Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday

On behalf of myself, Bob Donovan, Jean McCarty, Jack Bowes, Margaret Banschofsky and Kevin Bachelder - we want to to wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving... Cherie Houston

"May we all be thankful for the warm family memories we have gathered over the years and may we all get our chance to make our wish on the turkey's wish bone" ~ Father York..

A little Thanksgiving Trivia...

Was Turkey served at the first Thanksgiving? There is no evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving, a three-day meal shared between the pilgrims and Wampanoaug tribe in 1621. It is more likely that they ate venison and a lot of seafood

Did Thanksgiving become a holiday with the pilgrims? No-Thanksgiving became a public holiday in 1863, when president Abraham Lincoln declared it so

Of the three utensils we will use at Thanksgiving (fork, knife & spoon), which wasn't available at the first Thanksgiving? The fork. What did they use to eat their meal with? A knife, a spoon and their fingers. The fork was not brought by the pilgrims. Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts introduced it 10 years later, but it did not really catch on until the 18th century.

In colonial times, did all the Colonies celebrate Thanksgiving or was it just a New England custom? All colonies celebrated Thanksgiving but at different times depending of their harvest

The idea of a “children’s table” at Thanksgiving stemmed from the original feast. What did the

children have to do before they could eat? Children were made to set, serve and clear the tables for the adults.

The Pilgrims invited the Indians to join them for their Thanksgiving feast.  According to history, how many came? 90 Indians from the Wampanoaug tribe including their chief Massoit

Does Turkey really make us sleepy? Not really. Trytophan does make us tired and it is in turkey. But more of it can be found in soybeans, parmesan and pork. So what is to blame for the post-meal coma? Well, it could be the quantity of food over-consumed. The huge serving of dessert could have an effect. Or it could be the amount of booze drunk midday

Do people consume a lot of liquor during this holiday? YES! It has been claimed again and again that the night before Thanksgiving is the biggest drinking night of the year -- beating out New Years Eve and St. Patricks Day. Why? It is the number one evening where people return home and reunite with their high school buddies. Or possibly the anxiety of being surrounded by family drives some to drink

Did the Pilgrims serve their own version of a green bean casserole? They didn't. Green been casserole came into being just 50 some years ago and was created by Campbell's soup. It came about when the company was making new recipes for its annual cookbook. Now, Campbells sells about $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup, most likely for people to make the casserole

How many turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving in the United States? An estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving (the birds weigh, on average, 16 pounds). That is more than double the amount eaten on Christmas (22 million) and Easter (19 million). In 2010, more than 244 million turkeys were raised and about 226 million of those were consumed in the United States

Today is Veteran's Day - Thank You

Take a moment to say a special Thank You to all who continue to serve and protect us today and to those who served before them - we can't thank you enough for your sacrifice.. 

They Did Their Share By Joanna Fuchs 

On Veteran’s Day we honor Soldiers who protect our nation. For their service as our warriors, They deserve our admiration. Some of them were drafted; Some were volunteers; For some it was just yesterday; For some it’s been many years. In the jungle or the desert, On land or on the sea, They did whatever was assigned To produce a victory. Some came back; some didn’t. They defended us everywhere. Some saw combat; some rode a desk; All of them did their share. No matter what the duty, For low pay and little glory, These soldiers gave up normal lives, For duties mundane and gory. Let every veteran be honored; Don’t let politics get in the way. Without them, freedom would have died; What they did, we can’t repay. We owe so much to them, Who kept us safe from terror, So when we see a uniform, Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

Did you know these 10 interesting facts??? From website: 

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2340240/10_interesting_veterans_day_facts.html

• Veterans Day was once called Armistice Day. Armistice Day was created to honor veterans of World War I.
• November 11, 1919 was the first day Armistice Day was celebrated. Germany signed the armistice slowing the hostilities of WW1 in the 11th month, on the 11th day, during the 11th hour
• November 11 is both a federal and state holiday
• June 1, 1954 was when the United States changed the name to Veterans Day, honoring all military veterans
• Between 1971 and 1977 Veterans Day was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October
• Arlington National Cemetery has a ceremony every year on Veterans Day honoring those who died during war
• There are roughly 24 million living veterans
• During World War II Disney made films for each branch of the United States government 90% of Disney employees worked making propaganda and training videos during WWII
• 400,000 of the United States Armed Forces died during WWII.

Other Websites to check out for Veteran's Day trivia

www.urf.atlantic.net/features/veteransday

www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/veterans-day/tomb-of-unknown-soldier

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

On behalf of Bob Donovan, Jean McCarty, Jack Bowes, Kevin Bachelder and myself – we want to wish all of our dads, granddads, great=granddads, great-great granddads and anyone who has support anyone in the role of a dad – a wonderful Father’s Day Holiday – we hope you realize how important you are in so many lives – so thank you and have a wonderful day…Cherie Houston

A little trivia about Fathers Day – did you know:

·         Father’s Day was introduced by Sonora Dodd in Spokane, Washington. She wanted to honor her widowed father William Smart who took care of his six children during the Civil War. Since Sonora Dodd was the girl who first started the tradition of Father’s Day in this country, she had campaigned for her Father’s birthday -- June 19 --  to be declared Father’s Day.

