October 2023
Welcome to the Clark Cubs Connection!
Welcome! Here at the Cubs Connection we strive for entertaining and informative articles for each and every Clark Cub. Our writers and photographers work very hard to bring you articles monthly. We hope you enjoy our monthly articles below!
From editors, Gage Maxwell and Lucy Anderson
Behind the Scenes of our Houses
Altruismo
By: Aria Stronks, Reporter
Altruismo. We all have our own opinions about this house, some better than others. Some say it’s ‘over rated.’ Black house members say it’s the best. Which is true? In my opinion, the latter is true, but that’s because this house is my own. There will always be a war about which house is the best, but the truth is, we most likely won’t ever settle on one house. But why is this war a thing? Because everyone cares about which house wins the most, and even though this isn’t said a lot; which color looks better. Everyone is missing the point. All our houses mean something, and are more than just teams with an assigned color in a game. I am writing this article to tell you about the meaning, and history of Altruismo.
Most of us have known this since the first day we’ve started here at Clark, Altruismo is the house of the givers: which is pretty basic, actually. But this doesn’t just mean we give stuff to people, it means we give our time and energy to others as well. The word ‘Altruismo’ means the fact of caring about other people's needs and happiness more than your own. In other words, selflessness. Now, this doesn’t mean we must do everything for others and never do anything for ourselves, the sign of the Givers is a symbol, persuading you not to be selfish.
Again, students don’t care much about the history and the making of our house, we just care that we are in that house and we want to win. Well, reading this article will get you as far as you need to in the history of Altruismo. First off, a question that has been tugging at the back of my mind is why black? Why is Altruismo the color black? Answer: Black stands for prestige and talent. If you look at the Altruismo crest, it has a griffin, which stands for courage. Altruismo was started by a group of Brazilians. The Brazilians say that real power occurs when you look beyond yourself and strive to empower others.
The war of which house is the best will last on for eternity, and it’s fun to be in a house at Clark. But, the houses were made for a reason, and have specific meanings to them. Reading this article will give you as much information as you need to see the Behind The Scenes of Altruismo.
Reveur
By: Caroline Murphree, Reporter
Welcome to Reveur! The house of the dreamers! We, being in Reveur, love to dream and come up with ideas! We’re idea people! Now, here’s the thing, Reveur and Altruismo have been at war for as long as this has been going on See, this isn't a Clark thing this “house thing” has been going on for years at other schools! The following info is from the Ron Clark Academy website: "Rêveur is the natural rival of Altruismo, because in the early days of the House Championships, Altruismo beat Rêveur by a single point, and they held a winning streak over them for three years. In 2011-2012 school year, the wheel did not sort very many students into Rêveur, and so it became the smallest of the four Houses. But the staff House Leader, Ron Clark, rallied the students together and told them: “This year, because our House is smaller, we each have to be bigger. We each have to multiply ourselves this year!” And that was the year that Rêveur, despite being the smallest House, went on to win its first championship." Inspirational huh?
Isibindi
By: Lucas Marsan, Reporter
Welcome to Isibindi. This is the house of courage, so obviously people in green house are very, courageous. Now to make things clear, courage is not being afraid of nothing. Actually, you need to be afraid of something to be courageous, so just know that if your friends are telling you that they’re not afraid of anything, that’s not courage, and they might not be honest with themselves. (They probably don’t want to be embarrassed.)
Courage is also a great trait to have in life. There’s a reason why many superheroes have courage as one of their main traits. Now obviously, superheroes aren’t real. However, heroes are real, and you’d need courage if you want to be one. Could you even be a hero if you weren’t brave enough to do it? No you couldn’t.
You also most likely know that there’s a house competition every year. Maybe you don’t care, maybe you do. Being in green house is a commitment, so you have to stay loyal to the rest of us. By being a good kid, we could even win the house competition. So please be good. I want to win.
Amistad
By: Harlow Champion, Reporter
The house of Amistad originates from Mexico, Amistad is Spanish for friend. The hand signals are a heart and crossed keys. The symbolic animal is The Immortal Peacock. The house of Amistad is a group of kind but powerful individuals. Members of the House of Amistad are consistently challenged to self-reflect. If you are in this house, teachers and adults at Clark expect you to be a friend, to help others, and to be someone to count on.
Clark Hospitality
By: Molly Hamilton, Reporter
There are so many reasons the Clark family is welcoming. They dress up, help you when you need it, and they are always there for you.
