March 2023 POCS Press

Piner-Olivet Charter School Santa Rosa, CA StudentoftheMonth

the snack shack. Dylan shares with people and gives his friends food when they don't have anything to eat, and he buys them food and drinks from the snack shack. Like most middle schoolers, he enjoys spending time with his friends, and they inspire him to be a better person.

DylanLafon

By Tatianna Gaitan (7th), Jennifer Lara (8th), Tiare Sarraf (8th)

Congratulations to our new POCS Student of the Month for March: Dylan! He was chosen for his confidence, helpfulness, and care for others. He is a headstrong person who is always willing to help other people before helping himself. His block 2 teacher said he treats everyone well and fairly, with kindness and respect, and is very helpful when students need something.

Dylan enjoys being in leadership and likes the teachers at POCS. He also likes the school community and

Dylan enjoys PE class and has a good relationship with Mr. Aguilar. When his class has to clean up the sports equipment, Mr. Aguilar said Dylan always goes the extra mile to pick up every single thing he can find and puts a lot of effort into the class.

Dylan's close relationship with Mr. Aguilar makes him enjoy having Dylan as a student. Mr. Aguilar said that Dylan is a smart kid and funny. One of Dylan's other teachers said that Dylan has a great attitude, personality, and sense of humor.

Dylan is easy to talk to and gives people advice when they need it. He is very nice and people said they never see him being rude to anyone. Dylan tries to stand up for his friends and others who

StudentoftheMonthCont.

need it. His friends say he always has a lot of energy and doesn't seem to care what others think about him. One of Dylan's friends said that Dylan always fights to make sure his opinions are out there and heard.

A few of Dylan's hobbies are making stop-motion movies, acting, and playing basketball. He likes Star Wars, Transformers, Legos, and making YouTube videos. Dylan is kind to his classmates but also tries to be honest with them. For example, if he needs to give constructive criticism on their work, he will. Dylan treats his peers with respect as long as they do the same toward him. Lastly, Dylan looks up to his dad.

Staffofthe MonthInterview

Mr.Pitchford

By Bella Rutkowski (8th)

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

A: Originally I wanted to be a PE teacher but that turned into being a math teacher. Working with kids and helping others so hopefully they can make an impact on the world.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: The Great Outdoors certainly, bicycling, fantasy football, sports, hanging out with my sons.

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to be a teacher?

A: I think it was the first moment that I was teaching in the classroom when I was first helping out my

before the credential program. Working with kids and then seeing that aha moment of students understanding things. Seeing the love of learning. I knew I didn't want to be a teacher for elementary school kids. I'm very sarcastic and sometimes those jokes they don't catch. Just seeing that moment where you're helping another student achieve something and then the good feeling you get inside. It’s certainly something that I enjoy.

StaffoftheMonth

Q: If you weren’t a teacher what would you want to do?

A: A lead singer in a rock and roll band! My students could attest to that, they hear me sing every morning in class. I think they realize what an awesome and incredible singing voice I have. So they know my talent just ask ‘em.

Q: What are a few of your favorite things about POCS?

A: The small size, and the relationships that we teachers are able to build with all the students. So I know a great deal of other students as well as the ones who are in my block one and two classes. It's nice to be able to know so many faces and so many names of students on our campus. The small size is really great to build relationships and bonds with students and the friendly staff. I also think most of the kids are

pretty darn friendly to each other and happy to be here. Which I am for sure.

Q: How long have you been teaching? Were you at POCS the whole time?

A: Yes, 22 years at POCS the whole time. The school basically doubled in size since I was first here. There used to be only four teachers and around 100 kids. It’s been cool to see the school grow.

Staffofthe Month

Mrs.Cahill

of my favorite staff here. We asked some students how they feel about Mrs. Cahill and they said that they like how she’s so kind and generous.

Why did you decide to work at POCS?:

Mrs.Cahill: I worked at Jack London. There was a job opportunity to work with the bigger kids in POCS. I decided to just take the job.

