In the Middle (2014-2015 v4)

Miami Country Day School

8th Graders March Through South Reflecting Issue 4

2014 - 2015

on Middle School

Compiled by Kyle Gittler Day 1 Ben Kreger Today was a wild and exhausting day. After waking up at 3 in the morning, I was rushed to the airport where we waited for a couple of hours to get on the plane. In Atlanta, we rushed to the CNN building. The CNN building was great not only because of the exhibits but because of the content inside. After the tour of CNN we went to the aquarium. I’ve been to the aquarium several times with my family, but it still was very entertaining. My friends and I sat in the tube which was surrounded by a huge tank full of whales and other big fish and enjoyed the view. We then took a bus to Montgomery, AL. We toured a museum and then ate at a restaurant called Odessa's Blessings and listened to the stories of Reverend Graetz.

By Arushi Beohar

The year for eighth graders is quickly approaching to an end. Soon, the eighth grader will be ninth graders, the seventh grade will be the new eighth graders, and the sixth grade will be the new seventh graders. Every year on the last day of school there is a Reflections Ceremony for the eighth grade. The seventh and sixth graders attend as well. This year the eighth grade Reflections Ceremony will be held on the 29th of May starting at 11:15 a.m.

Jake Fishman I got to see some cool stuff. I saw the world's tallest escalator. I also got to see behind the scenes at CNN, and the best part was that I was with my friends The Georgia Aquarium was so cool. I saw whale sharks and a lot of cool fish and underwater mammals. The coolest part for me was seeing the different types of environment where the animals stay.

Isabella Pedraza Today was super hectic!

We all had to be at the airport by 4:20 in the morning. We took our bags and started the busy day through TSA and long

Photo by Mr. Fallik

8th graders at the Nat'l Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL.

lines. After dragging my sleepy feet and body, we finally boarded the plane.

We went to the CNN building. It was huge! It had the world’s highest free standing escalator! It was also really scary because when we rode on it, I felt like I was going to fall off!

We took the tour around CNN and saw the whole process of being a reporter and how news came on air. It was sur-

Students Compete in the Buoyancy Cup

By Sophia Gostfrand

How long have you been waiting for the Buoyancy Cup? Well, now it’s here!

You have to build a boat with a maximum group of four people. Many people entered this year.

There were 35 boat entrees. There are restrictions to what you have to use to build the boat.

The Buoyancy Cup took place on March 18, 2015. For doing the buoyancy cup, most science teachers are giving students extra points on test or quizzes.

The buoyancy cup started about 17 or 18 years ago by a physics teacher named Mr. Hori. If you win the buoyancy cup, you win a medal and science points from your science teachers. “What I like best about the buoyancy cup is that I think it’s a nice break to do things a bit different and if you don’t compete, it’s fun to watch other students,” said Mr. Finny.

The reason there are very strict restrictions is because if you were allowed to use things that float well, then it defeats the purpose. “We challenge the students to build something that will float out of cardboard and duct tape,” said Mr. Finny.

Students are disqualified when there is too much tape on the side or under. Mr. Finny said, “When I check their boats to make sure they follow the rules, and they break the rules, they still get to participate but if they win they don’t get the medals or science points.”

Before, the buoyancy cup was just a science project for high school. And now, it’s a fun day for middle and lower school students.

In first place for 6th grade, the winner is “Triple Play” by Charlie Leoni, Brianna lewin, and Rebecca Reines. There was a tie for second place in sixth grade: “Camo” by Leire de Zabala and Brooke Nieder and “Little Einsteins” by Sofia Nayor, Sydney Fuentes, and Sophie Naves-

prising to see how much care people took to make stories we see on the news.

Then we went to the Georgia Aquarium, which was amazing! It was so big and colorful. I learned so much about animals, and even saw a beluga whale! (I bought a stuffed toy version of one). It was amazing to see piranhas and sharks.

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The eighth grade Reflections Ceremony is a beautiful ceremony that is held in the gym. The ceremony has been occurring for about six years. The eighth grade team plans this ceremony.

“The eighth grade Reflections Ceremony is the exit assembly that we do in which our eighth graders reflect on their time here at Country Day. But in particular, their time here in the Middle School it’s kind of like a farewell to our eighth graders and a welcome into our Upper School because the assembly ends with Mr. Turf addressing the class,” said Ms. Cabrera, eighth grade team leader.

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Stevie Port and Shane Piller push fast to the finish line.

Penkwitt.

In first place for seventh grade, the winner is “Neon” by Sean Finny and Camryn Davis. In second place, the winner is “Aca-Bellas” by Giulia Zamboli, Zaria Thomas-Notice, and Ashley Hidnert.

In first place for 8th grade, the winner is “Dreadlock Rasta” by David Burger and Harrison

Breslow. In second place, the winner is “Tie Gals” by Sofia Gonzalez and Molli Leoni. In third place, the winner is “The Cardboard” by Danni Bernstein and Arushi Beohar.

By Isabella Greenberg and Isabella Pedraza

I couldn’t wait for the trip when I arrived to MIA around six in the morning. I was tired and groggy, yet I didn’t mind. Knowing that I would visit a completely new country with new people and still have old friends with me throughout the trip was unfathomable. Everyone soon was at the gate, and after long hugs and goodbyes, we left for TSA. We all looked around, but we had to get into the plane. With his suitcase still missing, we went on our way to New York City. Once we landed, we checked in bags so we didn’t have to carry them all around the city.

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Musicians Visit Orlando Students Tour Iceland

By Ben Kreger

Orlandofest is an annual music competition that takes place in Orlando, FL every year.

“Orlandofest is a music competition where bands from all over the U.S.A compete in Orlando”, said Michael McPherson, a member of the orchestra.

“Orlandofest is a national competition that takes place in orlando”, said Mr. Winters, “There are

many different companies that run competitions that allow students to be adjudicated by professional educators. Orlandofest is a combination of music fest and Orlandofest, the two biggest music competitions, and it takes place in Orlando. We got to go to perform and be critiqued against 20 other schools.”

The middle school has many different music programs. “All of the groups participate including Early Bird Orchestra, Concert band, and Radio Ensemble", said Mr. Winters.

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Going to Iceland was absolutely amazing. Being surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes, air, and water was mindblowing. There was a time that we stopped at a lake which was fed from an underground stream that you could drink from. Literally.

You would sit close to the small pockets of bubbling water, cup your hands, and drink that water. It was an amazing experience because I doubt you could do that anywhere in Florida...or even in the U.S.A !

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Around MCDS Students Compete in Buoyancy Cup Continued from page 1

A sixth grader Jordan Sheppard participated in the Buoyancy Cup. In her group was Ava Williamson, Kitty Simmonds, and Alexa Greenstein and the name of their boat was “KJAA”.

Her favorite part was that you can make your own team, build a boat, and race it. It was also her first year at MCDS and she has never done anything like this before. “To build the boat we took cardboard boxes and cut them perfectly then we used duct tape and put them together.

It was very hard to build the boat because you couldn’t duct tape the bottom, you could only use duct tape and cardboard.”

Natalie Berman is a 6th grader and it was her first time doing the buoyancy cup. She was in a group with Eva Harari and Natalia Socarras. The name of their boat was “Candy Cane Cruise”. Natalie liked when they set their boat in the water and began racing. “Once our boat was placed in, we forgot all about the hard work it took to build the boat. We were having so much fun, it no longer mattered if we win or lose. However, we still kept our boat at a slow and easy pace and luckily we made it and won our leg of the race.”

To build the “Candy Cane Cruise,” they built the boat with many layers of cardboard so it was extremely thick. They put slots of cardboard between the boat to establish places where people could sit. At the end they decorated it candy themed. “Our boat itself was pretty simple to build, but our toughest struggle were the paddles. They would mostly be touching the water, and we did not exact know how to keep them from breaking. The rules said we were not allowed to completely cover it with duct tape so we put a lot of cardboard. Unfortunately, it did not work, and our paddles did break.”

Anastasija Moskvina is a 7th grader and it was her first time doing the Buoyancy Cup. The

name of their boat was “Double A’s” and her group included Ana Julia Macedo.

Anastasia said, “What I like the most was we get to build our own boat and compete. Ana and I built the boat in a rectangular shape with high sides so the water won’t get in through the top.

It wasn’t that hard to build it and it was very fun.”

Camryn Davis is a 7th grader and he has done the Buoyancy Cup before. In his group was Sean Finny and the name of their boat was “Neon.” They came in first place for 7th grade.

They used cardboard boxes and 5 rolls of duct tape. “What I like most about the Buoyancy Cup is the boat portion and the feeling you get while racing. You hope to win but the boat could sink. The Buoyancy Cup is so much fun.”

It was Eighth grader Alicia Kelly's first time doing the Buoyancy Cup. In her group was Madeline Sukhdeo, Bella Allen, and Taylor Lynott. The name of their boat was “THE BOAT”. Her favorite part was getting the boat into the water with her friends. “Even though we sunk, it was still really fun.”

Alicia said, “We started to build our boat about 3 weeks before the Buoyancy Cup and the boat was too big so we were disqualified but we still got to go into the water. About half way to the other side we started to sink, and once we got to the end the boat was completely done.”

“We built the boat out of cardboard and made it like a row boat, but our paddles were no good.

We should have put more cardboard on the bottom because we sunk. I loved building it and would do it again, because I was having fun with my friends,” said Alicia.

In the end, everybody likes the Buoyancy Cup. It’s a very fun experience for all of middle school. Hope to see more people participate in the buoyancy cup

“Even though we sunk, it was still really fun.”

Alicia Kelly

6th Graders Made It Through

By Patrizia Puppin

Wow….the school year is almost finished.

The sixth graders first year of middle school has almost ended. How do the sixth graders feel about it?

Sixth grade is a new change of environment. Students are constantly changing classes and peers. Students need to organize their time, and all of their classwork.

Sixth grader Zeina Bazzi thought that her first year of middle school was fine. “I expected it to be way harder and really confusing because of the change of classes and different teachers.”

“I expected it to be harder, but it isn’t that hard," said Zeina. "It’s actually really easy.

The teachers prepare you well.”

One thing that Zeina likes about Middle School is switching classes. “I like switching classes because you get to be with new people and meet new people that you never really talked to. Also you get to change teachers and that’s better.”

Mr. Hayes the sixth grade social studies teacher said that that the sixth grade has

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Students Spend Day at Courthouse

By Patrizia Puppin

about a lady who got robbed at a hotel in Homestead. It was really fascinating.

On Tuesday, April 14, the 8th grade went to the Miami-Dade County Courthouse and jail. I learned so many lessons. First, Judge Sayfie explained the most important parts of the court and all the positions people have.

We went back to Judge Sayfie’s courtroom and some lawyers spoke to us about their jobs. Then two corrections officers spoke to us about jail. They showed us ways they restrain inmates.

They also showed us the knives inmates make out of beds, sinks, wheelchair, and plastic wrap.

