Kids X-Press Magazine Winter 2015 by Kids X-Press

Award Winning

Winter 2015

Regeneron Kids Day

Illustration by Michael Luckett

Touch The Sky Award 2014

Fabulous Cultures Working Together Fashion Passions

Beat the Winter Blues with Puzzles, Games and More

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sharing ss is off to a fresh start past year. e for the successes of the tud ati gr d an s rie mo me issions, events, g all the wonderful subm din o rea l joy en d Hel an in ive D look at a ss has for you. Take a : e Pre Xn ds Ki o s rie y sto r d e ev letters, poems an me young y, where children beca Da ' ds Ki n ro ne ge Re ron’s special insert from activities. Read Regene ay yd er ev ts ec eff ce en different ways sci Haber. scientists and explored ntist Nicole Alessandricie os ur ne ws vie er int Rodriguez as she student reporter Anisa h the Sky Awards ss held its annual Touc Pre Xds Ki as n tio ra leb wards 2014 was a year of ce ckett and Gabrielle Ed Lu n itly Ka nts de stu azine. staurant, where ed in Kids X-Press mag sh bli pu Reception at 42 The Re n sio es pr ex our honorees, ir writing and artistic attended in support of were honored for the t tha se tho d an s ree of all our hono Check out the pictures programs and kids. s are following, new fashion trends kid d an , sic mu s, vie mo games, out our games on If you're looking for what joy reading and check En s. ter or rep st be the some of we have reviews from page 9. poetr y, and letters your artwork, stories, ing nd se by ed olv inv d stay Remember to send a Never hesitate to get an Press, Inc. magazine! Xds Ki a in ed sh bli be pu for your opportunity to heck Page 13). parent or guardian (C a by d ne sig p sli ion permiss Stay warm!

It's 2015 and Kids X-Pre

What’s Happening AT Happy New Year!! Kids X-Press wishes all our friends and supporters a wonderful 2015! We are getting off to a great start as Kids X-Press continues to give youth a forum for self-expression and organizations an opportunity to reach new audiences. New this year is a publication about energy sustainability and STEM in partnership with the New York Power Authority due out in March. Students at PS 28 from The Bronx, NY, will generate the content. “The Voice of Paterson” publications for K-12 grades continue for another year showcasing many different topics created by a cross section of students. The magazines highlight academic initiatives as experienced by the students in Paterson, NJ. The magazines will serve as a vehicle to unify and represent diverse elements of the community into one collaborative voice reaching 10’s of thousands of students, their families and other stakeholders. Our after school enrichment programs reached many more students in 2014 and we expect to repeat that achievement in 2015. There are some exciting discussions underway expanding our reach into New England and Michigan and to create a coloring book about one of our communities. In addition, look for our Earth Day edition, sponsored by Entergy, in April. Kids X-Press has just completed our new engagement marketing kit, please contact us for a copy and learn the different ways we can work together.

Nivia Viera Founder & Publisher

Table of Contents 2 3 4 24 26

Specials Fashion Passions Music in my Life Fabulous Cultures Working together KXP Storytellers Jayden’s Adventure Touch The Sky Award 2014 Regeneron Kids Day High School Seniors Do’s and Don’ts

Fashion Passions

KXP Storytellers Jayden’s Adventure

Touch The Sky Award 2014

Movies

Specials Cont.

KXP Regulars

Subscription Piggy’s Mailbox Sports Shorts Pick a Peck of Pickled Poetry The Art Page

6 8 10 12

Bilingual Version 21 Que Hacer y No Hacer el Último Año de Secundaria 22 Family and Friends Movies 27

Puzzles & More Beat the Winter Blues with Puzzles, Games and more Submission Page & Permission Slip Puzzle Solutions

13 28

Thank You To 14 Our Sponsors 16 20

Welcome to the Winter Edition of Kids X-Press ENJOY!!!

Kids X-Press Magazine is published quarterly by Kids X-Press, Inc. Kids X-Press, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote literacy. We encourage children of all abilities, and from all ethnic, social and economic backgrounds, to express themselves, and we provide them a forum through which they can communicate to the public the world from a kid’s-eye-view.

Vol 13 Issue 1 - January 2015 Founder & Publisher: Nivia Viera Design & Production: Gabriela Madrid Kids X-Press Interns: Lauren Stevens, Alexandra Imbrosci, Elis Madrid Copy Editor: Ruth Grossman Marketing Consultant: Ellen Morgenstern © 2015 Kids X-Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Kids X-Press and the Kids X-Press logo are trademarks of Kids X-Press, Inc. To contact us, write to: Kids X-Press, Inc. at PO Box 374, White Plains, NY 10603, or call (914) 261-0815 or email niviaviera@verizon.net / kxp@kidsxpress.net www.kidsxpress.net In 2012 Kids X-Press received a Pyramid Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and recognition for excellence in science education by the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, as a component of the overall BASF Science Education program.

Kids X-Press, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that is not affiliated or otherwise associated with any school district, government, religious or political association. Any comments, views and/or opinions expressed in any article herein are solely those of the authors and illustrators and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Kids X-Press, Inc., its sponsors or affiliates. Kids X-Press, Inc. makes every effort to ensure all the works published in Kids X-Press Magazine are original. Kids X-Press, Inc. does not take responsibility for any misrepresentation of authorship.

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one of put my drawing in so al u yo an Dear Piggy, C u! yo to you! eamed to write to sending drawings st ju of Hello, I always dr d ea st in try to write more, your pages? I will Sincerely, Stacey Flores Newark, NJ Hi, Stacey, Your dream came true. Look for your drawing published on page 26 Good work and keep dreaming!

Hi Piggy, feel that they poem to make librarians s thi e ot wr I . rle ho C I am Marvens nt to thank all y do to help us. I just wa the at wh r fo us to nt are importa librarians for that. Sincerely, Morvens Chorle, Hey, Morvens, Astoria, NY You are totally right and it’s so nice of you

to keep in mind the librarians’ job. See your poem on page 24.

DearPiggy, Here's a picture of me standing proudly holding my published poem "Peace" on the back of Kids X-Press Spring 2014 Edition. Thanks! Jackie Kaplan Hi Jackie, I’m proud about you! You look so happy in the picture. Keep writing and send more poetry to share with other kids! If you have questions and/or comments for Piggy, write to: Dear Piggy, PO Box 374, White Plains, NY 10603 or email kxp@kidsxpress.net Please be sure to include your permission slip. Thanks for writing!

shorts

Oklahoma Thunders By Kids X-Press Reporter Luis Sanchez I am going to write about my favorite NBA basketball team, the Oklahoma Thunders. This team is in Oklahoma City. I like the Thunders, because they are a strong team and they work hard together. They have a great coach to help them with their games. They play against different teams around the world. This year, they lost against the Miami Heat in the finals, but I still believe they are the best team in the league. I love their uniform colors: white, orange, and blue. Some of the famous players on the team are Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Kendrick Perins. This team one day will beat all the other teams to become world champions. I hope I am able to see this dream come true.

He was an elusive, high-scoring running back, return specialist on offense, and a punishing linebacker on defense. He also played four official college games as a quarterback. Jones-Drew attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played for the UCLA Bruins football team under head coach Karl Dorrell from 2003 to 2005. Despite being undersized, Jones-Drew led the Bruins in rushing all three years he was on the squad, and showed good pass-catching ability and big playmaking skills as both a punt and kickoff returner. Maurice reminds me of me because we both are explosive backs. Also we are the same size.

NFL Running Back Maurice Jones-Drew I will be writing about my favorite running back named Maurice Jones-Drew, who is 5’7 and weighs 208 pounds. Also some of his career achievements in football were: 3× Pro Bowl (2009, 2010, 2011), 3× All-Pro (2009, 2010, 2011), 2× NFL Alumni Running Back of the Year (2010, 2011), NFL Alumni Player of the Year (2011), NFL Rushing leader (2011),and NCAA Season Record Punt return average. Maurice Jones-Drew was born in Oakland, California. His name at birth was Maurice Christopher Drew. He graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord, California.

Illustration by Eric Tamayo

By Clubmen Reporter Eric Tamayo

Illustration by Jaher Watts

because they are a team that works together. They work together by sharing the basketball and everyone gets the chance to score. Basketball starts in the fall. They play in Miami, Florida and as a team; they inspire me in many ways, such as the calls of the game and many more.

Miami Heat By Kid X-Press Sports Reporter Jose Colon If I could spend a day with the Miami Heat professional basketball team, I would play with them and watch as they play one another. I would play a game of 21 with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Then I would watch the Miami Heat play against another team. I would purchase a lot of souvenirs that have my favorite teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo on them. Next, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade would play a one-on-one game as I cheer them on. Lastly, Lebron and Dwayne would show me their trophies and championship rings, and sign my basketball. I like these three players: Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, because I enjoy seeing them dunk the basketball.

Lebron James & The Miami Heat By Kid X-Press Sports Reporter Jaher Watts Hi! My name is Jaher and I will be writing about Lebron James and the Miami Heat and the reason why I like them so much. I like the Miami Heat

Lebron James is a good athletic player who works well with others. I like the Heat because they are a great scoring team. Their winning streak is 34-2. Lebron James and the Miami Heat have received a championship ring for 2012 for being the best basketball team in the NBA. I chose this topic because basketball is a sport I love to play and I am good at it. Yes, I did like writing about this topic.

My Creation on Sports By Kids X-Press Sports Expert Shawn Harris Hello, my name is Shawn Harris. The creation I made was sports of all kinds. I really love sports! I love to run, jump, play football and baseball. Football is played with an oval ball and the object of the game is to run or pass the ball for a touchdown. If you make a touchdown you receive six points, and then you kick a field goal or try for a two-point conversion. Baseball is played with a round-shaped ball, a glove, and a bat. The person with the ball is called the pitcher. He throws the ball to the batter, trying to strike him out. If the batter is able to hit the ball, he may hit it to the second baseman or the infield, or he may hit it in the outfield where the outfielder will throw it to the second baseman, trying to get the batter out. That is how you play the game of baseball. The creation I made was about sports. I showed you how my favorite sports were played. There are different sports you can play, not just football and baseball. You can play golf or soccer. Golf is played with a golf club and a golf ball, and you try to hit the ball into a small hole. Soccer is like kickball, but you kick it into the net to score.

Trends

What does fashion mean to you? Well to me, it’s your own sense of style. You can show your fashion in many ways. Whatever you wear can change your mood for the day. For example, when I wear a tight dress that’s hard to walk in, I feel uncomfortable and irritated. The dress might be cute and look fabulous on me, but it’s not comforting. I think you should always try the dress on before buying it. But, if the store doesn’t have a fitting room, you can buy it and try it on at home. If it doesn’t fit, you could return it or exchange it for something else in the store for the same price. Also, fashion can DEFINITELY change the way your body looks. Girls, especially, look for clothes that make them look skinny, or a different way. There area lot of different types of clothing. Different types of fashion come and go. For example, I love high-waisted pants. They make you look so pretty. I feel beautiful in them. My favorite thing to do is to pair high-waisted pants with a tucked in tank top or a crop top. A crop top is just another word for a belly shirt. Your fashion sense can change at any moment. For example, on a regular basis, you only wear sweat pants, a normal t-shirt and sneakers. When you go out to a party, you change your sneakers for heels, flats or sandals, and your sweat pants for a dress or a skirt with a tank top. Fashion can also change a person’s attitude. Just like Beyoncé. When she’s at home she’s normal Beyoncé, but when she’s on stage she’s Sasha Fierce. So I ask you again, what does fashion mean to you?

Fashion

By Kids X-Press Reporter Adrian Moody Fashion…. That’s my topic. Who doesn’t love a little bit of fashion in their lives? Get classy from

Illustration by Adrian Moody

By Kids X-Press Reporter Tiana Ortiz

time to time. For men, fashion isn’t that important. For women it is very important. You can express your inner self when you wear what you feel fits your style. Me? I love fashion. I, myself, have fashion sense – and a lot of it. When do I express fashion? All of the time! Where do I get my fashion? From myself. I’ve been dressing myself since I was six and since then my outfits have been coming together with perfection. I don’t know, I mean most regular teenage/pre-teen girls, like myself, love to look nice and be given compliments! What woman doesn’t like a nice compliment every now and then? You might ask what store I shop at, or what clothes I buy. I shop very often – daily. I shop at Madrag, the Coliseum, Easy Pickens, and $10 Spot. And for my shoes... I go all out. I go to Sneaker Stadium, Kicks USA and Playaz – the best sneaker store ever. Well, my story can’t conclude itself. In conclusion, what can I say? I have a passion for fashion. Oh, I just love fashion. It’s more than just getting dressed and looking flawless. It’s about what’s inside and how you can express your feelings and what you feel for yourself.

Dress to Impress

By Kids X-Press Reporter Lissette Castillo Ugh, don’t you just hate wearing school uniforms? I know I do. It’s just so boring wearing the samething as everybody else. It’s better to be unique and different. You don’t want to look just like everyone else! I understand that some kids may wear inappropriate clothes, but they just want to show themselves off. They decided to make the uniform the policy, so that they know what kids go to the school, but that’s so unfair. We want to express ourselves. We want to look different, not all the same. We just want to show our individuality. Who wants to wear the same color every day – Monday through Friday? Everybody loves buying a super cute outfit, but they can’t show it off at school since we have to wear uniforms.

Illustration by Lissette Castillo

S I O S NS A P

When I think of uniforms, I think of dull colors, of wearing the same thing every day, and boringness. Also, wearing what you want to wear shows people who you are. For example,it shows people that you are colorful, silly and fashionable. As you can see, I don’t like wearing uniforms. I wish they would change the uniform policy because people want to show each other who they are. When we have dress-down day at school, everyone gets so excited because they can’t wait to show off their outfits. I hope my essay will convince the administration of this, so that they get rid of this annoying policy.

My Dream Outfit

Forever 21: teenagers always shop there for new clothing, jewelry or accessories. They have a wide variety of things, from jeans, hats, scarves, and belts to new jewelry. Recently, my friend Adriana and I went to Forever 21. Adriana bought a black sweater with red flowers and I bought a cute outfit –a gray sweater with spikes on the shoulders, high-waisted shorts with rhinestones on the pockets, a white t-shirt and white converse sneakers. Even if you are a person who doesn’t care how you look, you can go into Forever 21 and come out looking better than me – and I am very stylish. So let’s say that someone, anyone, came up to me and gave me $1000. I would go find my dream outfit from Forever 21. I would buy a whole outfit from head to toe. It would be so dreamy that everyone would want it.

Illustration by Zeni McCoy

By Kids X-Press Reporter Zeni McCoy

My dream outfit would have a white lace headband and a gold necklace with “cool” on it. It also would have a white lace belly shirt and blue ripped shorts and white sandals. Forever 21 has their stores organized by color, from red to pink to blue and more. If you are the type of person who isn’t beat to go around the whole store just looking for a certain color or outfit, you can just go in the store to that section of color. These are just some of the many reasons why I like, well actually love, Forever 21.

M MU US SIIC C IIN N M MY Y L LIIF FE E Music

The Music in Me

By Kids X-Press Aspiring Musician Jalil Brown

In this article I'm going to talk about all different types of music, such as hip-hop, pop and R&B. There are many musicians, such as Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Drake. They are all good musicians. What makes them so good is that they spend a lot of time with their music, so that when they finally create a song, it pays off. The best part about the music to me is the beat. I think the beat in the music is what gets me going. To me the best musician is Drake. I know a lot about Drake. First, I know that he is from Toronto. Drake has come very far in his career very fast. Drake's songs get me hyped up before basketball games. Finally Drake's songs can hype you up and some of his songs are really catchy, like "Started From the Bottom." In the end, music to me is something that gives you a jump start to your day.

Music Notes

By Kids X-Press Aspiring Musician Osbaldo Perez

By Kids X-Press Reporter Adriana Moya

Music is my life. Some of the types of music I hear are hip-hop and R & B. Music is my life because when I’m in a bad mood it cheers me up. For instance, if I’m in a bad mood I like to hear the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. When I’m not in the mood I like to hear the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette. Furthermore, I can express myself through music. My voice can be heard when I express myself. So, for example, if you are auditioning for a talent show at school, you can make your own song and you can put your heart into it. You can also express yourself when you sign up with your friends. Let me tell you a story. My friend Zeni and I wanted to audition for our school talent show, so we made up our own lyrics and performed our song for them. It was a great chance to express ourselves. So, now that you know how to express yourself, you don’t need to wait – start now! Go – nobody can stop you because you’re unstoppable. If anyone tries to tear you down, you can get right back up. It’s better to try and fail, then to never try at all.

Since I was a young kid, I fell in love.

With music notes, because I could not get enough. My grandpa played his beloved piano

While I began to sing opera or sopranos.

Teaching every note, beginning with the C-chord I would sit next to him while he played.

I took music seriously, starting second grade.

Music is my passion, because it touches my heart From feeling excited to tearing me apart.

