In the Middle (2018-2019 v1)

I NSI DE Spanish students

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MSEmbraces Service

The M iddle School changed the way they do ser vice this year, and the fir st M S Ser vice Day was on Fr iday, September 28.

BY CECI L I A STORM

7th Gr ade Tr ip

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Spor ts

The Miami Country Day Middle school celebrates the acts of service, but this year it has greatly changed. ?The service changes that we made this year will improve service day much more because I believe that the years before it was more of a competition for hours or people would buy them,? said Mrs. De La Cadena, seminar teacher and coordinator of Service Day. ?So I think that this year it will be very productive and people will actively participate more in service and go put to help better their community.?

The first Middle School service day occurred on Friday, September 28.

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?I like Service Day because you get to help other people

and your community it's also a fun time to spend with your friend doing different activities,? says Sabrina Valdivia, a 7th grader at MCDS. ?I like the changes made to service day because some people did things where it didn't PHOTO BY M RS. A BREU-GRONDI N really work and it One of the locations for ser vice was the Children's Home Society of Flor ida. wasn't really people have a lot of money here, and we are very helping it was more like the got hours for little things fortunate, and sometimes people don't that or don't and I like the assignments because it?s on record of what realize that so it's good because we have to start you did but there's also a downside to it because I get appreciating that we are so fortunate,? said Rachel that the hours are recorded still someone could do an Maloy, a 6th grader. "A lot of people were choosing hour of an assignment not even an hour maybe thirty things to do with their friend and other people were minutes and then it will just be recorded that they did do switching on the day, so maybe we could somehow the assignment, but they do check the hours so,? says make it a little more organized.?

Ella Gilderman, a seventh-grader. ?I think we should do service day because a lot of

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MCDSin Transition: Head of School

BY EL L A SM I TH

Last year Dr. Davies retired after 18 years of being the head of school. This year Mr. Connor came as the temporary head of school while Mr. Butts and the rest of the administrations did an intensive search for a permanent one. On September 28, 2018, Miami Country Day School announced the new head of school to be Mariandl Hufford.

The new head of school, Mariandl Hufford, will be joining us on July 1, 2019, but Mr. Connor has goals to get the school ready for the new head school. Mr. Connor has made a new program called Miami Country Day by Design. Miami Country Day by Design is a group of people who look at our academics and make sure we are learning enough in each grade.

I nter im Head of School Jim Connor helps a student from her car in the mor ning.

After Dr. Davies left, the search for a new head of school began. Mr. Butts said, ?There were many candidates, but there were only four finalists.?

Mr. Mathes explained what the four candidates thought of the school. ?All the people that I met with thought that the changes needed to The new head of happen too,? he said. That change is school, M ar iandl very significant. ?The new head of Huffor d, will be j oining school will need to help with the transition from different grades."

us on July 1, 2019.

It was quite a time ago when Dr. Davies first came as the head of school. Ms. Mahoney said that when he first came, the lower school had small little cottages.

PHOTO BY EL L A SM I TH

Mr. Mathes, the Head of Middle School said, ?Dr. Davies made a lot of changes to make the school beautiful.?

Dr. Davies has done a lot to our school, and it has made our community way better in the way it looks and in our academics. Ms. Mahoney also says, ?The campus has changed the school's amount of programs and has made ones that have already existed better.?

Mr. Butts said that as the search committee, he was looking for a head of school that has a vision of Miami Country Day and can create them. "We all think that Mariandl Hufford is capable of that. The search committee also found a head of school that is great in academics." A press release said, ?Mariandl began her career as a Latin teacher and counselor at the Woodlynde School in Strafford, PA, an independent, co-educational K-12 school serving students with diverse learning styles.?

Continued on page 2

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LAN School keeps kids on task

BY TAL I A K URL ANDSK I This year is the second year the Miami Country Day Middle School has used LANschool.

LANschool is a program that teachers use to monitor the student's computer screens.

The school decided to get LANschool because of students abusing the use of laptops. Now the big question is: Is LANschool really making a difference to our school? ?I think it is a great program, but I don?t like the fact that kids can?t be trusted to stay on task and do what they are supposed to do,? said Ms. Linfield, the 6th grade English teacher.

She also clearly states that students weren?t following the honor code. She said, ?We shouldn?t need it at all because I am a strong believer in the honor code and I wish I could just trust students to never stray from their task, and not be doing what they shouldn?t be doing on the computer for classwork.? She also mentions that she doesn?t want to police anyone's computer because it doesn?t affect the teacher but themselves only.

Overall, Ms. Linfield likes LANschool

PHOTOS BY TAL I A K URL ANDSK I

Sixth gr ader s Natalia M arquez and Sydney M andel know that their teacher might be looking. but is upset that students can?t be trusted to stay on task.

Ella Smith, a sixth-grader, said, ?I dislike LANschool, and it makes me feel like the teachers are stalking my computer.?

She also believes that since the teachers didn?t buy the computer and the students did, that gives the students complete ownership of the laptop and they deserve their own personal laptop screen.

In conclusion, Ella strongly dislikes LANschool and believes if anything, lower schoolers should need it and not middle schoolers.

Similar to Ella?s thoughts, Arabella Gutchess, a sixth-grader, said, ?I strongly dislike LANschool. It is mean to the students.?

Many students in the middle school complex are consistently heard talking about LANschool in negative ways saying things like, ?I don?t like the LANschool program - it sucks.?

Or ? Why do I need it when I am always on task??

Some students are very honorable and lauded by their teachers for good, trustworthy conduct, and it?s upsetting to those students to find out that others couldn?t do that, and they had to suffer the consequences of not being trusted on their computers without LANschool.

Almost every math class, Ms. Muhlig, the sixth-grade math teacher uses LANschool while the students do computer work.

She enables LANschool to make sure the students only do what they were instructed to do on their laptops.

She restricts every website, except for the ones we are permitted to use. Ms. Muhlig thinks that LANschool is an excellent tool because it helps the students know that they are not able to and should never play games or text in class.

Mr. Finny, the Dean of Students, says ?I don?t fully understand how LANschool works but I know LANschool gives the teachers an opportunity to interact with the student's computer screen so the

New Head of School Mr. Connor has an CONTI NUED FROM FRONT PAGE head of experienced background. school. He Before coming to our applied school, he was head of school at along with many others. He had Germantown Academics in Philadelphia. interviews and qualified along with the He was an English teacher and a coach four other candidates. He was picked as for many different sports. Then he the interim head of school. Mr. Mathes became the head of the school thought he was the ideal person. He said, Germantown Academics for 26 full ?Mr. Connor had a lot of experience with years. After that, he retired and went being head of school, and the school he back to being a dad. Then one ordinary used to work with is a lot like Miami day, he saw an ad saying Miami Country Country Day. Day School is looking for a temporary

teachers can actually post something to the student's computer screen, and the teachers can also freeze the student's computer screen at that very moment in class. With that ability from an education standpoint, it really helps. It is so far a

very useful tool for the teachers.? Mr. Finny mentions many things, but overall, he believes it is a useful program.

Overall, the opinions of LANschool are mixed. Some said it was ok, bad, mean, useful, a good program, but in conclusion, most of the negative things came from the students about LANschool.

We are looking forward Committee. We are so glad to have her to having Mariandl and Hufford join us. hope ?Mariandl is the perfect she Head of School for will Miami Country Day. Brilliant yet be humble, a technician and academician, with she has been on our radar for a long time, us for and we are blessed to have her. She has a long an outstanding national reputation and time. will bring a special kindness and a love for independent education to our M CDS's new campus.? said Miami per manent head of County Day?s Board of school, M ar iandl Trustees and the Head of Huffor d School Search

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Welcome our newest teacher: Sra. Leon

BY A L EXI S K APL AN now she is here!

Time really does fly.

With all the prior experience that Ms. Leon brought to this school with her, that makes it easier for her, in fact, Ms. Leon says that is probably the most natural part of being a new teacher; she technically isn?t a NEW teacher, she is just new to this school.

Ms. Leon joined the middle school faculty, specifically the eighth-grade team, as the only new teacher in the 2018-2019 school year. After a lot of moving around, she landed here at Miami Country Day School, and we are fortunate to have her as the seventh and eighth-grade Spanish teacher.

Ms. Leon has an interesting background story that involves a lot of traveling, learning, and experiences, regarding how she ended up at our school.

She was born and grew up in the fabulous city, Lima, Peru. She also went to school there all of her childhood and even continued to stay there for college, graduating years later with an International Business Degree. That time is a blur for her, but Ms. Leon then got married and moved to a tiny town in Missouri with a population of 190 people, with her husband.

From there it clears up; she went back to the university and got her degree in Spanish and education and certification to teach Kindergarten through 12th grade. She then started working immediately as soon as she graduated a year and a half later, very quickly because of credits from her old university. Her teaching career then launched into action. She started working in a very nice public school in a college town, and there were many universities there. She worked there for 15 years and then moved to Vero Beach, Florida because of an opportunity to work there for three years and a private school and a college preparatory, St Edward?s School.

Then, she got to the opportunity to work here at Miami Country Day School, and

Ms. Leon came here because it seemed like one of the most amazing opportunities she?d ever gotten, and she wanted to take it and pursue it with a passion.

She was also attracted to the area. ?I am a city person, I have been all my life, as you know I lived in Lima, Peru. So Missouri was very strange for me. It was a nice place, but I was always thinking, ?Oh my gosh, I want to be in the city.?I was always missing the ocean and the city, the smell, the breeze, it was so beautiful, and I did not get any of that in Missouri. So that was why I wanted to come to Miami, and change always is good, so I came here and was very lucky to get good job opportunities.? she said.

Ms. Leon?s exciting, special, FIRST day at the school arrived, and when she first set foot onto the campus, her first thoughts were that it is such a beautiful school with a very open campus, but it is still a place where are you protected. ?The facilities are wonderful, so is the Foreign Language Building. I think it is amazing that we have a whole lab just for that. My other schools didn?t have that.? she said.

Mrs. Minetti, a sixth and seventh grade Spanish teacher and Ms. Leon?s mentor, explained,? Ms. Leon is an experienced teacher, what I did as her mentor there was answering any questions regarding to systems that she did not use in their past jobs, like the grading system, how to use the school services, like for example, IT Support, and to show her the school facilities.?

grader, thought Ms. Leon was an extremely nice teacher and seemed very calm. ?I think with her teaching she can be a little stricter than other Spanish teachers I have had. She gives homework mostly every day, but that?s okay. I like her teaching techniques and what she teaches us. When we are struggling, she teaches whatever we are struggling with great.??On the first day of school, Ms. Leon made her class seem like it could After getting used to the campus, be really intense, and that made me think meeting the rest of the faculty, and she would be strict, and she was just setting up her classroom, the having ?the first day of school long-awaited time came for Ms. Leon to kindness,?? said meet her students. eighth-grader, Breanna " I t?s a good feeling that ?I think the Wolfschlag. ?But, now students are very they know me. I am looking that it has been a long curious. I think two months, she is very for war d to us to grow they were nice, and offers a lot of together." wondering, ?Who help and ways to get is this Ms. Leon??

- M s. L eon your grade up if you But then we make a mistake.? started to get to Mr. Fallik, the know each other, and I think they are eighth-grade team leader, also getting more comfortable and now they commented, ?My first impression of Ms. know me. It?s a good feeling that they Leon was that she was very, very nice know me. I am looking forward to us to and very enthusiastic to be a part of the grow together. And I love the fact that I eighth-grade team; she seemed really am a Spanish teacher for eighth graders excited by a lot of the ideas we have, and AND seventh graders, which is a plus she seemed really excited to jump on because I get to know everyone.? board. I believe because of her While Ms. Leon got to know the seventh international background, she will also and eighth-grade students in her add a lot of new ideas for supporting the advisory, or who take a Spanish course, eighth-grade themes of immigration and and their personality and work ethic in culture." class, they got to know her as a person and her teaching methods.

Continued on page 9 ?When I first met Ms. Leon, I thought, ?She will be a great teacher and always in a good mood.?, said seventh grader, Sophia Arcila. ?Now that I know her, she is very patient with her students, she is understanding, and she helps you with whatever you need after school.?

M s. L eon with eighth gr ader L auren White

Sophia Mendez, a seventh

PHOTOS BY A L EXI S K APL AN

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Compassion is a core value; middle school shows it on Service Day CONTI NUED FROM

FRONT PAGE

?It was a great learning experience,? says Matteo Storm a 6th grader, ?I got to help the second graders in Spanish class, their P.E., and Mathematics but my favorite part was helping them in P.E. because they are so cute and they are doing weird stretches. I believe we should be more interactive with them and have more time to get to know them better with a deeper understanding, and maybe we could have more time at the school so we can switch around different classes and get to see more of the " I have now school.?

become more mindful of the nature around me, and I don't litter as some people do like if I see someone drop something like gar bage on the ground j ust a r andom place on the floor I would go pick it up.?

?I think service days great because we get to hang out with our friends and at the same time are able to help others in different communities like cleaning a park as I did or helping teachers at school,? said Ksenia Petukhova, a 7th grader at MCDS. ?I participated it - K senia the Enchanted Petukhova, 7th Forest service activities where gr ader we picked up garbage, and it was a great experience. I have now become more mindful of the nature around me, and I don't litter as some people do like if I see someone drop something like garbage on the ground just a random place on the floor I would go pick it up.?

Service has been going on for a long time now before the actual idea of Service Day was created. Every year it changes, for instance, last year instead of three separate assignments, it was the accumulation of hours. This idea was then changed because of the thought of people buying their hours like supplies being sent to people who have just suffered from a hurricane.

T OP AND L EFT PHOTOS BY M RS. A BREU-GRONDI N BEL OW PHOTOS BY M S. BRUNO

A BOVE AND L EFT PHOTOS BY M S. FERRO

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BEL OW PHOTOS BY M RS. DE L A CADENA

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MCDSwelcomes students from Spain

BY I SABEL L A POSSI N

S

panish students

Maria, Diego, Alex, Pablo, Nicolas, Alba, Silia, and Miguel, came to MCDS for a week to learn English and our culture.

Maria, their guide, comes every year with new students. Maria said, ?Every time I bring students I enjoy seeing how they evolve and manage themselves in such a different setting. It is really very rewarding for me as their teacher.?

The Spanish students aren't used to speaking English but are learning to adapt to it. Diego said, ?It?s difficult because I have to think a lot about my answers. But I like the challenge.?

It?s challenging, but they put their minds to it, and they are determined to learn more. Maria, the Spanish student, said, ?I've been studying English since I was about five years old, but here they have their language so I can learn more and I can, and they have accents, and I like it.

It's difficult, but if you try it, you can do it.?

The Spanish students got to experience a different lifestyle, food, culture, language, and much more. Diego said, ?My favorite foods that I don't have in my county are cereal, Pop-Tarts, and bagels.? Maria said, ?My favorite food that I don't have in my county is bagels; they are the best food in the world.?

The Spanish students are learning so much, and are experiencing new things.

Diego said, ?I am learning more English and the tradition of another country.?

Mr. Fallik said, ?In my class, it's often interesting because it's I'm teaching about government, and sometimes they will raise their hand and talk about their own government, and it is interesting to have that perspective and has to compare Spain's government to our government. I think that's very valuable for my student.?

Nico, Diego's hostess, ?I learned about their lifestyle in Spain and that it's very different from the way that we live here.?

The Spanish students have gone from

Spain to America, and the cultures are very different. They are experiencing a whole different lifestyle. Most things are different. Maria said, ?In here they eat at different times then in Spain, in Spain, we have lunch at 3:00 and dinner at 10:00 and everything is different.? Diego said.

Spain and America are very different. So transferring from one to the other is a significant change because everything is so different. Maria said, ?Everything is different, and I mean everything because the buildings are so big and there are people from all over and in Spain there isn't.? Maria the guide said, ?They all say that they learn not only English but about other cultures and ways of living.?

The Spanish students have challenges along the learning process of English.

And they struggle with many things.

Maria said, ?I struggle to understand the people when they are talking.? Diego said that he struggles with talking in class.

Mr. Fallik said, ?Those who struggle with English have a challenge in my class because it's American government

and a lot of big words and things that they don't understand and that's a real challenge for them.?

Danielle said, ?She has struggled with clarity with the English language. In drama class, Maria had a hard time speaking clearly but in English class, the Spanish students are reading The Giver, and Maria said that Ms. Pasqualin is her favorite teacher and she had no problem reading the book.?

Nico, Diego's hostess, ?I think they're really nice people, and they came here to learn and experience something that wasn't their home country. ?It takes a lot of courage to do what they did .?

Maria said, ?I love it here because here everyone is free. They can do what they want and then Spain we can?t do a lot of things. In Spain, in the school, we go they tell us you have these classes and in MCDS you can go to drama and any other elective.?

The Spanish students had a great time in MCDS, and so did the MCDS students.

They haven't been learning English all by themselves. They had a host that guided them through their journey.

Their hosts were peer counselors, and the Spanish students would come with them to their classes, and acted like any other student. Danielle, Maria?s host, said, ?They're nice, not complicated, and I understand Maria.?

Mr. Fallik said, ?I see them like any other student.? Nico, Diego's host, said, ?I think they're really not that different because they're normal people like us that go to school and learn and have fun.?

From left: Alex, K enneth Bar rett, Pedro Silva, Pablo, Nico De L a Cadena, Nicolas, Cilia, Alba, Joseph Bassett, M iguel, M ar ia, Danielle Respler, Diego, Nico Brendembach

6th Graders transition from lower school BY GABRI EL L E BASSETTE

This year, students from fifth grade transitioned to sixth grade, but it wasn?t completely smooth and easy for them. There were so many things that they wondered: Is sixth grade going to be hard? What am I going to do in sixth grade? Are there going to be new people? Am I going to be with my friends? Are classes hard? How many classes do I have?

The sixth-graders have a lot to learn and a lot of things to experience. It has been seven weeks since sixth-grade has started. But before this, we were all in fifth-grade. Last year was amazing and

easy, but undeniably, sixth-grade is a whole different story. You have seven new classes you have to go to and different teachers that you meet.

Let?s find out what some of these new sixth-graders have to say about these thoughts that were constantly blowing up in their heads.

got used it. I also think that it is good to meet new people because it is good to have new friends; also I get to see how my third-grade buddies grow up to become first and " Fifth gr ade was way second graders, and easier than sixth gr ade. I n they are so cute.?

fifth gr ade, you walk with your teacher ever ywhere but this year you walk by your self."

Another sixth-grader, Maria Lola Lopez said, ?Fifth grade was way easier than sixth grade. In fifth grade, - M ar ia L ola L opez you walk with your Maggie Houser, a teacher everywhere sixth-grader, said,? I but this year you walk by yourself and if think that my seven weeks are going you are late your class you get a tardy, great so far. At first, I was nervous, but I

and if you get a lot of tardies then you get sent to Mr. Finny's office. If you were late last year, it was not a big deal because you have more leeway in lower school.?

Maria also said, ?I think that it is hard to be in sixth-grade because you have to keep up with your work and if you don't, you do not have an excuse because it is on my country day. Also, I procrastinate a lot so that kind of factors into my work.

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PHOTO BY A L EXI S K APL AN

From left: Sydney M andel, M iguel Escobar, Gwenyth Goldstein, Riley Richar ds, Julianna K ole-Dass, Jack M andel

New students adjust to MCDS

BY A L EXI S K APL AN In the 2018-2019 school year, new students in the middle school came from all different places! All returning students and teachers welcome them with open arms. Our school has a strong desire for each and every single first-year student to make friends, feel connected with their classmates, and overall, comfortable, welcome, and not afraid.

Ms. Byrne, the middle school guidance counselor, comments, ?For the most part, I see the new students doing very well. I think it?s very individualized, but I think in general people are definitely starting to feel a little bit more connected.

They?ve made some friends. Compared to other years the new students are doing about the same. I think at the point after the first couple of weeks at the beginning of the year, people generally start to settle in really.?

Ms. Byrne and the peer counselors have been doing an especially fantastic job to make the new students feel content and at ease. Ms. Byrne will often ask the peer counselors to mentor someone in particular and to try and introduce them around. She?s also tried to do activities with just new students so they can meet the other new students and connect. She says some students who are not peer counselors try and take on the task and try to help the new students, but others don?t even have an awareness that the new students might be struggling. ?As a peer counselor I feel that the new students are welcome at our school and the coffee houses that peer counselors

host are a good way for them to make friends and talk about any life experiences,? said peer counselor, Danielle Respler. ?One of our jobs as peer counselors is to make sure that no one is alone during lunch, break and even in class. We often walk around to see if people are sitting by themselves and ask them if they want company. We wouldn?t want anyone at our school to feel left out.?

Altogether, the school has succeeded at doing what Ms. Byrne desires, and it doesn?t even seem much of an effort was required. The new students appeared to have been mostly content from the moment they first set foot in the school! ?My first impression of Miami Country Day was very good; all the administrators and teachers were very kind to me, and that was when I knew that even if moving were hard, I?d be happy here,? said new sixth grader, Miguel Escobar. ?My favorite thing about this school is how easy it is to make friends and the way people will treat you,? he adds. ?I immediately liked this school because of all the activities you can do after school like swimming and cross country.

I thought that was cool, but my favorite thing about Miami Country Day is all of my teachers?, said new eighth grader Contessa Sharp. ?My first impression of this school was, ?Wow," this is such a big and beautiful

school!?, said new sixth grader Kara Richard. ?I am also glad I came in sixth grade for my first year because, in my opinion, it would be easier to start in 6th grade than in a higher grade because you learn to be organized and get adjusted more quickly to the flow of the school,? she added. Kara also loves the variety of sports and clubs, and that would have to be her favorite thing about this school.

No matter where these new students came from, whether it was a nearby school or another country, this school is very different and unfamiliar. ?This school is different from my old school because there are more opportunities in sports and clubs, and the structure of the schedule is different. This school is also much bigger,? said Kara.

Celine Acra, a new eighth-grader, said, ?This school is different from my old school because it was smaller and fewer people. Everyone was best friends with each other, and now the grade is huge.?

This is definitely a big change for Miguel. His old school in Bogota, Colombia, was American but also had a lot of Colombian teachers, so it was more diverse. This makes it hard for him not to be able to speak Spanish so frequently.

Another big difference, but certainly a neat and beneficial difference, is the resources we have here at Miami Country Day. At Miguel?s old school, it did not have things such as the Smart Board Touch Screens or the Center for

the Arts. ?My old school didn?t have a swimming pool,? said Contessa.

From hearing this type of perspective from the new students, it may put the idea in your head that everything is ideal with them, but they are truly facing a big challenge and have some struggles too.

Miguel said, ?The hardest part of being a new student is seeing how the friendships of my other friends in Colombia continue while I?m here alone; it is hard to think that they might forget you, so you start thinking negative things which in the end really doesn?t help you.?

Celine says the hardest part of being a new student is getting used to a different environment and mentality. Celine?s thought makes perfect sense because she joined our school community as an eighth grader, so the majority of the grade is already used to how things work in the middle school. ?It is very hard to get to know everything here because almost everyone here already knows everything and I?m just trying to learn. I had to ask many questions, and people don?t understand that it?s hard when you just moved to a new school,? said Contessa, a similar answer to Celine?s.

Continued on page 13

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7th Grade Class Trip Making the switch to Boston

PHOTOS BY M RS. GREENFI EL D

BY EL L A GREEN like a giant halloween party during the whole month of October so i'm really looking forward to that."

Not knowing the itinerary, the students didn't know what to expect of Boston.

This year for their class trip, the 7th grade visited Boston, Massachusetts instead of Washington D.C. Ms. Pasqualin, the main coordinator of this trip explained that the 7th grade changed the trip to Boston because "we thought maybe it's just more appropriate for our curriculum."

Ms. Pekoc, the 7th grade team leader said that they change the class trip periodically.

She also said that the 7th grade had been going to Washington D.C for "maybe 4 or 5 years."

Ana Gallotta said that her favorite part was, "getting to know the city." She also said, "I thought it was very pretty and it was fun to hang out with my friends."

Another student, Ella Gilderman, said that her favorite part was, "Salem." She said that in Salem, "we watched a show and we took a tour with a witch."

Many students said that their favorite part was the escape room.

" Even though we were lear ning in Boston, it was inter active so it made it more fun."

Ms. Pekoc said that she thought the trip was wonderful. She said, "I liked all the places that we went and I thought Ms. Pasqualin's job the timing was great on is to plan the everything, I really itinerary. She does it - L eyka Roj o enjoyed it and by "working directly everyone on my bus with a tour company had a really great called EF Explore America who gives time." suggestions and plans the details. She also said, "I went to our social studies Malik Nunez, a 7th grader teachers and asked for their ideas on who attended the trip, said what they wanted us to do, and so we that if he could change sort of collaborate together to come up something in this trip, that he with our days." would want Salem to have "more witches."

Ms. Pekoc said that her job in organizing this trip was,"to write lessons, to help Sophia Arcila, also a 7th others write and to encourage students grader, said that if she could and parents to sign up for the trip." change something, it would be that all the 3 buses weren't As Ms. Pasqualin said, she went to the divided. She said, "we social studies teachers to ask what they couldn't see our friends on will learn in American History, Mr. the other busses until Hayes a 7th grade American history dinner." teacher said that in his American history class, we are going to learn "about the Chloe Porosoff, a 7th colonial time period." grader, said that she really enjoyed Boston because Ms. Pasqualin said that she was looking most of the things in Boston most forward to "Salem, Massachusetts couldn't be seen in Miami. to visit the witch museum and our tour guides have told me that all of salem is Leyka Rojo said, "Even

though we were learning in Boston, it was interactive so it made it more fun."

Ms. Pasqualin said that the biggest challenges that she faces each year with the class trip are ?getting everyone signed up in the right time and to make sure everyone knows where to be."

Other challenges Mrs. Pasqualin explained were airport arrival and dealing with food allergies. She said, "We changed it this year to instead of parents dropping the students off at the airport, they just come to school and we

are going to take a bus to the airport because sometimes we?ve had parents go to the wrong airport, or they got stuck in traffic and that's always stressful for me.

It's just making sure everybody's safe, that I know if someone has a peanut allergy or I just want everyone to be safe while we are having fun."

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7th Grade Class Trip

My Trip

BY I SABEL L A POSSI N The 7th Grade Trip was a trip to remember. I mostly enjoyed Salem. It was a mixture of education and fun.

There was a scary show that was educational, but it was very scary. It had witches and a bunch of scary things. I also loved the bus tour. The bus tour had an actor pretending to be a part of the world back then. She gave us a tour of the city but had a creepy backround.

I was in the first flight but the second flight got cancelled. They had to stay the day in Miami while the first flight went to Fenway Park, we got to see a lot of new things. We went on the green monster it was so high and scary. It was a amazing and the stadium had so much history behind it.

At lunch the teachers give us time to buy our lunch and left us alone. We got to eat by ourselves and with our friends and at the end of lunch we all met up at the same place. I really like this because I got to spend time with my friends and got to experience a day alone in Boston.

We ate at different places every lunch. We walked around and saw new places and new people.

Another thing I really like about the trip was the history behind Boston. I?ve gone to Boston before but never really learned about the history and this trip I got to learn about it and it's was very interesting.

Page 12

7th Grade Class Trip My Trip

BY I SABEL L A GAL OFRE

This year the 7th grade changed their trip from Washington DC to Boston, and the first time I went.

It started out as a normal Monday school day except that all the 7th grader going on the trip were wearing non-uniform clothes.

The first bus left during break and by the end of lunch, two more buses headed off to the airport. The trip, in general, was separated by advisories, each bus and plane had at least three advisories in it. My bus had Mrs. Greenfield?s, Mrs. Pasqualin?s, and Mr. Batcheller's advisories.

When we arrived at the airport we went through security and headed to a gate where my advisory stayed until we moved to another gate.

In our gate C8, we reunited with the other advisories going on our plane. Like we were all allowed to walk wherever in the airport, my friends and I walked around buying candy and chocolate.

As it got dark outside my friends and I returned to the gate only to be told that our plane had been canceled.

After 4 hours of waiting for our delayed plane, we now had to wait more 2 hours so the staff could tell us what to do.

By eight pm the dreadful news was told, we had to stay in a hotel close to the airport and wake up the next day at 3 am to get on the 5 am plane.

When we arrived at the hotel we got to chose who to sleep with. We were given our keys and we dropped our luggage out in the room because we were going to a restaurant.

That night after we came back from the restaurant we fell asleep instantaneously. The next morning we woke up at 3 am and headed to the airport without even having breakfast.

When we got on the plane everyone was so tired to even think. Most people switched seats and as soon as the plane left the ground everyone was falling asleep. Some people slept the whole ride and others including me not so much.

3 hours later we arrived in Boston. Our tour guide?s name was Branden and he was our tour guide for the rest of our trip.

On the bus, we finally got a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. When we got the bus we went to Salem. started the Freedom Trail. We went to Paul Revere house, a museum where we saw how people used to make chocolate and a man recited the poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about Paul Revere.

Page 13

MSrecognizes core values

BY CECI L I A STORM On September 26, 2018, Miami Country Day hosted its first core values award for the 2018-2019 school year. The four core values are honor, wisdom, respect, and compassion, and the award is given to a student who represents all four core values on a daily basis. ?The four core values mean a lot because I think that?s a very good way for all of us, adults and children, to live their lives,? said Mrs. Pekoc, the 7th-grade team leader, she has been the team leader for eleven years now. She says that she

has not seen much of the core values being represented around the school and hopes to see more as we roll into the next couple of months.

Mr. Fallik, the eighth-grade team leader, said, ?There are usually a lot of good kids that we're talking about, and we're sharing stories about the kids and trying to figure out who best represents the core values.?

Mr. Mathes, the head of the middle

Welcome Sra. Leon

BY CONTI NUED FROM

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?Ms. Leon brought her many years of expertise as a Spanish teacher; she is a native teacher who can share her experiences with all her students, and she can relate her teaching to her learning experience and life in general in her own country.? said Ms. Minetti.

feel welcome and help me with anything I need. I love my department, and I love teaching and culture, and this is just the perfect place and such a nice school.? she said. ?This is overall such a great experience. If I had to rate it 1-10, I feel 10 and beyond!

If you talk about trips or anything in that area, Ms. Leon is there, because traveling and culture are what she loves the most.

Teaching Spanish and grammar in Spanish is an evident love and devotion for her, but culture is her passion.

?I don?t think Ms. Leon even needs my help anymore. Maybe she needs a bit of my assistance on school methods and proceedings.

It is impossible to get to manage everything in a few months. After her first year she will know better the proceedings and will need little or no help.? said Ms. Minetti.

?I enjoy it a lot here.

Everybody has been very helpful since I am the only new teacher in middle school, so they go out of there way to ask me if I need something. Everybody is trying to make me

In the two months Ms. Leon has been here, she has truly settled in. The school is a comfortable environment for her. Ms. Leon now has friends in her department and on the

school, said that the school is trying to bring the Core Values into to advisory, but he thinks we could do much more.

He would like to see the four core values reflect more in classrooms, on the walls, as well as in the hallways.

"I was so confused when they called out my name and read the paper when they told me I didn't even go up because I had no idea what was going on,? Riley Richards, the 6th-grade core value winner for September, said. ?I think the core values mean to always be kind in a subject and even helping out a student also out of school.?

?Mia Finvarb, a 7th-grade core value winner, said, ?The core values are very important to me. Honor means to respect the rules and to be a person of your word. Respect means to first and ?I think that all of the core values are foremost respect yourself, your peers, important, but if I had to and your superiors. pick, I would choose respect ?I think I best Wisdom means because everything leads making good represent back to respect. I was taught judgments and to respect everyone compassion the making wise regardless of anyone's choices. And last most because I feel differences which I believe it but definitely not leads to peace and harmony good helping other s least, compassion in our society,? says Mia. ?I means to care for and I am always think I best represent others and helping willing to lend a compassion the most because the ones who are in hand to anyone who I feel good helping others and need.?

I am always willing to lend a may need it.? hand to anyone who may ?We look for not - M ia Finvar b need it.? just the qualities but how they are ?Honor is I believe how one modeling the carries oneself and its truthful qualities. So, how and is looking for the ability to be are the showing honor, respect, honorable by doing the right thing at the wisdom, and compassion? So the right time, Respect show a lot of depth examples that they are portraying also because it is respecting a person and are not just in the classroom, but itself as well as the people around them, outside of the classroom and not just Compassion is how we take care of one when a teacher is watching,? said another, and Wisdom is how we grow,?

Mrs. Finny, the 6th-grade team says Ms. Pekoc. leader for two years. ?When they're just doing this naturally, not because In conclusion, each core value is it's for a grade and not because incredibly significant, and it?s a real they're getting something from it, honor to win a core value award. it?s often the little thing that they do not think that anybody is watching.?

New Students

BY CONTI NUED FROM If you are a struggling new student, or perhaps a shy, returning student, it can get better! There are so many opportunities and things you can do to make your experience at Miami Country Day School outstanding. ?Remember the old friends, but never forget the people you have in front of you,? says Miguel. ?Be yourself no matter what,? says Celine. ?Don?t procrastinate with school work,? says Kara. ?Ask as many questions to your teachers or classmates as you need and don?t be scared to talk to people. It?ll be better for you,? says Contessa.

These first few months of school have clearly been going fantastic for the new students. By the end of this school year, Ms. Byrne wants them to feel COMPLETELY connected and at home

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here, and hopefully intending to return next year.

The new students deserve a great school year, so let?s collaborate as a community to give it to them. You don't need to be a peer counselor to reach out to a new student, and they deserve the same school experience that returning students have been having and enjoying for years now. ?I feel like I have been here for years. I have a group of friends, I don?t feel afraid or embarrassed in class, and I know most of my grade,? finished Contessa.

New student Contessa Shar p

Page 14

Class officers chosen

BY DAVI D BEJAR The middle school class officers have been selected, and the team couldn?t be more ideal.

The 6th-grade officers are Jack Eaton, Victoria Alves, and Caterina Serrano-Bigles.

The 7th-grade officers are Ginger Jacob, Zoe Terry, Ariel Hudson, Hendrix Lee, and Mia Finvarb.

The 8th-grade officers are Valentina Opreza, Nico De La Cadena, Daniella Respler, and Amy Bhakta.

Class officers are the student's connection to the teachers and a bit

Below: 6th gr ade officer Jack

similar to the student government, in a way. Nico De La Cadena, an 8th-grade class officer. Nico described his responsibilities as a class officer as, ?Just small things in the middle school to make the kids happier.?

Nico said that he?s worked on the spirit week teams, as the leadership class and the student government does. ?It?s fun making choices in the school, and it?s fun knowing your helping people around the school,? he said. ?We get more say on issues.?

Mr. Finny, the Dean of Students, says, ?The Class Officers help organize events and bake sales for their grade level. ?It?s not a huge commitment, but you have to come in during break and lunch.

Eaton It?s not like you have to stay after school, but it still is a commitment.?

There is a long history of class officers. ?We went from President, Vice President, and Treasurer, and Secretary but they didn?t feel like they needed it because one student was in charge and that was not fair. They made a change three years ago so that the class officers didn?t have one person in charge.

Instead, all the class officers have equal positions, so they are all working together now.? said Mr. Finny.

There are 4 class officers per grade, but every once in a while there?s 5, but it?s mainly supposed to be 4.

Jack Eaton is a 6th-grade class officer. Jack Eaton

Transition to MS CONTI NUED FROM Another sixth-grader, Jennifer Smiley, said that she wished she could have another year in fifth-grade ?I miss my old friends from fifth grade.

Some of them left to go to other schools at the end of the school year. We all started to cry. It was really sad, but we still keep in touch. On the plus side this year I got to meet new people and see some of my friends from camp.?

Jennifer also said, ?The quality skills that I learned or bring from fifth grade is of course because without it I would not even make it to sixth grade and another thing is my positive attitude because I do not give up on easily in class it bit is hard I just keep working on it until I get it. If I do not, then I will go to extra-help and

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said that it?s been a great experience being a class officer and that he likes being a class officer because it?s a great feeling being a class officer and helping out around the school.

Jack Eaton said that his goal as a class officer is to give the school colder water fountains.

Mrs. Finny is a 6th-grade team 8th Gr ade Officer s leader and the Above: Valentina Oropeza Rodr iguez 6th-grade STEM Below: Nico De la Cadena teacher, and she said, Other officer s: Amy Bhakta and Danielle Respler ?A class officer is someone who helps me organize bake sales, the sweatshirt logo, help organize shadows in January and February, and they help with the advisory council.

Some years when there are enough students who apply there is an election and students will make a poster and will campaign they also will have a speech explaining why they would be a good class officer there would be a campaign if there is skills, and if you didn?t get the fantastic five. The class officers also work with opportunity to be a class officer in the Student Government. So the class middle school, there are also class officers work with team leaders and officers in Upper School, so you should represent their grade and work with Mrs. give it a shot!

Greenfield.?

Class officers give you great leadership

In the Middle staff

work on it with the teacher.?

David Bejar a sixth-grader, and new student to Miami Country Day School said, ?I am a new here, and so far it is going great. This school is way bigger than my old school and a wider campus. I miss my friends from my old school especially because I had a lot of friends there. I am good at grammar, so I am doing well in English class. I have friends here at this school also, so that is good.?

The perspectives of this sixth-graders are really great to hear and optimistic, and it actually appears their transition was very smooth!

Repor ter s Editor-in-Chief

Gabrielle Bassette

Alexis Kaplan

David Bejar Ella Green

Photo Editor

Talia Kurlandski

Isabella Galofre

Isabella Possin Ella Smith Cecilia Storm

Page 15

iBelong kicks off school year

BY I SABEL L A GAL OFRE

On Thursday, September 20 the middle school held its annual iBelong assembly, and on Friday, September 21 iBelong held its first monthly coffee house.

For six years Ms. Byrne, Mr. Fallik and the Miami Country Day faculty have been striving to give the students a place where they can feel comfortable. iBelong is a program that has helped MCD students create more experiences and to build a stronger community.

Every month iBelong has its monthly coffee house, and there is always a new topic to talk about. On September 21, many kids participated in the first coffee house. This coffee house?s topic was about exclusion. Each person got two papers. In one of the papers they each had to write a time that they felt excluded, crumble it up, and then throw

it across the room so someone else could read it. On the second paper, they had to do the same but write a time that they felt included.

Eighth grade Peer counselors Carl Louis and Shaelyn Davis both share the same opinion on iBelong being important to the school.

Carl Louis said that ?iBelong for me is a program that makes someone feel better and makes them feel like they belong.?

Shaelyn Davis said, ?I think that it is a very good program because it shows people that they actually belong.?

She has also lately seen some issues happening around campus. ?I see some students sitting alone during lunch sometimes not talking to anyone and I feel bad about that because maybe they feel awkward to sit with someone,? she explained.

Mr. Mathes, the middle school director said, ?iBelong is a wonderful mindset that we have created in the middle school.?

He also said, ?It?s our way to embrace diversity and inclusion in the middle school.?

Mr. Fallik

and Mr. Mathes both share the same opinion that all the teachers have been very supportive of iBelong. ?Every teacher supports iBelong,? said Mr. Mathes. ?Some teachers will show up at the coffee houses. Other teachers won?t, and I never fault them for that. In terms of support when we meet as a faculty and we talk about it it?s 100% of support.? ?We have had teachers throughout the years who have been very active in iBelong and very supportive,? said Mr. Fallik, social studies teacher and founder of iBelong. ?Mr. Gracy has been very helpful. He helped us plan the iBelong assembly. He has helped us create iBelong theater which is now become a yearly event. Last year they did Hoodie.

Beyond the adults, the peer counselors are really the force behind iBelong. They come up with a lot of the ideas, run the coffee houses, we really try to get the kids involved.?

Mr. Fallik said, ?iBelong is not a club, it is an initiative that all members of the middle school community are a part of- students, faculty, parents, administration. It?s everyone's responsibility to make sure that everyone

feels comfortable in this community.? iBelong?s mission is ?to inspire members of the community to look out for one another. Through effective communication, students will understand each other better and nurture the value of empathy, in the hopes of creating an inclusive community and improving the Miami Country Day School experience for everyone.?

And that is exactly what iBelong has so far accomplished.

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Sports

BY EL L A GREEN

Running to victory

This year's cross country team has an outstanding team of 63 students in both the middle school and high school. It started on July 30th.

Mr. Hayes said his favorite part about being a cross country coach is watching young runners transform into great runners.

The head coach of cross country, Mr. Hayes said that this year's team compared to last years team is, ?Young and Improved.?

8th grader Lauren McGaffic, one of Miami Country Day's fastest runners said, "I chose to join cross country again because all of my friends are in it and I like running."

Mr. Hayes also explained, comparing the boy's team to the girl's team, there isn't a difference; they both run along 3.1 miles

7th grader Cristina Hernandez, a returning runner, said that she joined the cross country team because she likes running. She said, "It helps me with my endurance, speed, and ability to beat my record."

6th grader Matteo Storm, a new athlete, said, "When I was younger, I used to run in races a bunch, so I wanted to keep it going. That is the reason I joined cross country.?

Mr. Batcheller has been coaching cross country for ten years.

He said, ? I ran cross country in high school under Coach Hayes and wanted to continue being a part of the program.?

Clockwise from top r ight: Elias M uniz Rodr iguez, L auren M cGaffic, M arco M ellado a day.

In a meet hosted in Greynolds Park, the girls finished 1st of 7 teams, and the boys finished 2nd of 7 teams. The girls were led by Lauren McGaffic (8th grade) finishing in 1st, Rachel Hodes (9th grade) finishing in 4th, and Bella Smilowitz (6th grade) finishing in 5th.

Young runners like 6th graders Bella Smilowitz and Carter McGaffic are star runners of Mr. Hayes and Mr. Batcheller.

Mr. Batcheller, assistant coach of cross country said, his favorite part about being a cross country coach is seeing the runners improve over their time with us.

Mr. Hayes has been coaching cross country for 25 years.

He said that the reason he wanted to become a cross country coach was that he ran cross country in high school and got a scholarship for it. He LOVES the sport!

The cross country team has meets weekly. There are meets 1-2 times a week.

Mr. Hayes said the different places that they practice and have meets are all over Miami Shores and Biscayne Park. They have meets this year in Lakeland 4 hours away, Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County.

7th grader, Remi Rosenfield said, "We run for a warm-up run and then we do like ten stretches, so we are alive and ready."

Remi said, "I've been in many meets. My best time was 26.16."

Matteo said, "I think I have been to 5 or 6 meets and my best one was the Spanish River meet. He got 26 minutes and 30 or 40 seconds."

Lauren said that her best time in a meet was 20.11.

Cross Country helps many athletes in other sports that they are currently playing.

Cristina Hernandez said that along with running cross country, she plays soccer. She said, "Cross country helps me prepare for it and makes me able to catch up to my opponents."

Remi Rosenfeld plays soccer and tennis along with running cross country. She said, ?Cross country helps me a lot with footwork."

All the athletes have personal goals for this season.

Lauren said that one of her goals for this season was to beat her brother again.

Matteo said that his goal was to get a 20 minute time.

The cross country team is amazing, and hopefully, the team will win states!

Page 17

Making Waves

BY CONTESSA SHARP, CONTRI BUTOR

My experience at Miami Country Day school swimming has been absolutely amazing. My swimming coach, Eric Scheingoltz, has made me a better swimmer than I was since the first day I started swimming on the team. I improve each day because of him. The other coaches, like Coach Bill Davis, Coach Richie, etc., are also very helpful and beneficial to my success. I have made so many new friends on the team, and they help me get through hard, tiring days at swim practice with their sense of humor and kindness.

We have practice every day except for Sunday, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The time can be a pain because I sometimes end up getting home really late, sometimes 8:00 p.m. and that results in having to do my homework late at night. Joining the

swim team is a real dedication because of the time and other reasons.

A typical practice begins with a long distance warmup, usually consisting of different strokes, drills, kicks, and pulls.

In the warmup, you are allowed to go at your own pace, just to get a little stretched out. But after the warmup concludes, the practice breaks out into sprints and intervals that are difficult to make. It?s extremely intense. Exhaustion builds up easily, and a lot of swimmers sometimes feel the need to stop, take a breath, or get out and stretch. I feel like this often. But that means us swimmers aren?t completing our sets and aren?t improving, and are encouraged by our teammates, coaches, and our own mindsets. Two months into the swim season, it?s very rare for me to stop during a set. I?ll take advantage of the breaks we get during practice, but I try and push through it so I can get better.

Invitational. I got second place in the 50 freestyle, and first place on the 100 freestyle, the 200 medley relay, and the 200 freestyle relay.

I could have never gotten these outstanding scores at the beginning of the season. I have made it so far and am proud of my accomplishments. I am proud of the middle school team and how much we have improved and performed on meets in general. I hope we can win championships. One day, I hope I can fulfill my dream of being a

professional swimmer. Practice really makes perfect, and I will never quit.

Swimming is a necessary life skill to have, and joining the middle school team will allow you to have fun, form a bond with the team, improve each and every single day, and be the best swimmer you can be. For these significant reasons, I highly recommend giving swimming a shot in the 2019-2020 school year.

The Middle School Girls Swim Team has won three-quarters of their meets so far. The best I?ve ever done was at the Belen

Volleyball off to a great start!

BY I SABEL L A POSSI N This year?s volleyball teams are winning lots of games and having a great time.

The Varsity team has gotten 15 wins and 3 losses this season so far. The Junior Varsity has gotten 13 wins and 5 losses.

They have been working as a team and using their skills to lift each other up.

The season concludes on Saturday, October 13th, after a tournament against various schools.

Seventh-grader Sophia Arcila said, ?Our team has won most games so far, but we tried hard.?

The Spartan teams have been working hard and playing with heart. Sophia said, ?This year's Varsity team is very good because all played together and we do club together so we understand each other and that's why we're winning most games.?

Varsity has two players that have won athlete of the week, Sienna Rosenberg and Isabella Brod. Both are hard-working players that take volleyball seriously and play the role of captains that have been leading the team. They encourage their team to work harder and support them with loud, intense cheering. ?I wanted to play volleyball for school because when I entered Middle School I already did play volleyball and I wanted to test my skills with other players,?

Sophia explained.

Junior Varsity hasn't won all their games but is playing with heart and trying their hardest.

Sixth-grader Caera Charles said, ?This year's team is really good because we all try our hardest.?

Lucia Cartolano, Junior Varsity team captain, has also been leading her team and supporting her players. Junior Varsity has students that have never played volleyball before, yet they joined volleyball and found their places on the team, and now they are learning so much together.

Coach O, the Junior Varsity coach said, ?The team is very important, without the team, unless you're playing an individual sport, it is very difficult to win. One of my favorite sayings is, ?You?re only as strong as your weakest link.?And in sports, the ball tends to find the weakest people on your team. So if you?re not there to support your team or help them or things of that nature, you?re probably not going to win.?

Volleyball is a game of technique and teamwork. Coach Val, the Varsity coach, said, ?Volleyball teaches you discipline, it teaches you teamwork, and it teaches you how to win.?

Coach O said, ?The most important part in building a team to me is, in the time spent together doing things that force communication interaction and them doing things together. If everything is

isolated in terms of what you're doing, then you're going to have kids and leaving the gym without knowing each other. Because there's so much communication involved and having the kids sharing time together, it brings everyone together.?

Even though the technique is crucial, teamwork is the most important part of building a team. Athletic Director Mr. Hayes says teamwork is the most important in team sports.

Players have to rely on their teammates to build each other up and help each other when the games aren't going to go so well. Coach Val also agrees it?s a team sport.

Caera said, ?My favorite part about being a volleyball player is collaborating and playing with our team.? Teamwork is truly what pulls teams together.

Coach Val said, ?You only have six people on the court and if you don't work together that is going to drop.?

Sophia said, ?I really like volleyball because you get to use teamwork and get to have fun too.?

Coach Val said, ?If you don't have good teamwork it doesn't work.?

Teamwork practice is another key point in a team's success. The Spartan teams have practice every day that there isn't a game. The players have to work hard to juggle school and a sport.

Seventh-grader Chloe Porosoff said, ?It also helps you in school and class.

Volleyball has the players on their best game in school and games. ?

Volleyball is a mixture of all the skills it takes to be volleyball players. Setting, serving, digging, and hitting are some of the primary skills that are required to be a good player. Mr. Hayes said, ?Yes it takes LOTS of practice to develop their skills.?

Page 18

Entertainment Screenagers REVIEW: Sierra Burgess is a Loser

BY M ADDY BRAM ,

BY EL L A SM I TH

CONTRI BUTOR

One assembly, the middle school watched a documentary on the I am going to be a hundred percent overuse of technology. It talked about how when using phones honest; I only decided to watch the and laptops outside of school and homework can lead to failure movie Sierra Burgess is a Loser because in school and tests. It says that kids and teenagers are using one of my favorite actors, Noah Centineo starred in it these devices too much. It explains how it affects us and what to and I was curious about the character he would play do about it. after his last roles in both The Fosters and To All The Boys I?ve Loved Before. In each production he is in, The use of the devices can interfere with many things like he is viewed as a cute quarterback or something talking with friends and even sleeping. It is essential to sleep so stereotypical of that sort, and so it wasn't a surprise that you can grow but, nowadays kids are on their electronics to see him playing the role as Jamey, the popular and rather than sleeping. Today kids call hanging out with friends cute quarterback. sitting on the computer and playing their favorite video game together. That defeats the purpose of hanging out. The definition He was undoubtedly my favorite character, as he is my favorite actor, but the other characters add a lot to the movie as well, and the actors of these characters are incredibly well-known, which makes it exciting and perhaps unexpected for the tremendous amount of viewers!

The main character, Sierra Burgess, is played by Shannon Purser. You may recognize her from her role as Barb in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things or her role as Ethel in Riverdale.

And of course, the movie wouldn't be complete without its cliche mean girl with some secret insecurities. Playing the role as the typical mean girl, Veronica, is Kristine Froseth.

Dan, Sierra?s best friend, and bandmate are played

by RJ Cyler. You may recognize him from the 2017 rendition of Power Rangers. of hanging out is to get together. When they are in different buildings and playing a video game they are not getting together; instead, they are talking over the internet.

There are some good sides to technology like being able to communicate with people that are far away and to be able to get information quickly. It is beneficial but, it comes with " Today kids call consequences.

In the documentary, hanging out with they talked about a boy who was on his fr iends sitting on laptop so much. He went the computer and student to a C from an A and D student. playing their His parents told him that he be favor ite video game should studying but, he did not listen.

He ran off one together." day to go live with his friend.

His parents soon - Ella Smith drove to the found out and friend's house.

They knocked on the door, and their son opened the door. The parents said that he looked like a zombie. He was pale and skinny. Do you want that to happen to you? I don?t think so.

Mrs. Burgess, Sierra?s overbearing psychologist mom, is played by Lea Thompson. If you are mystery show enthusiast, then you might recognize her from Jane Doe. But if not, you're sure to recognize her from Back To The Future.

Playing the role of Veronica?s college boyfriend, Spence is Will Peltz. For all you rap fans, you might recognize this young actor in his ? Young, Dumb & Broke?music video.

I went into this movie thinking it was going to be one of those cliche high school romance movies, but

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of reliability and truth it had to it.

The main character, Sierra Burgess, was a high school-aged girl struggling with self-identity, self-worth, and self-image. I feel that the way she viewed herself is very much like real people view themselves at times. I like the fact that the movie did its research and I can't imagine a better person to play the role of Sierra. I also think that having Jamey?s younger brother being deaf was a nice addition to his character?s personality, as it added to his personality of being a sweet, but cute jock. And, Jamey sometimes portrayed a character who has a type other than ?cute cheerleader? was refreshing.

It wouldn't be a romance without its cliche happy ending for the jock and the main character, so I wasn't surprised by the ending. I honestly was a bit disappointed in the way it ended because life isn't always a happy ending. I recommend this movie.

REVIEW: Ruthless

BY DANI EL L A JUDGE, CONTRI BUTOR

This summer I had the Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a play called ?Ruthless? in Piccadilly Circus in London. It was a revival of an off-Broadway play that premiered in 1992 to a limited, but lively The reason he looked so weird is that he wasn?t sleeping or even ten-month run in New York. Our close family friend, eating very much. He was on his laptop 24/7. That is obviously who I am blessed to call my Uncle Evan, brought the play back to Broadway five years ago and through his not good, and it?s slowly making his brain weaker and weaker. talents, and the incredible cast he assembled, opened and ran it to a well-heeled and cult-like following.

I think that it was an excellent choice for a documentary to watch. It really informed us on the use of technology and how it affects us both mentally and physically. I believe that it will help I have to say that initially I had no interest in seeing us understand why we should not use our electronics too much. I this play and I hadn?t even heard of it before, but the moment the curtain opened I was drawn into the crazy think that the school really wants to emphasize the overuse of and campy set that they had re-created in a small and these devices and help us improve in school and do what they intimate dinner theater way up Broadway. The cast can to help us outside of school. members were amazing and approachable, and they were so kind and gave me great advice about acting, which is something I wish to aspire.

From there the play was taken to an extraordinary off-Broadway theater where it ran for over a year.

But then my uncle thought it would work well with English audiences, and so he brought it, along with the main star of the show, to London, and transformed it into an international hit. My family and I were lucky enough to be invited to see the final performance in London?s famous theater district. For me, it was the journey of a lifetime. One of the actors actually traveled around with us after the show closed and it was an unforgettable opportunity to be able to relive her time on the stage and hear about the behind the scenes workings of the show first hand.

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REVIEW: Benihana Ruthless in London

BY GABRI EL L E BASSETTE When I went to Benihana I knew it was going to be fun because my friends always recommended it to me. The first time I went there was for my sister?s birthday party. We went with her friends and some of my friends also. It is really great to go with multiple people so all of you can enjoy the experience together and have fun. It is also a place where you can have fun and eat great food.

They cook right in front of you.

When we sat down our cook was very polite and wished my sister a happy birthday. Just keep in mind that they cook in front of us so it was really cool to watch. When he started he put oil on the big flat stove and there was FIRE. When we had to order our food I was kind of iffy about the food choices because I am personally a picky eater, so I tried out this thing called Steak Hibachi and it was so good. It consists of steak, white or fried rice and vegetables. Also if you have a small dish he/she will give you extra. That was a plus for me because I REALLY LIKE STEAK. The most exciting part of the experience was when he took the yolks of the eggs and poured them onto the stove and made a smiley face. Another thing was when he took onions, stacked them on top of each other and put olive oil in the middle of it before he set it on fire. He said,? Make sure nobody does this at home.??We all leaned back because of the extreme heat on our faces. It looked just like a volcano. At the end of that, he

said ? Is everybody eyebrows intact.??

We all checked just in case, but all laughed in the end. Also, when there were little scraps of food on the stove he flipped it INTO HIS HAT. That was the thing that I found the coolest.

CONTI NUED FROM It is really cool to see how far this musical has come. My favorite song was ?Born to Entertain,? which is the main character singing about how much talent she has, and she even taps dances in the show! It is about a little girl named Tina, who has a large amount of talent and she loves to entertain. She is up for the lead in Pippi the Musical, and she is willing to do whatever it takes, perhaps even murder.

I would recommend going to Benihana because it is a great experience to go with your family and friends. Also if you are a picky eater(Like me) there are a variety of foods you can pick from.

The play?s motto is ?How far will you go They are really nice and want to get to to get what you want?? It all starts when an know their customers better so they agent comes in the door, saying Tina has engage you in conversation. They do the talent, and if she gets the lead in the play, flips and volcano even if it is not a she is truly the star. Tina?s grandma came special occasion. I am pretty sure they to see the show, who is a theater critic but love to see the reactions of people that HATES the theatre world. Someone else are watching and it is basically a show got the lead, and Tina wasn't happy, so she right in front murders of you. I go Below: Benihana chefs cook in front of you. the girl every time there and I never get tired of it.

Thank you Benihana for giving me this wonderful, never forgetful experience and making me love that place and eating there every time I get to.

Also making me try new things.

BY DAVI D BEJAR

NBA 2K19 is available on Xbox, PlayStation, IOS, Nintendo,Windows and Nintendo Switch. In NBA 2K19 there are different types of modes such as My Team, My GM, My League, Play Now, and Blacktop. My personal favorite, and the favorite of most people who play NBA 2K, is My Career. My Career allows you to be an NBA player and truly experience their journey in the NBA. In My Career you can walk around a fabricated neighborhood which includes shopping at a Footlocker, buying a skateboard at Wheels, playing some quick 3 on 3 games in the park or going into Swag?s, a virtual clothing store,to buy clothes.

Other compelling improvements from NBA 2K18 to NBA 2K19 are gameplay quality, a bigger neighborhood, bug fixes and ball handling. Many people were disappointed last year because of all of the unfulfilled hype. But this year NBA 2K having the big expectations of being the 20th anniversary edition, NBA 2K19

that got the lead, and is eventually caught, and goes to jail.

