Insider

The Insider is an ALC student publication. The articles reflect the opinions of students and

do not necessarily reflect the views of either the ALC or of Independent School District 518.

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The Worthington ALC

Insider

Volume 4, Issue 11 January 4, 2007

Happy New Year!

By Sing Phady

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” That greeting will be heard for the first couple of weeks of 2007. But the day celebrated as New Year’s Day in our modern world was not always celebrated on January 1.

New Year’s Day was observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. The Babylonian New Year began on the first day of spring and the celebration lasted for eleven days!

The idea of using a baby to represent the new year was begun around 600 BC in Greece. The Greeks would honor their God of Wine, Dionysus, by carrying a baby around in a basket. It was also a springtime event.

The Romans also celebrated their New Year in the spring – On March 1 to be exact. Spring brought a new growing season and, in the minds of the Romans, this signified a new year.

But the Roman calendar was changed many times. In 153 BC, the Roman Senate declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. On this day, Romans were expected to welcome the Sun God back from his winter rest.

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The early Catholic Church condemned New Year’s Day as a pagan celebration in honor of the Sun God. But when the church declared December 25 as the day of Christ’s birth, it became acceptable to celebrate the New Year a week later.

The song, “Auld Lang Syne” is sung on January 1 at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world. An old Scotch tune, “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago.” It’s a song in remembrance of “the good old days.”

The Chinese New Year is known as the Lunar New Year because it occurs every year on the new moon of the second lunar month after the shortest day of the year (December 22). The exact date can fall anytime from January 21 until February 21.

In Laos, New Year is celebrated anywhere from 13 April to 15 April, depending on the phase of the moon.

The ALC Insider January 4, 2007 page 2

ALC Students

lend a hand

Many ALC students were affected by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at the Swift plant last month.

A large number of students had family members who were detained – in some cases unjustly – in the incident. Almost everyone at the ALC personally knows someone who was affected

Most ALC students wanted to help those affected, but didn’t know what they could do. Then an opportunity appeared.

Mr. Knapp was asked if any students wanted to help to move several tons of donated food and clothing. He asked for volunteers. Not surprisingly, everyone stepped forward to help.

The food and clothing were collected from a five state area and were initially delivered to the Comunidad Christian de Worthington (CCW), a local church serving the Hispanic community. Everything had to be moved to the Manna From Heaven food pantry at the Presbyterian Church.

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ALC students formed a human chain at CCW and moved the tons of supplies hand-to-hand out to awaiting trucks and trailers. Students then formed a second human chain at the food pantry, and moved the supplies inside.

With Christmas only a week away, students received the satisfaction of knowing they had assisted those in need.

*****

What the ALC has done for me…

By Teresa Lugo

I chose to attend the Area Learning Center (ALC) because I was behind on credits. Coming to the ALC allowed me to gain enough credits to graduate on time, not a year behind.

Many people think that the ALC is a bad place, but it’s not true. Everyone at the ALC everyone feels comfortable with the others. I think there’s more peer pressure at the High School that causes some students to not do as well as they could.

This is my second year at the ALC and it has allowed me to gain a couple of credits. Hopefully by third quarter I’ll be going back to the High School. I will still have to attend night classes, but by the end of the year I can graduate on time.

Even though I’m pregnant, this hasn’t stopped me from coming to school pretty much every day and getting my work on time. I think if I was at the High School I would have had more absences and I don’t think I would have gotten as far as I have at the ALC.

The ALC Insider January 4, 2007 page 3

Important Dates In January…

By Samantha Loza

New Year’s Day, of course, is celebrated on January 1, but so is “Bonza Bottler Day.” What in the world is that? It’s just an excuse to have a party. Bonza Bottler Day occurs whenever the numbers of the month and the date are the same, such as January 1, February 2, March 3, etc.

Three Kings Day, or la Dia de los Santos Reyes, is celebrated on Jan.6 in many Latin American countries. It’s the day when the Three Kings are thought to have presented gifts to the baby Jesus. It is celebrated as a day of gift-giving. This day is known by English-speaking Christians as the “The Day of the Epiphany”, but is not considered a gift-giving day.

Elvis Presley’s Birthday is celebrated on January 8. Believe it or not, many people take this very seriously. On this day, thousands of Elvis fans make a pilgrimage to his Graceland Mansion.

Golf Day is celebrated January 17. Why? We don’t have a clue. Go ask Mr. Iverson.

The birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. is on January 19. However, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of each January – January 15 this year. And guess what? We get the day off from school!

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Animations by Animationlibrary.com

Penguin Awareness Day is on January 20. Chinese New Year is on January 22, followed by National Pie Day on January 23. And if that doesn’t make you happy, then wait for Fun at Work Day on January 25, or Spouse’s Day on January 26.

Stop Complaining

By Kayla Vega

Stop complaining if you are 15 years old and your parents don’t want to give you any money. Did you know that at McDonalds they hire kids starting at14 years old?

McDonalds isn’t that bad for a starting job. Checks are small in the beginning, but when you’ve been there for maybe two months you are going to be like, “WOAH!!” Well maybe not, but don’t you think it’s better than nothing? Your parents will probably be happier for you. Who knows, they may even buy you a car!

You may have noticed that people who have worked at a place for a year or more get paid better than those who have just started. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those persons? Keep in mind that you may even be helping your parents out. How is that? Because when you are working for your own money, it keeps you from asking your parents and they keep more for themselves. Do you get what I’m trying to say?

Well it’s really up to you. So if you are tired of hearing your parents saying “NO” when you ask for money….stop complaining and look for a job.

The Insider January 4, 2007 Page 4

What are your New Year’s resolutions?

By Kayla Vega

Sticking to your resolutions is kinda hard don’t ya’ think? For those of you who don’t know what New Year’s resolutions are, they are goals that you would like to see yourself accomplish. What are your resolutions? Do you have any? Well, here are some ideas.

For some of you it might be to lose weight and to keep it like that. One way to do that is to PLAN it out. It’s like going on a diet basically, but I think you need to keep it up for like the whole year. Just don’t look at food…

Some people vow to quit smoking. My advice: just try not to look at cigarettes…duh….why do people start smoking in the first place? I think everybody knows that smoking is bad for you, but smoking is a choice that people make on their own. If you’re a smoker, just think about all the money you wasted on cigarettes last year. You could’ve used it on something else.

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Some people hope to quit drinking. Why would you want to drink when there are many other things to do in the world? Quit drinking and take your kids to eat at a nice fancy restaurant.

Other resolutions include: Enjoy life more. Stop sleeping in. Get up off your lazy butt and do something, even if it’s taking your little brothers and sisters to the park. Wake up early in the morning and do your mother’s grocery shopping. Go visit your first grade teacher or something. Just stop being lazy please!

Sometimes resolutions involve something special to do on New Years, like spending time with someone very special like a boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, or husband. Many people think that’s romantic…o0o0o0!

There are many more resolutions. Hopefully, you know what you want to change or accomplish. Work for it. Make it a goal – a goal for the year. So have a very happy New Year. And my advice to everyone: Forgive others.

Animations by Animationlibrary.com

The ALC Insider January 4, 2007 page 5

Focus on Staff:

Interview on Mr. Iverson

By Audrey Spurgeon

In is spare time, Mr. Iverson likes to spend time with his kids and his wife. His likes are school, being around students and athletics. His dislikes are people who don’t show respect.

His favorite colors are burgundy and forest green because he just likes them and they go well with a lot. His favorite food is Chinese because it’s all good. Mr. Iverson was born in Huron, SD, but has lived most of his life in Worthington.

Mr. Iverson has had a few jobs in his days and here are some: Construction worker, bartender, baseball instructor/coach, beer distributor, and school teacher.

He has two children. Their names are Michael, who is 4, and Allison, who is 2 in. Mr. Iverson has two younger brothers. Jerry is 34 and Lynn is 32. They both live in Worthington.

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This picture of Mr. Iverson and his family was taken on Turkey Day, 2006

Mr. Iverson began working at the ALC as a substitute. He was later offered a full time position. His favorite things about working here are the smaller class sizes, the chance to be around young people, and having the his summers off if he chooses.

His wife is Beth Iverson, and she is a teacher at the middle school. For fun, Mr. Iverson likes to go golfing, fishing, and going to baseball and football games.

Mr. Iverson went to school for 2 years at the Worthington Community College (now known as Minnesota West) He also went to school for 4 years at Brookings SDSU and Madison DSU with 1 additional year at Southwest State in Marshall. His hobbies are collecting sports cards memorabilia.

Mr. Iverson is one of the more personable teachers here at the ALC. He greets everyone each day with a friendly smile and “hello.”

The ALC Insider January 4, 2007 page 6