
So what are you waiting for? Go get "The Lost Hero" now!
Things to Look Forward to in Spring
By Regina Levy
Wearing lighter clothing!
No more chapped lips!!!
Going to school or work without teeth chattering!
Work/school ending soon! The
plants begin to bloom.
Gardens can be planted.
Get to play outside!
Top 3 Hottest Fashion Trends of 2013
By Regina Levy
1. THE JEAN VEST - worn by Rashida Jones,
January Jones & Emmy Rossum
2. THE PRINTED LEGGINGS- modeled by dELiAs
3. COMBAT BOOTS- picture from nastygal.com

NCAA
Hosted monthly by Anthony Gangemi
The Louisville Cardinals came into the NCAA Tournament as the number one seed and
beat Michigan, 82-76, for the NCAA title.
Luke Hancock, after erupting for 20 points in last Saturday's comeback win over
Wichita State, scored 14 of his 22 points in a three-minute span late in the first half to help
the Cardinals overcome another double-digit deficit. Hancock, part of a shorthanded bench due to
the absence of Kevin Ware, also hit a dagger 3-pointer and two clutch free throws down the stretch
to seal Louisville's third national title, their first since 1986. The Cardinals grabbed 11 offensive
rebounds in the second half and had six players score at least eight points.
Michigan was led by Trey Burke, who scored 24 points. Michigan was the number 4
seed in the tournament and reached the final four for the first time in twenty years.
Albrecht had eight points on a 13-4 run that gave Michigan a 33-21 cushion before
Hancock caught fire in the final four minutes. Hancock drained four consecutive 3-pointers to
pull the Cardinals within one, and Louisville took it's first lead, 37-36, on the next possession as
Siva hooked up with Harrell for an alley-oop. After Glenn Robinson hit two free throws in the
closing seconds of the first half, Michigan was up 38 to 37.
In the second half after Louisville took the lead, two free throws by Burke pulled
Michigan, 76 to 70. But Louisville was too much for Michigan and they went on to win the game by
a score of 82 to 76.
April 1 - Hanna Spearritt
April 4 - Heath Ledger
April 7 - Russell Crowe
April 10 - Mandy Moore
April 13 - Max Weinberg
April 16 - Jon Cryer
Celebrity Birthdays
By Madison Baialardo
April 2 - Lee Dewyze
April 5 - Hayley Atwell
April 8 - Kirsten Storms
April 11 - Joel Grey
April 14 - Abigail Breslin
April 17 - Victoria Beckham
April 3 - Amanda Bynes
April 6 - Candace Cameron
April 9 - Keshia Pulliam
April 12 - Vince Gill
April 15 - Emma Thompson
April 18 - James Wood
April 21 - Tony Danza
April 19 - Hayden Christensen April 20 - Carmen Electra
April 22 - Peter Frampton April 23 - John Cena April 24 - Jayne Karpen
April 25 - Renee Zellweger April 26 - Tom Welling
April 27 - Casey Kasem
April 28 - Jessica Alba April 29 - Michelle Pfeiffer April 30 - Kirsten Dunst

NASCAR - What's so special about it?
By Robert DeForge
On March 8, 1936, a collection of drivers gathered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Of
the 27 cars that started the race, only ten managed to finish the ordeal as officials halted
the event ten miles short of the scheduled 250 mile distance.
By early 1947, Bill France saw the potential for a unified series of racing
competitors. France announced a foundation known as the "National Championship Stock
Car Series," otherwise known as NCSCS. France declared that the winner of the 1947
NCSCS season would receive $1000 and a trophy.
The 1947 season begin with a race in January at the Daytona Beach track and
concluded with a race in Jacksonville the following December. Driver Fonty Flock was
declared the season champion after winning seven events of the 24 that he had entered.
Bill France delivered the $1000 and a four foot high trophy to Flock at the end of the
season. He also announced that there would be a series of meetings to discuss the
future of the Stock Car Series.
The meetings were held at the Streamline Hotel in Florida, beginning on December 14,
1947. France talked to the 35 men who represented the NCSCS. It was the first of four
seminars where France outlined his vision of an organized group of race car drivers. The
name originally chosen for the group was the National Stock Car Racing Association.
It was pointed out that the name was already in use by a rival stock car group. The
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was proposed by mechanic Red Vogt and it
was selected as the new group's name. NASCAR was born. The group was finalized on
February 21, 1948.
The first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race was held at the old Charlotte Speedway on
June 18, 1949. It was won by Jim Roper. Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified after the
discovery of his altered rear springs.
Over a period of more than a decade, modifications for both safety and
performance have made NASCAR even more exciting. Since the mid 1960's, race car
vehicles are now being built specially with a "stock" appearing body.
Upcoming NASCAR races
By Robert DeForge
STP 400
Sunday, April 21, 1:00 p.m. ET
Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas
Toyota Owners 400
Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. ET
Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia