In the Middle (2016-2017 v1)

Fall, 2016

Issue 1

World Languages Center Opens Ms. Byrne: Guidance Counselor

By Francesco Rumiano Foreign language is a class everyone has to take, unless they take reading. This year, our school has a new World Languages Center and all of those classes are located there. This extension will bring a lot of pros and cons.

By Belle Greenberg

Thanks to the many donors, our school was able to expand in size. The building’s design will make you look at it every time you pass by. Although some people say it was worth the effort, a handful of students disagree.

This year, Ms. Byrne, the former and current seminar teacher, was promoted to the role of MS Guidance Counselor. Her job as the full time MS seminar teacher has been taken over by Ms. de la Cadena. She teaches all but one seminar class in each grade, the one being taught by Ms. Byrne.

“It is a great job,” said Ms. Byrne, the new MS Guidance Counselor. “I love it! It is exciting for me to have the opportunity to work with all the middle school students.”

You may have guessed it already, the one bad thing about this World Languages Center is that it is too far.

“The money should've been spent on patching up the holes in the school like the bathrooms, food quality, and more,” said Riccardo Mascialino.

This new building has expanded the school’s square footage so much, that stu-

Photo by Miranda Marquez

Middle school students attend class in the new WLC. dents have seven minutes to get around it used to be less than seven, yet still for some students it stresses them to get them to get in time. Teachers have to carry walkie talkies in case something goes wrong. The teachers have gotten so worried that they

have asked the nurses for wheelchairs in case of someone breaks a bone and AEDs for heart attacks.

Continued on page 3

As the new Guidance Counselor, Ms. Byrne now has many new priorities. From helping with iBelong to running the Peer Counselors, Ms. Byrne is taking it on with a smile on her face!

“Mr. Fallik has been so supportive, and helpful to me,” said Ms. Byrne. “I think iBelong is absolute genius. It’s the perfect opportunity for young people to explore how connected we all really are, and how we can reach out to one another.”

Continued on page 2

What is the Duke TIP Program?

By Eva Harari Many have probably already heard of the amazing program, known as the Duke TIP. For those who aren’t aware, Duke TIP is a gifted education program based at Duke University in North Carolina. Getting accepted into this program is a true privilege.

Mr. Bronish, the academic dean of the middle school, had a few things to say about this program.

“This program has been in place a long time,” said Mr. Bronish, the academic dean of the MS. “It offers students who excel at the top of their grade, the opportunity to expand their academic horizons and challenge themselves beyond the classroom. This program has been in place for a lot longer than I have been at Miami Country Day School.”

Clearly, he has had experience with this program, and he finds it to be an extraordinary opportunity for the students of Miami Country Day School.

“I would not say that it is essential, but it certainly is an opportunity for qualifying middle school students to gain exposure to the college exams that they will be required to take during their high school years,” said Mr. Bronish. “I am always in favor of students pushing themselves, when given the opportunity, but it must make sense for them to do this and in the case of middle school students, I would hope that they do this only if they are comfortable doing so.”

“Duke University is a school that many Miami Country Day School graduates have gone to over the years,” said Mr. Bronish. “Duke is a highly competitive university, so it is a feather in our hats to have a history of strong students being accepted to and attending this university.”

There were also opportunities to attend a three week summer tour of the campus and take part in some of the classes. Eighth grader, Camille Nooney, attended this tour.

Photo from Camille Nooney

Camille Nooney with some fellow attendees at Duke.

“I decided to take the summer course because, originally, I thought it would be a good opportunity,” said Camille Nooney, one of the students who attended. “My parents also wanted me to have the experience. It really benefited me… I took the Theater Arts course that is held at Rollins College. During this course, I learned how to better my writing and analysis scripts. It is great way to meet knew people who share your common interests. I learned that during this amazing experience,

there is a lot of information you can obtain in the short period three weeks.”

She loved the whole experience and recommends it to those who have the privilege of attending this coming year.

“I loved the experience and will be attending the Duke TIP next summer,” said Camille.

Quarters to Semesters

MS Welcomes New Teachers

By Jacob Hare

By Francesco Rumiano

If you are a returning seventh or eighth grader, you should know about the big quarter to semester change that change removed all four quarters and turned them into two semesters. It was announced by Mr. Mathes, the middle school director, that the quarters still remain. But not in the way you would think.

“Students think it is a good change,” said Mr. Mathes, the middle school director. “By the way, there is going to be a quarter update at the end of October, we’ll screenshot the grades and send them to the parents.”

Quarters do technically exist, but they don’t count in grades. This is because there will be eight more weeks left after that snapshot.

Mr. Mathes mentioned that along with him, many people thought quarters were too short. This also includes Ms. Cabrera, the assistant director of the Middle School.

“I am happy with the semesters because it gives me more flexibility to space out my lessons,” said Ms. Cabrera. “I also like the semester because it allows students more time to adjust to their classes and develop good study skills.”

Continued on page 2

Have you met the new teachers at the school? Ms. De la Cadena and Ms. Seidel are both new teachers in the Middle School. Ms. Seidel teaches seventh and eighth grade english and seventh grade social studies. Ms. De la Cadena teaches middle school seminar. Both teachers have a lot of spirit and they’re both very creative.

You can notice that they’re both very creative in their own way. They really give their best and are giving a great impression in the middle school. It is also impres-

sive that in such a short time, both teachers were able to adapt so well.

Ms. De la Cadena, the new seminar teacher, just started working here at MCDS. Ms. De la Cadena used to be a psychologist. She helped kids and adults with their daily life. That is one of the reasons why her position is the right one. Ms. De la Cadena is excited to teach because she is able to influence a lot of young minds.

Ms. De la Cadena is very good with kids since she understands the kids and different ages and has two middle schoolers of her own.

Continued on page 3

Middle School

Page 2

Quarter to Semester Change Continued from page one She had said that she wouldn’t keep quarters, if she had the option. Ms. Cabrera had also given some insight into student reactions as well.

“Yes, I think that most students are still adjusting to the change,” said Ms.Cabrera.

