WINGSPAN
April 2022
SPRING ARRIVES
Spring has finally arrived as temperatures reached the 70s this month with abundant rains to hopefully usher in May flowers! The other signs of Spring could be found around Overlook with students energy levels reaching new heights with anticipation of April Vacation and the sub 40 school days remaining until Summer 2022. Staff has been working to reiterate some of the expectations for behavior as we enter May. This is a great time of the year we are entering, one that is enhanced by the excitement of a return to warm weather and sunshine. Our May/June issue will be the final one of the year. We thank you for continuing to take the time to read our monthly publication.
Education Through the Arts
The Education Through the Arts is fast approaching. On the evening of May 4th from 7-8:30pm, Overlook will celebrate the arts in many forms around the school. Please come and enjoy the various examples of art that continues to take Overlook to new heights. See you there!
Spring Religious Observances
Easter Explained
By Lucas LeGrand
Have you ever wondered why we take time to celebrate Easter? Well, let’s dig a little deeper into the history and reason why we celebrate Easter.
A long time ago, a child was born, his name was Jesus. It was said that he was the son of God, he was on this Earth to cleanse the world of its evil doing (also known as sins). Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BC., in Bethlehem, Palestine. When he grew up, he was a loving man that always forgave everyone. He traveled the world with the 12 disciples, his followers that helped write books of the Bible and spread the word of God with Jesus. One day, Jesus and his followers went to Rome, which was the last place Jesus would go to. One night, Jesus foresaw something that would happen to him. He foresaw that he would die in the next few days. Accepting his fate, he told the 12 disciples that Judah (one of the 12 disciples) would have to betray him (also known as the Last Supper). Judah did not want to, but Jesus told him he must do it, so he did. When he came back, Roman soldiers accompanied Judah to arrest Jesus for not believing in the Roman Gods and spreading “lies” about his God. Peter, one of Jesus’s first followers, stood up for Jesus, and cut off the Roman officer's ear. But Jesus told Peter to accept his fate, and held the Romans' ear. Later, Jesus was given one of the worst punishments possible, crucifixion. They nailed Jesus’s hands and feet to a cross, and he died there. Everyone that was there felt something was wrong.. Something powerful like a storm, or worse, the wrath of God. People were scared of what they felt, an aura of power. But in Jesus’s last moments, he whispered a prayer to God, saying to forgive the world from its sins, and to not punish the world. And at that moment, God showed the world mercy. The twelve disciples ran. They hid in the house where they had the last supper for a while not opening for anyone. Three days later, a miracle happened. A knock was heard behind the door. Everyone froze as they heard the last voice they would guess to hear. It was Jesus, alive and well. He had resurrected or come back from the dead. No one could believe what they saw, until Jesus showed them the scars on his hands from the crucifixion. Jesus told them he came back to prove to the world he was the son of God. They all rejoiced, and ever since then, people have celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, calling it Easter.
And there you have it, now we know where the Easter tradition comes from. (Also, the original date of Easter was April 3rd, 33 AD., but due to the lunar cycle, the date of Easter changes once in a while). Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something new.
ramadan
By Wingspan Staff
Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an, and fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of drawing closer to God and cultivating self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation with a heightened focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers. Those unable to fast, such as pregnant or nursing women, the sick, or elderly people and children, are exempt from fasting.
When does Ramadan take place?
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on a 12-month lunar year of approximately 354 days. Because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, each lunar month moves 11 days earlier each year. It takes 33 solar years for the lunar months to complete a full cycle and return to the same season. The month traditionally begins and ends based on the sighting of the new moon. Starting on April 1st, Muslims throughout the United States and the rest of the world will begin to search the sky for the new crescent or will follow a pre-determined date based on astronomical calculation. In 2022, the month long fast of Ramadan begins around April 2nd and ends around May 1st.