Tina?s mom had an average life up until then, but that all changes after Tina goes to jail. The agent signs her because her mom is a famous actress, but disappeared after Tina was born. A few years have gone by, and Tina?s mom, Judy Denmark, now Ginger Del Marco, is a star. Tina comes home, but her mom doesn?t want her back.

They have this big debate on going home or becoming stars. The agent reveals that she is Judy?s mom and Judy?s assistant is the mom of the girl Tina murdered. Judy and her mom decided to go home, but Tina doesn't like that idea, so she kills everyone in the house; Which are her mom, both her grandmothers, her old drama teacher, and the assistant. The show ends with Tina saying she is going into to show business, and then everyone comes alive again to sing.

There are only 6 actors in the show, so you get a real insight into all of their lives. The show is really for adults, so I would not recommend it to lower school students, but it is entertaining for middle schoolers and older. I loved seeing this show, and I think others would like it too. I hope you someday have the opportunity to see it and enjoy it as much as I did!

NBA team but you have more control over your team, and it?s like you have your own customizable league where you can create your own draft class. You have control!

REVIEW: NBA2K19 On September 7, 2018, NBA 2K19 launched. NBA 2K19 is a basketball video game created

by Visual Concepts that allows you to play games with updated player rosters, play online and mainly focus on playing basketball unlike most other video games.

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didn?t disappoint. NBA 2K19 really expanded their neighborhood which was very small last year. As anyone who has experience with NBA 2K would know each year since 2012 there has been a My Career Story, and the My Career Story in 2019 was one of the best. I say this because the usual way to make it to the NBA is to go from college, to the NBA but in NBA 2K19, it has China to the NBA. While in China, you play for a basketball team called the Shanghai Mad Ants. On the Mad Ants your player earns popularity and learns humility. Once your player gets sufficiently skillful and has some hard knocks, they advance into the G-league which is the minor league for the NBA. After completion, with the G-League and China you head into free agency and this year you can negotiate your contract with NBA teams unlike any previous years. Following signing with an NBA team you collect VC virtual currency but you have limited minutes in NBA games. As you train and improve your basketball player you earn more VC. VC provides you with more buying and training ability. Bottom line is VC can significantly improve your basketball player.

My GM made its return to NBA 2k19.

My GM is one of my favorite modes with My Career. In My GM, you become the General Manager of an expansion NBA team and you make trades to improve your roster. After every season, there is free agency and the NBA Draft.

Over the course of the season, your head scout will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming draft class and your trainer will tell you if any of your players have injuries. You can adjust and choose your staff. You can also play games as your team. There are also cut scenes throughout the mode making it more interesting and a better simulation as life as a GM.

Even though not too many people play it,

In My League you can also run your own

In My Team you also control your own team except there no drafts but there are players that you can purchase with VC. Also, you have the ability to purchase cards with VC enabling you to acquire better players.

Another mode, Play Now, allows you to simply take any NBA team and play as that team. Play Now is fun but one of the reasons not too many people play it is because there?s no reward for playing it.

It?s pure joy to a real fan.

In the mode Blacktop you can pick your own team to do a 1 on 1 all the way to a 5 on 5. One of the reasons Blacktop is so much fun is because it?s basically street ball and you can choose your dream team. Imagine current superstars playing with all time legends in their prime!

One other noteworthy point is that last year many people were upset that haircuts had to be purchased. This year haircuts are free which pleased many people including this Author.

Overall, NBA 2K19 did not disappoint and I would recommend buying it. You can play it and take your basketball video gaming to a new level.

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I went seven weeks without any technology at all

BY SAM W EI SBERG, CONTRI BUTOR

For a twelve year old boy, living life without any electronics is hard.

Maybe you?re thinking to yourself, ?Who would want to do that?? Well, I didn't want to do it at first but what I found was that without phones or Playstations, you can learn a lot about the outside world. This was my third year going to Camp Skylemar in Naples, Maine. It?s a summer camp for boys where electronics are prohibited, since they want you to focus on sports and nature, and for you to build lifelong friendships. I stay at the camp with 300 other kids and staff for seven weeks each summer.

Every day at Camp Skylemar, instead of playing a video game on your phone, you play tons of sports, learn about science, cooking and other fun games that don?t involve an electronic device.

And instead of texting people, I actually talk to them in person. This year in summer camp, there was a counselor named Marcus. I really liked Marcus, because he was very kind to me and fun to be around. After talking to him, I found out that he had Leukemia. My camp has a program, ?Cool To Care,? which taught me that donating money is a good way to help people who cannot

afford certain things. As part of this program, we have jars that the campers can use to donate money to their favorite charity. After becoming good friends with Marcus, I decided to donate $20 to the National Leukemia Society -- even though I didn?t ask my mom?s permission. For the rest of the summer, I spent a lot of time with Marcus.

This summer, after meeting Marcus, and once I got home from camp, I talked to my Mom about gratitude.

It?s a powerful feeling. After camp ended, I said to myself, ?Wow, that was the greatest summer I've ever had, and I didn?t even use a phone.? I made lots of new friends, found out many things about them, learned about the outside world and how being kind to others made me feel the best ever.

So here?s some advice from a 12 year old who went seven weeks without electronics: Instead of playing on your phone or checking your streaks on snapchat, play sports, meet new people and learn about the outside world.

The seas are rising

BY A RABEL L A GUTCHESS ?The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.? - Unknown.

Sea level water rising is a major concern around the world. If sea water keeps rising, most of our big and famous cities will be underwater, like NYC, Tokyo, and LA. There have been proven studies that if people keep treating Earth the way they are, soon the water levels will increase fast. BUT, if people treat Earth better and they act kindly towards Earth, the sea level rising will slow down and will not happen any

time soon. If we are kind to Earth, Earth will be kind to us.

Another way that water is rising is that water expands when it is heated from global warming. ?Think of a thermometer, as the temperature goes up, the liquid inside the column expands.? Brandon Miller.

Our oceans are taking in more than 90% of the heat from global warming. A lot of the icebergs are melting because of global warming. This means that there is

going to be more water in the ocean, and this causes the storm surge to get a lot bigger.

NASA can measure this global warming and sea water level rising problem from space. Over the past century, fuel from cars and other human natural activities has released enormous amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

This has caused the Earth's surface temperature to rise, and the oceans to absorb about 80 percent of this heat.

Global Warming goes away, come on back another day.

The glaciers are melting, and fast. 60 cubic miles in Greenland have been lost from 2002 - 2006. 36 cubic miles were lost from Antarctica from 2002 - 2005.

17 of the 18 hottest years on record that is dating back to 1880 have occurred since 2001.

This predicament is very sad for our future, undeniably. We all have to pitch in and help our world. We have to work together. Alone we can do so little, and together we can do so much.

My summer studying and traveling

BY A RI ANNA CASTEL L ON When you think of summer, you might think of someone laying on a beach and relaxing or perhaps someone hanging with friends and eating popsicles, but my summer was the total opposite. Studying and reading consumed most of my time, as I tried to prepare for the upcoming school year. I did not really have time to go to the beach or hang out with friends. At the end of the summer, however, I was able to get in a little vacation and got to travel with my family.

Last year, my math teacher recommended me for advanced math, but to get into advanced math, I would first have to take some lessons on Khan Academy. Aside from Khan Academy, I also had to read three chapter books. The first few weeks of summer I took a break and prepared my things to begin Khan Academy. I started working on Khan Academy, and it was tough for me because there were so many new concepts to learn and so little time to actually learn them. I would read in the mornings, do my lessons in the afternoon, and then read at night. But his routine did not last long. Many of my

family members had their birthdays in the summer, and I had to attend their birthday parties. One of my cousin's actually had her quinces over the summer. We also had many family members come over from different places. When I finally completed 80%, I had to take the tests that would determine if I got into advanced math. I at first I was not so confident that I would pass because there were still many things I did not understand, but I managed to pass and was overjoyed.

Now that the hard and boring part of my summer was over it was time to have a real vacation.

My dad?s birthday was also in the summer, and my mom wanted to do something special for him. She decided to plan a trip to Costa Rica. My father had always wanted to go to Costa Rica because of its beautiful rainforest. We went and had a fantastic time as a family.

We got to see so many incredible animals and breathtaking forests. My mom even got to see her favorite animal, a sloth. When we returned home, I spent some more time with family and then it was time to get ready for the new school year. I was glad that my summer did not end up being super dull but instead quite fun