How long have you been working here?:

Mrs.Cahill: 14 years, What was your profession before working at schools?:

Mrs. Cahill: I worked at the court

What high school did you attend?:

By: Danika Clausen (7th), Nevaeh Lawrence (8th), Brissia Aguilar (8th) Mrs. Cahill is one

Mrs.Cahill: Montgomery High school.

Where did you grow up?: Mrs.Cahill: I

StaffoftheMonthContinued

grew up here in Santa Rosa and then I moved to Seattle when I was 17 and then moved back when I grew up.

How long did you play soccer?: Mrs.Cahill: I played soccer when I was in middle school-high school, but when I was an adult I only played for four years.

place to vacation?:

Mrs.Cahill: At the moment Hawaii, because one of my daughters lives there so I usually go there a lot.

What are your favorite snacks?:

Mrs.Cahill: Oreos, cheese and pretzels, and chips and salsa. When’s your birthday?:

Mrs.Cahill: March 8th

What's your favorite color and why?:

What's your favorite sport?: Mrs.Cahill: Soccer or football.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?:

Mrs.Cahill: At the moment Hawaii, because one of my daughters lives there so I usually go there a lot. What's your favorite sport?:

Mrs.Cahill: Soccer or football.

Where is your favorite

What is your favorite sports team?:

Mrs.Cahill: Probably the 49ers

What are you most proud of at POCS?:

Mrs.Cahill: I'm proud of the community and I think there are a lot of nice students, the students usually feel very safe here.

Mrs.Cahill: Blue, it reminds me of the ocean and the ocean is calm and I think blue is calm.

SocialJustice

Rose Patino and Kayla Santana 7th Grade General facts

Social justice is an enrichment that teaches you about real-world problems and helps you think about how you can solve them. It teaches you about things you may have never thought of or heard of. It also teaches you the importance of many places, problems, and risks of the world. Many people have tried changing the world to make it better so that people can live freely but have been ignored. People think it isn’t a big deal, but it’s killing animals and our Earth.

Interviews

Today we will be interviewing Ms.Brandenburg, a social justice teacher.

Q: Why do you think it's important to learn about social justice?

A: Because there are so many social injustices in our world and you're only aware of the issue if you're socially impacted by them.

Q: What do you like about teaching social justice?

lA: I like getting kids to learn about issues in our society and empowering them on how they can make a difference in our world.

Q: Why did you decide to be a social justice teacher?

A: Me and Mrs. Meyer were looking at a class we would both ike to teach at POCS and we were both passionate about social injustices and issues in the world so we decided we would like to make a class about it at POCS.

Q: How long have you been teaching social justice at POCS?

A: I've been teaching social justice at POCS for 3 years.

Today we will be interviewing Zander, he is in 7th grade.

Q: How do you like social justice so far?

Enrichments-

A: I find it interesting and like learning about real-world problems.

Q: What have you learned in social justice so far?

A: I've learned about child labor and agriculture.

Q: How do you feel about social justice?

A: I feel good because I like learning about problems in our world. Today we will be interviewing Johnny she is in 7th grade

A: That It's entertaining.

Q: What do you like about social justice?

A: That we talk about things that aren't usually talked about.

Q: What is something important you learned in social justice?

A: Something important that I learned is that child labor is not good.

Q: What do you like about social justice so far?

UpcomingHolidays

Easter

By Lilly Iglehart and Kaz Williams (7th grade)

When most people hear the name “Easter”, thoughts of pastel-colored eggs, Easter baskets, chocolate, and more importantly, the Easter Bunny, are surely the first thoughts to come up. But who is the easter bunny, and where did he come from? The Easter bunny, according to some sources, had first arrived in America in 1700 with the German immigrants who had settled in Pennsylvania. They had brought the amazing tradition known as "Osterhase”, which is where the children created nests where “the Easter Bunny” could lay his eggs. Easter is on different days each year, because of the lunar cycle. This year it is on April 9th, and it is celebrated because it is when Jesus came back alive. Easter was also an ancient pagan holiday celebrating the spring equinox. Easter is also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday. Easter is named after Eostre, who was an anglo-saxon goddess. Many people will decorate eggs by dyeing them, drawing on them, using stickers or glitter, and then

hiding them for their children to find. Why eggs? Eggs have been seen as an ancient symbol of fertility, while springtime is considered to bring new life and rebirth. It is believed by Christians and others that Jesus suffered from hanging on a cross and he scraped his raw back up and down on the cross then died.

