By Hermy Granger
I'm sure many of you are up-to-date on this, but for the few of you who aren't, I don't mind filling you in. The BB Posting War was a chance for many of us to get posts (just like a Post-a-Thon in your common room), and it was set up by Professor Simbi. But this one was gigantic, and even some of the Professors were participating. Professor Simbi gave us our teams on March 4th and away we posted!
Upset Unicorns
Professor Ripley
Jennifer Kull
Andela Schmorgie
Adriana La Cerva
Will Sutton
Araceli Mendoza
Dynamic Dragons
Professor Pendragon
Summer Levy
Lilac Brown
Kitty Kitona
Leah Black
Amanda Dasaro
Outstanding Owls
Professor Snape
Melanie Monopoly
Linda Danes
Audrea Martin
Samuel Craft
Ronald Weasley
Goofy Gnome
Professor Opal
Kato Nahilus
Will Potter
Roxanne Whitez
Lucia Valentine
Zoey Taylor
Crazy Centaur
Professor Lockhart
Joe Nworb
Jenii Chang
Felicity Hedwig
Bryony Casten
Isabella Malfoy
Promising Phoenix
PAD
Seraphina Rosehill
Raelyn Ethania
Kristin Johnson
Ava Black
Kaitlin Sawyer
Lucky Leprechaun
Professor Simbi
Hilary Stevens
Ryana Cartenich
Kiley Blaire
Thomasina Sealy
Hermy Granger
Mumbling Mummy
Professor Moonstar
Rose Wick
Kamron Flame
Taylor Wallace
Danny Lupin
Viktor
Deadly Dementor
Fiona Chauvet
London Tipton
Isabella Marie
Shalamar Magoo
Myrrima Goldenleaf
Lily Merlin
Hagrid Black was not on any team, just helping them all.
Professors gave us a couple updates during the week and most teams posted like crazy! Soon all teams had their very own Spam topics (now locked and deleted =( ) with many posts/pages. After a bit of confusion, the War was said to end on the 12th of March. But Professor Simbi said that he thought we were all doing AMAZING, and extended it for another week. And havoc continued. Post... post... post...
Well, the week passed and teams got many posts. Finally, Professor Simbi gave us the exciting news.
BB Total: 41,433
Here are our standings then:
1. Lucky Leprechaun: 10,706
2. Outstanding Owl: 6,065
3. Mumbling Mummy: 5,569
4. Crazy Centaur : 5,403
5. Goofy Gnome : 4,391
7. Dynamic Dragons: 3,197
7. Promising Phoenix: 2,998
8. Upset Unicorns: 2,035
9. Deadly Dementors: 1,069
So, our winners are then the Lucky Leprechauns. I think it must have something to do with this month being their holiday (two days ago to be more exact) and them, of course, being lucky.
Congratulations to the Leprechauns! (I was on that team, ha) Actually, it was thanks to Thomasina getting a whole 8,047 post by herself. Overall, our war turned out great! Congrats to all teams!
By Adam Crawford Jr.
Reports of the Hurricane are merely a cover story by the Ministry of Magic. An old families' grudge, the Leaky's and the Madison's, came to a head out side Green city. Those cited were Beaky, Tim, and Old-man Borrow of the Leaky family, who were on
a fishing trip in Shot River. Gracie, Preg and Old-man Crowley were rafting up the river on innertubes to enjoy the sun and relax in the water.
Though the stories very in how it started, it's agreed that when the Madisons came down the river their floaters got tangled in the Leaky fishing lines. Verbal abuses were uttered that not even this reporter can put in print. Suddenly, jinxes were being hurled back and forth. Sadly, both families had very bad accuracy and they began to destroy things around them.
Mecy Tuttle, an eye witness, said that the two old men had cast a storm summons at roughly the same time. The storms collided, and as the two men worked furiously to cancel their storms, they only made it worse. The storm bounded out of
control and the residential area of Baller Lane Green City was suddenly in complete devastation. It took several hours for the Ministry to get enough
people together to help with the after effects.
Muggles were alerted and people vacated the area. Tracy Hickman of the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Weather Control worked to contain the storms. Yet, according to those close to the source, the storm had taken on a life of its own. The storm was moving from one town to the next leaving
destruction in its wake. After nearly 3 days, the Ministry was able to send the storm out to sea avoiding any more such harms.
The two families will be having a hearing soon, as people are crying that they be tossed into Azkaban and the keys thrown away. Those misplaced due to the storm are seeking aid and donations. Feel free to send any such donations to the Ministry and they will see that it reaches the right hands, or so they tell me.
By Kiley Blaire
(Credit to http://www.holidays.net/easter/eggs.htm)
Of all the symbols associated with Easter the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most identifiable. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries.
Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.
Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honor the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday). Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in special patterns of gold and silver.
Austrian artists design patterns by fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, which are then boiled. The plants are then removed revealing a striking white pattern. The Poles and Ukrainians decorate eggs with simple designs and colors. A number of eggs are made in the distinctive manner called pysanki (to design, to write).
Pysanki eggs are a masterpiece of skill and workmanship. Melted beeswax is applied to the fresh white egg. It is then dipped in successive baths of dye. After each dip wax is painted over the area where the preceding color is to remain. Eventually a complex pattern of lines and colors emerges into a work of art.
In Germany and other countries eggs used for cooking where not broken, but the contents were removed by piercing the end of each egg with a needle and blowing the contents into a bowl. The hollow eggs were dyed and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week. The Armenians would decorate hollow eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious designs.
By Kiley Blaire
(Credit to http://www.easterbunnys.net/)
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way
Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay
He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!
Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day
Look at him hop and listen to him say,
"Try to do the things you should"
Maybe if you're extra good
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way
You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies That he's hiding ev�rywhere, Oh!
Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day.
By an Anonymous Penshire
Ladies Watch Out!! There is a fellow out there that tends to confess his heart to any lady he befriends. He has confessed his love to Lilac, Ava and Shalamar of Penshire. There is no stopping this gentleman. It is rumored that he actually participated in a marriage ceremony to Amanda of Hufflepuff. How many more
ladies are out there that have fallen for his charms? A word of caution, this fellow is a nice guy, but please do not encourage him!!! He will only find a new love
within the week!!! (All in jest of course :D)
By A Random Penshire
We all work hard for our points; writing articles, slaving over our lessons, participating in extra clubs�the number of ways to earn points is virtually endless. Each method, however, always involves time and effort on the part of the student; we are forced to think and to work in order to change the standing in that hourglass. But there is now an easier way.
An anonymous but very reliable source has informed me that for the month of April "points will be hidden around the castle." That's right, folks! All you need this time is a watchful eye and a quick hand, and you might be one of the lucky people to stumble upon a stash of hidden points! Think about how easy this is; you're walking to Potions, but as you come down the staircase you see something glittering slightly in the corner. You wander over to inspect it closer and to your everlasting surprise- it's 300 house points! If you manage to find any of these hidden points, (which range between � and 1,000 points), all you need to do is place them in a locked box in your Common Room, and your Head of House will collect them at the end of the month and submit them to the Headmistress for credit.
You don't want to miss out on this great opportunity! So get out there and get looking- some are hidden well and some are practically right before your eyes. If you don't get them, someone else will� and it could mean the difference in who wins the House Cup!
By Bry Casten
New members are forever coming in, sorted into one of the five houses and welcomed by those already living there. They learn the ways of the school, gradually begin to become a part of the crowd, an established member of the school. Sometimes it's difficult to get started, and sometimes students have no problem jumping right in and getting situated.
Remember when you were one of them? It was a long time ago for some of us� and others of us are still in the process of finding our place here. But whether it be three years ago or three weeks ago, everyone's been a newbie at some point� and that gives us a sort of bond, doesn't it? Every member here knows what it's like to join a house and have to push yourself, force yourself to meet new people, stretch your limits, and learn the ups and downs of the school.
Something brought my attention to it last week, and I got to thinking how glad I was that I wasn't a newbie anymore. There's a certain sense of security that's lacking at that stage, a sense of security that is gained only over time. But once you've got it, everything is easier. Being a newbie is tough� I asked a few of my new housemates some questions to help bring back those old days when every post made was a sort of life-or-death decision.
Faith Puppy and Meggie Folchart are two students recently sorted into Penshire. They have both thrown themselves into this game we play and have, in my opinion, embraced the idea of being a "newbie." The way they described it to me really forced me to take a hard look at what it was like at that time. And I've come to realize, that although I don't particularly want to be a newbie again, it was still fun. After all� if it wasn't, none of us would be here. We would've had nothing motivating us to keep it up until everything felt comfortable.
When asked about how it's been meeting people and getting involved in the Common Room, Faith and Meggie both had positive responses, saying that everyone has been helpful and that having so many people post in the introduction threads really helped. This reminds us as long-time members of how important it is to keep up to date with this� remember when you were a newbie, posting that introduction thread, and you were so worried that no one would reply in it? Take the time to say hello�there's proof right here that it makes a difference.
Intimidation was a huge factor for me personally. I don't know about how anyone else felt, but I was scared to death of the Prefects, let alone the Heads of Houses, Professors, and Merlin forbid it PAD. I was happy to hear, though, that Meggie and Faith didn't have the same problem as me. Quite the opposite; they both were friendly with the Prefects and already love Professor Ripley. To quote Faith, "She's nothing that I dub a "standard teacher�" she's a person you can share your thoughts with like a friend." There are confusing aspects of the site for them� exactly what RP is, how to register and take classes, but none of the quivering and quaking around staff members. That's definitely a good thing.
I'm going to end this on a totally positive note. Faith and Meggie have both been at Hogwarts for about a week now, and when asked what their favorite thing about the school was Faith quickly jumped on "The CR! Especially the games section!" while Meggie liked meeting different people and exploring to see what all the castle had to offer. And how are they both fitting and liking Penshire so far? Meggie summed it up well: "Wow, this place suits me perfectly! Everyone's really nice and willing to help�I love it!"
So do you remember when you were a newbie-- when figuring out how to use a locker was confusing and setting up an avatar was just plain impossible? Remember when it seemed like everyone already had their friends, and that you had your work cut out for you fitting in? Yet despite how hard it was, you stuck around� because this place is worth it. Let's make take it easy on them�post in the introduction threads, introduce yourself via PM, invite them for RP sleepovers and popcorn. It makes a difference. For all the newbies out there: you're doing great. Trust me, it only gets better. Enjoy the feeling, because you won't ever experience it again at PAD's Hogwarts. You might even miss it someday� that time when everything seemed so overwhelming, yet unbelievably fresh and exciting. It's rough sometimes, but it's an experience. Live it up.
By Kiley Blaire
(Credit to http://www.holidays.net/easter/eggs.htm)
Eggs play an important part in Easter sports. The Romans celebrated the Easter season by running races on an oval track and giving eggs as prizes. Two traditional Easter egg games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll.
On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they where asleep. The searching might continue though out the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.
Easter egg hunts can are also part of a community's celebration of holiday. The eggs are hidden in public places and the children of the community are invited to find the eggs.
The rules of an Easter Egg Roll are to see who can roll an egg the greatest distance or can make the roll without breaking it, usually down a grassy hillside or slope.
Maybe the most famous egg rolling takes place on the White House Lawn. Hundreds of children come with baskets filled with brightly decorated eggs and roll them down the famous lawn, hoping the President of the United States is watching the fun.