I remember my first day at Clark and how I was apprehensive and worried. It was a new school and there were so many other people. But once I walked into the school and all the teachers and staff started saying hello, it made me feel welcomed, less nervous, more confident, and ready for the school year.
Here are some stories of other students who had the first day jitters:
"I was worried on the first day, but once I walked into the classroom I was no longer nervous," said one student.
"I was kinda nervous the first day of school but I felt better once everyone arrived and my teacher began her lesson," said another student.
Before going to Clark, school wasn’t always fun and some days I didn’t even want to go to school. Whereas at Clark, everyone is always dressing up and doing fun things. I look forward to going to school everyday, and I know I am not the only one. We have only been at school for 9 weeks, and we have already had lots of themed learning days and dress up days.
Lots of people at Clark think the Clark family is really welcoming. Here are a couple of opinions on what they think is welcoming about the Clark family.
"Teachers and students dress up and I feel less out of place," says one student
"There is always someone dressing up, and everyone is so supportive. The teachers make learning very fun and exciting. I remember when my school visited Clark, and I was nervous but all the house leaders were jumping around and it was so much fun" says another student.
"I love how they do houses, and I have made friends so easily," says a student.
The teachers, staff, and principal at Clark are always there to help you. They are always encouraging you and teaching you in a fun way. On the first day of school, I was really nervous about opening my locker, but the teachers were really patient and willing to help us.
"The teachers are nice, sweet, and supportive," says one student.
"They are kinder, they help you when you don’t know something, and it feels like you know someone even if you don’t and everyone is always cheering you on,' says another student.
"The staff are so nice and welcoming. It just makes you feel good to be there," says a student.
The Clark family really is welcoming!
House Sorting
By: Gage Maxwell, Editor
House sorting is possibly one of the most important days of the year at Clark. With the jumping and yelling and loudness it’s just one big hype fest. Let’s take a deep dive into the entire day starting at eight in the morning.
8:00: You might be a little tired, but not us! We sing and dance all the way until 8:30.
Your House Sorting: You're walking into the large cafeteria full of staff, parents, and kids! You take your seat and the drum line steps out. The endless array of booms and bashes make a really cool sound for the entire cafeteria to hear. All of a sudden you're on the stage, sitting in one of our house chairs. POP! The scroll skitters across your lap. You run down the red carpet, grab your shirt and cookie, and join the jumping and chanting of your housemates.
House Sorting is a part of who we are at Clark. Now the journey of gaining points and competitive chaos begins. Have fun in your house Clark Cubs!
Rock Your School
By: Delyse Hunter, Reporter
Rock on Clark Cubs! We have recently just celebrated Rock Your School! Now what is Rock Your School at Clark Intermediate? How do we celebrate it? Why do we do it? Well, Rock Your School is a very fun and awaited day at our school. I’m sure you saw people decked out in rock attire and even your teachers getting into the 80s and 90s spirit! Whenever you’d enter your class your teachers had fun rock n’ roll activities for students to do and the admin would be blasting some old school music on the announcement speakers. Everyone’s fun attire and crafty outfits really amp the enjoyment of Rock Your School!
But why do we celebrate Rock Your School? With all the exciting things I just told you about Rock Your School there has to be a reason for Clark to give us this awesome school day. This might be shocking, but Rock Your School is actually celebrated by schools all over the globe! Rock Your School is a popular event in a lot of schools. It was started 5 years ago to give students a fun break and teachers could let loose. It also gives a chance for teachers to do something different with their students.
Since Rock Your School involves a lot of creativity, you may wonder where rock attire and music originates from? Rock fashion started in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It started because of Little Richard, also known as the “Father of Rock”, but later on it was more adapted in the 1990s to neon colors, fish nets, scrunchies, skirts, etc. Rock music originated primarily from the United States starting in the late 1940s through early 1950s. It originated from African American jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, and more. And rock music became popular because of once again the person who influenced, inspired, and basically started up rock itself, Little Richard.Rock n’ Roll music history goes way back, so it is definitely something you can look into more. Rock your school was definitely a fun day here at Clark!
