Mr.

Lobenhofer, the
current director of
LaGuardias musical
Grease, is an Acting and
Theatre Movement
teacher in the drama
department. However, he
admits that he is prone to
hat flipping, especially
when it comes to helping
out with LaGuardia
performances. Currently
he is also in charge of
Rising Stars, the annual
talent show. The
newspaper staff took it
upon themselves to ask
him a couple questions.
How many musicals at
LaGuardia have you

worked on?
Assistant directed and
choreographed 3 Penny
Opera with Doc. I
directed Godspell and
now Grease.
What is your
background in musical
theatre? In directing in
general?
Since Junior year of high
school, Ive been in 5
Broadway shows, all
musicals, 3 national tours
and about 100 regional
theaters off Broadway
and off-off Broadway.
Thats about 45 years- I

started directing when I

got here.
What made you want to
become the director of
Grease?
If I didnt do it, there
wouldnt be a musical.
Ive been in Grease twice
and I met my wife during
Grease. The kids need a
musical.
What is it like directing
both Rising Stars and
Grease?
Hectic. if Im not working
on one Im working on the
other. Theres a lot of hat
flipping.

What are some things

we should be expecting
from this years
musical?
Amazing singing, lots of
dance and a lot of fun.
Grease is a very
popular musical. Why
did you choose to do
such a well known
musical and how will it
be different from any
other production of
Grease? How is Grease
different from the other
musicals we have done
in LaGuardia?
I didnt choose it. Ms.
Bruno chose it. It was
already in the works
when they asked. The
choreography is intense,
we got the rights to the
songs from the movie as
well as the show. We are
using all of the songs
from the show and all of
the songs from the movie
except 1.

The musical is a lot of

work with rehearsals
from 5-8 everyday and
10-6 on Saturdays. How
would you say your
cast has handled that?
Very well. They are all
tired. They are always
putting it out when they
are onstage. Since the
show is so fun it makes it
easier. The show is
double casted and
understudied.
When casting students
for the musical, what do
you look for?
Triple threats. You cant
just do one thing. This is
an ensemble piece not a
chorus piece. Kids cant
just stand in place and
sing and kick their legs.
How diverse is the cast
in terms of major? Do
you see more drama
majors or voice, and
how is this different or
the same compared to
other years?
We really tried to include

all majors but ultimately it

came down to story.
There are a lot of drama
majors, but also many
dance majors and music
majors who have that
ability. We spent two
weeks casting when
usually rehearsal starts
the year before. That
being said I think we are
ready.
Is there anything else
you would like to add
about the musical?
Because it is so spread
out, it is interesting how
much respect each
student gains for other
majors. It breaks down
the barriers between
studios and we realize we
are all working towards
the same common goal.
LaGuardia is heading
back to the fifties with
Grease starting
December 5th, going
for two weeks with
Thursday through
Sunday performances.

Shining the Spotlight:

The Case of the
Missing Soap
By Margaret Leisenheimer
The lack of soap in the bathrooms of
LaGuardia is a common complaint among
students.
In the boys bathroom, theres never any
soap. Especially in the basement, there is
never any towels, said a Sophomore
Drama Major.
"I know for a fact that kids in my
department pitch in to buy soap, which
should not be the case, said a Junior
Dance Major.
A Senior also commented, I have been
here for almost four years now and have
dealt with the bathroom situations;
however, I understand that it is up to the
community of students to keep it clean but
we cannot be in charge of getting soap in
our bathrooms, that is the job of the
higher authority.
The administration further explained the
situation.
"Basically, students should let someone
know, whether that is the custodian's
office in room 129 or the AP on that floor,"
replies Mr. Sommers when asked what
students should do when they notice that
there is no soap. "It is impossible for
people to help if we do not know that
something is wrong."
There have also been cases of vandalism
involving the soap dispensers," he added.
Such cases include students breaking the

