Growing up

By Zoe N.

Many cultures celebrate a girl’s transition from a child to an adult. Most cultures honor this change when the girl is somewhere between the age of 11 to 20, depending on the tradition.

In Latin America, when a girl turns 15, she celebrates her coming of age with a Quinceanera ceremony. The traditional Quinceanera celebration is a religious ceremony during which the family and friends of the girl can share memories and hopes for her future. She wears a tiara and a beautiful gown. Many girls also have a party not unlike a Sweet Sixteen celebration that includes a formal dance.

Each year in Japan, anyone who has turned 20 that year celebrates adulthood and coming of age on Adults Day. Girls wear traditional kimonos and boys wear suits and ties. They visit religious shrines after a ceremony at the government hall. After Adults Day the 20-year-olds then become part of the adult community.

Jewish girls come of age when they are 13. Many Jewish families celebrate a girl’s coming of age with a bat mitzvah. At a traditional bat mitzvah, the girl reads from the Torah, the Jewish holy book, and is blessed by a rabbi.

In the United States, coming of age traditions are usually found only in religious settings, but many people mark coming of age with other, smaller things, such as getting a driver’s license or going to the prom. Coming of age can be one of the most important things in a girl’s life. Not all cultures and religions acknowledge the transition from a child to an adult, but when a girl comes of age she gets many new responsibilities and is seen as a woman. 

How do you say?

By Michelle B.

How are you?

• Dutch: Hoe gaat het met u/jou?  (hoo khaat huht met ew/yaw)
• French: Comment allez-vous?  (ko-mon ta-ley-voo)
• German: Wie geht es lhnen?  (vee geyt es ee-nen)
• Italian: Come sta?  (ko-me sta)
• Spanish: Que tal?  (ke tal)

Fine, thank you. And you?

•   Dutch: Goed. En met u/jou?   (khoot en met ew/yaw)
•   French: Bien, merci. Et vous?   (byun mair-see ey voo)
•   German: Danke, gut und lhnen?   (dang-ke goot unt ee-nen)
•   Italian: Bene. E lei?  (be-ne e lay)
•   Spanish: Bien, gracias. Y tu?  (byen gra-thyas)

What’s your phone number?

•   Dutch: Wat is uw/jouw telefoonnummer?   (wat is ew/yaw tey-ley-foh-nu-muhr)
•   French: Quel est votre numero de telephone?  (kel ey vo-tre new-mey-ro de tey-ley-fon)
•   German: Wie ist lhre telefonnummer?   (vee is tee-re te-le-fawn-nu-mer)
•   Italian: Qual’e il suo/tuo numero di telefono?  (kwa-le eel soo-o/too-o noo-me-ro dee te-le-fo-no)
•   Spanish: Cual es su/tu numero de telefono?  (kwal es soo/too noo-me-ro de te-le-fo-no)

What time is it?

•   Dutch: Hoe laat is het?  (hoo laat is huh)

•   French: Quelle heure est-il?  (kel eur ey-teel)

•   German: Wie spat ist es?  (vee shpeyt ist es)

•   Italian: Che ora e?  (ke o-ra e)

•   Spanish: Que hora es?  (ke o-ra es)

How much is it?

•   Dutch: Hoeveel kost het?  (hoo-veyl kost huht)
•   French: C’est combien?  (sey kom-hyun)
•   German: Was kostet das?  (vas kos-tet das)
•   Italian: Quant’e?  (kwan-te)
•   Spanish: Cuanto cuesta?  (kwan-to kwes-ta)

Where’s the toilet?

•   Dutch: Waar is het openbaar toilet?  (waar is huht oh-puhn-baar twa-let)
•   French: Ou est-ce qu’il y a des toilettes?   (oo es-keel ya dey twa-let)
•   German: Wo ist die offentliche toilette?  (vaw ist dee eu-fent-li-khe to-a-le-te)
•   Italian: Dov’e il gabinetto pubblico?  (eel ga-bee-ne-to poo-blee-ko)
•   Spanish: Donde estan los servicios?  (don-de es-tan los see-os)

You and the performing arts

By Carlisa J.

