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The Worthington ALC Insider
Volume 3, Issue 24 April 10, 2006
Easter and its Traditions… By Teresa Lugo Easter is celebrated in many Christian countries. It is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jews celebrate Passover at the same time of year. It is an important feast for them, and is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Churches in the West observe Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox (March 21). Easter is at the end of Lenten season, which covers a forty-six day period. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year. (Continued à)	Animationlibrary.com Easter has many traditions. For example: the Easter bunny, painting eggs with different bright colors (which represent the light of spring), and the egg hunting. The eggs symbolize birth and fertility, the rabbit in some country also is the symbol of fertility. There are also chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks. In Greece and the Middle East, they paint their eggs red which symbolizes the blood of Christ. Eggs are pierced with a needle, and air is then blown into them removing the contents. The hollow eggs are then decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and other religious figures. In some places, people paint Easter eggs to symbolize love. They then switch their eggs with those they like, sort of like the way we give out Valentines Cards.

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Springtime is Paintball time!! By Chris Gardner Spring is here and outdoor sports are coming. My favorite thing is to paintball. I go to my friends’ houses or to the field that is made for paintball. I have some fun with my brother and his friends or my friends. I call my brother and tell him to get my paintball gear and his ready and we go from the time we get up to the time we go to bed. It can be a painful sport, but we have a lot of fun. The price of the gear can vary. You can spend thousands of dollars on the markers themselves. The paint itself can cost a lot, varying from one place to another. You can get a hopper and Co2 tank or a Nitrous Oxide tank. The Nitrous tank costs more then the Co2 tank, but you can refill it yourself. You can go to the old fair grounds in Luverne to play, or you can go to another place in Sioux Falls. The fun will make you sweat like a dog but you don’t think about it. You can get a shirt and pants or gloves for your hands. The paint will wash off if you get hit on your clothing. But the clothing you want to wear should be old because sometimes the paint can leave stains. (Continued à)

The first time I played paintball was in Michigan in an indoor area. If you want to watch paintball on TV, you can see it on Saturday afternoons on WGN TV. You can find out more about paintball on the web at a site called paintball.com. There you will find paintball gear and more things that you might want such as markers or other stuff. If you are going to buy a marker, I would suggest a Tippmann a5. There are some good ones that are great for first-timers, but you really need something that will stick. That is why I would say get a Tippmann a5 or the 98 custom.

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Usher – Music Superstar By Steve VanLo Music has been a big addition to the world’s pop culture today, and one man has been a big hit to the culture today. Usher Raymond, a multi-platinum music artist, has hit big with the past albums he debuted. But his life has not always been so filled with success. Usher grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was raised by his single mother. She also raised his younger brother as well. Usher was a country boy. He grew up loving music and having the hunger of a 400 pound man wanting to eat up every single bit of music knowledge. At the age of 12, he moved to a bigger city. Atlanta, Georgia, a place of dreams and soul full of music industry. As early as junior high school, Usher began entering local talent shows. He was performing at a "Star Search" competition at age 13 when he was spotted by an A&R rep from LaFace who arranged an audition with L.A. Reid. A record contract soon followed. (Continued à)	"I have been building my career since I was a little boy," Usher explains, "because singing had always been what I wanted to do. At first I thought about playing [professional] football, then I wanted to play basketball, but in the end it was all about the music. It's my biggest passion and my biggest joy." After finding his dream of success, Usher Raymond has been a hit ever since. With his latest album “Confessions”, his rise to success is just beginning.

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Spring Fever…

By Raul Avila

Do you know what spring fever is? If you don’t, it’s a term that is used for good weather and bad behavior. By that we mean that students start ditching school and stop

attending extra-curricular activities. They also start exposing more of their bodies by wearing some weird clothing.

One of the worst things a family can do is to go on an extended vacation (like a week or two) during spring break. Why? Because the kids get off the routine of going back to school. They can easily catch spring fever.

The kids start to slack off, and begin acting like they’re sick when the vacation ends. School skipping begins, they fall behind in credits, and before your know it, they can’t graduate.

Another cause of spring fever has to do with the time change. Now that we are on daylight savings time, kids want to stay out later and go partying. The night is no longer so cold, and that makes kids want to stay out very late.

Are you suffering from spring fever? Are you slacking off, skipping school and staying out too late? Just remember: There are consequences for this dreaded disease…

Animation by RW51

Art by Danny Colin

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Road project stopped by a minnow! By Daniel Alvarado Spring is here and that means that road construction season is just around the corner. Get prepared for roads to be torn up everywhere. There are a whole bunch of construction projects underway but there is one that has stopped right in its tracks. Last year, Nobles County Highway 35 from Worthington to Rushmore was rebuilt. This year, the Highway 35 section from Rushmore to Adrian was supposed to be rebuilt. But the county’s plans to replace drainage structures along Highway 35 could impact the Topeka Shiner, AKA Notropis Topeka. What is a Topeka Shiner? It is a minnow, a silvery fish only 2-3 inches in length! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 836 miles of streams in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska as critical habitat for the endangered Topeka Shiner. Included in the areas designated are stream segments in the Rock River watersheds in Minnesota. (Continued à)

Notropis Topeka, or the Topeka Shiner There are 14 stream segments totaling 115 stream miles designated as a protected area just in Nobles County! Nobles County Commissioner Diane Their told the Worthington Daily Globe, “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that we have to stop a road project because of a stupid little minnow”. Commissioners are expected to decide on the project’s fate – to proceed or wait until 2007 – during their April 18 board meeting. The Insider will keep you informed of the fate of this minnow and the plans for Nobles County Highway 35… The Topeka Shiner thrives in small prairie streams such as the Rock River, pictured above.

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By Jimmy Dinh

ARIES (MARCH 21- APRIL 19) The object of your love will to be touched to the core by your care.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) What, you shy away from a romantic obstacle? No way! You're a tough cookie, so get into that cookie jar of new love. 

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) Confess to your crush that he/she hits you like a big yellow school bus

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) Romance is in the air on this fine spring day.

LEO (JULY 23- AUG 22) You may have a romantic problem – and a number of pleasant romantic solutions.

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEPT 22) Have you been feeling a little tense, romance-wise? You know what you want, but you just can't get it? Too bad! You still not gonna get it!

LIBRA (SEPT 23-OCT 22) Don't be afraid to take a break from looking for Mr. or Ms. Right and just stay home.

SCORPIO (OCT 23-NOV 21) If you have some lucky somebody in your sights, the best you can do is tell them that you're interested. 

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21) You know what they say about the way to a person's heart? Through the tummy, of course. 

CAPIRCORN (DEC 22- JAN 19) Don't get discouraged if things doesn't work out the way you planned.

AQUARIUS (JAN 29-FEB 18) You offer more than just a guiding light to a potential romantic partner.

PISCES (FEB 19- MARCH 20) It's always important to share whatever you're thinking. When it comes to your romantic life, that's truer than ever..

This week’s Separated at Birth

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