Volume 4, Issue 2

The Battle of Scarlet
By Samuel Palmer


Scarlet was getting ready for the battle, when he heard a noise.  He walked outside, went to the weapon box, and grabbed his weapons.  His weapons were a sword, a shield to protect himself, a bow and arrow, and a crossbow.  Some of those weapons were light and some were heavy.  His older brother had a sword, shield, and bow and arrow, but he did not have a crossbow.  His armor was more heavy.  Scarlet's sister, Charlotte, was inside eating.  They all ran outside to their battle spots, but this battle wasn't a regular battle.  It was a chess battle.  The field was squares.  Some were tan and some were brown.  The first piece to move was Scarlet.  Scarlet was in the back.  He was a knight.  The pawn moved away so Scarlet could move to the spot.  The next person to move was his brother.  He was a rook.  Then the king saw what was happening.  And this battle was a weird kind of battle.  The piece to move that could capture had to fight a little battle.  Scarlet was in that.  He walked backward a lot and shot his bow and arrow and his crossbow after each other.  He ran up.  The other guy swung his sword at Scarlet.  Scarlet blocked with his shield, and then he hit the sword to sword.  Then the arrow bruised the other guy so bad that he fainted.  In two minutes he would be dead.  The good guys won the battle.  The king and queen went away.



Einstein


By Minerva Bronte

Energy

International Figure

Nobel Prize

Scientist

Theory of Relativity

Elsa

Institute for Advanced Study

Named Person of the Century

Einstein's birthday is March 14th.  Pi Day!


Unicorns
By Alahna Petersen

Unicorns are mythological creatures that are most often thought of as beautiful, white horses with a horn in the middle of their foreheads. They are included in a lot of fairy tales because they are very magical and pure. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans had stories of unicorns.

They have one horn commonly, but the Chinese fairy tales say they have up to five horns. Their horns can be any color but usually they are white as a symbol of purity. In some fairy tales the unicorns have different gems at the bases of their horns. Also, some tales say they shed their horns and grow new ones in their place.  Some even say the horn remains after the unicorn dies with all of its powers intact. In battle, a unicorn’s horn is like a sword.

Unicorns are said to be attracted to virgin maidens. Some myths say hunters would bait unicorns by placing a maiden in a grove and hiding in the trees to wait for a unicorn to come by, then they would slay them. The hunters would do this for the magical properties of their horns. Unicorns are children of the moon, as are gnomes. Unicorns tend to live in groves, meadows, or forests because they are shy. In Harry Potter Hagrid says that slaying a unicorn is a horrible crime because they are so pure.

Unicorn powers usually consist of healing, making their horns glow, and by simply touching something with it’s horn it makes it pure. In some fairy tales they can change their shape. Also, sometimes they can make bread and water with only a stone and an empty bowl. In Harry Potter their mane and tail are used in wand making and their blood makes you immortal but with a cursed life.    

Unicorns are innocent creatures that have been blessed with awesome powers.  Their horned forehead is what they are most remembered for. They are creatures of legend.     

If you have any questions about unicorns you can contact Alahna Petersen.         

Musings

A Weekly Column by Damarco Montoya

Headaches

I’m trying to think of some fun and catchy way to introduce the title “Headaches” and well . . . is there any?  The reality is headaches are neither “fun” nor “catchy”.  Isn’t it funny how they attack at the worst times?  There you are, having a justifiably terrible day, nothing seems to go the way you wantand BAM- you get a headache (shocker!).  Is the pain a reminder that life could be worse?  Like a reminder to stay positive in spite of the bad day?  Maybe the pain in the head started because of some scientific, biological mumbo jumbo having to do with neurons and the hypothalamus glands and some other stuff I can’t pronounce and know nothing about.  One thing is for sure: headaches are NO FUN!

I wonder if anyone enjoys headaches . . . “Um, could you please hit me upside the head and then tap dance on my face and pull out my hair out while stretching my nostrils please?”  I can’t fathom someone enjoying the on sought or beginnings of debilitating pains in the head.  I guess many people don’t have headaches of that caliber (aren’t they lucky).  Maybe those people have headaches that more closely resemble a “brain freeze” or something.  Although a good brain freeze is annoying, I’d hardly consider it to be a headache since it goes away on its own without much delay.  