Passover
By Wingspan Staff
Passover is observed for seven days in Israel and eight days in the Diaspora. The main event of the Passover holiday is the Seder (literally, “order”), a festive meal in which the haggadah (the book of exodus and related writings) is recited in a set order. During the entire duration of the holiday, it is forbidden to eat leavened food products (such as bread, pasta, etc.). The reason for this is that Jewish tradition states that in their haste to escape from Egypt the Jews did not have enough time to wait for bread to rise. Instead, they ate matzah, unleavened bread. Part of the Passover Seder includes hiding the afikoman (half of a matzah that is kept between two other matzahs during the Seder and later hidden). Children search for the afikoman and usually receive a prize for finding it.
Rama Navami
By Marko Peterson
The author of this article is Hindu.
According to many scholars, Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion. The major world religion originated on the Indian subcontinent, and spread through the world via religious and social practices blended with local religious and social systems. It was also carried across the Indian Ocean by merchants and sailors on ships. Hinduism has about 900 million followers, and is the 3rd largest religion. Christianity is the 1st, and Islam is the 2nd. The religion has no specific founder, therefore making it difficult to trace its origins and history. Hindus are polytheistic, meaning they believe in more than one deity (God).
Rama Navami is a Hindu festival, beginning on the 9th day of the Chaitra month, which is the first month on the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, Rama Navami falls on April 10th. Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya.
Lord Rama is one of the most widely worshiped Hindu deities, he is the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. Lord Rama is represented as a standing figure, holding an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left.
Lord Rama’s father, King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, was known to have three queens by the names of Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. None of the queens had the ability to give birth for a very long time. Desiring a child, King Dasaratha performed a sacred ritual called “Putrakameshti Yagna.” He served ‘payasam’, a sweet dish made of wet pudding, to all of his wives to fulfill his wish of having a child. On the 9th day of the Chaitra month, the king was blessed with 3 children. Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharata.
Rama Navami is one of the five major holidays celebrated by Hindus. Although the day is declared as a holiday in many Indian states, it is celebrated on different days. The Hindus celebrate this day by going to temples, observing fasts, and seeking Lord Rama’s blessings. The spring festival clearly promotes the idea of victory of good over evil.
Works Cited
“Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya - Ramayana.” IndiaNetzone.com, 29 June 2015, https://www.indianetzone.com/13/dasaratha.htm. Accessed 7 April 2022.
“Hinduism - Origins, Facts & Beliefs - HISTORY.” History.com, 6 October 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/religion/hinduism. Accessed 7 April 2022.
Kumaar, Pavan. “Ram Navami in India in 2022.” Office Holidays, https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/india/ram-navami. Accessed 7 April 2022.
Maheshwari, Krishna. “Rama Navami.” Hindupedia, http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Rama_Navami. Accessed 7 April 2022.
Narayanan, Vasudha. “Hinduism | Origin, History, Beliefs, Gods, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism. Accessed 7 April 2022.
“Rama | Description, Symbolism, Meaning, & Facts | Britannica.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rama-Hindu-deity. Accessed 7 April 2022.
“RAM NAVAMI - April 10, 2022.” National Today, https://nationaltoday.com/ram-navami/. Accessed 7 April 2022.
School Musical Update-
See everyone there!
April Seasonal Update
By Keira Dodd
April is a sweet, long month. It means warm weather and closer to the end of the year. And once again I have some national days and birthdays to spice up your April.
April Holidays:
April Fools April 1
Autism Awareness Day April 2
Easter April 17
Earth Day April 22
100th day of year April 10
National Poetry month
Days in History: US Air Force Academy was established (April 1) First movie theater open in US (April 2) US Congress adopts the American Flag (April 4) Los Angeles is considered a city, Martin Luther King assassinated (April 4) Pocahontas marries John Ralfe, American Civil War: Yorktown, Mayflower returns to Britain (April 5) World War I (April 6) John Walker invents Friction Match (April 7) Pablo Picasso died (April 8) La Satellite discovers mouth of Mississippi river (April 9) Paul McCartney announces Beatles broke up (April 10) Jackie Robinson first African American to play Major league baseball (April 11) President Franklin D. Roosevelt (April 12) First edition of Webster Dictionary, Abraham Lincoln died, Titanic sinks (April 14) McDonald's was founded, Insulin first been able to use for diabetics (April 15) American Revolutionary War started (April 19) Fenway Park opened (April 20) Rome founded (April 21) William Shakespeare died (April 23) Greeks enters Troy with Trojan horse (April 24) Apple iTunes Store Opens (April 28) George Washington becomes president, Bugs Bunny first appears in cartoon(April 30)
Famous Birthdays:
William Harvey April 1
Jane Goodall April 3
Kristen Stewart April 9
William Booth April 10
Thomas Jefferson April 13
Emma Watson April 15
Henry James April 15
William Shakespeare April 23
George Lopez April 23
Kelly Clarkson April 24
Recipe of the Month : Colored Dyed Eggs
By- Kaeyln Hildreth
Ah, yes. Colored dyed eggs. You might like them!
