Riverbend Times Trimester 1 2023-2024

Riverbend Times

Trimester 1 2023-2024

Volume 2, Issue 1

Join the club! R

By Gabe Curtis and Trace Dyer

Club days give students a break from academics

iverbend students work hard at school, but sometimes need a break from their work.

This is where clubs come into play.

Clubs are a great way to reward students for having good grades and behavior.

Riverbend came up with the idea of clubs as a way to allow students to have a break from schoolwork.

Every Friday during Tribe, students travel to their clubs. Some clubs have rules about who can attend.

They might only allow students to come without any D’s or F’s and no behavior referrals.

7th graders Leo Camacho and Michael Barnhouse play Sorry in the library during Board Game Club. Clubs meet on Fridays during Tribe time.

Photo courtesy of Riverbend Yearbook Club

Riverbend has always had clubs since it was established. Clubs give students freedom and build needed social skills for the future, while STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Tribe travel improves in second year

By Eli Boyer and Jacob Coffman

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iverbend’s Tribe travel time has had a lot of changes since last year. Tribe travel is now twice a week for 30 minutes, instead of last year when it was three times a week and only 15 minutes.

Tribe travel time is very different compared to last year. The travel time last year was Tuesday through Thursday for both grades and only a 15-minute travel time. This year the travel time for 8th grade is Monday and Wednesday. 7th graders travel on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The activity period is 30 minutes.

STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 3

From left: 8th graders Crissa Flood, Hailey Husereau, Megan Arflack, Alaina Weatherman, and Izzy Gaines socialize during Tribe travel time.

Students can choose to visit the “social space” to spend time with friends. Photo by Shelley Miles

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Riverbend Times Staff Trimester 1 2023-2024 Newspaper staff: Eli Boyer Ben Bruns Ethan Burns Jacob Coffman Gabe Curtis Trace Dyer Ethan Frederick Callie Jett Chris Klenke Aden Larrabee Ivan Alex Mojica Thomas O’Brien Will Price Lilyanna Robbins Colt Thompson Tyler Vaughn Addy Willingham Jaiden Woods

Photography staff: Christian Abellaneda Evan Brown Lincoln Erickson Leo Fiedler Jaden Gann Sydney McKinney Daniela Niculaiescu Jackson Sitton Ryker Sitton Kayla Swinford Newspaper staff advisor: Elise Moser Photography staff advisor: Shelley Miles Special thanks to Kathy Vogt

News

Clubs Continued from page 1 making school less stressful.

“As middle school kids, getting involved in something more than just English and science, that’s gonna be something that’s gonna allow you to make more friends,” assistant principal Ken Grodie said.

Some clubs are more popular than others. The most popular clubs are Beta Club, STUCO, American Sign Language Club, Board Games Club, Ambassadors Club, and Christmas Tree Club. This year Riverbend came up with some new clubs, including Card Club and Culture Club.

One of the most popular clubs is the American Sign Language Club. The ASL Club is taught by Michelle Feinter and sponsored by Lori Hinkebein. It helps students learn American Sign Language and how to communicate with it. ASL Club was founded when a student wanted to learn sign language to help communicate with the deaf cafeteria worker Amber Ray. The club also teaches students signs for different holidays.

Trimester 1 2023-2024 they would like to see at school, like photography club or athletics club. 8th grader Brian Kevwitch suggested a different variation of student council.

“Where the kids make a choice in the school, a difference,” he said.

“Not just what they do during spirit week, but actual choices, like rules.”

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A Club for Everyone Riverbend has a number of unique clubs. Here are some highlights: Smile Club: Students work together to do random acts of kindness around the school.

Christmas Tree Club: Riverbend students help run the Meramec Valley Christmas Tree Forest, a fundraiser for a variety of charity causes.

ASL Club: Students learn American Sign Language from Michele Fainter, Meramec “Ms. Fainter will teach them signs Valley Deaf and Hard of Hearing for the different holidays,” Hinkebein teacher. said. “She taught them how to sign trick-or-treat. They’ve learned some food signs so that they can sign to Amber.”

Culture Club: Students learn about international cultures, travel and opportunities for trips All these clubs and the way they abroad. work make Riverbend the way it is today. They provide the relief of a break from schoolwork and build life skills. Clubs are always going to improve and change over the years.

