Issue 862 Thursday, April 17, 2014
APRIL POWERS
Supported by readers of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News
GO GREEN, PAGE 3.ROCK WITH JENA, PAGES 4 AND 5.GET FIT WITH TIGERS, PAGES 6 AND 7.
Yak ChatApril is awesome.We’ve had some of those
April showers, but also a little spring sunshine, too.
It’s a boom time for zoo babies (see this page) and next week we salute nature and our environment with Earth Day. Read about the Green Man on Page 3.
It is an awesome month for getting in shape. We take tips from the Tigers and joined with young Detroiters at Kids Opening Day, Pages 6 and 7.
Michigan singers continue to shine on “American Idol.” This week, we continue our coverage with an interview with Farmington Hills teen Jena Irene, Pages 4 and 5.
MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM2
Printed by: The Detroit Media Partnership Sterling Heights, Michigan, Spring 2014.
• My Kid Scoop, Page 8.
Also Inside:
Thursday, April 17, 2014
On the cover:
From left, Troy Hufnagel, 8; Marissa Nicholson, 16; Azaria Allen, 11 and Niya Leakeyoung, 10, get ready to work out at Comerica Park on Kids Opening Day.
Photo by Marty Westman
Yippee for Yooper!It’s a word most
Michiganders already know – Yooper – a nickname for a resident of the Upper Peninsula, or U.P.!
The nickname will get official recognition in the printed 2014 edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. We looked up Emily Brewster, the associate editor at Merriam-Webster, to ask about the decision, credited mainly to Michigander Steve Parks’ campaign. Emily emailed us that you now can see Yooper at unabridged.merriam-webster.com; it will also be in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary at m-w.com later. “It’s met the criteria for entry that every word we enter must meet,” said Emily. “We have evidence of “Yooper” in use from a variety of publications – newspapers, magazines, books – over an extended period of time. The oldest of this evidence is from a 1974 article in The Pick & Axe, of Bessemer, Michigan; it was just provided to us by a Yooper who dug it up after hearing the news about the word’s entry.”
“Although we had some evidence of ‘Yooper’ in our files before Steve Parks contacted us, “ wrote Emily, “his campaign to get the word entered certainly helped the word stand out. By sending us clippings from newspaper articles, crossword puzzles, and novels with the word ‘Yooper’ in them he proved that “Yooper” was indeed an established member of the English language. We’re grateful to him for his efforts.”
Emily said Michigander Steve Parks made the campaign a lot of fun. “He also sent me the occasional Yooper chocolate bar. There has been no campaign to help a word get entered quite like this in our entire history. He had good fun with it, and so did we.”
Emily will be visiting the UP herself in August – as a guest at the Upper Peninsula State Fair in Escanaba.
Zoo BabiesYou’ll be seeing some zoo birth announcements
this spring around the country.Last month, we shared the Detroit Zoo photo of
the Kaatie, the adorable aardvark, who will be out as weather warms here.
Meanwhile at the Toledo Zoo, twin spotted-neck otter pups were born in January. In the last five years, this is only the second litter to be born at an AZA zoo (AZA means accredited members of Association of Zoos and Aquariums). Their home habitat in Africa is in clean, freshwater.
In Washington, D.C., the Giant panda cub, Bao Bao, has been drawing fans at the National Zoo since she made her first trip outside earlier this month. Check out www.nationalzoo.si.edu and click on “panda cam” for more to see her.
Zoo activities are also special this weekend. It’s “Bunnyville” at the Detroit Zoo with lots of hoppenings. The Toledo Zoo also hosts a bounty of bunny activities including an animal egg hunt. See www.detroitzoo.org and www.toledozoo.org.
By Cathy Collison
Yakking about the newsA weekly wrap-up for young readers
Photo Courtesy of Toledo Zoo/Mary Beth McConnellOne of the spotted-neck otter pups born at the Toledo Zoo.
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Photo courtesy of the Green Man FestivalThis gigantic Green Man was built for the Green Man Festival in Bretons Beacon National Park in Wales. The famous music festival will be 10 years old this year.
This Green Man fountain graces the entrance to the Children’s Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Happy Earth Day to the Green Man! No, we are not referring to
Spartan fans that dress for games in skin-tight, neon-green bodysuits.
This Green Man is a fantasy image that has graced gardens, churches and buildings for centuries. If he could speak, we’re sure he’d be a big supporter of Earth Day, though he’s not officially associated with the event. (This year’s official Earth Day T-shirt shows a polar bear climbing a wind machine.)
The Green Man is an archetype (ARH-keh-tipe), or recurring symbol that speaks to all of humanity and needs no interpretation. Historians aren’t even sure what he means, and there isn’t just one Green Man. He’s been depicted in more ways than you could shake a stick at. (Google “Green Man” and click on “images” and you’ll find hundreds of depictions.)
Like the unicorn, the Green Man combines elements of more than one creature. A unicorn is a horse with the long, twisted tusk of a narwhal, a type of whale. The Green Man is part human, part plant, a kind of tree-come-to-life or father of the forest. There are a few Green Women, too, though they are rare.
“The Green Man signifies irrepressible life,” writes William Anderson, a British poet and the author of, “Green Man, The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth.” (Irrepressible is something that can’t be held back, like a child unable to stop giggling while being tickled. Think about our best hopes for life on Earth being unstoppable.)
“Once he has come into your awareness, you will find him speaking to you wherever you go. He is an image from the depths of prehistory. He appears and seems to die and then comes again after long forgettings at many periods in the past two thousands years.”
The Green Man is often depicted as
a head with his hair, eyes, nose, and mouth made of leaves – a leaf mask. A good example is the Green Man fountain at the entrance to the Children’s Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Another depiction is a head “disgorging vegetation from his mouth and often from his ears and eyes,” says Anderson. (Disgorging means vomiting; we love this one.)
Jo Sellers, a Virginia schoolteacher, recently asked 21 third graders to draw and write about the Green Man for the Yak.
“I didn’t give them too much information because I wanted them to use their imaginations,” said Jo, who is also youth chairman for National Garden Clubs, Inc.
“I did say he was mythical, like Santa Claus, and I wore my Green Man pin.”
Here are two of their writings:
“The Green Man lives in the woods. He eats vegetables and only drinks water. He controls the weather. He wears a green vest, a yellow buckle and his shoes are made out of wood.”
– Jan Carlos Gomez
“He is really big and he lives in Hollywood. He loves carrots and broccoli. He drinks energy juice. He knows everybody in the woods and is really fun to play with.”
– Kelsey Cruz-Lovo
By Patricia Chargot
Green Art: How would you draw the Green Man or Woman ? Send us your artwork and we’ll share a few favorites next month. Mail by April 24 to Yak’s Green Art, 615 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226. For more about Earth Day on April 22, go to www.earthday.org.
Before Earth Day, the Green Man Roamed!
Thursday, April 17, 20144 MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM
Woo-hoo! Season 13 is lucky indeed for metro Detroit contestants on “American
Idol.” The Yak has been tuning in to watch Michigan teens shine. At Yak’s Corner press time, both Malaya Watson, a junior at Southfield High School, and Jena Irene Asciutto of Farmington Hills, were still contenders for the “Idol” title. And high school senior Sam Woolf, who spent his early years in West Bloomfield and now lives in Florida, had been spared by the judges when they used their only “save” of the season to keep him in the competition. What will happen next? Tune in tonight — but first, read more about Jena.
“American Idol” judges know talent when they hear it, and luckily they heard it when they decided to choose Jena Irene as one of the three wild card picks to round out the Top 13 “Idol” finalists back in February. Now, as host Ryan Seacrest recently noted on the show, Jena “has earned some serious momentum.”
Judge Jennifer Lopez has been heaping on some serious praise, telling Jena earlier this month that she should come out every week “and blow everyone away and try and win this whole thing.” That sounds like a solid plan for the Farmington Hills teen that is edging a little closer to superstardom each week.