After that we went to the morning calendar hearing where the judge scheduled trials. Then we went into bond hearings. I found this to be one of the best things that I saw that day. Inmates would appear on TV screens and talk with the judge. The judge tells them the amount of money they have to pay if they want to be free until their trial.

Alejandro Roye, Eduardo Sultan and Pedro Suarez row to the finish line.

adapted pretty well this year.

“Some are still struggling with being proactive in preparing for assessments, projects, and homework. For some students balancing athletics and the arts with their school work has been a challenge,” said Mr. Hayes.

Mr. Hayes also said that the sixth grade faculty team does a great job to welcome the sixth graders to middle school and helping them to manage their time and organize themselves.

Mr. Batcheller, a math and science teacher in the sixth grade said, “Moving up to the middle school can at first be a scary and confusing change but their teachers and fellow middle school students have been very welcoming and helpful to this new class. As with most 6th grade groups, they needed a little time to adjust to the middle school but I believe they did so in a very timely manner thanks to the help of their peers and our fabulous and experienced 6th grade team who have the adjustment process down to a science.”

Next, we went to an actual trial. We got to see the opening statements, the victim, and the accuased. The case was

Lastly, they took us to the holding cells.

The inmates were telling us to stay in school, don’t do drugs, etc.. and one of them scared us. The cells looked miserable. They also told us that about 500 people come in and out of jail each day.

Morgan D’Ablemont said, “My favorite part was the bond hearings, because it was the easiest to understand and it was the most interesting."

Students Have Fun at Buoyancy Cup

Page 3

Brook Nieder and Aly Rodriguez Row Their Boat

Photo by Mr. Fallik

Camryn Davis and Sean Finny paddle toward the finish line.

Photo by Mr. Fallik

Photo by Piotr Krasuski

Justin Kleidermacher, Pietro Landell De Moura, Bernard Krasuski get off to a good start.

8th graders David Burger and Harrison Breslow get ready for their heat.

Photo by Mr. Fallik

Photo by Mr. Fallik

Swan Azul Dray, Pearl Azul Dray, Alexis Waserstein and Michelle Jacobo pose for the camera

A Trip of a Lifetime

Page 4

Isabella, continued from page 1

Then we went on the bus to Montgomery.

It was a very nice city, and we sat the the steps of the capitol building and took a picture at the church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached.

We got on the buses again to eat dinner with Reverend Graetz and talk about civil rights. I read a poem out loud to him and had dinner. It was “soul food” with fried chicken and all!

After that we went back to our hotel.

Arushi Beohar Today was a very inspirational day. In the morning was a very early awakening. We had to wake up at 3:00 in the morning. The plane ride was fast, but I was so tired. We got to Atlanta and went to the CNN studios. It was very cool, however, we didn’t get to go up the World’s Largest Escalator because our tour was a little late. After the tour we stopped at the MLK Jr. Memorial, which was super beautiful. We drove for 2.5 hours to Montgomery, AL, and we took a bus tour. The biggest part of my day though was the dinner and the talk from Reverend Graetz, which was so inspirational. I’m really tired now.

Patrizia Puppin Today we visited the CNN Center and the GA Aquarium. We went on the longest freestanding escalator in the world and took a tour of CNN In the aquarium we had a lot of fun. It was gigantic. We had free time to go wherever we wanted inside the aquarium. My favorite part was to see the Beluga whale. She was so big and she was the only one in the tank out of 3 because she

8th Grade Class Trip

was pregnant so she needs to stay alone.

After that we went to see MLK’s grave. It was so emotional. We stayed there for 5 minutes and then we departed to Montgomery. We went to dinner at Odessa’s blessing. It was very good traditional southern food. I had these excellent small meatballs and creamy mac and cheese. We also had a guest speaker come to the restaurant. His name was Rev. Graetz and his wife’s name was Jeannie. They talked to us about their participation in the civil rights movement and all of the things that happened to their family.

Kyle Gittler

Today, I had an early start waking up at 3:00 am. At 10: 20 we arrived at the CNN Center. I remember the high ceilings were remarkable with a huge globe hanging. We rode the tallest free standing escalator in the world. After the tour, we went to the Georgia aquarium. We visited the dolphin exhibit. Then we rode on a two hour long bus ride. During the ride we passed large green lush fields full of grass. At night we ate at Odessa’s blessing restaurants and shared our creative poems. We checked into our hotel rooms at 9:00 pm.

Day 2 Jake We went to the civil rights memorial and saw stuff I would never think I would see.

Every where we went it was sad. I felt bad.

Isabella We had breakfast at the hotel, which was really good since it had really yummy biscuits. We then went on the buses again and left to the Civil Rights Memorial. From here we went to the Alabama State Capitol building and had a tour inside. It was really cool to learn about the different architecture. I even learned how some of the walls were painted to look 3-D! Then we went to the Center of Commerce for lunch. It was really good!

From there we took the buses to Selma.

Once we got there, I was able to meet Joanne Bland, who survived Bloody Sunday. We got to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge, which was really inspirational. From here we took the buses to Birmingham.

We had a

BBQ dinner and visited this really beautiful park that had a view over all of Birmingham.

It was amazing and absolutely stunning. From here we went back to the hotel.

Arushi

Today was another inspirational and long day. Last night was good because my roommates got into our rooms quite quickly. We woke up to a hot, delicious breakfast! We headed to our bus and drove to the Civil Rights Memorial, which was very beautiful. I will always remember the black marble water with the water gliding so peacefully on who sculpted our nation for equality. After we visited the Civil Rights Memorial we went to the Capitol Building. It was so large, and the winding stairs were so cool. I also thought the interior of the building was very different than any interior I have ever seen. I also enjoyed our tour guide because she taught us and showed us many cool things about the building. Next, we departed for Selma where we met Joanne Bland. She was a very inspirational person. When we were about to walk through the Edmund Pettus Bridge she told us an extremely moving and emotional story about how she witnessed people who she knew get tortured on Bloody Sunday. I was SHOCKED. I couldn’t believe that people would hurt and torture someone because of the color of their skin. It makes me wonder of the meaning of being human, and it made me feel ashamed. Then we crossed the bridge.

The view was stunning, and it was very calming and it brought a sense of warmth and serenity even though this bridge was where a lot of bad things happened. We traveled to Birmingham where we ate dinner at a Bbq place. It was good, but the first’s nights dinner was absolutely amazing! After dinner we went to Vulcan Park Lookout. I walked up all 24 flights of stairs with my friends but the stairs were a workout. The reward at the end was the stunning view of the city of Birmingham. It was gorgeous with all the city lights. After, I realized there was an elevator! Our whole grade had so much fun sliding down the hills outside the tower. We ran and slid. It was a great day!

Patrizia Today we went to see the Alabama state capitol. I had a wonderful tour guide full of experience. He was on the balcony when MLK got shot. The capitol was so pretty inside. There were gorgeous mosaic ceil-

ings.

After, we went to the civil rights memorial and learned so much. We also went to the Lowndes County interpretive center. One of the things I learned was that the Black Panther came from there and not from NY. After we took off for a two hour ride and finally arrived in historic Selma. We met a woman called Joanne Bland….man, she was tough! She got on our bus and we did a quick tour of the town. We walked across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. I couldn’t believe that I was walking on the bridge where Bloody Sunday took place.

We left Selma and left for Birmingham. We went to this BBQ restaurant, and I did not eat because I did not like it.

Ben

Today we went around Montgomery and drove to Birmingham and Selma. First, we took a tour of the state house. I enjoyed walking around the old Senate and the rotunda. We ate lunch at a cafeteria under a government building. Next we went to Selma where we toured the historical district and crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. From the bridge we went to Birmingham and ate dinner. Next we went to Vulcan Park, which was very fun and a great view. Next, we went to the hotel and slept.

Kyle Today after visiting a museum we visited the Alabama State Capitol building. The building's interior was nice. There was art on the walls and marble floors. We had an okay lunch and then drove two hours to Selma. We met Joanne Bland, and we walked across the bridge Bloody Sunday occurred. This was very inspirational. The grade walked in pairs.

We retraced history.

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Journey Through the South Continued from page 4 Day 3 Jake We all went to 16th St. Baptist Church. We watched a sad video about the bombing that occurred there. We later went and ate a good lunch. We walked back and went on a tour through a museum.

Last thing we did at this stop was walk around the park and talked about what we learned that day.

Ben Today we watched a video describing what happened at the 16th St. Baptist Church and then toured a park that was filled with statues depicting the civil rights movement from the eyes of a child. We took a relaxing 4-hour bus ride to Memphis, TN. When we arrived, we watched a traditional dance and listened to traditional drums. Next we went on a ghost tour, which I thought was a waste of time because it took away almost two and a half hours away from time that I could be sleeping at the hotel.

Isabella We had breakfast at the hotel and left for Kelly Ingram Park, which is right across the 16th Street Baptist Church.

We visited the church and watched a really sad video about the girls. We then had lunch at the Alabama Power building.

Then we rode the buses for the long drive to Memphis, TN. We went to a place for dinner and interesting entertainment. We even started playing the piano at one point! It was super fun.

Then we went on a creepy ghost tour. Some people got really scared, including me. It was scary that we got pictures of ghosts too, which creeped us out even more!

Finally we went to the hotel for some sleep.

Patrizia Today the first thing that we

visited in Birmingham was the 16th St Baptist Church. They showed us a video about its history. I could not believe that we were walking on the steps in which the kids died from a bomb!

We went to visit Kelly Ingram Park, which has sculptures representing the civil rights movement.

Later we went to this super cool museum. There were comparisons between what they offered to black and what they offered to whites.

We left to go to Memphis, our last destination. In Memphis we ate at the Center for Southern Folklore. The food was very good, and they also performed some singing, dancing and drumming.

After dinner we went on a ghost tour around town. We went to creepy places but we did not see any ghosts, we only heard stories.

Kyle In the morning, we ate breakfast and went off to another day.

First we visited a memorial park across from the 16th Street Baptist Church. We learned about the kids who were killed in the bombing. This was extremely sad. We ate lunch and drove to Memphis. After was dinner was a ghost tour, which was cold and unrealistic. I did not enjoy it that much. After we checked into our hotel rooms and went to sleep.

Day 4 Arushi Today was the last day on our trip . It’s Friday

the 13th and it didn’t really give us good vibes. We went to the great Civil Rights Institute. My friends and I saw how the African-American slaves had to sit crouched down for 19 hours each day for 3 months. I also saw how many were stamped with a label to indicate the brand/company they were from. It was horrible. We had lunch and went to Elvis's house for a personal tour, which was super cool. Elvis’s house is so cool. It is so big and grand. Then. we headed back to the airport for our journey back home.

Isabella Today was the last day. We ate breakfast and left quickly to the National Civil Rights Museum. It was the coolest museum we went to, and I loved it. It was artsy and yet inspired great emotion. After this we went to Elvis Presley's home, Graceland. We had to leave early because we were running late to the airport.

After a couple of hot, crowded, annoying flights we finally got home, at one in the morning.

Ben Today we toured Graceland and the civil rights museum. The civil rights museum was especially interesting because Martin Luther King died while staying at a hotel there. We did not spend nearly enough time there because didn’t even get to see half of the museum. After the museum we visited Graceland, the home of Elvis. I thought Graceland was the best part of the trip because of how over the top and ridiculous

it was. I bought a bunch of souvenirs for my family.

Patrizia Today we went to the Lorraine Motel, where MLK got shot. We saw the museum and got to see his hotel room. We also got to go across the street to where James Earl Ray shot him from.

After we went to the famous Graceland mansion, Elvis's home.

It was huge. We got to see all of his performance outfits and the prizes and nominations he got. He had a pool, horses and two airplanes. We also got to see his car collection.

After that we left to the airport. My group had to go to Baltimore.

In Baltimore our flight got delayed so we got to Miami at 2 in the morning.

Kyle It was the last day of our trip and we were all ready to get home. My group visited a museum first and then went off to see Elvis Presley’s home. His home was very grand and unique. But with all of the tourism I felt like it was a little cheesy. At the airport there was some many delays we got home at two in the morning.

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Trip To Iceland Cont'd

Page 6

Continued from page 1

After passing through TSA (which was quite hectic since we couldn’t use TSAPrecheck), we arrived to our boarding gate. We all stopped to grab some breakfast. The line for Starbucks was extremely long (like always), so I decided to buy a sandwich later. After buying a copy of Vogue, (which I later on noticed was in Italian) I started heading back to our gate. Right before we boarded, one of the kids had lost his suitcase!

We all looked around, but we had to get into the plane. With his suitcase still missing, we went on our way to New York City. Once we landed, we checked in bags so we didn’t have to carry them all around the city. Then we took the subway, which was busy, confusing, and dark. We jumped on and off every train until we finally ended up in Chinatown.

We came up from the subway and saw many different restaurants. We had a choice of going to a traditional chinese restaurant, Subway, or a pizza place.

I ended up going to the Chinese place, and the food was amazing! It was a mixture of different spices that were delicious. For dessert there was this amazing bread I had. It was spectacular. Soon we spotted a bubble tea place, and decided to stop by and grab a drink. Oddly enough, I learned that bubble tea is served cold.

We went back into the subway and continued our journey through New York City. We stopped by Target for our layover to buy the kid a new suitcase and wardrobe.

After more trips in the subway, we finally arrived to the airport. Passing through TSA was tedious, but everyone from the group was able to pass through with no major complications. Then we just waited to start boarding.

Meanwhile, we all had dinner in the wide selection of restaurants that were inside the airport. The food was nice and relatively well-priced. I remember Belle Greenberg ordered “The Meatball” which consisted of one huge meatball!

It was hilarious, and I was amazed she finished it all.

After that, we finally boarded our plane with Icelandair. I was surrounded

by Icelandic words, airplane pillows, and (to me) claustrophobic seats. Just being surrounded by a different language made me feel like what Sofia Gomez, a seventh grader that was on the trip, said, “It was beautiful and exciting, and all at the same time educational.”

It was a five hour flight until we reached Reykjavik, so most of us decided to sleep. Unfortunately for me, I only got a 10 minute nap until I felt restless and, again, claustrophobic. When we did arrive to Iceland, we were in a town a couple hours away from Reykjavik. As I walked around the airport, I learned that they were very modern. There airport was built of glass and wood, beautifully combined and very modern.

We soon saw that it was pouring, and the skies were cloudy. Good thing Mr. Fifer said, “I had backups for all kinds of weather based emergencies.” We got on a bus, and started our trip to Reykjavik. I fell asleep for most of the trip, but I know that what I did see was beautiful.

Photos by Ms. Bruno

I woke up, and soon started our adventure. We arrived at our hotel and set everything down. I went into my room and was amazed to see that we had two floors in our hotel, and it was extremely spacious. It also had a view to a glacier/mountain from the window, which was incredible.

The most mentioned excursion we went on was the Aurora Borealis (the northern lights). We left the hotel at nine at night and went to four places. The lights weren’t as vibrant like in photos, but they were amazing. The lights danced across the sky in hues of green and purple. After three hours, we decided to go back to the hotel and go to sleep.

“The Northern Lights were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and getting the chance to see it was a check mark off my bucket list,” said Ms. Bruno, or more commonly known as Torreya.

The second most popular excursion was caving. Caving is when you explore a cave. The cave we went into was formed in a volcano and inside the cave, we saw cooled lava rocks! The entrance was very slippery and icy so we had to wear grips on our shoes. We also had hard hats and flashlights. Some parts were very high, and some we all had to duck down do keep our heads from hitting a rock. When we got close to the end, we saw the skeleton of a dead lamb that got stuck in the cave. It was very sad. Honestly, getting into the cave was the easy part. Getting out took a while.

But, we all eventually made it out alive.

We soon started our six days of adventure which I won’t describe since I want you to hop on a plane to Iceland yourself! All I can tell you is that it included long road trips through amazing scenery, black sand beaches where you could climb the cliffs next to you or watch the 6 foot waves crash along wicked rock formations, Aurora Borealis

slithering through the night sky, getting soaked by geysers, glacier hiking, mountain treks, super clean air, snow capped mountains, snow in general, danger on every turn, and of course, a unthinkable solar eclipse.

Almost everyone experienced something new on the trip, even Mr. Fifer!

“My favorite excursion was caving,” said Luna Bertucci, another seventh grader. “It was really cool to go underground and see all the lava that was hardened!”

“I had never seen the snow fall from the sky, until this trip when it snowed five separate times in one day!” said Mr. Fifer. “I also had never seen a solar eclipse before... however, the trip was not just about the new experiences for me, there were many new experiences for the students. Some of them had never seen snow or played in it before.

Many had never been caving, seen the Northern Lights, or even been away from home for as long as we were.”

I would definitely go to Iceland at least one more time, and recommend that everyone does as well!

Everyone enjoyed the trip so much, we even created an Instagram for it! The account is @mcds_iceland_trip if your interested on following.

Around MCDS

ERBs: Hard but Necessary Thoughts From

the 6th Grade

Continued from page 2

Mr. Batcheller also added that the sixth graders are a wonderful group of students who are engaged in all of their classes and get along well with their peers.

Sixth grader Saarah Rassif said that her first year in middle school has been a little tough because she used to go to a very small school so it was hard changing. She also thought that the midterms were going to be harder but she said that she liked how the study guides were descriptive and how the teachers prepared you well.

“I am in Operation Smile and I think that the whole idea of helping people with lip problems or with any problem is so cool,” added Saarah “I personally like switching classes because you can move around, make new friends, and not get stuck with maybe a boring teacher the whole day,” said Saarah.

Saarah’s best sixth grade memory was going to orlandofest with all her friends and also going to the amusement parks.

Sixth grade English teacher Mrs. Linfield said that the sixth graders quickly adapted to the new amount of work and the switching classes.

friends and becoming familiar with a new environment.

The sixth grade team of teachers are experts at helping students navigate these difficult first weeks of school, so most students make the transition from elementary school very smoothly.”

Lastly, Michael Athanassiadis said that his sixth grade year has been great so far. He said he did very well and that he expected middle school to be harder. He found the midterms very stressful and with a large amount of studying but he said that at the end it pays off.

“I like switching classes because the day is divided into different parts, whereas one long class would be extremely y long and tiresome” added Michael.

Michael is part of the MECO club.

The MECO club is a club that helps the environment. They plant things, they cleanup etc.. Michael joined this club because he said that he really loves the environment.

Michael’s favorite sixth grade memory is when he won the sixth grade english award. it was his best memory because he felt that he deserved it and he worked really hard this year.

In conclusion sixth grade can be an easy or a difficult transition from the lower school. Students change classes constantly, they have sports, and clubs but they all seem to enjoy it, so that is very good!

"I am in Operation Smile and I think that the whole idea of helping people with lip problems or with any problem is so cool."

Saarah Rassif

“In the first weeks of school, many sixth graders are nervous as they have to learn many new routines quickly and some are also new to our school," added Mrs. Linfield. "They have the additional joy and challenge of making new

By Arushi Beohar

ERB’s are approaching fast!

Why do we even have to take ERB’s?

“Well, just like in public schools, we have to have standardized testing,” said Dr. Davies, the head of the school. “Our accreditation people who came to our school earlier this year look us over every five years. We have to have standardized tests of some sort and most independent schools use the ERB’s.”

The ERB’s are scheduled to be done the last three days of school.

This year the ERB’s will take place on May 27th, 28th, and 29th.

“I think it is a good time, as students have the benefit of a full year of study behind them when they take the tests,” said Ms. Linfield, a sixth grade English teacher.

ERB stands for Educational Record Bureau. Many schools use FCAT’s, TerraNova’s, ISEE’s, and others. There a lot of different standardized tests students in pub-

lic and independent schools have to take.

“I have taken the FCAT’s before,” said seventh grader Daniel Dominguez. “It’s always been good and very easy.”

The ERB’s are crucial in order for students to prepare for other standardized tests they may have to take later in their lives.

“The ERB’s are absolutely linked to the SAT so in all the tests, the reasoning portion of the ERB’s link very well to the SAT," said Mr. Mathes. "It’s one of the best indicators of SAT scores because of verbal reasoning and the quantitative reasoning section which are the hardest sections."

There is not much you can do to prepare for the ERB’s in terms of studying. The material students learn throughout the year will help them on the ERB’s.

“They should work hard all year in all their individual classes, but apart from that they cannot study for the ERB,” said Ms. Linfield.

“However, being familiar with the type of questions and the wording style of questions is important. For instance, if you do not understand what the word ‘omit’ means and you encounter it in a question, obviously you are in trouble.”

“When I took this job eight years ago, we moved the ERB’s from April to the end of May,” said Mr. Mathes. “Kids had homework, other tests, and sports so it was hard for them to focus on ERB testing. By doing it the last three days of the year, there’s nothing else going on. In fact, there’s no school Thursday and Friday at all and we also can finish the year curriculum.

We saw our scores jump up when we first did that so I just need students to take it seriously that’s important but not study. I think students get nervous because it’s used in some placement decisions.

It’s like any test when you sit down for the SAT; you want to get a goodnight’s sleep and not be nervous.”

also went to Universal and we walked around in the parks.”

The music groups got very high ratings this year.

“We won three first place trophies,” said Mr. Winters. “The kids performed excellently. The orchestra prepared all year for that and got a superior rating.”

In previous years, the music groups such as Early Bird Orchestra, Chorus and Radio Ensemble also did very well. “In the previous years we received 1st place every year except once 3 years

ago, we got 2nd.”, said Mr. Winters.

Students had a blast on the trip to Orlando. Maya Kreger said, “I really enjoyed walking around Universal with friends and shopping, especially the Harry Potter sections.

Daniel Gallup said, “I really liked Universal.”

In the end, the music groups were very happy with the results of their trip. Mr. Winters describes his Music Programs as "pretty elite”.

Winning OrlandoFest

Continued from page 1

Rootbenie Desir looks through her locker

Page 7

“All of the groups participate including Early Bird Orchestra, concert band and Radio Ensemble," said Mr. Winters.

Mr. Fallik drove the instruments to Orlando. Mr. Fallik said, “The performance was excellent, and I think the kids were excellent.”

Performing in a competition is not the only thing the orchestra members do during this trip. They also visit Universal Studios.

Daniel Gallup said, “We

Around MCDS

Raising Awareness of Drugs Page 8

By Daniel Ilyayev

Miami Country Day held a mandatory drug awareness night for only the 7th grade.

“Drugs can really kill you,” said Eloi Marchett, “I think that this night will change the way I think about drugs because I will hear stories about what happened to some parents’ children.”

Eloi has a friend whose dad was addicted to drugs. His friend found out and told his mom that his dad did drugs and sent him to a rehab center.

For Eloi’s friend, it was a very tough time. Soon, his friend’s parents divorced because they thought that it would be better for him.

Reflections

Continued from page 1

The 8th grade team plans the ceremony about two months prior to the ceremony. The ceremony includes a speech from the class president, student performances, the superlatives, a tribute to students who have been at MCDS since Junior or/and Senior kindergarten, a speech by Mr. Mathes, a speech from Mr. Turf , and the handing out of certificates. “As students come up to receive their certificate, their quote appears behind the," said Mr. Mathes. "It’s kind of a nice touch."

The gym is turned into a beautiful hall with student artwork and flowers. The ceremony is attended by the 6th and 7th grade as well as parents. The students wear formal clothing for this special event.

“I think it’s a very nice way to end the year," said Mr. Mathes.

“I have had a wonderful middle school experience," said Daniel Gallup. "I built some really good relationships with teachers. I have also gone on some amazing trips that I couldn't have imagined. And most of all, I have learned so much not only in the classes but also learned from firsthand experiences."

It is a huge step to transition from Middle School to high school. The Middle School teachers feel students are prepared for that leap.

“At MCDS we emphasize teaching study skills and time management. We also encourage the students to branch out and do more than just be students. We encourage them to be athletes, musicians, and so much more; which is very important."

“I enjoyed my learning experience as well as spending time with friends, new and old," said Zach Charalambides. "I learned a lot of new and exciting facts."

“I had great teachers who were very experienced and I enjoyed a lot of the field trips and that you got a good amount of responsibility and freedom,” said Madeline Sukhdeo.

“I think that for most of us, our hope is that we have developed self-motivated individuals," said Ms. Cabrera. "It comes from within them to do well and to reach their abilities. I think our goal is for them to understand what their abilities are and to maximize them. I think we’ve managed to teach them self motivation."

Many 8th graders are nervous, excited, and anxious for the big step into high school. “I am very excited to go into 9th grade because it has so many new rights and privileges, but I'm extremely nervous because it's taking a huge new step into my life,” said Kyle Grossman.

“I would tell the future 8th graders to be excited for the experience of being the kings and queens of middle school and to appreciate it for as long as you can before you become the peasants of high school,” said Daniel Gallup.

All in all, the Middle School is a great experience and the 8th grade Reflections ceremony is a great way to end your Middle School years.

Many students thought that drugs can seriously hurt you and even kill you in the worst ways. This drug awareness night taught 7th graders how important it is to know their effects.

There was a husband and wife whose daughter died because she got hit by a car that a stoned and drunk girl was driving from a party. The family's daughter wanted to go roller skating, and while she was roller-skating, it happened. The father of the girl told us that his daughter always roller skated with her brother. But the next day, she had a big test so she went roller skating by herself.

The parents were very worried for their daughter because it had been a long time since she left. The father went looking for her. The dad saw police cars and an ambulance. He was thinking that was

his daughter. The police asked him some questions on how his daughter looked. Then, after a few minutes, the officer told the father that the dead girl was his daughter. When she got hit, she died instantly.

“All I want to do is save this life,” the father said holding up a picture of his daughter.

Andrew Calfa said, “You can die if you do drugs which is really bad. This night will change the way people think about drugs because the people will tell us about them and how terrible they are.”

A woman who showed the 7th grade that if too much marijuana gets into your system, your brain would not work properly and you could get cancer.

“Honestly, I really don’t like people that do illegal drugs,” said Mark Bogorad, “I think that this is going to be a very informative night and it will teach 7th grade how bad drugs are.”

The woman also showed the 7th grade a slideshow about marijuana. It showed the statistics, the reasons why people do marijuana and alcohol, the long term effects, the short term effects, and how many people do it.

Roxana Kaplan said, “Drugs and alcohol can really harm you. Alcohol can give you depression, and drugs can change you in a terrible way. This night changed the way I feel about drugs because I know how bad they can be.”

The drug awareness night was an informative that taught us to make good choices.

8th Graders Share their Fears and Excitement

By Philip Steinberg Times up, 8th graders! This is the last year to be in middle school!

They are nervous and excited for many things.

Harrison Breslow is an 8th grader coming back next year. This is Harrison’s third year here. One of his excitements for high school is being one more step closer to being in college.

Harrison said, “I am excited to go into high school because we will be older and there are varsity teams.”

Harrison is nervous for the grades. Harrison said, “I am nervous because it’s harder and the grades really matter for college.” Harrison had shadowed there and it really helped.

Nicole Lovera is an 8th grader coming back next year. She has been coming here for three years. Nicole is excited for more independence and variety of electives. This is because it helps pick your job for the future.

What Nicole is nervous for is new teachers and homework. She said, “I am nervous for this because I do a lot of extracurricular activities.” She has shadowed there and it helped her too with becoming less nervous.

Eva Ankonina is another 8th grader who is coming back for high school next year. She is excited for a change. This change includes new teachers, a new program, and new people.

Eva is also nervous. She is nervous for getting good grades because they really matter for getting into a good college. She is also nervous because it is stressful to keep up with the good grades.

Ricardo Stamatis is coming back next year for high school. He has been coming here for two years. Ricardo is excited for more independence and a lot more options. This is because it is more self reliance.

Ricardo is also nervous for some things too. He said, “I’m nervous for the grades because they matter more.” Grades really matter more for high school because they matter for a good college.

Riley Weiss is also coming back for 9th grade next year. He has been coming here for three years. He is excited for high school. He said, “I am excited for more activities and a free period to get work done.”

Riley is also nervous for high school. He is nervous for a new environment and new teachers. This is because he does not know most of the teachers. Riley has shadowed there and it helped him.

Mrs. Avalos has advice and tips for 8th graders to help them overcome their fears and to be prepared.

Mrs. Avalos says that right now some of the 8th graders are starting to get nervous. From experience, she says that most of the fears are being the youngest ones again. Like in 6th grade, the 8th graders will be 9th graders next year, so they might be nervous. Another common fear are fears about keeping up with work loads and doing well considering that it is placed on your GPA. She says the final most common fear is the social component about being with new groups of kids.

Mrs. Avalos knows that the 8th graders will be fine. She says that it will be a slow process, and it will give the 8th graders time to get over their fears. There will be orientations to you more familiar with the upper school.

Blaise Pronesti is a 9th grader who was here last year. His advice for the 8th graders is be prepared, do all of your homework, get good grades, and do not be lazy.

Blaise thinks that it was worth worrying about those because it affects everything if you get a bad grade.

What Blaise was excited for was freedom and free time because there is more leeway and time to get your work done.

He says that the best thing about high school is that you have a free period to get your work done.

Nebiyou Meshesha, also known as Neb, is also a ninth grader who was here last year. His advice for the 8th graders is do not slack off, pay attention in class, and be prepared.

What Neb was excited for was the amount of freedom because his sister always told him about the freedom in the high school.

He was nervous for the workload because the grades really matter.

Neb says that none of those things were worth worrying about for him.

In Neb’s opinion, the best thing about high school is the freedom as in food trucks for food at break and cell phones.

Photo by Philip Steinberg

Harrison Breslow and Ricardo Stamatis study for a test.

Photo by Philip Steinberg

Mia Elortegui and Ethan Gale are prepared for high school.

Photo by Philip Steinberg

Riley Weiss looks forward to the independence of high school.

Speaking Your Mind

By Jake Fishman

Mrs. Lewis, known to her students as Ms. Lew, has been doing the oratorical contest since she first got here in 1985.

Three teachers from the upper school judged the semi-finals and came up with the final six.

Ms. Lew chose both the semi-finals and finals judges.

The contestants had talk to the whole middle school. Isabella Pedraza said,“I have to admit, I felt really nervous to the point my hands were shaking. But even this nervousness could not stop me from exuberance to speak about my speech.”

Isabella thought that the topic for this year was interesting. The topic was about how social media affects you and the people around you.

Isabella said, “Writing the paper was much more than just writing a paper. This paper portrayed emotion and passion, and being able to write what you say can be very difficult.”

“I thought about how I wanted to impact people and speak about an issue that would affect them," she said. "In the end I spoke about internet addiction which I can say I have been a subjective to.”

Isabella made the final six. She said, “It felt like an honor. I couldn’t believe that I was able to achieve it because I knew many other people wrote great papers.” Isabella's parents came to watch and she was nervous that they came.

Evelyn Abramowitz was also another contestant. She said, “I am not scared to speak to the public, and it felt good to express my ideas.”

Making the paper was difficult. She said, "It was hard to start it." What went through her mind when making the speech was to make it as impactful as she can. Evelyn also made the final six out of the eighth grade, and she said, “It was surprising I made it, and it felt good.” Evelyn's parents did come, but she was not nervous.

Daniel Gallup had mixed feelings about talking to the whole middle school. He said, “I was really nervous about my oratorical, but also really excited because I got to show what I worked

on.”

Daniel found writing the speech slightly challenging. He said, “It was pretty hard to have a balance of pros and negatives of social media.”

As Daniel wrote the speech he admitted he was thinking about personal experiences with social media as well as some of the terrible stories online you hear.

Daniel's parents came to watch, and they were really proud. H said they had a lot of faith in him. His mother works at MCDS. Daniel said,“I felt a certain degree of pressure especially when my mom comes because she works at the school.” However, she was extremely supportive and proud. Daniel's experience in the oratorical competition was an overall positive one, saying, “It felt amazing. It was one of my proudest moments in middle school”.

Madeline Sukhdeo has no trouble when it comes to giving speeches, saying, “It felt very good to stand and talk to the whole middle school."

Madeline wanted to make sure that her audience became aware of the the effects of social media. She said, “What went through my mind when making the paper was to get everyone to hear the message and understand the importance it."

Taylor Lynott, like many other contestants, had butterflies in her stomach as she walked up on stage, but she soon got over them. She said, “I was nervous when I got up there but after I started talking I felt fine.” Although her family was not there to watch it in person her father did tune into the livestream. Making it to the final six was as big moment for Taylor. She said, “I was shocked when I made it to the final six. It felt really good to come in 3rd place."

