PHS Press Staff 2014 Fall Semester

Left to right: Bridger Berg, Willow Skidmore, Parker Lehman, Aurora Pass, Paavo Downing, Ava Holsather and Nadia Sullivan-Nightengale. Not pictured: Emily Weinlick.

Bring it to the Table

By Paavo Downing

PHS Press staff member

Our Community Kitchen (OCK) is a place where you can go to eat a healthy breakfast, meet community members, and be part of Food Justice. OCK is located at the Episcopalian Church in Stillwater MN on 3^rd St. N. 

You may ask, “What is food justice?” Food Justice is a growing movement to create social responsibility and a sense of community through food.  Food Justice educates community members about the fact that they can grow and eat healthy foods while caring for the land. A strong local food system and a healthy environment are just a couple of benefits seen when people practice Food Justice.

OCK was founded in June 2011 and it has been growing with new members and projects since that time.  The most recent addition is a community based garden.  The Community garden was started in 2013 with three raised beds.  This year the garden has doubled its size and produces a variety of crops ranging from Swiss chard to Tuscan Kale. The garden has produced so much that in addition to providing for OCK patrons breakfast, they are also able to take home fresh grown surplus crops. 

When asked what she likes best about OCK regular customer Isana Downing, 8, of Bayport MN states: “I love the blueberry pancakes! I also like to play with the dog Halo.”

OCK relies primarily on its volunteers to provide the service it offers.  Breakfast is held at Our Ascension Church. The address is 214 3^rd St. N Stillwater MN 55082.  Breakfast is served Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am-10:00am.  If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions regarding OCK please contact Diane at drollie@pressenter.com.  You could also visit the OCK website to learn more about this wonderful program http://www.ourcommunitykitchen.org/index.html. Also visit the OCK Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OurCommunityKitchen/timeline.

Meet PHS teacher Jeanne Bain

By Emily Weinlick

PHS staff member

Planet Homeschool (PHS) teacher Jeanne Bain enjoys teaching lots of things at PHS: Creative Writing, Speak Up, Impromptu, Philosophy. Next spring she will be teaching a Fan Fiction class. Jeanne says she likes to teach classes that get young people “talking to each other about issues and experiences." In Jeanne’s mind the most wonderful gift in the world is to be a part of a teenager’s life. She says that there is so much to learn from them.

Jeanne started teaching in her basement. Jeanne pointed out, “School was my favorite thing to play yet my least favorite to attend.” She started her more advanced teaching around 8 years old by holding a summer camp in her backyard. When she grew into an adult she started coaching speech and teaching theatre classes, after she had left the world of professional theatre. When she was in her twenties she really realized where her heart was… it was with teaching. She likes to make all her classes engaging and energizing because otherwise she and her students will get bored. Jeanne says, “The students at PHS teach other so much, it is through exploration and experience that learning happens so I’m lucky to just stand back and hold space while it unfolds!”

Jeanne started teaching at PHS because Kate Searls asked her if she would be interested in teaching a Creative Writing class. Her son Sam was an amazing writer and had many creative, and intelligent friends that wanted a writing class. They preferred a low-pressure class that focused on the creative process instead of creative product. This was definitely her sort of class! At the time Jeanne was also an instructor at The Loft Literary Center’s summer youth program, so to her teaching writing during a school year sounded terrific!

Jeanne says, “Sadly, I wasn’t homeschooled myself. I went to a traditional school.” Jeanne didn’t even know any homeschoolers while growing up in a small town in southern Minnesota. Jeanne said she had a lot of amazing teachers in her school experience. She had a teacher named Dennis Kalow who taught a class named “What’s Art All About” that made Jeanne the teacher who she is today. And then in her college she had a professor named Philip Morseberger who really made her think about art and life and made a huge impact on her.

Jeanne has two kids. Aidan is a freshman at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Jeanne homeschooled Aidan for 2 years. Alas, he hated it. Jeanne homeschooled Finn for 1 year. Finn is now in 4th grade at the Cyber Village Academy.

What does she enjoy most about PHS? She said, “How willing the kids and teens are to take risks, jump in and have fun. They aren’t afraid of doing things wrong.”

And finally some personal info on Jeanne! Jeanne became a Doctor Who fan at the urging of Victoria Signorellli and Kathleen Willard. She enjoys sewing yet admits that she isn’t that great at it. She likes cleaning and organizing her house, yet this will make a laugh because her students think that she is the most disorganized teacher that PHS has ever had, she thinks. She owns a three-wheel bike and occasionally rides it. She enjoys family time like most people and going to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on her own to work on her novel. And to wrap this up, Jeanne’s favorite time of year is Fall. She loves the slow descent into the season of hibernation.