“Even though the semesters are longer than the quarters, students have to continue to work steadily throughout the seMiranda Mar- mester. In my conquez versations with kids, it seems that some are struggling with the time frame of semesters. It is important to have conversations with students in which these are explained.”

Photo by Miranda Marquez

Although some students agree with the change, other students had other things to say on this change.

“I was more used to the quarters last year, but I can get used to the change,” said Vlad Tsukanov, a seventh grader.

“I like the semesters because it gives us more time to raise our grades,” said Tyler Koch, another seventh grader.

“I think the semesters gives an opportunity for students to keep their

Students have mixed opinions about the change from quarters to semesters. grades up for a long time,” said Chloe Bensabat, another seventh grader.

“I liked the quarters better,” said Luca Donayre, another seventh grader.

These four students, had mostly different opinions, some had said that they thought the quarters were good and others had said that they were not good, so it shows different opinions

on the same matter. Students were also asked if quarters got in the way of their studies.

“Well, for quarters I tended to study a little more because of less time,” said Tyler Koch.

“I felt more pressure to keep a higher grade in a shorter amount of time,” said Chloe Bensabat.

Once again, students had different opinions. It goes to shows that some students liked the change and others didn’t. Most of the faculty said they liked the change and students said they didn’t like the change. The faculty and staff haven’t gotten rid of quarters just yet. The quarters now are mid-points, no longer grades count when we reach the quarters.

Quarters are now just screenshots sent to the parents.

Ms. Byrne: The New Guidance Counselor Continued from page one “Frankly, the thing I’m looking forward to most is learning from her,” said Mr. Fallik, the eighth grade Civics teacher and co-founder of iBelong. “She’s already proposed countless innovative and exciting ideas for iBelong, and I’m eager to

get them going!”

Since Ms. Byrne is the new MS Guidance Counselor, she has the role of helping the Peer Counselors.

The Peer Counselors are very excited to be working with her.

she might have new ideas for iBelong,” said Mia Batista, an eighth grader who is a Peer Counselor. “It is also good to have someone who knows what to do in the job.”

“I hope to assist each of them to become aware of themselves as unique, and valuable and come to know themselves in that way also.”

“Ms. Byrne will be a great guidance counselor,” said Samantha “I am excited to have Ms. Byrne as Green, an eighth grader and Peer the new guidance counselor because Counselor. “She has never had this position before and may be a little inexperienced, but I'm excited to see enjoy.” how she can change and make the Ms. Byrne loves being such a big program better.” part of our MS life. She appreciates Ms. Byrne’s position is being all of the support from the faculty taken over by Mrs. De La Cadena. and students. She wants to make an She has enjoyed working with Ms. impact on the students, new and reByrne so far and can’t wait to get to turning, and make this year memorable know her and the students.

- Ms. Byrne

Continued from page one

Mrs. Byrne comes to MCDS with lots of experience.

“My favorite part about working at MCDS is hearing the perspective of the students about various topics and issues,” said Mrs. De La Cadena, the new seminar teacher. “Ms. Byrne is fun to work with as she has a great sense of humor which I

“I am hoping that students come to know me as someone who values them,” said Ms. Byrne. “I hope to assist each of them to become aware of themselves as unique, and valuable and come to know themselves in that way also.”

Around MCDS Ms. Seidel and Ms. de la Cadena join the MS Continued from page one

“The hardest thing is keeping students engaged and interested in the topic,” said Ms. De la Cadena. “Reaching to every student and validating their experience is the hardest thing when it comes to students.”

“Ms. De La Cadena's class is different than any other class because we talk about things that matter to us and not about the subject we are learning in that moment,” said Yoav Haiat, a seventh grader. “It is a class where I don't need to worry about anything except for what is happening in the moment.”

“Ms. De La Cadena is fabulous,” said Ms. Byrne, the MS guidance counselor. “She fits in the position. The kids are lucky to have her.”

“Ms. De La Cadena is a psychologist so she works pretty well with kids and I like the topics she throws,” said Mr. Mathes, the director of the middle school. “Ms. De La Cadena is a really patient teacher and she really understands students. She helps and it is the time of the day where students can relax.”

Ms. Seidel has been teaching for three years, but this is her first year at Miami Country Day School. She is a very creative teacher and she is a really confident one. Her classroom makes you feel welcome and comfortable.

“I think I'm learning the differences at the school, but it is cool that there are such different

personalities and how every teacher has their own way of teaching,” said Ms. Seidel.

She said that the hardest part of being a new teacher, is learning faces, procedures, drills, etc… She says that the good thing about being a new teacher is that even though all teachers have time before school starts, she has even more time to get comfortable in her classroom and to organize and decorate with her own style.

The hardest thing, according to Ms. Seidel, is when it comes to students. It is difficult to make sure that everyone turns their work in and realizes that it is more important not to get a 100%, but to understand the topic and everything they’re talking about.

“I think Ms. Seidel is a great teacher with a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas,” said Mrs. Greenfield, the seventh grade social studies teacher. “She is a great addition to our seventh grade team.”

“I have to say that I adore Ms. Seidel,” said Mrs. Byrne. “She is invested in her students she wants to get to know them. She wants for them to learn.”

“I like how Ms. Seidel doesn’t introduce topics or teaches something in a boring way,” said Mr. Mathes. “Her class is fun. Ms. Seidel is a helpful, patient and fun teacher, she really understands the students.”

quickly.

They have a very unique way of managing each class, and unique way of teaching and that is very important.

The easiest thing, when it comes to being a new teacher, is the material. They know it and they don’t have to learn things about what it is their teaching and testing the students on or assigning them. They’re both very committed teachers and they make everyone feel comfortable. They are both very secure of themselves.

Top: Ms. Seidel; Bottom: Ms. de la Cadena

Both teachers are amazing ones and their ways of teaching are both unique. They’re both very creative and they work really hard to get to know students. They both been supportive.

They have been adjusting to everything very

Student government in action

By Tamara Bhardwaj. contributor

The extension in size will allow for more rooms to be made. More rooms is always going to increase academics because of more classrooms.

Another big thing that this expansion brings to use is the ability to hire new teacher.

The students who sign up to be in the government, must have great ideas for the school. Voters must choose the candidates by their ideas. The candidates are not allowed to give people gifts in exchange for the votes. This year, the sixth and seventh grade, had four kids only, so there was no need for people to vote.

In the eighth grade, there were eight people running for student government.

The government is already thinking about some ideas. The government works on Spirit Week and fundraisers. For Spirit Week, they chose the theme of the teams, plan the party, and try to raise money. The government sometimes does bake sales for their grades so that they can get money to pay for different things. They may need the money for a trip, a grade sweatshirt, or just keep it until there’s something important for that grade.

Each grade has a teacher the represents the

New Language Bldg Continued from page one

Student government is a club where four kids in each grade help their peers’ year be a great one. The maximum number of students that are allowed to be a part of the government is four.

The students get to be candidates each year, so that they can give people who haven’t gotten in a chance. There is a possibility, though, that a student can be a part of it for three years.

Each of the eight candidates had to present themselves about how they will make the school a better place. On September ninth, the eighth graders had to vote for four candidates who they wanted to be part of the government for their grade. The sixth and seventh graders had to present themselves, but their grades didn’t have to vote for anyone and the candidates were automatically in. When they were presenting, they had to talk about things that are possible in the school. Having a dress down day every Friday is impossible, but letting students carry around a drawstring bag can be worked out.

Photos by Miranda Marquez

Photo by Mr. Fallik

Eighth grader Jovan Joseph is a member of the Middle School Executive Board. candidates. The sixth grade representative is Ms. Tanona. The seventh grade representative is Ms. Pekoc. The eighth grade representative is Mr. Falik. The student government meets all together during some club times on Wednesdays. The students can also be in a different club if they want to. The student government is here to make your year the one you’ll remember.

SG Executive Board Gabriela Abramowitz Jovan Joseph Charlie Leoni Alyson Rodriguez Jordan Sheppard

6th grade Kenneth Barrett Lucas Buckwell Nate Giovannucci Pedro Silva 7th grade Tamara Bhardwaj Sierra Hudson Jaden Russell Sophia Tilis 8th grade Natalie Berman Chiara Bruzzi Sabrina Cohen Mildred Waxman

Have you realized that almost every year our school recruits new teacher? It is because the more classrooms we have the more teacher for each classroom. This is good for academics.

Although there are couple of bad things this new building includes, there are more good things than bad. This new expansion to the school will majorly improve our foreign language academics. It allows us to include more features and classwork, which doubles the possibilities for improvement in the way the teachers educate their students.

Page 4

MCDS around the world.

Summer Stories don’t see often. Ibiza is just so much fun. You are living an exotic and aquatic life. It is super different. The food is so good and you get to experience a taste of it through delicious seafood.

The upside is that I have so many friends there and it is “I love to travel,” said Leire so fun to get to go on the De Zabala, an eighth grader. boat,” she said.

“It is probably one of my favorite things to do. I went Leire’s experience truly to Madrid and stayed there seemed like a memorable for a month. I then, went to one, and after hearing a little bit about it, it should probaIbiza for 3 weeks.” bly be on your bucket list!

She said that these were her favorite vacation spots and Mr. Mathes, the Director of that there was no where else the Middle School, also talked a little about his sumshe would rather be. mer experience.

“My favorite part about Madrid is that my whole “I went to Washington D.C family lives there. That with a friend. And she and I means I am able to see my both had on our bucket list to go see the fireworks there aunt, uncle, and cousins for the Fourth of July. So we that I went there for three days.

We got nice positions on the mall and then all of a sudden it starts to rain super heavily. It was horrible. The worst part was that we were so looking forward to seeing them.

We kind of crossed it off our bucket list.

This summer was one of many possibilities for the students and faculties. They ranged from snorkeling in the icy clear waters of Ibiza, to visiting a poor, yet beautiful country, to singing camp songs with friends.

Then we went to San Diego.

It was beautiful. I felt like moving there because I love it so much. We’ll have to find someone to replace me.

And then we went to Las Vegas which was just fun,” said Mr. Mathes.

Natalie Berman, an eighth grader, traveled to Vietnam this summer. Vietnam is a country in Asia.

“This summer I went to sleepaway camp in Maine for seven weeks.

My favorite part of camp was being with all my camp friends and attending all the activities. This year was different from the rest because, this year I was able to attend different activities than I did last year. I liked this because of the new friends and all the change. It is very different from Miami. My favorite activity was jewelry because i enjoyed making things i can keep. I made a necklace/pendant and a ring”, she said.

“We visited Vietnam because we wanted to see and learn about how fortunate we are. I also just finished learning about the Vietnam War, and my parents thought that it was very important for me to understand what exactly they were talking about,” said Natalie.

“Vietnam is a huge city. It is extremely dirty and there are It seemed like everybody constant toxins in the air. It had a fun and restful summer was a very different experi- this year! ence, but I think it is a one time thing,” she said.

There are places like Vietnam that cannot be ignored. It is a poor country, and really emphasizes how fortunate everybody is.

8th

Photos from Natalie Berman, Leire De Zabala, and Gaby Abramowitz

Brooke Nieder, traveled to Maine this summer to go to sleepaway camp with her friends.

grader,

Technology

Page 5

Apple releases iPhone 7

By Alexis Kaplan Have you heard about the iPhone 7? It was just released with its many new features, such as the 3D touch home button and the no headphone jack. The phone is already very popular among many people. Most people seem to really think highly of the new features, but some think differently. The new phone is very different from the previous iPhones’ in size, sound, camera quality, battery life and more.

“I have the iPhone 5, one of the older iPhones,” said Madison Castro, a sixth grader. “I would definitely immediately switch to iPhone 7 if I could, mainly because of the fact that it is water resistant, and because I am also in need of a phone upgrade.”

The iPhone 7 has a new feature different from the other iPhones, and that is the waterproof feature. Many tests have been made by people to see how waterproof the phone really is. Most test results have been that it does not receive any bad damage, and it normally stays the same at is, without any damage.

“I would consider purchasing the iPhone 7,” said Mr. Hill, a member of the media staff.

“I’ve always been a fan of Apple. I have tried other kinds of phones, such as Windows and Android. I find iPhone more intuitive, better suits, and my style of communication. It seems that the iPhone 7 has some nice new features that distinguish it from the iPhone 6.”

“Before the iPhone 7, I had the iPhone 6,” said Chloe Bergman, a seventh grader who has already purchased and tested out the iPhone. “I like the iPhone 7 better because the camera quality is better and it is waterproof so I don’t have to worry about it getting wet.”

Another new feature on the iPhone 7 is the camera. According to Apple, the camera lens has been improved and it is much better camera quality. The camera also now has a farther zoom then the other iPhones do. A lot of people and reviews say that is the best camera you can buy right now.

Chloe says the features and upgrades she likes best about the iPhone 7 is that it is water resistant, and that is has an extra speaker.

“I have the iPhone 5C,” said Natalya Neal, a sixth grader. “I like how the iPhone 7 is waterproof so if you splash or spill something on it it doesn’t get badly damaged. That is probably the only reason why I would purchase it.”

As you can see, a lot of people are interested in the new iPhone and would consider purchasing it. However, some people have a different opinion.

“The iPhone 7 is overpriced,” said Mr. Hill. “I think that by now they mastered the technology and with the number of iPhones that are produced every year, they should have brought the price down.”

"I like the iPhone 7 better because the camera quality is better and it is waterproof so I don’t have to worry about it getting wet.”

The price is absolutely a complaint about the new iPhone. The iPhone 7 costs $649. The iPhone 6 costs $199, $299, or $399 depending on how many gigabytes you want, so the iPhone 7 cost about $200-500 more than the previous iPhone!

- Chloe Bergman

“My favorite feature on the iPhone 7 is definitely the color of the phone because it is just a very cool color that in my opinion is better than the previous iPhone colors.” said Brandy Canales, a sixth grader who also has purchased the iPhone 7.

Another new feature for the iPhone 7 is color.

The phone comes in numerous colors, including Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black, and Jet Black.

Jet Black is the new color that is supposed to be very shiny. The iPhone 6 only comes in Gray, Gold, or Silver, so the phone colors are definitely upgraded.

“The only feature I dislike about this iPhone is that the home button is not an actual button, it is 3D touch instead,” said Chloe Bergman.

The home button is another big difference from the iPhone 6. The iPhone 7 static home button is basically on the screen. You are unable to press it, so like Chloe said, it is 3D touch. This

is a feature a lot of people seem to be irritated by, but some people really like it.

“I currently have a Samsung phone, and even with the new upgrades on the iPhone 7, it would definitely not make me want to switch to iPhone,” said Sierra Hudson, a seventh grader.

“Apple is just not my type.”

“I do really like the iPhone 7 features, but the headphone jack is really aggravating because the headphones are now wireless,” said Madison Castro.

The headphone jack on the iPhone 7 is something you would not expect. To use headphones on the new iPhone, you do not plug them into the phone, which some people find a little strange.

“I dislike the home button because it gives you a shock and it’s annoying that you can’t click it,” said Brandy Canales.

So as you can see, a lot of people think differently about the iPhone 7. Some people would get immediately if they could, and others would get it and be very unhappy with it. The iPhone 7 is a very well made phone with lots of popular and according to some people, actually pretty good features, and then we have the ones that can b irritating to some people. So maybe you can go give the iPhone 7 features a test run. Go splash some water on it, take some photos, carry it around all day and see how long the battery lasts, and let's see what you think.

Who plays Pokemon Go?

By Alex Kalvarskiy Many people play the new Pokemon franchise, “Pokemon Go”. There has been lots of incidents that cause harm to people, but also gave people fun and exercise all in one.

“I played the game for three months,” said Mr. Malcolm, the technology teacher. “I decided to play because everyone was playing, so I followed but found out about the game by just browsing in the App Store."

Pokemon Go is a breakthrough in the Pokemon games history because it is one of the first Pokemon Games that broke many video game records. But, many students say that they aren’t going to play any more Pokemon games and this one was just to follow “the large crowd.

"I like the game because you exercise while having fun," said Mr. Malcolm.

He said there are some glitches, like when the radar keeps showing incorrect coordinates.

"This is the only Pokemon game I have ever played," said Mr. Malcolm. "I agree with the way the game treats people. It helps people exercise while having fun playing the game. I don’t plan on play-

ing any more pokemon games because I am not really a fan and this was a one time experience.”

Pokemon Go caused kids harm, such as the viral video on YouTube where a boy gets hit by a truck while playing, but he gets up and continues! But not walking

around just makes no point in the game.

interesting since school started.”

“The game is not much fun unless you are out walking around,” said Mr. Malcolm. “I used it while I was on some road trips over the summer, but in my normal life I don’t get many chances to just wander around, so it hasn’t been as

Many people who travel a lot in their lives can really enjoy the game, but if every morning you go to work and then back and that is your only walk, this is a terrible game for you.

Page 6

World News

ISIS threatens the world

By Francesco Rumiano

ISIS, a terrorist group originated in Iraq, have been killing innocent people, murdering up to hundreds at a time. They have been a problem ever since they were started by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi (born in Jordan). ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq) have been accounted for Francesco over 20 attacks Rumiano in 2016 and killing 600 innocent lives.

Have you ever wondered why ISIS is killing all these innocent people? Well it isn’t as simple as answering that they want to ISIS is threatening the Middle East, committing acts of violence. kill everyone and take over the world. It is a religious belief. using bigger bombs. The world get in, which is the reason the ing to do so.” must control this problem before United States has not gotten atMr. Mathes, the middle school it gets out of hand. tacked so much (compared to Don’t let this terrorist group director, said they’re killing peoFrance and Turkey ext). scare you, that is what they ple just to get known by the If you didn’t know already, want. The world must toughen world. Now that the world ISIS attacks undercover as civil- “Solutions have been in place up and fight these people till the knows ISIS, all they want to do ians, making it impossible to to stop this killing group,” said end. ISIS will be continuing to is kill people because it is part of predict an attack. So far the Mr. Mathes. “It involves the en- kill people, but they will never their religion. The US is not tak- United States has been very tire world's effort to bring them kill the world. ing this problem seriously good in securing our borders, down, but if that’s what it is enough, and there is talk of causing ISIS problems trying to going to take, the world is will-

Black Lives Matter

By Elinka Ordway In one of Charlotte’s regular Black Lives Matter protests, a man was shot and an officer was wounded.

It may or may not be a surprise to know that incidents like this have been happening all over America almost every week. Many people are sur-

prised of the amount of violence there has been towards the black community lately. It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream Speech” and we are still witnessing these terrible crimes.

Even though police have an idea as to who committed these crimes, the officers have not been reprimanded.

“If they are wrong then yes they should be reprimanded," said Ms. Lewis, the eighth grade English teacher. "it should not get to the level that police officers are being shot like the officers in Dallas.”

But the real question is, "When will the violence and aggression stop?"

There are some people that think the government should get involved and send the officers to prison. On the other hand, many people believe that the people should be the ones to solve this.

“I would hope that in a perfect world that there should not be any violence,” said Ms. Seidel, the LR English teacher. “But the government needs to listen to the people because when voices are not listened that’s when problems happen.”

Black Lives Matter protestors often march in the streets to bring awareness to racism in America.

Many people question how voices will be heard. One way that has been extremely popular is protesting. The protest have been growing in popularity as the topic of Black Lives Matter

“I would hope that in a perfect world, there should not be any violence... But the government needs to listen to the people because when voices are not listened that’s when problems happen.”

- Ms. Seidel grows. But many people forget that Black Lives Matter protests are not violent, but peaceful marches.

But if they support peaceful protests, why have officers been shot. The answer to that is simple; these are outbursts that have nothing to do with a movement. The person may have thought that since officers have been getting away with killings why can’t we. And that is not at all what BLM supports.

If you have anymore questions about Black Lives Matter and their views on equality please visit their website: http://blacklivesmatter.com

Page 7

U.S. to choose a new president

By Alex Kalvarskiy

November eighth is when the most of the world will be wondering, who will be the president of the United States of America?

Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?

For the most part, Clinton has been leading Trump. Hillary Clinton is blamed for using her personal email to send important emails, while she should have been using her protected email.

Donald Trump has been blamed for harshly criticizing other countries and being really racist in his speeches, when he said “What the hell do you have to lose?!” to an Afro-American person.

“I support Hillary,” said Mrs. Pasqualin, the seventh grade English teacher. “I think she is smart and understands politics, and she is knowledgeable of the world. I supported her from the very start. I even voted for her over Obama in the primaries. But,

later I voted for him. I don’t like any of Trump's ideas. Maybe he is a good businessman, but he has no business in politics. He is a very mean man, and my husband is an anchor baby, one of the people who Trump aims to send back to his country.”

sonal e-mail to send political information that was very vulnerable. She too, in the debates, called it a mistake and apologized to the American people.

Most people will call this the hardest choice.

Trump, the “I think [Hillary] Trump has racist and antiis smart and been making feminist, but a lots of rude compretty good understands poliments, but in the businessman. tics, and she is debates, he has Or Clinton, the declined most of liar that can knowledgeable of them by calling cause big probthem “incorrect” lems somethe world." or “wrong”. In times by misthe second take but, really - Mrs. Pasqualin Presidential an experienced Debate, he kept and smart disagreeing with Senator Clinton woman. Some say Trump, but by responding “She’s an idiot,” some say Hillary. and many more crude remarks.

“I supported Trump at first but But let’s talk about the after he said some things about his Democratic nominee, Hillary immigration policy I stopped folClinton. Clinton has used her per- lowing him,” said Antonio

Donald Trump is battling Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential Rodriguez, an eighth grader at Miami Country Day School. “I am an immigrant from Venezuela, so I don’t think I support him anymore.”

Although most support Hillary, there are some voters out there who support Trump because they believe that he is fit for helping us in many different ways.

“I support Donald Trump because he is a better choice than Clinton,” said Thomas Van Der Leegte, a seventh grader at Miami Country Day School. “I like a lot

of Trump’s policies. I just don’t think that Clinton can be a good president. I supported Trump from the very start.”

The second debate tried to really damage both of the candidates by asking Clinton of her e-mail problems, and of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting a woman. Clinton won the first debate, Trump the second (but only by a few percent). So who will be the winner of them all, who will be the president of the United States of America?

Zika causes concern in FL

By Reese Greenley

By now almost everyone is aware of the public health alert, zika. Not only has it been causing sickness around the world, but it has become a national fear.

The virus first originated in Uganda in 1947. zika was discovered in Central America towards the beginning of this year (2016). Recently, the virus has gotten its fair share of media attention. Tests on September 1, confirmed that mosquitoes have transmitted the zika virus around Miami Beach.

Wynwood, Florida, the design district of Miami, is famously known for its fine dining and shops, as well as zika originating in that specific area.

“I think since the the Olympics came up, zika has gotten more attention due to many athletes dropping out. I try to be very aware of the mosquitos in my area,” said Ms. Pekoc (the 7th grade Science teacher).

“I honestly haven’t made many changes in my life, because it really won’t affect me,” said Johanna DeGori, an eighth grade student.

The zika virus includes many Many Floridians are taking extra precaution by covering themselves in bug spray. symptoms such as fever, chills, loss of appetite, and a severe red with Zika and are pregnant, face about the matter.

Rio this year, many athletes, such rash.

Pregnant women, or the risk of having a baby with as Jordan Spieth, have decided to women who are trying to get birth defects such as an unusualThey have made numerous not compete due to “health pregnant, are urged not to visit ly small head and other severe comments on the virus. issues.”

Miami Beach or any other brain defects that could be life Central American countries that threatening. Many say they “I think zika is going to spread Zika has affected not only the have been tested for Zika. Some refuse to visit for there safety of through the southern part of the public safety of others, but also are worried about tourism. Sales their future child and themselves. US with winter coming. It will planning trips to other countries. may also go down in Miami become a problem and after that Professionals from the Florida because women are scared for “Zika may become a severe as well,” said Ms. Pekoc.

Health Department have taken them and their babies’ health. public health crisis,” said the precautions into fighting zika Women who have been infected CDC, Central Disease Control, With the Olympics occurring in such as spraying bug spray above

Photo by Reese Greenlee

ground from planes and warning the public. But some disagree with the idea of spraying in parts of Miami.

ABC news recently reported that Zika was found in the eyes of adult patients. Researchers took fluid from the eyes and tested it.

They found Zika traces inside the fluid. So far there is no vaccine for Zika.

Sports

Page 8

Why play Just keep swimming!

Sixth grader describes the great time she has on the football? swim team.

By Noah Perazzo, contributor

Football is a rough, competitive sport.

You have to be ready to get hurt, which happens every now and then, but also, to play Noah Perazzo football. You have to push through and be tough. The best part about football, for me, is the mental challenge. You have to execute the right plays at the right time.

I also like that every position matters.

Without the center, the plays will never start.

Without the guard, the defense would sack the quarterback. Without receivers, we would not be able to pass the ball. No matter how good the quarterback is, you need all the players to make an effective team in football.

I also love the games where all the players hang out and mess around. But the locker room can get rather crazy. Fights can break out. You get into arguments, but at the end of the day, you are all a team and need each other to win games. The games are especially fun because you may play positions you have never played before. Another fun thing, is that no matter what, you will always play at least one play, so you are not just watching the game from the sideline.

The only problem in football is that you don’t have much time during the week to do homework. Also, having practice on Saturdays, does not really help, but there are ways to overcome that. For example, if you go to eighth period, you can do your homework as long as you tell the coaches you are allowed to do so. Another place you can do homework, is if it is an away game, you can do your homework on the bus, but that brings up the problem of possibly leaving your school supplies at a different school which can sometimes be as far as the Keys. If you do decide to play two seasons, you will be more experienced and prepared, so you will play better and maybe get to play in every game all game. I hope you decide to come to our next home game and support your Miami Country Day Spartans!

By Shaelyn Davis, contributor Swimming is a very fun sport. It can be tiring, but otherwise it is very fun. We practice different types of strokes. Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle are all examples of some that we do. We do very fun activities.

Some of them are human kickboard, relays, diving, and sometimes even games. Most people in swimming love to do the relay races. Everyday we get challenged to beat our best time. We swim non stop. The practices in swimming are very tiring, but don’t worry, we do get breaks.

Swimming starts everyday (Monday- Friday) at 4:30- 6:30. It’s seems like a long time, but when you're swimming, the time flies and you feel like you have only been in the water for two minutes! I think swimming is such an amazing sport. The coaches are very kind. They make us do a lot, but not to see you suffer.

They teach you a lot. The coaches have made me swim a lot better then when I started. The coaches can also be funny. If you don’t jump in the water on time, they sometimes pour ice cold water on you with ice in it, but just as a joke. In my opinion, I like the meets the most.

This year we have 7 meets. Some away and some home meets. We challenge other teams. When there is a weather emergency, we get very sad because then,

Sixth grader Madison Agustina Castro races the butterfly. they cancel the swim meet. Sometimes watching swim meets might be very boring but when you swim it is very exciting.

One time the weather emergency lasted until 4:30 and we were supposed to start the swim meet at 3:30 but we started at 5:30 and lasted until 8:30. We usually

do four events. Most people love to do breaststroke because it is so relaxing. In my opinion I think backstroke is the most relaxing stroke because you breathe the whole time. You’re on your back and breathing. I love swimming.

Cheerleading back at MCDS

By Reese Greenlee As many of you know, cheerleading is a sport trying to create pep and to get you pumped up for an exciting football game. What you might not have known, is that cheerleading has been brought back to the sidelines. For years, there has not been a squad cheering you on at your games.

“I was the cheerleading coach when I worked here before, in 2003,” said Mrs. Pierce, the high school cheerleading coach. “I was with the varsity, but I first started with the JV team. Then, I became the varsity coach, and I loved it and coached. I try to be a positive influence on young people and that drove me back to work here at the school again and I wanted to bring cheerleading back to the sidelines.”

“We like dancing and it’s fun to be at the football games, cheering the boys on so they can do their very

best,” said Samantha Scemla and Summer Radomski, upper school students and cheerleaders.

ested in cheerleading so they may be interested when they get to upper school.”

Ms. Pierce was a cheerleader herself. She went to nationals with her high school team in Dallas, Texas. They placed amazingly in 11th place. She also was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader for two years.

Ms. Peirce says cheerleading has many benefits besides just performing and creating pep.

“It would be wonderful to start younger so that we can start getting girls and boys interested in cheerleading so they may be interested when they get to upper school,” said Ms. Pierce.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to make friends,” said Ms. Pierce. “You make those life-long friends.”

Currently, there are no boys on the squad, but Ms. Peirce and the team would be more than happy to have boys on the team.

In the United States, about 80% of schools have a cheerleading team. Our school is fortunate enough to have cheerleaders cheering you on at your games.

“We have had some hard jobs already,” said Ms. Pierce.

“We have had some girls quit the team. I believe you need to stay active and reminding the girls how great they are doing.”

“I encourage boys to come out and join the team and help create school spirit and more excitement on the sideline,” said Ms. Pierce. “It would be wonderful to start younger so that we can start getting girls and boys inter-

Cheerleading not only creates pep for the athletes at their games, but it also helps the audience stay on their feet. Cheerleading makes sports entertaining and positive when Spartans are losing and winning!

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Entertainment REVIEW: Middle School

By Miranda Marquez

Do you ever feel like middle school could not get any worse? Well that feeling goes and goes within each person. Middle School: The worst years of my life By James Patterson is a great story if you want to laugh and feel like someone can place themselves in your shoes. Rafe Khatchadorian is a 6th grade boy who doesn’t have a lot of friends, the only person he trusts is Leo (his best friend) . Rafe goes to school at HVDC. This book is really relatable. Middle Schoolers can relate to this book because it makes you feel like someone can understand exactly what you feel.

that he has only half a blanket, or that he has to go to the bathroom in a can. He says that his roommate is a racoon and stuff like that. When he is explaining you really get the sense of what he is trying to say.

The first day of school they take all the kids to the typical assembly showing them the rules, and what to do in case there's a fire and those drills. The school gives every kid a rule book and the principal and kids start reading them together. While reading, Rafe and Leo see that there are a lot of rules in this book. Leo starts drawing someone that is breaking every rule in the book, and that is when Rafe gets an idea.

Rafe Khatchadorian is a 6th grade middle schooler who has a few emotional issues. He’s best friend is Leo, Leo is really shy and throughout the story you get to see how he is not that shy with Rafe.

Operation R.A.F.E also known as Rules Aren’t for Everyone. This is his idea, making an operation so Rafe could break every single rule in the rule book by the end of the school year. While doing this Rafe will get points or lose life's according to Leo. This operation gets a good beginning and it is very fun. Until…..

Throughout the book Rafe compares his school to a prison like when he says “I think it was a prison for Pilgrims back then. But not too much has changed, Now it’s a prison for sixth, seventh and eighth graders”.

Rafe starts getting bad grades and he is having trouble with the teachers and with the worst kid in the school: “Miller the Killer”. Now you could think things could not go any worse . Well, you’re probably wrong; he is having trouble at home too.

He also compares his room to a trash can, he describes his room on a really dramatic way like saying

Continued on next page

Storks: Fun but cliched

By Jacob Hare

Storks was released on September 29, 2016.

Also, the movie was directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland. Before the movie begins, there was a short based off Lego Ninjago called “The Master”, where one of the main characters, Sensei Wu, is against the chicken and they both try to prove which one is the better master. The short is very funny and enjoyable.

Since the beginning of time, storks delivered babies. But now, they deliver packages for Cornerstore.com. The reason they stopped is because of a stork named Jasper, who 18 years ago, kept a baby, but he destroyed her location to be delivered.

The orphan was named Tulip, and she was made a helper on Stork Mountain. 18 years later, a stork named Junior is about to be crowned “boss” but, his first thing to do was to fire/release the orphaned Tulip into world, so she could find her real

REVIEW: Kubo and the Two Strings

parents. Junior is unable to and, thus, he sends her to mail duty and she gets a letter from Nate Gardner, who wants a baby brother. So he sends a letter to the storks and Tulip accidentally starts the Baby-Making Machine and produces a baby girl.

Now, Tulip and Junior have to take The Baby to the Gardeners without being caught by Hunter.

But, they have to go through a Pigeon named Pigeon Toady and a Wolf Pack, that can surprisingly turn into a van and a submarine?

By Alexis Kaplan

I thought the story was great and the animation was excellent, too. But, there are some flaws with the movie, such as using cliches and the plot is very predictable. But, I enjoyed all the funny things the characters said, and I loved the wacky voices of the characters. The voice acting and animation was great, but the plot was not so great, being predictable as mentioned before. I would rate the story a three out of five, the animation a four out of five, and the voice acting a five out of five, so I would rate the movie in general, a four and a half out of five.

One day, Kubo goes out to the market in his village to do his usual routine of blowing people away with his stories. But on this specific day, it’s an extra fascinating story that astonishes everyone. The day passes by, and eventually Kubo has to go home. Kubo and his mom live at the very top of a tall cliff.

Kubo begins his daily walk of hiking up to the top of the cliff.

Kubo and the Two Strings is an animated fantasy and adventure movie for kids. Kubo is a young boy who is very adventurous and creative. He spends his days telling stories to the citizens of his village, and leaving them in suspense when he has to leave to go home.

Kubo tells his stories using his origami and his rusty, old banjo as props.

When Kubo arrives at home, he sees something that surprises him. His mother is just sitting there, crying.

Kubo is obviously concerned, and when he asks his mother why, he finds out that Kubo’s mothers evil sisters are after them.

After a long night full of surprises, Kubo drifts off into a deep sleep. His backpack full of his origami friends that he uses as story props lay beside him. Out of the ordinary, the wind starts blowing everywhere. Then, all of the sudden, Kubo’s mothers vicious sisters appear in the wind.

Kubo looks over at his mother, who is using her special powers to fly far, far away.

"This movie was definitely worth Kubo wakes up from seeing... I rate hisEventually, so-called deep sleep. But- he is in his bed. He is not laying on this movie four not the edge of a cliff where he belongs!

Instead, he wakes up to find himself out of five stars." sitting in a whole new dimension!

- Alexis Kaplan

Continued on next page

Entertainment

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Makoto

By Eva Harari Are you getting tired of going to the same restaurant all the time? Are you looking for a change? Maybe, just maybe, you might want to try something new. It is always great to try new foods with different culture and ethnicity behind each bite. With this said, I would highly recommend Makoto.

Makoto is a combination of basic Japanese food, with their own Makoto twist. It is absolutely not any type of ethnic Japanese food; what is special about Makoto is that they make it their own.

self. The teenagers love this one. And the spicy tuna crispy rice is just delicious. It is a thick layer of crispy white rice, with a pureed spicy tuna on the top. It is what everyone orders for the whole family to enjoy”, said Tony.

These two might be the most popular, however, if you want a true taste of Makoto, you have to try the watermelon ceviche.

“I absolutely adore making ceviche. I love handling fish and creating the sweet and savory portion of the dish. The adults usually order this one, however, you will find many orders of watermelon ceviche coming in from the kids. It is truly delicious and balances out the acidity with the sweet, salty, and mildly spicy sensation in your mouth,” said Chef Tony.

"If you are searching for some place new to eat Japanese food or simply in general, When I asked about “Thriving for perfection is a quality Makoto is a must." his background with being a Japanese Chef that not a lot of I sat down with head sushi chef, Tony.

He told me a little bit about the restaurant itself, and about his experience with it.

restaurants have, and I see this mainly with Makoto. This one amazes me because everybody works so hard to perfect everything. Makoto mixes authentic Japanese food and creativity with personalized recipes,” said Tony.

When you go to Makoto, you have an exceptional menu varying from miso soup, to ceviches, to sushi, to the most amazing fried rice. I can assure you that if you do try to go to the restaurant, you will find something of your liking.

Chef Tony explained to me all the most popular dishes. I have tried both and frankly, I agree with Chef Tony! I loved these two dishes!

“The Hot Stone Kobe Beef and Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice are among the popular dishes.

The Hot Stone Kobe Beef is a dish where they give you, your own hot rock and raw thin slices of kobe beef and you cook it your-

and the restaurant itself, Tony explained to me how he had traveled to Japan to learn more about the culture there.

“I've been to Japan and I’m very pleased and impressed with their culture. I learned so much from them and it really inspired most of my dishes. Being patient and working hard, that is the way you will be successful.

Loving what you do will give you strength. I decided to become a chef because I love to cook and the joy it bring me to see people loving my food. It’s a sensational feeling when people are enjoying your creation. I have had two main role models in the cooking industry; Rokusaburo Michiba and Jiro Ono. As a child these two Japanese men inspired me immensely,” said Tony.

To sum everything up, if you are searching for some place new to eat Japanese food or simply in general, Makoto is a must.

Page 11

"Kubo" is an exciting adventure!

Continued from previous page When Kubo was still a baby, he had a monkey charm which he referred to as “Mr. Monkey”. Mr. Monkey meant the whole world to Kubo.

The charm helped Kubo sleep, eat, and more. Kubo’s mother still used it as Kubo grew up to get him to do things.

Now, when Kubo finds himself in this whole new world, sitting beside him is Mr. Monkey. And in this scenario, Mr. Monkey is not a charm. Mr. Monkey is now an actual monkey.

Mr. Monkey explains to Kubo that Kubo’s mother has been cursed by his mother’s evil sisters, and it’s Kubo’s job to find the magical sword and take the evil sisters down.

Mr. Monkey and Kubo set off on their quest to find the sword and save Kubo’s mother. They meet lots of new people on the way. One of them is a very funny knight. When they are on their journey, they also meet many obstacles along the way, like when Kubo jumps into the water and there are killer fish in there!

I think this movie was very funny. It also had some sad moments that were very touching. This is a very good movie for kids and it’s definitely appropriate. The actors in this movie were very talented as well. This movie was definitely worth seeing, and I would recommend to a friend if they asked. I rate this movie four out of five stars.

"Middle School" is amazing!

Continued from previous page Operation R.A.F.E. was each time going further and further. His conduct and rule breaker were now major. And by now Rafe was not going slowly, in fact he was going fast. His points were increasing more and more. Although Rafe was liking everything he was doing he was wondering what would happen when he’s done .“ Depends on how many points you finish with”- Leo says. Every time Rafe broke a rule he would get even more consequences like getting bad grades, suspension, etc… But he didn’t know that bigger things could happen…

about how this book is written is that it has small drawings that makes this book more alive. This is a really recommended book because it is such an alive book and you really laugh a lot while reading it.

If you want to know what happened to Rafe’s operation and everything that happened around him, read the whole book.

It is amazing, you won’t regret it.

This is an awesome book to read it has a lot of things that someone can relate to.

It has an awesome way of writing because it includes the teenagers point of view. It makes it awesome.This book has a lot of lessons that even if they’re putted with fantasy or fiction there still lessons.

This is a great book to read if you’re bored or sad because it actually makes you laugh a lot. And the good things

Social networking can be fun!

By Austin Reiss, contributor My favorite social media is Instagram. I think it is a great way to communicate with your friends and see what they are doing. You can also show what you are doing. You have a good chance to show who you are. I think that is a good thing.

In general, I think social media is a great way for you to communicate with friends and family. You can show what you do and see what others do.

Say you never see your family from California.

They can always see what you are doing all the time if they follow you on any source of social media. I also would recommend Snapchat and Facebook. I use Snapchat and Instagram, but my dad uses Twitter and my mom uses Facebook.

Makoto has some of the best Japanese food in Miami!

I like sports and scores. I think ESPN is a great source of social media so I can check what the

scores are of each game after every game. I really also recommend The Score because it is the same sort of thing as ESPN. I asked my friend what he likes and he enjoys Reef Builders, which is a page allowing participants to comment about ongoing issues in the aquarium hobby. The website is used to talk about ongoing events that appear annually and is also useful for aquariums to sell fish to other aquariums. It is good for advertising small businesses and getting advice from other aquariums.

As you can see there are a lot of awesome sources of social media like Instagram, Snapchat, Musically, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, CNN, THE SCORE, CBS, Florida Sportsman and so on.

Many people such enjoy most social media. I recommend a lot of these sources that my friends have told me about. If you don't have a social media, I recommend all of these sources that are listed above.

Page 12

Recipe

How to Make Grab and Go Breakfast Muffins INGREDIENTS: Servings muffins

6

large

3 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 7 eggs 1 ¼ cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup sour cream 1 cup bacon, cooked and chopped 1 cup green onion, chopped 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Other Equipment Needed: 6 cup large muffin tin.

PREPARATION: 1. Preheat oven to

A Grab and Go Breakfast Muffin

350˚F (175˚C). Grease a scoop, fill each cup of a 6 cup large muffin tin.. prepared large muffin tin with one large scoop.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 6. Using a spoon, creflour, sugar, baking ate a well in each of the powder and salt. Set scoops, pressing the bataside. ter up against the side of the pan, making sure it 3. In a medium mixing is deep enough to hold bowl whisk together 1 an egg. egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and sour cream.

7. Crack an egg into each of the wells of bat4. To the dry ingredi- ter. ents, fold in the wet ingredients, cooked 8. Using two spoons, bacon, green onion and drop small scoops of 1 ¼ cup of the cheddar batter, first around the cheese until just incor- outside of the egg, porated. building up the outer edge of the muffin and 5. Using an ice cream sealing in the egg whites and yolk, and finally

over the top to cover the yolk. Be careful not to apply too much pressure while dropping above the yolk or it may break.

9. Top each muffin with remaining ¼ cup of cheddar cheese.

10. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes 11. Remove from oven and allow to set 5 minutes before removing from pan.

12. Best served warm.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

(recipe sourced from buzzfeed.com)