--------------
Recipe
12 eggs
4 cups water divided
1/4 cup vinegar divided
4 colors gel food coloring
--------------
In a large pot, add eggs and cover with water 2" above eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat.
When water reaches a boil, cover the pot and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Place the pot in the sink and add cold water until the water in the pot is completely cool to stop the cooking process.
Peel each egg and slice in half lengthwise.
In four cups, add 1/2 cup water to each. Stir in 10 drops of food coloring and 1 tablespoon vinegar to each cup until completely dissolved.
Add eggs to the cup and allow to sit until the desired color is reached. The longer the egg white is in the dye, the more vibrant the resulting color will be.
Remove dyed egg whites from the wire rack over the plate to dry completely.
ENJOY!!!
--------------
Our Wacky World- April Edition
By Joshua LeGrand
Welcome to this month’s edition of Our Wacky World, where I talk about the strangest and wackiest things our world has to offer. This article is going to be in the form of a list of 20 different interesting and crazy facts about today’s category, which is animals. Let’s begin!
Most caterpillars have about 4000 muscles in their body, 250 of which are in their heads.
The narwhals’ famous horns are actually their teeth.
A flamingo’s head must be upside down when it eats.
An anteater’s extremely long tongue helps it eat upwards of 35,000 termites and ants per day.
If a human like you could jump like a flea, you would be able to reach the top of the Empire State Building in one leap.
Human fingerprints and koala fingerprints are so similar that they are almost indistinguishable from each other.
Small animals with fast metabolisms, such as house flies, see in slow motion. Because of this, they are able to escape larger creatures, such as us humans.
Some tarantulas can go for 2 years without any food.
Hummingbirds are the only species of bird that can fly backwards.
Lions, cheetahs, house cats, and all other species of cat can’t taste sweet food as they don’t have the taste buds to do so.
The skin of a tiger is as striped as its fur.
Ostrich eyes are as big as billiard balls, some of the largest eyes of the animal kingdom.
Sloths can take as long as two weeks to fully digest their food.
Dogs’ noses are unique to every dog, like humans’ fingerprints. No two dogs will have the same nose.
The bodies of jellyfish are up to 98% water. If one were to wash up on a beach, its body would evaporate within a few hours.
A grizzly bear’s bite is strong enough to crush a bowling ball.
When an immortal jellyfish is wounded, it can turn itself back into a polyp, or a baby jellyfish. This process can be repeated an infinite number of times, therefore making this jellyfish immortal.
Unlike other species of leopard, snow leopards can’t roar due to their underdeveloped vocal cords.
To make sure that they don’t drift away from their groups, otters hold hands with each other. Alternatively, they wrap themselves in kelp or seaweed.
Cats have 32 muscles in each of their outer ears. Because of this, they are able to move their ears.
That concludes this month’s edition of Our Wacky World! Make sure to vote for next month’s category in the poll below. Until next time!
Creative Writing
April Showers
By Makenna Peterson
April Showers
Lucy was a yellow lab
Rolling in the grass
April showers starting
Grass turning green
Fluorescent flowers blooming in the scene
It dyed her white fur green
Dirt all on her back
Still, she didn’t care
This was her 7th April shower
Since she’d arrived
The water slid down the roof
Dripped down to the porch
One boy was playing baseball
A girl was playing tennis
Silly kids, silly kids
They weren’t dogs!
Wouldn’t they care about getting wet?
Lucy watched constantly
As the boy flew his model airplane
As the girl spoke about school
April showers always brought joy to the family
April showers do
Photography
