the

Ridgeway Reporter By students, for everyone

M A Y - J U N E 2 0 1 3

My Neighbors are Beekeepers

by Olivia Duvanich, 5th grade

My neighbors, Paul and Karen, aren’t your ordinary neighbors. They do lots of cool things, such as gardening and woodcarving. But what makes them really stand out is that they take care of the thousands of bees in their backyard! I had the opportunity to interview them on this topic, and I want to share what I learned with you. (continued on page 2)

International Interns Visit Ridgeway

Paul closing up his backyard beehive.

Visitors from Argentina, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland visited 5th graders recently to teach students about their countries and cultures. This visit was part of the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program and was a big hit with everyone. Here’s what some people had to say about the visit:

• "The presentations by the international interns were wonderful and so engaging for our kids. They've gotten our kids so excited!" Mrs. Amy Pedulla, 5th grade teacher

• "We can't wait to

have the interns back again. The kids love learning about other parts of the world." Mr. Michael Meyers, 5th grade teacher who helped coordinate the visit

(continued on page 3)

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

2

Each year, Paul and Karen buy three pounds of bees from Georgia. That’s over thirty thousand bees! The bees are most active from spring to early fall and are kept in a wooden, man-made hive that Paul has made in their backyard. Surrounding the hive is a gate to keep the raccoons away from the sugar water Paul and Karen feed to the queen bee. She never leaves the hive. In order to get the bees into the hive, Paul has to put on a special suit and use a special tool called a smoker. The smoker makes the bees sleepy so they’re easy to handle. Once the bees are in the hive, they are free to come and go.

Each year, the bees make about four pounds of honey. All the bees pitch in to help make this honey. The ordinary bee makes about a tablespoon of honey in its short life of two weeks. All the bees, that is, except for the queen. While the rest of the bees work, the queen bee makes about two thousand eggs a day.

Paul and Karen say that having the bees at their home is a hobby. Paul also adds that as a child, he would go see his uncle, who had bees just like Paul does now. He wanted to grow up to have bees just like his uncle did. Karen says that she likes observing the bees in the morning and Paul agrees.

As my interview came to an end, I asked Paul and Karen what their last words about the bees were. “The bees are my friends, I will say that!” answered Paul.

Left: A box of bees populating the frames. Below: Paul removing the queen from a box of new bees.

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

3

• "I was amazed how curious and interested the kids were about my country. They asked a ton of questions!" Fiona Greenwood, a graphic designer from Australia

• "The students were so much fun and I was surprised by how much they already knew about Korea and that our country is divided." Hyewon Kim from South Korea

(International Interns, continued from page 1)

• "The funniest question I got was whether I knew who Justin Bieber was! We also share many similarities with the United States." Javier Uanaino, a computer analyst from Argentina

International visitors to Ridgeway: from left, Fiona Greenwood, Australia; Javier Uanaino, Argentina; Jayoon Choi, South Korea; Hyewon Kim, South Korea; Michael Greter, Switzerland; Yohsuke Higashi, Japan.

Mrs. Fraioli’s class with their special ambassador from Japan, Yohsuke Higashi.

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

4

Opinion Page

Too much! Too much T.V.! I believe you should watch less T.V. One reason why you should watch less T.V. is because you can get bored easily. My second reason is that you could strain your eyes. My third reason is that T.V. does not let you get any exercise. So put down that remote and read on.

My first reason why you should watch less T.V. is that you get bored easily. For example, one time when I was watching a SpongeBob episode, SpongeBob was blowing bubbles. I was sitting there wondering when this was going to end already. I could have been reading a book or playing with Sabrina and Talia (my sisters). “I think T.V. is boring to watch every day,” said Sandra Koff (my mom). Isn’t this a good enough reason? If not, read on.

My second reason why you should watch less T.V. is that you could hurt your eyes. When you watch T.V. for a whole day and nothing else you could strain your eyes. The more you strain your eyes, the better chance you have to really damage your eyes. My family doesn’t watch too much T.V. and nobody wears glasses. I bet you are thinking that this is a pretty good reason. If not, read on.

My third reason you should watch less T.V. is that it does not let you get any exercise. Exercise is important for everyone. When you exercise, you are healthy and live a long life. You can’t just sit on the couch all day and watch T.V. What kind of life is that?

Do you like watching too much T.V.? If your answer is “yes” then you should read this again. My reasons are that you can get bored easily, it can strain your eyes, and you don’t get any exercise. Turn the T.V. off and enjoy your life!

Too Much T.V.! by Leanna Koff, 3rd

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

5

Pets by Katelynn Brennan, 4th grade

I have a two fish. Their names are Crowntail and Firework. Crowntail is dull blue and red, Firework is bright purple red. They are both Beta fish and are over a year old.

I also have a guinea pig named Speakles. My guinea pig is a girl and she is a year and a month old, she is a type of guinea pig called Abyssinian. Speakles lives in a big cage in our

living room by the wall on top of the coffee table. Speakles is in love with Alfalfa, her guinea pig food. She also likes fresh lettuce, carrots, apples and pears. Speakles also loves running around the living room carpet and she likes being cuddled. She dislikes being fed late, taking a shower, getting her nails cut and she doesn't like oranges. When she wants us, she squeaks very loud, REEEET!!! REEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!

If you have a pet, please do not forget to feed them and take care of them.

Macaw Colorful parrot, Likes to eat nuts, plants, and snails Dreams to have fun with other birds Wants to survive in the rain forest Wonders when eagles come Fears eagles Likes standing on branches Believes it’s easy to live in the rain forest Loves to fly Plans to survive in the rain forest Macaws are beautiful birds -Tyler Coble, 3rd grade

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

6

Art Pages

The Best Teachers by Sandra Garcia, Kindergarten

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

7

Art Pages The Rainforest

by Abigail Tsuji, 3rd grade

The Last Word

THE RIDGEWAY REPORTER MAY-JUNE 2013

Goodbye Ridgeway by Amanda Antenucci, 5th grade

The year is over, the time has come, to say goodbye to our Ridgeway fun. The memories that we made together, will be a part of us forever! We had our jokes, we had our cries, but now it's time to say goodbye. So, goodbye Ridgeway :( To all my friends: See you next year, I hope the fun never ends!