Whirlwind WorldWe caught up with Jena by
phone from Los Angeles on a recent Monday afternoon during a break from rehearsals. So what was on the schedule? “We have the weekends to kind of chill out — well, not chill anymore,” Jena corrected, “we shot four commercials this weekend.”
But the weekends are usually a little less hectic. On Mondays, the contestants pick out their outfits for the week and have their first full rehearsal with the band, reports Jena. (She adds that everyone has their musical arrangements ready for the weekend so they can practice on their own.) She was also practicing for a duet with Alex Preston when we talked.
Jena Irene Asciutto, or Jena Irene, as she goes by on the show, is a senior at North Farmington High School. The 17-year-old explains that the shortening of her name was accidental. “At the very first cattle call round of auditions, I wrote my middle name in for my last name” on the form, and they never corrected it. “Irene is actually my grandma’s name, and I never got to meet her because she passed away before I was born,” explains Jena. “My mom was like, ‘maybe it’s a sign that she’s looking down on you,’ so I decided to keep it.” Jena says someday she would like to use either Jena Irene or just Jena for
Fox PhotoEverybody knows Jena’s name now! At first, the “idol” judges had a little trouble with her name, calling her “Jenna” by mistake. Now fans yell out hello to “Jena, not Jenna” when they see her on the street. For the record, lots of substitute teachers have had it wrong over the years, too, Jena told the Yak.
‘Idol’ Spotlight onJena Irene
her professional career.Jena gets to spend a fair
amount of time with her fellow Michigan contestants, Malaya Watson and Sam Woolf, because they have school on set together. “We’re in school all the time,” says Jena, and “outside of everything, when we have that little bit of free time, we do hang out, and at night, when we’re with the other contestants, too.” Jena says the three teens kind of forget about their metro Detroit connection because they are immersed in such a “different world” in Hollywood.
Winning Advice Although Jena’s senior year is
playing out far differently than she expected, she couldn’t be happier. Before “Idol,” like most high school seniors, Jena was busy applying to colleges and making future plans. She’s been accepted at Western Michigan University, and still plans to take classes, either online or on campus after the “Idol” tour. She says earning her bachelor’s degree is “definitely a priority.”
Here are some thoughts and advice Jena wanted to share with Yak’s Corner readers:
On “Idol”: “Even though it is a long shot, and I didn’t think I would make it this far on ‘American Idol,’ I kept pushing forward, even when it didn’t feel like things were moving in the right direction, it’s just a bump in the road, and that’s kind of how life is,” says Jena. Adding, “I persevered up to this point, and I’m still chugging along.”
School rules: “I am still trying to get straight A’s (even with the busyness of ‘Idol’), I have a couple of B’s, but I am usually a straight A student. School always comes first with me.”
Dream big: “Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams because that’s what life is about,” says Jena. And keep those dreams big, because you just never know how things are going to work out. “This is a perfect example,” says Jena. “I didn’t think my senior year was going to be spent in California, but I’m not complaining, I love it here!”
No matter what happens on the show in the final weeks, Jena will be home in time to walk with her graduating class at North Farmington High School. And to be an “Idol” finalist, or maybe even the winner, will certainly be cause for celebration.
By Janis Campbell
5MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM Thursday, April 17, 2014
Fast FactsWorth the Wait: Jena shared on the show that she spent
about 10 hours waiting in line to audition in Detroit last fall. Roommate: Because Jena is 17, her mom is staying
with her in Hollywood. “I love the fact that she’s here to share the experience with me, and that I don’t have to go through it alone, because at the end of the day, it is still a competition.” Other family members are also traveling to L.A. to cheer Jena on.
Nearby Neighbors: Jena says she only lives about 10 minutes away from Malaya when she’s home in metro Detroit.
School Pride: The Farmington Public Schools web page gives a shout-out to Jena, including “Idol” voting hours and info. Her high school has also hosted “Idol” watching parties.
Watch and Vote: The “American Idol” performance shows air at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays with the results shows on Thursdays at 9 p.m. Fingers are crossed for our local — and very talented — teens.