soap dispensers and stomping on the

package of soap inside.
George Sesack, the head of the Custodial
staff, stated "I am on my third or fourth set
of soap dispensers." The custodian's
office also began hanging the soap
dispensers higher on the wall because
students would kick them. This explains
the indents in bathroom walls and nails
left behind.
The budget does not affect the amount of
soap the school purchases. "Budget cuts
affect the staff more than the supplies,"
says Mr. Sesack.
It is our responsibility of us as students to
contact the school officials when we have
a complaint. The officials will then do their
best to accommodate our needs.
Hopefully, the appropriate administrative
staff will address this problem now that it
has been brought to light. If you have any
more concerns about soap or other school
issues please contact State of the Arts at
lagnewspaper@gmail.com and we will
shine the spotlight!

The Aftermath of Philippine Typhoon Haiyan

By Naomi Keusch Baker
Civilians and authorities continue to seek relief due to one of the most powerful storms ever
recorded.
TACLOBAN, Philippines Confirmed as one of the strongest land-falling cyclones on
record, super typhoon Haiyan struck the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago on
Friday, November 8, 2013. The typhoon tore through six of the central islands, including
Leyte. According to Governor Dominico Petilla, there were 10,000 deaths in Leyte alone,
though less than 6,000 have been confirmed. The majority of the deaths were in Tacloban,
the most populated city on the island.
Typhoons and hurricanes are both tropical cyclones. Typhoons form west of the
international date line and hurricanes form east of the line. Though the Philippines
periodically encounters tropical storms and typhoons, Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the
Philippines, came as a shock. With winds of 235 kilometers per hour (147 miles per hour)
and floods of 6 meters (20 feet) above sea level, it was more powerful than any other
disaster on record.
Chaos followed this tragedy. Corpses lined the streets, hung in trees, and were buried
beneath crushed buildings. Without the proper equipment to preserve and transport bodies,
most remained there for days. People raided grocery stores and gas stations for food and
water. Power outages across the country caused difficulty in communication between
evacuation centers, hospitals, and airports. Police officers who flew in on helicopters said
Tacloban looked like a garbage dump, with only a few intact buildings.
"I hope that he survived," 19-year-old student Marvin Daga in Tacloban said about his
father, Mario. The two held onto a tree during the floods, but Mario slipped away. "I'm not
expecting to find him anymore."
Devastation was partly because of the Philippines' lack of preparedness. The Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAGASA, raised a
Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) the night of November 7, less than 24 hours before
Haiyan's contact with the Philippines. Classes were cancelled, police officers were placed in
assumed areas of need, and some evacuations were ordered. However, there was not a
sufficient amount of time for the population to find protection.
Supplies quickly became scarce. Limited space and medicine at hospitals forced doctors to
reject wounded victims. Electricity remained down for days, which made it difficult to search
for missing survivors.

Relief from both local Filipino soldiers and organizations from other countries continue to
provide reassurance to survivors. The Philippine National Red Cross has been accepting
international donations to support the thousands without shelter. The UN's World Food
Programme also accepts donations to transport food to those in need. The U.S. military has
especially been involved in distributing food, water, and generators.
"I don't believe there is a single structure that is not destroyed or severely damaged in some
way every single building, every single house," U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy
said as he helped to unload supplies.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III released a statement that the nation was in a "state
of national calamity." He permitted the government to give larger emergency funds and he
enacted set prices on widely sold goods. However, many residents are angry at the
government's slow response to the tragedy. Aquino said that not as many first responders
were able to help because they were affected as well. He said the national government was
doing its best to cooperate with local authorities.
Haiyan continued to Vietnam, but had downgraded to the status of tropical storm. Vietnam
took action because of the extreme number of deaths in the Philippines. 600,000 people
were evacuated. Still, at least ten people perished. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have
similar numbers in deaths.
Countries across the globe have announced their contributions. Canada decided on $5
million and committed to send more if needed. Britain and Australia each donated $10
million. Germany agreed to transport 23 tons of supplies.
Haiyan was 3.5 times more severe than Hurricane Katrina, which hit the United States in
2005. In a country not as fortunate, people are struggling to stay strong. While the total
damages add up to about 300,000,000 (Philippine peso) or $7,000,000, families have
been torn apart. Repairs will take months, in some cases a year. The lives lost can never be
replaced. To make a difference, donations can be made at www.care.org.
A woman walks through the remains of destroyed houses. Photo by the Associated Press