So, I need a FUN way to introduce a headache . . . “Gather around boys and girls, ladies and gents.  I want to introduce you to the one, the only, the amazingly terrible, the headache!  Here’s where the crowd (you, the captive audience) cheers with applause.  That’s right folks, it’s the leader of all mood killers, the number one (I’m making this up now) in family event stoppers, and the leading cause for medication or going to bed early.  Here it is folks (drum roll please) Thhhhhhhe HEADACHE!

Maybe this type of pain is the type of thing we’ll all be able to laugh about later.  Any of you remember a headache as being funny?  “That was hilarious, the time my head was pounding louder than the lights and the simple rat a tat tats sounded like war drums amplified.  What a fun time that was . . .” I sort of think they’re just awful nuisances and not anything worth laughing about.

Hmm, something awful got me thinking.  I wonder if that something awful is actually something.  Maybe these nasty headaches are little baby aliens, and the pains come from the times our brains are being tested, poked, and prodded so the aliens will have something to bring back to their home planet with useful information about how we function.  The alien thing is a stretch, so maybe the headache is simply an out of balance body chemistry, or maybe my hats are all too small.

Headaches are NOT fun no matter how you look at it.  At least I can’t find any way to make fun of a headache, so if you have any good ideas let me know.  Since they aren’t fun, maybe they’re catchy.  Do you think they can be contagious?  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could pass your headache on to someone else?  “Hey, my head is killing me and I have lots to do.  Do you mind taking it from me for a few minutes so I can finish things up headache free?”  That’s a nice idea but I wouldn’t like to do that to anyone I know.  Maybe I could throw it on people when they least expect it.  Could that be my superpower?  When I have a really bad headache I’ll need to go to high crime areas so I can throw some pain at the bad guys to try and slow them down.  “Take that evildoer!”  I’ll look into it!

Leaf Challenge

Congratulations to Alahna Petersen for answering last issue’s Leaf Challenge.  This week’s challenge is a cryptogram.  Each letter in the alphabet is represented by a number in the puzzle below, L,O, and T have been given to you.  Can you crack the code and uncover the Shakespeare quote?  The first person to email the quote, and the play in which it appears, as well as the character to which it belongs to the editor will receive honor and glory!

Ravenclaw Challenge

Congratulations to Morphina de Delphi who answered last week's challenge.  The answer was a gravedigger because the houses he builds last forever.  (See Hamlet Act V, Scene I)

Answer one or answer two,
The choice is really up to you.
To win the prize you must tell me,
And you must be first you see.

Professor Bronte

1.  Brain Teaser
What word should appear in the brackets?

FOOD [ROAD] HARD
WEEP [????] FALL


2.  What is the word, phrase, or saying depicted below?

MOMANON


Dead Fleas 
By Bradley Palmer


Two dogs were walking down the street. Sparky and Bill, who live in New york City in a basement apartment above the sewers, usually walk happily and freely together. Oddly one day, sparky came home from a sensational party in the back alley and was covered in spots.  He was extremely happy because he was a Dalmatian with no spots.  Bill was very confused.  Sparky shouldn’t have spots.  Maybe he got them from an activity such as hunting , which he enjoyed, or jogging.


Bill let out a mighty roar.  He was asking Sparky how he had received these spots because he was highly and extremely confused. Sparky explained to Bill, who was his intelligent friend, that he had no idea how the spots had come to be on his body. Beginning to see the spots move, Bill gasped and saw that they were fleas. Because of Bill’s reaction, Sparky flipped his lid and started screaming at Bill to get them off. Bill had an idea. He barked with extreme power to frighten the fleas away.

The fleas fled from Sparky. Sparky got delusional for a minute. He thought that the fleas were really spots and that Bill had gotten rid of them, because he is stupid. So, the two fought for a little while, which is what you do when you are sincerely and utterly angry with someone. Eventually they made up, because Bill explained what had happened. And then, the two cleaned up all the dead fleas around them.

A QA QT

By Professor Hunt

With Hufflepuff’s recent house cup victory, I wanted to take some time to get to know one of the Hufflepuff family. At 10 years old, Alahna Petersen is the second oldest in her school house. She is also the second oldest child in her family. The sorting robe knew what it was doing when it sent her to Hufflepuff house, because she is everything a good Hufflepuff should be; kind, loyal, just, and patient.  

Her favorite color is green and her favorite animal happens to be green too, the sea turtle. She loves to eat chicken pot pie, read fairy tales, and still loves being tucked in at night. Her plans for the future include BYU, traveling the world, and living at Crater Lake in Oregon.

