UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (06/08/03)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Jousting in the 21st century: only at Medieval Times!

by Justin Stasiuk

LYNDHURST, N.J. - On Friday, May 23, the sixth grade from St. John's School in Newark, N.J., visited the Middle Ages.

Impossible you say? Not if you are lucky enough to visit Medieval Times, a great big castle built in the New Jersey Meadowlands, where you can take a trip back in time.

The entire sixth grade class waited patiently for months before our trip going 800 years back in time; and the consensus was that it was well worth the wait.

Inside the walls of the Medieval Times castle we saw knights in shining armor and on horseback, dungeons, sword fights, banquets, medieval games and screaming fans. The tournament arena is where the knights joust and fight with swords, and it is the center of attraction.

Jousting is a medieval sport where knights, separated by a fence, gallop on horses toward each other with long wooden sticks called lances. The object of this sport is to strike your opponent with the lance and knock him off the horse. I've seen jousting in the movies, but in real life it is just awesome!

At the arena, after being welcomed by the kind, we all ate as much food as we wanted, including chicken, ribs and other "goodies," and best of all, we ate with our hands, because in the Middle Ages people did not use forks, knives and spoons to eat their food.

Before the jousting and sword fights started we were all assigned a knight to root for during the tournament. It was exciting to root for your knight, even if he did not win the tournament.

By the time I came home, I was so hoarse from cheering for my knight that I could barely tell my parents how much fun I had.

Our class trip to Medieval Times was great. While I am sad that many of the students in the sixth grade will not be coming back to St. John's next year, I am happy that we will all share the memory of our great last class trip together to Medieval Times.

St. Nicholas students send greetings to UKELODEON

PASSAIC, N.J. - The students of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School from kindergarten through eighth grade sent greetings to readers of The Ukrainian Weekly, and especially to their peers, the readers of UKELODEON, via the group photo above taken in front of their school building.

PETRO PYTAYE ASKS: What will you be doing this summer?

UKELODEON's roving reporter Petro Pytaye asked a few of our readers, age 11 and 12, to reply to the question: What will you be doing this summer?

Following are some of the responses he got.

Gregory Fat, age 11, Trenton, N.J.: During the summer I am going to Plast camp. I am looking forward to being a "yunak" for the first time and also the "vechirka" (dance). I am also on a swim team so I will swim five days a week in a 50-meter pool in Princeton. I am looking forward to winning medals this summer. And, lastly, I will also look forward to having friends at my house, having parties, staying up ldate to have fun. Of all these things I look forward to camp and the "vechirka" the most.

Volodymir Vlasyuk, 12, Greenbrook, N.J.: I am going to Ukraine this summer to visit my grandparents and other relatives. I am looking forward to building a fort out of wood in which we will play games and "attack" people. I'll go swimming in a lake. When I return from Ukraine, I will go to Dorney Park in Pennsylvania. Of these things I am most looking forward to playing at my fort.

Christina Wirstiuk, age 12, Fort Washington, Pa.: For the summer I will be going to my house in the Poconos (mountains in Pennsylvania) and different camps. I will also be going to Wildwood for "Ukie Week." Of all these things I am looking forward to Plast camp the most.

Michael Jablonskyj, 12, Edison, N.J.: I will be going to Plast camp. Then we're going on vacation to North Carolina. I'm looking forward to the fun.

Sviatoslav Serediak, 12, Leonardo, N.J.: I will go to camp for a couple of weeks. Then I will go to Ukraine for one month. The rest of the time I will stay home and do nothing!

Paul Hadzewycz, 11, Morristown, N.J.: I'll be doing many things. First, I will go to Soyuzivka for two weeks - two weeks of swimming, hiking, etc. Then, right after that, I will attend Plast camp for three weeks as a "yunak." I look forward to this camp as one of the highlights of my vacation. Then, for the rest of the summer, I will be going every weekend - and for a whole week or two - to Lake George, where we have a boat.

Daria Hapon, 11, Millburn, N.J.: I will go to camp and then fly to Germany and France to visit my relatives. Otherwise, I will just stay home and watch TV. I am looking forward to Germany.

Markian Martynetz, 12, South Orange, N.J.: I will be at Plast camp this summer. Afterwards I will be going to New York to camp with my family at Raquette Lake. About a week or so after that I will be traveling, this time to Wildwood, where we will play at the beach. I look forward to being with my friends at Plast camp.

PS: Petro Pytaye did NOT get ANY answers to the question posed in print in the preview issue of UKELODEON. (What did you wish your Mom on Mother's Day, and what will you wish your Dad on Father's Day? Be creative!) Come on readers! UKELODEON will print your responses. Really! All you have to do is take the time to send them in!

Mishanyna

To solve this month's Mishanyna - which celebrates the upcoming end of the school year and the imminent arrival of summertime - find the words that you see capitalized in the following text within the Mishanyna grid below. (Remember: words can appear written left to right, right to left, up and down, or even diagonally).

Well, the 2002-2003 SCHOOL YEAR is almost over. Soon it'll be GRADUATION time for many of our readers, or time for that final ASSEMBLY when school lets out for the summer.

After saying GOOD-BYE to your friends at school, where will you be headed? Perhaps you are off to the MOUNTAINS to enjoy the scenery and fresh air, or to the SEASHORE for some FUN in the SUN, or some other interesting place for VACATION. Maybe you'll be spending time at a summer CAMP or WORKSHOP.

(And why not let us know how you're doing this summer? Become a UKELODEON REPORTER and share stories of your exploits with fellow READERS!)

Whatever your DESTINATION or your INCLINATION, we wish you a great time with your summertime FRIENDS - many of whom you probably have not seen since the previous summer. And isn't that one of the best things of all about summer? No matter where you go, or what you do, there are things to share with good friends from NEAR and FAR.

We hope our young readers enjoy the summer, because, before you know it, it'll be SEPTEMBER and time to start a new school year. But for now, it's "no more pencils, no more books..." and thoughts of a GREAT time ahead.

A happy summer to you all! (But do keep in touch.)

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