Rambler - Fall 2021

The Rambler

Volume 21/22, Issue 1, Fall 2021

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___________________________________ Hot Seat Interview With Mrs. Morris

by Sarah Fisher and Beatrix Mackil

Highlights

● Learn about Mrs. Morris in the latest Hot Seat Interview Photo Courtesy of Michelle Morris

● Check out feature articles: Most people know Ms. Michelle ○ Halloween, p. 2 Morris for the friendly smile and tasty ○ Music at Harvey, p. 9 ○ Gnomes, p. 11 snacks she brings to Harvey. But do you ○ The Legend of the really know her? The Rambler went right to Harvey Ghost, p. 13 the source to find out the answers to some of ○ Meet the Rambler Staff the questions we had, and we gained some on p. 16! fascinating information that has never been ● Plus Sports, Art, Word Search, disclosed before today. Are you curious and more. about the life that Ms. Morris lives outside of Harvey? Well then, read on!

Rambler: Are you married and do you have kids?

Ms. Morris: I am married! I got married in 1993 to John and I have a daughter named Maddie, who is 22, and a son named Jack who is 21.

R: Where did you go to school?

MM: I grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey (close to Millburn) and went to a really cute school called Glenwood elementary school. I had great friends there, I am still friends with a lot of people from my elementary school! continued on p. 7 1

The Rambler

Volume 21/22, Issue 1, Fall 2021

__________________________________________ History of Halloween

Eggs, Bacon, and Dwight Schrute!

by Lilah Groff Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31st. It was originally from Ireland and was celebrated on November 1st. This holiday originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night of the new year,

Photo by Dr. Metz

Google Images

the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. People would wear costumes to scare off ghosts and light bonfires.

During the eighth century, Pope Gregory III made November 1st a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some traditions of Samhain.

The night before was known as All Hallows Eve, and then later Halloween. As time passed, Halloween became a day of activities like trick or treating, carving pumpkins, wearing costumes, and eating treats.

Off to a Great Start

By Isabel Doran I am a 6th grader this year and it is my first experience at Harvey. I really like Harvey for many reasons. I love the fact that all of my classes are very small. It makes it much easier to focus. And if I do not understand something, while the teacher is teaching, I can ask the teacher to explain it again. At other schools, with at least twenty kids in a class, the teacher cannot take extra time to explain because there are too many students in a class needing help. Also, a lot of times with more students in a class, it can be very distracting.

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__________________________________________ Living on Campus

by Joy Chen hometown. For example, there are shops that are houses, one after another in Katonah, but in my hometown the shops are mostly in shopping malls. People in Katonah may know each other, but in my hometown we are all strangers to each other.

My favorite subjects are Math and History. First, the way to learn is fun. For example, we drew a map to help us learn about the Civil War in history class. Second, I am interested in these two subjects. Third, the teachers are humorous, sometimes they will tell some jokes about the class. I am a member of the middle school newspaper and publications class. I enjoy it because writing articles and taking pictures gives me a better understanding of life. I like Art best; it is my after school activity. This class can help to improve my creativity and imagination, and I get to learn different ways of drawing, painting and even mosaic art.

Photo by Leo Simmons

Hometown: Jiangsu, China Hi! My name is Joy, and I am an 8th Grade student at the Harvey School. I’m going to talk about myself and my life at Harvey.

I live with my parents and grandmother in my home country, and I have a sister who is 23 years old. My hometown is a small city which has 7.7 million inhabitants. There are lots of different things between Katonah and my

It’s really good to go back home on weekends. In this way, I can hang out with my family and go to different places in America which helps me learn about American culture. My favorite American food is hamburgers! I enjoy the time when I am sitting outside and talking with my friends most.

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The Rambler

Volume 21/22, Issue 1, Fall 2021

__________________________________________ step with your foot you jump up, and with the opposite foot that you jumped with, you then bring it up, like when you're running in place. Your knee then goes towards your chin. After you have jumped and landed on the board, you bend your knees and circle your arms, and after that you push off and jump into the water. A four step hurdle is the same thing but it is for people with more experience. You step four times to the end of the board and do your dive. Diving is not as easy as it looks. Lots of different dives take a lot of practice.

The first actual “dive” you learn is called a line up. A line up is not really a dive; you basically just go in the water head first but there is more to it. You do not just jump in any way. First you have to stand at the edge of the board and bend down like you're touching your toes. Then while you are bending down, you go on your tippy toes and at the same time you make your arms into a T. Then you fall forward and you get your grip and stretch. There are many other different dives that you can learn! I hope this helped you learn about how to do a little bit of diving!

