Wingspan

By- Wingspan Staff

The Overlook year is completing its second full month and running on all cylinders. Students and teachers have figured out the schedule and have completed the first academic quarter. There are lots of new faces around the building in addition to the 6th graders entering their first year here. We have welcomed new 7th and 8th graders as well as new staff members. No matter what we are all Overlook Eagles!

The Wingspan is here to provide a platform for students to report on not just the happenings around the building, but to provide information about current events in the world, create a stage for young creative writers and artists, and to showcase photography and even online content. We strive to be a place where students can learn to be young journalists and become future members of the Oakmonitor (Oakmont's school newspaper).

We hope you many of you will consider joining this year so we can expand our online presence and ability to work more directly with some of the Oakmonitor staff.

Much of the work is done remotely between our two scheduled after school in person meetings on Thursdays (changed from past years). Please consider joining us!

By Kiro Wilkins

On Friday, September 20th, middle schoolers danced the night away in the OMS cafeteria. As one of the highlights of the start of the year, the welcome back dance was brimming with energy. During the dance people jammed out to tunes mixed by DJ Pete, people also took photo shoots with their buddies in the photo booth, the booth was so popular in fact there was a long line for it most of the night! Meanwhile in the lobby there was food and a break from dancin’. Speaking of food there were some amazing volunteers from our very own student council that were taking time out of their days to man the snack stations. The best part by far, was the end of the dance because DJ Pete played some of OMS’s favorite songs and he got the whole cafeteria dancing. In conclusion the welcome back dance was definitely an exciting and energetic way to start the year off!

By Wingspan Staff

The annual Monster Dash did not disappoint and was better than ever this year with the majority of Overlook students participating in this goolish 1.3 mile run/walk. The members of the Overlook Student Council organized the event, led by staff advisors, Mr. Romano and Mrs. Duncan. The Overlook PTO got in on the action by selling seasonal treats. Members of the Overlook staff also helped with various event roles to keep kids safe and on track. The weather was perfect, sunny skies and pleasant temperatures.

By Amaiya Fisher

As most of you know this month a major holiday is coming up, Halloween!

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays, but there are some things you have to watch out for. First, only go to well-lit houses. Houses that aren’t well-lit might not have anyone there, or might have someone that doesn't have candy. Second, make sure you have a flashlight. It might get dark during Halloween, since it’s Autumn, and it’s the afternoon. Three, cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run across the street. This is because you want to make sure you do not get hit by a car. Five, make sure you have fun. This is the most important rule, because the whole reason you want to go trick-or-treating is (or should be) because you want to have fun, not because you want candy. Have fun and stay safe!

By Wingspan Staff

Does anyone ask or wonder how Halloween started? Do you ask your friends why you need to dress up for Halloween? Well I have the answers to those questions…

Halloween has an interesting history on how it began. It started 2,000 years ago in Britain and Ireland. Back then, the land used to belong to the Celts, a group of people that lived in Britain and Ireland. November 1st used to be an important holiday for the Celts, it was the end of the harvest season for them, and the beginning of winter. To celebrate, they had a party on October 31st, called Samhain. To celebrate, they would make a bonfire, and sacrifice livestock to the gods. They would dress up in animal skins. But, they also believed that supernatural creatures roamed the earth during Samhain, like ghosts and goblins, and during that period of time, they would wreak havoc on the Celts.

But some Celts put food outside their houses, and the creatures would eat that, instead of doing other horrible things. But Christianity was starting to spread, and people started practicing it, but they didn’t stop Samhain. To the pope, this was a problem, so he replaced it with Christian holidays, for instance, on November 2nd, All Souls day, to honor the dead, and on November first, all saints day, to honor Christian martyrs. BUt, the evening before that was all hallows eve, which was later shortened to Halloween. Hallow was old English for “saints' ' and "een" is “evening”, And so Halloween means, “the evening before all saints day”. The traditions changed over the years, and by medieval times, people did a ritual called "souling". So, basically, your medieval neighbor would come to your house and say,and you would say, so then you would give them food, and go on about your day. Kind of like trick or treating, am I right? The Celts also dressed up as the supernatural creatures that tormented them, so they could blend in, as well as carving faces on turnips, gourds, and potatoes, Then they would put them on windows, or in front of doors to scare off these mystical beings just like we carve jack o'lanterns. Now… let’s travel a few centuries to the late 1800s of October. The people of Ireland started to immigrate to the U.s, and brought their traditions of Halloween with them. When the traditions first started in the U.S.A. The people of America must have liked what they saw because, after 100 years, we still do it.