Illustration by Osbaldo Perez

Fingers dancing through the magical keyboard

Snow Boots Reindeer Warm Scarf Frosty Winter 1. Icy cold 2. North pole animal 3. You wear them on your feet. 4. It comes from the sky in winter. 5. How you feel in front of a fireplace. 6. Wear it around your neck to keep warm.

LET IT SNOW !

Octopus Maze

Read the clues and fill in the blanks using the words in the box.

__ __ ___

S ___ ___

START

___ ___ ___ N __ __ __ __ ___ O ___ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ W ___ ___ ___ M ___ ___ A ___ ___ ___ __ N __ __ __

ESCAPE!

7. A season

Winter Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 3. What is Rudolph? 4. You were this on your neck. 5. What month stars the beginning on winter? 8. Special footwear that you use to slide on ice. 10. Something you wear on your hands. 11. The 1st month of the year.

2 3

6 7

DOWN 1. Everyone loves Hot____________? 2. You put wood in your ___________ to keep warm. 6. There are 4 in a In every year. 7. You wear these on you feet in the snow. 9. What is frosty?

G S N U I O S L E K R U R U B FA WO TOGETHER CULT By Kids X-Press Reporter Davianny Pereira I go to the school Enrico Fermi and it is in Yonkers. It is a really cool school. My school is named after a man named Enrico Fermi, who is Italian like Christopher Columbus. He was a famous scientist and created many ideas and won a Nobel Prize for it in 1938. This is maybe why they call my school this, because he was a very smart and creative man. Since my school is in America we celebrate many traditions. We celebrate Columbus Day on every second Monday in October. We also celebrate Halloween which is so much fun, and on the 25th of November we had a party for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a tradition we celebrate in America to give thanks, give to others and share cultures. The first Thanksgiving was with Indians and Pilgrims. At our party we got to eat pie and turkey. It was very cool and fun. I really like that our school comes from an Italian culture. Italy is in the continent of Europe and its capital is Rome. I like Italian food like pasta and pizza. Italian food is super cool and looks fun to cook. They have a lot of places to eat Italian food here in Yonkers, even more in New York City, like Little Italy. My favorite is pizza with bacon and I love to eat it at Domino’s pizzeria in Yonkers.

Discovering Alvin’s Heritage By Kids X-Press Reporter Alvin Tago My family is from Ghana, a country in Africa. I really do not know much about my heritage and culture in Ghana. In my family we do not celebrate

traditions like Christmas or Kwanza but we are always happy together.

Ms. Brochero showed me how to use the World Atlas, a book where you can learn about all the countries in the world, so I can know more about my heritage. It was a big book but I read some cool things about Africa. I learned that Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean in the continent of Africa. The word Ghana means “warrior king,” and I think that this is so awesome. Since Ghana is by the ocean, they eat a lot of seafood there. They also like to use a lot of spices when they cook. I love to eat good tasty food. A meal they eat a lot is Grilled Tilapia. Another thing I learned about Africa is when Anthony came to our class and told us how to make the drums that come from Africa. They were made and first used there, and that is so cool. The drums are made with wood and cow skin. Anthony let me play the drums and I loved it so much. It was my first time playing real drums and congas. I like to play the drums and had so much fun learning about music and more about Africa and my heritage Ghana.

Illustration by Alvin Tago

Yonkers & Italy

Ecuador By Kids X-Press Reporter Erika Alvaracin

Ecuador is in the continent of South America. It takes hours to get there. My mom and dad live there and they say I am from there, so I love my family, myself, and Ecuador. They have a lot of beautiful beaches and great food in Ecuador. My mom and I cook rice and chicken, empanadas, buñuelos and soup. It is really hot in Ecuador and feels like summertime all the time. I also love to sing and play Spanish music. We listen to salsa music and other music too. It was fun to hear Anthony play the same music when he came to teach us music here.

to Florida, Arizona and California. I have also traveled to the Caribbean to visit the country where my parents are from, the Dominican Republic. My family is big so we get to leave New York sometimes to visit our family. My older sister lives in Arizona, so my parents and sister Leany go to visit her there. We pack summer clothes because it's really hot there! My sister has a pool so we can stay cool on these hot days. Phoenix and Tucson are two cities we visited in Arizona. We also got to see the amazing Grand Canyon. It was an awesome view and a cool feeling. When I went to California I visited Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland and Costa Range. In California it is also very hot. I like to travel to these hot summer-like places, maybe because my heritage is Dominican and it is always summer there, all year. For Thanksgiving I am thankful that my family takes me to visit all these places.

Mexico By Kids X-Press Reporter Dariselle Abreu

Illustration by Erika Alvaracin

Mexico is in the continent of North America. North America is a “big-g-g “ continent, and Mexico is in the center of it. You can say it is in Central America next to the USA. You can get lost easily, because it is very big.

Traveling By Kids X-Press Reporter Leandro Perez I'm going to tell you about traveling. Even though I live in New York, one of the best states in the world, I have visited other states in the United States of America, or USA for short. I have been

I went to Mexico with my family to see my grandma. In Mexico it is really hot and it never snows there or gets cold. It can be sad sometimes because some homes are really poor and they don’t have clothes or shoes. When I am ten I want to go back to Mexico to see my grandmother. The food there is really good and my favorite food is tamales. It’s my favorite because when I tried it, it tasted very good. My parents buy tamales on church school days. I like the chicken tamales with a sauce called mole. The mole sauce is not spicy, but it’s not sweet either. The flavor is perfect. This is my all about my family and me.

KXP Storytellers Jayden’s Adventure By Kids X-Press Story Teller Jayden Gilyard

“Everybody get up. C’mon. Get up!” I try to warn all of the other villagers. I run to the houses, but they’re all empty… All I could think is that they made it to shore. I start running again, hoping that they’re there. Behind me, the forest is ablaze from the magma. The fire was chasing me like a cheetah after a gazelle. I finally make it to the shore, only to see they’re leaving on rescue boats, which from this point of view means they are long gone. All I could think of is crying, knowing that I’m soon going to be handed a death certificate. But I can’t give up so easily. So I run back to camp, hoping to find something useful. I luckily find three water bottles, a machete and a backpack filled with items. I race back to shore. I start cutting trees to make a raft. In the distance, I notice a shadow. I walk up to it and notice that it’s crying, well, she’s crying.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her. “Mommy and Daddy forgot me,” she says, crying even more and harder. “Okay,” I say. “Well, stop crying. I’m sure they’re going to come back for you.” “Sophie,” she replies sniffing up her tears“All right, Sophie. Let’s go.” “Grrrrrduduck.” The ground is trembling and the volcano is still gushing up magma and lava. “We can’t wait for your parents to return. We have to get ready to go.” She gives me a slight nod as an okay. As I walk back to the barely even started raft in front of me, I find myself face to face with a jaguar. “GRRRRR,” the jaguar growls, but I’m not intimidated. “Back up, Sophie,” I say. I break off a branch from a nearby tree. I start walking in circles with the jaguar, keeping eye contact. Once I bump into my backpack, I reach in and take out a lighter. “Sophie, run!!!!!!” I light the branch on fire and start swinging it at the jaguar. I corner it on the edge of the water and make it run into the water and start swimming away for a distance. I run into the forest to look for Sophie. All of a sudden, the

Illustration by Jayden Gilyard

“Thump!” “Boom!” The sound of the voices echoed through the valley. I was running as fast as I could. The animals were stampeding through the forest. “Tss, tss.” Pieces of magma were falling everywhere, lighting fires in the trees.

animals start to fall down and lava is going everywhere. “Sophie, Sophie!” I call. “Help, help!” I hear her but I can’t see her. All of a sudden it starts raining. I look up and there she is, being eaten by the same jaguar. “NOOOOOOO,” I yell. The jaguar leaps down and growls at me. I start running until it stops following me. I get back to shore and start fixing up my raft. The trees are still falling from the everlasting lava gushing from the volcano. I finally finished the raft in three days. I push it out into the next wave. I made it out and just in time. The lava reached to the shore. I look ahead of me and think of what dangers I now have ahead of me.

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Youth Honoree Gabrielle Edwards standing by her published poem "Masked".

Nivia Viera, Kids X-Press Founder & Publisher, Erin McCafferey Walk, Frances Brochero, Kids X-Press Literacy Coaches, Lauren Stevens, Administrative Assistant.

Nivia welcomes honorees, sponsors and guests.

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Gabrielle Edwards accepting her "Touch the Sky" Youth Award, with Nivia Viera and Tara Rosenblum.

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Kaitlyn Luckett presented her "Touch The Sky" Youth Award by Yuval Marcus.

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Students explore the world of science at New York’s largest biotechnology company By Regeneron Student Reporter Janaya Lindsey

The 5th annual Regeneron Kids’ Day was yet another success! This year, Regeneron was expecting around 350 students to participate in the daylong event, only to realize they were underestimating! Approximately 430 kids signed up, nearly 100 more kindergarten through high school students than last year! Kids’ Day co-organizer, Susan Croll, Ph.D. describes Kids’ Day as, “a fun way for kids to start learning about science early on.” Susan also says Kids’ Day helps kids not only learn more about science, but learn what their parents do in the sciences, too. One of the most popular activities this year, according to Susan, was the DNA extraction lab. In this exciting

experiment students were able to extract DNA from a banana and examine it. Another activity that sparked interest in the kids was seeing the Bio Bus, where they examined macro and microscopic organisms under high-tech microscopes! Cassandra, a 6th grade participant in Kids’ Day, says her favorite part of the day was when her group visited the ice cream truck!

Illustration by Leila Freitag

Thomas’ eyes lit up with excitement as he watched the tiny organism swirl under a microscope. David jumped for joy when he heard he was going to be extracting DNA from a banana. Cassandra was inspired to take on the challenge of putting together a make-believe dog DNA code.

Find the beginnings of life in your kitchen By Regeneron Student Reporter Olivia Cantarella All living things, animals and plants alike, contain DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid in the nucleus of their cells. Imagine if you could extract it? Well, you can. The DNA in bananas can be easily extracted with every day items found in your kitchen.

A Scavenger Hunt For DNA Materials: 1 heavy duty zip lock bag

1/2 banana

1/4 cup of dish soap

1 cup of water

Paper cups 91 or 100% isopropyl alcohol (you can find it at your local drugstore)

1 liquid funnel

1 teaspoons of salt

Popsicle sticks

Procedure: Mix 1 cup of water with the salt and dish soap to make a buffer. Place 1/2 of banana in ziplock bag. Smash the banana using your fist and fingers until there are little to no chunks Add about 1/4 cup of the buffer to the banana mush. Mash the banana in the bag again for 1 to 2 minutes.

Take a cup and put the funnel in it and pour the banana with extraction buffer slowly into it. After a good amount of the banana with extraction buffer is in the cup, pour in about Âź cup of isopropyl ethanol to the cup. Watch the DNA rise to the surface before your eyes in long, fibrous strings.

Advice to Young Scientists An Interview With Regeneron Neuroscientist Nicole Alessandri-Haber Q: What type of scientist are you and what do you do here at Regeneron? A: I am a neuroscientist; my field deals with the study of the nervous system. A part of our nervous system includes the feeling of pain. At Regeneron,I specialize in the development of medicine to treat chronic pain. Q: How did you decide you wanted to be a neuroscientist? A: I grew up with a love for science. I have always been fascinated with biology, especially the nervous system. If you want to prevent chronic pain you first need to get a good understanding of its mechanisms. I became a neuroscientist because I wanted to better understand how our brain and the rest of our nervous system function. I am happy doing what I do. Q: What advice do you have for budding scientists? A: Be passionate about everything you do. Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to go for your dreams. Becoming a scientist is not easy, I understand that studying can maybe feel “boring” sometimes, but if you’re passionate about your goals, studying shouldn’t feel like a burden. Just keep going and alwayskeep the end result inmind. Being a scientist is worth all the work, it is such a wonderful and fulfilling career. 18

Eureka!

Illustration by Jennifer Saloutenko

By Regeneron Student Reporter Anisa Rodriguez

Welcome to the Bio Bus! Regeneron Kids explore microscopic organisms in a mobile biology lab By Regeneron Student Reporter Janaya Lindsey

The Bio Bus is an interactive biology bus in which kids can observe microscopic and macroscopic organisms under microscopes. The organism the kids observed at Kids’ Day was called “Daphnia,” an extremely small being that feeds on bacteria. Sam, a scientist working on the Bio Bus, says these magnificent organisms fascinate him, and he loves observing their movements. David, a 7th grade participant in this year’s Kids’ Day, says the Bio Bus is something he’ll remember forever!

Illustration by Angel Medina

Cassandra, a middle school student and perspective future scientist, says the Bio Bus is the coolest thing at Kids’ Day.

The earth spins around the sun for 365 days doing something new.

By Clubmen Reporter Perry Seward It is your senior year! You are getting ready for college (hopefully), and are on your way to a new experience and chapter in your life. There are certain things that every senior should do during their last year. Seniors should be able to know when and what to do before the end of such an important year. This way you are not scrambling at the last few seconds. Here are some tips to guide seniors, the Do’s and Don’ts of their final year at high school.  Keep in touch with your School Guidance Counselor: Your school guidance counselor will be your best friend during your senior year. Guidance counselors are there to help you and assist you in the college process. They will suggest what colleges are good for you, and will write recommendations for you. Also, know your Grade Point Average. Knowing your GPA is vital for college applications and for being able to get accepted. You should also ask teachers for recommendations before the end of your junior year. Remember, teachers will have other students asking for recommendations as well, so asking in advance is important.  Write a unique, thoughtful College Essay: Your college essay is your time to show off. Unlike traditional essays, there are no limits to these, unless stated by a college.

Your college essay should be about you and something in your life that has made an impact on you. Take time with your essay, and make sure you put the best you possibly can into it. Write about interesting moments in your life and maybe mention some community service activities. Be sure to have multiple people read your essay. Possibly asking an English teacher to evaluate your essay would be a good idea.  College Application Deadlines: While no one wants to worry about college applications, it’s something that should be done as soon as possible. The task may seem tedious, but once you are finished, you will be relieved. Colleges have deadlines on their applications, and time will fly. Double check to make sure everything is filled out correctly and be mindful that these applications cost money, unless the fee is waived.  Don’t Catch “Senioritis: (Inflammation of being a senior) As much as you may want to slack off during senior year, this is the last thing you want to do. Colleges still look at your grades during your senior year. Seeing a decrease in grades may have an effect on your chances of being accepted or declined. Make sure you prepare in advance, study for the standardized aptitude test needed to enter college, follow up monthly with your

Illustration by Perry Seward

High School Seniors Do’s and don’ts

guidance counselor, and complete all classroom and homework assignments and any projects due before graduation day.  SAT (Standardized Aptitude Test) Taking the SAT’s is very important. When applying to colleges or universities, these institutions look at your scores to determine whether your scores are good enough to admit you. You can take the SAT’s as many times as you want. Be sure to study for them, and consider taking SAT prep classes on the weekends or after school. Doing so will benefit you in the long run. Lastly, have a good time! Even with all these things going on, try to have a good time! It is your year, and high school is almost over. You only go through high school and the senior do’s and don’ts once, soenjoy it while you can.

Got it!!

Por el Periodista de Clubmen Perry Seward Este es tu último año de la secundaria! Te estás preparando para la universidad (con suerte), y estás en camino a una nueva experiencia y capítulo en tu vida. Hay ciertas cosas que un estudiante deberá hacer durante su último año. Los egresados deben ser capaces de saber cuándo y qué hacer antes del final de un año tan importante. De esta manera no estarás confundido en los últimos segundos. Estos son algunos consejos a los estudiantes sobre que hacer y no hacer en su último año en la escuela secundaria.  Manténte en contacto con el Consejero de la escuela: El consejero de la escuela será tu mejor amigo durante el último año. Ellos están para ayudarte y asistirte en el proceso de la universidad. Te sugerirán que universidades son buenas para tí y te recomendarán. Ellos conocen tu GPA (promedio de calificaciones). Conocer tu GPA es vital para las solicitudes en la universidad para ser aceptado. Deberías pedir a tus maestros recomendaciones antes del final de tu año junior. Recuerda, los maestros tienen otros estudiantes que piden recomendaciones, así que pedir con antelación es muy importante.  Escribe un único, reflexivo essay (ensayo) para la universidad: Tu essay para la universidad es el momento para lucirse. A diferencia de los essay tradicionales, estos no tienen límites, a menos que el colegio te lo indique.