Easter is very important to Christians because it has to do with Jesus and they love Jesus and also because they think Easter reminds them of the sacrifice that he has made. Some Christians celebrate by going to church, ringing church bells, flowers, and candlelight.

Christians call the day Jesus died “Good Friday” because they believe that it is because Jesus died so the things that everyone has done wrong can be forgiven.

St.Patrick’sDay UpcomingHolidaysCont.

By: Annie Le (7th grade)

It’s March, and that means St.Patrick’s Day is coming up! This holiday is a cultural and religious celebration that lands on the 17th of March. The origin of the holiday started with Ireland's Patron St.Patrick!

The story behind St.Patrick was that he was born in Roman Britain but was enslaved in Ireland when he was 16, he escaped slavery but later on returned to the country to bring Christianity to it. He chased out slithering reptiles and also used a shamrock to represent the Holy trinity. He died March 17th, 461 CE, by the time he died he had many churches and schools in Ireland with many legends of him. His day lands around the time of Lent, so many Christians go to church in the morning then celebrate in the afternoon, even though Lent prohibits eating meat during Friday, it is often ignored during this day since Irish people eat a traditional meal that has cabbage with bacon as they dance and drink.

St.Patricks Day only became popular worldwide when emigrants settled in the United States, it

became well-known around the world. The first parade was in America because there were Irish soldiers who were indentured soldiers in the British Army who brought the tradition to the country, the earliest Irish tradition brought to America dates back to 1762 when the first St.Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City. Since then more and more Irish immigrants entered America, and the parade slowly turned into a big celebration to represent Irish Pride.

St.Patrick's Day is usually associated with the color green, but back then when St.Patrick’s Day was just being introduced to America, wearing green was punishable, but by 1798 there was a rebellion against the British rule in Ireland, green became more significant than ever to Irish people.

Although St.Patricks Day used to be a more religious celebration, it’s now a big holiday that celebrates Ireland's traditions as a whole!

March 2023

CampusImprovements

GettoKnowMrs. StandleyandMs. Lovelace

Sedona Breedlove (8th), Mallix Way (8th)

The new program assistants have been with us for a couple of months now and we hope you've gotten to know them well. But how well do you really know them? Please read and learn more about our lovely new program assistants.

How do you like POCS?

S: So far I really enjoy it. It’s an adjustment because I’m used to the littles, so it’s kind of nice to have you guys be more independent and I don’t need to tie shoes and wipe noses. Or constantly go “up that ladder down the slide” It’s nice to not have to be so attentive to you guys. You guys pretty much know what's going on. Yeah, I really enjoy it.

L: I love it; great transition. I went from teaching preschool, to now I’m here with you middle school kids. So it’s exciting; I’m excited about this year.

in?

S: I am working in Ms. Dolan’s class and Ms. Brandenburg’s class, 8th grade. I have been in Mr. A’s PE Mondays and Tuesdays, and then Thursdays and Fridays I am doing ELD in E4.

L: I work in Ms. Worstell’s and Mrs. McDonough’s classrooms, and then Mr. A's for PE.

Q: On Monday/Tuesday, Thursday/Friday?

L: All week I’m with McDonough and Worstell and then I do enrichment

Monday/Tuesday with Mrs. Graham, then I do enrichment with Mr. A Thursday/Friday.

Do you have any hobbies or interests?

What classrooms

S: I do. I love to knit, I love to bake, I love arts and crafts, I love to read, I love music, I’m into True Crime novels and shows, and I love photography. I just love to be creative; it's kind of my outlet. I also like to make wreaths, and I learned to knit a couple years ago. I'll just sit in front of the TV and knit while hanging out with my family. It kind of just helps me relax. So anything that kind of gets me relaxed, or if I have a lot on my mind, if I create something it just kind of helps me to deal with stuff.

CampusImprovementsCont.

Q: So you like being creative, is this job creative enough for you? Do you like it?

S: So I do like it, but that's one area that's a little different. So when you’re working with elementary school you do a lot of projects and stuff. And you don't have that here, but I would love to do like an arts and crafts enrichment, or a knitting enrichment, or even a baking enrichment. I love to bake, I love to decorate cakes, and I would love the opportunity to be creative.

L: Yes, I love hiking, I make my own home decor, I love music, being a Mama, I love to organize and clean, going to concerts, and figure skating, I love the ocean and the mountains, gardening, writing poetry, and songs. I’m a figure skating coach in the evenings at Snoopy Ice Rink, I have been skating since I was a little girl. I am Canadian and we love the ice. Is there anything else you want the students to know about you?

Snoopy memorabilia. So yeah, my kids make fun of me for it, but I'm just like a big kid. I love anything having to do with Snoopy and the Peanuts gang.

L: You know, I'm here for you guys. I'm here to support you if you need a friend to talk to, advice, support, and help provide a safe place for the kids. I love working with the youth for the last 24 years.

S: I am a huge Snoopy and Peanuts fan, so I like Charlie Brown and all the characters and Snoopy. I have Snoopy mugs, and I have, like tons of Page12

Interviews

Sports BoysBasketball

By Aaliyah Reece 7th and Bella Dunlap 7th

Who do you think is going to win the most 7th or 8th: 8th

Micah 8th:

Are you excited for this season: Yes

What school do you want to play the most: Willowside

Who do you think is going to win the most 7th or 8th: 7th

Who do think are the best players for 7th and 8th: 7th Ramsey 8th himself

In your opinion what is your favorite part of basketball: Playing games

Cody 7th:

Are you excited for this season: Yes

What school do you want to play the most: Next team they play

Who do you think is going to win the most 7th or 8th: 7th

Who do you think are the best player for 7th and 8th: 7th himself 8th Jacob

In your opinion what is your favorite part of basketball: Hanging out with his teammates

Who do you think are the best players for 7th and 8th: 7th Ramsey and 8th Micah

In your opinion what is your favorite part of basketball: Winning against every team

Keith 8th:

Are you excited for this season: Yeah

What school do you want to play the most: CCLA

Who do you think is going to win the most 7th or 8th: 8th

Who do you think are the best players for 7th and 8th: 7th Cole and 8th Micah

In your opinion what is your favorite part of basketball: The games and maybe practice

Tyler 7th:

Are you excited for this season: Of course

What school do you want to play the most: Strawberry Elementary

The boy’s season looks like it is going well so far and the interviews were very fun, and we both enjoyed doing these interviews. I hope they keep getting wins and continue to do their best. Meanwhile, here are the roster and game days.

SportsCont.

Roster for 7th and 8th and games:

Women'sSoccer SportsCont.

By: Emma Munguia & ELiana Rojo

7th grade

Soccer is a popular sport so we went into the P.E. enrichment and interviewed a couple of people about their opinions on women's soccer and those interviews will be on the bottom of the page. Emma and I decided to do our piece on women's soccer because we both love and play soccer and Emma and I both notice that some people have had some rude and even sexist comments about women's soccer, saying things like “no one cares about girls playing soccer” or “women's soccer is not as interesting as men's soccer” or “girls shouldn't play soccer.”

Emma and I do not like hearing things like that so we decided to do our piece on this topic. The women's World Cup starts on July 20th, and we are very excited about that. Now we will get into the interviews, so we interviewed Angelina G. and Joe Millsap. These were their responses:

The first person Emma and I interviewed was Joe. Here it is:

The first question was: Eliana - “Hi, what is your name?”

Joe- ”Joseph Millsap” Eliana - “What is your opinion on women's soccer and do you like it or not?” Joe - “Well I don’t really play that much soccer in general or watch it that much but women's soccer is probably the same as men's soccer so I mean they're both good.” Eliana - “Do you think it’s as interesting as men's soccer?” Joe“Yes, they both play the same sport.” Eliana - “How do you feel about people saying things like people don’t care about women’s soccer?” Joe - “Well that's pretty stupid. It’s the same sport.” Eliana - “Do you think there should be a soccer team at POCS, like a boy and girl team?” Joe - “Yes, I think there should be soccer teams for both genders." Eliana - “Okay, thank you, Joe." That was the end of the interview.