Her favorite year at QA so far is our current year, Tales of the Bards, “because I love Shakespeare!” she says.  There isn’t anything she would change about Quercus Alba and says her favorite thing about school, other than Shakespeare, is preparing to be an O.W.L.. When asked how it felt to win the house cup she exclaimed, “Awesome!”.

This is one Quercus Alba student that is going far! I look forward to seeing what the future brings to this hard-working, loyal, smart, and ambitious Hufflepuff.

The Leaf wishes to congratulate Samuel Palmer for his early submission, house points have been awarded to Gryffindor!

Volume 4, Issue 1

Snow

By Anna Petersen

I love snow

Its fun to blow

In to the trees

Without any leaves

Snow swirls in a flurry

In my coat nice and furry

Making angels in a hurry

Nice and warm

by the fire

Blizzard blows

I'm not a liar.

Playing the Alphabet Game

By Emma Palmer

Playing the alphabet game is fun and very

Hard. When you are on the road you

Can see billboards and words on trucks

And lissns plates how the game works,

You start with A, find a word on a sign

That starts with the letter A. And you go

Down the alphabet. When you get to z,x,v,and

Q you might have some trouble.

Musings

A Weekly Column By Damarco Montoya

Chilled to the Bone

It started with a sneeze.  Jay’s mother’s words floated wildly through his mind, “make sure to wear your scarf and gloves or the cold will creep right in and turn your bones into ice.”  Of course he had no intention of getting so cold, after all what good are bones if they turn to ice?  He wanted simply to build the biggest snow fort the world has ever known; a fort so grand that it will be known for miles as the ultimate defense against any and all potential neighborhood attackers.  The problem is that building a snow fort with a bulky scarf and big fat mittens slowed him down so much it seemed like he wouldn’t get his masterpiece completed until he turned 22! 

In reality, the gloves and scarf weren’t as inconvenient as Jay might have thought, but in the eyes of a determined young boy it was the same as riding a tricycle to school instead of a regular bike.  The tricycle sure would’ve looked silly to all his friends!  He found himself removing the gloves and scarf often while putting his skilled little hands to work.  The snow was really cold but after a minute or two in his hand warmer (his pants pockets), he was ready to go again.  He didn’t miss his scarf at all.  Sure, his nose was running and was probably really cold but his masterpiece was sure to be done before he needed to go back inside and tell his mom just how he kept nice and warm.

The fort was turning out great!  Four big snowballs made up the base and nearly came up to his stomach in height. Six smaller snowballs made up the second and top layer.  All the cracks and in between parts were filled in with snow and packed down accordingly.  Jay was pretty pleased with his creation as it was coming along.  He was about 80% finished when a snowball crashed into the exterior of the wall with a thud.  The first neighborhood attacker was on sight yet not easy to see.  There was a car across the street that seemed to have a human-shaped hood ornament.  Jay stopped finishing his masterpiece and instead crouched low under cover and focused intensely on the human-shaped hood ornament for some sign of actual life.

Since his work had been halted the cold began setting in and at this point he had wished for his gloves.  They were tossed aside about 10 feet away at the base of the tree that was holding his scarf.  The tree was out of sight of the kitchen window and therefore a safe place of storage for the items he was mandated to wear.  If he left his protective position for his gloves and scarf he would certainly get pommeled with an aggressive attack and so he waited.

The human-shaped hood ornament moved from behind the car towards the corner of the garage a little closer to Jay’s position.  Jay took the opportunity to run to his mittens.  He scrambled to his feet and quickly crawled to his mittens.  He could see they were just where he had left them but his movements were sluggish as he frantically moved in their direction.  He reached the tree and bent down.  They felt stiff.  His breathing was labored, and his breath seemed to exhale icicles instead of the cool vapor that was traditionally exhaled from a warm body into cold air.  He turned towards the fort and started back while trying to put them on his hands.

It was too late!  Snowball after snowball began hitting him all over his body.  Jay was frozen against the attack.  He was just a couple feet from the cover of his masterpiece and was forced to watch the little snow fragments bouncing off his body as he was pelted over and over until his attacker lost interest and moved on.  His bones had turned to ice just before he was able to get his mittens back onto his frozen hands.  They dangled from his frozen fingers as useless to him as the scarf that dangled from the tree limb a few feet behind him.  He should’ve listened to his mom; at least then he would’ve been protected where it really mattered. 

Leaf Challenge

No one answered last issue’s challenge, so we’ll run it just one more time.  Honor and glory will go to the first person that can email the completed puzzle to the editor.

