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HAWK WEEKLY GAME EDITION The Truth About Standardized Testing By Yamilet Merchan In recent years, many parents have become concerned with their children’s test scores. The reason behind this is that most parents feel like test scores don't accurately correlate with actual learning and future success. In addition to this issue, there are potential negative impacts that these tests could have on students that may be knowledgeable, but don’t perform well in testing environments. But the question is, what are the pros and cons of testing?
teaching and student’s learning. Teachers become pressured to start teaching to the test and having student’s memorize the material instead of understanding it on a deeper level. This often comes at a steep cost; the cost of engagement, creativity, and risk taking in student learning. Others can argue that these tests can motivate students to study more and build healthy work habits. But, there have been many cases where students have managed to demonstrate a clear understanding within a subject or concept but not score as well on tests. Going deeper on this topic, several studies have shown that a student might excel on an assessment, showing an understanding of the material, but struggle taking multiple choice tests, thus negatively impacting a student's confidence.
Though there might be more cons than pros, there are still advantages to standardized testing. Standardized testing allows educators to determine whether the curriculum being taught in the classroom meets specified learning goals and objectives. In addition it provides assistance by pointing out areas Standardized testing causes for improvement in education students to create a mindset and aspects of students’ where they determine the amount education that could be lacking. of success they might have in the Unfortunately, the con to this is future based on a test they take that standardized exams become once a year. Which is completely important in school districts, having a massive impact on HAWK WEEKLY page 1
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HAWK WEEKLY GAME EDITION continued from previous page false. Areas in which a student might fall short on the test could be the same things on which they excel on in another form of assessment. An excellent writer could struggle with picking out the right answer in a multiple choice grammar and punctuation test but have the ability to write a well-thought out essay about the literature they enjoy reading in classes. In other words, it is flawed and could cause long-term problems. Overall, standardized testing is a very difficult topic with many sides to the argument of whether it should be kept in schools or not. Luckily, as of recently, standardized testing hasn’t been as heavily looked at as compared to the past. Allowing students to learn in their own ways and teachers to teach freely is truly the way to go.
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FEATURE Pros and Cons of Field Trips Are field trips good or bad for kids? bby Michael Sebastian and Ben Chu Field trips are often highly anticipated by students (mostly because they get to skip school), but are there any benefits of field trips? Is there any point in going on a field trip, and are there truly any academic benefits to these excursions? Frost Valley YMCA,
Well firstly, school trips can be fun! Many school trips are meant to give the students a good time, while also educating them in some way. Take the Starbucks trip for the journalism team, students learned how to write reviews while enjoying Starbucks. Other field trips might teach students more about the world outside. For instance, students may take trips to different local sights, like a park, police station, or fire station. This will teach students what the first responders do. Other field trips may be related to what students are learning in school. When sixth graders are learning about Ellis Island and immigration, they take a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. From sixth to eighth grade students will start having their first overnight trip. Once a year students have a three-day trip to Frost Valley where they will spend two nights in a cabin with their classmates.
Students will take hikes, learn how to build a lean-to shelter, learn how to start a fire, and make s'mores. However, there can be some downsides to field trips. Although it rarely happens, arguments and disagreements can happen between students. In these instances, students may be asked to go home, cutting their trip short. Accidents can also happen, and getting injured away from home can be scary. Lastly, some students suffer from bus sickness and have to miss out on these experiences or risk getting sick. Overall, field trips are meant to be both fun and educational for students, and if led right, they can be very fun and have much educational value by bringing the learning to life.
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FEATURE GAME
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Movie About a Talking Lizard Somehow Gets the Hearts of Many Movie Watchers Adam Sandler’s new movie Leo becomes a huge hit on Netflix by Luke Neuer Recently, I watched the new movie Leo on Netflix. This movie, directed by Robert Sigel, has crazy first graders, hilarious animals, and life lessons. Adam Sandler perfectly played the title character. The film is about Leo, a talking lizard who just found out that he only has one more year to live. He has been stuck in the same classroom since the 1940s. He hatches a plan to escape and live his life but instead, he gives life lessons to his fifth grade class, thinking he’s only talking to them. The movie combines comedy and life lessons. The movie stars Adam Sandler as Leo, and I can really tell he found the voice for the movie by combining the voices from some of his other movies, most notably Billy Madison and The Waterboy. Sandler also casted his daughters, Sadie and Sunny as two of the fifth graders, Summer and Jayda. There’s also a lot more celebrities involved with the film such as Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Rob Schneider, and Jason Alexander.
B comedy all wrapped up in one film. I also liked how the movie was arranged, starting with the choice of placing Sunny Sandler’s character and the other kids who weren’t fitting in at the start of the film. Another thing I really liked about this movie was that they took a really wacky idea and they took it from silly to heartfelt. The beginning sort of resembled the two old guys from The Muppets then it turned into a heartfelt movie about finding yourself like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Overall I give this movie a 4.5/5.
I really like how the movie started out as a comedy, but then turned into a drama for kids dealing with these things such as imposter syndrome, ADHD, and anxiety. This movie was like a therapy session and a
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT GAME by Luke Neuer
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OPINION Call of War Addictions Are At an All-Time High With over eight years of the game being out, kids and adults are still addicted by Owen Carosielli What is Call of War? Who invented it and when, what is the purpose of the game, who plays it, and what do some reviews say about it? Call of War is a game created by Bytro Labs in 2015. It is a game that requires strategy and expertise. The game features certain modes that one can play as a World War II type map. The company would go on to create more games which are Supremacy 1914, and Iron Order 1919. Bytro Labs is a very interesting company because there is a more recent gaming company to release. They worked extremely hard on the Call of War as the project took over six years to make. Call of War is very entertaining to many because it is a real-time game and certain countries can take days to invade. Now, the real question is why people like this game so much. Call of War player Sekario Crossman had a response to that, “I like the game because it makes me feel like I have to command an army to take down the Russian Empire.” Sekario Crossman is talking about the Clash of Nations map, which is the most played map out of the entire game. So, here are the game statistics: You start as a nation, you research types of soldiers, aircraft, artillery, or navy, and once the research is done you build tank plants, barracks, naval bases, and aircraft bases, then you produce those units to create your army. The next step is simple - TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Next, we need to discuss why people get addicted to Call of War. If you were to ask someone who is addicted to Call of War why they are addicted, they would most likely say it's because they want to win games and get on the leaderboard. Call of War player Thedominator24 said, “I would classify myself as addicted to Call of War, I mean I play the game a lot and have over 30 wins, it's honestly just a fun game.” Other strategy games like Hearts of Iron feature a similar theme. The problem is that none of these games are modern, and most of them came out before 2010. The game also features an online currency called gold, which you can buy with USD or
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OPINION CONT. watch ads. Gold can get you better upgrades on units, faster production times, etc. There is also a premium that the committed players can purchase. Andrew Cullen said, “My brother bought premium because he was committed to the game and he wanted the premium benefits." Some people argue that a win in the game can be bought (p2w), as the more gold you buy the more powerful you can become. The game has recently added flame tanks and other cool new units which has attracted more players. Call of War is a very addictive game that is continuing to break the strategic game world. It is coming out with more updates, and more units, which will continue to attract new players. Trivia: What unit has the most health in call of war? 1. Level 6 medium tanks 2. Level 4 heavy tank 3. Level 6 aircraft carriers 4. Battleship level 6 What unit does the most damage? 1. Level 2 railroad gun 2. Level 1 nuclear missile 3. Level 7 infantry 4. Level 3 nuclear bomber How much does a spy cost in call of war? 1. 2k 2. 3k 3. 7k 4. 5k Answers: 1, 2, 4
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SPORTS NHL Power Rankings #10-1 Our experts finish their ranking! by Trevor Meeker and Tayt Kent 10. Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a good season so as far; they are currently just hanging on to a wild card spot. They have one of the best players in the league, Auston Matthews, who leads the team and the league in goals. They will need to keep fighting to make the playoffs. 9. The Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes have had a great first half of the season going 28-15-5. They are second in the Metropolitan division. Yet again, Sebastian Aho is the Hurricanes’ star player leading in goals, assists, and points. The Hurricanes have had an amazing penalty kill this year with an 84.2% kill percentage. Their average goals per game are 3.38 and 2.94 goals allowed per game. The Hurricanes started the season off at 0-4, but have had a lot of good win streaks and have been cruising off lately. 8. Dallas Stars The Stars are currently second in the Central division but first, second, and third are all within points of each other. Even though the top three are all close, they have a big lead on fourth place. Jason Robertson is leading his team in points and he has 17 goals and 33 assists. Jake Oettinger is 16-9 so far and he has an outstanding .900 save percentage. 7. Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are second in the Atlantic division. They are right in second place, behind the Bruins by five points and ahead of the Lightings by 7 points. Their star player is Matthew Tkachuk who has been a good piece in the Panthers deep playoff run in the last couple of years. They also have a solid player, Sam Reinhart, who leads the team in points and goals. 6. Vegas Golden Nights The Vegas Golden Nights have started off the season strongly and are currently second in the division behind the Canucks. Right now, Mark Stone is leading the team in points and assists, and Jonathan Marchessault is leading the team in goals. The Nights look like an outstanding team this year, and they are looking like they could go far this year. This is a team to watch out for after beating some of the league's top teams.
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SPORTS CONT. NHL Power Rankings #10-1 continued from previous page 5. The Colorado Avalanche This year, the Colorado Avalanche are a good team. They currently sit at the top of the Central division. The Avalanche have a star-studded lineup with players like Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar. Mackinnon currently leads the team in points, goals, and assists; he is also one point behind Nikita Kucherov for most points in the league. They look like a team that could go far this season. 4. Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are at the top of the Pacific division and have a big lead on the Golden Nights. They also have a couple of stars in Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller leads the team in points and Hughes leads the team in assists. Hughes is a young star, he is 24 years old and is already an all-star captain. This team could make a good run this year. 3. Winnipeg Jets The Jets are a good team this year, they are in third place but they are within one point of second place, two points from first. Mark Scheifele is leading the team in points and assists, while Kyle Conner leads the team in goals. The Jets could be a real force in the playoffs this year but they need to keep winning games. 2. New York Rangers The New York Rangers are one of the best teams in the league, being first in the Metropolitan division. The Rangers have a very good team this year and will go far in the playoffs this year. Artemi Panarin leads the team in points, goals and assists. They also have stars Adam Fox and Chris Kreider who have been real game changers for the team. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick are goalies for this team and are amazing goalies. Shesterkin is a young all-star and Quick is an old veteran goalie who is a top 15 goalie all time. 1. Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are the best team in the league leading the Atlantic Division by 5 points. The Bruins have a star-studded roster with players like Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Pastrnak leads the team in points, goals, and assists; he is 3rd in points and goals in the league. The Bruins have triple the wins they have losses. The Bruins are the favorite in the Stanley Cup if they don’t win they are going very far.
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SPORTS CONT. Match the athlete to their home country A. Russia B. Japan C. U.S.A D. Mexico E. Canada F. Brazil G. France H. Greece 1. Shohei Ohtani 2. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior 3. Alex Overchkin 4. Conner Bedard 5. Victor Wembenyama 6. Randy Arozerana 7. Giannis Antetakounmpo 8. Kevin Durant
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CDS SPORTS Hawks Experience First Loss by Andrew Cullen and Sekario Crossman On Tuesday, the Hawks took their first loss of the season to Gottesman. It was a close game with the final score being 36-30. Gottesman was very good and had many strong players. The Hawks played a great game which made the final result very close. We had a chance to speak with both coaches and players before and after the game and here are some important takeaways: Mr. L Coach Q: Do you think we are prepared for the Gottesman game? L: After our past two games, one being a blowout and one being a nail biter, I know that this team is resilient and can face any team we see on the schedule this year. In the end, it's all about having fun and building teamwork skills. Q: How has our teamwork gotten better? L: Our teamwork has gotten better, we are a better group with the 8th graders as amazing leaders for the younger kids inspiring more and more to play and enjoy basketball. Player Interview: Ben Q: You scored six points in the last game, how do you feel about tomorrow's game?
Ben: I am very hopeful our team will win and hope it will give us a challenge as our last few games have been blowouts. Q: How do you think you will perform in the next game? Are you nervous? A: Not nervous, but I probably won’t get as much playtime. I say my performance will be mediocre, but I will try my best. Player Interview: Tayt Q: How do you feel going against Gottesman? Tayt: I think that it is gonna be a tough game and I´m not too confident, but I think we can pull through. Q: Do you think we will have a better record against Gottesman this year than last year? Tayt: I think it will be similar to last year and the score will be similar. It just depends on who wins and who loses. Q: Do you think our start is better than what it was last year? Tayt: I think it is way better in general and we have performed better with better chemistry. After: Q: So we know the Hawks did not win the game, is there anything you think the team could do better to do next time? Tayt: We should have shut down number 22 better and their guards. We let them shoot too much, when they are too tall, you can't do anything. Wynn did a good job boxing out and guarding. Mostly we have to work on our defense and shutting out the tall kids.
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CDS SPORTS CONT. continued from previous page Q: What is one reason you think we lost that game and what can we do to fix it? L: One reason we lost that game is we had a tough time crashing the boards, they had a lot of second chance buckets and we needed to take shots when open. As Micheal Schott said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.” We have to crash the boards more, boxing out and shooting open shots. We also missed an important player, Andrew Cullen, hopefully he will be there for our next game against Gottesman. They definitely were a tough match with lots of talented players. Ms Cat: I think that most of the shots were dropping and we weren't following. We also were not boxing out in the beginning and that allowed the other team a lot of shots. We also need to drive to the basket more. Q: Overall, how do you think our team played regarding teamwork? L:I think we played great, I think we are getting more comfortable with each other which hopefully would improve. I would love to see us support each other more on and off the court.
