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The Worthington ALC Insider
Volume 4, Issue 19 April 25, 2007
April showers bring May flowers…NOT By John Reck It was April 13th, 1986, heavy snow and strong winds came down upon the Midwest and created blizzard conditions over most of South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, and northwest Iowa. Snow was built up in excess of 12 inches, in some places up to 15 inches, and the wind blew at around 40 mph, with gusts up to 90. In South Dakota, drifts grew to nearly 15 feet, and law enforecment closed much of I-90. Fast forward six years; it’s April 18th, 1992, and once again heavy, wet snow begins to come down the hills of South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Once again accompanied by strong winds, the storm knocked out power to over 2000 households for over four hours. Snow mounted up from 24 to 30 inches, causing major traffic problems. The storm lasted through the 20th of April. One day later, on the 21st of April, the storm struck again, leaving heavy snow, ice, freezing rain, and sleet across much of the Midwest. The roads accumulated another six inches of snow and ice, causing even more traffic problems, and many accidents. These crazy late storms aren't common, but they do happen. (Continued à)	Belive it or not, this picture was taken on the 12^th of April This year’s April blizzard hit late in the day on Monday April, 9th, around midnight. The snow was light into Tuesday morning, then it got bad. It's insane that we can have snow so late in the year, considering that the Monday before the storm was so beautiful. Tuesday came with lots of snow and wind. Having over 8 inches of snow on the ground in places during April just isn't right. Wednesday it was bad enough to close school, and then it all just ended. It was cold for a few days after the storm, and then it got nice outside again. Surpise blizzards are very common in Minnesota. In fact, the term “blizzard” was coined in Marshall, Minnesota, in 1873. German settlers stated “Der sturm kommt blitzartig” which translates as “The storm comes like lightening.” “Blitzartig” evolved into “blizzard” and came to mean any severe winter storm that hits hard without warning.

The ALC Insider April 25, 2007 page 2

The Wonderful World of School Testing Nery Perez Last week was some kind of state testing, and man did I want to take those tests. But apparently these great and purposeful tests cannot be taken by smart students like me. Mr. Knapp said something about me messing up the bell curve whatever that means. All I know is I was jealous that I couldn’t sit in a hot classroom and fill in little bubbles with a #2 pencil. ******** Sergio Espinoza Last week was some kind of state testing. I had to take the tests because my name was on the "list." I heard that Mr. Knapp drew names out of a hat to see who could take the test. But if you want the real truth here it is: Mr. Knapp hand- picked his favorite students to take these fun tests. Trust me I was so excited when I saw my name on the hand printed list that I skipped all the way to my testing room. ********

Eddie Martinez Last week was school testing and I actually was bummed because I didn't have to take it. Sergio says it is because Mr. Knapp doesn't like me, but I think Nery is right, I am just too smart. But smart or not, I felt left out. Why do they have to leave me out of the cool stuff like that. Everybody knows that if you get picked to take these wonderful tests that you are cool. I talked to some of the students who took the tests and they looked so excited. They were all smiles and high fives. The rest of us just moped around the halls until lunch when the test-takers told us their wondrous tales. Some of the testers were having so much fun that they didn't even leave for lunch! Oh maybe next year I can be on Knapp's list. For those who are feeling left out…. In order to make those who did not take tests last week feel as if they are still part of our happy family, we have developed our own ALC Test. By taking this test, you will be able to determine if you are, in fact, “an ALC cool person.” Click here to take this exciting exam…. Animations by animationlibrary.com

The ALC Insider April 25, 2007 page 3

My job at Hy-Vee By Paul M. On September 6^th I got hired at the Worthington Hy-Vee grocery store. I am currently a cashier, and will soon be promoted to being an AD. An AD is a person who stocks shelves, and if it gets too busy upfront, they will call you and say we need you to check-out on register five or six, whichever is open. I didn’t start as a cashier. I was a courtesy person which means I did all the dirty little jobs: bag grocery’s, go get carts, drive up, sweep, mop, and when it snows I shovel. But the manager saw that I was doing a great job, or maybe he just hired too many people, but the point is I got promoted to being a cashier. I will be turning 16 here in a couple of weeks, and so the manager asked me if I would like to become an AD and I said OH YEA!!      Working at Hy-Vee job has taught me a lot about responsibility. I am on time to more things such as school, appointments, and work, of course. It’s not bad working there. Many people hate their jobs, but I don’t mind going to work at all. You get to meet new people, socialize with your fellow co-workers and earn a couple bucks so it’s all good.

Opital Illusions Optical illusion (op-ti-kul i-loo-zhun) A perception of visual stimuli that represents what is perceived in a way different from the way it is in reality. Optical illusions are an interesting phenomenon. They are pictures that trick the eye into seeing something that is not really there. For example, what do you see in the picture to the right… a grandma and grandpa, or a man playing a guitar for a woman? In the picture to the left, are the rows of white and black squares from side to side parallel with one another? Most viewers would say no, but in fact they are. The picture to the right shows pieces of wood glued to a red background. But look hard enough and you will see the word “Jesus.” Last but not least, if you stare at the image to the left for 15 seconds, you’ll see a giraffe. No kidding!

