WORD OF THE YEAR 2024 Word of the Year:
by Michael Sebastian
What are the 2024 words of the year? According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word of the year is brain rot Brain rot had some good competition from words like: lore, demure, romantasy, dynamic pricing, and slop Other winners from different sources are: manifest from Cambridge University and demure from Dictonary.com.
After sending out a poll to 15 students at CDS, these were the results.
This is a poll that CDS students answered
As you can see, there were a wide variety of answers such as: educated, humanity, knee (surgery), massive (low taper fade), sigma, skibidi, beautiful, brain rot, darius (day), and gatekeep The winner of the CDS word of the year is skibidi, which received 20% of the votes
After reviewing all of the winners of other Word of the Year contests, CDS selects brain rot as the best of the outside competitions. Brain rot has climbed through the ranks and stayed consistent the entire year. Brain rot deserved the number one spot and they earned it. We look forward to seeing what the 2025 word of the year is and giving our readers the meaning behind all of these new words in our next edition
Chatham Chargers Compete for Second Time!
Team heads to Montvale to compete against 23 other teams
by Douglas Swett
The CDS robotics team, the Chatham Chargers, has seen a massive improvement from last year exceeding the expectations of all the team members While the Chargers graduated a number of team members and only acquired two new competitors, the Chargers still improved in a number of ways But like last year, none of it was easy The Chargers ran into many problems with time and building of the robot The Chargers did not have as much time to complete the robot as they did the previous year, and the wheels on the robot would not work due to dust build up Some of the extensions on the robot would not work, like the dozer, but the team persevered. Now that the annual Lego Robotics Competition, held each November, is over, it is a good time to take a close look at the team.
The Hawk Weekly decided to interview Mrs. Emanuelli, the robotics team coach, to get more information. When speaking with our staff, Mrs. Emanuelli said that the future looks bright for CDS Robotics as many of the younger students taking Robotics at CDS are interested. She reports that “lots of students are planning on joining the team next year.” She predicts that the graduating 8th graders will certainly leave behind a noticeable hole that will need to be filled. She knows that a younger team will struggle with time management, leadership, maturity, and coding. She said that there will be coding lessons for the newer kids so they can learn some new advanced skills, and that with time, the other skills will also develop and emerge
The future of the robotics team in the eyes of Mrs Emanuelli seems to be good with lots of willing participants to join the robotics team next year The departing 8th graders know from experience that being a leader and being mature when under pressure is not easy, but they expect the next crop of Chargers will overcome these problems They hope that the returning members learned firsthand that time management is very important in making a successful team
It is exciting to see that each year the Chargers team is growing and evolving. From coding lessons for the new members and for returning members to advance in their skills to make a better team, to the possibility of an additional meeting session during clubs each week, the future looks bright. According to a two time robotics team member, all signs point to the team continuing to advance throughout the years.
Should Schools Allow Phones?
The debate of whether schools should allow students to use their phones has been argued upon for years. Here's a student's opinion.
by Ryan Hughes and Ben Chu
There's been a decent amount of discussion recently about whether phones should be allowed in Chatham Day School Some say it is distracting and others say it is a helpful tool Schools around the world have banned phones recently due to kids being distracted by their phones According to a 2021 survey by The Washington Post, 42% of schools in the US have banned cell phones.
The Hawk Weekly wants to take a closer look at different opinions. According to CDS student Jackson Walsh, students should be allowed to have phones because it allows for easy child-parent communication in case of emergencies, and it's also a "quick relief" for students after class or during break periods. It can also train them to be responsible. Eighth grader Tayt Kent believes that students should be allowed to have cellphones in school, but not in class. Tayt is a proponent of the collection of phones at the start of classes, followed by the return of them at the end of classes.
CDS English teacher Ms Greenspan also agrees that phones should be allowed in the building, but not allowed during the day. She is also adamant about not allowing students to use phones during lunch, since she wants students to socialize and speak with one another instead of staring at their phones.
The Hawk Weekly hopes that all schools look closely at this topic when making rules
Hot New Marvel Game
Is Marvel Rivals better than Overwatch?
by Jackson Walsh
Marvel Rivals is a new 6v6 shooter game made by NetEase Games and Marvel Entertainment and was released on December 6, 2024. Marvel and NetEase decided to make the game to promote Marvel characters in a competitive gaming environment
On release, Marvel Rivals had 33 characters, with the game being free with multiple skins for each character. They have 4 modes: quick match, conquest, player versus bots, and custom match. There is also the ability to change characters mid game. The game has three types of characters: duelist vanguard and strategist When asking local CDS student Wesley Powers about the gam avorite characters inc 10 and said they could improve ocal CDS student, Matt rite characters are
My review on of all, the ability to chan p. You are also able to te vantage in game. Next up e amazing with creative a y positive part of the game are the maps The maps are very unique from each other and have many places to hide and fight Unfortunately, there are some downsides The game has too much spamming which sometimes makes it feel too chaotic, but it also sometimes adds to the enjoyment for some players. My only other negative is the lack of competitive modes. The lack of competitive modes sometimes hinders the enjoyment and how much you can do in-game, however I don’t believe this will be a problem for much longer as the game progresses. Overall, I really like the game and recommend everyone should play it
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Upcoming Events at Chatham Day School
CDS Presents, Around the World Week and Much More
by Wynn Waterstredt
This is one of the busiest times of the school year and there are several events you should know about.
CDS Presents: This year’s CDS Presents play is Storybook Court: Full of Beans and it is approaching quickly There is an all school dress rehearsal happening on Friday, December 13, at 2:15, with an evening performance on at 7pm and one the following day at 7pm. We hope to see you there!