Across

2. Where the pilgrims landed

5. Nailed 95 theses to a church door

7. Declaration of ________________

9. Circumnavigated the Earth

10. Treaty of ______________

13. _________ Awakening

14. Home of famous witch trials

19. Colony in Virginia

21. Where Raleigh settled

22. Commander of the Continental Army

23. A famous John

Down

1. An explorer of the Northeast

3. Number of original colonies

4. Council of _____________

6. ___________ and Indian War

8. Someone who traded with England

11. ___________ of Supremacy

12. A Spanish explorer

15. Where a decisive battle was fought

16. Massachusetts ________ Colony

17. What the first Continental Congress sought with Britain

18. The way the British Parliament acted toward the Colonies

20. Pilgrim ship

Ravenclaw Challenge

If you find this riddle hard

Don't despair, consult The Bard.

-Minerva Bronte

What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?

A New Year at QA

By Jane Smith

In our last issue I recommended taking time to reflect on your experience at magic school so far.  I also recommended contemplation on how you can get more out of your time at QA.

I hope you have taken that opportunity.  If not, it’s still not too late!  As you go forward with purpose pursuing your own education with vigor you will find yourself more rapidly becoming the person you want to BE.

The Leaf is interested in your analyses and your plans.  What are your New School Year Resolutions?

Don’t forget to consult your professors, they will have some valuable wisdom to share with you and some great ideas on how you can achieve your goals.  

Try to arrange your thoughts in a clear way, using a thesis statement to name your main objective.  After you have written your resolution, walk away from it for a day or so and then go back to it with a fresh perspective and make any changes that might be necessary.

When it is finally ready, put a copy of your plan somewhere you’ll see it often.  You can write weekly or even daily in your Hodge Podge book about how you are achieving your goals.

Be sure to send your plans into the Leaf, along with your story about how you developed them or your thoughts on your time at QA thus far. 

This reporter can’t wait to hear from you!

The Leaf wishes to congratulate Anna Petersen for her early submission, house points have been awarded to Ravenclaw!

Volume 3, Issue 5

The Belle Harris Case

By Alahna Petersen copied from History of Belle Harris

Just Compare the Two Cases

The case of Belle Harris is one of considerable interest and importance. It will attract general attention. It should be considered side by side with the case of Carrington, the Farmingtown bigamist, the particulars of which appear in another part of this paper. On one side is a lady with a nursing infant, having another child from whom she was forcibly separated, torn from her home in Monroe, Sevier County, brought from Beaver to this city, and after a fatigued journey yesterday and all night, put in a lumber wagon and hauled to the penitentiary. What for? Because she declined to answer questions from the Grand Jury of the Second Judicial District as to whether she was a married woman and who was her husband.............

Belle Harris is evidently a lady possessed of considerable strength of character. Residing in rural district and unaccustomed to the ways of courts and legal methods, She has shown that when necessary she can grasp a principle and stand by it. The question put to her by the Grand Jury was threefold. ‘Are you a married woman and if so, to whom were you married and when?’ was the triple query propounded. She replied that this was a privilege question, and she stood upon her privilege and declined to answer. It is for this refusal that she she stands committed. Observe the information sought to be elicited was not in relation to her knowledge of an alleged crime. It was reference to herself. With a babe in her arms the question itself was an implied insult. We are in favor of sustaining the law and its officers, but we must admire the courage of belle harris in declining to reply to questions in relation to herself, which we think no court has the right to compel her to answer.

She is now in the penitentiary. But there is no taint of crime clinging to her garments. She is defending a principle. The rights and privileges of witnesses are as precious and sacred to us as the rights of courts. Belle Harris is suffering in their defense........

One Law For Mormons Another For Gentiles

Carrington was discharged although they had proof and he had admitted being married to two woman, claiming a divorce,  which was not legal. But the prosecutors did not seem to want to use the evidence against him.

Contrast this case with that of Belle Harris, and say much justice there is in either. This man Carrington committed bigamy, of which there can be no legal doubt. When accused, his arrest was not wanted; when that became necessary he was allowed to slip out of the Territory; and if he had had sense enough to keep himself out of the way, he would never have been captured. And now after proof enough to condemn any defendant in the eyes of the law and of the public,he is discharged by a very friendly and accommodating official. On the other hand, Belle Harris, for simply declining to answer questions concerning her own private affairs put to her by an attorney who had no right to be present as an inquisitor, in confined in the penitentiary, bail offered to any amount pending an appeal being pre-emptorily refused. Why this discrimination? Simply this; Dr. Carrington is a Gentile of the Gentiles. Belle Harris is a Mormon. The discharged bigamist is known to have violated the law; the imprisoned witness is supposed to be a plural wife.

Musings

A Weekly Column by Damarco Montoya

David the Great

Some might wonder how a meager little mouse could ever become “great”.  Meager mice typically waste away into cat or ant food during periods of civil conflict and food scarcity, as such was the case in the once great community of Willow Hollow.  Finding food used to be a family affair; a skill passed down from father to son in order to maintain family health and strength.  Just as soon as a mouse tyrant put on his cloak of truth and mask of kindness and started dictating how families should live in the name of “justice” in relation to a centralized governing body, David knew he needed to gather his courage and friends and stand for what he believed in.

David represented the rest of his family well with light brown somewhat disheveled fur and sincerity in his eyes.  He was thinner than much of his family yet still full of life.  The community knew them and embraced them as the honest and hard-working members of society they proved themselves to be.  His father and mother gave birth to 15 brothers and sisters, a regular amount for the average mouse family of Willow Hollow.  He was of the youngest in his family and therefore had yet to find a mate with whom he could share the joys of family living with.  He greatly admired his parents and looked forward to having the kind of life they had; one that’s tough at times yet full of joy.

The problems originated with a dictator of a mouse who preached to the masses about utopian living.  He stood before groups with his piercing red eyes and well-groomed white fur and told everyone they should give what they have to one governing body so everyone would have an equal amount.  No longer would there be rich or poor; everyone would be equal in everything.  He went on and on with that sort of speech and convinced many he should lead the governing body and take control of everyone’s earnings.  His cunning tongue and different appearance conned them into giving him power over their way of life. 

David’s family started suffering as food was harder to find.  The masses hunted more frequently in order to have close to as much as they used to have before they had to give their spoils to this dictator.  They struggled for a decent meal and therefore began losing weight and energy.  Having the strength of youth, David decided to take a stand.  He just didn’t know what to do or where to start.  The movement that called themselves the “government” grew quickly to a well-organized over-powering force.  The masses made up the majority of everyone in Willow Hollow.  To find “friends” might have proven to be difficult for such a meager mouse but David was determined.

How does he do it?  How did he go from being a meager mouse to being a “great” mouse?  No matter which one of the hundreds that made up the governing body, or one of the relatively few (maybe as much as 100) who made up the newly formed movement of those behind David’s very own Righteous, everyone knew the answer to such a question.  He first recognized there were others who felt as he did; frustrated that his neighbors and friends had to work twice as hard for even less, and had to succumb to ridiculous regulation.  He then began in very small ways to undermine their progress.  He took his newly found friends and acted in protest in very simple ways to get around the unrighteous governmental regulations.  He held secret meetings (secret meetings were necessary since such actions invited enemies from many directions) to discuss openly with those of the masses in order to open their eyes to what was happening and how things should be different.

Like trying to run up a mudslide on a rainy day, much effort is required to gain even the smallest of advantage toward reaching the top.  If any progress was halted then advantage was greatly lost as the movement would slide down with the mud.  This meager mouse defied odds.  His lot of Righteous stood strong with conviction as they thwarted as many efforts of the governor as was feasible and some still that seemed impossible.  The Righteous remain growing in strength since they have a strong leader, a “great” leader who reproves himself every day.  This governor with his greedy red eyes loses a little power as his devotee’s eye’s become opened.  The idea he would ever fear a meager mouse was once laughable.  He does, and that’s what makes David “great”.

The Leaf Challenge

Honor and glory will go to the first person who can email the completed puzzle to the editor.

Across
2. Where the pilgrims landed
5. Nailed 95 theses to a church door
7. Declaration of ________________
9. Circumnavigated the Earth
10. Treaty of ______________
13. _________ Awakening
14. Home of famous witch trials
19. Colony in Virginia
21. Where Raleigh settled
22. Commander of the Continental Army
23. A famous John
Down
1. An explorer of the Northeast
3. Number of original colonies
4. Council of _____________
6. ___________ and Indian War
8. Someone who traded with England
11. ___________ of Supremacy
12. A Spanish explorer
15. Where a decisive battle was fought
16. Massachusetts ________ Colony
17. What the first Continental Congress sought with Britain
18. The way the British Parliament acted toward the Colonies
20. Pilgrim ship

Congratulations to Alahna Petersen of Hufflepuff House, Robert Petersen of Gryffindor House and Professor Hunt of Gryffindor House for answering this week Ravenclaw Challenge!