The ALC Insider April 25, 2007 page 4

A “fish” of a different sort… Everyone at the ALC is familiar with the weekly “fish” drawing. One Fridays, five paper “fish” tickets that were given to students by teachers are drawn out of the “fish bowl.” The winners get a dollar. Several weeks ago, Mr. Knapp had a special prize for an extra “fish” drawing. He had a 1948 Mexican 5 peso coin. Tasha Brissom’s name was drawn and she won the coin. The coin is about the size of a U.S. silver dollar. Mr. Knapp thought the coin was of little or no value, but Mr. Lowry, who has lived in Mexico, thought otherwise. He believed it was at least worth its weight in silver. Mr. Knapp gave Tasha an assignment: To learn if there was a story behind the coin, and if it had any value. According to Tasha, “This coin is 90% pure silver.” She also learned that the face on the coin was that of Cuauhtemoc. Who? “Cuauhtemoc, he was the last of the Aztec rulers and was executed by the Spanish conquerors because of his open hatred and attacks against them.” (Continued à) 1948 Cuauhtemoc five peso coin

Tasha and her 1948 Mexican 5 peso piece Cuauhtemoc’s cousin Moctezuma surrendered to the Spanish conquerors, believing them to be sent by the Gods. But Cuauhtemoc went down fighting. This coin was only minted for two years, and this is what Tasha learned: “Some say the reason this beautiful coin was only minted for two years, 1947 and 1948, is because powerful Mexican politicians of pure Spanish blood still carried hatred towards Cuauhtemoc even after over 400 years! They ordered an end to the coin.” And it’s value? It has a minimum value of $2 simply for the silver. If the coin were in mint condition (and this one was not), it would be worth up to $38 to collectors. Most similar coins on ebay were bidding at about $10. Tasha learned that, “Cuauhtemoc is a symbol of bravery, and is revered as a true hero by many Mexicans with mixed blood lines.” She plans to hang on to the coin as a keepsake.

The ALC Insider April 25, 2007 page 5

Gauged Piercing is not for the weak minded! By Dan Timmerman If you were to live in a large city or suburb you might see a lot of exotic and sometimes disgusting piercings (well you may think they are disgusting). In my case I don’t live in a big city but my ears are gauged to ½ inch and everyone thinks either it is gross, weird, or freaking sweet. The people here at school mostly think it’s just plain disgusting and they always ask “DOES IT HURT?” Well what do you think… it’s stretched collagen? To me that’s like asking someone if getting their foot run over hurts. You guess because I am not going to answer anymore of these weak minded questions. When gauging your ears you start with an already pierced ear and an earring called a taper. It kind of looks like a golf tee. You take the pointed end of the taper and hold onto the lower lobe of your ear and the slowly slide the taper into the ear it also helps to lube the taper with a little Vaseline. Slide a rubber O ring onto each side and you’re done (Continued à)

The standard ear gauge starts at .20 then .18, .16, .14, .12, and goes up to around six inches. When it hangs to your shoulder it is way too big. When gauging ears, some people use olive oil or Vaseline. I didn’t. I straight up pushed it through the ear because I have a high pain threshold or tolerance. For people who have a low pain tolerance this would not be good for you. After every piercing or gauging, you need to clean the affected area so it doesn’t get infected or so bacteria doesn’t stick around and grow. When you ears are gauged sometimes they tend to smell because of growing bacteria and dead skin cells that have not fallen into the air. To clean the ears use an ear cleaning solution or to do it the less expensive and the best effective way. Take some sea salt and mix a little with a sixteen ounce bottle of purified water (works best if bottle has a squirting nozzle). For information on piercing, go to http://www.omericaorganic.com/ and click on literature. Body piercing is not currently regulated in the State of Minnesota. The following bill is being considered during the 2007 session: [325F.814] BODY PIERCING. Prohibition. No person may provide body piercing services for a person under the age of 18 without the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. The provider of the services must witness the execution and dating of the consent by the parent or legal guardian.

The ALC Insider April 25, 2007 page 6

By Tasha B.

ARIES (MARCH 21- APRIL 19)

You will be chased by a pack of angry bunnies. You may want to carry some carrots to distract them.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20)

A tiger is going to try to eat you. Sorry, you can’t distract him. He wants you and only you.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)

You will have to fight a wild bore. Only one of you will walk away. Good luck!

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22)

The squirrels think you’re a big tasty nut and they want a piece of you.

LEO (JULY 23- AUG 22) 

You will be chased by poisonous spiders and they won’t stop till they get their poison in you.

(Continued à)

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEPT 22)

Stay away from the lake! The fish are tired of being hooked. Now they want to hook someone of their own.

LIBRA (SEPT 23-OCT 22)

You will have a quiet peaceful day. Enjoy it to the fullest. Next week you may not be so lucky.

SCORPIO (OCT 23-NOV 21) 

The trees are after you. They think you will make a nice branch.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21)

You will make friends with a magical bear. Have fun with him! Just remember to feed him or he'll find out that you’re a tasty snack.

CAPIRCORN (DEC 22- JAN 19)

You will be eaten by a crocodile. The end.

AQUARIUS (JAN 29-FEB 18)

You will turn into a fish and die because you won’t be able to get to any water.

PISCES (FEB 19- MARCH 20)

I don't know how this will happen, but you will be turned into a puddle of mud. I'd find a good place to turn into a puddle of mud so you don't get stepped on to much.

Separated at Birth

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