Things To Do Around The Twin Cities in Winter

by Aurora J. Pass

PHS Press staff member

Wondering what to do in winter in Minneapolis and St. Paul? Yup, it can be difficult sometimes, but there are a lot of things to do if you think about it. So, I hope this list will help.

1.     Every Minnesotan should know how to ice skate. You can go for free at our lovely Minneapolis Parks. You can also skate indoors at the Parade Ice Garden for $1.75 – $2 and at Mariucci Arena for $2.50 - $3.50, and you can rent skates at both these places!

2.     You can rent sleds and snow tubes also at Minneapolis Parks, but if you want to go for free you can go to the parks and bring your own sled.

3.     You can ski and snowboard. Sadly it costs money, but it’s fun. Look up places to go online. There are a lot.

4.     Go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. There are snow sculptures, ice sculptures, and sledding.

5.     There’s candy, gifts, and food from Germany in Downtown at The Minneapolis Holiday Market, and it doesn’t cost much for a ticket good for the season!

6.     The Swedish Institute has Christmas exhibits and a gift shop a good place to get Swedish Christmas presents.

Now you see there are a lot of fun things to do. So go out there and be a Minnesotan. Minnesotans go out and embrace the cold, and that’s why you live in Minnesota not Hawaii!

PHS student travels to Tanzania Africa

By Ava Holsather
PHS Press staff member

Emily Weinlick, an 11-year-old Planet Homeschool student, recently went on a trip to Tanzania Africa on August 23rd through September 7th to help teach at Living Water Children Center, play with the kids and cook Ugali (African cake), cabbage and tomato soup.

While she was there she read to the children, let them braid her hair and helped them prepare the food from their harvest.

"There were so many amazing parts of my trip, but I have to say that my favorite part was when I went on a mini safari along a lake shore," said Weinlick.

Emily Weinlick has actually taken two trips to Africa, the first with her mom, but the second time she went alone as an "unaccompanied minor." She says it gave her a chance to be really independent.

She had lots of fun but when it was time to leave the second time, Weinlick was sad to say good-bye to the kids.

FICTION: Mindy and the wish for a beautiful thing

by Emily Weinlick
PHS Press staff member

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Mindy. She had light blonde hair and chestnut brown eyes. Her favorite color was mint blue, and she was a very sickly child. She could never leave her house in Candetville for she was too weak. All Mindy ever wanted was something… beautiful.

On Christmas Eve, Mindy looked out her bedroom window that was covered in frost, and saw three girls with blonde hair like Mindy’s, but brilliant blue eyes. Mindy opened her window slightly and listened in on their conversation. The three girls were talking about the new porcelain dolls with blonde hair and blue eyes at Mrs. Marge’s Toy Shop. Oh, how Mindy wanted one of these! These porcelain dolls sounded so… beautiful.

Mindy called her parents to her bedroom and asked them if she may have a beautiful porcelain doll like all the other girls. When her parents asked her why she wanted one she said that she had never felt that way about anything and knew she must have something beautiful forever. Alas, her parents said they couldn’t afford anything at Mrs. Marge’s Toy Shop, for they were very poor. Mindy was devastated when she heard she couldn’t have a porcelain doll, her parents then left the room silently to let her rest.

Mindy lay back down on her bed, shivering slightly. She slowly cried herself to sleep, but then she had an idea. Santa Claus! She could write a letter to Santa Claus! Slowly, she got out of bed and put on her robe. She walked over to her desk and sat down. She lit the gas lamp and started to write a letter.

Dear Santa Claus,

I know it may be a bit late, probably just 12:00 but I would like to ask for a porcelain doll. Not just any porcelain doll, I would like one with blonde hair and blue eyes. If you can’t manage this I understand. Oh, and don’t forget Mother’s ever so good ginger banana cookies, and my goat Katie’s warm milk.

Love,

Mindy

She folded the letter and creeped downstairs to the fireplace. Mindy placed the letter on the fireplace along with some extra cookies and milk and went back to bed. “Hope Mindy, just hope.” she told herself. The next day Mindy’s parents helped her out of bed and down to the kitchen table. While walking past the fireplace she saw some gifts under the tree but none that seemed to be a porcelain doll. Her parents seated her in her chair and set out breakfast. Cranberry sauce and pumpkin bread with a glass of warm goat milk, this was one of the most special meals they ever got.