Many teens and pre-teens of today’s generation are not always excited about the performing arts. The thing that many don’t realize is how exciting and interesting it is to be part of the performing arts. Not only do the performing arts offer an outlet of expression, it also provides you with a way to showcase your talent to others.

There are many opportunities for teens to take part in the performing arts. In many communities, there is community theatre, which can be found at local libraries, recreational facilities and performance spaces. These shows range from theatrical plays to musical theatre and dance.

In addition to community theatre, open-mic nights are offered at various local cafes. Open-mic nights usually allow you to express yourself through song, poetry, dramatic monologues or visual art.

For those interested in the more musical sides of the performing arts, there are many youth choirs and youth orchestras throughout Georgia. The performing arts have a place for everyone to develop positive characteristics and have fun.

Your H2O

By Michelle G.

Have you ever found yourself standing overwhelmed in the aisle of flavored water at your local grocery store surrounded by hot pink, sky blue and lime green colored liquid? Are you tired of spending dollar after dollar on bottles of water that harm the environment? Are there alternatives? We’re about to find out.

Water is a very important compound in the human body because we are over three-fourths water. Water keeps our skin healthy and helps to remove impurities from our systems. In reality, the water full of flavor and vitamins is really nothing special, and all those bottles if not recycled aren’t good for the environment.

Still want water with a little something extra? You can add pizzazz to your own glass of ice tap water. You can squirt a little lime or lemon to give your water a nice tropical twist. Or you can even freeze ice cubes with berries or peach slices. There are a lot of creative ways to make that everyday water shine. Now go grab a tumbler, a few ice cubes and tap water. Enjoy!

A tour of Halloween history

By Rose B.

Have you ever wondered why trick-or-treating, jack-o-lanterns and ghosts are associated with Halloween? Are you curious to learn how Halloween originated? Well, then read on and learn!

Halloween goes back to the time of the Celts, which was 2,000 years ago. Back then, it was called Samhain. The Celts inhabited modern day Ireland, the UK and France at that time. They celebrated Samhain on Nov. 1. Nov. 1 marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on Oct. 31, a gate between the living realm and the spiritual realm opened, merging the two together. They believed that ghosts came out to cause crop damage and the premonitions. Samhain was also the time when citizens were allowed to run wild and let children bug their neighbors until they gave the kids something to eat.

The jack-o-lantern was first created in Ireland. The jack-o-lantern was supposed to drive poltergeists away. However, the Irish didn’t have pumpkins. The Irish carved turnips and potatoes instead.

In 43 A.D. (C.E.), the Romans conquered most of the Celtic territory. As Roman culture mixed with Celtic culture, Samhain blended in with two Roman festivals, Feralia and Pomona, a type of thanksgiving celebration in honor of the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, Pomona. Feralia was the Roman celebration for those who passed into the afterlife. The thanking-Pomona ceremony is the origin of one of the games people play during Halloween. Pomona’s symbol is an apple, so to celebrate her, they’d go bobbing for apples!

In the 800s, Pope Boniface IV renamed November 1 All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day was meant to replace Samhain. The night before All Saints’ Day was dubbed All-Hallows Eve, which was eventually shortened to Halloween!

Trick-or-treating dates back to All Souls’ Day parades that were held in England. Poor citizens would beg for food, and families would hand out pastries called “soul cakes.” The beggars would, in exchange, pray for the family’s deceased loved ones. Children eventually started participating in the “soul cake” tradition and would wear masks on Halloween night so that they wouldn’t be recognized by sprits.

Today, in Mexico, Latin America and Spain, they celebrate a three-day event that begins on Oct. 31 that honors the dead. Many families decorate alters with candy, flowers and photographs of lost loved ones. This celebration is called El Día de los Muertos. El Día de los Muertos originated in Mexico, during the time of the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a month-long summer celebration that was overseen by the goddess, Mictecacihuatl. When the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish, the customs of Mictecacihuatl’s celebration were interwoven into All Saints’ Day.

Halloween has taken on many shapes over the years, all dating back to 2,000 years ago. Different cultures meeting and merging have turned it into what it is today, with the trick-or-treating, the ghost stories, the jack-o-lanterns and the parties.

Pop Quiz:

Q: Which teacher in the Harry Potter series has the first name of Pomona?

A: Professor Sprout’s first name is Pomona.