Elizabeth Stone was another one of the six finalist for the oratorical contest. She did slightly fear speaking in front of the crowd saying, “It was scary at first but after a little I became used to it and got more comfortable”. When writing the paper it came to Elizabeth's attention how much of a problem cyber bullying is. She admitted how "sad it is how big of a problem cyber bullying is."

"It was one of my proudest moments in middle school."

Daniel Gallup

Taylor Lynott got third place in the annual oratorial contest.

Photo by Jake Fishman

Page 9

Walking for Liposarcoma

By Chuck Sukhdeo

find a cure.

Also, Kayla says she has really enjoyed watching the Wendy Walk grow over the past six years.

The Wendy Walk was on April 12, 2015. It is She said, “We started the first walk in 2010 in LA, an annual tribute to 8th grader Kayla Rosen's NYC, and Miami on the same day, and the Miami aunt, who died from liposarcoma cancer. Many walk had about 100 people show up. That was people went to this event to support the cause. In pretty amazing considering nobody really knew who Wendy was, and addition to the walk, there the people that came to are raffles, food and other support me and my famactivities, and cancer surily." vivors come and talk about She said that she felt their experiences. that this year the Wendy Kayla Rosen said, “The was great! In the Walk Wendy Walk was started by past it has rained or my three cousins: Wendy's there has just been a few children Ali, Matt, and different problems, this Jackie Landes. Once they year there was a good found out Wendy had a rare amount of volunteers, form of cancer, they began and although it was hot, going to different doctors people do not seem to and finding treatments for care much. her. That part was very hard "We had a great show for them just to sit around of people around 300!” and hope she would be felt pretty happy She okay. That is when it hit with the Walk this year, them, that they should do but there is always They then FROM LEFT: Mia Elortegui, something. room for improvement. thought to do a walk."

Marcy Chariff, Kayla Rosen She said, “The main Her Aunt Wendy sadly passed away about two years ago. Kayla knows thing to improve that I am mostly in control of is that her aunt would be impressed with what her to get even more kids from MCDS and other family has done. All three Rosen children let peo- schools around Miami.” ple know about Wendy's story and the Walk and what Liposarcoma is so that they can get closer to

Continued on page 19

Sports

Water Polo Team Unites Page 10

By Olivia Borchers

It was a very good season for the water polo teams. Awards were given out on Wednesday, May 8th. For the girls Olivia Borchers won "Most improved," Lauryn Russell won the "Coaches Award," and Gabi Marchesani won "Most Valuable Player." For the boys Richard Stamatis won "Most Improved," Elliot Karp won the "Coaches Award," and Romeo Curcio won "Most Valuable Player."

This year, unfortunately, our girls water polo team did not win any games, but we tried our best, and we had so much fun. We mostly had new players. Our boys team did win a game, and they had fun, also. There are only three schools that have a middle school water polo team: Ransom, Gulliver, and MCDS. Ransom came in first place, Gulliver got second and MCDS third. Most of our players want to come back next year.

Romeo Curcio and Isabella Pedraza scored the most.

“I plan on doing water polo next year because I will be improved, and will spend more time in the pool during games,” said sixth grader Elliot Karp. “I am very comfortable with my teammates because they are nice and I see them two hours a day. I can trust them, too, and I am not afraid to goof around with and have fun.”

Water polo is a sport that requires

strength, sportsmanship, and courage, and the coaches help develop those. The water polo coaches are Coach Fallik and Coach Eleni. These coaches are so wonderful and their view of the game.

“I love the physicality of water polo,” said Coach Fallik. “I also love the teamwork aspect of the game. No one person can succeed in the game unless the It provides entire team succeeds. tremendous lessons for life. I enjoy coaching water polo very much. I love introducing this sport to new players and watching them learn the game. It is very satisfying to see them enjoying this sport that I’ve loved for so long.”

“I will play water polo next year because I want to get better,” said Jack Lombardo.

“The team needs to improve on commitment and hopefully play during the summer,” said Coach Eleni. “Also, how to listen to the referee and the whistles in the game and practices.”

The boys water polo captain is Zach Charalambides. The girls water polo team has two captains: Isabella Pedraza and Lauryn Russell.

“I have known most of my teammates in the past, on the swim team or in school," said Zach. :The ones I have not known, I have come to like them all very much. This is my third year playing water polo.”

There are lots and lots of new players this water polo season and each and every one of them have become very good

players.

A great example is Jack Lombardo.

“I will play water polo next year because I want to get better,” said Jack Lombardo.

“I am comfortable with most of my teammates that I know.”

I hope you got inspired to join next years, middle school water polo team. I would not be afraid. Just try it out and next thing you know it’s your favorite sport.

Taking the Field

Photo by Mia Scemla

Saarah Rassif is a sixth grader on the Varsity softball team. actually ended up winning that game.”

A lot of the students on the baseball team have been playing for a while. Michael Mcpherson has been playing baseball for a 9 years and this is his third year playing for the middle school baseball team.

The Athlete of the Week for softball was Sierra Mathis. Sierra was Athlete of the Week because Sierra drove in two key runs in an 11-run 6th inning and made a spectacular catch in centerfield to help lead her team to the 15-3 at District Championship against SLAM Academy.

The baseball team ended with the last Athlete of the week who was William Seiden. He was Athlete of the Week because

The girls' and boys' water polo teams.

Get to Know New Cut Policy

By Mia Scemla

The girls’ softball team includes high schoolers and middle schoolers. The softball team did great this season! Their final record was 11-3.

Now, baseball did good this season as well. Their final record was 11-6.

Coach Sennett and Coach Hayes work very hard to organize the games, the field, etc.

Coach Sennett has an extremely hard job, but he enjoys doing it. He does everything.

Our games, practices, he sets up the field, and more.

“I love it,” said Coach Sennett. “I get paid to do what I love the most; watch our student-athletes represent the school and compete.”

Baseball and softball games are intense.

They are really fun to watch!

“For baseball 2e played Marathon in a double header. We beat them both games by one point!” said Coach Sennett.

Zac Wyka is a sixth grader on the baseball team. This is his first year playing on the Miami Country Day team. He has been playing baseball all of his life. Baseball is dangerous for the crowd and the players. Zac has gotten cleated in the face in a Palmer Trinity Game. His three coaches are Jimmy simpson, Alex Sosa, and John Broderick. He created many friendships.

Zac Waka said, “One day there was no eighth graders so we played wiffle ball practice.”

Saarah Rassif, a middle schooler on the softball team, said, “In one game, I was playing and there was a really important play.

The ball was overthrown to second and for some reason I completely spaced out and when they threw the ball to me for me to get the girl out I was still spaced out and I missed the ball and the girl got a home run. But, we

Photos by Mr. Fallik

William was 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 6 RBI in games against Hollywood Christian and Florida Christian.

8th grader Michael Mcpherson said, “I play many positions including: Shortstop, Second Base, Third Base, Pitcher, and Catcher.”

The Softball team went into districts and won 12-3! Sierra Mathis was the star of the district’s game. Sadly when we went to regionals we lost.

This year, the Baseball team and softball team has done really well. To make a good team you have to work together. Miami Country Day is proud of all of their accomplishments!

Although every effort will continue to be made to cultivate each student's interest in sports, some team will begin to limit their numbers during the 2015-2016 school year.

“I feel that having cuts is necessary,” said 6th grader Mia Scemla. “When I was on the soccer team there were fifteen or twenty people on the bench.”

Students’ involvement in athletics is an integral part of the educational experience.

The fundamental purpose of the MCDS athletic program is to empower in each student-athlete a life-long appreciation for physical activity, to provide him/her the opportunity to become experienced, skilled, and confident in athletics, and above all, to make his/her athletic experience rewarding and educational.

MCDS believes in education through sport. We are committed to providing all student-athletes with an experience that will inspire them to fully develop their individual gifts. MCDS believes in the development of the “Whole Child”, in accordance with our mission statement.

Each student in grades 6 through 8 will be provided with the opportunity to participate in a diverse athletic program. He/she will be afforded the opportunity to benefit from the leadership and guidance of dedicated and knowledgeable coaches who place emphasis on commitment, sportsmanship, teamwork, skills, and achievement.

The sports with cuts will include golf, softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and tennis. Volleyball and boys basketball will have JV and Varsity teams.

Sixth grader Olivia Borchers said, “I don’t agree with having team cuts because a lot of people want to be in soccer but won’t have that opportunity anymore.”

Athletes who do not make a team will be able to participate in a sport with no size limits, which include swimming, cheerleading, football, cross country, lacrosse, baseball, and water polo.

National Champi ons!!!

Page 11

8th grader leads the team to victory!

By Kyle Gittler

For the first time in Miami Country Day history the school won a National Championship, and one of the leaders of the team was 8th grader, Maria Alvarez!

For three years straight the girls basketball team attended the state championship, winning two consecutive titles.

Coach Ochiel Swaby told the Miami Herald, “I feel so much relief. All season has been such a build-up to this that I don’t know what I would have done had we lost this game.”

Coach O served as the team's teacher.

With his past basketball experience in the NBA he taught the girls how to play really good basketball. Maria Alvarez said, “He knows a lot about basketball.”

Dick’s, a popular sporting goods company, hosted the event. The event was held in Madison Square Garden, New York an arena played in by professional basketball players. The starting line up consisted of Maria Alvarez, Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Michelle Berry, Channise Lewis, and Kelsey Marshall. Maria said she most enjoyed playing shooting guard. “It fits for how I like to play.”

MCDS Girls Basketball team are national champions! according to Coach O. He says, “It is different. Winning state gives you bragging rights and respect.” He also described how “there was more pressure to win states.”

In the middle school everybody is proud to have Maria on a high school team. She said, “It was really fun playing for the team. It is an extreme accomplishment to be a middle schooler on the high school team." Maria also said it's nice “at such a young age I am a starter on the team.”

Maria thought differently.

She described how winning nationals was better.

Winning the National Championship was not their largest accomplishment

Many students were ecstatic for the national title. After winning Miami

Country Day hosted a school-wide rally in honor of the varsity team. For the triumphant entrance a police car followed by the MCDS bus drove onto campus with the song ‘We are the Champions’ on the speakerphone.

Throughout the national championship game there was a struggle for the upper hand advantage. The end score coming out to be 57-41. Coach O described how winning is a product of

hard work.

The girls varsity basketball team is recognized as the best MCDS team ever.

They have accomplished some of the greatest achievements a high school team can receive.

Page 12

t a s t r A

S D C M

Arts

Author Visits MCDS

By Chuck Sukhdeo

Matt London, the author of The 8th Continent, recently visited Miami Country Day School. He talked and did activities with the 6th grade. The twohour presentation consisted of a book signing, a discussion about his life, going to classes, and writing workshops, and other various activities throughout the school day.

London said, “I had a blast at Miami Country Day, and it was such a delight to see the students.”

London said the students behaved so well. His favorite part was taking the picture with the grade and signing the of the books. He liked signing books because when you sign a book you put a memory in that child forever. He said

that he will hopefully be coming back to the school in later years.

