LA Z A R
LEGA CY VOLUME V - ISSUE II - FEBRUARY 2019 - WINTER EDITION
FALL PLAY TRAVELS TO ELEM ENTARY SCHOOLS Lights, Camera, Action! Mrs. Coppola, Ms. Sheridan, and the students involved in the fall play recently traveled to all the Montville elementary schools to put on a performance of ?Grams Guide to Defeating Ogres? for the students. The cast and crew did a great job conveying that this play was not only play but also a lesson. The play showed that victims and bystanders can solve their problems with just a fairytale. Sixth grader, Isabelle Mercedes said, ?The play teaches kids about bullying and you have to stand up for it. Bullying is a strong subject to talk about because kids get bullied later on in life and it's good to start taking action now rather than later. A lot of people get bullied because of their race or color but what they don?t realize is that their race and personalities are what makes them unique.? Many students joined the fall play because they wanted to put a stop to bullying. The play is an opportunity to really show off acting skills and plays a big part of public speaking. Student actors in the play said they have made many friends within the group and had a great time practicing and going through the experience together. - Kaitlyn Chen & Srikrithi Kancherla
SCIENCE OLYM PIAD Science Olympiad is one of the many clubs in Lazar, but it is only available for the eighth grade. This year, thirty students tried out, but only the top eighteen were chosen. For its participants, this club gives students the opportunity to experience different scientific challenges of their choice that allow students to explore different scientific fields and ideas. Not only do they get to learn and design, but club members also get to work with their friends and learn what it means to both collaborate and be a team player. The club meets once a week in the morning. The preparations for the events are done at home. They include, building projects, studying for tests, or learning to work with a partner to complete challenges on the spot! The Science Olympiad team participated in their competition at NJIT in January. Last year, the eighth grade had not provided a sufficient number of participants for the club so some seventh-graders were accepted into the club. If you are a seventh or sixth-grader this year, be on the lookout for team news if you believe this is a club that interests you. To give a brief summary, Science Olympiad is a competition for middle and high schoolers, in which students are given tasks for which they prepare for beforehand. The challenges may include, building a roller coaster in which an object has to drop for a certain amount of time, or constructing a tower or bridge, or studying for a test on a subject. Each district is only allowed one team as the competition is gaining popularity. Overall, Science Olympiad is a great way for students to test their knowledge, in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, or Engineering. Each year the team will compete at separate tournaments, and compete with other schools. For more information see Mrs. Wardell or Mrs. Marnien. - Marissa Prager & Ram Pantula
6TH GRADE COLOR WAR On October 5, 2018, sixth grade had their Color War. Sixth grade Color War is a time and place to meet new people and interact with one another. All of the new Lazar students got engrossed in challenging yet fun games and activities. The three team colors were green, white, and yellow. The teams were created from students?last names and students were put into groups within the teams. Each team followed a schedule with different games or activities on it. The supervisor for each team gave the kids a brief explanation of what these sports or challenges were. The kids were allowed to choose their own agenda for the day. There were two team games that each team by default needed to play. Those two games were kickball and double ball soccer. Then kids were given the option to choose what they wanted. In the morning, activities included beach ball, Ping-Pong relay, and basketball. For the afternoon, games the students could choose from included thunder ball, sponge relay, and hula hoop challenge. The goal was to create to an agenda full of activities for the day. According to many kids, the best part of Color War was the final event ? Tug of War. This is where many kids show their strength and their ability and got very competitive. This was a day where students participated in events to show their school pride and the core values. Ultimately, the yellow team won, but everyone had a great time meeting new friends. - Pranjal Chetani & Sai Anupama Suresh
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M YSTERY STAFF
Do you really know your teachers and administrators? Test your knowledge of Lazar staff! Answers on page 8! Happy Guessing! 1. This Mystery Teacher has been working at Lazar for seven years. Before becoming a teacher, they worked at a pharmaceutical warehouse, filling out orders for doctors, but they thought it was very boring. They have two daughters, one is five, and one will be two this month. In their spare time, they like to fish, play golf, and work around the house. Their favorite sport is hockey, and their favorite team is the New York Rangers. This Mystery Teacher?s favorite show is ?Manifest?, and their favorite song is ?Civil War?. If they weren?t teaching the subject they are now, they would probably be teaching Physical Education instead. Their dream job besides being a teacher is to be a professional fisherman as they go fishing a lot. They would like to have their own fishing show on television, but they would make the basis of the show fishing all bodies of water around golf courses so they can play golf and fish at the same time. Who could this Mystery Teacher be? - Misha Gill 2. This Mystery Teacher likes to do yoga, spend time with her family, and try new restaurants. They have been working at Lazar for thirteen years and even went to Valley View elementary school. They love to help kids, were inspired by their amazing teachers in high school, and used to be cheerleading coach for twelve years. Most of all, they love