Around the World Week: A popular CDS tradition, Around the World Week, is approaching quickly as well. For those who don’t know, each class selects a country and then parents can then go into the classes on Friday the 20th to learn about the country that their child's class is studying. Here is a list of what every class is doing:
Preschool Lee- Sweden
McCoy- Canada
Prekindergarten
Schlitt/Fresco- Japan
Sheeleigh/Murray- Brazil
Kindergarten de Zutter/Racine- France Andresen/Labady- India
First Grade
Smits - Costa Rica
Second Grade Albrecht - Greece Russo - Australia
Third Grade
Kane - Egypt
Fourth/Fifth Grade
Moebius - Ancient Greece
Gates - Ancient Rome
Sixth/Seventh Grade
Bromstedt - Ecuador
Eighth Grade
Gordon - Madagascar
All School Holiday Assembly: There is an all school holiday assembly on the 20th of December after Around the World Day. All parents are invited and Mr. Buchanan will lead the school and parents in singing holiday songs as a way to kick off the winter break!
Winter Break: As the halfway point of the year approaches, the students need a break after all the hard work they’ve done. The break lasts from December 21st to January 6th Whether you're staying in or going on vacation, it will be a fun break from school.
Stay tuned for more information on events when we get back!
CDS PERFORMING ARTS CALENDAR
Upcoming Events:
Around the World Day/Holiday Sing-A-Long: Dec 20
3rd/4th Grade Show: February 28
Kindergarten Show: March 5
2nd Grade Show: April 24
CDS Presents: May 9 & 10
MS Celebration of the Arts: May 16
HOLIDAY
Which House Does the Gingerbread Man Enjoy?
DIY vs Packaged: Which makes the best house?
by the Hawk Weekly staff
During the Christmas season, gingerbread houses are a staple of many homes and holiday experiences. The Hawk Staff did a comparison of gingerbread houses made of graham crackers and frosting a gingerbread house kit. Over a period of two days, groups of students built their houses, ate their houses, and studied the nutritional value. Read more to find the better choice for your health and enjoyment.
When looking at the gingerbread kit, the first thing to know is that the cost is $12.99. For this price, you receive the walls, roof, frosting, instructions, and candy (gumdrops, round sugar balls, and cookies). It took roughly 45 minutes to assemble the kit. This was not easy to build. The weight of the roof pieces made assembly difficult. The inclusion of a base simplifies the process of laying the walls. The frosting was good tasting but annoying to pour and did not keep the roof together. The candies were tasty treats to add color to the house The cookies were decent Once assembled, at least one part of the roof caved in. After drying for 24 hours, the house was an open house. As for taste, the house was able to maintain its flavor, but it was nothing special. 120 calories and 28 servings, 13 g of sugar.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL CONT.
continued from previous page
The DIY style included one box of graham crackers, one tube of frosting, and some chocolate sauce Graham crackers were $2 99, $4 49, and the sauce was $3.99 (optional) This means it is less expensive than the kit But was it easy to assemble? According to the staff, it was much more stable, the icing worked well with the weight of the crackers, there were no limits to the design and allowed for more creativity. How did it hold up after 24 hours? Each house maintained its shape, the icing hardened and the crackers did not go stale. 130 calories, 13 servings, 8 grams of fat.
Despite the challenges and the cost associated with the gingerbread kit, the Hawk Weekly voted 5 to 2 in favor of the kit over the graham crackers. If you choose to go the DIY route, the Hawk Weekly staff suggests adding candy such as Sour Patch Kids, M&Ms, Peppermints, and mini candy canes to the shopping list. In our next review, we will review snacks associated with the Super Bowl.
DIY HOUSES IN PROGRESS
Fall Sports Recap at CDS
A Recap of Fall and a look at the Winter
byTaytKent
TheCDScrosscountryteamcontinuedtheirwinningstreakthisyearwithyetanotherfinal recordof9-0.Thisistheteam'sthirdyearinarowgoingundefeated.Whiletheoverallskill levelofthecompetitiontheyfacedthisyearincreased,andtheytookonbiggerschoolsand longercourses,theyremainedundefeated.TheirhardestraceswereagainstRutgersPrep, MorristownBeard,andFarHills.TheCDSteamwasledby128thgradersandatotalof23 runnersoverallincludinganumberoffourthgraderswhoparticipatedinafewoftheraces.
Whilethecrosscountryteamhasexistedforanumberofseasons,thiswasthefirstyearfor CDSSoccer!Intheinauguralyear,CDShadacoedteam,aboysteam,andagirlsteam The coedsquadendedwithanoverallrecordof1-3afterbeatingGottesmanAcademyintheirlast gameoftheseasonwithascoreof5-3
Thegirls’squadendedtheirfirstseasonwithoutawinoverthecourseoftheirthreegames.And whiletherecorddoesnotshowit,thegirlsimprovedalotoverthesoccerseason.Witha numberofyoungerplayersinthepipeline,thefuturelooksbright!
Lastbutnotleast,theboys’team.Theirfinalrecordwas1-1.Theboysstartedofftheirseason hot,beatingRutgersPrep2-0afterSochiNwachukugottheHawkstheirfirstevergoal.While thismomentumdidn’tcarrytotheendofthesecondgame,thefactthatmanywillbereturning totheteamnextyearandareexcitedtoworktogether,showsthatthereispositiveenergy behindtheteam
Overall,everyteamhadsomegreatmoments,andeachathleteimprovedthroughouttheseason Wecan’twaituntilnextyearandlookforwardtoseeinghowwelltheHawksperform Inour nextissue,wewilltakealookatfencingandbasketballatCDS.
by Ilies Benhadji
CARTOON
HAWK WEEKLY STAFF:
Benjamin Chu
Michael Sebastian Tayt Kent
Michael Sebastian
Wynn Waterstredt
Ryan Hughes
Ilies Benhadji
Jackson Walsh