When they were done Mindy got up and walked over to the Christmas tree. She sat down and waited for her parents to hand her a gift. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Her mother ran to it and opened it quickly. “Mrs. Marge! How nice to see you! Come in now before you catch your death of cold.” Mindy’s mother said. Mrs. Marge entered with a small package, neatly wrapped in light blue paper and topped with a chestnut bow. Mrs. Marge sat down on the sofa and welcomed a warm cup of goat milk.

Slowly more guests arrived: Mr. Gandy from next door, Mrs. and Mr. Casterben, Louise and Malory the twins from down the street, and Mindy’s best friend Badger Ives. Once everyone had goat milk and blankets the present opening began. Mindy’s father was given a new plaid shirt from Mrs. Casterben, Mindy’s mother was given a beautiful new shawl from Malory, and it went back and forth until it came to Mindy’s gifts. Mindy got a pair if mittens from Badger, blue and red hair ties from Mr. Gandy, and finally the gift from Mrs. Marge.

Mindy carefully untied the bow and unwrapped the paper. Inside was a beautiful black box about the size of her hand. She opened it and inside found a bar of chocolate. Mindy thanked everyone for her gifts graciously while hiding her sadness. When all the guests had left and said goodbye, and all the goat milk drunk Mindy sat by the fire thinking. Then she spotted something in the corner of her eye.

A red box with a blue bow propped behind the sofa, she crawled over to it and lifted the tag. 

“Dear Mindy,

Merry Christmas! May you have the beautiful thing you wished for…”

Sincerely,

Mommy and Daddy

Mindy eagerly opened the package. Once the paper was of there was a box coated with leather. Labeled on it was: Mrs. Marge’s Toy Shop. Now Mindy was very excited, with her fingers crossed she opened the box and found a gorgeous porcelain doll with blonde hair and… brown eyes? Brown, why brown? Mindy’s parents walked into the room at that time. “Why chestnut eyes mommy and daddy? Why not blue?” Mindy asked.

“Mindy, your brown eyes make you more beautiful that we could imagine. This doll doesn’t need blue eyes to be beautiful and neither do you. You’re perfect they way you are and we love you.” Mindy’s father replied. This brought tears to Mindy’s eyes. She was beautiful. She hugged her doll tightly and said silently and happily.

“Thank you, mommy and daddy.”

THE END

POLL: Which Minecraft Server is Your Favorite?

by Bridger Berg
PHS Press staff member

The best sandbox you will ever have

By Emily Weinlick

PHS staff member

Minecraft is an amazing way for people to let their imagination run wild! It’s creative, engaging, challenging, and super fun! Minecraft is a sandbox independent video game originally created by the Swedish programmer Marcus “Notch” Persson and later developed and published by the Swedish company Mojang since 2009. The creative building aspects allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world. Other activities in the game include exploration, gathering resources, crafting, and combat. There a multiple ways to play, including survival mode where the player must collect resources to build the world and maintain their health, creative mode where layers have unlimited resources to build and the ability to fly, and adventure mode where players can play custom game worlds built by other players.

“Minecraft is an amazing game, I love to invent, build, and explore so this was the perfect game for me,” said Charlie Weinlick.

Minecraft received five awards during the 2011 Game Developers Conference. It won the Innovation Award, Best Downloadable Game Award, Best Debut Game Award, Audience Award, and the Seamas McNally Grand Prize. As of June 25^th, 2014, over 12 million copies of the game on Xbox 360 and 15 million copies on PC have been sold; nearly 54 million copies have been sold across all platforms, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time.

Minecraft is an open world game that has no precise goals for the player to accomplish, allowing the players a large amount of freedom in choosing how to play the game. At the beginning of the game the player is placed on the face of a procedurally generated and virtually infinite game world. The world is divided into an endless amount of biomes ranging from deserts, to plains and swamps, to jungles and snowfields.

Throughout the course of the game, players encounter many non-player characters also known as mobs, including animals, villagers, and hostile creatures. Non-hostile animals-such as cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep-spawn during the daytime.

 The player may hunt them for food and crafting materials. By contrast, hostile mobs-such as large spiders, skeletons, and zombies-spawn during the night or in dark places, such as caves. Some unique creatures have been noted by reviewers, such as the Creeper, an exploding mob that sneaks up on the player; and the Enderman, a mob with the ability to teleport and pick up blocks.

“Minecraft is incredible, the creativity that I have drawn out of myself and the way people keep trying to make it better blows me away,” said Rebecca Foxercy, a homeschooler.