-Minerva Bronte

The End of the Fountain of Fair Fortune

By Emma Palmer

We've worked on family history.  We had the read-a-thon.  We read Little Britches.  We've done Latin, our clubs, and we have written our last Leaf submission for a while.  All that's left is closing day and the House Cup.  Hufflepuff is in the lead.  Ravenclaw is in second and Gryffindor is very close to Ravenclaw.  The House cup of course will be full of good stuff and whoever wins it will feel very rewarded for their hard work.  Good luck students of Quercus Alba!

Fountain of Fair Fortune Closes

By Jane Smith

As you approach the end of your third year at Quercus Alba, take some time to reflect on your experience so far.

How have you changed and grown since you received your QA Letter?

What have you learned in charms? Or muggle studies? 

What have you accomplished?  Where have you chosen to spend your time and effort? 

Now think about what you would like to get out of your time at magic school.  Consider your goals and make new ones if necessary.  Make plans to achieve them.  How can you better focus your efforts?  What skills need more refinement?  How can you better take responsibility for your own education?

Most importantly, how can you grow into the person you want to be?

Let’s all come back refreshed and enthusiastic for another year at Quercus Alba!

Volume 3, Issue 4

Fresh Beat Band Concert

By Natalie Morphis

Went to the Fresh Beat Band on Wednesday.  And they were really them and they weren’t wearing wigs.  And they sang, “We Got to Go Bananas” and everyone got bananas and they got some beach balls and threw them off the stage.  I had a really fun time!  Junior did it for us.  There was little papers falling down.  And it was so so so fun!  We saw Kiki, Shout, Marina and Twist.

Plague At Sea Continued 

By Emma Palmer

When they got home there mom hugged them and said “ Did you get the water?” “ Yes mother we did and um when we got there Lisa and I saw a dog and it belonged to the man and it touched Lisa on the leg and now she has the plague.” “NINA GO TO THE MAN AND FIND OUT HOW HE HAS SURVIVED.” So Nina and Lisa walked down to the water and to the man’s little hut.  The hut was under the pier covered with moss. there was a mat at the front door that said “wipe your feet and you won’t get the plague.”  On the right  side of the hut there was a little boat and ore. Nina was scared but she wanted to know how to live with the plague so Lisa would live. She was Nina’s favorite sister and loved her so they walked up to the front door and  knocked on the door. To be continued . . .

Scarlet's Revenge By Samuel Palmer

Scarlet went down the red path.  There were foot prints that looked liked gun prints.  So he followed the gun prints.  And then he walked to the next platform and walls fell on both sides.  Then there was a big robot monster that had many guns.  Scarlet finally learned how to pull out his sword.  He pushed it down then pulled it out.  He fought the monster and after many cuts the monster blew up.  The End

Is it Just My Nature?

By Professor Hunt

Throughout the centuries, even as far back as ancient Greece with Hypocrites, people have attempted to explain personalities and behaviors, from cheesy facebook tests that classify you with a crayon color to the more professional Myers-Briggs personality indicator.  Energy therapist, Carol Tuttle, has taken it one step further. She claims that your energy type goes deeper than just your personality. It’s in the way you move, the way you think, the curves of your body, your facial features, and even a part of your DNA. She has created a program she calls energy profiling to help you discover your true nature and help you honor the person that you were designed to be. In her book, It’s Just My Nature, she says, “...quite often we judge the very gift nature has endowed us with to be a weakness.” She goes on to express that once we learn our true nature, embrace it and live it, we will discover that they are not weaknesses at all but our greatest strengths. Here is a quick glimpse of what it’s all about.

Carol Tuttle’s program uses the four elements that create all of nature: nitrogen/air, oxygen/water, hydrogen/fire, and carbon/earth.  She says, “Energy profiling looks deeper than personality and behavior. With energy profiling, we can assess how the vibration and movement of each of the elements is expressing through all of nature and each of us.” According to Tuttle, when you are not thinking about it your dominant energy expresses itself most readily, for example, the way you doodle, the way you walk and talk, and even your smile.

Type 1 is nitrogen/air. Words to describe this type are upward, light, random, disconnected, buoyant, free, crisp, upbeat. These people are the movers of the world. They tend to have high energy levels, are outgoing, and always smiling. They are full of ideas, but aren’t always good at following through on their ideas. They are fast thinkers and exciting! They are like the geyser Old Faithful.