to talk and write so all those things combined made them really want to become a teacher. Their favorite colors are purple and blue, and they love Whitney Houston. Their favorite movie is the The Wizard of Oz, and they love linguine and clams. This Mystery Teacher has amazing talents like they can double curl their tongue. Who could this Mystery Teacher be? - Sofia Matari & Anika Parasher 3. This Mystery Administrator has been working at Lazar for a couple of years Before becoming an administrator, he was a social studies teacher, a supervisor, and a coach. He was inspired to pursue this career because of the teachers and coaches that he had. His grandfather served in World War II, so he was inspired to teach history. However, if he was not an administrator, he would probably be a coach since he likes to be outdoors and stay active. His favorite sport to watch and play is football. In his free time, he likes to play golf, workout, and meditate. He prefers to read historical fiction and books by Michael Connelly. He loves music, especially southern rock and blues. He likes to eat burritos, anything in a wrap, or other healthy food. He also enjoys speaking to high school athletes about overcoming adversity. Who could this Mystery Administrator be? - Smridhi Mahajan, Khush Parikh & Marissa Prager
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NEW STAFF M rs. Abruzzo, M ath Mrs. Abruzzo is new to Lazar this year but is a familiar face to some. She previously taught fifth grade math at William Mason for fourteen years! She chose teaching middle school because she thought it would be a nice change. Mrs. Abruzzo grew up in Kinnelon. She went to college at Towson University for her undergraduate degree and then got her Master's degree at Columbia University. She has two kids, Jayce (3) and Abigail (1). She enjoys boating in Maine, her favorite food is pizza, and her favorite holiday is Christmas. She would love to visit Alaska one day. Her favorite quote is, "Be the reason someone smiles today." Her advice for students is "Mistakes are meant to be made. It's what you do different the next time that matters." - Interview conducted by Jordan Bergman
NEW STAFF M s. Lovenguth, Speci al Educati on One of the new teachers at Lazar this year is Ms. Lovenguth. She teaches seventh grade math. She went to The College of New Jersey and then to the College of St. Elizabeth to get her Master?s Degree of Special Education, though at first, she considered in business. Ms. Lovenguth had taught before including seven years in St. Rose of Lima in Short Hills and four years in Sparta Middle School. When Ms. Lovenguth was younger, she looked up to her mother because she is a very strong and educated woman.During her free time, she likes to run, swim, bike, and read books. Her favorite quote is ?You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view? until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it" from the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Her favorite type of music is mostly rock music and is sprinkled by other genres. Her favorite movie is "It?s a Wonderful Life" and her favorite color is purple. - Yen-Jeun Yan
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NEW STAFF M r. Ri os, Soci al Studi es
One of the newest faces at Lazar is social studies teacher, Mr. Rios. He currently teaches sixth grade and came to Lazar in January after Mrs. Gross retired. He went to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) where he studied to become a teacher and played football and basketball. Prior to being a teacher, he worked at a summer camp. So far at Lazar, he likes the community and people. He finds everyone very nice and caring. His hopes for his students include that they get take something with them from his lessons, have fun, and learn a lot. In his free time, he likes to go to the gym, read, watch television, and play sports. A fun fact about Mr. Rios is he has six brothers! Be sure to welcome him to Lazar when you see him! - Interview conducted by Sai Anupama Suresh
NEW TEACHERS M s. Rutledge, TV Producti on This year at Lazar Middle School, there are a few new teachers. One of them includes Ms. Rutledge, our new TV Production teacher. She teaches seventh and eighth grade. Ms. Rutledge went to school in Hamburg, Pennsylvania at Blue Mountain Academy for High School. She did gymnastics and was a tumbler and flyer. She received her college education in Napa Valley, California. In school, Ms. Rutledge excelled in and enjoyed writing and English. She was always into film. At an early age, Ms. Rutledge was interested in photography and management. Working in the film industry was always a big goal for her. Before Ms. Rutledge was teaching at Lazar, she taught TV Production at a high school level. Prior to that, Ms. Rutledge worked behind the scenes in the film industry before she was a teacher. In her free time, Ms. Rutledge likes to listen to music and play guitar. - Eman Albukhari
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NEW STAFF M r. Korli shi n, Band This year, Lazar welcomes a new teacher to Lazar from the high school. Ever since Mr. Korlishin was six years old he played sports like skiing, football, and baseball, and played the piano. Music stood out to him from a very early age, which is why he chose a career in music. However, he had many jobs prior to becoming a music teacher. Some include landscaping, working in a deli, and even being a ski instructor! Besides being a music instructor, Mr. Korlishin is involved in a drum and bugle corps. He also enjoys outdoor activities and enjoys hiking, being by the ocean, going for drives, and traveling. He wants to be fit and likes going to the gym and spending time with his family. In addition, Mr. Korlishin likes to cook and his favorite cuisine is authentic Chinese and Japanese; ice cream is also his favorite dessert. Overall, Mr. Korlishin, who is mainly a brass instructor, thoroughly enjoys teaching at a middle school age group. He wants to develop a close relationship with students through regular private lessons. So, next time you see Mr. Korlishin in the hallway, make sure to give him a warm welcome!
