Issue 4
Spring 2016
Evening of the Arts dazzles Campus under construction
By Bernard Krasuski At Evening of the Arts, I was a dancer. During Evening of the Arts, I mostly played with my friends and practiced my dancing piece. I really loved Evening of the Arts because I could show off my amazing dancing skills to the parents. Many of my colleagues and the Evening of the Arts loved it. I did not really love it that much because one of our dance classes partnered up with my dance class, which made it a little annoying. Many people don’t know how to dance, but I do and it is very fun because you can express your feelings in a physical way. During the Evening of the Arts, I was able to dance and show my skills to people for them to enjoy it, and it’s really fun. During Evening of the Arts, I also got to see all my other comrades dance and it was really cool. I think that we danced
By Belle Greenberg
After many years of planning, our school has decided to construct a new Center for the Arts, a parking garage, and redoing the field. No doubt that the school is changing for the better! And everyone agrees.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
The middle school dancers entertain the crowd during MCDS's annual Evening really well, which made the parents real- their skills as an arts performing, or nonize that we have an amazing instructor performing, student. I hope all the visi(Mr. Johnson) and an amazing crew, if tors and parents had a very good time they did not already know. I hope that and that they will be encouraged to come all the other art classes had as much fun next year to the Evening of the Art, hopeas I did and that they got to demonstrate fully being held in the new Arts center.
“MCDS is going through a tremendous year of growth,” said Mrs. Robert, a middle school science and math teacher, “The facility improvements coming online within the next year or so such as the parking garage, Center for the Arts, World Language Center, athletic field, and new science labs will provide the facility that matches the world class education that students receive. Although growing pains always accompany growth, it will be worth it when all of the construction is complete. I am very excited about the improvements to our campus and I appreciate that I am part of the MCDS community during this exciting time!”
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MCDS purchases pontoon By Ilan Zenatti Several students have taken a trip on the pontoon boat in the canal. Maybe it was during the summer camp at this school, or maybe for an art class. It’s a great addition to the school, but do you know why the school got the pontoon boat? Ms. Yvonne Moyer, the lower school art teacher, can tell you all about it. “The pontoon boat was purchased as a cooperative venture between the school and the summer camp,” said Ms. Yvonne Moyer. “The Green Task Force was excited about the students enjoying the view from the water, becoming more aware of canal life and enjoying things like the reflections, animal and bird life, and helping to keep that canal environment clean. Any teacher may request to use the pontoon boat by contacting Lourdes in maintenance who in turn hires the driver and lifeguard. Students have gone out to
draw on the boat, be inspired to write poetry, view the new Center for the Arts, or even clean up the canal.” And of course, the school needs a captain for the boat. The captain for the pontoon boat is Joseph Tesini, also known as Jojo. “I became the captain of the pontoon boat working during the summer camp,” said Jojo. “I worked as part of the canoeing and fishing department. They asked me if I would be able to drive the boat they were planning on getting and I told them yes. I have been the captain ever since.” Although the school does have lifeguards, there are no official lifeguards for the pontoon boat. Instead, Bryan Garcia and another lifeguard take turns for lifeguard duty on the pontoon. Classes have enjoyed their trip on the pontoon a lot. The journalism crew had a publication party on
Photo by Mr. Fallik
The journalism staff took a trip on the pontoon. From left: Ananda NavesPenkwitt, Ilan Zenatti, Rachel Hodes, and Belle Greenberg the pontoon. They had pizza and had an opportunity to take pictures of the new Center of the Arts currently in progress. “The pontoon is very spacious and bigger than I thought it would,” said Ananda Naves, a member of the journalism crew.
“The boat ride was fun,” said Rachel Hodes, another member of the journalism crew. “I’ve never in my life seen so many lizards in one place. There was one house that has a cage with bunnies and all the lizards were surrounding it.” The pontoon boat is a great addition to the MCDS community and will definitely be used in the future.
Saying goodbye to a friend
8th grade does service
By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
By various students
In addition to working at Miami Country Day she has had a few other jobs.
Miami Country Day School is losing one of it’s most loved teachers this year. Mrs. Avalos, a guidance counselor at MCDS for over 16 years has decided to retire to be with her family.
“My first job ever was when I was a teenager, must have been 15-16 and I was teaching ballet classes, like little kids ballet at the company I used to dance with,” Mrs. Avalos said.
Imagine a field trip the first day back from vacation! That’s what happened to the MCDS middle school’s eighth grade. As part of the curriculum, the students attended a service day field trip to give back to the community.
“Well, I need some flexibility because now my youngest son is graduating from college and he’s probably going to be living in NY or LA and I want to be able to go visit him, and I now… before the end of the year we found out we’ll have four grandkids. I just want to be able to go and spend time with them,” she said.
She started working at the school in 2000, but has been part of the community for over 25 years as a parent.
Some kids went to Oleta River Park to help with the beach clean up, and others when the Miami Jewish Health System. Some went to the Miami Rescue Mission and helped the homeless, and some even stayed right here on campus!
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The kids varied from calling about the new Arts center, to serving food, to cleaning up beaches, but over all the thought was the
same. Everyone wanted to help and they did a wonderful job, too. “When we first arrived at the Miami Rescue Mission, we were greeted by a group of men singing choir songs, which felt like a really nice welcome,” said Sofia Paredes, an eighth grader. We were then given a talk about what the Miami Rescue Mission is and the different services they provide; they provide homes for homeless men, women, and children, they educate them, feed them, give them jobs and prepare them to leave the Rescue Mission to look for a job and a home of their own.
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Page 2
8th Grade Service Day
MCDS volunteers!
Photo by Annika Janzon
Photo by Alicia Rodriguez
8th graders at Miami Rescue Mission. From left: Dylan Turk, Ananda Naves-Penkwitt, Ethan Mayer-Perez, Jack Finvarb, Matthew Allen
Sabrina Cabarcos picks up trash at Oleta River State Park.
Photo by Alicia Rodriguez
A group of students served food at Miami Rescue Mission.
Photo by Mrs. Hernandez
Camila Burton and Ellie Cohen made calls on behalf of MCDS's development office.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
From left: Jack Rodriguez, Ramon Villamayor, Mariana Antonaccio, Milani McCormack
Around MCDS Middle School shatters lines By Belle Greenberg
The dance and art performance, Shattering the Lines, was a show dedicated to shattering the metaphorical lines of racism, privileges, and the bond between people of different races. The show included videos, dances, and art presentations. “When Shaquan approached me to work on an assembly program about racism, I was excited to collaborate and greed to involve the students in my Art II class in the project,” said Mrs. Mahoney, the MS art teacher and co producer of the entire production. “We started with a blank slate and began to brainstorm ideas. The end result was a powerful 45-minute pro-
gram. The Art II students designed unitards for the dancers and the program cover. We found impactful videos and photographs to use throughout the program. We developed a follow-up advisory activity which included some discussion questions about racism at MCDS as well as a video about empathy vs. sympathy. It is our hope that we can address issues surrounding racial tension here at MCDS and help to create a more open and accepting community.” The Art students all came from Mrs. Mahoney’s track two class. The artists were well prepared and did the best job they could. The dancers, however, all come from different tracks of dance. They worked with Mr. Johnson, the dance teacher, during their tracks in order to put on an amazing show.
“I enjoyed Shattering the Lines because it was fun and I got to experience learning African-style dancing,” said Christina Andersen, a sixth grader who danced in the performance. She has been performing in a lot of the dance productions and has been very successful for her first year in the dance elective. One interesting thing in the performance was a singing performance by Camryn Davis, an eighth grader in chorus. He performed the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson. Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Mahoney even had their own act to perform. While Mrs. Mahoney painted on a huge canvas, Shaquan danced by her side. The whole show was breathtaking and obviously took a lot of preparation and dedication.
“I enjoyed performing in Shattering the Lines,” said Reggie Luis, a seventh grader who danced in the show. “I enjoyed it because of what a fun experience it was. Shaquan taught me some really cool dance moves to perform.” “I think that the students did amazingly,” said Mr. Johnson. “I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.” The performance was followed by an iBelong coffeehouse at lunch. The peer counselors asked questions about what everyone thought of the performance and the meaning of it. The iBelong coffeehouse discussed the true purpose of the show and helped bring more thought to the table about it.
Spirit 8th grade Service Day Results! Contributors: Sophia Gostfrand, Sofia Paredes, Jack Bergman, and Annika Janzon Continued from page one
Compiled by Rachel Hodes
And now for the moment you have all been waiting for… the scores… FOR SPIRIT WEEK!!!! (all scores provided by Mrs. Greenfield) Over all the red team came in first with a total of 203 points. Next, the blue team with a total of 143 points. Then is third place the white team with a total of 130. In first place with 51 points was the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the team captain was Helena Perez. In second place with 45 points was the Michigan Wolverines, and the team captain was Catharina Giacian. In third place with 42 points was the Wisconsin Badgers, and the team captain was Ananda Naves. In fourth place with 39 points was the Texas Longhorns, and the team captain was Renee Mandel. In fifth place with 36 points was the Maryland Terrapin, and the team captain was Dylan Turk. In sixth place with 34 points was the Kentucky Wildcats, and the team captain was Layla Goldberg. In seventh place with 29 points was the Syracuse Orange, and the team captain was Stevie Port. In eighth place with 27 points was the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the team captain was Jacob White. In ninth place with 26 points was the Stanford Cardinal, and the team captain was Ethan Meyer-Perez. Also tied for ninth place was the Georgetown Hoyas, and the team captain was Zac Babil. In 10th place with 25 points was the Clemson Tigers, and the team captain was Matthew Allen. Also tied in 10th place was the Oregon Ducks, and the team captain was Conner Sazant. In 11th place with 21 points was the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the team captain was Sophia Gomez. In 12th place with 19 points was the UNC Tarheels, and the team captain was Jack Finvarb. In 13th place with 16 points was the LSU Tigers, and the team captain was Tatiana Barnes. In 14th place with 15 points was the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the team captain was Amaris Rios. In 15th place with 14 points was the Duke Blue Devils, and the team captain was Sean Finny. In 16th place with 10 points was the Michigan State Spartans, and the team captain was Hannah Amoils. I hope everyone had an enjoyable spirit week. Until next year….
After this talk, half of our group was taken to work at the soup kitchen to serve lunch, and the other half of us were taken to work at the thrift store. I was part of the group that was taken to work at the thrift store. At the thrift store, most of us were given jobs organizing inventory in the main part of the store, while others were given a job organizing books into categories in the book section of the store. I worked in this section and it was really fun to take books and decide what category they should go in, whether it was putting a book about World War II into the ‘World History’ category, or putting Kris Jenner’s book into the ‘Autobiography’ category. After leaving the Miami Rescue Mission, we met up with the rest of the grade at Oleta Park where we got to hang out near the water, talk about our service day experiences, and eat lunch. “For service day, my group stayed on campus,” said Sopha Gostfrand, an eighth grader. “When we first got to school, everyone was sitting at the bleachers.” Once the other groups left, my group walked over to the development office. We sat in a room which a couch and tables. We watched a video about the Center of the Arts. It was cool to see a visual of the building that wasn’t even built yet.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
From left: Raquel Koss, Marley Mayer-Perez, Camryn Davis, Andrea Nelcha, Tyler Knohl
After watching the videos, we split into two group. I was in the group that called parents and alumni thanking them for their donations. The other group wrote letters. After a while we switched groups. Asha Yearwood and I sat at a desk with a list of people and a script of what to say. We said our names and thanked the parents and alumni for their donations, and we said how excited we are for the Center of the Arts. After making many phone calls I switched to the other group and wrote a few letters also thanking parents and alumni for their donations. We walked over to the lower school bleachers and waited for the bus to take us to Oleta Park. As we were waiting there, Ms. Hernandez got a call that the bus forgot us. A bus finally came, and we drove to Oleta to meet everybody there. We had to wait half an hour for Panera to get there. After eating, we walked around Oleta. It was fun because we walked across the rocks and had to keep our balance. After a while, we got back on the busses and drove back to school. Overall, I really liked service day because it was something I haven’t done before and it was a great experience. “Service day was a day full of great opportunities and to give back to our society,” said Jack Bergman, an eighth grader. “The eighth grade went to multiple places, but the group I was in went to the Miami Jewish Health Systems.”
Photo by Alicia Rodriguez
Mr. Dearacama chaperoned a large group of students at the Miami Rescue Mission.
There was a lady that gave us a tour around the campus, and then we played bingo with some elderly folks. It was very nice and all the people at the homes were very kind. After bingo the elderly people had a dance competition. It was a lot of fun because I have never seen elderly people try to dance, and it was hilarious! Overall, I thought service day was a ton of fun and a great idea to help the Miami society! Lastly, Annika Janson elaborated on her trip to Oleta River Park, she said, “The group of students I was placed into took a bus to Oleta River State Park, where we collected any trash we could find that was floating around in the bushes or in the big rocks on the water. We found things like toilet seats, glass, plastic bottles, and miscellaneous objects. It was really interesting to see the amount of trash that was there, because in all honesty, I never paid that much attention to my surroundings. We split into groups of four to collect trash. My group happened to collect two entire garbage bags of it. I was in shock of the amount of things people leave behind when going to Oleta River State Park. I really liked service day, because I felt like I was making a difference to our community. Service day is life changing to not only the people we help but it also changes a lot of people's perspectives. We are so fortunate and happy to be offered this program.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
From left: Zac Babil, Julian Kovacs, Shane Piller, Matias Lacau
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7th Grade Trip
Into our nation's capital By Ilan Zenatti First, I woke up at four in the morning and I took a shower and I ate a quick breakfast. Then, I left my home at four forty five in the morning to go to the Fort Lauderdale airport. I met up with my advisory and we passed security together, got our boarding passes and waited for the other people to come. Then, we left on SouthWest airlines to Baltimore, Maryland. When we arrived, we gathered together and we were taken to our buses. On my bus, there was my advisory (Mr. Muhlig) and Ms. Clement’s advisory. We were introduced to a very welcoming tour guide named Glen, who told us a lot about Washington D.C. Our first stop when we arrived was at the White House. We stayed outside and took pictures as we couldn’t go inside. After, we went to the Newseum and saw the antenna of one of the Twin Towers and a lot of other exhibits, such as part of the wall of Berlin. Next, we left and headed to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, followed by the FDR memorial. Next, we ate dinner at the Union station and had a lot of fun. Before going to the hotel, we went ice skating, which was a lot of fun. Then, we went to our rooms and went to sleep.
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Exploring the Capital
Washington, D.C.
By various contributors
Brooke Nieder-Library of Congress On our 7th grade Washington D.C. trip, one of my favorite parts was the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is the library where congressmen can look up information. In fact, It is the largest library in the world! One of the main features and one of the best parts of my trip to this library was being able to see Thomas Jefferson's private collection of books. He had around 6,000 books and sold them to the government to pay off his debt. He received $23,950 for his collection and his books were what started the Library of Congress! I really enjoyed going to the Library of Congress and I had a great time in D.C.!
I looked into one of the soldier's face, and he looked scared, worried, and not sure if he was going to live through this war.
Dhillon Murphy-Korean Memorial
- Dhillon Murphy The Korean war was very sad, and there were many deaths. Families lost their loved ones, and it is not easy to just forget them. When I went to the Korean Memorial, no one there was happy. Everyone was remembering their loved ones,and/ or the war itself. We had to answer a few questions on a packet, but that did not help me truly understand what happened during this war. I looked into one of the soldier's face, and he looked scared,worried, and not sure if he was going to live through this war.This made me feel bad for these people, and then I saw a quote on the marble. This quote stated,"Freedom is not free." Freedom is not free anywhere. There is always a price, and war seems to be it. The Korean War killed lots of Americans and Koreans, but it also gave South Korea freedom. For Now.
Vietnam Memorial
Margo Erb-Lincoln Memorial
Library of Congress
The Lincoln Memorial is a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln. The memorial had the reflecting pool in front of it which looked beautiful because you can see the reflection of the Washington monument. The speeches inside the Lincoln Memorial were his actual speeches, the two most famous for that matter. The speeches displayed were the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address who he was during his presidency and the Civil War. There was a spelling mistake on the word “hollow” in the memorial. Overall, the memorial was beautiful and I would love to visit it again.
Michael Athanassiadis-Ford’s Theater and Petersen House
Belle Greenberg said she had a very meaningful experience at the Vietnam Me-
Dhillon Murphy reflects on the fallen soldiers.
Nicki Altman reads a tribute left to a fallen soldier.
Gaby Abramowitz reflects on the sacrifices of these fallen American soldiers.
During the 7th grades’ trip to Washington D.C., we visited the Ford's Theater and Petersen House. We walked around in the area as our tour guide told us about Lincoln's’ death. I thought it was really cool to see where Lincoln was shot, and where he died, but I thought the activity would have been enhanced if we had taken a tour of the interior of the Theater. By Belle Greenberg
Olivia Borchers-Air and Space Museum The Air and Space Museum was one of my favorite museums. During the air and space museum, the class had to do a mini, fun scavenger hunt. We learned about the types of planes flown in history and we also learned about how aviation works. Even though we had lots of work, the work was very fun and it kept us busy. The Air and Space Museum has wonderful planes that were very famous in history. After I did my work, I went to stimulator. It made me feel like I was actually flying a war plane! This museum was very fun and I would hope to do it again sometime!
The Vietnam Memorial was dedicated to those who were lost in the Vietnam War. The names are displayed in chronological order on a twoacre stone wall. The names are all marked with either a diamond (died in action), a cross (missing in action), a cross surrounded by a diamond (missing and later identified), or a circle surrounding a cross (missing but later found alive, which has never happened). This memorial really touched me. All around me, I saw small gifts left by the families of the fallen, grandparents telling stories about their friends on the walls to their grandchildren, and people scratching the names of their relatives on a piece of paper with a pencil. When I looked at the amount of names inscribed on the stone wall, I realized how lucky I was that none of my relatives or family friends were on that wall. This memorial made me think of the sacrifices that these brave people made for our country. I am thankful to those who are on that wall, and I always will be.
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Mrs. Avalos retires Continued from page one
She said, “I started off at the University of Miami studying speech and hearing sciences. Then I got a masters in speech language pathology; I worked in that field for a while but was not happy doing that… So I went to Barry University and got another masters in clinical social work.” Here at MCDS, she started the peer counseling program, helped with iBelong, the drug awareness program, Red Ribbon, and helping with the junior thespians! But her greatest achievement is her passion and love for her job and the genuine affection she receives from the students and teachers. Mr. Mathes said that she was hired because of her pleasant personality and love of kids. She has a great sense of humor and a calming presence.
Maggie Avalos
Dr. Davies said, “There’s no question about it - the middle school’s losing a fabulous guidance counselor.”
“Mrs Avalos is so comforting and nice. Even in her advisory she always gave support,” said 8th grader Hannah Amoils. Seventh grader, Tyler Gale said, “She is extremely nice, respectful, and smart. Her advice and care for the person she is helping is irreplaceable and her kindness is priceless.” “Her optimism, I would say that no matter how bad things get, no matter what issues arise, she remains positive and hopeful, and the students feed off that,” said Mr. Finny, the middle school dean of students.
Among other things, Mrs. Avalos was an inspirational advisor. Here she is with her 2015-2016 advisory.
Mr. Mathes has known Mrs. Avalos for 15 years and said, “She will come visit us and maybe have a little bit to do with the school. We’re hoping she can come back to work with the junior thespians."
ever she wants and what she wants is to truthfully spend time with her incredible family.”
Pops has known Mrs. Avalos for 10 years, since their sons were in a play together.
Pops said that she has extensive knowledge of drama because she taught ballet, and they understand each other's teaching styles.
“To say I’m going to miss her is a tremendous understatement," said Pops. "I’ve done my share of crying. But I am so happy for her, she deserves to go anywhere and do what-
Mrs. Byrne will soon be taking the job as guidance counselor.
Mrs. Avalos said, “They gotta see her in a different light. She’s not going to be the teacher she’s going to be a counselor and she has a lot of experience in the field, and I think she’s gonna be wonderful.” “When I took over as dean of students the previous dean of students had been here for 20 years, and I was not the same person, and so automatically people see and say ‘wait, this isn't the same person’, so automatically you always have challenges when you take over a job that someone has had
for a long time that was held in high regard,” said Mr. Finny. At the end of the day the entire MCDS community will be losing one of it’s most wonderful staff and we all look forward to seeing her visiting school or helping on projects!
Around MCDS
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Campus undergoing changes Continued from page one “I have been working at MCDS for 10 years and the school has changed quite a bit during this time,” said Mrs. Finny, the sixth grade STEM teacher and dean of students, “It is wonderful to see all the changes taking place; our school has grown tremendously over the years.” The school has been planning the changes for about five or six years now. The original idea was to construct a new Arts building to replace the old facilities. The garage came into the plan three or four years ago because of the increase in space and the demand for parking. The field has needed to be replaced for several years. “We’ve been thinking about the construction for a good five or six years,” said Dr. John Davies, the headmaster of MCDS, “First the Arts center, and garage about 18-20 months later as we were trying to get permission to get approval for the center for the arts. That’s when the garage actually came up and the county said that we were going to have to solve this problem. But it’s been about five years since we did a campus master plan and that's when the center was identified as a part of the master plan.”
The field
“MCDS developed a Strategic Plan with the school community several years back that placed the highest priority on building a Center for the Arts,” said Mr. Gary Butts, the Chief Operating Officer, “The new parking deck was required by county government to help with traffic and parking.” “The field right now, the turf that they just pulled up was about 12 yrs old,” said Dr. Davies, “You’re supposed to get at least eight years. So we kind of got four years more. And so we certainly got our money out of it. The turf had worn out, and to make sure that we had a great playing surface for the students we replaced it. Those facilities get used sometimes from eight in the morning to 10 at night. The field has certainly had its share of wear and tear over the past few years.” The new Arts Center is going to be a huge contribution to the school. All of the arts (art, drama,
Photo by Rachel Hodes
A view from the canal of the new parking garage under construction. dance, and instrumental/musical arts) will be transitioning into the building next year. “The hardest part is waiting for these changes to happen and being patient with the modifications which need to occur until these areas are fully functional,” said Mrs. Finny. “So we know that as we develop that part of the campus that we are going to have to make schedule changes to accommodate students going from one part of the campus to another part of the campus,” said Dr. Davies, “So we're looking at that and what we have to do. We’re also bringing in one of the best scheduling consultants in the country whose coming soon and is going to spend a week here looking at the campus and looking at our schedule and
hopefully we will get some ideas and insights from this consultant that's going to be here. So we know that we're going to have to make some changes that will allow students to move from one classroom to another.”
All of the students are excitedly waiting for the grand opening of the Arts Center, the garage, and the approaching reopening of the field and track.
With the amount of construction going on at once, you’re bound to find some setbacks and challenges along the way. But our school handled them so quickly and efficiently, nobody even noticed anything was wrong!
“I am excited about the new arts building because it gives more space for the arts classrooms,” said Brooke Nieder, a seventh grader at MCDS. “All in all, I am excited about the changes because we will have more parking space, a new arts building, and a new field.”
“There are always issues, concerns and problems with construction and moving,” said Mr. Butts. “We have a great team in place to overcome any obstacles and make these projects successful. Change is good but difficult.”
As the year goes on, the new building are getting closer and closer to completion. By this time next year, the Arts center and the garage will be open and in use. But for now, all we can do is wait until that day comes.
Eighth grade visit courthouse By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt The MCDS eighth graders have been going to the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building for five years. Judge Sayfie, a mother of three Country Day students, has made sure that we have a purposeful and educational program set up during our visits. “We have a connection, fortunately,” said Mr. Mathes. “Schools just can’t take field trips to courthouses. You just can’t do that; so it takes this judge to set this up for us.”
“I think it is important for everyone who lives in this country to have an appreciation of our system of justice,” said Judge Sayfie. “As an American citizen and as judge I take enormous pride in our system. So my hope is to educate and expose as many people to the system in a positive way.” Mrs. Mahoney coordinated this year's trip. Mr. Fallik, the civics teacher and eighth grade team leader, has always been very supportive. “It was the idea of the eighth grade team, and then we ran it by Judge Sayfie," said Mr. Fallik. "She put together a worthwhile program for us,"
“I want them to learn about the importance of jury duty,” said Judge Sayfie. “That it is a privilege of citizenship. I want them to be proud of our constitution. I want them to be careful and not make mistakes as teenagers that could follow them the rest of their lives. I have seen too many young people hurt their future with one dumb mistake.” This year some of the cases varied from parking tickets all the way to battery and drugs. Students were shocked. “The most powerful part of the trip for me was seeing and hearing the prisoners that were in the cells yell such cruel (some kind) words,” said Raquel Koss. “The most powerful aspect of the trip was when my group got to experience bond hearings,” said Helena Perez. “It was eye-opening to see how many people get arrested every day. This trip is a warning for many. If we don't make good decisions, we could end up facing trial and jail/prison.” In earlier years, the eighth grade have seen things like murder and rape trials. Mr. Finny, the dean of students and a parent, says that kids in general can feel like they’re invincible, and seeing the consequences can be eye opening.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
A corrections officer talks to the eighth grade about life in jail.
“My favorite part was being able to observe what they do in the courthouse and I also thought that where the inmates were held was interesting,” said Emanuelle Hart. “Going to the courthouse was inspiring to me because it made me realize that it’s a place I would never want to show up in as a criminal… Maybe one day, I’ll be working there as a judge or attorney.”
Going to the courthouse was inspiring… Maybe one day I’ll be working there as a judge or attorney.
- Emanuelle Hart “My favorite part was going into where the cells were because although it scared me, I now know what it's like for the people that committed crimes," said Raquel Koss. "I think this enhances the MCDS community because it really sends the message to be careful with your actions.” “My favorite part was when we went to our courtrooms and listened to different court cases," said Joseph Aming. "If I would have done anything else during the trip I would have asked more questions than I did, and try to figure out more information.” Although Mrs. Mahoney prefers not to see the jail cells, she does enjoy the trip very much. She says that she really likes that the kids can truly see how society works and that it’s very interesting to hear the cases, although it can get boring sometimes when you don’t understand the terms used in the courtroom. The courthouse field trip was very informative and definitely had kids thinking. It’s a very valuable asset to the MCDS eighth grade and hopefully a tradition for many years to come.
Arts and Entertainment
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Zooto- OrlandoFest: Fun and competition MCDS music students travel to Orlando to compete pia thrills for highest honors. By Rachel Hodes
SPOILER ALERT**** S P O I L E R ALERT****** Just Kidding! On March 4, 2016, the action packed movie Zootopia came out in theaters. The movie setting is supposed to be a place where all animals get along and they live in a kind of genuine, urban, and not to mention civilized place. A rabbit named Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit police officer, after being shown through multiple difficult tasks, and goes out on a mission to prove she is not just a little cute animal that can’t do anything. On her way she meets a fox named Nick Wilde and together they go on a dangerous, action-packed mission. The cast of characters are: Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde. Shakira as Gazelle, Idris Elba as Bogo, J.K. Simmons as Mayor Lionheart, Nate Torrence as Clawhauser, and Jenny Slate as Asst. Mayor Bellwether. On Rotten Tomatoes Zootopia got a 98% liking rate, which is extremely good. In box office Zootopia has made over $866.7 million since it has been released! The movie has top quality animation. The town of Zootopia has three parts to it, not including the actually city. There is the rainforest district, Sahara Square (desert district), and Tundra Town (cold district). They all are are very detailed, especially the town. It has every detail from the parking meters, to the subway systems, to the clothes on the animals. All the characters have a funny representations of different people. When you break down the ideas they are supposed to represent, it is like actual people in certain stereotypical roles. The sloths in the car place are really slow people at places you need help. The lion that is the supposed to be in charge of Zootopia is nice, but fierce. The bunnies are the little farmers and so on. So everything has some flow to it which makes the story believable in a sense. Zootopia is a great movie for kids and adults; it is entertaining for everyone. If you have not yet seen Zootopia you should go to get a good laugh and watch some unexpected surprises along the way.
By Camryn Davis OrlandoFest is a music competition in which schools from all around the country compete for the first place trophy in each category. Groups eligible range from a large orchestra to a quartet show choir group. This year, the MCDS middle school music program entered three different groups. These were orchestra, concert band (also known as radio ensemble), and chorus. Under the direction of Mr. Mofsky, Ms. Alfonso, and Ms. Pelletier, all three groups managed to snatch the first place trophy from the competitors. Months and months of preparation occurred in order for this to be accomplished. There were often lunch rehearsals that took place to maximize the amount preparation before competition day. Most of class time was used to prepare for this and the middle school assembly prior to the competition. All the teachers referred to the assembly as a “warm-up”, as performing would help us become stronger competitors at OrlandoFest. After months of preparing and a four hour bus ride, it was time to perform.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
First up was the orchestra. They played three pieces, “Medieval Kings”, “Funky Fiddles”, and “Velocity.” These pieces blew the judges away.
MCDS won many awards this year. From left: Camryn Davis, Ashley Michelin, Juanpablo Casas, Maya Kreger, Gaby Abramowitz, Scout Hudson “Late Pass” and “Dr. No” were arranged by Mr. Mofsky, and Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban, “Seasons of Love” from Rent, featured many solos from the brass section. and “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves.
In addition to winning in its category, the orchestra also received an excellent rating from the judges. Concert Band performed next. They were joined by the chorus for their first piece, “Pompeii”. The following two songs,
The judges were captivated by the quality of the sound. This group received an excellent rating and the first place trophy in the category. The chorus was the final group to perform. They sang “You
This group also received an excellent rating and the first place trophy in the category. To celebrate the big win, all the students were taken to Universal and Islands of Adventure the next day.
Celebrating MCDS Dance By Belle Greenberg On April 15, our MS Dance program had the annual Evening of Dance. Evening of Dance is a night where every track of dance performs a dance or two and presents it to the parents and the students and the faculty. The dances are performed by the many dedicated and enthusiastic students that are so well trained by Shaquan Johnson, the dance teacher for the school. “I enjoyed working with Shaquan more than the students because I think that Shaquan is super fun to be with and amazing helper and dancer,” said Julia Touret, a sixth grader. “I was excited for Evening of Dance because I am in eighth grade and couldn't wait to share the stage with my friends one last time in my middle school dance career,” said Sophia Cartalano, an eighth grader.
The dancers were all from middle school, each different ages and of different skill levels. For some not ever dancing in their lives, the dances were amazing. “The theme for this year’s Evening of Dance was intensity,” said Shaquan Johnson, the dance teacher. “I think that the students really brought the intensity in their dancing. They performed really well.” The dances were all very well choreographed and were very well performed. The most incredible part was that the last dance, the group dance at the end was the first time that they had ever done a full run through with everybody. But it turned out amazing. “Dance contains lots of teamwork,” said Olivia Borchers, a seventh grader. “I definitely enjoy working with Shaquan and my team mates. There is no ‘I’ in ‘dance!’” “I liked all my dances, especially the vampire piece and my solo,” said Sophia. “The vampire piece and my solo
were the most technically challenging and I loved the choreography. The salsa was a new experience and it was fun to perform. I loved Chasing Cars because of the song reference to Grey's Anatomy and contemporary is my favorite style of dance. The hip hop was pretty cool, too.” “I thought each dancer brought their own unique energy to each piece,” said Mr. Johnson. “I think they were all great.” “I did enjoy the experience of dancing and working with my classmates and Shaquan,” said Lorelai Konen, a seventh grader. Each dance was amazing and energetic. No matter how much time it took for practices, the dancers gave it their all. “I am really happy about how the dances turned out,” said Luna Alonso, a seventh grader. “The costumes were amazing, and once on stage, everyone worked together.”
Movies Batman v Superman: "Entertaining and dramatic" By Jack Finvarb
The new movie, Batman vs Superman (directed by Zack Snyder), was a very entertaining film. It’s about the classic superhero known as Batman, who notices that another superhero known as Superman, who has the ability to destroy the whole world if he wanted to. Batman starts to think about this idea of Superman taking over the world and decides that he has to try and fight Superman and eliminate him, so that there is no possibility that he can take over the world. The cast was filled with amazing actors like Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, and many other great actors. The two hour and thirty three minute movie was a lot better than Man of Steel, the movie about Superman first coming to Earth and protecting it. About halfway into the movie, we find out that there is going to be another movie based on the Justice League, which is a group of superheroes who fight evil to protect the people of Earth. We find this out when we see videos of Aquaman, The Flash, Wonder
Woman, and Cyborg. Even though the movie was very entertaining, there were still many scenes in the movie that did not make sense in any way compared to the actual comics. One example would be when Batman is going to his parents’ grave and a disgusting, scary looking alien flies out of the grave. Another scene that did not make sense was the fact that when Batman first fell into the batcave when he was little, he was magically lifted by a bunch of bats that were in the cave. In my opinion the one thing that the movie makers could have made a lot better was the way they made the enormous and terrifying, Doomsday. I believe Doomsday could have been better, if the movie makers switched the way they created him in the movie, because that was not even close to how he looks in the comics. They did not make him as scary as he is supposed to be in the comics. Doomsday has enormous spikes surrounding him everywhere, whereas in the movie he only had a few. The movie producers also did not give him the same famous green shorts that he always wears in his comics. The movie was still incredible, and I would recommend seeing it, because it was very entertaining and dramatic.
Jungle Book: One Take By Davis Lubetsky
The Jungle Book is an adventure movie based on the novel written by Rudyard Kipling in the 1800’s. Directed by Jon Favreau, this movie is about a boy named Mowgli who was abandoned in the jungle, found by a leopard, and raised by a pack of wolves. After a while of living with the wolves, a tiger starts targeting Mowgli. The boy is forced to leave his home with the wolves and travel to the ‘man village’ where he came from. This movie features the voices of such actors as Christopher Walken, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, and is narrated by Ben Kingsley. It is action packed and has great special effects, like the many talking animals; such as the gigantopithecus named King Louie, the pack of wolves that raised Mowgli, and the tiger who is hunting Mowgli.
This is a great movie to go out and see as a family one night. I would recommend this movie to any family with young children seven and under. My younger brother’s said, “It was very cool and dramatic,” he rated it, “four and a half” out of five stars. His favorite scene was when Mowgli tricked the tiger into falling into the fire. The movie also features a classic song from the first Jungle Book movie, “Bear Necessities..” There were lots of different animals in the film. Many of the animals, such as the tiger, were native to India, where Rudyard Kipling wrote this adventure story so long ago. While a great movie, I would only recommend it for families with the youngest child no older than nine years old. Most of the older children did not enjoy it as much as kids under nine. This does not mean that people older than nine will not like it. My grandparents enjoyed the movie very much, and they are well over nine. If you go to the movie, I hope you enjoy it and find it fun to watch.
Jungle Book: Another take By Nicole Rodan
In this powerful journey Mowgli finds his true home and what really is important to him. He uses his inventions to save them all, which shows that the strength of the mind is greater than any physical strength.
Boom paw! Mowgli rolls down the mountain trying to make his way to the man village for his and his wolf pack’s safety. I do not want to spoil it, but let’s just say that this adventurous, action-packed movie made me sit on the edge of my seat eagerly waiting to see what would happen next.
The Jungle Book was very adventurous, and there were beautiful scenes because the story took place in a jungle. My favorite character besides Mowgli was Baloo. He is the funny, lazy bear that saved Mowgli. They become best friends as they work together to collect honey. Together they sing songs, play, and explore.
This great story that became a rate this film a four out of Disney cartoon fiveI would stars. I would recommend this movie for ages eight and up. Some On his way he comes across ob- has been remade scenes were a little intense for younger viewers. stacles. King Louie, a snake, bear, monkeys, and elephants, are just many times. My favorite scenes were when some of the characters who lead Mowgli is a small boy who grew up in the jungle with animals. Over time, he learned how to act and think like them. When he puts his wolf pack and himself in danger, he goes on a mysterious journey towards the man village.
him towards the red flower.
- Nicole Rodan
Mowgli helped Baloo gather honey and when the monkeys attacked.
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Sports
Spring Sports wrap-up Compiled by Rachel Hodes MCDS had a great spring sport season and it was very successful. The community is very proud of this school. MCDS has had not only a great spring sport season but also an overall performance in the athletic department. Here are the stats of the 2016 spring sport teams... Boys Baseball Middle School: 12 -lose One-win Two-tie Three Coaches: Jimmy Simpson, John Broderick, Anthony Haderer Jackson Jimenez Awards: Cy Young - Water Polo Award - Zac Wyka, MVP- Danny Saydkhuzhin, Coach’s Award- Sean Finny, and Most Improved- Griffin Steutel Middle School Boys Jv lacrosse: Six-lose Four-win Three coaches: Chaka Bainbridge, Terrance Bradley, Joseph Whalen Awards: MVP-Romain Vinois, Coaches Award- Davis Lubetsky, Most Improved-Noah Gaudet, and Leading Offensive Player-Nicholas Altman Middle School Boys Tennis Six-win Two-lose two coaches: Janet Haas, Luis Velarde Awards: MVP- Jackson Halliwall, Coaches Award- Shawn Piller, Most Improved- Elliot Starkman Middle School Boys Water Polo Seven-loss Five coaches Alain Guillen, Michael Fallik, Bryan Garcia, Eleni Pizanias,
Photo by Rachel Hodes
Camila Burton and MariaPia Onorato practice tennis. Stephanie Ragheb Awards: MVP- Camryn Davis, Coaches Award- Jack Rodriguez, Most ImprovedRamon Villamayor , Defensive Player of the Year- Riccardi Giuseppe Middle School Girls Water Polo: Seven-loss Five coaches: Alain Guillen, Michael Fallik, Bryan Garcia, Eleni Pizanias, Stephanie Ragheb Awards: MVP-Isabella Stripling, Coaches- Sabrina Morata, Most Improved- Sofia Gomez, Defensive Player
of the Year- Giulia Zamboli Middle School Girls Softball Seven-win Eight-lose Four coaches: Chris Antonopoulos, Maria Luis, Jacqueline Smith, Jeffrey Watson Awards: Coaches Award- Saarah Rasiff Boys Middle School Varsity Lacrosse : 12 -wins Four-losses Two Coaches: Chaka Bainbridge, Scott Tromberg Awards: MVP- Jovan Joseph, Coaches
Award-Paul Clifford, Most ImprovedEthan Mayer- Perez Middle School Girls Tennis: Seven wins Two loses Two coaches: Janet Haas, Luis Velarde Awards: MVP- Maria Paula Salazar, Coaches Award- Helena Perez, Most Improved- Maria-Pia Onorato The teams did good and MCDS cannot wait for next year!
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Sixth grader goes skiing By Roman Rabbat
Day.1 and 2 My day started at 5:30 am, March 23 as we rushed to Miami airport destination, Colorado. I felt the exhilarating g-force as our Boeing 737 flattened me in my seat. Unfortunately, we were diverted to Kansas City for the night due to a snowstorm in Denver. The next morning we flew to Denver and drove to Vail. We checked in to the Ritz Carlton Club Vail and went into picturesque Vail Village for dinner. Day 3-7
The next five days were some of the greatest in my life. We had an amazing time wandering through the streets of Vail Village and Lionhead eating great food and seeing amazing sights. We ate at a new exotic place each night, but my favorite restaurant by far was the Swiss Chalet, where we enjoyed tenderloin tips as they sizzled in a pot of oil. We saw creative snow sculptures and built a snow fort. During my trip the highlight was skiing. Every morning I would go to the ski school area and find a level seven group for skiing. We would go down the mountain on long, hard trails escaping the grip of gravity as we jumped over moguls. Being level seven, I was skiing blacks, blues, and even some double diamonds. The snow was always good and
powdery. We would look down on the world from the top of the mountain and see the little villages east and west of Vail. My favorite run was a black called Ben’s Face. It was a steep run filled with moguls and jumps. It was half tree trail, half normal trail. My favorite tree trail was one called Buckskin Glade, a black diamond that was littered with jumps and sharp turns. Skiing was definitely the highlight. After skiing there were, of course, a variety of things to do at the hotel. There was a heated pool and hot tub, a game room and a backyard where my brother and I and rival kids would do snow ball fights. The cherry on the top was s’mores by the fire pit.
Day-8 Our last day was one of the best. In the morning we went skiing with our parents down the mountain for a few hours and went to lunch in Lionhead Village before deciding that we needed to hit the road if we wanted to get to the airport on time. On the drive out of Vail I looked for the last time at the mountains as we drove. Before we got to Denver, we stopped in Breckenridge to see the mountains for the last time. After, that we drove for another two hours before getting to Denver. In Denver, we went straight to the rental car return and headed to the airport, and at 12:15 am, March 30th we were no longer on our vacation. I slept for most of the flight but woke up in Miami, smiling because I still had four days left of spring vacation.
Horoscopes By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
Aries: March 21 - April 19 You will come across some good news today. Make sure to not to forget to check the mail! Taurus: April 20 - May 20 School’s almost over so you gotta check your grades! Gemini: May 21- June 20 Have fun! Cancer: June 21 - July 22 Look out for water, today might bring a splashy surprise. Leo: July 23 - August 22 Try out a new sport.
Virgo: August 23 - September 22 There is a healthy amount of pizza in the cupboard. Libra: September 23- October 22 Be one with nature. Scorpio: October 23- November 21 Polish up on your vocab, don’t want to end up inarticulate . Sagittarius: November 22- December 21 Walk on sunshine. Capricorn: December 22- January 19 Apologize to your pet. Aquarius: January 20- February 18 Steal candy from Mr. Fallik. Pisces: February 19 - March 20 Fight or buy war bonds.
Roman loved skiing every day during his Spring Break.
Immokalee
MCDS students spend day with farm workers.
Photo by Annika Janzon
Sofia Cabarcos volunteers her time organizing donated clothing.
Photo by Tyler Knohl
Students prepare for their activity. From left: Samantha Long, Helena Perez, Renee Mandel, Sophia Cartolano
Photo by Mrs. Hernandez
The students learned about the terrible conditions in which the farm workers live and work.
Photo by Mrs. Hernandez
Jack FInvarb lifts a tomato bucket. The farm workers lift hundreds a day in the hot sun.
Photo by Mr. Dearacama
Layla Goldberg and Hannah Amoils lift the bucket together. The farm workers do this solo.