The Sport of Diving

by Isabel Doran

Google Images

Diving is something that involves water. A lot of people say that diving is the same as Swimming. Actually they seem the same, but they are very different from each other. In diving some think that you dive off of a diving board, but for diving you actually use a springboard. A springboard is basically a diving board but it's bouncier and taller. Spring boards are at least 1 meters.

When you jump off a springboard you have way more time to do your dive because of the amount of air you get. It is kind of like jumping on a trampoline.You can also adjust how bouncy the board is.

There is a scale on the board that you can move with your foot which can adjust the springs. It might seem a little hard, but a lot of people can get used to it after a while.

There is way more to diving than it seems because there are many different kinds of dives. The first skill people learn is a one step hurdle. A one step hurdle is a step on the board, then you lunge down with your right or left foot (if you are a lefty you step with your left foot; if you are a righty you step with your right foot). Once you

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__________________________________________ each day so students will have plenty of time to scrimmage. Some of the skills that are practiced are, proper kicking of the ball, moving on the field, defensive skills, shooting, and learning all the soccer positions.

The coaches for soccer are Mr. Fink and Dr. Metz. Mr. Fink played AYSO soccer when he was in elementary school. He also played baseball, basketball, and he ran cross country in high school. He is a very good coach and if you join soccer I’m sure you will have a great time working with him.

Dr. Metz played soccer in Elementary school. She played basketball and softball in middle school for her travel and school team. In high school, she played field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. In college, she played field hockey in the fall and in the winter she worked as the manager of the women’s hockey team!

So far everyone is having a great time in soccer so if you think you would like to join, reach out to Mr. Fink and Dr. Metz! ________________________

Soccer

by Sarah Fisher This fall soccer is one of the options for after school sports. In soccer students get the experience to work on their game and become a much better player. There is one middle school soccer team that everyone is encouraged to join. The team is coed Photo by Dr. Metz

which means boys and girls can play together during practices and games. As of now there are 20 students on the team but we are always looking for more! Everyday students practice on the cemetery field. At the beginning of practice students do some stretches to get ready for a fun, exciting, practice. Then we run a lap around the field to get students energized and ready to play.

There is only one skill practiced

Sports Overview

by Ruth Doran There are many sports in the world. The sports I will be writing about are diving, basketball, and soccer!

Diving: Diving is where you go on a diving board and do tricks. To start off a dive you need to do a hurdle. A hurdle is where you lift your leg up, hold, swing your arms and then go in.

There is not just springboard diving, but there is also platform diving, and cliff

diving. Platform diving is just diving that uses a platform that you dive off of and which are for advanced divers. You can’t jump as high on a board, and platforms are usually really high; the lowest would be 5 meters. Cliff diving is even more advanced.

You just dive off cliffs and go in water.

People cliff dive at quarries and these cliffs are even higher than platforms.

Basketball: Basketball is where you have a ball, play against another team, and you continued on p. 6

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__________________________________________ to get the ball in the hoop. You have probably heard of it before because it's a popular sport. When you get the ball in the hoop, you get points. The team with the most points wins. You can also learn tricks in basketball and have practices that show you how to get better. You can also teach other people when you get really good at it.

Soccer: Soccer is a sport where you can't use your hands and you must kick a ball into a goal. A goal is a net, and players must aim to get the ball into the goal to earn points. It is challenging because players must defend the goal and players must face other players to score.

Photo by Madison Boothe

in order to ground it on the opponent's court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent. The team has only three hits for returning the ball. “Out of all of the positions you can play, the hardest is the setter,” said the volleyball player Sydney Boothe. At the time of printing, the Harvey volleyball team has won three games and the volleyball team is doing well.

Photo by Google Images

Frog Found During Recess!

Volleyball

by Madison Boothe Volleyball is the sport created by William G. Morgan. It became a sport in 1895 in the YMCA gymnasium of Holyoke, Massachusetts.

William G. Morgan decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball to create a game which would demand less physical contact than basketball. The object of the game is to send the ball over the net in

Photo by Mrs. A

Photo by Google Images

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The Rambler

Volume 21/22, Issue 1, Fall 2021

__________________________________________ Hot Seat Interview R: What’s something that nobody at this school knows about you?