- Smridhi Mahajan, Khush Parikh & Marissa Prager
NEW STAFF M rs. Pareti , Secretary We are welcoming our new secretary, Mrs. Pareti, to Lazar Middle School! Mrs. Pareti is a mom of one daughter named Bella who is in college. She is originally from Kentucky and currently lives in Mountain Lakes. She enjoys knitting, needle felting, skiing, and playing tennis. She also likes the colors gray and blue. Even though she likes the color gray, she has a bright personality! Her favorite food is seafood and has always wanted to go to Italy. Some advice that she would like to tell students is to not stress, keep it all in perspective, this is just a blip in perspective, and as her mother always said, it will all work out. Last, but not least, her favorite quote is ?Courage never quits.? - Jordan Bergman & Isabella Guttilla
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WORLD LANGUAGE CLUBS Lazar has various after school and morning clubs. Clubs are a way to spend more time doing activities you love and getting involved. At Lazar, there are four different world languages offered including Italian, Spanish, French, and Mandarin. The world languages also have after school clubs for students who love the language and culture. We visited French and Mandarin Chinese clubs after school to report on what they are currently doing. We visited the different clubs. In French club, they were learning different activities in French. For example, they did soccer, but they used different French terms to say words such as, pass, or goal. Another day they ate crepes (a tasty thin pancake) and they were learning the ingredients and how to make it. They also used what they learn in class in the club as well. Monsieur Lynn has done an amazing job with teaching the students and having fun! We also went to Mandarin Chinese Club. There, they were having fun as they learned how to write in Mandarin. They also play an entertaining game called Pai Pai Shou, which is Rock, Paper, Scissors in Mandarin. In this club, a member, Kaitlyn Lee mentioned, ¨Mandarin Club gives me the opportunity to speak to individuals who share the same mindset as me and are proactive in learning Mandarin. Learning in Mandarin club is both efficient as well as leisurely.? The vice president for this club is Yoo Jin. She stated, ?I like Mandarin because, we write Chinese. We also do a fun game called Pai Pai Shou. Mandarin club is run by Mrs. Chang and takes place every other week. - Pranjal Chetani & Sai Anupama Suresh
CRAZY SWEATER PHOTOS
Photos courtesy of @lazarm i ddleschool (Instagram )
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PUZZLES Sudok u Di recti ons Wi thi n the row s and colum ns are 9 "squares" (m ade up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row , colum n, and square (9 squares each) need to be fi lled out w i th num bers 1-9 w i thout repeati ng any num bers w i thi n the row , colum n, or square. Good luck !
Sudok us from educati onworld.com
Sudok u Soluti ons
M YSTERY STAFF ANSWERS 3. Mr. Pasci uto 2. Mrs. Kei ser 1. Mr. Crescente
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LAZAR WORD SEARCH
ADVISORY
COUNSELORS
LAZAR
PRIDE
ALEKS
CUSTODIANS
LNN
PRINCIPAL
CARDINALE
EMPATHY
MEENAN
RESPECT
CHROMEBOOKS
HOMEROOM
MONTVILLE
SHERA
CITIZENSHIP
HOMEWORK
PASCIUTO
STUDENTS
COOPERATION
IREADY
PISELLI
TEACHERS
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LAZAR LEGACY STAFF STAFF WRITERS Em an Albuk hari Jordan Bergm an Kai tlyn Chen Pranjal Chetani Mi sha Gi ll Isabella Gutti lla Li li ana Gutti lla Sri k ri thi Kancherla Sm ri dhi Mahajan Sofi a Matari Ram Pantula Ani k a Parasher Khush Pari k h Mari ssa Prager Sai Anupam a Suresh Yen-Jeun Yan EIGHTH GRADE EDITORS Sm ri dhi Mahajan Khush Pari k h Mari ssa Prager SEVENTH GRADE EDITOR Jordan Bergm an ADVISORS Mrs. Claudi a Hei m Ms. Kri sti Vi scardo