The next person was Angelina G and Emma interviewed her. The first question was: Emma - “Hi, I'm here with?" Angelina - "Angelina G.” Emma"What is your opinion on women's soccer?” Angelina - ”It’s really fun.”

Emma - "Yeah, how do you feel about people saying that no one cares about women soccer?” Angelina - “It’s really bad because people shouldn’t treat women like that and it’s not okay in

SportsCont.

both ways.” Emma - “I agree. Do you think there should be a soccer team for both genders at POCS?” Angelina“Yes, if there was I would want to play for it.” Emma - “Okay, thank you.” Angelina - “You're welcome.” That was the end of the interview.

MarchMadness

By: Addison Harold Grade 7

If you don't already know what March Madness is, it is a men's NCAA tournament. This year March Madness will fall on March 14-15 for the first four and March 16-18 first/second rounds. This year it will be held in Dayton, Ohio. March Madness is currently featuring 68 college basketball teams. This year's title will be “2023 NCAA division men's basketball tournament. Now that you have some information about this year's March Madness here are some facts about this event.

basketball teams that play

● March Madness got its name from a high school basketball team that impressed a basketball coach from Illinois

● The basketball used in the March Madness tournament is called “Electric Orange” it’s a brighter shade of orange for players to see easier across the court

● The final four is to represent the last four final teams

● The second round is also called the round of 32

To some people March Madness might not really matter, a lot of people don't even really know what March Madness is or what it's for but, others rely on March Madness they plan on watching it every year and those players and those teams and their coaches work very hard and practice every single day of the week even if they get into this tournament or not.

● March Madness began 82 years ago and has been held every year except for the 2019-2020 season

● Every year there are up to 68

March Madness isn't just a game to some players, it’s part of their career and their basketball journey. Even though this event is just a basketball tournament to some people it also has a lot of history behind it… like who started it and

SportsCont.

where it started but it was really just created by some high school basketball players who wanted to take their journey to the next level. March Madness begins on March 14 this year, make sure to tune in!

Entertainment UnderstandingMusic

Genres:Finale

Faye Ton // 7th Grade

In our last installment of Understanding Music Genres, we talked about the genres pop, hyperpop, experimental, R&B, and UK Garage. A thing I want to mention again that was included in the last installment was the culture and history behind R&B. R&B was started and led by African-American people and culture, and a lot of the popular genres you listen to today were influenced or even created by black culture. Take the genre hip-hop (also identified as rap music), it was started by black communities and rooted in New York City. The genre started gaining popularity in the 90s (also known as the Golden Age of hip-hop music). The genre consists of stylized rhythmic music and may be accompanied by rhythmic speech (rapping). Songs from this genre may include instruments such as drum hits, bass lines, and samples from other songs. Although rapping isn’t fundamental for a song to be identified as “hip-hop”, it’s still a staple found in many hip-hop songs. Some artists of this genre include 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Nicki Minaj. Most of the genres you listen to today are made by black communities and are

influenced by genres made by African-American communities. Take the genre neo soul for example. Neo soul was derived from soul music and R&B. With grooves inspired by genres such as hip-hop, rock, funk, and electronic music. The genre consists of vocal runs on jazzy riffs. Some artists of this genre include D’Angelo, Alicia Keys, and Kali Uchis. In the last installment of ‘Understanding Music Genres’, we discussed UK Garage and how it was derived from garage house and dance music, which made me realize I didn’t talk about house music yet. House music is composed of many subgenres and styles (e.g. deep house, afro house, electro house, classic house, etc.). House music is characterized by its repeated four-on-the-floor beat. Originating in Chicago, most of its definitive sound comes from its 4/4 beat structure and heavy kick drums. The kick/clap drum pattern gives the genre its own distinct sound. The genre can be found playing in clubs. Some artists that have used this genre include Daft Punk, R3HAB, and Beyoncé. House music has heavy components of electronic music, electronic music has many different variants and subgenres. One

EntertainmentCont.

of them being electropop. Electropop is a hybrid music genre containing elements of electronic music and pop. The genre can be classified as a variant of synth-pop. Electropop has a distinct, electronic/synthesized sound in its composition. Synthesizers and syndrums are used to characterize electropop. Some of these electropop artists are Lady Gaga, Rina Sawayama, and Kesha. Although this piece didn’t include all of the most known or popular genres there are, I put the ones I wanted to talk about (cope). But this is not a recurring topic so here’s all you’re getting for now.

Chen and an important line from the book is “Being a vampire is far from glamorous...but it can be pretty punk rock.”

Louise Chao was a pretty lonely vampire because she had sworn off family ages ago. But, she had a liking for punk rock so she would always have something to look forward to, punk rock shows. She could even join her own band if she was able to because it might just help her feel more belonging. But, every time she tried it ended up badly. Louise was a Janitor in a hospital so she had easy access to blood. She stayed this way until her family arrived at her house and discovered a kindred spirit in Ian, her grandnephew.

How to Sell a Haunted House

LatestBooks

Ava Valdes 7th

Vampire Weekend: A Novel

The main character in Vampire Weekend is Louise Chao, a vampire. The genre of the book is Urban Fantasy, Domestic Fantasy, and Coming-of-age story. Vampire Weekend was written by

The main character in How to Sell a Haunted House is Louise Joyner. The genre of the book is Horror fiction, Suspense, and Psychological Thriller. How to sell a haunted house was written by Grady Hendrix.

Louise Joyner is a single mother and is 39 years old. She lived in San Francisco with her daughter, Poppy. But, then one day her brother called her and told her that their parents had passed away but he had waited 2 days before he decided to inform

her. So, she unwillingly decides to go to Charleston to her childhood home. Her old house was filled with Annabelle-styled dolls and hundreds of puppets made by her mother. She wanted to get rid of it all, so that she could go back to San Francisco to her daughter. But, her brother wouldn’t stop nagging her about the inheritance. Until they both found something weird about the house.

Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Rachel Zegler Anthea, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Meagan Good as Super Hero Dalia, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasques, Ross Butler as Super Hero Eugene, Gal Gadot as Wonder Women and more.

UpcomingMovies

By Zander Giles (7th)

One upcoming movie is Shazam! Fury of the Gods is PG-13 and an Action/Fantasy so if you like action and fantasy you should watch this 2h 11m movie which is coming out March 17, 2023, in theaters. Shazam stars Zachary Levi and Asher Angel as Shazam, Grace

Another movie that you and your family might want to watch is The Magician's Elephant. It is PG so you and your family and friends can watch it together on Netflix.Some of the cast are Pixie Davies as Adel, Noah Jupe as Peter, and Benedict Wong as the magician.

Entertainment

If you like Mario and Luigi you should watch this movie called The Super Mario Bros. Movie it is PG so you and your family can watch this Adventure and Comedy movie with Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Browser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.

December 15 with Timothee Chalamet as Wonka, Hugh Grant as Oompa Loompa, Freya Parker as Miss Bon Bon, and Paterson -Joseph as Arthur Slugworth and more cast members.

going to say those few.

If you liked the other Willy Wonka movies you will probably want to watch this movie called Wonka which is a Fantasy/Musical and will be released

Last but not least that I am going to say is the Haunted Mansion which is not rated yet and will be released on August 11 with a lot of cast members I will only say a few cast members are Jared Leto as Alistair Crump, Owen Wilson as Kent, Tiffany Haddish as Harriet, Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, LaKeith Stanfield as Ben Matthias and there is more but I am only

Thank you to all those people who read the newspaper and my piece. I and the newspaper team appreciate the support.

If you have any input,feedback or suggestions, please fill out this formhttps://forms.gle/trwLgke63HFUDmQf6 Do you

Addison Harold (7th) Mallix Way (8th)