Voices and Visions - July 2016

Voices and Visions

Art and Writing from the Middle School

July 2016

VOICES & VISIONS

VOICES

Joseph Bejjani, Christina Bonarti, Yousuf Cheema, Harry Davison, Ayantu Flowers, Grace Huntington, Julia Jacobson, Dhruv Jetley, Payman Mahdi, Matteo McClendon, Michelle Medawar, Josephine Myung, Ben Sinins, Julia Stehr, Emily Talkow, Noah Weinberg, Beyer White

VISIONS

Joseph Bejjani, Kiara Bhatia, Christina Bonarti, Matt Bonarti, Shea Branigan, Ciara Daly, Gabby Delgado, Ayantu Flowers, Jaime Fuchs, Hannah Jablons, Lila Jung, Bella Kuick, Anyah Kumar, Isabel Lucas, Ella Martin, Matteo McClendon, Josephine Myung, Sabrina Noble, Grace Nonnon, Geena Pacifico, Julia Petrocelli, Otto Spehar, Gabriel Stocus, Jackie Tsai, Courtney Turgeon, Manny Udofia, Nathalie Wilson

Editor: Jonah Barbin, Class of 2021 Faculty Advisor: Marsha Kleinman

Art and Writing from the Middle School

VOICE AND VISIONS

is a newly conceived online publication, and our goal is to showcase the finest writing and art produced by our current students. We believe these finished pieces represent some of the best written and creative expression in our midst.

The magazine will be published in January and June or July, and it is available through a link in the Middle School newsletter and a posting on the school’s website.

Layout & Design: Virginia Bartolone Visual Arts Teacher and Curator: Joelle Francht Cover art and page header by Jemma Kushen, Class of 2021

Julia Petrocelli

Class of 2020

Josephine Myung Class of 2020

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Pesticides: CHEAP FOOD, BUT AT WHAT COST?

Have you ever wondered why your vegetables and fruits look so perfect? Have you wondered what the pesticides that make them so perfect do to the environment and the animals around you? This article will hopefully open your eyes to the effects of pesticides on wildlife and humans.

Pesticides are substances used to control or kill animals that are considered harmful to crops. An example of their use is when wasps eat and ruin peaches, you wouldn’t eat a rotting peach, so pesticides are used to get rid of the wasps. Pesticides are often used to maximize crop yields, without any deformed, overripe, or generally imperfect produce. They help to produce you that perfect look and taste every time. Using pesticides is cheaper than growing food organically. Farmers choose to use pesticides over growing organically because, it means that they can get the highest yield from their crops with less waste and be able to sell them cheaper than organic food, therefore helping them dominate the market and making them more money. Most people don’t know what the chemicals that we use

By harry davison

to grow our food actually do. When farmers use pesticides to grow crops, studies have shown that it actually makes the food worse for you. (http://goo.gl/ttlusZ, Food Safety) This is also true with pesticide us in animal farming. In a study, it was shown that cows that were fed grains (with pesticides) produced less healthy milk than cows who were fed plain grass.

“Lo and behold, we altered in some fundamental ways the nutrient intake of these animals and hence the nutrient composition of the products that we derive from those animals.” Says Dr. Charles M. Benbrook, an organic industry consultant who authored the studies. Is there really enough of a difference between the benefits of organic and non-organic meats and grains to get us to change our eating habits? Dr. Richard P. Bazinet said: “Far greater, and beneficial differences are seen if poultry and fish replaced red meats.”

Although they are generally harmless to us in small doses, pesticides, such as insect repellents, and other gardening and pest control methods are slowly destroying our

wildlife. Studies in rivers and other habitats confirm that over 80% of fish have traces of a pesticide in them, and millions of birds die from pesticide caused diseases each year. Most of the time, it's not the first experience with pesticides that kill animals, but the long exposure and buildup up of the pesticides in their bodies. Over time, animals like mice, who can’t deal with the pesticides, will slowly build up a large amount of pesticides inside of them. When a larger animal eats the mouse, it will be as if it just took a large dose of the pesticides. Often, this will result in the animal's death. But

In a study conducted with 50 students from Montclair Kimberly Academy, an independent PreK-12 school in New Jersey it was discovered that only around 75% of students ate organic, and that the other 25% either ate non-organic or didn’t know.

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Lorem Ipsum

Survey Results also showed that around 30% of students ate all organic food, and the other 70% was split evenly 35% non organic and 35% some organic.

When informed of the amount of pesticides in our food, an overwhelming 93.4% said that something should be changed in the animals feed and the way we grow our food.

There are many ways in which pesticides are spread and their effects vary from animal to animal.

One way is seeping into water sources and streams, these carry the pesticides and herbicides into oceans and lakes.

Once there, they either poison the animals, or cause a large amount of algae to grow, which then blocks the sunlight from the plants, killing them, and reducing the oxygen levels making it impossible for other animals to survive. Another way is air pollution, where pesticides are introduced into the air through them being sprayed over crops, which have devastating effects on animals.

Specifically, the polluted air can poison or deform birds and their eggs, causing them to be unable to reproduce. The last way that pesticides can be spread is through waste dumping. Waste dumping is a big problem, as it can cause animals to choke on trash like plastic and metal. It also means that animals’ homes may be destroyed by the pollution of water or the cutting down of trees to make places to dump their waste. Animals most at risk of pesticides washing into the ocean are tuna, dolphins, sharks, and turtles. (http://goo.gl/xhgMee, Pesticide impact on Wildlife Ecology) Although it may seem like pesticides are harmless to us, we are, in reality, almost as prone to pesticides as animals. Studies show that over 93 percent of Americans have one or more traces of pesticides in them. There are many studies about certain pesticides and what kind of

health effects or defects they can cause. A study on the effect of food grown without pesticides with pregnant women found that women who ate organic foods suffered from fewer medical conditions “We still don’t know if it kills you, but we do know it has an effect on hormonal balances,” said Carlo Leifert, a professor at Newcastle University in England. Like most animals, pesticides can build up in our systems, cause health defects, and sometimes even be fatal.