Type 2 is oxygen/water. Words to describe people that lead with type 2 energy are  flowing, thoughtful, connected, comfortable, calming, sensitive. Type 2’s have an introverted expression. They think about the details and like to have a plan. They are quieter and sensitive to others. They take type 1’s ideas and ask, “what do we need to do to make it work.” Type 2’s in nature, the gently flowing Mississippi River.

Type 3 is hydrogen/fire. They are active, reactive, swift, asymmetrical, intense, fiery, substantial. They are always moving swiftly to accomplish their goals. They have a medium to medium high level of movement and like to get down to business. They are like Niagara Fallsl They take the ideas from the 1’s, the details from the 2’s and say, “Let’s get it done!”

Type 4 is carbon/earth. Constant, still, perfecting, straight lines, black and white, reflective, concise are all things that can describe a type 4. Keeping things structured and staying on track are important for type 4’s. They like to be in charge and feel they have the authority to do so. They are the noble fir trees. Type 4’s complete the cycle by perfecting the actions.

Carol Tuttle reminds us that it is important to remember that everyone has all four types as part of who they are, but we all lead with one dominant type. Will understanding who we are and who those around are help us to lead happier and more fulfilled lives? Well, that’s what Carol Tuttle believes and as for this professor, I like what I have seen so far! If you are interested and want to find out more you can go to myenergyprofile.com or thecarolblog.com.

Ravenclaw Challenge

Congratulations to Morphina De Delphi of Hufflepuff House and Robert Petersen of Gryffindor House for answering the Ravenclaw Challenge.  The answer to Riddle One was watermelon.  The answer to Riddle Two was footsteps.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Minerva Bronte (Bonus: open to everyone) I am, in truth, a yellow fork From tables in the sky By inadvertent fingers dropped The awful cutlery. Of mansions never quite disclosed And never quite concealed The apparatus of the dark To ignorance revealed. - Emily Dickinson

Riddle One (eight and over)

My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick Fat, I am slow Wind is my foe.

Riddle Two (under eight)

What grows when you feed it, yet dies when you water it?

Musings

A Weekly Column by Damarco Montoya

Chocolate Animal

I’ve been called a Chocolate Animal before and I wondered what that meant.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE chocolate, and I suppose when I’m eating chocolate I could probably eat so much in one sitting it’s as though I’m living off of chocolate rather than using it as an occasional dessert or treat.  Is that what a Chocolate Animal does?  Do they eat nothing but chocolate and get it all over their face and hands when eating it (not that I do that of course.  I’m sure I’m a perfectly proper eater when it comes to chocolate, don’t look at me!)?  Wait, do such animals even exist?

If they exist they are probably the size of a small cat.  I bet they have mouse-like round ears, and the nose and whiskers of a rabbit, the teeth of a- wait a Chocolate Animal wouldn’t need teeth, just strong lips and gums since everyone knows chocolate is best when eaten very slowly, or even sucked on until it disappears.  So this creature is a bit smaller than a cat, with mouse ears, and also the tail of a possum so it can hang upside down, the claws of a sloth so it can hold on really well in any position to just about any material for long enough to enjoy the biggest blocks of chocolate.  Of course these animals have to be dark chocolate brown in color and have almost no fur (don’t want to eat animal fur when enjoying delicious chocolate), and they smell like rich cacao or baking chocolate when they get wet.  I think even their flatulent (a polite maybe scientific term for fart) would smell like chocolate since their diet consists entirely of chocolate.

Now that we know what these animals look and smell like, we can conclude that I’m not a Chocolate Animal.  Maybe I have some similarities with these types of animals, such as our love for chocolate, but that’s about it.  My ears, though bigger than average are not round like a mouse, and my mouth is nothing at all like that of a rabbit.  I can be pretty good at climbing trees, and one thing’s for sure, I can certainly hold on to my chocolate (yours too if you let it out of your sight, or any chocolate at all that can be grasped).  Is that enough?  Do I qualify?

I wonder about that illusive animal of chocolates, that Chocolate Animal.  I wonder if they live in this area, in this climate even.  Perhaps they live closer to the equator since they have very little hair and still require warmth.  I believe cacao plants mostly come from nearer the equator as well, and everyone knows where there is cacao there is chocolate (You knew that didn’t you?).  I’m guessing these amazing creatures come from Costa Rica and maybe Peru (both are countries in South America). 