The following interview is

with Amberley Canegitta,
a Junior at Fiorello H.
LaGuardia High School of
Music & Art and
Performing Arts.
1) Where in the
Philippines does your
family live? What was
the damage like there?
My family lives in two
areas of the Philippines.
The family that I know of
(my mother's parents,
siblings, and my cousins)
live in San Fernando,
Bukidnon, La Union, on
Luzon Island. Thankfully,
they were not affected by
the storm, but my
grandfather's family lives
in Cebu where typhoon
Yolanda/Haiyan hit hard.
Their roof was gone and
so was electricity.
2) What was their
course of action before
the hurricane made
landfall? Did they
evacuate?
They didn't evacuate
because evacuating
Cebu is difficult. Even
before the typhoon was
at it's maximum, the
waters were too
dangerous to evacuate to
another island, thus
leaving them there.

3) In those first few

days, how did your
family deal with the
consequences?

People cover their noses so that they do not smell the decaying
bodies in Tacloban. Photo by The Associated Press

Emotionally, how did

they cope with this
disaster?
They dealt with the
typhoon similarly to how
anyone else would. They
all stayed together to
make sure no one was
blown away and stayed
inside the house in the
first floor (since the roof
was gone). They mainly
ate mostly dry food and
relied on bread the
majority of the time.
4) In terms of
technology, were they
able to immediately
seek help if needed?
Could they contact their
family and friends?
Recently when New York
experienced Sandy, there
was plenty of supplies
and people were
financially stable enough
to recover quickly. The
Philippines are not so
fortunate. Some areas in

the Philippines don't even

have modern plumbing,
nor do they have toilet
paper. What we might
have thought as
necessities were
forgotten by them and
they were able to have
enough money for
candles and food. Usually
the bank is far away, and
they take a large amount
of cash each month.
Similar to myself when
Sandy happened, my
family had to constantly
use candles for two
weeks. Imagine using
that for more than two
months.
5) What is their state of
living like now? How do
they feel about how the
government and aid
organizations have
helped?
I don't know many
American Filipinos that
appreciate President
Aquino's efforts. (The
Aquino family is deeply

rooted into the politics of

the Philippine nation and
there are many
conspiracies surrounding
them, them being true or
not...There is this video
on youtube called Facts
They Don't Want you to
Know About the AquinoCojuanco Clan, though.)
Also, there are some
Filipinos (although the
second national language
is English) who do not
want any relations with
America. I hope at a time
of need such as now,
these Filipinos will

appreciate the help

America is providing,
along with other
countries.

in Cebu on the other

hand, had no contact with
us for a week.
Fortunately all of us are
safe.

6) Is there anything else

you would like to add
about how your mom's
family feels about this
tragedy?
My mother of course was
extremely worried about
the situation, and
immediately called her
family in San Fernando,
and was pleased to hear
they were fine. My family

A man writes Help SOS We need

food to anyone who might be of
service. Photo by The Associated Press

Mourning Mandela
By Margaret Leisenheimer
Last Thursday the world lost a great leader. Nelson
Mandela, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, died
at the age of 95.
He was born on July 18, 1918, in the Madiba clan in
Mvezo, Transkei. Mandela spent 27 years in prison
for fighting against apartheid, a system of racial
segregation in South Africa. He was released on
February 11, 1990, and was inaugurated as South
Africas first black president in 1994. He stepped
down in 1999 after serving one term.
The people of South Africa are choosing to celebrate
his life with smiles, as opposed to mourning his
death with tears. Mandelas memorial service is
planned for December 9 at Soccer City to begin the
ten days of national mourning. Throughout these ten
days, Mandela will make his final pilgrimage from
the building of his inauguration to the village of his
birth. He will be laid to rest in his native village on
December 15.