So how can we help reduce the amount of pesticides used in our food? Well it may come down to simply spending a little more next time you go shopping. Despite the government banning the use of many pesticides, the farming industry continues to find different pesticides to use to grow their foods. So it’s up to the consumer to take a stand. If we buy more organic foods, even though they may be more expensive or not look as perfect, it will show farmers that we don’t like what they grow their food with, and maybe then they’ll change their ways. So next time you’re in a store, choose the organic apples rather than the ones grown with pesticides, they taste better, and it will be helping you and the environment. http://goo.gl/OhK19b http://goo.gl/9coeOd Photos from:

http://goo.gl/shPEoR http://goo.gl/mWsTrE

Chosen Path Two paths separated the lane One path could steal my fate The other leave me in vain, The future, this decision could sustain But the path I’d choose I could not dictate Then all followed the one who preceded As all were afraid to take the chance; Who took each path, I had heeded Until one path was completely depleted The immaculate path was right one perchance Yet I still felt doubt, of which way to go And decided to follow one and return for the other I followed the rest, but I didn’t know that each decision I made would grow, and eventually lead to another Soon I realized that I would never be back to follow the path less taken; Today I wish I could backtrack, so my life wouldn’t be completely black, and I wouldn’t have to live forsaken

Dhruv Jetley, Class of 2022

Gabriel Stocus, Class of 2021

JULIA PETROCELLI

8B

ANIMAL TESTING IN COSMETICS

The stress that is placed on animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice by animal testing can cause them to pull out their own fur, run in circles, rock back and forth, and bite themselves. They shake in fear when someone approaches them and hide in the corner of their confined area. After being put under all of this stress from being tested by cosmetic companies, all of these animals will eventually be killed.

THE ISSUES Maybelline, Pantene, Dove, and Revlon are just some of the companies that test on animals to make sure that their products are safe for us to use. More than 100,000-200,000 rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice are killed by these companies each year just to ensure safety of their products.

Animal testing isn’t always reliable. According to Fashionista, in some cases it is dangerous to test on animals because animals can react to chemicals differently than humans. Humans have a longer lifespan and are exposed to more chemicals and environments than animals, which cause us to react differently. Even just a small difference in genes could have a much larger outcome. No animals are able to mimic exact human responses to chemicals. Some animals may have a resemblance to the human condition, but no animal exactly mimics human responses to chemicals.

COMPANIES AND LAWS Animal testing for cosmetics is not illegal in the USA. Any company can test on animals if they feel it is necessary, but some companies decide that animal testing is morally wrong and inhumane.

Some people believe the government should completely ban animal testing on non-essential products, which is a bold yet true idea. Cosmetics aren’t essential for our well-

being and animals shouldn’t have to give their lives for something that doesn’t benefit our health.

Most companies, despite animal testing laws, want to sell in as many countries as possible to gain more profit. However, China has a law which states that all cosmetics sold in that country must be tested on animals. Any company that sells their products in China must test their cosmetics on animals before the units are distributed. According to Fashionista, this is why brands like Urban Decay and Caudalie are not considered cruelty free. Some companies also say they do not test on animals, but instead buy chemicals from companies that do, which is directly supporting a company that tests on animals. It is also common that some companies don’t have a set stance on animal testing. This is because they may try to avoid animal testing, but feel that it is necessary to test on animals in some situations. Animal testing in cosmetics probably will not be banned anytime soon as only 4% of animal testing is in cosmetics. The FDA does not prohibit animal testing, but encourages alternatives.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES? There are alternatives for some tests, but not all. The most common alternatives are basic research, testing on human volunteers, and testing on human

cells. In Europe, since animal testing is banned, there is a list of over 11,000 chemicals that are safe to use. These chemicals are called grandfathered chemicals.

Some people consider using the chemicals on this list supporting animal testing as these chemicals have been tested on animals before. On the other hand, using the chemicals on this list prevent further testing on animals. Since these are the only chemicals that are entirely safe to use in Europe, it prevents discovery of new products and chemicals that could develop new cosmetics.

Scientists have successfully developed alternatives for eye and skin irritation, skin erosion, and phytotoxicity, but there are some tests that have not yet developed to replace animal testing. There is no alternative that can test when a product is inhaled, but scientists are working towards developing a duplicate.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? There are many companies that ban animal testing because of their morals and beliefs. LUSH is one company that does not test on animals. A representative from LUSH says, “People can help abolish animal testing by buying from companies that have similar animal testing

policies to us and who do not sell their products in China. China has a law whereby any cosmetics that are being sent into the country must be tested on animals before being distributed.” Another thing you can do to support cruelty free cosmetics is checking labels on the packaging to make sure that the product is not tested on animals.

Although only 4% of animal testing is within cosmetics, there is still room for improvement. Over 100,000 guinea pigs, rats, and mice animal are killed for our cosmetics. You don’t have to be vegan to use cruelty free products. You just need to have an open mind and consider all of the animals that are killed just for one tube of lipstick.

POLL FROM 65 EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS DO YOU KNOW WHAT ANIMAL TESTING IS?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANIMAL TESTING?

ARE YOU AWARE IF ANY PRODUCTS (SHAMPOO, MAKEUP, ETC) YOU USE ARE CRUELTY FREE OR NOT?

http://www.cosmeticanimalt estingpictures.com/photo/1

DO YOU ONLY USE CRUELTY FREE PRODUCTS? http://makeup.lovetoknow.com /Cosmetic_Animal_Testing

“We don't believe it is right to make those without a voice suffer for our vanity.”

-A Representative from LUSH

A World Where Nobody Cared

By Julia Jacobson, Class of 2024

I stood on the dark and dirty ground.

Except for crows, there was no sound.

It was a cloudy night reflecting down, And there wasn’t a star for miles around.

The ground was wet, with litter everywhere.

This was a world where nobody cared.

And breathing in the smoggy air, There wasn’t anyone anywhere.

Only wolves with sharp teeth bared -This was a world where nobody cared.

So help the earth while you still can, for every woman and every man.

For through rain and snow you’ll still be there, And we’ll have a world where someone cares.

Isabel Lucas Class of 2021

Why Do Some Athletes Earn More Than Others

February 17, 2016

WHY SOME ATHLETES EARN

http://goo.gl/BJO1QG Floyd “Money” Mayweather, the

highest paid athlete in the world with a couple of his toys.