MM: I like to work on house projects and work with wood; I love sanding and building things. I build stuff at home. I built a dog crate disguised as a table so that our dog wouldn’t know it was a crate and I built drawers to use under the beds to store things. I just love woodworking in general!

continued from front page

R: What’s your favorite food MM: I like all kinds of chicken, I like steak, a lot of fresh vegetables, and pizza, but I don’t really like a lot of sweets, although it’s nice to eat ice cream or cake sometimes.

R: Do you have a motto?

MM: I always like to be nice to everyone, because you never know what someone’s going through that day. Like when you think, “Ugh, that person’s in the worst mood, and they’re not being nice.” Well, maybe their turtle is sick! You just can’t judge people.

So, do you feel like you know her better now? Thank you to Ms. Morris, for answering all of our questions and for sharing your snacks! We truly appreciate all you do for Harvey.

R: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

MM:I would describe myself as energetic, fun (as well as having a sense of humor), and caring.

R: What exactly is your job at Harvey?

MM: I’m Mr. Knauer’s assistant! I keep his calendar, I answer the phone, I interact with parents, prepare meetings, and most importantly, I buy snacks! Really, I just do whatever the school needs, and that changes from year to year.

Photo by Joy Chen

R: What’s your favorite part about your job?

MM: Seeing students happy and also getting more comfortable at Harvey when they are new. When they begin making new friends and know that this is the place for them.

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__________________________________________ the 8th grade. He states, “I feel confident because our team is very experienced and it has three eighth graders on it.” Cam is one of the new students at Harvey and he has never done robotics before. He has taken a special interest in it and finds robotics to be a lot of fun. Cameron appreciates being on a team of experienced coders and bot builders.

He says he gets more experience with the bots with each class and gets a lot of helpful tips from the guys who have been in the game longer.

Art Afterschool

by Joy Chen Ms. Merola is leading some students to make a special kind of art——mosaic art for after school activities in the Harvey Middle School.

Mosaic art is one of the oldest art styles in the history of human art, so it is very interesting to experience it. The inspiration for this project is the seabed and some sea creatures like the pattern, reefs, sand and fish. Students drew the designs down at first, and carved the shapes they wanted out of clay. After drying, baking and painting these pieces they are going to splice them together to make a big sculpture.

What students are saying: “Art class is pretty fun, while handling clay isn't exactly my strong point since I dislike getting my hands messy, it's still fun nonetheless.” Gillian, 8th Grade

Wyatt Bland is also in the 8th grade and it is his second year in robotics. Wyatt feels that this new year will challenge the Harvey team in many different aspects, the main one being teamwork. Robotics can be very tedious so the team will have to work through many hard challenges to find which model and type of robot they should build.

Wyatt feels that he knows what he is doing and likes that he can help the other newer team members. Wyatt also says it will be a very fun year in robotics.

One of the newer Harvey students and team members this year is Zachery Roberts in 7th grade. Zach says, “Being on a team with two experienced bot builders helps a lot. They are very friendly and they are always willing to help.” He explains that “he is finding Harvey robotics both fun and interesting.”

Zach hopes to start building robots in the future and loves that Harvey is offering this elective class.

“Mrs. Merola’s after school art class is stress free. It is a great class to come to at the end of a hard day. It gives you time to relax.” Elena, 8th Grade

Robotics Overview

By Henry Sklar On a team of veterans is Cam Lamoreaux, who is new to Harvey and in

continued on p. 13

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__________________________________________ Music at Harvey

by Anna Bogenschutz There are a lot of awesome programs at Harvey, and recent additions to the mix are the middle school chorus and band.

Already, many students have jumped at the opportunity to participate in these programs.

Chorus has been offered in the upper school for a long time, but the middle schoolers now have their own chance to take part in this amazing program! They started off with six members, but have recently acquired a seventh. Many of the participants are eighth graders, but there are two seventh graders, as well as one sixth grade student.

The participants’ experience levels cover a large range as well. For some, this is a completely new experience, while others have been singing in choruses for years, or perhaps also play an instrument. All of the students are excited and eager for the Candlelight Concert in December, which they will be preparing for in the weeks to come. The Candlelight Concert is a long-standing tradition in which the chorus students in the upper and middle schools will perform their prepared songs. Most of the songs will be sung by the respective choruses, but a few will also be shared between the middle and upper schoolers. So far, in preparation, the middle schoolers have learned the songs The Rainbow Connection, True Colors, and Seasons of Love, to fit their theme of colors. They are also starting to learn the mashup song Found Tonight, a song written using the music from Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. In Seasons of Love, the group has experimented with simple harmony, and are getting more comfortable singing alone as

well as together as a group. Mr. Wright, the chorus's teacher, says that one of his favorite ways to get students comfortable with singing together is to have them sing short solos during practice. So far, it seems to be working. There will be more opportunities for solos as the Candlelight Concert approaches.