NobelPrize.org

Never, never, and never again

shall it be that this beautiful land
will again experience the
oppression of one by another.
--Nelson Mandela

Common Sense in
Common Core?

students fully prepared for the future, our

communities will be best positioned to
compete successfully in the global
economy."

By Amberley Canegitta
Implemented since the last school year,
Common Core has been ruling our school
lives. The talk of Common Core is heard
everywhere in the school building from
our academic classes, major classes,
language classes, to even gym. I wouldn't
be surprised if even our lunch periods
were under the standards of Common
Core. There is hardly a time when a
teacher talks about an assignment in a
lackadaisical manner where a student
doesn't raise their hand to comment, "Is
this a common core implementation?"
Why are there questions and frowns when
Common Core is spoken out loud? This is
probably because Common Core's
involvement in the school system is not
necessarily working for students and
teachers. Many teachers complain that it
is tedious, takes away from actual class
work, and occasionally makes students
repeat work that has already been done.
ome even joke about it by saying things
such as "According to Common Core...but
who really cares?" But let's be honest
right now. Do any of you actually know
what Common Core or its aim is?
According to Common Core's website
(corestandards.com) Common Core's
main goal is to "... provide a consistent,
clear understanding of what students are
expected to learn, so teachers and
parents know what they need to do to
help them. The standards are designed to
be robust and relevant to the real world,
reflecting the knowledge and skills that
our young people need for success in
college and careers. With American

Tackling with the first line on

"understanding", it's quite unfortunate how
the majority of teachers and students do
not actually understand Common Core's
goal. Also, in a country like America
where many are immigrants who may not
speak English, or did not necessarily
finish school how will parents be able to
help their children with their homework?
Students in elementary school have
common core textbooks, in which fourth
graders are doing what we understand as
sixth grade algebra. Because Common
Core is supposed to be an accumulative
experience starting from Kindergarten,
students who did not begin common core
in Kindergarten are left with missing gaps
in their education, which the teachers are
forced to fill in as quickly as possible in
order to cause their students to pass the
state tests with flying colors. If this is not
possible for the teacher, Common Core is
there, with their teacher evaluations to
ensure that only the best teachers are
there for the benefit of their students who
will be "best positioned to compete
successfully in the global economy".
As LaGuardia students who manage to
keep up our grades, have rigorous
classes, probably have the longest school
hours in New York City, and spend our
time in clubs and sports teams, it's safe to
say that Common Core isn't the biggest of
our problems, but after doing all of what
we are required to do and more, Common
Core is a hassle that students and
teachers shouldn't have to be dealing with
at all.

Paramore, The
Self-Titled Tour
at Madison
Square Garden
By Annie Mancuso
Many artists dream about playing
Madison Square Garden, the most
famous arena in the world, for
thousands upon thousands of adoring
fans enthusiastically singing along to
their lyrics. Paramore, who initially
started out as a small band from
Franklin,Tennessee, got to live that
larger-than-life dream on their
November 13th stop of their Self-Titled
Tour. Although just a three-member
band, the energy level was through the
roof as they put on a fantastic show;
standing right up against the barricade
on the floor was more than close
enough to feel such energy, but even
those all the way up in the nosebleed
seats were just as excited and
energetic. It was about nine oclock: the
house lights turned down, the crowd
started to scream and shout, music
began to play. From behind a curtain,
Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and
Jeremy Davis prepared themselves for
what might have been the biggest show
of their lives. The curtain cascaded
down, and the three opened up with the
rock-synth Grow Up - this was the start

