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HAWK WEEKLY CDS EIGHTH GRADERS TO VISIT THE GRAND CANYON IN 2025
By Benjamin Chu and Michael Sebastian
Next year's eighth graders will take a trip to the Grand Canyon. Here's all the information we know from Ms. Greenspan and Mr. Buffum. Students will be going around May or June of 2025. This means that the annual trip to Washington, DC will be in early October. The Grand Canyon trip will be about 4-5 days (including travel). Because of the distance from home, students will be allowed to bring phones, cameras, and other devices only for entertainment purposes on the plane. Phones will likely be held during the trip by teachers to let students "Be in the moment." Students will be allowed to bring money to pay for their own lunches and souvenirs. Students will touch down in Phoenix and maybe spend the night there. Three minivans will be rented for the students to drive down to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Once at the Grand Canyon, the students will split into different groups based on their hiking distance. Breakfast and dinner will be eaten as a group in the cafeteria and lunches will be packed for their hikes. The school nurse and Mr. Buffum will be going on the trip with at least three other teachers. The hotel rooms will have 2-4 people (depending on the cost) with one bathroom each. There is also going to be a curfew and hopefully, we will stay in Sedona for a little bit before heading home. We may also stay a night in Phoenix, and the hotels may have a pool, so if they do, make sure to bring swimsuits! We will update you more if we get new information!
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FEATURE Pet Presentation: Guinea Pigs by Will Tucker
As we all know, there are quite a few school pets here at Chatham Day School, the vast majority being fish. However, today we’ll be learning about two specific non-fish school pets that most of us may be familiar with; the guinea pigs! But why do we view them as fondly as the mythical (nonexistent?) Dr. Pepper? Before we get into the specifics of the two we have here, we’ll be learning about the species as a whole.
Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, furry potatoes, and squeaky loaves, are a species of small domestic rodents that first originated in the Andes region of South America. Ever since being domesticated, the guinea pig has been a popular choice of pet in western society ever since being imported to Europe and North America in the 16th century due to a variety of reasons, including their usually docile nature, friendly responsiveness to handling and feeding (most of the time), and relative ease of caring for them. They also tend to live in groups and don’t function well when alone, which is why in some countries, it’s considered animal abuse to have a guinea pig without giving it a companion. They also make various noises, such as their trademarked squeak. Keep it up!
As for the school’s guinea pigs, there are two of them, named Astro and Amber, which are kept in the upper school science lab. They are skittish and usually try to run away when picked up, but settle down when actually being held. During long breaks, they were kept by local 8th grader William Tucker, but after winter break, the position is now open.
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Gatsby Takes the Green Light to Broadway by Luke Neuer The Great Gatsby musical recently announced that the production is going to Broadway. But first, they had a record shattering run at The Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, and I saw it first. The show had amazing sets, catchy songs, and stunning choreography. The show was a reimagined version of the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the book and the movie, the story is told from Nick Carraway’s perspective but this time, there is no narrator. We all know the story. Jay Gatsby, an extremely rich man invites Nick Carraway to one of his daily parties. Daisy, Nick’s cousin, is reunited with Gatsby after having not seen him for five years. There is one problem with this reunion, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanon, another wealthy man but significantly not as wealthy as Gatsby. So Gatsby does everything he can to get Daisy. Turns out, she’s still in love with him too. The show stars Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan as Jay Gatsby, who you may recognize from the CW Supergirl series as Winn. He also played Jack Kelley in one of the last Papermill
Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada as Gatsby and Daisy
Broadway transfers, Newsies in 2012. Jordan plays the character with such vulnerability and loss that I didn’t see in Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal in the 2013 film. Also appearing in the cast is Eva Noblezada as Daisy Buchanon. You might recognize Eva from Hadestown as she originated the role of Eurydice. She was amazing. She played the role with such optimism and hope, though it does fade near the end of the show. Now the songs in the show are amazing. The songs were written by Jason Howland of Shucked and Nathan Tysen of Tuck Everlasting. Some of the notable
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CONT. continued from previous page ongs include “Roaring On,” “New Money,” “The Past is Catching Up to Me,” and “My Green Light”. These songs are extremely catchy. I really enjoyed how the songs fit with the book and the story. One of my favorite songs in the show is called “For Her,” a song about how Gatsby did everything for Daisy.
Jeremy Jordan as Gatsby
At the show I attended, Noah J. Ricketts, who played Nick, was out so I got to see his amazing understudy, Dan Rosales. I think he portrayed the role amazingly and I think he has the potential to be the full time Nick on Broadway. There were so many good things about this show. I definitely recommend going to see it. Previews begin March 9 at the Broadway Theater. Yes, it is literally called the Broadway Theater. Sam Pauly and Noah J. Ricketts as Jordan and Nick and the cast
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SPORTS NFL: THE CURRENT BEST! AS COACHING CHANGES, PLAYOFF WINS AND LOSSES, AND RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS CONTINUE TO FILL THE NEWS, HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR BEST DEFENDERS IN THE NFL 2023-2024 SEASON.
by Owen Carosielli and Anthony Gentile DEFENSE FS: Antoine Winfield Jr. Antoine Winfield Jr. is an elite FS. Sadly, he had fantastic statistics, but he was not voted into the Pro Bowl. He had six forced fumbles, which leads the league. He had three interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and 12 passes deflected. SS: Derwin James. Derwin James played football at Florida State and was drafted 17th overall by the LA Chargers. He made 3 Pro Bowls and 1 All Pro. He has 11.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 8 interceptions, and 497 tackles in his career. He plays a large role in the LA Chargers defense. Although the Chargers missed the playoffs, they have a bright future ahead of them. CB: DaRon Bland: One of the best cornerbacks in the NFL is DaRon Bland. This is his second season, and he just set a record of nine interceptions with five of them being defensive touchdowns. He just made the Pro Bowl and hopefully he will win the Super Bowl. OLB: Micah Parsons: Coming off his third year in the NFL, Micah Parsons is continuing to be one of the most elite players on the Cowboys defense. With 36 tackles and 14 sacks, and one forced fumble,
Parsons earned himself his 3rd Pro Bowl appearance. DE: Nick Bosa. Nick Bosa is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. He has been in the league since 2019 with the San Francisco 49ers. He has made four Pro Bowls, he won defensive rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, and came in 6th for MVP voting in 2022. He has 10.5 sacks, 34 solo tackles, and two forced fumbles. The 49ers have the bye for the playoffs and they are the Super Bowl favorites. Nick Bosa plays a key role in the 49ers top 10 defense. DT: Aaron Donald: This season Donald has eight sacks and 28 tackles, and he made himself a Pro Bowl appearance. He is one of the most elite DTs and is most famous for his sack on Joe Burrow in the Super Bowl. ML: Fred Warner: From getting body slammed by D.K. Metcalf, to going to a Super Bowl, Fred Warner is undoubtedly one of the best middle linebackers in the league. He has 82 tackles, four interceptions, and four forced fumbles. His stats are very good for a middle linebacker. Hopefully the 49ers will go to the Super Bowl, and win it. DT: Jeffery Simmons: Only playing a couple of games this year, Jeffery Simmons made 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and 30 tackles. These are very impressive for only playing a couple of games. He also made it to the Pro Bowl along with Derrick Henry. He will without a doubt come back next year and put up amazing numbers.
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SPORTS CONT. continued from previous page
DE: TJ Watt: TJ Watt has been in the NFL since 2017 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has made six Pro Bowls in total and three All Pros. He was defensive player of the year in 2021. That year, he had 22.5 sacks, which led the NFL. This year however, he has 19 sacks, which also leads the NFL. He also has a fumble recovery touchdown. The Steelers are in the playoffs, but TJ Watt unfortunately will be missing it after his week 18 injury. OLB: Bobby Wagner: Bobby Wagner was a key player in the Seattle Seahawks “Legion Of Boom”. He has been in the NFL for 11 years and made nine Pro Bowl appearances. He was second in defensive rookie of the year voting. In 2023, he led the NFL with 183 combined tackles. He has 3.5 sacks as well. These statistics earned him a Pro Bowl appearance and a spot on our list as a top outside linebacker. CB: Patrick Surtain II. Patrick Surtain II is an elite cornerback. Coming from one of the best college football teams in the country, Alabama, he was picked ninth overall in the 2021 drafts. He had very high expectations and he did not disappoint. He has seven interceptions in his career, and he even got a pick six. This year, he has 59 solo tackles and 10 combined tackles. He also has 12 passes deflected. These statistics earned him a Pro Bowl appearance.
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SPORTS CONT. NHL Power Rankings #20-11 Our experts continue their ranking! by Trevor Meeker and Tayt Kent 20. Detroit Red Wings The Red Wings started off the season ranked 4th in the Atlantic division with their star player this year, Dylan Larkin, leading in goals and points. Another big part of the team is Shayne Gostisbehere who leads them in assists. Overall, Detroit has been in the middle of the pack without any real negative or positive standouts. 19. Washington Capitals The Capitals are a decent team, but not playoff caliber as they are 6th in the Metropolitan Division. The Caps are on a downward trajectory with one of the best players of all time, Alex Ovechkin, now 38 years old and his career is slowly coming to an end. But the biggest storyline with the Caps is will Alex Ovechkin break the NHL all time goal record? The best case for the Caps right now is they tank for a good draft pick. 18. Nashville Predators The Predators are currently 4th in the Central Division with 25 wins on the season so far. They have a young team with a couple older players. They have two star goalies both from Finland and 28 years young with Juuse Saros playing the majority of games this year. He is 19-18-1 on the season. Fillip Forsberg is leading the team in goals and points; he also has the best plus/minus at 8. 17. New York Islanders The Islanders are an okay team this year as they are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. Currently on a cold streak, they have lost 10 out of their past 13 games. It does not look too nice for them right now, but they have some bright spots in Andres Lee and IIya Sorokin. Despite being a defense man, Noah Dobson leads the team in points and assists. If they can find a way to get out of this losing slump, they could make the playoffs. 16. Tampa Bay Lightning After back to back Stanley Cup wins in 2021 and 2022, the Lightning almost three-peated but they lost to the Avalanche in the finals last year. They would have been the first team since 1983 to three-peat. The Lightning have star right wing Nikita Kucherov, he currently leads the league in points with 83 points. They also have star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy; he is 15-10-0 this year. Things look promising for the team.
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SPORTS CONT. NHL Power Rankings #20-11 continued from previous page 15. Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins have some really good stars on their squad, but they are missing a few pieces to be great. With a record of 21-17-6, they are 7th in the Metropolitan Division. Of course, Sidney Crosby is the leading scorer for the Penguins and Jake Guentzel is leading the team in assists and serves as another big piece for this team. Magnus Hellberg has been amazing in between the pipes with a 922 save percentage and averaging 2.50 goals a game this year. 14. Edmonton Oilers The Oilers started the season off rough, being almost last in their division and with constant losing streaks. They are now 3rd in the Pacific Division and on a 15 game win streak making them two away from the NHL record and making them look like one of the best teams in the league. Surprisingly, Zach Hyman leads the team in goals and Connor Mcdavid leads in assists and points, making him their best player once again. 13. Los Angeles Kings The Kings are a pretty good team this year as they are 4th in the Pacific Division. At the same time, it must be said that the Kings are in a big losing slump; losing 12 out of the last 14 games, but they still have a four point lead on the Kraken. We’ve ranked them in 13th place because the signs point to them as being solid in the long run. They have a couple good players in Adrin Kempe, Trevor Moore, and Kevin Fiala. These players all lead the team in separate categories. 12. New Jersey Devils The Devils are in 4th place in the Metropolitan Division, but they could miss the playoffs as they are currently tied with the Islanders at 51 points, and they are now without all-star player Jack Hughes. They are also without Michael McLeod and Cal Foote; both on indefinite leave from the team. 11. Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers are third in the Metropolitan Division; they are leading the Devils by four points and behind the Hurricanes by five points. The Flyers are a solid team this year with a good record, but not a star studded team. Travis Konecny is leading the team in points and goals. They are a young team with only four players over 30 years old. The Flyers are without their star goalie, Carter Hart, he is on an indefinite leave with personal issues.
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CDS SPORTS Positive Start to Basketball Season! by Sekario Crossman and Andrew Cullen The first game of the 2023-2024 basketball season was a W for the Hawks. The Hawks played Winston Prep at home and won 24 to 9 with our leading scorer, Tayt Kent, scoring 15 points and a distribution by other players. Winston didn't really find a rhythm over the four quarters and CDS commanded a consistent lead throughout the game. This was a great start to the season for the Hawks, and hopes were looking high for the next game. Unlike the first game of the season, the next two games, both on Tuesday, Jan 23rd, were not co-ed. The girls went to Winfield for their first away match, and the boys stayed home to face Winfield in our gym. The final score of the home game was 23-9 and once again Tayt was the lead scorer with 9 points and closely behind was E with 6 points. Winfield had one strong player that stood out, but our determined team stayed in control the entire time. The Hawks ate them up like a light snack.
On Thursday, the boys team traveled to Winfield for their first game on the road. Ben scored a career high of 6 points. Tayt connected on three three point shots and ended up with 11 points for the Hawks. Wynn’s rebounds were impressive, Andrew and Sekario’s assists set up many shots, and the rest of the team worked in unison. Final score: 25-22. On the girls side, a home game ended in an extremely close loss: 7-4. The score does not tell the full story. They Hawks played aggressively with Mia B and Ainsley scoring, Sofia, Stella, and Mia E were strong defenders. With Brielle, Henley , and Mia E leaving early, the girls had to play down a player. The next game is on Tuesday. Will they win? Will they lose? I guess you’ll have to find out in next week's newspaper.
On that same day, the girls were playing the Winfield girls in an away game. The Hawks crushed Winfield 18-2 with the lead scorers being Maddie with 10 points and Sofia with 6. HAWK WEEKLY page 9
Updates Coed Team: 1-0 CDS Girls: 1-1 CDS Boys: 2-0 Next Games: 1/30 and 2/1 (at home)
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REVIEWS The Video Game Watch by Ryan Hughes Today on the Chatham Day School video game watch, the most popular game right now is Minecraft with a few others close behind. With many eager players ready for what Mojang has in stock, new items like the additions of the bundle and wolf armor have all players eagerly looking forward to each update. Over the past five years, Minecraft players have grown steadily in numbers. Minecraft: 5 stars Call of Duty has had some trouble with the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. With some players saying it is merely a $70 dollar dlc (game extension) for Modern Warfare 2 and some just don't want to play a campaign that only has one good mission and a multiplayer full of random skins. These skins are from football players to celebrities and Activision is selling the games’ identity with microtransactions. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3: 2 stars
Fortnite is a game that has growing in popularity especially after they brought back the chapter one map bringing old players and retired gamers to get back in the saddle and play the Player count was crazy and because it was a map that everyone missed and wanted back and fortnite listening to the community and making a more enjoyable game. Fortnite: 4 stars
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REVIEWS CONT. continued from previous page
War Thunder has the military games in a chokehold with its many playing options from being an ace in World War I, to a tank in present day, and a ship sailing in circles, it makes you actually work for the prizes. With seven different countries to choose from, many fun maps, and the opportunity to battle against experts, it has a lot to offer. If you are in the beginners level, you are not going against a sweat in a jet while you're in a biplane. War Thunder: 5 stars
This concludes the Video Game Watch. Remember, this is a subjective topic and everyone may not agree.