Riverbend has a good amount of clubs but students have some clubs

Card Club: Students trade collectible cards such as baseball cards and Pokemon cards.

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News

Tribe travel Continued from page 1

“There seem to be more likable Assistant Principal Ken Grodie is choices for the students,” she the organizer of travel time. said. Brown and Birkholz are both teachers who supervise activities The changes happened because during Tribe travel time.

Grodie and the rest of the teachers had a meeting at the end of the After the changes were made, travel school year about travel time and time was a lot more organized. decided to make some changes for the better. Grodie stated he liked “It seems much more orderly and the new changes better than the not as many kids unaccounted for,” system last year.

Brown said.

“I like the system we do now,” he Gavin Moore, an 8th-grade student, said. “We’ve gotten higher turn-outs says that Tribe travel time is better of students [participating].” this year than the last. He also stated that online games are his favorite Some teachers said last year’s Tribe travel activity because the place is travel was disorganized. chill and can be fun with his friends.

“It was chaotic,” P.E. teacher Scott Another 8th-grade student, Olivia Brown said. “Kids were where they Jennings, said although she herself weren’t supposed to be.” prefers not to travel, she thinks it’s a good opportunity for other students.

Carla Birkholz, Project Lead the Way teacher, said she likes the new n activity choices.

Students throw footballs in the gym during Riverbend Tribe travel time.

In order to travel to choice activities, students cannot have any Ds or Fs. Photo by Shelley Miles

Important Dates Trimester 2 Christmas Tree Forest

December 1-20 Osage Street across from Pacific Intermediate

Winter Break (No school) December 21-January 3

MLK Day (No school) January 15

President’s Day (No school) February 19

End of Trimester 2 Early release day February 23 8th grade students play volleyball in the gym during Tribe travel time.

Students are able to spend 30 minutes at their choice activity. Photo by Shelley Miles

No school February 26 Staff development

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Features

Trimester 1 2023-2024

The Cell Phone Generation Cell phone and social media use differ by age

From left: 8th-grade math teacher Sarah Schultz, a member of Gen X, prefers to talk on the phone, while 8th-grader Nyla McCorkel, Gen Z, and 8th-grade English Language Arts teacher Rachel Porter, a Millenial, like texting. Photo by Lincoln Erickson

By Lilyanna Robbins and Addy Willingham

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ifferent generations use their cell phones in different ways.

Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, didn’t grow up with technology. They had to learn how to use it as adults. Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, learned technology as teenagers. Current Riverbend students are a part of Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2010s. Gen Z grew up with this technology.

Generation X Since Gen X didn't grow up with technology, they had to learn to use it as adults. Some Members of Gen X still haven’t adopted social media, like 8th-grade math teacher Sarah Schultz. Schultz said she doesn’t use social media, although she may

be a little self-conscious about it.

Millennials

“Is that weird?” she said.

Millennials had technology partially in their lives. They had to learn to use it as teenagers.

Schultz is very insistent: if you don’t answer her text, she will call you. Schultz always checks her voicemails if she misses a call but if it's urgent, she would like people to leave a text.

Other people born in Gen X, like 8th-grade math teacher Shelley Miles, use Facebook to post and see what others are up to.

“I post updates on what is happening in my own life,” said Miles. “And then look to see what's happening in my friend's lives. On TikTok, I watch videos for recipes because I'm old.”

Members of the Millennials that we’ve talked to use their cell phones 4 to 5 hours a day, like 8th-grade English teacher Rachel Porter.

“I’m bad,” Porter said about her daily cell phone screen time.

Sarah Parmeley, an 8th-grade social studies teacher, doesn't mind if people leave her on read.

However, Parmeley takes it personally if her mom leaves her on read.

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Features “If it’s my mom, I’m mad because she’s on her phone all day,” Parmeley said.

Porter said she uses a variety of social media apps, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, Tiktok and YouTube.

Generation Z Gen Z has had technology and social media around them their whole lives. All of them have social media and post frequently on their accounts.

Lots of students here at Riverbend use Snapchat and TikTok as their main social media. What each student posts varies. It goes from lipsyncing to songs to different sports edits. Bella Johnson said that she posts a variety of videos on TikTok. “I post many different things on TikTok,” said Johnson. “I post embarrassing pictures of my friends and I make dancing videos with them. I also post my brothers because they are funny but they embarrass me sometimes.”