of one of the best Paramore shows in

the bands history due to the far-fromdull performances and the enthralled
crowd.
The show featured popular favorites
such as Thats What You Get, Now,
Brick by Boring Brick, and their classic,
Misery Business, but it was also laced
with some lesser-known tracks that
were just as phenomenal, including In
the Mourning and Part II. While each
song contained the distinct Paramore
sound of strong vocals, impressive
guitar riffs, and well-written lyrics, the
band managed to bring something new
to the table every time. When
performing Aint It Fun, a track off of
their self-titled album, Williams brought
out and introduced a childrens chorus
to help her sing the rest of the song,
chanting, Dont go crying to your Mama
/ Cause youre on your own in the real
world. During Pressure, Taylor York,
the guitarist, and Jeremy Davis, the
bassist, came into the spotlight a little
more; as Williams signaled for the
audience to look towards center stage,
the two instrumentalists effortlessly
flipped over each other, guitar and bass
in hand, still strumming along to the
song. Finally, they closed the show with
a spectacular performance of the uberpopular Still Into You, ending with a
literal bang of colorful confetti and
balloons released from the ceiling.

Paramore proves that just because

theyre not Justin Bieber- or Lady
Gaga-type performers with all the
theatrics and choreographed dance
numbers, they can still hold an
endearing sold-out show flawlessly; its
like what they always say: Threes a
company.
The enthusiastic following Paramore
has obtained over the past few years
was half the reason for such a high
energy show, especially the
experienced fans in
the general admission standing room.
Those standing in the general admission
section, including myself and my friend,
sung the loudest, clapped the most, and
knew every song inside and out; it was
like second nature. All of this excitement
is understandable, though - starting out
opening for No Doubt back in 2009 to
then touring large areas of the world on
hit records Riot and Brand New Eyes,
their self-titled album was no
disappointment, becoming their bestselling album to date. Fans were waiting
for what seemed to be hours on the cold
November night, wrapped in fleece
blankets eating street meat for dinner.
Once the show began, the audience
respectfully watched the talented
opening acts, hellogoodbye and Metric,
and then quickly rocked out and
cheered as loudly as they could as soon
as Paramore took the stage. From
beginning to end the fans were singing
every word along with Williams; when
she pointed the mic to the crowd for the
second verse of the song, "Pressure,"
everyone in the entire stadium sang
every lyric loud and clear. But the
ultimate support for the band was shown
in the song "The Only Exception," when
the whole arena lit up with the flashlights
of every iPhone and even the flames of

some outdated lighters, nearly bringing

the power vocal to tears. The band
could have stopped playing and the
song would have been carried on by the
vocals of all the people in the room. The
best part about all this, though, is that
the members arent letting the fame get
to their heads; theyre truly grateful for
all the support theyve been receiving,
even after the band lost two members in
2010. The appreciation that they have
for their fans was especially evident
during Last Hope. Hayley Williams was
sitting at a keyboard, singing the first
verse. After the first verse, the song
went into a musical breakdown; she
threw her head back and extended her
arms up towards the ceiling as if she
was grabbing a dream that once
seemed out of reach. At that moment,
you could really tell she was taking it all
in; the dream Paramore worked so hard
for was finally achieved because of the
highly spirited connection between the
band and the fans.
When the concert ended at eleven thirty,
the arena was flooded with smiling faces
and continuous conversations of, That
was the best concert ever! and I cant
believe they were really here! The show
in its entirety was jam-packed with
entertaining acts, amazing songs, and a
crowd totally immersed in the music. Its
certain that Paramore will always
remember their momentous first concert
at Madison Square Garden, and the
fans surely wont be forgetting it anytime
soon.

Photo by BBC
America

The Fall of The

Eleventh
By Evelyn Tu
Its Christmas time once again, and you
know what that means! BBC is going to
kill off one of your favorite characters! Its
time for the beloved 11th Doctor, Matt
Smith, to give his last tip-of-the-fez and
head out of the TARDIS.
Matt Smith announced his departure from
Doctor Who on June 1st and now the time
has come for him to actually leave as the
Christmas special slowly approaches. He
says it has been an honor playing the part
and filling the shoes of the legacies that
had brilliantly played the role before him.
He also added that it has been a privilege
working with the cast and crew of Doctor
Who. Smith said that Doctor Who has
been the most brilliant experience for me
as an actor and a bloke, and that largely
is down to the cast, crew and fans of the
show. (Matts leaving statement to the
BBC)

