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The Worthington ALC Insider
Beware, this is issue #13 !! February 2, 2007
“Lucky” Number 13 By Tasha Brisson As you may know or may not know this is issue number thirteen of the ALC Insider. For those of you who are superstitious, you may want to skip this issue and wait for the next one to come out. For those of you who are not superstitious, I hope you enjoy issue number thirteen. If you have continued to read this issue, I assume you are not superstitious and will not receive any bad luck as a result. But beware… Many people are believers in bad luck. Listed below are 13 common superstitions people have involving “bad luck”: 1. You must get out of bed on the same side you get in or you will have bad luck. 2. To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave (or maybe vacuuming will do.) (Continuedà)	Don’t read this issue if you are superstitious… 4. If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you. If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you. What if both of your ears itch at the same exact time? 5. You should never start a trip on a Friday or you will meet misfortune. 6. It is bad luck to walk under a ladder. What if there is flaming lava on each side? 7. To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck. 8. Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder. (What if you throw it over your right shoulder?) (Continued on page 2)

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(Continued from page 1) 9. If thirteen people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over. Thirteen is an awfully large number to sit at a table. The only place I’ve seen this done is at school. Does that make school cafeterias unlucky? 10. If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you recently told a lie. Ouch, I just bit my tongue. Does it mean I just wrote a lie? 11. It is bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house, unless you have a leaky roof, I guess. 12. If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow. 13. If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it. If it hops up into your lap…. As you have now read this article I hope that nothing bad follows this. But if doom and gloom follows you the rest of your miserable life, just remember, you were the one who chose to read it! Animation by animationlibrary.com

February Days in History Feb 1, 1969 Rock star Jim Morrison arrested for exposing himself in concert Feb 2, 1982 "Late Night with David Letterman" premieres on NBC Feb 3, 1959 Rock n roll legend Buddy Holly dies in plane crash at Storm Lake, Iowa Feb 4, 1973 Boxing champ Oscar De La Hoya is born in Los Angeles Feb 5, 1917 Present Mexican constitution is adopted Feb 6, 1995 Darryl Strawberry suspended from baseball for 60 days for drug use Feb 7, 1964 Boxer Cassius Clay converts to Islam and changes name to Muhammad Ali Feb 8, 1989 Half inch of snow falls in outskirts of Los Angeles Feb 9, 1825 House of Representatives selects John Quincy Adams President of the U.S. Feb 10, 1997 O J Simpson jury reaches decision on $25 million in punitive damages. Feb 11, 0660 (BC) Traditional date of founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu Tenno Feb 12, 1874 King David Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawaii visits the U.S. Feb 13, 1866 Jesse James holds up his 1st bank, Liberty, Missouri, taking $15,000 Feb 14, 1996 Last Titanic survivor Eva Hart dies at age of 90.

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From our archives… Today is Groundhog Day!! By Dez Briski When German settlers arrived in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in the late 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day with them. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (February 2). According to an old saying: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again. If the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter.  People in Germany watched for a badger, an animal that typically climbed out of its burrow to take a quick glance around on Winter days, and look for a shadow. Pennsylvania Germans selected the groundhog as a replacement for the badger.  (Continued à)

One can find the earliest American reference to Groundhog Day at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College: “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas Day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate." --February 4, 1841 – James Morris Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog Day began on February 2nd, 1886. The groundhog was christened "Punxsutawney Phil, Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” His hometown Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, became the "Weather Capital of the World.''  According to Punxsutawney locals, Phil weighs 15 pounds and thrives on dog food and ice cream in his climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. The last time Phil predicted an early end to Winter was in 1999. For the past seven years, he has been scared back into his hole by his shadow. Is the sun shining today?? Will Phill be scared back into his hole?? Take a look outside…. Click for more info on Groundhog Day

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SUPERBOWL XLI By Nery Perez This Sunday is Superbowl Sunday, and this particular football game is going to be a fresh look. Neither team has been in a super bowl for a very a long time. The game is also going to be interesting because the game is going to be strength against strength. The Colt’s offense ranked third in the regular season. They will be going against the Bear’s defense that finished the season ranked fifth overall. Both teams have plenty of talent, with Chicago sending eight players to the Pro Bowl (six from the defense), and the Colts boasting five Pro Bowl players (all from the offense). Bear’s coach Lovie Smith and Colt’s coach Tony Dungy are close friends, dating back to Smith's time working on Dungy's staff with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Both men also share the distinction of being the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl. All of this makes this Sunday’s game particularly interesting and worth seeing. Kick-off is at 5:25 central time, and you can see it on CBS stations. This game will be worth watching.