Maybe these little guys are able to turn the cacao bean into a form of chocolate by some special sloshing process in their mouth.  I bet they have two cheeks, and one of them has hundreds of small “masher” teeth (my own word for flattened teeth, the kind you have in the back of your mouth.  Please don’t report me to the dentistry association).  The “masher” teeth will grind the beans into a smooth texture, which will move into the next compartment in the animal’s mouth until it has completed its delicious chocolate process.

I guess with these guys around I would be sure to protect my chocolate, to keep it in a safe place.  Actually, the Chocolate Animals aren’t around here since we know they mostly live near the equator and near cacao plants.  The only thing you need to worry about now is me.  Since I’m the closest thing to a real life Chocolate Animal, I would keep my chocolate as far from me as possible lest you find me hanging upside down in some tree with melting chocolate dripping from my hands and face. 

Leaf Challenge

How many words associated with our beloved school can you find in the puzzle below?  Honor and glory will go to the first person who can email the completed puzzle to the editor.

F Z Z D R N V Q O L D K W R H

C A U A O O T E L H Z P A F Z

H D E B D E D E R V U G L T J

A C L L G E W N I I Q M C N K

R E I D E I L V I U T D N A P

M Q I G L H I A E F N Y E I E

S R S L A E T R I A F J V L R

B G A P N M C L W D M Y A A C

E H G N Z U L G S I E J R V I

B X E Y S W H I T E O A K G V

O L E A E C I R P K W X H S A

R E L H F F U P E L F F U H L

L B Q O D H I D N W P K S R E

A Z F Q G E U Q H H C A E K I

I H P L E D E D O R E I L L Y

ADELAIDE

BRIDGET

CHARMS

DEDELPHI

GRYFFINDOR

HALLIWELL

HUFFLEPUFF

MAGIC

NOBLE

OREILLY

PERCIVAL

PRICE

QUERCUSALBA

RAVENCLAW

ROBE

THELEAF

VALIANT

VERITY

VIVIENNE

WAND

WHITEOAK

Elephant Toothpaste

By Robert Petersen

We made elephant toothpaste. We put hydrogen peroxide in a Gatorade bottle. Then we put soap inside. We put in yeast and water. I thought we would have to put more stuff in the potion but I was wrong.  The elephant toothpaste got bigger and made a waterfall out of toothpaste. It was fun!

Eve of Destiny Mission 1 Episode 3: Inferno and Puzzles

By Bradley Palmer

I knew the landing was gonna hurt but at this point I didn’t care. I was more concerned with keeping my life. I found a vine I could swing on but when I reached out to grab it I missed. I ended up l landing in a giant stack of straw. The landing wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but it still hurt pretty bad. I got up, gathered my strength and started my decent.

The first thing I noticed was a stingray in pool. It wasn’t much. The next thing was a sunflower a little bigger than me. But it had a glass center. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense.

I looked around for a while and saw a huge rolled up leaf. So I thought about this till my brain hurt. Then it hit me. Sun makes plants grow. So I ran over to the sunflower. I grabbed two of its petals and used it like a Magnifying glass burning ants. I aimed it at the leaf and it rolled open. I ran across it.

Next I saw the first signs of human life there was human life. There was a tribal village in the distance. There was no way to get there that I saw. And then one of them saw me and called the warrior. “Quick men, to arms!” he shouted. I was so afraid, I ran not knowing where I was going. I eventually out ran them but got lost.

At this point I was just looking for a path in general. When I finally found one and saw that spiraled down into the tree, I followed it. It got hotter and hotter the farther down I got. I started sweating like a pig. Eventually I got to a nice cool cave at the very bottom with nothing  there. Inside was a note. It said:

Sorry I couldn’t meet you in person but I have business in Gerat.

Atrax.

Well you bet that I was really mad. My first mission was a failure. So I had to find a way out now. I saw a elevator hidden by some vines. Soon as got about ten feet from the door I was surrounded by tribal members. They said I was to be murdered for disturbing they’re home and not explain my purpose. Seems harsh right? So I pulled out my gunblade and got ready for battle.

I was pretty good and there was only four of them. I sliced one shot another. Then on the last two a swung at one and got him but then hit a coconut tree. after shot the last guy a coconut fell and hit my head from the force of the blow to the tree. I passed out for a bout for a bout an hour. Then I woke up in a moving elevator. I’d left Mansul and was moving on.

End of Mission 1

The Leaf wishes to congratulate Bradley Palmer, Emma Palmer and Robert Petersen for early submissions, house points have been awarded to Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor!