Hello and welcome to the 2024 Spring Recap! 

Thank you for supporting the Maryland Times, and we hope for 

another great year!

By: Apple Gorilla

For the Caption contest:

DOG ON THE LOOSE (fake news)

By Hazel Riverdale

There is a dog on the loose in the Mount Washington neighborhood! He is black with white paws, and if you see him, be careful, because he probably has rabies. This dog is likely a stray, but don't feed him because he may bite you and give you rabies. If he is eating out of your trash can, you should let him do it (so you don't get rabies) but make sure the trash doesn't spill. You can call the police, take a picture, or run away if you see him. If you have any more information about this dog, please contact the police or the Maryland Times.

Two Sentence Scary Story!

By: Eleanor Sapplngshade

 It was a dark, gloomy night, and I was by all means ready to go asleep. I had just turned off my light and sank into my soft pillow, falling into a gentle sleep, when a terrifying thought entered my mind: I FORGOT TO DO MY HOMEWORK!!

The Forgotten Milk

By Scarlet Moonshine (Fake news)

Susan Westerman always gets milk at the grocery store, but one day she forgot. She was heading to the store and checked her list 20 times (which was 2 times less than usual). When she arrived at the store, she got what she needed. She got to checkout and Dave put her stuff through the scanner. While she was paying, Ben bagged her food. Then, Susan got in her car and drove home. She unpacked everything and put it away, but where was the milk? Did Ben take it or was it because she didn't check the list 22 times?

Poems

5 Guitar Tips For Beginners

By Andrew Nye the Writer Guy

I hope that the following tips will help you learn how to play guitar or improve on what you already know. 

1. Every time you pick up your guitar after putting it away, grab a tuner and tune it. If your tuner has modes then make sure you put it on mode C. If you play ukulele then put it on the U setting. The thickest string is the E then the next thickest string is A and then the D then G then B then E the thinnest string. When tuning, try to hit the note in the middle of the tuner.

2. Memorize the Musical alphabet in sharps and flats. This will help you with tuning. The musical alphabet is A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, then A again. For flats the note after the sharp turns it into a flat. For example A# is Bb - note that the flat sign is a lowercase B next to the note- because the note after A# is B.

3. Memorize the fretboard for the E and the A string. This is important because later you will need to know this for bar chords. For example, when you press down on the first fret- note that a fret is the section between two metal bars on the fretboard- is F then F# then G and so on. Tip the frets with dots are the odd numbered frets like 1,3,5,9…. Try to press down as close as possible to the lower metal part of the fret. Remember pressing down on the twelfth fret is the same note as plucking the string just one octave higher.

4. If you are just starting off on the guitar you may want to get a variety of picks, so you can find your favorite size. You may want one with a grip or an extra thin one.

5. The next thing you need to know is the pentatonic scales. Look up the G major and A minor pentatonic scales. Then you move these scales to whatever note you want. For example, play the G major scale on the 9th fret to get the C# major scale.

Go to ultimategutiar.com for songs by your favorite guitarist. You do not need to pay to get the songs, as long as you are fine with songs that other people tried to tab.

How to Get Rid of Your Gremlins

(FAKE NEWS)

By: Louise Frankenstein 

Through the years, gremlins have been a great source of annoyance to many people. In this article I will share the secrets as to how to make these annoying pests go away. 

One, clear any and all dust from around your room or space you want to make gremlin free. Gremlins love dust, small spaces, and any scented sprays.

Two, don’t leave any food around- especially sugar. Gremlins get severe sugar rushes and what's worse than a gremlin is a hyper gremlin.

Three, the final step is to leave your math homework in your room out on the floor or your desk. Gremlin’s greatest weakness is math homework.

I hope you will be able to scare away these annoying pests with these tips!