Many people at Riverbend have their read receipts on. Everyone has gotten left on read and these students also leave people on read frequently.

According to Riverbend student, Nyla McCorkel, she doesn't care if people leave her on read because she leaves people on read all the time.

“Oh, I absolutely leave people on read,” said McCorkel. “I just think that they are kind of annoying and I don’t feel like answering them.” n

Staff Spotlight: Russ Rowbottom, 8th grade science

By Will Price and Tyler Vaughn

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uss Rowbottom just can’t stay away from education. The Riverbend science teacher retired in 2019 but is still helping students after he got called back to become a teacher.

Rowbottom has a lot of teaching experience. He taught physical science and biology before becoming a principal. He was in education for 30 years before retiring in 2018.

Rowbottom has been asked to teach in Meramec Valley every year in his retirement.

“They would call and say what are you doing this summer?” he said.

He was rehired from 2018 to 2019 to teach science. He taught reading in the 2021-2022 school year, was a substitute in 2022-2023 and this year is a science teacher at Riverbend.

Rowbottom loves helping students try new things. He also loves teaching because he gets to support students.

“I love to help them out,” he said.

Teaching also keeps him busy in his retirement.

“This distraction means a lot to me,” he said. “I spend a lot of my life here.”

Kathy Vogt, a teacher who worked for Rowbottom at Pacific Intermediate, said she enjoyed working with him.

“I considered him a friend since I could turn to him when I needed help with school-related things or outside of school,” she said.

Rowbottom was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1964. He was the first in his family to go to college, which he said was difficult. His parents, an electrician and a secretary, couldn’t help him with the challenges of college because they had never attended.

He attended Southwest Baptist to get his first and second master's degrees. He also earned his superintendent license.

Education has changed a lot since he began teaching.

“When I first started, it was like here is your key to your room, good luck,” he said. “Now it's more collaborative.”

Rowbottom hopes when he finally retires for good that he can travel with his wife to hit all of the U.S. National Parks and also travel to every state. He also hopes to spend time with his kids and grandkids.

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Features

Trimester 1 2023-2024

New Teacher Spotlight: Sarah Parmeley, 8th grade history

By Callie Jett and Aden Larrabee

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arah Parmeley is an eighth grade history teacher here at Riverbend Middle School.

This is her first year of teaching, and she says that she is really enjoying it.

officer when she was older, just like her father.

Parmeley is getting along with the staff and students at Riverbend really well so far. She wants to make kids feel more welcome at Riverbend and wants to make our school more fun so students can enjoy it.

“She is doing great so far for her first year of teaching history,” Mulligan said.

“I chose to teach at Riverbend because I grew up in Franklin County in St. Clair and I got offered the job so I thought it would be nice to teach in the same county I grew up in,” Parmeley said.

She didn’t always want to be a teacher. When she was younger she wanted to become a police

Mark Mulligan, Parmeley’s eighth grade history partner, thinks Parmeley is starting off strong.

Parmeley was a dog groomer for seven years, which helped her get through college at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis.

She hopes to inspire students who don’t enjoy school.

“I want to help the kids who feel like school isn’t their thing,” she said. “When I was younger I didn't like school and I know how it feels.”

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Riverbend Man-on-the-Street

Who is your favorite teacher and why?

By Eli Boyer Photos by Christian Abellenada

Amelia Coleman 8th Grade “Mrs. Puls, because she lets my creative side let loose while other teachers would reprimand me for drawing on my paper.”

Brian Milton 7th Grade “Mrs. Franzen, I had her two years in a row.”

Kenneth Davis 8th Grade “Mrs. Puls, she lets us play games like Uno.”

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Features

Playing for Bragging Rights

It’s students versus teachers at sports assemblies

By Ben Bruns and Addy Willingham

P.E. teacher Hart Hillhouse competes for the staff team against the Riverbend girls’ basketball teams at an assembly on Oct. 13. Photo by Kathy Vogt

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t Riverbend on early share some laughs and have a dismissal days, different good time.” athletes suit up to compete in front of a huge Coach Melanie Missey, one of screaming crowd of students.

Riverbend’s P.E. teachers, said she But these athletes have not likes the assemblies because they played middle school sports give everyone a break. in years: they’re teachers here at Riverbend. The teacher “It gets everyone involved and vs. student assemblies are a that’s better than sitting in the student-favorite event around the bleachers,” she said. school.