It’s Groundhog Day… By Tasha Brisson Do you know what day this is? It is the much anticipated Groundhog Day. It started in the late 1800s, but has become more celebrated in the recent years. The event is officially held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On this day, if a groundhog named Punxsutawaney Phil comes out of his burrow and is scared back in by his shadow, we will see another six weeks of winter. That means it better be cloudy today! Here are some fun facts – all of them true, of course – about Groundhogs Day, courtesy of groundhogday.org: · Phil's predictions are correct? 100% of the time! · There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years! · Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe that magically gives him seven more years of life. · The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the Candlemas Day legend which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..." · Punxsutawney Phil was supposedly named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

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Barb the Lunch Lady By David Dawson Barb Greve is the breakfast and lunch lady at the ALC. She picks up food from the high school, serves the food and then takes the containers back to the high school. She is also a paraprofessional in Mrs. Moser’s and Mrs. Lowe’s class and she is the replacement for Cec when Cec goes out to lunch. Like all of us, Barb has likes and dislikes. She likes being around people and going to family gatherings. She also likes to see students reach their goals. She doesn’t like it when her 6 month-old puppy “Zoey” is naughty. Most of all, she dislikes students who are disrespectful and use the “F” word. Barb’s favorite color is pink, she doesn’t know why, but has just always liked that color. Her favorite foods are roast beef, ham, and chicken. Barb is married and her husband’s name is Hank. They do not have any children. Barb started working at the ALC because she needed a job and she wanted to work in the school system. At that time, the ALC job was the only open position. She has been working at the ALC for 14 or 15 years. Barb likes the staff and the students at the ALC, and that is why she has stayed so long. Mr. Knapp, our principal, says “She is a very dependable and hard worker. She is underappreciated for all the work she does at this school.”

Februrary Trivia February is the second month of the year. It is also the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. Typically, February has 28 days, but has 29 on leap years. In terms of astrology, February begins with the sun in the sign of Aquarius and ends in the sign of Pisces. Many people mispronounce "february" as “feb-yoo-air-ee” instead of “feb-roo-air-ee” as it should be pronounced. February in the Northern Hemisphere is the equivalent of August in the Southern Hemisphere. February’s birthstone is amethyst, and February’s birth flower is the violet or primrose. In Worthington the average high temperature for February is 27 degrees and the average low temperature is 8 degrees. The record high February temperature in Worthington was 64 degrees in the year 2000. The record low February temperature in Worthington was -30 degrees in 1996. Animation by animationlibrary.com

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Aries (March 21-April 19)

Stop being such a fussbudget. Loosen up!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Today is the day to invest in your future. How will you do it, with wisdom or foolishness?

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Hard work pays off if you keep it up. Do you have the stamina to do so?

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Try new things today, so long as those new things aren’t harmful.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22)

A loved one has an important message for you today. Will you be around to hear it?

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22) Enjoy your day! Good things will happen today, but beware. Starting tomorrow, you will experience 100 days of bad luck.

Libra (Sep 23- Oct 22)

Today is your day to rest. Too bad you came to school. You’ll get no rest in this place.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)

Work and it will pay off. Slack off and you will melt into a puddle of goo.

Sagittarius (Nov 22- Dec 21)

Be friendly to your fellow students because one has a winning lottery ticket to share with you – unless you treat this student badly.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19)

The weather will be wonderful today somewhere in the world, but not here. And guess what? There’s not a thing you can do about it.

Aquarius (Jan 20- Feb 18)

Today is the day to try something new. Wear a lime-green polyester suit and you will impress the love of your life.

Pisces (Feb 19-March 20)

May the smell of a skunk attach itself to your already smelly body, and may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your smelly armpits for all eternity.

Seperated at Birth

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