·         The first Father’s Day was announced and celebrated in 1910.

·         Father’s Day was first supported by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared the third Sunday of June as the official holiday. It was President Woodrow Wilson who first said, however, in 1916 that Father’s Day should be given the status of a national holiday.

·         Father's Day in America has been officially celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent

·         Greeting cards are the No. 1 purchase on Father’s Day, and almost 92 percent of the cards are sold to women. Most of the greeting cards purchased are humorous.

·         More than 110 million greeting cards are sent throughout the world for Father's Day and according to Hallmark, Father’s Day is the 5^th largest card-selling occasion in America.

·         Father’s Day is the fourth most popular card-sending holiday in the world after Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

·         The tie is the most traditional and famous Father’s Day gift throughout the world. (I remember buying my dad a Chicago Cubs tie, but he never wore it. He was more of a Black Jack/Vegas guy!)

·         Almost half as much is spent on Father’s Day gifts as on Mother’s Day. Does this mean that we moms are more expensive? Or is it because the most popular Father’s Day gift is a simple necktie?

·         Today, some of the most popular Internet searches connected to the day include "fathers day recipes", "fathers day poem" and "fathers day crafts"

·         Father’s Day is celebrated at different times around the world. In Thailand it falls on Dec. 5; in Australia it’s observed on the first Sunday of September.

·         Father's Day is celebrated most places on the third Sunday in June, but not everywhere. In Spain and Portugal, for instance, fathers are honored on St. Joseph's Day, March 19th,in Australia, it's the first Sunday in September....

And check out this website for many of “dads” favorite sayings – it’s surprising how many you might recognize (or have even said yourself)

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/dad/dadvice.pdf

Have a wonderful day…

Happy 4th of July Weekend Everyone

Have a wonderful 4th of July/Independence Day Holiday...

"The day will be the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for ever more." – John Adams, July 3, 1776

Independence Day is the national day of the United States, which is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

4th of July – Independence Day Holiday Trivia & Facts…

• The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament



• In May, 1776, after nearly a year of trying to work our their differences with England, the colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Finally, in June, admitting that their efforts were hopeless, a committee was formed to compose the formal Declaration of Independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. On June 28, 1776, Thomas Jefferson presented the first draft of the declaration to Congress



• Betsy Ross, according to legend, sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee



• Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776



• The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon



• On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, looking to promote national pride and unity, adopted the national flag. "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."



• The first public Fourth of July event at the White House occured in 1804



• The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occured at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805



• On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C., to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter that Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote



• Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826



• In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal legal holiday



• The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. Later that year, five more signed separately and one added his name in a later year. Thomas McKean was the last to sign in January, 1777



• The origin of Uncle Sam probably began in 1812, when Samuel Wilson was a meat packer who provided meat to the US Army. The meat shipments were stamped with the initials, U.S. Someone joked that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam". This joke eventually led to the idea of Uncle Sam symbolizing the United States government

President’s Day & February School Vacation

Remember - no computer classes this coming week: Feb. 21st thru 25th for February School Vacation; classes resume again a week from Monday on, Feb. 28th… spring is just around the corner – Yeah!!!

A little trivia about President’s Day, which is celebrated Monday, February 21st this year and Presidents in general.. Did you know that:

THE THIRD MONDAY IN FEBRUARY is designated in the United States as Washington's Birthday, but now commonly known as Presidents Day.

1885 IS WHEN WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY BECAME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY – although many across the newly formed United States celebrated Washington's Birthday in the 17th century while George Washington was still alive, it didn’t become a federal holiday until 1885 when Chester Arthur signed the official bill

BARACK OBAMA IS OUR 44TH PRESIDENT, but there actually have only been 43 presidents: Cleveland was elected for two nonconsecutive terms and is counted twice, as our 22nd and 24th president.

EIGHT PRESIDENTS WERE BORN BRITISH SUBJECTS: Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J. Q. Adams, Jackson, and W. Harrison.

NINE PRESIDENTS NEVER ATTENDED COLLEGE: Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, A. Johnson, Cleveland, and Truman. The college that has the most presidents as alumni (seven in total) is Harvard: J. Adams, J. Q. Adams, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt, Kennedy, G. W. Bush (business school), and Barack Obama (law school). Yale is a close second, with five presidents as alumni: Taft, Ford (law school), G.H.W. Bush, Clinton (law school), and G. W. Bush.

PRESIDENTS WHO WOULD BE CONSIDERED "WASHINGTON OUTSIDERS" (i.e., the 18 presidents who never served in Congress) are: Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Taylor, Grant, Arthur, Cleveland, T. Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, F. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and G. W. Bush.

MOST COMMON RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION among presidents has been Episcopalian, followed by Presbyterian.

ANCESTRY OF 42 PRESIDENTS is limited to the following seven heritages, or some combination thereof: Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, or German.