What is Doctor Who? Doctor Who is one

of the longest running science-fiction
shows in existence. It follows the journeys
of the Doctor throughout time and space
in his blue police box, also known as the
TARDIS. The Doctor travels anywhere the
TARDIS takes him and fixes any
problems within the time period, such as
having technology a century too early or
an alien species enslaving Earth. He
battles monsters not with brawn, but with
brain. He outsmarts them at every turn
and always tries to find a peaceful
solution to a problem. It is an iconic
treasure to BBC and has been streamed
all across the globe. It has even won a
Guinness World Record for the Largest
TV Drama Simulcast, as its 50th
anniversary was streamed in 94 countries
across 6 continents and sold over half a
million tickets worldwide.
Smith had played his role as the
eccentric, childish Doctor since 2010 and
is the youngest person to ever play the
role of The Doctor. He has an iconic
silver, bronze and green sonic screwdriver
and tweed jacket with a bow-tie. He wears
any and every kind of hat possible, but
most notably wears a fez, which his
companions find peculiar and
unappealing. He has traveled with many
people, but the most notable during his
time was Amy Pond (Karen Gillian), Rory
Williams (Arthur Darvill), and Clara Oswin
Oswald (Jenna Louise Coleman). He has
fought the most feared creatures in the
Doctor Who universe, such as the
weeping angels and the daleks, but now
his story ends in only a few weeks.
There has yet to be an official trailer from
BBC, however there was a sneak peek
after the worldwide streaming of the 50th
anniversary episode. It showed some of
the Doctors worst enemies in the eleven

seconds of the trailer, and apparently the

planet Trenzalore, the place where the
Doctor is buried and where he is never
supposed to go until he dies, is involved,
marking the end for this reincarnation.
Does this mean that Matt Smith is the last
regeneration of the Doctor? Counting
David Tennants almost regeneration and
the forced regeneration of the War Doctor,
will the Doctor fall in Trenzalore? How will
Peter Capaldi, the next Doctor, play a role
in this? Is Moffat just trying to put more

plot twists in order for the fans to

formulate even more theories? We wont
know till the chaos begins and the cloister
bell rings.
As the raggedy man himself said in A
Christmas Carol: Everythings gotta end
sometime otherwise nothing would ever
get started.
The Time of the Doctor is set to
premiere Christmas Day at 9:00pm on
BBC America.

Free Write Prompt: NYC During the

Holidays
Submitted By: Annie Mancuso
If the rest of America was to be the holiday tree,
New York would be the dazzling star, surpassing heights no one else could match.
It sparkles continuously; twinkling lights strung across streets light
up even the darkest of nights.
It swells up with visitors from all over; the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree attracts
tourists like a giant magnet.
Couples, families, hand-in-hand, flow through the streets like a surging stream, all
basking in the neon-lit glory that is Times Square; it is as busy as ever, as vibrant as
ever, as crowded as ever.
Down quieter streets, menorahs, kinaras, and Christmas trees dot the displays of
residential windows.
All of these aspects are laced together at the top of this American holiday tree, shining
brighter than any other part of its body;
Its ornaments reflect the star of New Yorks light, only making the City that Never Sleeps
more awake and ready to sparkle for all the rest of the world to see.

Horoscopes
Humourously foretold by Madame Raybaud.

Sagittarius:
The way things are going for you right now, you might want to look at asking your friends for
some help. It sounds parasitic, but this will help you out in the long run in order to reduce
stress level. Goodness knows that wed all like to reduce our stress levels.

Capricorn:
In Northern Exposure, a television show about a small town in Alaska, the protagonist Dr.
Fleischman had many dreams about a certain woman in the town. This relates to you in no
way possible, but it is cold as Alaska! Hope you have gloves.

Aquarius:
This is a creative period for you. Go wild. Dont use the color blue. Picasso did that already.