Fox PhotoJena Irene Asciutto performs on a recent “American Idol.” When she’s not busy with show duties, she has school on set with contestants Malaya Watson and Sam Woolf.
Thursday, April 17, 20146 MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM
Spring means baseball to the Yak. Once it’s Opening Day, the official spring season has begun. And it’s
also a season to shape up for all the summer sports.
So when the Yak heard about Kids Opening Day with a fitness pre-game workout on the field, he had to be there! Most of the time, the immaculate outfield of Comerica Park is off-limits. But not on Kids Opening Day. The Yak joined up with hundreds of metro-Detroit youths on the field
for a pre-game workout before the Tigers took on the Baltimore Orioles. Fitness was all in the game plan at the Blue Cross Blue Shield sponsored event for several metro-Detroit organizations.
The Yak talked with some special fans who already know how important fitness is.
Dominique Riggins, 11, is a YMCA youth ambassador. Besides organizing a Girls Club at her school, the Y Detroit Innovation Academy, she works to bring lots of activity to all students. That means kickball,
basketball and gym time to inspire students in fitness. Dominique says they also talk about ways to stop bullying and to influence behavior. She herself likes to play basketball and baseball. This year, as a Y ambassador, she has been involved in helping at a school swim meet at the Boll Family Y downtown. She was excited to be heading out to the field on a day one of her favorite Tigers, Justin Verlander, was pitching.
We also caught up with Trinity Martin, 13, a Spain Elementary and Middle School
Photos by Marty WestmanPaws, the Tigers mascot, joins in the fitness frenzy with 200 kids on the outfield in Comerica Park.
KIDS MAKING NEWS
Dominique Riggins, 11, speaks up for fitness as a YMCA youth ambassador.
Let’s make some noise? The kids gathering to work out at Comerica Park are ready to cheer, but first they’re going to work out.
Everyone’s on Base for Fitness
Student, who won an essay contest about health and fitness. She shared some of her goals that she wrote about in her essay: goals of more walking and healthy eating.
Once everybody got on the field, there was no time for talking! Instead it was exercise with Paws, the Tigers mascot, and area trainers. Have you done the “inch worm”? That was just one of the routines, which included crunches, running in place, push-ups and those crazy bicycle legs. (Paws, the mascot, had a little trouble. He pointed to his tiger-tail – which meant he had trouble reclining all that way, just like the Yak!) After the workout, Azaria Allen, 11, along with friends Troy Hufnagel, 8; Marissa Nicholson, 16, and Niya Leakeyoung, 10, told us they thought the balancing was the most fun.
What was it like being on the field? “Cool,” they said.
“Awesome” said Nader Houmani, 9, of Dearborn and his brothers and cousins echoed that before they headed up to the stands to watch the game.
Yes, the Tigers did lose that game to the Orioles on Kids Opening Day. But the winners were the kids on the field – and good fitness.
By Cathy Collison
To get on track for exercises, check out www.letsmove.gov.
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Photos by Marty WestmanFrom left, Nader Houmani, 9; Ahmad Houmani, 12; Jalal Moglli, 10, and Bachir Houmani, 12, have donned Tiger gear to cheer. They are part of the HYPE fitness group from Dearborn.
Squats, stretches, bicycling, push-ups – all the exercises got big-screen attention on the scoreboard.
From left, essay winner Trinity Martin, 13, and her friend Dyanna Pompey,13, are pumped up for fitness an the game.
The sad statistic is that one in 3 children
ages 10 to 17 are considered obese or overweight. Andy Hetzel, vice president of corporate communications for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, said the second annual event was a way to stress “the fun” in fitness and inspire the kids – and adults – to better fitness. A partnership with the Detroit Tigers – and the inspiration at Comerica Park – is a big spotlight to reach all the fans about fitness, said Andy.
Andy Hetzel
MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM8 Thursday, April 17, 2014
This page for young Yakkers is brought to you this week by readers of The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press who donated their vacation newspapers.