According to Riverbend studentAt these assemblies, you may athlete Gavin Haddox, the see one of Riverbend’s coaches, assemblies are a chance to Hart Hillhouse, on the court with socialize with other teammates. a wig. Or you may see one of But his favorite part is competing our English teachers, Genetta against his teachers.

Tomnitz-Sucher, shoving another teacher down on the floor to get “My favorite part about the the ball. assemblies is beating the teachers and getting to make fun of them “I have played in some after we win,” said Haddox. “Also, assemblies and they’ve been they bring us all together and really fun,” said Hillhouse. “It's everyone has more fun.” good to interact with all the students and have a little fun go Riverbend cheerleader Olivia on as well as watching everyone Osborne says that her favorite part about the assemblies is watching people make funny mistakes.

“My favorite part about them is watching people trip and fall,” said Osborne. “Especially when they faceplant into the floor.”

Seventh-graders Frankie Bell and Trenten White love to watch these assemblies.

“I think they’re beautiful, wonderful and amazing,” said Bell. “And I just think they’re really fun.”

The Riverbend 7th Grade Girls Basketball team poses with their teacher competitors after a game on Oct. 13. Photo by Kathy Vogt

White agreed. “I also just like to get out of my classes,” he said.

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Sports

Trimester 1 2023-2024

Cross-country teams have an “amazing” season

By Chris Klenke and Colt Thompson

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iverbend Middle School's crosscountry team recently ended its season, and according to many of the team members, it was a good season. Lucas Godfrey achieved the fastest time on the 8th-grade boys’ team this year with his 3200m personal best time being 11:32, while Gunner Knott achieved the fastest 7th-grade time of 12:33 for 2 miles.

“I have one word for the season: AMAZING,” said Coach Angie O’Neil in an email. “These athletes are amazing individuals, runners, and students. I was blessed that they all joined our crosscountry family.”

Members of the Riverbend cross-country team, from left: Mason Knott, Gus Knott, Mason Vondera, Frankie Bell, Gunner Knott, Lucas Godfrey, Aidan Lawler, Dixie Mayfield, Isabella Riegler and Kaitlyn Bonds. Photo courtesy of Jen Lalwer

The cross-country practices were intense, with athletes running 2-4 miles at each practice and completing drills such as “off-on,” where runners alternate laps around the track at a sprinting pace and then jogging pace. For the majority of the team, their biggest competitors were St. James and Kirkwood.

Gunner Knott, one of the top runners for 7th grade, stated, “I thought the season was good. We got second in every meet, and 2nd in conference.”

Mason Vondera, a top 8th-grade runner, thought the season went pretty good.

“I medaled in all the meets, Lucas Godfrey medaled all the meets, and Gunner Knott medaled in all the meets, so overall we did well.”

Myla Miller, a 7th-grade runner, thought the season was a success.

“At least three people got a medal at each meet,” she said.

8th grader Mason Vondera crosses the finish line after a cross-country race this fall. Photo courtesy of Angie O’Neill

Altogether the team said they would like to work more during their free time and prepare for their future seasons coming up. n

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Sports

Girls’ basketball finds success in fall season

By Ben Bruns, Gus Knott and Jaiden Woods

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he Riverbend girls’ basketball season has just come to an end. 7th grade girls had an amazing season, especially for their first year at Riverbend. 8th grade girls improved by one win over last season.

The 7th grade girl’s team finished 16-1 for the season, winning several tournaments. The team worked hard in practice, especially on rebounding and shooting skills.

“The biggest thing they’ve got to learn is how to rebound,” Coach Cody Kelley said. To help those things he said “we did a lot of rebounding drills and shell defense.”

The hardest thing about the season according to 7th grader Myla Miller was “working together and trying to communicate.”

Miller said that they went 16-1 because they practiced a lot of passing. The team communicated using passing signals, which are signals they give to each other when they want or are passing the ball.

7th grader Lili Douglas said she is looking forward to next season and improving as a team.

“I am looking forward to communicating next season,” she said.

The 8th grade girls’ team finished 5-10, a one-win improvement from last season.

7th-grader Sophia Moore (22) jumps for the ball in a game against New Haven.