El essay deberá ser sobre tí, algo que haya impactado en tu vida. Tómate tu tiempo con el essay, asegúrate de incluir todo lo mejor que puedas en él. Escribe sobre momentos interesantes de tu vida y menciona algunas actividades de servicio comunitario. Asegúrate que varias personas lo lean. Pedirle a un profesor de Inglés que lo evalue, sería una buena idea.  Plazos de Aplicación a la Universidad Aunque nadie quiere preocuparse por la solicitud de ingreso, es algo que debe hacerse lo más pronto posible. La tarea puede parecer tediosa pero una vez que la hayas terminado, estarás aliviado. Las universidades tienen fechas límites en sus aplicaciones y el tiempo vuela. Chequea dos veces para estar seguro que todo está completado correctamente y sé consciente que estas aplicaciones cuestan dinero, algunas no exigen tarifas.  No te contagies de "Senioritis: (Inflamación de estudiante del último año) Por más que quieras aflojar durante el último año, es lo último que debieras hacer. Las Universidades o Colegios tienen en cuenta tus calificaciones del último año de secundaria. Si ven una disminución en el puntaje puede tener un efecto sobre la posibilidades de ser o no aceptado. Asegúrate de estar preparado, estudiá para el SAT, (Prueba de Aptitud Estandarizada) prueba necesaria para ingresar a la universidad, sigue mensualmente

Illustration by Perry Seward

Que Hacer y No Hacer El Último Año De Secundaria

con tu consejero guía, y completa todas las tareas y proyectos de clase y cualquier proyecto que debas antes del día de la graduación.  SAT (Prueba de Aptitud Estandarizada) Tomar el SAT es muy importante. Cuando se aplica a los colegios o universidades, estas instituciones buscan en tus promedios para determinar si las calificaciones son suficientes para admitirte. Puedes dar el SAT tantas veces como desees. Asegúrate de estudiar para ellos y considera tomar clases de preparación para el SAT en los fines de semana o después de clases. Si lo haces, te beneficiará en el largo plazo. Por último, ¡Pasá un buen momento! Aunque con todas estas cosas que están pasando. ¡Tratá de pasarla bien! Este es tu año, y la escuela secundaria está casi terminado. Sólo es la escuela secundaria y que hacer o no el último año es una sola vez, entonces disfrútalo mientras puedas.

¡Lo tengo!

FAMILY & FRIENDS Best Friends This is a story about me and my best friends, Niah, Lalah, Alissa and Da’Zane, Alivia and Amanda. They all make me smile. They are so funny. I see Da’Zane, Alivia, Alissa and Amanda every day. They are cool. Now, about Niah and Lalah. I don’t seem them that much because they moved, but we are close. They both are funny. This is a story about my 6 best friends. We always have fun together. Most of all, we protect each other. I love Alivia. She’s my best friend. She’s the main one who helps me.

Illustration by Julexis Valdez

By Kids X-Press Reporter Jhataya McKnight

I Am Proud Of My family By Kids X-Press Reporter Jadavid Morel I am proud of my family because we are close and live close. In my family are my mom, my daddy, my sister and brother, cousins, grandpa and uncle. I am the middle child. My grandpa loves me. I watch cartoons with my grandpa. My daddy loves me. My mom loves me too. When there is a party, they all come and it is full of people.

My Family and Me By Kids X-Press Reporter Julexis Valdez Hi my name is Julexis.My birthday is on August 5. I go to School 24 and my favorite subject is math. I’m going to tell you about my family and me. Let me introduce you to my family; I live with my mom, step-dad, and my little sister and our boy dog named Snoopy like the cartoon animal. We like to get him costumes but he does not like to wear them. I love to walk him in the park and play with my cousin and my sister. Snoopy is also part of our family and so now we have 5 members.

Some of my favorite things are fashion and making bracelets out of rainbow loomMy favorite colors are neon colors like neon pink, blue, green and yellow. My favorite thing to do is play inthe park. My favorite place to eat is at T.G.I.Friday. My favorite country is Dominican Republic, an island in the Caribbean. This is where my family is from and we get to travel there often. My favorite place to visit there is Sabana De La Mar. My favorite music is Spanish Dembo, which is a common rhythm in D.R. I have a lot of friends but my best friends are my FAMILY! My family are my best friends because they care about me, they are very kind, and they are always there for me. I go to my Grandma’s house everyday. I love my family in fact they are my best friends and I don’t care if that sounds lame. They are very sweet and like to take us on fun trips to the water parks, and on a plane to Dominican Republic. In the summer when we go to Dominican Republic we have a nice big house with a pool in the backyard. This is my all about my family and me.

Illustration by Caileigh Thompson

I am so proud of my mom because she gave me a baby brother. I love my baby brother, and my mom because she loves me. I love my auntie because she helps my mom with two children. My whole family loves me so so much when I go home and at 6:00 when my mom comes home. She likes when I tap dance. We were in 10th place and we won the finals. My baby brother’s name is Caleb. He is a good baby. He smiles at me and my mom. We love him so so much and he loves the whole family. He is a good, good baby. He likes milk and baby applesauce. He likes to play with me. He likes to sleep in his crib. He is so, so cute. He likes to cuddle on the floor. He is a nice baby, we like to play with him, and we love him.

By Kids X-Press Reporter Akani Williams My grandma loves to cook. My mom works at Phelps Memorial Hospital and my dad works with children. And me, I don’t know. My family is busy, busy, busy.When my grandma cooks for me, she loves to make mac and cheese. My mom and dad work so they can take care of me and buy me stuff.

By Kids X-Press Reporter Alan Peralta-Castillo I am proud of my dad because he is the best soccer player. He won a trophy because he kicked the ball into the goal. I was there and I said “YES!!” It was the Blue Team. I am proud of him because he is the best dad. I like my dad because he is the best player in the world.

Illustration by Alan Peralta-Castillo

By Kids X-Press Reporter Caileigh Thompson

My grandma started cooking when she was13 or 14 years old. She’s cooked ever since then. My mom has had many jobs. She worked at Yankee Stadium, Cablevision, AMD, Phelps and Ossining Children’s Center. My daddy works at Lincoln Hall. I want to be like them when I grow up, cooking, helping children, and working at a hospital (maybe Phelps). Don’t think I’m done yet. I have more family. My other grandma loves to work with kids, teaching them about God. My grandpa has diabetes but still goes to church. He was a brave karate teacher. He is in a nursing home now and I don’t see him much but I remember his face in my mind. My other grandpa died but I remember him in my heart. Now you see my family but this is not all of my family but half of it. Goodbye for now.