Why Do Some Athletes Earn More Than Others

by Ben Sinins

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Why Some Athletes Earn More Than Others

February 17, 2016

MORE THAN OTHERS Why Some Athletes Earn More Than Others

Meet Max Scherzer, the new ace for the Washington Nationals. He is currently living the dream of any kid who has ever picked up a baseball. He also recently signed a $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals. The average ticket price to a Nationals game is $30. The maximum capacity of Nationals Park is 41,888 people. Due to Scherzer’s wealth, he could purchase every ticket to every home game for 167 games. But why should he spend his 210 million dollars on buying out all the tickets at the Nationals Park that many times, when he could be spending it by paying for all 535 members of the United http://goo.gl/O0 States Congress’ salaries for two years? Many other athletes are not as UYhJ financially fortunate as Scherzer, due to various reasons.

Max Scherzer, Ace of the Washington Nationals delivering a pitch.

In the article entitled, “The Revenue Model: Why Baseball is Booming,” from CBS news website (http://goo.gl/ZJPA8Y), a clear explanation emerges behind the industry that generates over 9 billion dollars per year. During the regular season in the MLB there are a total of 2,430 games played. Because Major League Baseball plays so often, it provides thousands of hours of popular content for regional sports networks and also allows the teams to sell a substantial amount of tickets. From the Business Insider website, an article named “Sports Chart of the Day” (http://goo.gl/VoeIWf), reveals that in 2012 the MLB’s total attendance (74.9 million) is much greater than the NFL, NBA, and MLS’ combined (65.9 million). The large amount of ticket sales is one of the main profits of the teams, which is distributed to the players in big contracts. Full Article Here

Why Some Athletes Earn More Than Others

by Ben Sinins

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Me vs. Nerves

by Joseph Bejjani, Class of 2022 Two choices, two different ways One may bring embarrassment or pride Shame or praise The other will bring regret to my days Take the risk or not, I must decide Scared my talent in music will fail me I want to chicken out A victim to stage fright, I don’t want to be My skill and passion, I want others to see I want to take the risk, but there is doubt I’d be a better violinist all around If all goes as planned Cheering and clapping in the background The moment greatly profound My shining smile wide and grand I now wonder, if I hadn’t taken that chance Would I be the same?

Would I still be locked in a nervous trance That performance has made all the difference A new person I became.

Anyah Kumar Class of 2021

http://goo.gl/vWIFzA

College Basketball Scandals!

PAYMAN MAHDI

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ

Cheating. Is it right?

Obviously not. Then, why do teams do it?

SYRACUSE, NY – Due to multiple violations against NCAA rules, the Syracuse Men’s Basketball Team received some pretty horrid news on March 6th, 2015. They were given multiple punishments that affected the team overall, including head coach Jim Boeheim. It affected their season and postseason even though the team probably wasn’t going anywhere anyway. On the other hand, the Louisville Men’s Basketball team was given punishments that affected their post season, and considering that the team is #18 in the country, they were most definitely going somewhere in March. This shows how serious the NCAA is about cheating, and it proves that no team should ever do it, under any condition.

http://goo.gl/T7RxGv

FEBRUARY 18, 2016 http://goo.gl/Xytj0V

JIM BOEH EIM - SYR ACUS

Syracuse Syracuse Men’s Basketball has always been successful. Ever since Jim Boeheim began his head coaching career at Syracuse in 1976, the school has been dominant in both the Big East and the ACC, including winning the championship in 2003.

Although now, they are looked down upon due to their cheating.

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SYRACUSE ORANGE

So, the question is: What did Syracuse do and what did the NCAA do to respond? According to Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation, a very popular blogging site (http://goo.gl/wYg1g9), says that the reason that Syracuse received such a harsh punishment is because they had multiple offenses.

One offense they committed was improper benefits towards players. Two basketball players became interns at a local YMCA in Syracuse. The problem was that they were paid even though that is not allowed. Each player reportedly received $8,000 that they were never supposed to obtain.

Next, there was academic misconduct. You might remember Fab Melo. He plays in Puerto Rico now but also had some time in the NBA. When Fab attended Syracuse from 2010-2012, he really struggled with schoolwork. These struggles led to suspicion that Melo hadn’t been making advances towards his degree. So, to fix the issue, Melo had to write an essay for a class he took the year before. He wrote the essay and the issue was solved. Or was it? No, it wasn’t because it turned out that Melo didn’t even write the essay, a receptionist did. Lastly, Syracuse broke it’s own drug policy. From 2001 to 2015, 10 basketball players have reportedly used banned substances.

Sure, this happens in more places than Syracuse, but the problem is the way that head coach Jim Boeheim handled the situation. He did not suspend the players or talk to their parents. Some players weren’t even talked to about their own misconduct and that led to them never knowing about their ineligibility.

http://goo.gl/AtNlEq

RICK PITINO - LOUISVILLE Rick Pitino is a legend in the basketball world. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and won the national championship with Louisville and Kentucky in 1996 and 2013. Also, he has coached 2 NBA teams and 5 NCAA teams. But, Rick is looking less like a legend recently because of his scandals and violations at Louisville.

SETON HALL PIRATES Now, enough talk about all of the cheaters. Let’s talk about a team that has followed the rules from the start, the Seton Hall Pirates. The Hall was a founding member of the Big East Conference in 1979 and has been through it all. They have followed the rules and have not changed their ways even through tough times, and trust me, there have been rough times. Through all of the losses and pain, the Pirates play the game how it is supposed to be played, and that is how it should be. full article http://goo.gl/nRtHL6

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Geena Pacifico Class of 2020

Jamie Fuchs Class of 2020

Everything Wrong with the Electoral College and How to Fix it

By Michelle Medawar

In November of 2000, Al Gore, a Democrat was running for president against George Bush, a Republican, and a few other independent candidates. The most important independent candidate was Ralph Nader of the Green Party. Al Gore won the popular vote by about 540,000 votes. However, in the United States, we do not vote directly for our president. We use a system called the Electoral College; a candidate needs at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. In 2000, because Ralph Nader got a significant enough number of votes, neither George Bush nor Al Gore got the 270 votes needed to win the presidency. Eventually it came down to a recount of the votes in Florida. Bush then won by 537 individual votes. Gore’s campaign ordered a recount but it was eventually stopped by the Supreme Court. This election was highly controversial when it happened, and it is still controversial today. That outcome really makes you wonder how our country would be different if the voting system did not allow people to become president without the majority of the popular vote.

The Electoral College is the way we elect the president of the United States.

According to Mr. Peter Gaynor, a history teacher at MKA, an independent school in Montclair, New Jersey, the Electoral

College was designed so that the educated elites back in the 1700s could vote instead of the poor, uneducated lower class. However, now that almost all of our population has at least some secondary education, this system does not do what it was intended to do. The system itself is explained very well in the article by the National Archives Resource Administration, “What is the Electoral College” (http://goo.gl/m3m0kA), and the following paraphrases these ideas. The Electoral College is comprised of 538 votes. These votes represent the 435 members of the House of Representatives, the 100 members of the Senate and the three electors given to the District of Columbia. Each state starts with 3 votes, and the rest are given proportionally according to the population of the state. When citizens go to the polls to vote, they are not actually giving votes to the candidates. They are voting for which candidate they want their electors to vote for. The majority of states are winner take all. If you win half the votes plus one, you win all the electors from that state. However, when the electors actually vote in December, they can vote for whomever they want and are not required to vote for the candidate that their constituents wanted them to vote for. The sheer complexity of

The yellow bars represent each state’s electoral representation ratio, which is the ratio of its electoral representation to its population proportion. For example, Wyoming has an electoral representation ratio of 3.05, while the ratio for California is 0.84. The most populous state has the least electoral representation and the least populous state has the most.

http://www.thirty-thousand.org/pages/section_IX.htm

the Electoral College makes you wonder why we still use it, but there are many more problems with the Electoral College that are far worse than how complicated it is.

The Electoral College has many issues. Perhaps the most contradictory is that although everyone’s vote is equal; some votes count for more than others.

This is because votes are given to the states instead of the people. Each state is given three votes and the rest of the votes are given to the states proportional to the states’ populations. If you divide the population of Wyoming, which is 584,143, by the number of electoral votes it has, which is three, you get that each vote counts for about 194,717 people. If you do the same for Texas, it comes out to each vote counting for about 788,421 people. Voters from Wyoming has their opinion count for about four times more than voters from Texas. The fact that the Electoral College has some people’s votes count for more than others is reason enough to stop using using it, but this is not the only problem.

Another problem is the way the votes are distributed. In all but two states, winning the state by any majority gets you all the votes from that state.

According to an article called, “Problems with the Electoral College,” (http://goo.gl/CIv2VS), this leads to

candidates ignoring states that are very extreme towards one party. For example, a republican candidate would not spend much time campaigning in New York because they have no chance of winning it.

This leads the candidates to spend a lot of time in a few close states like Florida to the detriment of every other state that doesn’t get this special attention. Not to mention that the electors don’t actually have to vote for the candidate that they were told to vote for in most states. Although it does not happen often, the fact that these people in some places can essentially do whatever they want is a sign that the system is very broken.

The Electoral College, because it is not a popular vote, allows candidates to win the presidency without the majority of the votes. This is because the Electoral College gives votes to states rather than people. As in the case of George Bush in 2000, it is possible to become the president of the United States while getting a minority of the votes. Considering the United States is built on the foundation of democracy, this is an awful system we’re using to elect our president.

The two party system is so integrated with the politics in the United States that most people just assume it is the best way to do things. The problem is that it isn’t the best way. The reason it is still used is because it is an unintended consequence of the Electoral College. This is called the “spoiler” effect. Most third party candidates receive little to no support, but when they do it can have serious consequences. Just like in 2000, when Ralph Nader took away a lot of votes from Al Gore, any popular third party candidate just ends up taking votes away from the candidate with which it most agrees. This ensures the win for the party that is ideologically opposed to both the third party and the bigger party that lost. In a survey of 37 MKA faculty members, 62 percent say that they don’t

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Electoral College. It eliminates strategic voting by allowing people to vote for the candidate whom they agree with rather than the one they feel is the lesser of two evils. Polls, which can be very inaccurate become less relevant because voters can vote for their first choice regardless of think a third party candidate could win the whether or not they are very popular. Most election. However, 78 percent of the people importantly, it eliminates the spoiler effect. say that they would vote for a third party Because voters can rank candidates, if two candidate if they agreed with the candidates are similar, as soon as one is candidate’s views. This shows that people eliminated, their votes will go to the other one. don’t like the two party system and just Not only will this solve one of the biggest want to vote for a candidate that they agree problems with the current system, it can also with, which doesn’t work under the current solve a few other problems. More candidates system. This is because if you vote for a would run because they would not have to candidate that you know is going to lose, worry about the aforementioned spoiler affect you essentially wasted your vote. That and voter participation would increase because encourages people to vote against the more people would have a candidate that they candidate that they hate rather than voting agree with. for the candidate they really like. The !

Electoral College is so problematic that there has to be a better way.

Fortunately, there is a better way, and it’s called the instant runoff vote or the alternative vote. There is a lot of information about it in an article from the University of Hawaii called “Instant Runoff Voting” (http://goo.gl/t2OqyG). Instant ! A ballot under the instant runoff voting system would look like this. runoff is a voting system where each voter ranks the candidates in order of preference. http://fairvotemn.org/node/1099 !

If no candidate has a majority with the Instant runoff voting is not just an idea. In voters’ first choice votes, the candidate with fact, it is used in many different places to elect the least votes is eliminated and that presidents, mayors and prime ministers. Among candidate’s votes go the the voters’ second other places, it is used to elect the members of choices. This continues until one candidate the Australian House of Representatives, the reaches a majority. president of Ireland, the national parliament of Papua New Guinea, and the Fijian House of Representatives. It is used to elect the leaders of the Liberal and Conservative Parties of Canada.

In the United States, it is used to elect the mayors of several cities, including San Francisco, Burlington, Minneapolis, and Santa Fe, among others.

A lot of things happened during the eightyear tenure of George Bush from 2000 to the end of 2007. In response to the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, he started the war in Iraq. Perhaps most importantly, the Great Recession began during his term. Millions of people lost jobs and fell below the poverty line. The worst financial crisis !https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting ! since the Great Depression occurred while he It is called instant runoff because it can was president. Just imagine how our country simulate how elections would have gone would be in a different place had Al Gore won had certain candidates not run. the 2000 election. Maybe we would be safer, There are so many advantages to using wealthier and happier had we just elected the the instant runoff system compared to the candidate whom the citizens of the United States of America wanted to be the president of their own country.

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In a survey of 37 MKA faculty members, over two thirds of them think that it is unfair for a candidate to win the presidency without a majority of the popular vote.

Courtney Turgeon Class of 2022

Jackie Tsai Class of 2022

February 9, 2016

COW FARTS

http://www.alternet.org/story/154567/ holy_cow!_how_senators_and_movie_st ars_use_livestock_to_game_the_tax_cod e

http:/ /ww w3.ep a.gov /clim atech ange/ ghge missio ns/gl obal. html

The world is warming up, and animals contribute immensely.

By: Beyer White

The world is warming up.

According to National Geographic, global temperatures have risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 (http://goo.gl/UhFKvS). According to NASA, seas have risen 17 centimeters in the last 100 years (http://goo.gl/HPGddL), which is primarily because of the ice caps melting since the temperature is increasing. The truth about the matter is global warming is real.

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And it is a big problem; don’t let the humans’ daily lives. People can lose climate deniers tell you otherwise. their houses because of hurricanes Global warming affects more and farmers can go bankrupt because of droughts. So what makes than just temperatures. According this global warming happen? to NASA, global warming leads to Alongside transportation and more droughts and heat waves, and hurricanes are becoming stronger; energy, one of the biggest contributors to climate change is in addition, the arctic will likely agriculture, specifically livestock. become ice-free by 2050 (http://goo.gl/O1va5w). These That’s right: cow farts changes not only scar the planet, make the icecaps melt. but also can indirectly affect

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture contributes 24% to global greenhouse gas emissions (http://goo.gl/T3VADT).

Ashley Welsch, an Environmental Advocate of New York, has said that a third of these emissions come from the flatus of livestock. She also said that livestock contribute indirectly to climate change due to land and water usage. According to the EPA, manure management is also a way that livestock contribute (http://goo.gl/8NZHZ5). In comparison to agriculture’s 24% contribution, transportation only accounts for 14% of global emissions, according to the EPA (goo.gl/T3VADT). Maybe getting a hybrid might not be the best answer.

According to an essay by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Tackling climate change through livestock – A global assessment of emissions and mitigation), livestock contributes 14.5% of all emissions caused by humans. That is a big number that needs to be reduced.

by supporting these groups with donations and such.

The second side of the solution has to do with nutrition. We live in a society of omnivores. A survey taken by 57 eighth grade students at MKA Middle School in Montclair, NJ can attest to this. In that survey, 77% of the students said that they have dairy once a day or more. Also, 56% of those students said that they eat meat 3-7 times a week, and 36% said that they eat meat 1-3 times a week.

Ms. Welsch said that consuming less livestock products, including meat and dairy, can help to lower your footprint. According to PETA, vegans have a 41.7% lower footprint than omnivores and a 13.9% lower footprint than vegetarians (http://goo.gl/L3tGhn).

Even if going vegan is a little too extreme for you, there are still ways to help. Maybe choose the salad over the burger; it is better for you anyway.

Eating more fish and “eat mor chikin,” a wise quote from Chik-Fil-A, can help. Even though chicken still Livestock produce three main gases: carbon contributes, and is considered livestock, it does less dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. One way that so than beef. Also, Ms. Welsch has said that getting livestock produces methane is through flatulence. local, in-season goods from the farmer’s market can You already know what it is. According to the EPA, also cut down food miles. No matter how you help, the feed that cows are being fed, including corn, can this is an issue that affects everyone, so we all need make them fart quite a bit (http://goo.gl/8NZHZ5). to help in anyway possible.

Another way that these gases can be released is While we indulge in the products of manure decomposition. According to the EPA, when livestock, the problem is slowly starving us. Welsch livestock feces decompose, it naturally releases a said that growing seasons are shortening due to lot of methane and nitrous oxide climate change. This is mostly due to water (http://goo.gl/8NZHZ5). According to the FAO, shortages, but it means that we cannot produce as livestock also contribute carbon dioxide through many crops. If we can’t produce the crops, then we land-use, transportation, refrigeration, processing, can’t eat them, and the livestock also can’t eat them. and feed production (http://goo.gl/52JvY2).

We won’t even be able to have the livestock The good news is that we can help solve this products anymore. We have to stop this now. We problem. There are two sides to the solution. The are destroying our home, and it doesn’t have the first is the farmer’s side. Welsch said that there are capacity to forgive us. It will leave us homeless in a groups that are helping to make farmers more eco- hot desert, hungry and thirsty. Our only move friendly. For instance, animal feed can contribute to would be to abandon the Earth and move to Mars. It more farting, so farmers need to use the right feed. is a simple decision: fix the problem, move, or die.

These groups help to ensure this. People can help

2

MOON

By Noah Weinberg

Nathalie Wilson

Class of 2020

DOGS WITH JOBS

By: Grace Huntington

You know you have a real best friend when they throw themselves in front of a bus to save your life and then refuse to leave your side until the paramedics take you to the hospital. When this happened to Audrey Stone, a blind woman in New York, her service dog, Figo, was the only thing she wanted and needed. Ms. Stone and Figo were walking across the street, when a mini school bus was coming toward them, showing no signs of stopping. Figo took action and jumped in front of Ms. Stone. Figo and Ms. Stone both sustained injuries, but Figo definitely saved Ms. Stone’s life physically and emotionally. By jumping in front of her, he saved her from sustaining more serious injuries and by staying with her as long as possible, he kept her from panicking.

This is only one story out of millions and it’s only one type of service dog out of hundreds. This article will lead you through the amazing things that service dogs do. The most well known service dogs amongst a group of 8th graders at Montclair Kimberley Academy, a preK-12 school in New Jersey, are service dogs, such as seeing eye dogs. This is extremely common because these are the dogs wearing the blue vests that we see walking across the street with their owners. What we don’t know is that dogs don’t just help a blind person navigate the streets. Dogs can work in the military, in the police force, with the fire department, in the medical field, and many other areas of work.

Jessa Kenworthy, a trainer, at the nonprofit organization, 4 paws for ability, was interviewed about the 4 paws for ability organization, who places just over 100 service dogs each year. The 4 paws for ability organization’s goal is to improve the lives of disabled people, specifically veterans and children.

This organization offers training such as mobility work, seizure work, diabetic alert, behavior disruption, tracking, hearing ear work, and balance work. These dogs will start their training when they are born and then will be placed with a family when they are about 2 years old. They will stay with their families for the rest of their lives, but will only goo.gl/AapPNe goo.gl/z3hZdc continue their jobs if they are happy and able.

Families have to apply for a service dog, be approved, show that they can care for the dog, and show that the

goo.gl/0uxEod Jessa Kenworthy, a trainer at the nonprofit organization, “4 paws for ability,” was interviewed her organization, which places just over 100 service dogs each year. The “4 paws for ability” organization’s goal is to improve the lives of disabled people, specifically veterans and children. This organization offers training such as mobility work, seizure work, diabetic alert, behavior disruption, tracking, hearing ear work, and balance work. These dogs will start their training when they are born and then will be placed with a family when they are about 2-years-old. They will stay with their

families for the rest of their lives, but will only continue their jobs if they are happy and able. Families have to apply for a service dog, be approved, show that they can care for the dog, and show that the person receiving the dog will benefit from its aid. The families aren’t the only ones that are carefully selected, the dogs have certain requirements as well. The dogs must be healthy, have a good personality, like animals and people, comfortable in public, meeting people, and going places. “We hear about our dogs saving lives all the time. I would hear about one every month or so but goo.gl/ohhpZt I bet they are doing it even more often than that.” Said Jessa referring to how often her organizations service dogs save a life.

families for the rest of their lives, but will only continue their jobs if they are happy and able. Families have to apply for a service dog, be approved, show that they can care for the dog, and show that the person receiving the dog will benefit from its aid. The families aren’t the only ones that are carefully selected; the dogs have certain requirements as well. The dogs must be healthy, have a good personality, like animals and people, be comfortable in public, like meeting people, and like going places. Ms. Kenworth commented, “We hear about our dogs saving lives all the time. I would hear about one every month or so but I bet they are doing it even more often than that.” Service dogs are an important part of our world and the “4 paws for ability” organization is helping hundreds of people to have great lives.

Jose Armenta, a military corporal, and Zenit, his explosives detection and patrol dog, are a team. They work together to save the lives of their fellow marine officers and themselves. They have been through a lot together, including 2 years of training together to get to where they were in August of 2011. Jose, Zenit, and What types of service dogs the rest of their team left their base have you heard of? to start their patrol. They knew 81% Military there were IED’s(bombs) Police 95% everywhere in the field they were Medical 53% walking in. Jose sent Zenit off to sniff them out as he followed slowly Service 97% behind and the rest of the team Other 23% behind him. Jose stepped in the A group of 8th graders at wrong place and an IED went off.

MKA middle school He lost both of his legs and all he wanted after his 12 surgeries was Zenit. Zenit was still on active duty, but after a year he was able to adopt Zenit. Jose and Zenit formed a special bond, like many other dogs and their owners. To become a military dog Zenit first had to pass a variety of medical tests and

DOGS WITH JOBS

goo.gl/jxPiBr including two years of training together to get to where they were in August of 2011. Jose, Zenit, and the rest of their team left their base to start their patrol. They knew there were IED’s(bombs) everywhere in the field they were walking in. Jose sent Zenit off to sniff them out as he followed slowly behind and the rest of the team behind him. Jose stepped in the wrong place and an IED went off. He lost both of his legs and all he wanted after his 12 surgeries was Zenit. Zenit was still on active duty, but after a year he was able to adopt him. Jose and the dog formed a special bond, like many other dogs and their owners.

Full Article He was trained in drive building, grip development, and environmental and social stability for 13 months. Trainign consists of teaching dogs to recognize scents of IED’s, basic obedience, birding(taking directions from a distance), and learning to find the IED’s by sniffing. A military dog is evaluated by marines during training to work in patrol, detection, or tracking. Zenit had to work hard and be brave to succeed in working for the military. If he was too sensitive to heat, became too excited by gunfire or explosions, too loyal, too lazy, or too playful he would not have been certified. German Shepard’s, life Zenit, are among the most common military dogs, among Labrador Retrievers, and Belgian Milionis. Military dogs are not as well known as service dogs, but still serve a huge importance.

CONCUSS IONS February 2016

By: Yousuf Cheema

Its rising rates have become concerning for many

When the brain is shaken in the skull it leads to brain cells getting crushed and dying.

An X-ray of a brain that has a concussion

http://goo.gl/3kNMrT

One of the most common injuries in sports is a concussion. A concussion is a serious brain injury that is caused by a sudden jolt or blow to the head, which makes the brain move inside of the skull very violently.

This might be because of constant head to head collision, head to ground collision, or whiplash.

When any of these scenarios happen, the brain is knocked around inside the skull. The brain is a very soft gelatin-like tissue floating in a hard bone cavity called the skull, so a hit to the head damages brain cells when the soft tissue gets bruised. Although a concussion is known as a “mild brain-injury,” repeated occurrences in athletes can potentially lead to serious brain damage or even death. The extent of all injuries is still unknown, but some symptoms include loss of balance and memory, headaches, vomiting, and sometimes even death, according to a trainer at the MKA.

One of the most alarming statistics about concussions comes out of high school sports. In fact, according to a study, high school football players are nearly twice as likely to sustain a concussion as are college players.” This might happen because high school football has more practices, which leads to a higher chance of

obtaining a concussion.

The awareness of head injury is generally absent in some of the coaching staff. Finally, football is taken as a contact sport of bravery, so complaining about injury is discouraged. In youth, the brain is still not mature or completely developed, which might lead to high concussion rates in growing bodies.

It is important to know the physiology of the brain to understand why concussions can be so harmful. The skull is composed of 22 bones, 14 facial and 8 cranial bones, is basically a delicate helmet for your brain. If a blow knocks any of the bones out of place, the brain can be exposed to anything. This can stretch and tear nerve tissue, and sometimes poke the brain, which leads to internal bleeding. This is all in the worst-case scenario. Usually, the brain suffers a blow and is pushed inside the cushions of the brain (meninges), and that causes concussions.

Since concussions are so prevalent in football, the National Football League (NFL) has decided to take some initiative by creating the Concussion Protocol. This protocol involves a series of tests for those players showing even the slightest sign of a head injury.

Some of the tests involve a series of questions relating to memory, such as: What happened before the hit? Who or what hit you? Also, a

light is shined in the victim’s eyes to see if the pupils react correctly.

Shining a light into pupils is supposed to make them contract.

If the pupils do not react or show irregular movement, this indicates signs of a concussion. An independent neurologist can call any player out of the game when he feels the player has taken too many hits or is slow, dazed, or confused.

Concussions in high school athletes can be even more detrimental because they affect students both on and off the field.

In a study of 349 students, ages 5 to 18-year-olds who suffered concussions, some still have lingering effects of their injury while some cannot even remember it. 88% of those students who recover from the head injury, continue to have headaches, get tired, and have a tough time understanding lessons or concentrating. 77% of students say they had difficulty taking notes and homework took them longer to finish. Some strategies suggest that kids should take off from school so their symptoms wear off. (“How concussions lead to poor grades,” May 11, 2015) Still, it is difficult to tell the severity of a concussion.

The repeated occurrence of concussions have raised concerns among parents and healthcare experts. This, in turn, has led experts to study their

The graph shows the amounts of concussions in college and high school sports.

effects on the brain more in depth.

Concussions have been a difficult task to deal with because it is hard to tell the severity of them, therefore prominent groups such as the NFL are trying to find ways of detecting whether athletes have concussions or not by creating the concussion protocol. Not only do concussions affect professional players, but they are also affecting high school student athletes. Many students have had problems in school whether it’s doing homework to taking tests.

Head-to-head collisions like the one above can lead to serious brain damages.

Jackie Tsai Class of 2022

Jaime Fuchs

Class of 2020

Courtney Turgeon Class of 2022

GAPINGGAP THE EMILY TALKOW

On average, women are paid 78 cents for every dollar a man is paid.

Would you believe someone if they told you that pigs can fly? No, because that is impossible. Would you believe someone if they told you that drinking water can give you the power to turn invisible? No, because that is impossible. But, what if someone told you that on average, men are paid more than women for the same exact job. It sounds impossible, right?

Wrong. Gender pay gap is something that unfortunately occurs in the lives of most women; it means that men and women who are exerting the same amount of energy for the same job are being paid differently just because of the XX chromosome that women have.

http://goatsportstalk.com/2015/07/08/u-s-women-on-top-of-the-world-again/

What is gender pay gap?

Gender pay gap is the disparity of pay between men and women. Civil rights attorney, Jonathan I. Nirenberg, said, “... gender discrimination occurs in virtually every industry,” but some jobs have a larger gap than others.

According to Nirenberg, the financial industry and information technology are two jobs that have the largest gap. Additionally, women who are surgeons earn 71 cents for every man’s dollar and women food preparers earn 87 percent of what men earn.

2009

"...The disparity is a pure scandal."

-Pope Francis Why does gender pay gap happen?

Gender pay gap is mostly a result of stereotypes and prejudice. The stereotypes make people think that all women have the same work ethic and are basically all the same. Seeing one person in a negative way, and thinking everyone is inadequate and negative is what forms prejudice. Some employers who are narrow-minded believe that women don’t have the same work ethic that men do, and pay them less as a result.

Further, on average, women don’t ask for a raise, while men do. According to a study done at Carnegie Mellon University, 51.5 percent of men asked for more money while only 12.5 percent of women asked for more money. Starting salaries determine future raises and bonuses, and according to Ms. Babcock, women who do not ask for more money lose out on about $750,000 for middle-income jobs and $2 million for high-income jobs over their careers. Plus, if a woman were to ask for more money, they typically ask for 30 percent less than a man would. Many theories as to why this happens consists of the similar idea that when men ask for more money, they seem honorable and want to be acknowledged for their job, but when women ask for more money they appear obnoxious, pompous, and self-centered. In a recent Sony hack, the actors of American Hustle, including Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner, found out how much they each earned. The male actors earned more than their female costars, just because they are men. Jennifer Lawrence claims that she isn’t mad at Sony, but at herself. She said

Facts about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):

The yellow states have not ratified the ERA (while we need 38) opposed to the purple states (35) which have ratified the ERA. For more information on the ERA, reference to sidebar.

The ERA was proposed in 1923 and was written by Alice Paul. It has been introduced to Congress every session from 19231972 and every session since 1984.

1. What is the Equal Rights Amendment?

The ERA guarantees rights to women. Without it, women are not protected. The sections are: Section 1: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2: The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3: This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

The ERA was written by Alice Paul, a suffragist leader and founder of the National Women’s Party, after 1920 when women were guaranteed the right to vote.

"The movement is a sort of mosaic.

Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end." -Alice Paul Information from http://www.equalrightsamendment.org

http://www.equalrightsamendment.org

that she failed as a negotiator, and as a result earned seven percent (negotiated from five percent) while the male costars earned nine percent.

"If a women speaks up and is assertive, she is going to be called a brat.”

- Jennifer Lawrence In a recent survey done at a school in New Jersey about gender pay gap, out of 335 answers, 214 were incorrect.

On a scale from one to ten, ten being an expert on gender pay gap and one being clueless about it, half of the people who answered the survey answered a five or below. When people are oblivious to topics, not much can be done about it. People need to learn more about gender pay in order to spark a change. Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

What can we do about it?

http://davidsheff.com/article/betty-friedan/

Like all problems, there are solutions to gender pay gap. Vincent A. Antoniello, civil rights attorney, said, “Discrimination is something that many people like to ignore or pretend that it doesn’t exist...People need to openly discuss the issue and keep it part of the public awareness.” If people continue to ignore gender pay gap, the situation will not improve.