Officer Joe
By: Lucy Anderson, Editor
The newspaper is a great way to connect with Clark Intermediate and the people here. We will give you guys great updates and information. There are so many people who make Clark amazing. Officer Joe you see a lot around our campus and at other schools. We interviewed him and asked him some questions. Our first question was what is your role here at Clark? His answer was clear. “Well, I work at The feeder. I Also help out a lot with keeping students safe from people who will cause harm.” Our second question was What area do you work in and and he said I work in Conroe area and an intermediate high schools and the intermediate and elementary schools, so like the Conroe area with Hines, Grand Oaks, Clark, and Broadway, Birnham Woods, etc.” which we thought was really cool that one officer had such an important role. We thought that he was really inspirational that he does all of this for these students. Thank you so much officer Joe for making our school safe. Officer Joe is such an important figure in our campus we thank him and for all he's done and making our school beautiful and safe. Gracias officer Joe, and thank you so much for all that you do.
Mr. Korab, Firefighter
By: Samantha Williams, Reporter and Echo Korab, Photographer
"What was it like being a firefighter?" I ask. "It was a lot of fun." firefighter Adam Korab explains, "I enjoyed the training, the friendship, and getting to know the other volunteers in the station. It was also difficult because you never knew exactly when you might catch a call. Calls can really intrude on family time so, it was kind of a mixture in that way."
"What do you most remember from being a firefighter?" I ask. "The sensation that you were part of a group that was doing something good in our community and we are all very proud of that."
Note from Adam Korab - Always look for ways to help other people, serve your community, or do something positive for the world that you live in. That might mean being a first responder or volunteering at a food bank. Always think of ways to help bring people together.
Hispanic Heritage Month
By: Evelyn Mciver, Reporter
When is Hispanic Heritage month?
Hispanic heritage month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. Hispanic heritage month was started in 1968 by president Linden Johnson. Then it was expanded by president Ronald Reagan to a 30 day celebration and it was enacted into law in 1988 on August 17.
Why do we celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?
Hispanic Heritage month is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the unique voices and experiences of hispanic/latino Americans and recognize their journeys, adventures, and achievements.
What do People do to celebrate?
Many people will host parties with dancing, food, and fun! Also many cities will host concerts, parades, runs, festivals, art exhibits, and more!
Halloween From Different Cultures
By: Leighton Jordan, Reporter
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong they celebrate Halloween with Disney. It may come as a surprise but they take much joy in the theme park. They don’t go all out like us in North America. It’s more like a fun summer day than a fall celebration, but this is their culture. They spend their Halloween from the 16th of September to the 31st of October!
Ireland
In Ireland they have a Celtic festival called AllHallowtide. It’s a Christian celebration like Day of the Dead where they honor their deceased relatives. They make a cake called a “Soul Cake”. It’s a dark spice tea cake with berries. Not everything is similar but it has its similarities to North America.
North America
Since we live in North America-it may not seem important. Think of the people who don’t know a lot about our culture! In North America we dress up and go out on the night of October 31st. People go trick-or-treating, knocking door to door getting candy. Once you get older a lot of teens and college students go out to costume parties instead of trick-or-treating.
This day is very special to many people around the world. No matter how you celebrate it or see this tradition, it’s always gonna be a loved holiday.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
What is pumpkin pie spice?
Pumpkin spice surprisingly, does not have any pumpkin in it. It is a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Pumpkin spice has been in cookbooks since 1890 and was introduced by McCormick & Company in 1934. Most spices in today's blend are native to Southeast Asian islands. Pumpkin pie spice is similar to the British and Commonwealth mixed spice, also called pudding spice. Similarly, to pumpkin spice, British and Commonwealth spice is a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
One for Sorrow -Mary Downing Hahn Book Review
By: Allyssa Sagarnaga, Reporter
A book, a novel, a story, whatever you want to call it, One For Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn is a story that will send shivers down your spine as you flip through the pages. As I say, “The best time to open up an eerie book is in the month of October.” Annie Browne is new at school when she is claimed “best friends” with Elsie Schnieder who is known to be a complete liar. When the pandemic of the Spanish influenza comes around, many catch it - and most don’t survive, including Elsie. When Elsie’s spirit is awakened, she becomes controlling of Annie- making her do terrible things and even controlling her words. When Annie meets an elderly woman who believes in ghosts just as much as she does, Annie is told to send on Elsie’s spirit. Will Annie be able to send Elsie on and have a peaceful life without the disturbances of Elsie? If you’re a fan of scary stories and want to find out what happens, I suggest reading One For Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn. I give this book a ten out of ten for its twists and turns, creepy moments, and the amazing storytelling in it.