By Kids X-Press Poet Leona Bennett

I try and try and try, but no one notices; no one cares.

All they ever care about is all the insecurities.

They think everything is fine when you fake a smile and cover up all the grief, sadness and misery.

They don’t see when you want time to yourself. They don’t see when they hurt you. They don’t understand.

They don’t know when you want to cry.

They don’t know when you’re feeling depressed. Half don’t even see you at all.

They don’t realize when you’re faking it.

Doing all this, when they don’t realize, makes faking it a talent. Poem for librarians By KidsX-Press Poet Morvens Chorle

Dear librarian thank you for helping us with our homework Helping us with what we need, using the computer to make copies of what we need. You are the best! You give us prizes when we do something correct.

Illustration by Leona Bennett

When Will They Ever Realize

My Soul

By Kids X-Press Aspiring Poet Jennifer Vasquez

The Ocean

By Kids X-Press Reporter Sandra Valverde

The ocean is blue My happiness is too, When I smell you, A unique smell, that makes Me love you more than my Cookies and s’mores

Even though we’re not together I thought it was forever. But now that we are apart You still stole my heart. Many things come through But I don’t know what to do Because it’s all about you. When you come near me I don’t know how to feel about you. No matter what you do I’m still going to love you. People say that time will fly But when I’m with you it feels like a lie. When I’m with you I can be myself But never someone else. I fell apart Because you broke my heart. But I am still standing strong While you are laughing about all the things you did wrong.

NATURE

Illustration by Christina Hood

By Kids X-Press Aspiring Poet Christina Hood

N ature is beautiful to describe A wesome trees T iny flowers, terrific nature U nique rocks and talent R oses and violets are types of flowers E very day you can see the sunshine 25

Illustration by Stacey Flores

Illustration by Maya Flemister

Illustration by Ashar Aunuvuty

Illustration by Sandra Valverde

Illustration by Isabell Huang

The Art Page

MOVIES Movie

Illustration by Khalid Williams

By Clubmen Reporter Khalid Williams

Watching movies is part of the average everyday American life. Not too many people actually know the process of creating a film. Many people, other than the director and actors, play a big role behind the scenes. You have people who are in charge of choosing the camera equipment, location, lighting, and effects that best fit the film. Present-day movies are all shot with High Definition (HD) camera equipment. The definition of high definition is, designating television transmission with greater clarity of image and sounds than that of a standard television. The location and lighting are the most important. These two, lighting and location, set the tone and attitude for any film. Before HD, the first cameras were made out of a small wooden box and a small lens. Videography and photography can be traced back as far as the early1800s. The first patented idea of film-making was in the year 1886 by a Frenchman named Louis Le Prince. These small wooden devices would capture the motion of an object and display it on a projector. The first films shown in New York were of extremely poor quality.

The United States was the first nation to show the public pay-to-watch films, on Broadway in 1895. Europe had not shown pay-to-watch films until November 1895 in Berlin. As one may be able to realize, film-making is not an easy process, and it has developed over the years in the film industry. Making a movie can take up to months or even up to a year to complete. A lot of hard work goes into making movies: creativity, imagination, money, and so much more, so the end result can be for the public to be able to enjoy watching them in movie theatres as well as on television. I do not have a specific filmmaker that I like, because to me I think every filmmaker is an artist, has a vision, and creates to feed the imagination of those who watch movies, the audience.

Movie Day By Kids X-Press Reporter Joan Saez Have you ever wanted to be out of school, get some ice cream, enjoy the nice weather and do something really fun with your friends? Well I have something to tell you. What I’m about to tell you will maybe amaze you and persuade you to do these things. My story is about going to the movies on a class trip. To begin, the field trip wasn’t until May 9th. That day was on a Friday, which made the field trip more exciting. Our literacy teacher, Mrs. Reyes, had distributed the permission slips to the students who were attending the field trip. The entire 6th grade was going, but some weren’t able to go because they didn’t bring their permission slips.

popcorn, it took maybe 7 to 10 minutes to start the movie. The beginning of the movie shows the people who made it, then shows the title of the movie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Legends of Oz. The movie finished and it was really good. Since I ate all of my popcorn, I was really hungry. We went to a pizzeria and my friends Brandon and Xavier combined our money and bought a medium pizza. The field trip was awesome. The End!!

Illustration by Joan Saez

I checked the calendar and there were only 2 more days until the trip. In addition, during the week before the trip we had state testing Monday through Thursday. The testing was done and we had one more day. I went home, did my homework, played, ate and then later I went to sleep. It was Friday and we were all excited to go to the movie theatres. I had to bring money with me for the ticket and for the food. We left around 9:00 in the morning. On the loud speaker Mr. Montes, our principal, called and told the classes that we were going on bus 1, then bus 2 and so on. Our bus was bus 6. By the time our class got called we were walking to the front and going onto the bus. The ride from school to the theatres probably took about 30 to 40 minutes to Queens, NY. We finally reached Queens and got to the movie theatres. After we got our drinks and

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See us on

By Kids X-Press Poet Ashley Perez

Winter, winter, beautiful, winter You make me feel like a snowflake falling from the sky When I feel snow, I feel like a snowman Cold frost covering my window The snow covering trees and making them lose leaves When you make everything cold it freezes Animals gathering food and ready to hibernate Flowers, closing up from the snow and ice People inside houses sitting next to a fireplace Winter, winter, beautiful, winter When I play with snow I feel like a snow angel The sky turning gray and clouds so white Kids skiing, skating and sledding Blizzards knocking power lines and causing block outs Icicles falling and making music when they break People wearing heavy coats, gloves, scarves and hats People slide and cars slide Kids having a snowball fight Penguins gathering food and form a circle to stay warm Families drinking hot chocolate Kids and parents catching colds Stores, jobs, and schools closing The snow making it hard to see Kids smiling and laughing Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why winter is so beautiful and fun.