Q: What do you think your team can work on overall? Luke: Overall, I think our team needs to work on setting picks, boxing out, rebounding, and more. Q: How do you think you performed and what can you do better? Mia: I think I did pretty well. Something I can do more is dribble more, take more layups, and try not to just get rid of the ball that much. Q: How do you think your chemistry is with your teammates? Mia:I think it is very good, we have been playing with each other for a long time and we know each other's next move. We can practically finish each other's sentences. The Hawks also played themselves on Thursday and Tayt, E, and Andrew’s team won. The other team's main players were Luke, Sekario, and Mia B. The final score was 17-10. Everyone played very well in that game, and for the first half, the game was very close. But towards the end, Tayt, E, and Andrew’s team was very productive in getting points.
Ms Cat: I think that you guys are becoming more dynamic, and there is still room for you guys to get better and get used to each other's style because when you all connect it's really good ball movement and we find the basket.
Updates Coed Team: 1-1 CDS Girls: 1-1 CDS Boys: 2-0 Next Games: 2/6 and 2/8
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CDS SPORTS CONT. Guess the positions of basketball listed below:
C_ _ter P_i_t _u_rd _I_ GS
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SPOTLIGHT CDS Alums: Katie Axelsen Catching up with CDS alumni! What are they doing now? by Anthony Gentile This year marks Chatham Day School’s 25th anniversary. Many scholars have graduated from CDS and have gone on to do amazing things. For the next few weeks, I am going to show different CDS alumni. They might have graduated last year or even 10 years ago. I had the chance to interview former CDS student, Katie Axelsen. Katie joined Chatham Day School as a first grader in 2012 and her teacher was Mrs. Kent. She was a member of the class of 2020. Katie enjoyed the smaller class sizes at Chatham Day School because it was easier to get to know her friends and teachers. Katie said that she loved after care because she got to talk with students from all ages. One of her favorite memories of CDS was her eighth grade trip to Frost Valley. She enjoyed zip lining on that trip. Her favorite teacher was Mrs. Gadzi. She says that Mrs. Gadzi is very inspirational and motivating. She learned so much from her class and still uses her life lessons as a senior in high school at the Lawrenceville School. Her favorite class at Chatham Day School was Mr. Murad’s photography class that she took in fifth grade. She now continues her photography
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enjoyment in high school. She ran cross country and track and field in middle school. Along with this, she controlled the scoreboard for the home basketball games. She was in a few CDS productions either on stage or working the lights. Her lower school buddy class was the current third graders. She really liked connecting with the younger students through buddy classes. Her two siblings both graduated from CDS in 2015. Katie really misses the tight knit community and having a close relationship with her classmates and teachers. Her current school is very large, so she can't have the same closeness there in comparison to CDS. She said that she learned how to maximize teamwork through the plethora of projects she had here. The leadership opportunities helped her acquire the skills needed to guide others. Another favorite memory she has was doing her biome project with Sophia Esposito and Andrew Massache. Katie was a member of Ilex and she really enjoyed doing house challenges. We wish Katie a great end to her high school career!
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HOROSCOPES THE GREAT HAWK PREDICTS… Aries: You will probably drink water at some point in time. Taurus: Don’t go to Disneyland on April 12, 2040. Some messed up stuff is going to happen. Gemini: Use shampoo in your hair or else you won’t have shampoo in your hair. Cancer: You will gain prestige equivalent to the mythical (nonexistent?) Dr. Pepper. Perchance.
FOR THE SIGNS… Capricorn: You may or may not go to the midwest at some point.
Leo: You will get sand in your pants the next time you go to the beach. Virgo: If you look at the sun, your eyes will die.
Aquarius: Please don’t go to Denny’s tomorrow.
Libra: Eat some rocks.
Pisces: The lifekind. Perchance.
Sagittarius: You won’t have to worry about Jar Jar Binks.
Scorpio: You should beat up a turkey.
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CARTOON by Will Tucker
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HAWK WEEKLY STAFF: Andrew Cullen Trevor Meeker Benjamin Chu Tayt Kent Michael Sebastian Will Tucker Luke Neuer Yamilet Merchan Owen Carosielli Sekario Crossman Anthony Gentile Ryan Hughes