“If you show people factual evidence, it will tell the story for you,” Antoniello concluded.

Banning negotiation completely could be another solution. Asking for more money the majority of the time is one of the many reasons why men are paid more than women. If negotiation is banned completely, men won’t be able to ask for more money, and it will result in evening out the gap. For those who don’t agree with completely banning negotiation, teaching women how to negotiate could be a way to empower them to ask for more money.

Moreover, in the United States of America, there are multiple state and federal laws to further illustrate how crucial equal pay is. President Obama required that federal workers must publish the amount of money they earn to the Labor Department. This prevents people from thinking that men and women are paid equally. Fighting for equal pay is a necessity, and if it is overshadowed, then who will fight for it? Recently, the strongest state law was put into effect in California. It made it so that men and women have to be paid the same for similar jobs. Here in New Jersey there is a, “Right to be Free of Gender Inequity” law, preventing discrimination based on gender. This includes pay, compensation, benefits, or conditions or terms.

Susan B. Anthony once said, “I have encountered riotous mobs and have been hung in effigy, but my motto is: Men's rights are nothing more.

Women's rights are nothing less.”

A Little Box Full of Wonder

By Matteo McClendon Class of 2022

A little box full of wonder Imagine a color, it could be that could be anywhere, as long as the sky isn’t blotted out Pull out the skyscraper, sound will come out Turn and turn until you find what it is you wanted the little box of wonder, has all you like New thing and old things, from 19-20 Love, Sadness, Anger, Emotion is expressed The little box can be on wheels, a boat, or even your pocket Turn it up, you’ll hear little voices Learn from this little box pop something in, if that is what you like Beats, and Rhythms A doohickey that has something for all some cannot experience its wonder, some can Listen in: something’s coming from the tower

Fan

By Christina Bonarti Class of 2022 Humans are inconsiderate They jam my plug into their ugly plaster-coated wall with no respect for my delicate cord They trap me in a cage I am imprisoned behind the metal bars like some common bird My captors turn the dial on my top roughly And if I don’t start going the speed they want right away They smack me and call me names until I bend to their will The selfish one’s offspring poke their fat little fingers through the bars of my cage But if they come too close, I can chop off their puny digits with my blade-like fingers.

Ciara Daly, Class of 2020

Manny Udofia Class of 2024

Lila Jung

Class of 2024

Josephine Myung

English 8B

Friday, February 19, 2016

GM NOS

Allergies? Superweeds? Check and Check.

http://www.brighthub.com/ environment/green-living/articles/ 68258.aspx

Did you know that animals show organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility when eating GMOs? GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been approved by the US FDA for human consumption, yet are causing dangerous side effects. GMOs are created when new genes are added to a DNA chain in an organism. Mixing genes from completely unrelated species through genetic engineering can cause many unpredictable side effects, and we don’t know what the long-term consequences will be. The mere process of making a GM plant can cause collateral damage that pushes the organism to make new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and causes the organism to have nutritional deficiencies.

Millions of people are suffering from anaphylactic reactions due to GMOs. Anaphylactic reactions are caused when our bodies respond to normally harmless proteins. Anaphylactic reactions are severe allergic reactions that cause hives, swelling, wheezing/ difficulty breathing, fainting, or other symptoms. The reaction requires emergency treatment, and can rapidly turn fatal; affected people need to carry around antihistamines or a self-injecting syringe of epinephrine. For 1

Josephine Myung

English 8B

Friday, February 19, 2016

example, peanuts were cross-bred with a stronger, more resilient Amazonian plant, and have caused millions of people to be allergic to peanuts.

Allergies aren’t the only negative factor. From 1996 to 2008, U.S. farmers sprayed 383 million extra pounds of herbicide on GMOs because they were created to be more resilient. This causes the weeds to also grow more resistant and become “superweeds.” To kill the superweeds, the farmers use even more toxic herbicides. This harms the environment and increases the amount of residue of toxic herbicides in the food we eat. One of the most commonly used herbicides, Roundup, leads to sterility, hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer. The Roundup company even sells special GM crops, purposely created to survive multiple rounds of their herbicide.

GM food also leaves matter inside us, which could cause long-term problems; for example, the genes inserted into GM soy can transfer into the DNA of the As the number of genetically bacteria that lives inside us. Toxic insecticides made by GM corn were modified crop approvals goes discovered in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses. The up, so does the amount of percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses climbed from 7% to 13% in deadly anaphylaxis admission. merely 9 years after GMOs were http://madge.org.au/gm-food-safe-eat introduced into our food, as did the percentage of people with autism, reproductive disorders, and digestive problems. The American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association, among many medical groups, declare the GM bovine growth hormone unsafe because the milk from treated cows has greater amounts of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), which is linked to cancer.

There are so many negative side effects of GMOs. Are they worth the scant positive ones? According to Ms. Zimmerman, science teacher at Montclair Kimberley Academy, “We don’t know the future effects. If we have an organism mutate and be capable of killing the GMOs, we would have to http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/14/glyphosate.aspx change the organism again and again.”

“We need diversity; if not, one organism could mutate and kill everything.”

Full Article

-MS. ZIMMERMAN, MKA SCIENCE TEACHER

2

Kiara Bhatia Class of 2021

Isabel Lucas Class of 2021

Sabrina Noble Class of 2020

Grace Nonnon Class of 2020

Ella Martin Class of 2023

Ayantu Flowers, Class of 2022

Kiara Bhatia Class of 2021

Matteo McLendon Class of 2022

dfd

Shea Branigan

Otto Spehar

Bella Kuick

Matt Bonarti

Class of 2024

Gabby Delgado Class of 2020

Hannah Jablons Class of 2020

Snow Day

Julia Stehr, Class of 2022 As I wake and peer out the window a thick coat of white powder seems like it is a never-ending white blanket.

Your front yard is untouched but by those brave few birds who have dared to make the long voyage out to the middle of the yard instead of staying safe under the tree.

The wind must be having a good day because it is whistling to its heart’s content.

The windows creak as if they have a bad back ache and want your entire house to know.

Joseph Bejjani Class of 2022