The band is also preparing. At the moment, they are learning the songs Run Boy Run and Low Rider. Of the eight middle school participants, five are drummers, so Run Boy Run, with its constant beat, is an ideal song. Still, they can’t very well have five people on a drum set at a time, so Ms. Davies, the band teacher, likes to give them experience with other percussion instruments, as well as introducing them to melodic percussion like xylophones and glockenspiels. When they began learning to play Run Boy Run, Ms. Davies actually had everybody learn the drum part. She says that “rhythm is the most important aspect of an ensemble because you can play the wrong note and have it still sound okay-ish, but if you’re not together rhythmically, it’s not going to sound right.” That way, when they start playing the melody on their own instruments, they’re able to hear the rhythm that they’re familiar with and stay together.

This is just one trick that Ms. Davies has picked up in her 13 years of teaching music.

Another thing that she likes to do is break up difficult pieces into small, manageable portions and then put them together at the end. continued on p. 10

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__________________________________________ Music at Harvey continued from p. 9

She says that “it’s important to recognize those little pieces of progress as we add to the bigger picture.”

This is definitely an idea shared by the two groups: Start small and celebrate your victories as you work towards a bigger goal. I hope they all enjoy working together this year. Good luck to the chorus and band as they prepare for the concerts!

Student Interviews

by Teddy Aaron 6th Grade What are your strengths?

Ben History, math and science

Photograph by Leo Simmons

8th Grade Do you have a pet?

Lily Writing

Joy A cat named Dumpling

Adam Art, science, and history

Gillian Two dogs named Wally and Eva Henry A dog named Otis

7th Grade What is your favorite car?

Daniel L. Ford F-150

The most incredible lunch food at Harvey: Burgers - Ruth Tacos - Isabel All of them! -Teddy Philly Cheese steak - Henry All kinds of fried Chicken, (I bring my own lunch). - Nick

Lily G-Wagon Mercedes Teddy Tesla

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__________________________________________ Gnomes at Harvey

“When I visited the Lost & Found, I saw a hat that was too small for any student to wear. I bet it belonged to a Gnome.”

- Anonymous Teacher

by Beatrix Mackil As many of you know, there have been sightings of both a ghost and bigfoot reported in this newspaper before. Today, one more formerly mythological creature is going to be added to the list: the gnome!

Now, many of you might be wondering what a gnome is, or it could be that you have some wildly incorrect idea of the species gleaned from books or TV shows. Let me clear that up for you now. The Common Gnome is a diminutive, wrinkled being that is often found wearing a peaked cap and handmade, leathery clothing. It would be easy to mistake a Gnome for a potato in a hat, as they are roughly the same color and size. They are said to reside underground and protect the earth's treasures, such as jewels. Not much else is known about these mysterious creatures, as they are secretive by nature and often live in complete solidarity. While I myself have an unshakable belief in their existence, I acknowledge that the skeptics among you may have a more difficult time accepting that the Gnome is indeed very real.

Therefore I have included several quotes from real Harvey students and faculty members who report startling sightings around the 125 acre campus:

In conclusion, we are excited to welcome these incredible beings to our vibrant school community. But a final note of caution: While you may be (understandably) curious, please keep in mind that these are solitary creatures who will not appreciate your interference with their daily life. In case of a sighting, do keep your distance and report it to anyone in the publications elective immediately.

Remember, we are one of the only schools in the world that is home to these ancient beings, and we want to keep it that way!

“I saw a gnome out the window of the theater classroom in the arts center! I thought it was a toad but toads don’t wear little red hats!” - Anna, 7th Grade Student “I found tiny footprints leading into a hollow, rotten log!” - 6th Grade Student 11

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__________________________________________

👻💀

anybody with me?” and he heard a male voice whispering, “Hey!” Sam also went ghost hunting in the Weil house. (that big white building you see as you drive into Harvey). On the Weil house property, there is this old root cellar which is pitch black, cramped, and small.

Sam states, “I was with my brother this time and what we did was set up a camera in the cellar and leave it there. As we were leaving, the camera moved and audible footsteps could be heard in the background. That was crazy…”

There have been rumors spreading around that the middle school separate gender bathrooms are especially haunted.