Ryan Mendelson said, “The experience was great. It will be an experience that I will never forget. Also, I was very honored to have my book signed by Matt London, and I thought it was a cherishable moment and I am going to keep his book as a memory of today.”

Ryan thought it was awesome because he got to learn what a true author thinks like.

Itai Arguetty thought the author was a little bit wacky like his book, but he thought it was a fun experience nonetheless. On the other hand, Itai did not get his book signed. All in all, his favorite part of the day was when he was in his English class doing activities.

Page 13

Middle School- Evening of the ers Dance Arts

By Olivia Borchers

The Evening of Dance occurred on April 10.

It was a wonderful night where the dance department go to show off all they learned this year.

Dance has lots of new students to Country Day. Sixth grader Rebecca Reines might not be new to dance, but she is new to the school, which means a new way of learning. Rebecca says, “I have been dancing since I was six. I do contemporary, jazz and hip hop. I plan on doing dance next year because it is really fun and Shaquan is a really good teacher.

There are the older kids who are more advanced. One person is an eighth grader, Kayla Rosen. Kayla says, “I feel like I am successful in dance because I enjoy learning all different

Continued on page 16

types of dance. I feel that Mr. Johnson is a great dance teacher and he makes dance class always so much fun!” Then she says, “I am not sure I have a future in dance, but I also do competitive cheerleading outside of school so I definitely enjoy the performing part, and may have a future with cheerleading!”

Dance involves a lot of strength and courage.

It also involves emotional experiences and great technique. Dance is known as one of the hardest sports. That’s right, you heard me. Dance is a sport harder than football and other athletic activities. It might not be a contact sport but it is very demanding. You must be flexible and strong, but don’t worry. Mr. Johnson, also known as Shaquan, is just that guy that can whip you into shape!

If the Shoe Fits

By Isabella Greenberg

Have you ever heard the expression, “If the shoe fits?” It is usually used as an insult, but not in the middle school. This expression comes from Cinderella, which the middle school performed this year.

The well known Brothers’ Grimm story has taken the hearts of many, but now it has come all the way to the Miami Country Day School stage.

The cast includes Valentina Wheaton as Cinderella, Camryn Davis who plays Prince Charming, Camille Nooney as the evil step mother, and Isabella Pedraza and Taylor Lynott who share the part of the Fairy Godmother. The cast is very talented and should put on a great show for us.

“Looking at the students this year in my classes and elsewhere, I can gage whether or not I have a cast for a particular show,” said the director, Mrs. Jarvis-Guerra, also known as Pops.

“I thought about a lot of personalities that I got to

Continued on page 14

know this year matched the characters in this rendition of Cinderella. So holding the audition had lots of surprises. And I’m happy that I chose Cinderella. I chose Cinderella because I thought that I could incorporate the kids in it and I

Rebecca Reines gets her book signed by the author, Matt London.

By Mia Scemla

Evening of the Arts is when all the students in arts electives show what they have learned.

Evening of the Arts was on Tuesday, April 28.

The arts have to be appreciated, and this is our way of appreciating them Kitty Simmonds, a sixth grader said, “Evening of the Arts shows off students electives to show our progress over the year.”

This event has all of the arts such as music, chorus, visual arts, drama, and dance.

Each art performs in an area and people visit the beautiful exhibits.

Mrs. Mahoney said, “The arts would not be anything if they were not performed or exhibited because the arts are designed to be seen.

The performance/exhibit is like the frosting of the cake or a blossom bursting from the bud.”

Mrs. Lewis said, “Evening of the Arts is a evening that all the art students show off all their paintings. Dance performs their pieces, drama does skits, and Mr. Wicker used to put on musicals with Ms. Alfonso And Mrs. Pitchman.”

It takes a lot of work to organize Evening of the Arts and we should be thankful for the teachers of the arts and directors of the and program.

thought I had the right cast.”

As you might expect, the cast is all very compatible with one another. At first it may be hard, but it certainly is a good experience for the cast.

“I enjoy working with the cast so much,” said

Camryn Davis, a 7th grader who plays Prince Charming in the production. “We have such a great relationship as a whole and it is just so much fun everyday!”

“The cast is great,” said Aden Karp, a 6th grader who plays the king. “We have a lot of good times together. We’re all really compatible and we work well together.”

Even though it sounds like a dream, the auditions definitely made the cast nervous.

“I was excited,” said Brett Wallack, a 6th grader who plays one of the step sisters. “It was actually great because one of the judges told me to do a girl voice and I started to do a raspy voice. They loved it so I decided to go on with it.”

“I was a little nervous because it’s my first MCDS play but as long as you have confidence in yourself, you can make it,” said Aden.

Students Practice the Script to the Play.

Taylor Lynott, Sabrina Cohen, Anastasia Brosda, and Charlie Leoni rehearse

Continued on page 14

Continued on page 14

Arts

Drama Can Change the World Evening

Page 14

of the Arts

By Philip Steinberg

The Theater for Social Change took place on February 25th through the 27th. These plays always have a moral that leaves the viewers with a new way of looking at life.

This year’s play was called, “Somebody’s Children” by Jose Casas. It was about a group of children that were living in a hotel without parents who overcame obstacles.

Mrs. Jonina Pitchman was the coordinator for this play. She has been doing productions at Miami Country Day for over ten years.

Mrs. Pitchman says that this play is special because it was the first double cast production. Also, there has never been a Theater for Social Change about homelessness.

She enjoyed the production because she got to interact with many students who have a passion for the arts.

Mrs. Pitchman says that homelessness can happen to anyone.

Sami Habib has been doing theater since he was in kindergarten, but this is his first year participating in Theater for Social Change.

Sami thought that this play was really special. He said, “I think it was the use of slam poetry because there was not a lot of dialogue between characters; there was more monologue in the form of poetry.”

Sami said he made connections that will last a while.

In Sami’s opinion, the overall moral was to be thankful for what you have because something terrible could happen to anyone.

Seventh grader Camila Burton liked the play because it showed a different point of view of homelessness.

Cinderella Takes Stage

Continued from page 13

“In auditions, I was a little nervous because there were so many talented and great actors in that room,” said Camryn. “I was very excited because I was so happy at the thought of working with Pops again. She is an amazing person and none of the school productions could happen without her. She always strives for greatness!”

No matter how stressful the show may be, the cast always manages to bring a smile to one another’s faces.

“Sometimes the class loses control because we are really funny and we laugh a lot but we do just fine,” said Sabrina Cohen, a sixth grader who plays

Continued from page 13

The events were all over the school. You could hear the beautiful sounds of the violins as you enter the school the hysterical laughing from drama from miles away and the clapping after the incredible dances.

Outside the cafeteria, there where the dancers and all type of delicious treats. In the art room, there was photography and painting. In my eyes, the school light up in beauty. The music program started out with EBO and finished with the advanced EBO. It was incredible.

The music was very soft and soothing.

I saw signs to tell you where to go. As you walk by the school the sculptures are everywhere.

Chiara Bruzzi, a sixth grader said, “This is my first year ever doing Evening of the Arts.”

Joshua Hug, Alessandra Settineri, Maddie Hertz, Rebecca Fulford, and Ian Zigel Perform.

She said, “I learned that we are very lucky and that we can help them.”

Eighth grader Mia Elortegui liked the play because it showed the struggles of the homeless.

She learned about people less fortunate and that we have to be appreciative of what we have. The lesson that she was taught was to be more appreciative for the things that she has.

Seventh grader Alex Levine said, “I learned that anybody can become homeless and they all have a

Not all dance is the same. There are different types, like Rebecca Reines stated.

These are the dances that they performed at evening of dance.

There is contemporary dance which is an Olivia Borchers emotional dance. It is mostly a mix of ballet, modern dance, and some forms of classical concert dance styles.

There is jazz piece which is full of sparkle and has lots of jazz hands.

Next there is lyrical, which is more of an expressional and emotional dance, and the dance has to fit with the lyrics of the song.

Last but not least, there is hip-hop. Hiphop is referred to as “street dance” and it is fast and usually uses hip-hop music. There

It takes a lot of courage to get up and perform in front of the school. You should be very proud of your family and friends.

Mia Elortegui said, “This is my second year doing Evening of the Arts.”

Mia said, “I think Evening of the Arts shows the variety of electives and arts that we have at the school. It gives you a little bit of everything.”

The Evening of the Arts was a spectacular event!

Until next year, everyone is anxious to see what the arts got for us.

one of the helpers.

“To be honest, I am very proud because most of the time rehearsal productive,” said Anastasia Brosda, another sixth grader who plays the second helper. “But sometimes it is a bit crazy.”

Pops really does have a creative mind. According to the cast, she made a few changes to the production.

“I am not going to spoil but it is very different from all movies and plays created,” said Anastasia.

“Plus the script that Pops gives us is just the foundation and the understanding of what the basic idea is. All of us share our ideas in what we think should happen and add on to that foundation. So if you do compare the script to what we added it is very different.”

“Overall, I am very proud of rehearsal because the kids are so dedicated and work so hard, they’re creative, and very compatible,” said Pops.

All in all, Pops will put on an amazing play (as usual). She and her cast are so amazing and don’t think otherwise. I am very excited for the play and I hope you are, too.

Evening of Dance

Continued from page 13

background.”

The lesson that he was taught was never to take for granted what we have because homelessness can happen to anyone.

Seventh grader Oliver Massolo liked this play because it taught him lessons and it was funny. He said that people who are homeless deserve better.

The play taught 8th grader Harrison Breslow not to be wasteful. He was inspired to be grateful for what we have.

Chiara is a drama student. She participated in the drama show as the sidekick. Chiara was a little nervous, like everyone at first, but she ended up doing a great job!

are lots more of these dances.

Some classes dance all the types. Sofia Paredes says, “My class did contemporary dances, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, and jazz. It was sometimes hard but not always. Sometimes the dances were challenging but after some practice, they were easy. I was successful in dance that I did in the show because I was able to learn all the dances and perform them with confidence. I have been dancing since late August 2014 (since the beginning of my 7th grade year, the 2014-2015 school year).”

During Evening of Dance, I saw an amazing dancer that has been dancing her whole life! This dancer is Camila Burton. “I have been dancing for as long as I could remember,” said Camila Burton. “The dances I did in Evening of Dance were, lyrical, contemporary, and ballet. The dance was very easy for me, because I had a great teacher named Shaquan.“ In the end, you know that these dancers work hard with a great teacher, Mr. Johnson.

You should do dance next year!

Photo by Belle Greenberg

Camryn Davis and Valentina Wheaton star as Prince Charming and Cinderella.

American Sniper

Insurgent Excites!

Movies

Page 15

The Divergent sequel kept me on the edge of my seat.

Daniel Ilyayev

In American Sniper, the main character, Chris Kyle, is played by Bradley Cooper. The movie is rated R, and it was released on January 16, 2015.

American Sniper is the true story of Kyle, who became the most lethal sniper in all of United States history. He had a wife and a newborn baby girl, when he died from a gunshot wound.

Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL sniper. He was a boy from Texas who wanted to be more than a cowboy. In his thirties he wanted to change his life, where he could express his real talent. He wanted to help America fight against terrorism. So, he joined SEALs to become a sniper.

After marrying, Kyle and the other members of the team are called for their first tour of Iraq.

Kyle's struggle isn't with his missions, but with the reality of the war. Once returned at home, he struggles to juggle his urban life, his wife and kids.

In my opinion, American Sniper is a very good movie full of excitement. When I saw the movie, a lot of really awesome scenes caught my eye.

Noah Markofsky said, “My favorite part from American Sniper was that Chris shot the other sniper from like 1000 yards out. It was a good movie overall. For me, it was not my favorite movie ever but definitely top five. I would give it eight out of ten.”

The website Rotten Tomatoes describes Kyle's story: "Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-inarms. His pinpoint accuracy saved countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earned the nickname "Legend”. However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, becoming emblematic of the SEAL creed to "leave no man behind." But upon returning home, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind."

“American Sniper was a great movie,” Nate Outten said. “My favorite part was when Chris shot the sniper from a huge distance.

This is probably one of my favorite movies ever. I’ll give this movie nine out of ten.”

Ethan White said, “How Chris could see the other sniper from so far was really cool. I did not like when Kyle died. This was one of my favorite movies ever. I’ll give it ten out of ten.”

In the end, American Sniper is a great movie about the best sniper in US history. For me, I would give this movie a nine out of ten rating.

By Sophia Gostfrand

Have you seen Divergent? Well if you have, I bet you’ll love the sequel, Insurgent. I have read all three books: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.

After reading Divergent and seeing the movie, I was so excited to read Insurgent and watch the movie.

Insurgent came out March 20, 2015. Shailene Woodley is the main character, Beatrice Prior.

Theo James is the co-star who plays Tobias Eaton. The director of this movie is Robert Schwentke.

The character of Christina is played by Zoe Kravitz, who went to Miami Country Day School!

While watching Insurgent, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie.

Insurgents was an exciting, fun sequel to Divergent. Sophia Gostfrand can't wait for the next one!

Tobias, Peter, and Caleb hiding in Amity, one of the sanctions. The four of them are hiding from Jeanine and the rest of Erudite who killed all of Abnegation. During one of the meals, Peter says something offensive to Tris and she tries to hurt him but Tobias and Caleb break up the fight.

As they all try to hide by escaping from a window, Peter betrays them and yells to Eric that Tris, Tobias, and Caleb just escaped through the window. All of them sprint as the trucks start to chase them into the woods. They manage to escape and make it onto a train.

Fun fact: Zoe Kravitz, who plays Christina in the movie, went to Miami Country Day School!

After seeing them fight, Johanna sends them to her office. When they are waiting up there with Johanna, Tris and Peter start arguing. But they hear Erudite coming in big trucks looking for the Divergents. Johanna distracts Eric who works with Jea-

New Spongebob: Meh The movie starts off with Tris,

nine looking to kill the Divergents.

As they stand on the train, a group of factionless people start to fight them. They follow the factionless people and meet Tobias’s mother who everybody thought was dead.

But now, she is the leader of the

factionless, and she wants to combine Dauntless and the factionless to create an army against Jeanine and Erudite. Tobias doesn’t want to do that because he doesn’t want to go with his mom.

As the action builds, Jeanine sends out guards to find the strongest Divergent and to bring them to her. The strongest Divergent is Tris.

My favorite part of the movie was listening to the message because it really had a good effect to what Tris and Tobias has started. I think you should go watch this movie soon.

By Chuck Sukhdeo

The SpongeBob Movie took a big leap in their latest production.

This leap was that the movie was made in an actual place with people. While the characters like Spongebob, Patrick, and others were CGI. All in all, the reviews were not good and this movie was not received well. For example, it got a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.7 out of 10 on imdb.

In my opinion, I thought the movie was pretty mediocre, even for what it was. I still thought that the movie was pretty bad. Also, the fact that the movie took place in the real world really was terrible because it was so off from the Nickelodeon TV show that most of us watched as young kids.

Another reason this movie was bad because it had an idiotic premise. Which was someone has stolen

"[The movie] was terrible because it was so off from the Nickelodeon tv show that most of us watched as young kids."

the “top secret” formula for the Krabby patty.

Finally, I couldn't figure out why on earth these characters have superpowers. This does not make any sense to me because for 16 years there have been no superpowers on any episode. The last time I checked, they hadn't taken Chemical X from Powerpuff Girls.

Now here are the pros to the movie. Although mediocre, the movie still had all of your favorite characters from the show.

Joel Cohen said, “The movie was ‘ehh’ and it could have been better and I did not like the extra side characters that were in the movie.”

Joel thinks that was bad idea to put the characters in real life because it did not remind him of the old Spongebob. Finally, he said that the movie could have funnier.

Andrew Lips said, “I like the old way Spongebob was produced and how it was in a cartoon format.”

He thinks the production edged away from Spongebob’s roots. He said the final nail in the coffin of this movie is it was not funny at all.

Liza Mitchell said, “I really loved the comedy in this movie because it really made me laugh a lot while I was in the movie theater.”

Miami Country Day middle school students didn't care much for the

In the new movie, Spongebob and his friends come to the real world.

Liza said that the movie had a terrible ending for such a great a movie and she expected more of a surprise then what was shown. But she said that it was an overall good movie with all of her favorite characters.

Zac Wyka said, “It was an okay movie because I was forced by my brother to see the Spongebob movie, but the movie was okay for what it was.”

Also, the fact that the movie was in real places did make it a bit more comical and humorous, Zac said.

He also said that since that it was in real places it really did not stick to the roots of the Spongebob cartoon.

Finally he said it was a great children's movie to watch with your family.

Nicolas Gohil thought the movie was not bad, but not good. He thought the characters looked bad; it had a bad story even for a Spongebob movie; and finally it was in real places! But overall the movie was mediocre, according to Nicolas.

Author Matt London visited with Miami Country Day School's 6th grade.

Author Visits MCDS Continued from page 13

Zac Wyka’s experience with the author visiting was good, but not that great he said. He thought that Matt London was a great author, but not one of his favorites like Rick Riordan or J.K Rowling. His pros and cons for the day were that Matt London’s presentation to the 6th grade, the book signing, and the workshops in the classrooms. His cons for the experience were that the presentation at times was boring and uninteresting, the students were sometimes loud and unnerving.

Jonathan Auguste said, “The experience was absolutely amazing and there was nothing that I disliked about his visit.”

Although the experience was great for Jonathan his favorite part of the experience was the thirty minute classes and getting his book signed because he said who does not want thirty minute classes if you had the option to have them? Also, Jonathan got his book signed because he says that it creates an everlasting memory in that book and you think about when you met the author.

Sydney Fuentes thought the experiences was different and very unique, but it was very boring at times because the author got off track and would tell random stories about his life which in her opinion was not good and it would not be as boring if he had not done this. She said she did not get her book signed because she forgot and she did not really like this author in particular.

Felix Elortegui said, “The fact that it was a real author was great and also since that his book was appealing and interesting to me made the experience even better.”

On the other hand, Felix Elortegui thought the experience was very boring at times and very uninteresting because he thought the author would just keep on going on one topic that he thought was uninteresting. And he said if he had changed topics more quickly it would have been more pleasurable and more interesting to him if he had done this. But finally he said that the experience as a whole was pretty fantastic and he would love to do it again with another author.

Reggie Lewis said in a very soulful way, “This author, this man, came to our school to see us not anybody else, just the sixth grade, and that is why it is so special to me.”

Reggie thought the author had an absolute stunning presentation about his book and about his life. Also, he thought that the fact of him coming to our school was great because you actually met the author in person and you could reach out and grab his hand if you wanted to. Thirdly, Reggie said the writing workshop was also really good and it was a fun experience for him because he got to learn even more about this great author and his life and about his first book that he made.

That is what the sixth grade and the author thought of the experience. What about you?

Core Values

Honor - Wisdom - Compassion - Respect CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE CORE VALUES WINNERS FOR 2014-2015 6TH GRADE Chiara Bruzzi Mack Tracy Hannah Kremer Alex McMillan Mary Hanson Pietro Landell de Moura Jack Lombardo 7TH GRADE Renee Mandel Becky Bibas Alexandr Bondarenko Mariana Antonaccio Tatiana Barnes Jack Rodriguez Asha Yearwood 8TH GRADE Felipe Rangel Taylor Lynott Charli Eisen Richard Lovelace Alicia Kelly Krystal Leyva Saavan Kamlani

The Edition: Miami Around Miami

Page 18

By Isabella Pedraza

The Edition is a resort in Miami Beach that is absolutely amazing. It has direct access to the beach along with two pools and jacuzzis. It also has an amazing spa where you can get anything from a massage to a mani-pedi. It also includes an ice-skating rink with two bowling alleys next to it. With it, there are also many restaurants and bars scattered throughout the hotel.

Isabella Pedraza

You can either be a member of the Edition or a hotel guest to enjoy its facilities. If you are a member, you are allowed to bring two guests with you.

I first started my day at the pool. Before I got in, I went to have lunch at one of their small bars. It was really nice, and the waitress was super sweet and attentive.

I ate outside next to a bean bag toss, so as I waited for my food, I decided to give it a shot.

I tried getting a point, but never did and just ended up hitting one of my friends on their back. We laughed about it for a long time, and then relaxed in a hammock. It was really nice until they kept swinging it around and we all fell out.

When the food arrived, it was splendid. I had a flounder burger with some fries and their guacamole dip. We also ordered calamari.

Everything tasted great and was very fresh.

After eating, I decided to rest for while and relax at the beach. Someone prepared some chairs for us and was really nice and helpful. I sat down and enjoyed the sun. It was really relaxing since it was warm but a cool breeze blew around me.

The remodeled Edition hotel in Miami is amazing on every level. ocean. The water was amazing. It had a deep blue and turquoise color and was the perfect temperature. I swam around for a bit along with some friends and we had a lot of fun. We kept splashing water at each other and even had a chicken fight!

We finally came back into the resort and decided to relax at the pool. I swam around some more and floated on one of the pool beds that are scattered throughout the pool. The pool was heated so the water felt great.

sweet, yummy, and amazing.

Just after I ate the ice cream sandwich, it started to rain! It was pouring for a least an hour. We stayed outside but under a beautiful cabana and drank some hot chocolate. It was delightful and warm.

It was horrible because I had to run out of the pool and get changed again. But, since the Edition has fun indoors, I quickly sped away to the ice-skating rink.

cided ice-skating would be more fun. I got my skates on and went into the rink.

At first I could barely skate around, but I finally got my “mojo” and started speeding through the whole rink. I even lifted my leg up while gliding and balanced on one foot.

Then I fell to the ground.

Finally after the skating, for a while I took my skates off and headed back home after a long day.

Boats on Display in Miami When I felt it was too hot, I jumped into the

By Patrizia Puppin

The Yacht and Brokerage Show in Miami includes boats from all over the world, from as far as Australia or as close as Ft. Lauderdale. The show took place in February of this year. It has two locations one at the Miami beach convention center and one on Miami Beach on Collins Ave. Sadly it is the last year that they are doing it in this location. “They are talking about it because Collins Avenue is already an avenue that has a lot of traffic itself but with the boat show preparation it is even

After a while, I ordered a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich and it was delicious! It was

The bowling alley is right next to the iceskating rink, and was extremely full, so I de-

worse,” said one of the chief security officers, “Also the residents do not like it very much because it is very chaotic so there are a lot of complaints.”

53 foot center consoles, all the way ranging to the 180 foot mega yachts. Most of them are for sale but there are also charters. If you are interested to look at a boat you need to book an appointment with the company and you can go see them.

They announced just the other day that next year it will take place from February 11-15 in Virginia Key, Key Biscayne and in the Miami Marine Stadium and Basin Park.

Every year there is a 20 percent chance increase on boats, this year here was an 18 percent increase of boats.

There are all types of boats, from 13 foot skiffs, to

Tourists from all over the country and world come just to see this!

“We came for vacation from the north and we also came for the boat show because it is spectacular to see this many boats,” said a couple from Chicago, “The boats are very nice, especially the very big ones. There are so many varieties of them. My personal favorite is the icy blue boat for sale at the second or third ramp.”

“To prepare completely it takes almost one year.

Practically when the boat show ends they start planning for the next one,” said Brianna, the tourist information desk worker. “They have to find all of the workers that will work and the boats too come in.

For the boats it takes about a four months to prepare because when the owners want to show the boat it has to look nice, so if they do not like a couch they change it and then they have to paint it etc..”

The boat show organizers are the show management. They put all of the ramps, stands for food, floats which are the most important part of the show.

Without the floats we would not be able to see the boats up close. They also higher all of the workers who are at the tourist information desks and at the food stands and bars.

Photo by Patrizia Puppin

After everything is prepared, workers for each boat company come from all over the world to build a little house where all the salespeople are. It is a tent and then the material comes from where the boat is from for example: Azimut is an Italian com-

I loved it at the Edition and would recommend going to anyone of all ages!

“We came for vacation... for the boat show because it is spectacular to see this many boats."

- Couple from Chicago

pany so the workers and the materials come from Italy.

After all of the boats start coming, boats also come before all of this depending where they come from.

The show management also hosts four other boat shows. They host one in Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Panama, and Suncoast.

At the boat show there are a lot of security everywhere.

“15-20 security guards, six info booths with two people and we also have dock attendants and shuttle busses,” said the chief security officer. “During the night we do not have many security guards, but most of the yachts and yacht companies hire private security companies to check on the boats and the crew also takes turns overnight usually.”

The boat show brings people from all over the country and even all over the world. You get to see some of the biggest yachts in the world and even go on them.

Madam President?

By Sophia Gostfrand

Hillary

The United States has never had a woman president.

Hillary Clinton wants to change Clinton that.

For the 2016 campaign, Mrs. Clinton wants to run for president, representing the Democratic party. She announced that she was running for president on April 12, 2015. She has tried to run before and didn’t make it. Now, she will try harder.

Mrs. Clinton was the only first lady ever to be elected into the United States Senate. Mrs. Clinton’s supporters were looking to raise as much as $2.5 billion of donations from democrats who support her running. Much of that excitement is tied to the chance of making history by electing a woman to become our next president.

Mrs. Clinton’s declaration is to be followed by a series of campaign events in Iowa and New Hampshire. She will use them to present herself to voters and begin to set up the central theme of her candidacy which is improving the economic fortunes of the middle class, with an emphasis on increasing wages and reducing income inequality.

April 14, 2015 is National Equal Pay Day, the point in the year when a woman’s pay for working in 2014 and 2015 would equal a man’s pay just for 2014. Pay fairness is an issue that Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy will take up, along with others important to many women, like paid family and medical leave, a higher minimum wage, and affordable access to child care.

“Being the first woman to run for president with a real chance of winning, that’s a wild card, but potentially a net positive, particularly for undecided women,” said Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center.

Mrs. Clinton will enter the race with a strong starting support of 81% of democrats said they would consider voting for her, referring to a CBS news poll conducted in February 2015.

Mrs. Clinton's headquarters will be in Brooklyn, a politically and efficient varied district of New York City that the campaign will likely use as a backdrop for a message, it says, will focus on equality, inclusion and prosperity for all Americans.

In the end, Hillary will be the first woman ever to run for President. In the future let’s have more women run and change our country!

Wrap-Up

MCDS Students Travel

Page 19

This Spring Break, students traveled all over with their friends and family.

By Patrizia Puppin

Spring Break is a time when many Country Day students travel.

8th grader Isabella Allen went to Aspen/Snowmass with the Finvarb family and saw a lot of people from Country Day there.

“I went snowboarding and just relaxed," said Isabella. "It was so much fun. I went on black trails with my brother, and Mia Finvarb and I watched TV." Seventh grader Franco Melo went to Argentina this Spring Break. Franco went with his family and met some friends there and also saw the rest of his family.

“My favorite part of Spring Break was seeing my friends and family, and going to my friends' island," said Franco.

This was not one of Franco’s favorite spring breaks.

“I almost got mugged on the island because in Argentina you need to keep your things safe because there are a lot of people around me and they were staring at my pockets," said Franco.

Teachers also have a very relaxing spring break! Social studies teacher Mrs. Holcman went to the Keys.

“I spent Spring Break with my kids. We went to Islamorada and went snorkeling and to the beach,” said Mrs. Holcman.

Mrs. Holcman thinks that Spring Break is good for us. “I think one week is good enough because school is almost over, and if we would have more I think that no one would want to come to school anymore. I also think it’s fantastic because it gives them a break and it helps them reenergize for the end of school.”

The Allen and Finvarb families went skiing in Colorado.

Sixth grader Javier Hernandez went to Puerto Rico.

“I ate a lot of good food. I saw my friends and my family and I also went to the beach and fishing”.

“This was one of my favorite Spring Breaks because I had a lot of fun in Puerto Rico. I got to see some of my family and friends.”

Eighth grader Morgan D’Ablemont went to New

York to visit her family this Spring Break.

“I saw my family and my cousins," said Morgan.

"We did a lot of different activities. We went to go see plays in the city. We saw a comedy play and a princess one. We had sleepovers at my grandmother’s house and went out to dinner a lot. I also practiced softball with my dad."

his mother is going through breast cancer currently. He also said that the activities were so great and the food was amazing because there were food trucks in the area that were so delicious. Also, he says that he is a huge supporter of the cause and it is so helpful to the people going through these diseases.

Gabriela Abramowitz said, “The Wendy Walk was so great this year.” She has been supporting the cause for quite a while and so has her family. She said that the walk bonds people together as a community and as a whole.

Alex Levine who, even though it is first year at Miami Country Day, has gone to the Wendy Walk three times. He said, “The Wendy Walk is so great because you get to have a lot of fun for such a great cause.” Also, since it was his third time at the Wendy Walk he says that this one was the best yet. Thirdly, he thought the food was great and because most of his friends were

along side him as he walked made it even better.

Jack Bergman said, “The main highlight of this Wendy Walk was the walk.” Also, he said the food was absolutely great especially the frozen yogurt and the food trucks were outstanding. Similar to Alex the fact that his friends were there to be along side with him as they walk for the cause.

Joel Cohen loved the walk this year and thought it was one of the best Wendy Walks yet, and we would be attending next years walk.

Also, since he said that his friends were with him as he walked was even better. Joel loved the food especially because of the food trucks were so amazing and he wished that next years Wendy Walk could just come sooner because it is so great and it is for such a great cause. And that is mostly the reason that Joel did it because of the cause and it is a huge supporter of it.

your phone whenever you want. In America it is more difficult but it’s better learning.”

Sixth grader, Riccardo Di Giuseppe, is a first time student in the ESOL program, coming from a school named Patronato in Venice, Italy. For Riccardo coming to a new school in another country was not easy. He said, “It was difficult because I didn’t know any English”. Riccardo stated that there are many differences between going to school in America and going to school in Italy. He said, “Schools in America are a lot bigger and better”. He said the transition to American school system has been an overall good experience.

Ekaterina Stenina is another 6th grader n the ESOL program. She has been in ESOL for two years and has enjoyed her learning experience to be involved in such a program. Ekaterina made a big transition in schools. She said, “In Russia I lived in a small village in Moscow.” Just like most of the other students, Ekaterina Stenina notes that the major difference between school’s here and in her home country is the size. She said, “The school here is bigger and I like it better."

Seventh grader Joao Pedro has enjoyed his two

years in ESOL. Joao Pedro said, “It feels a lot better learning here rather than in going to school in another country.” Before Joao Pedro came to Miami Country Day School he lived in Brazil. He could not pick out one difference that was strictly different as there were too many. Joao said, “Going to school in america is really different than Brazil, it is a lot better here”.

Ana Macedo is a seventh grader at MCDS, and it is her fourth year in the ESOL program. Before coming to Miami, she went to a small school in Rio, Brazil. Ana Macedo is happy with her learning experience here compared to another school outside of the United States. She said, “I like this school and it is a new experience”. Not only did Ana enjoy the ESOL program but she has ventured out of the program and has said,“The major difference in going to school in America is friends and the way of learning”. Being in the program for four years she still enjoys it just as much as the first day.

In the end, ESOL has really helped students from other countries adapt to an American school and they’re having a great experience.

Wendy Walk Raises Money, Hope Continued from page 9

Dhillon Murphy went to this event for the first time and thought it was great and would definitely go again next year. Also, he said that the activities were very interesting and fun. His favorite activities were the raffle and of course the walking. He thought the food trucks were great.

Mia Elortegui considered herself a so called veteran of the Wendy Walk and has gone since the beginning. She has loved to see it grow through the years. She said this was one of the best Wendy Walks and the food was great. Mia is a huge supporter of this cause, and she thinks that everyone should come next year.

Oliver Zigel, an officer at the Wendy Walk club, said the Wendy Walk was "absolutely great just like every year." Oliver said that he has such a passion for the Wendy Walk because

ESOL Students Improve their English

By Jake Fishman

ESOL is a program for kids that come to this country with little English.

Marisol Ferro is a teacher in ESOL, which stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. Ms. Ferro said, “ESOL is considered a foreign language for international students.” ESOL is a program taught all over the world. She said, “ESOL has been evolving for decades.”

Diego Oropeza Rodriguez is an 8th grader in his first year at Country Day. He said, “It feels really different and the first day I was really scared.”

Diego went to a school called San Ignacio in his home country, Venezuela. He said, “Next year I am not going to take ESOL." Another 8th grader from Venezuela is Eduardo Sultan. He said, “It is good to learn new things in another country”. Eduardo went to a school called Colegio Jefferson in Caracas, Venezuela. Eduardo said “I have been in ESOL for one year. There is a major difference because in Venezuela you can use

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