The 7th-grade girls’ basketball team went 16-1 this season. Photo by Kathy Vogt

8th grader Alizabeth Havice said one of the biggest challenges this season was working as a team. She felt like the team didn’t know how to work well together. .

8th grader Bree Bearden said the hardest thing of the season is “having to listen to Coach Kelley.”

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Football teams have mixed results in 2023 season

By Ethan Burns and Ivan Alex Mojica

cornerback because it is the hardest position to play,” he said. Sitton said the team improved from last season with better defense and more exploding offense. He is looking forward to playing in high school and winning against all teams.

8th-grader Gavin

8th grade football players huddle with their coach, George Doehm, during a game. The team went 4-1 Haddox, who played quarterback, said, ”I this season. Photo by Kathy Vogt

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his year's football teams had ups and downs this year. The 8th-grade football team went 4-1, while the 7th-grade football team went 1-4 this season. The 8thgrade football team improved from last year, winning one more game.

Coach Dustin Cowsert said there were a lot of skilled players on the team this year.

“Our linemen don't get much recognition even though their stats are great,” he said. “I can't put it on one person. It's more of a team game.”

Cowsert said that every Monday they watched a film of whichever team they were playing that week to learn their plays and beat them.

This season, the 8th-grade boys beat Festus, Saint James, Herman and Union.

8th-grader Jackson Sitton, who played defensive end, thinks that this season was one of the best seasons he and his team has played. ”The most important position was

think our team has played very very well.” In his opinion, the offensive line is the most important position because if he didn't have the o-line, he would not be able to run any plays.

“The team has gotten better from last season because they got bigger, stronger, faster and got better with our reads.” He is looking forward to beating St. Clair in high school and getting better as a team next season.

Riverbe

By Gabe Curtis and Tracy Dyer

Wrestling Wrestling has been a popular sport at Riverbend for a while and this season the team has high hopes. This year for wrestling the team is getting a new coach from Pacific Intermediate and they are hoping they can do better with two couches instead of one.

Some days the team practices before meets. A typical practice starts with stretches and then they jog for a warm-up, then they practice shots and learn a new technique. At the end of the practice they do a live performance and wrestle against each other.

When the coaches look for a wrestler they look for someone fit and mentally tough. With these two things, the coaches can train

7th-grader Ethen Swallows, who plays quarterback, said “I think we did pretty good because we did good against teams that are better than us.” He said that the most important position is o-line.

7th-grader, Tyson Marrs, who played defensive end, said, “I think that our team is really good on the defensive side.” He also thought that the lineman is the most important position to play because they help protect the quarterback.

Marrs said the team ran more complicated plays and more touchdowns. He hopes to improve himself and the team next season. n

7th grader Lainee Young is declared the winner of her match during a home meet on Nov. 30. Photo courtesy of Amanda Todahl

Trimester 1 2023-2024 Page 11

Winter Sports Preview

end wrestlers and boys’ basketball players gear up for the season

Boys’ Basketball

7th grader Owen Burda prepares to wrestle in a match at a home meet on Nov. 30. Photo by Kathy Vogt

someone who has never wrestled into a good wrestler.

“You have to be fit,” Wrestling coach Daniel Velten said. “You have to be mentally tough so we train those things. You have to be willing to keep going no matter what.

That's where the mental toughness comes in.”

For the meets, they try to group people up based on their characteristics. Wrestlers of similar weight and experience get put together. They try to give every player as many matches as they can. The wrestling team did well last season and want to win as many matches at meets as they can this season. n

8th grade boys basketball players celebrate a victory at the Union tournament on Nov. 30.

Pictured in back row, from left: Cohen Hoffmeyer, Declan Ogle, Beau Blackburn, Gavin Haddox, Luke Orris, Colton Burt, Colt Thompson Pictured in front row, from left: Jaiden Woods, Ben Bruns, Gavin Trower, Steven Reincke, Mason Vondera, Ryker Cozby Photo courtesy of Hart Hillhouse.

Last season Riverbend’s boy’s basketball teams were very successful and grew throughout the season. Hart Hillhouse, Riverbend P.E. teacher and Pacific High School varsity basketball coach, said he hopes the middle school teams will do even better this season.

“8th grade had their ups and downs and did a lot better as the season went along and got some wins towards the end,” Hillhouse said of last season. “7th grade won all their games but one. Hopefully this year they can continue their success.” He hopes that this season the players can continue to grow and work together.

