Milford chronicle., 1958-11-21
Lulu WI. Ross Elementary
School News
GRADE 6
RUFUS BAUSELL'S SECTION /
Lue ELEcTs oFFlcERs


CLUB ELECTS OFFICERS
Our class club elected the follow
ing officers: President, Charles
Steiner; vice president, Jeannie
Eypel: secretary, Vivian KINNEY !;
treasurer, Frank Mood.
The main purposes cf our club
are to learn more about parlia-
mentary procedure, and to i'm
prove our spoken and written lam
guage. We give reports in our pro-
grams about our hobbies, science,
countries, and islands. The fol-
lowing are some reports given by
pupils in our class:
ALASKA
Alaska was discovered by Cap
tain Vitrus Bering. Bering explor-
ed for Russia SO that country
claimed it.
Russia needed money, very bad
ly and wanted the United States to
buy Alaska. William Seward, Sec
retary of State, persuaded the Uni
ted States to buy it: they paid
81, 100000 for it.
Alaska furnishes fur, fish, gold,
oil, and many other things for our
country.
Alaska became a state in July.
1858.
For many years the Virgin Is
lands were owned by the European
country of Denmark. In 1917 the
United States bought the Virginia
Islands. There are many small is
lands in this group. The largest
and most important islands are ST.
Thomas, st. Croix, and st. John.
Our country has built a naval
base on these islands. 1t was built
to help protect the Panama Canal.
On the Island of st. Thomas they
have built a fine harbor where
supplies of coal and oil are stored.
and ships stop to get fuel.
PUERTO RICO
For a long time Puerto Rico was
owned by the Spanish. In 1898
we had a war with Spain and
Puerto Rico became an American
territory.
This island is about one hundred
miles long, and forty miles wide,
1t lies southeast of Florida in the
Caribbean Sea. 1t is very hilly in
the central and southern parts of
this island.
The people of this island grow
much sugar cane, and they are
very famous for it. Most of the
raw sugar is shipped to the Uni
ted States to be refined.
Puerto Rico now has its own
governor and representatives to
help make their laws.
CUSTOMS OF HAWAII
Almost all the people in Hawaii
speak English and follow Ameri-
can customs. For fun they play
football on sand lots. They kick
the football with their bare feet.
They also go water skiing and surf
board riding.
These people enjoy singing and
dancing. The best liked dance is
the ssnula''. They do the hula" and
other dances, by moving their arms
and hands and wiggling their hips
Each movement means something.
The Hawaiians sing sad songs with
soft melodies.
The people of Hawaii enjoy big
feasts called luaus. They eat a
whole roast pig cooked by hot
rocks in a pit. Other dishes that
they like are poi, made out of the
taro root, fish, sweet potatoes and
other foods wrapped in leaves and
cooked with red hot rocks in pit.
PANAMA CANAL
The Panama Canal is q water
way through Panama. It was start
ed by the French in 1878, but fall
ed because of three enemies: the
Panama jungle, the tropical heat,
and the mosquitoes that caused
yellow fever.
Later the United States wanted
to finish the Panama Canal for two
reasons: one was shorter route
between the two oceans for trad
ing, and, in time of war, to move
warships quickly.
Colonel William G. Gorgas
helped clear out swamps and kill
mosquitoes. Colonel George w.
Geothals was in charge of building
the Canal. 1t was finished in 1914.
SCIENCE
Below is some information we
have found in the study of Science: ::
SOUNDS