Pisces:
A couple reminders. You are beautiful. Wow, you are gorgeous. How do you even get your
hair like that? You are smart. I cant do calculations like those-oh you used a calculator.
Okay. Never mind. You have a dazzling smile. You should always take care of it, too. Plaque
can build up quite easily if you do not floss or brush regularly, especially after eating raw
meat.

Aries:
Making delicious food at a low price? Sounds great to me! Learn some recipes for cooking at
home and dazzle your family with a domestic talent! Stop eating all that junk food.

Taurus:
Money could be in your future if you put effort into it. Start looking for a job.

Gemini:
You are working so hard, and life seems like its passing too quickly. Dont forget to take
some time to get to know people, especially people youve lost contact with. Old friends
are gold, remember! Even if theyre not really friends, just minor acquaintances, theyre
still gold! Enemies are also gold! Au is the elemental symbol for gold.
Im still gold.

Cancer:
Accept the past. Its not something you can change, and if you dwell too much its going
to bite you in the back. Moving on is whats best, for everyone involved. Know that
whatever your choices, you still have time ahead to reap your rewards, or to make new
and fresh decisions with more experience. Now is a time to reconcile with the past and
face the future with confidence. In the words of the immortal Walt Whitman:
Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.

Leo:
Haha! They dont call you the lion for nothing! That ferocity, however, that youve been
taking out on others lately could probably be reined in a little. You are kind at heart, and
it would be nice to let others be reminded of this.

Virgo:
Someone close to your heart is distracted. Its okay. Let them be, and do not attempt to
offer empty words of comfort. Offer them chocolate instead. Chocolate cheers everyone
up. Dark chocolate, in fact, is good for your heart. The BMJ group has a study published
on it. Check it out sometime.

Libra:
With Ceres overhead until February, it is a time of self reflection. What you need is
peace and harmony surrounding you, and while you may feel obligated to solve other
peoples conflicts for them, it is best to just take a step back this month and reevaluate
your relationships. If they are strictly one-sided in terms of beneficiary, you might want
to think about why youre involved. Is the number 42 following you? Its following me.

Scorpio:
With Mercury having just left the party, intellectual pursuits may be feeling less than vital
to you. Dont throw away all youve been working for. Seek to increase your knowledge
this month. Maybe Shakespearean sonnets are the kind of knowledge you need, eh?
Im not saying anything.

Harry Poter Crossword By Natalie Zimmerman

Across:

Down:

5 Voldemorts last name

8 The Hogwarts sport
10 Cedric Diggory is played by Robert
____
11 Harry Potters first name
12 The Deathly ______
14 Youre just as sane as I am
15 Youre a wizard, Harry
16 ______ hates spiders
17 Non Magical People are _____
19 ".....is a free elf."
20 Harry Potter and the Goblet of ___

1 Dolores ______
2 My father will hear about this
3 The owner of Trevor the Toad
4 Its leviOHsa, not _____
6 _______ 9
7 Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherine and...
9 We could all have been killed- or
worse, expelled
13 The Half Blood Prince is?
18 _____ is a werewolf

Holiday Word Search By Kerea Moon

CANDYCANES
CAROLS
CHIMNEY
CHRISTMAS
DECORATIONS
DREIDEL
EGGNOG
ELVES
EVERGREEN

FROST
GINGERBREAD
HANUKKAH
HANUKKAHHARRY
IMANI
JACK
KWANZAA
MISTLETOE
MKEKA

MENORAH
PRESENTS
REINDEER
SANTACLAUS
SLEIGHBELLS
SNOW
WINTER
WREATH

Announcements
Thank you for reading the first issue of State of the Arts.
We would like to thank all of the newspaper staff for making this newspaper
possible, especially

Evelyn Tu
For doing the entire layout
And our advisor

Mrs. Abate.
Our January Edition will include a Sports section written by

Jakob Rosenberg
And
Photographs by

Caroline Wallis!
We will try to make our second edition available on paper as well.