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SPOTLIGHT CDS Alums: Sam Knerr 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, we are going to show different CDS alumni. They might have graduated last year or 10 years ago. I had the chance to interview former CDS basketball star, Sam Knerr. Sam Knerr joined Chatham Day School in 2010 in Kindergarten and graduated in 2019. He has two siblings, E and Hannah. Hannah graduated CDS in 2017 and E is graduating this year. Sam’s favorite thing about the school is how small it is. Rayshaun, a person he met in second grade at Chatham Day School, is still one of his best friends. His favorite class was his seventh grade history class, which was taught by his favorite teacher, Mr. Murad. Sam was in many Chatham Day School productions. Some of these include “Alice in Wonderland” in which he played the March Hare. He was also in “Ugly” and he played the Ugly Duckling. Sam had a lower school buddy class. Sam misses his friends and having lunch with everyone. He says that Chatham Day School
Sam Knerr
has helped him grow as a person by preparing him for high school. Some of Sam’s favorite memories took place at all the Family Fun Nights he attended and Frost Valley trips that he took. He also said that he really enjoyed the time between classes because he was able to talk with friends. Finally, he was in the house Carya. Sam is now a freshman at George Washington University majoring in criminal justice on the pre-law track.
In future weeks we will catch up with: Andy Covello Katie Axelsen and More!
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HOROSCOPES THE GREAT HAWK PREDICTS… by The Great Hawk Aries: Issues might arise in your social life. Don’t pay much attention to it and soon enough a solution will reveal itself. Things will get better and everyone, including you, will be happy and thriving. Taurus: Go out and explore today. You’ve been wanting to go outside and try something new or practice something from your past. Today is the perfect day to do it and you’ll succeed at whatever you are planning to do.
FOR THE SIGNS… Virgo: You might have recently made a new friend and have become really close to another, to the point where you feel yourself losing yourself a bit. Try to take a step back for a bit and re-find yourself. There is no harm in being close with someone, but you need to maintain some individuality. Libra: You might feel like the people you are working with view you as a pushover. Show them what you are capable of doing and prove them wrong. Once you start being more commanding, people will begin to respect you more.
Gemini: You might have set unrealistic goals for yourself that you aren’t able to reach just yet. You will find yourself frustrated and will need to take a step back and give yourself a more reasonable goal. Soon you’ll succeed. Cancer: You might spend most of your time daydreaming about the future. Start creating a plan on how to achieve these goals and be open to change. Leo: You’re a really creative person with amazing ideas but have to be aware of those who want to ruin these ideas. There are some people around you that won’t have a problem taking your ideas and promoting them as their own. Don’t share too much about your ideas and present them to everyone at once. Surprise them.
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HOROSCOPES CONT. THE GREAT HAWK PREDICTS… Scorpio: You deserve a distraction. You’ve been wanting to play some jokes and pranks for a while. As long as you’re not hurting someone or their feelings, you should go for it. Try to get a couple of friends in on it. Sagittarius: You need to stop worrying about losing things. Anything you lose either doesn’t really matter, or can be easily replaced. Stop overthinking things and do your own thing. You will begin to see progress. Capricorn: You will have a lot of compassionate energy today, but don’t know where to put it to use. There are a lot of people who could use your help, and you are ready to step up and give them your time. Keep in mind that they might be too shy to ask so you might have to ask first. Aquarius: Your day might not be going like you want it to but your mood is so great that you probably won’t care too much. Tomorrow will be a better day for you. Pisces: Instead of focusing on others, you need to focus on yourself. You need to start putting energy into improving yourself for the better. Treat yourself today.
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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