By Wingspan Staff

On October 11, 2021, cities and towns across America observed Columbus Day. This day recognizes Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World. This is a very controversial holiday, due to the fact that during his travels, Columbus’s arrival led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans who had been living there for hundreds of years. Many states have officially changed the name of the holiday to “Indigenous Peoples Day”. This article will tell you the who, what, when, where, and why of Christopher Columbus’s life.

WHO: Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. He was the son of a wool merchant, and as a teenager, he got a job on a merchant ship. He remained at sea until his ship was sunk by pirates off the coast of Portugal. He floated on a piece of driftwood until he reached Lisbon, where he studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography, and navigation.

WHAT: Christopher Columbus wanted to find a sea route to Asia that didn’t require a person to sail around the tip of Africa. He eventually thought of a solution: why not sail west, across the Atlantic Ocean? He argued that the Earth’s circumference was smaller than everyone said it was. This was incorrect, but after approaching many powerful people about his idea, he was finally able to sail across the Atlantic, a journey that was funded by the king and queen of Spain.

WHEN: On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with a fleet of three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. He sailed for more than two months until October 12, when his ships landed in the New World. He made three more voyages in 1493, 1498, and 1502.

WHERE: Columbus landed in the Bahamas, most likely on the island of San Salvador, but Columbus was convinced that he’d reached the East Indies. He continued to sail around the Caribbean and founded a colony on the island of Hispaniola, or the modern-day nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He returned to Spain in January of 1493.

WHY: Columbus’s reasons to find a sail across the Atlantic were simple: he wanted fame and fortune, of which he got both. Things began to fall apart in 1493, when he sent some five-hundred enslaved indigenous people to Queen Isabella of Spain. Horrified, she promptly sent the gift back to Columbus because she thought that any people he discovered were Spanish citizens. During his third voyage in 1498, Columbus visited the settlement of Hispaniola to find that there had been a violent revolt against Columbus’s brothers’ brutal rule over the settlement. Spain had to send a new governor to Hispaniola due to the horrible conditions there. The population of indigenous people there had gone from an estimated 250,000, to only a few hundred. Columbus was arrested and sent back to Spain. He lost most of his power, but was cleared of the most serious charges. He was granted one more voyage to the New World in 1502, an expedition that ended unsuccessfully. He died in 1506.

By Wingspan Staff

What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual observance held in the month of October. It is intended to raise awareness about breast cancer, the second most common cancer among women in the United States.

All the money raised from the Overlook Pink Day event went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation

By Kiro Wilkins

Keeping warm in the autumn months can be hard, especially when your house is old and drafty like mine. Luckily this recipe for The Motherload Cookies can warm you right up! And it tastes good too…

The trick to making them as good as they are is to use your own choice of nuts, and to put in a lot of them. My mom uses walnuts, almonds, cashews, and mixed nuts including pistachios. For chocolate chips my mom uses Ghirardelli 60% cacao because they are a little less sweet but she puts in a bag and a half of them. That's what makes these cookies the Motherload.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• All Purpose Flour (1 ¼ cups)

• Quick Oats (1 cup)

• Baking Soda (1 tsp.)

• Salt (½ tsp.)

• Butter (salted or unsalted) (2 sticks/1 cup)

• White Sugar (¾ cups)

• Brown Sugar (¾ cups,packed)

• Eggs (2)

• Vanilla Extract (2 tsp.)

• 14 oz. Chocolate Chips

• Chopped Nuts (of your choice) (1 ¼ cup)

WHAT TO DO:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

• Mix flour, oatmeal, and baking soda with salt

• Set aside

• Beat butter (chopped into small pieces) with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy

• Add vanilla and eggs (1 at a time) at low speed until combined

• Gradually blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture

• Stir in chocolate chips and nuts

• Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet

• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown

• Enjoy!