First, when you are doing your business, the toilet flushes, and then flushes again!

Sometimes it does that multiple times!!

Also, when you go to dry your hands, the dryer sometimes doesn’t turn on. It’s creepy.

So, the Harvey ghosts might not even exist, but there is a chance that they do, Beware!

The Legend of the Harvey Ghost

by Nicholas Ritenis.

You might be wondering “Who or what are these Harvey Ghosts!?” “What do they do?” “Where do they come from?”

“Why are they here?” I am here to tell you everything you need to know about the Harvey Ghosts.

Back in the 1940’s and 50’s, the Harvey middle school used to be a chemical research facility that researched cancer treatments. The Lab's patrons, Sylvan and Ruth Alice Norman Weil, owned the lab and took care of it. Ruth actually received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1947 which makes me think a lab accident might have caused her death, or transition between her physical Form and her ghost Form. So, maybe Ruth and her husband are the ghosts?

Or maybe, some of the old lab workers are the ghosts? What do you think?

But has anyone seen this ghost?

Middle school art teacher, Ms. Merola claims so. She states, “I work with Mr. A [Alexander] on the weekends building sets for the school plays. The building is always empty except for the two of us. I have heard doors open and close and seen a figure walk quickly past the doorways of the theater.

When I got up to see who it was, there wasn’t anyone there...” Another person also thought they also saw a ghost. Sam Alexander is a senior who lives on Campus and used to go ghost hunting. He uses this system called “EVP” that can capture the voices of ghosts and spirits. While recording, he asked the question “Is

The Root Cellar; Possible ghost habitat.

Photo by Nick Ritenis continued on p. 13

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__________________________________________ to their true potential which he knows they The Legend of the can do. How does it feel to be the oldest and Harvey ghost most experienced builder in middle school?

👻💀

Ryan loves when people do robotics and wants to encourage the team, especially the newer 6th and 7th graders to work hard and use the class time to learn all that they can.

continued from p. 12

The Harvey MS Teacher Word Search

The inside of the root cellar.

by Nick Ritenis Answer on page 14

Photo by Nick Ritenis

What is this??????????????????

Photo by Nick Ritenis

Robotics Overview continued from p. 8 Also on a team of veterans is Ryan Dey in 8th grade. Ryan is the only three year robotics student in the program at Harvey.

Ryan has mixed feelings about this year in robotics. He is apprehensive because when they go to the tournament he thinks the team will have first day jitters and won't perform 13

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__________________________________________ Comics Section

by Gillian Klares

Word Search Answer Key

Answers to puzzle on p. 13

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__________________________________________ Rambler Staff At Work

Photo by Mrs. A

Photo by Mrs. A

Rambler Staff Favorite Moments at Harvey this Fall: Eating donuts and pizza. - Leo Having my soccer games. - Isabel Having soccer games and meeting new friends. - Teddy Having classes with my friends. - Henry Exploring the “haunted” root cellar and doing Cross Country. - Nick

Photo by Leo Simmons

Photo by Leo Simmons

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__________________________________________ Rambler Staff

Photo by Mrs. A Pictured Left to Right, Back Row: Gillian Klares, Sarah Fisher, Beatrix Mackil, Anna Bogenschutz, Henry Sklar, Joy Chen, Lilah Groff, Madison Boothe Pictured Left to Right, Front Row: Leo Simmons, Teddy Aaron, Nick Ritenis, Ruth Doran, Isabel Doran

Editor’s Letter Dear Rambler Readers, Boy, for me the school year has gone by so slow! 8th grade feels like it will go on forever! But, there are things that will make the school year fun. Things like sports, electives, recess, and just hanging out with friends.

This year will be the Harvey School’s 105th year! Wow. I wonder what Harvey will be like in another 100 years? Here is what the Rambler staff thinks: ● Harvey will have lots of tech... ● Harvey won’t exist at all... ● Harvey will be an amusement park... ● None of us will be alive, so why do we care?

What do you think? Anyway, we at the Rambler are proud to give you the latest Harvey news, or just articles about interesting things. Thanks to Ms. Alexander, Dr. Byrne, Dr. Metz, and Mrs. Lombardi for helping us create the paper and a special thank you to Mr. Knauer our head of school. Well, happy reading and enjoy the year!

Sincerely, Nick Ritenis, Layout designer and Editor Special thanks to all the teachers, staff, and students for your willingness to be interviewed and photographed for this issue! Thank you for sharing photos and taking the time to assist with editing!

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