Ava Holsather inspired to play guitar by her dad

by Emily Weinlick
PHS Press staff member

Ava Holsather (Photo by Paavo Downing)

Planet Homeschool student Ava Holsather’s hobby is playing her guitar. She plays a ¾ size left-handed Taylor acoustic guitar and ¾ size left-handed Ibanez electric guitar.

She takes guitar lessons at the Linden Hills House of Music and plays at recitals on the Famous Daves stage. Her last performance she had a very special opportunity to play with a drummer and another guitarist. “It was so fun to play with other people who loved music just as much as I do!” Ava said.

Her dream is to play in a band and go on tour. She thinks that it would be such an enjoyable time to go around the world to different places and performing all kinds of different music. She wants to be part of a band because she loves collaborating with different instruments and song writers to make a performance seem more professional.

Ava’s dad loves to play guitar, as well. Ava enjoys playing with her dad, because they are able to share new songs they know or wrote with each other. Ava was motivated to play the guitar because of her dad. Ava’s dad is not in a band himself, he just enjoys to play for his family.

The reason Ava got a guitar in the first place is because she liked playing around with her dad’s guitar even though it was to big. Her parents realized that what she needed was a guitar her size and a left-handed styled one too. Ava has been playing guitar ever since June 2011.

(Photo by Paavo Downing)

A list of good gifts

By Nadia Sullivan-Nightengale

PHS Press staff member

1.     A music disk.

2.     A movie.

3.     A game.

4.     A stuffed Animal (not real).

5.     A box of chocolate.

6.     A mug.

7.     A toy car.

8.     Minecraft.

9.     Angry birds.

10. Paint and paintbrush.

11. A pet.

12. Books.

13. A science kit.

14. Detective kit.

15. Art book.

16. Nail polish.

17. Lip gloss.

18. Ball.

19. Craft kit.

20. Skate board.

21. Bike.

22. Scooter.

23. A poster.

I hope this list helps you not have problems finding good gifts.

Paavo Downing began playing guitar on a Fender Mini

Paavo Downing (Photo by Emily Weinlick)

by Parker Lehman

PHS Press staff member

Paavo Downing is one of our reporters here at the PHS Press. In his Meet the Staff interview, he talked about learning to play guitar. 

He got in to guitar for kicks 5 years ago on a Fender mini. He self taught for the most part using the internet as a guide. He also got help from his dad. Later he started playing a Marshall Kelly, as well as a Yamaha. 

Mostly he plays Indi and Rock and Roll. He will sometimes play with his dad in their basement.

The Blood of Olympus - Book review

by Ava Holsather
PHS Press staff member

The Blood of Olympus is the 5th and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

The series is about demi-gods (half god half human) going on adventures to fulfill prophecies.
Heroes of Olympus is the sequel series to the Percy Jackson books.

Throughout the book, each chapter is told from a different character's point of view.

After every page, chapter, book even, I felt fulfilled and happy, and most definitely eager for more!
The series is written by author Rick Riordan. His books are some of my personal favorites because they are filled with adventure, plot twists, action, and fantastic character development!

The Blood of Olympus, being the last book in the series, has happy moments, sad moments (I definitely cried a few times), and some that are very tense!

The moment I started the first book, and every other after that, I was lost in the world for hours!
All in all, I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for epic adventure filled quests, monster fighting, and lots of re-re-re-reading!

My rating of The Blood of Olympus: 10/10

PHS student uses iMovie to create movie

by Ava Holsather
PHS Press staff member

Last month, Emily Weinlick, an 11-year-old Planet Homeschool student, and her cousins made a movie called "Stupid Agents" using an app called iMovie.

Emily Weinlick (Photo by Paavo Downing)

They got together one day and filmed the preview.

 Next time they got together they started the movie! They got inspiration for this movie
when they saw what looked kind of like a secret agent car and decided they should make a movie about it.

The movie had some sound effects, and costumes! Weinlick says they were "Not that great".

They all had experience with acting, and they talked about what they were going to do before the scene, and if something didn't work out as planned they would make something
up as they were recording.

Pirate101 perfect follow up for W101 player

by Bridger Berg
PHS Press staff member

A pirate stands next to the wheel of his mighty airship with Bonnie Anne, fox sniper, down on the decks and his other crew below. The pirate has destroyed dozens of armada troops, but they still keep manufacturing new ones. The pirate must find the map to El Dorado, or the armada will destroy all pirates in the world! He knows where the next piece of the map is. The pirate and their crew must enter the mine. Little does he know that the spymaster of the armada is waiting inside.

What’s going on here? Just an average day in Pirate101.