BARACK OBAMA IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN to be elected president of the United States. He was also born in Hawaii, making him the first president not born in the continental United States.

OLDEST & YOUNGEST PRESIDENTS: The oldest elected president was Reagan (age 69); the youngest was Kennedy (age 43). Theodore Roosevelt, however, was the youngest man to become president—he was 42 when he succeeded McKinley, who had been assassinated.

THE OLDEST LIVING FORMER PRESIDENT: was Gerald Ford, who was born on July 14, 1913, and died on Dec.27, 2006, at age 93. The second oldest was Ronald Reagan, who also lived to be 93 years.

TALLEST & SHORTEST PRESIDENTS: The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4"; at 5'4", Madison was the shortest.

EIGHT LEFT-HANDED PRESIDENTS: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama

These trivia facts were from the following websites:

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/holidays/tp/presidents_day.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/prestrivia1.html

Thanksgiving Trivia & Turkey websites

Thanksgiving is just a few days away – did you know…

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States
2. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada
3. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving
4. The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620
5. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America
6. The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'
7. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621
8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts
9. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer
10. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

This previous trivia was copied from the following website - check it out for more interesting facts…

http://www.thanksgivingnovember.com/thanksgiving-facts.html

For more trivia go to http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/trivia.htm

Here are a few websites that can help you prepare Thanksgiving dinner...

http://www.butterball.com/

www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

www.allrecipes.com/info/holidays-events-and-occasions/thanksgiving/main.aspx

www.whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/thanksgivingtips.htm

www.divinedinnerparty.com/thanksgiving-dinner-recipes.html

If you have a favorite Thanksgiving Holiday website - send it along so we can share it next year with your fellow students...

Today is Veteran's Day - Thank You

Take a moment to say a special Thank You to all who continue to serve and protect us today and to those who served before them - we can't thank you enough for your sacrifice..

They Did Their Share
By Joanna Fuchs

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years.

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

Did you know these 10 interesting facts???
From website: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2340240/10_interesting_veterans_day_facts.html

• Veterans Day was once called Armistice Day. Armistice Day was created to honor veterans of World War I.
• November 11, 1919 was the first day Armistice Day was celebrated. Germany signed the armistice slowing the hostilities of WW1 in the 11th month, on the 11th day, during the 11th hour
• November 11 is both a federal and state holiday
• June 1, 1954 was when the United States changed the name to Veterans Day, honoring all military veterans
• Between 1971 and 1977 Veterans Day was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October
• Arlington National Cemetery has a ceremony every year on Veterans Day honoring those who died during war
• There are roughly 24 million living veterans
• During World War II Disney made films for each branch of the United States government 90% of Disney employees worked making propaganda and training videos during WWII
• 400,000 of the United States Armed Forces died during WWII.

Other Websites to check out for Veteran's Day trivia..

http://surf.atlantic.net/features/veteransday.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/veterans-day/tomb-of-unknown-soldier.html

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.. and a little trivia about the 4th

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

Independence Day was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal legal holiday. John Adams proclaimed: "It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

The basics of the U.S.A. :

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Motto: "In God We Trust"
• National Anthem: "The Star Spangled Banner"
• National Bird: Bald Eagle
• National Flower: Rose

A few facts about our National Bird, the Bald Eagle…

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams & Thomas Jefferson served on the committee that picked the eagle for the national seal (Franklin wanted the turkey.)
• Bald eagles have few natural enemies & live only in North America.
• Bald eagles get their white head & tail feathers about 4-5 years of age.
• The only other kind of eagle in North America is the golden eagle.
• Bald eagles mate for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.
• It is a felony to shoot an eagle

That Fireworks were invented in China in the 12th century to ward off evil spirits and the US imports an estimated $128 million in fireworks from China each year.

'The Star Spangled Banner' was written by Frances Scott Key and was originally set to the tune of an English drinking song in 1814.

Calvin Coolidge, our nation's 30th president, was born on July 4th, 1872. He is the only president to claim this honor.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, all presidents, all died on a 4th of July.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council state that over 150 million hot dogs are consumed during Independence Day festivities. That's a lot of dogs, people!

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. Their names were kept from the public for six months to protect the signers since they would have been punished with death if independence had not been achieved (you know, treason and all).

The salute of the union occurs on Independence Day at noon: One gun shot is fired for each state.

The American flag has 50 stars (one for each state) and 13 alternating red and white stripes (one for each colony). There is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag. However, when the Great Seal of the United States was chosen this is what was listed for them.

• white for purity and innocence
• red for valor and hardiness
• blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice

Bristol, Rhode Island is noted as having the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

On behalf of Bob Donovan, Jean McCarty, Jack Bowes and myself, we want to extend our best wishes to you and your families for a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday...

We all have so much to be thankful for, so count your blessings and enjoy your day..

Looking for some "trivia" to discuss during Thanksgiving dinner - here are a few interesting "Thanksgiving" websites....

www.wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm

www.thanksgivingnovember.com/thanksgiving-facts.html

www.brownielocks.com/thanksgivingtrivia.html