Small Town Times
Issue 2-6
Litchfield Public Schools PO Box 167 Litchfield, NE 68852-0167 Phone: 308-446-2244
January 2017 The“ Get Motivated!” Issue
Student Editors: Lori Bay, Rachel Linden, Amanda McClain, Tyren Howard, Joseph Ptacnik, RaNay Casper, & Tyla Runyan
Newsletter Advisor:
Mrs. Nikia Hunt nikia. hunt @ litchfieldps. org
Inside this Issue
1 Friday the 13 th 2 Senior Spotlight 3 Sports Highlights 4 National Winnie the Pooh Day 4 Opposite Day 5 Christmas Concert Success 5“ Fad” Diets 6 MLK Day 6 FFA News / Updates 6 General Fund 7 Superintendent’ s Report 8 Principal’ s Report 9 January Lunch Menu 10 Counselor’ s Corner 11 January Events / Activities Calendar
12 Early Years Preschool Newsletter
Prepare for Bad Luck! By: Rachel Linden
Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, and bad things are said to happen on that day; it just so happens that this January 13 th is a Friday. Some historians believe that the superstitions surrounding it arose in the late 19th century. The day has been associated with misfortune since 1307, when on Friday the 13th, the French King gave the orders to arrest hundreds of Knights Templar.
Fear of Friday the 13 th is also called“ friggatriskaidekaphobia.” The word comes from Frigg, the Norse goddess of wisdom after whom Friday is named, and the Greek words triskaideka, meaning 13, and phobia, meaning fear. Because of this superstitious fear of the number 13, many high-rise buildings, hotels, and hospitals skip the 13th floor, many airports do not have gates numbered 13, and many hospitals do not have a room 13. In many parts of the world, having 13 people at the dinner table is considered bad luck. The number 13 has been considered unlucky as far back as biblical times, when the 13 th guest at the Last Supper was said to have betrayed Jesus.
More than 60 million people worldwide are affected with fear of Friday the 13 th. Many people will not drive a car, leave the house, or even get out of bed on this day. Some other reportedly unlucky things to attempt on Friday the 13 th include: beginning a journey, having a baby, getting married, moving, and starting a new job.
Although it may just be superstition, some pretty bad things have happened on a Friday the 13 th, including the Nazis dropping a bomb on Buckingham Palace( Sept 13, 1940), the second most damaging stock market crash ever( Oct 13, 1989), countless airplane crashes, and many other incidents.
All of the years will have at least one Friday the 13th. The good news is that there cannot be more than three Friday the 13ths in any given calendar year. The longest one can go without seeing a Friday the 13th is 14 months. If you, like many famous people, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, or Napoleon Bonaparte, have a fear of Friday the 13 th, make sure you charm your luck by knocking on wood, finding a four-leaf clover, putting your clothes on inside-out, sleeping facing south, walking in the rain, avoiding cracks in the sidewalk, carrying an acorn in your pocket, or picking up a penny from the street. Of course, if your friggatriskaidekaphobia is bad enough, maybe you should just stay in bed!
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