Pirate101 was released a few years after the hit game Wizard101 by Kingsisle games, maker of W101. The game was a companion game to Wizard101, and also improved on things that Kingsisle thought Wizard101 did wrong. As the name suggests, the game is pirate based, with the player as a pirate flying through the Skyways (For some reason, everything takes place in the air) in their pirate airship…ship…whatever. They must stop the Clockwork armada from killing off all pirates and taking over the entire world! Anyway, when the player starts the game, they are in a prison onboard an armada ship, with Boochbeard, the pirate who directs the player through the game, standing before your cell. Boochbeard asks you your gender, after which you choose. Then you go through a quiz asking your name, how your parents died, where you were raised, and (The most important one as it determines your class) what the armada arrested you for.

The classes: Buccaneer (Defense focus), Swashbuckler (Attack focus), Privateer (Healing focus), Musketeer (Long ranged attack focus), and Witchdoctor (Weird magic skills focus). Once you’ve chosen which one of those is right for you, Boochbeard will tell you to design your flag, which is displayed on the sails of your ship (Once you get one). Finally after all that is done, you’ll start the tutorial of the game! I won’t bore you with the details, but in the tutorial you learn how to steer a ship, how to fight (more on that soon) and receive your first companion!

Companions: In the game, there are a lot of things you have to do. You can’t do all those things alone, so Kingisle added companions to the game. These anthropomorphic animals from many worlds of the “Spiral” (magical universe in which all Kingsisle games take place) will help you on all your quests with advice, special combat skills, and more! These funny and cool animals, such as Gaspard De Vole, the guinea pig guard, are gained from mini quests, main quests, or hired from the shop.

COMBAAAT OH YEAH! The combat in the game is very interesting. It is also very similar to chess! You move yourself and your companions around on a “Battleboard” and use special boosting and attacking skills to defeat your opponents! There are obviously many strategies to this type of combat, which makes it all the more fun!

Well that’s the basics, Pirate101 also has just as rich a storyline as Wizard101, and is littered with references to W101, so I’d recommend it to a W101 player, or any gamer looking for something new and fun!

CARTOON: Cooking catastrophes

by Willow Skidmore
PHS Press staff member

Ada Lovelace

By Willow Skidmore

PHS Press staff member

Ada Lovelace (also known as Augusta Ada King) was the Countess of Lovelace and known as the first computer programmer. According to Wikipedia, she was born as Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815 in London, England.

Her mother (Anna Isabella King) encouraged her interest in Logic and Mathematics because she was bitter at Lord Byron (Ada’s father) for divorcing her when Ada was just 1 month old. Lady Byron wanted to take Ada’s interest away from her father. In spite of this, Ada remained interested. Part of the reason for this was that she never met him. He died in Greece when she was 8 years old. 

 Ada was often ill and at the age of 8, she experienced headaches that blocked her eyesight. In June of 1829, she was paralyzed by measles. She was kept in bed for nearly a year, which may have extended her time of paralysis. By the year 1831, she was able to walk by using crutches. Even while ill, she continued her studies.

According to Wikipedia, on July 8, 1835, she married William King (who was the 8th baron of that name) and became Baroness King. They lived in Ockham, Surrey, UK. They had three children: Byron (b. May 12, 1836), Anne Isabella (b. September 22, 1837), and Ralph Gordon (b. July 2, 1839). After Anne’s birth, Ada was sick for awhile. In the year 1838, her husband became the Earl of Lovelace. She was considered the Countess of Lovelace for most of her married life.

According to the San Diego Supercomputer Center, Ada translated a paper written in French about her friend Charles Babbage’s work. It is from there that she gets her fame. She was called the first computer programmer because with her math she worked with Babbage to create the design of a computer. She was called his Enchantress of Numbers.

Modern day people saw Babbage’s notes and for 30 years they didn’t know who his “Enchantress of Numbers” was. Then 15 years ago, their research led to Ada’s identification. Since then, many people have written novels about her. 

Ada died at the age of 36 on November 27, 1852 from cancer. By her request, she was buried next to her father at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Hucknall in Nottingham, England.

Meet Nadia Sullivan-Nightengale

Nadia Sullivan-Nightengale (Photo by Paavo Downing)

- Age: 11

- City/town: Saint Paul

-Best book/blog you read this summer: At First Bite (a Poison Apple book)

- Favorite newspaper/magazine: monster high magazine

- Hobbies: Reading, swimming and listening to music

- Most interesting thing about yourself: I rode the kamikaze without ever getting sick or scared.

- What do you like most about Planet Homeschool? The lounge lunch time and playing outside.

- Why did you join the newspaper/photography class? Because i thought it would be fun to make a news paper.

- What do you like to write? poems