Last year the 7th grade team won all but one of their games and the

coaches hope to turn that 1 into a 0 this season.

Practice usually lasts 2 hours and during that time they go over how to play the game, go over plays, run and do other fitness practices and practice shots. They also practice teamwork and practice passing so they can do better at games.

“So far in practice, they’ve been working really hard,” Hillhouse said.

“I think it’s going to show once the games start coming around.”

When the coaches look for players they look for people who are hard workers, able to learn from everything and people that can hold teammates accountable and not just themselves. n

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Entertainment

Trimester 1 2023-2024

“Annie” captivates its audience

Our reviewer says show was fun, wanted more stage time for dog

sounded like a genuine music group, not just a group of amateur student performers. The ensemble actors had to play many different roles throughout the show and did an excellent job remembering all their different lines.

By Ivan Alex Mojica

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acific High School performed “Annie” as their 2023 musical. Riverbend students attended a performance on Friday, Nov. 3. It was fun and all of the actors tried their hardest for the students.

My favorite part was when they brought a real dog on the stage.

The plot is good and the musical was never Even though most Annie (Maleah Gerdes, 11) leads the orphan ensemble in “It’s not interesting. There a Hard Knock Life” during the PHS producton of “Annie.” Photo people are familiar with was always a turn in courtesy of PHS Drama parents the musical “Annie,” it the story like when was the first time I had Hanigan’s brother and and visit the home of rich Mr. ever seen it. I expected a short play his girlfriend pretended to be the Warbucks. They form a bond and with minimal effort by the students. mother and father of Annie and Mr. Warbucks adopts her and buys I was surprised when the first tricked Hanigan. presents for her and the other song began. The three-hour-long orphans. musical showcased the hard work I was very shocked at how they of the cast of “Annie.” kept their composure because Maleah Gerdes starred as Annie.

I know if that was me up there I Her delivery of the funny lines, like “Annie” is about a young orphan would have laughed too quickly. threatening a knuckle sandwich, living in an orphanage with a mean They did really well with keeping in made the audience laugh. Her caretaker, Mrs. Hanigan. Annie character. Even when the audience performance of “Tomorrow,” the gets chosen to leave the orphanage laughed, they didn't laugh. musical’s most famous song, was amazing.

Olivia Crabtree’s performance as Molly, the youngest orphan, was great. She played the role well. She was a great comedic actress, especially when she made fun of Mrs. Hanigan behind her back.

Orphan Kate (Kennedy Stelmar, 10) dangles a mouse in Mrs. Hannigan’s (Ava Deusinger, 11) face during a scene in the PHS production of “Annie.”

Photo courtesy of PHS Drama parents

When the ensemble sang together, it

“Annie” made me laugh because the jokes were creative and funny.

Another thing that was funny was when President Roosevelt, played by retired PHS band director Matt Sokeland, came in and said Annie’s parents died a while ago and then her fake parents realized they were caught.

I enjoyed the musical very much.

The only thing they could improve on is having the dog on stage more.

The best scenes in the show were the ones with the dog. n

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Opinion

New “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie is ‘incredible,’ despite professional critics’ opinions a second FNaF movie will be released in the future. I hope this does happen because I think that the second game was better than the first one.

By Aden Larrabee

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ive Nights at Freddy’s” is a phenomenal new horror movie based on the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game series that’s been out for around 10 years. However, the movie came out on October 27, 2023. The movie is available on Peacock and was also released in theaters. Many people enjoyed it, including me, except for some movie critics.

The movie centers around Mike and his younger sister, Abby, who has trouble communicating with other kids. Mike is having consistent nightmares about the day his brother was kidnapped and is struggling to find a job after losing his job as a mall security officer. He decides to go to a job counselor where he is recommended to work as a security guard at an abandoned pizza place, called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. He accepts the job offer but that is a horrible decision because soon his nightmares will come true.

they put into the animatronics and how realistic they looked.

The movie was a good addition to the franchise because a big gap in the series has been filled.

I think that all of the video games are great, but the movie is better because it’s live-action. You can enjoy watching it on your couch instead of rushing to press every single button because a deadly animatronic is about to kill you.

Since the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie is based on the video game series, there's a big chance that

There are ways that the movie could have been better. The movie didn’t have a huge budget, so I think that the movie could have made so much more money than it currently has. The movie was great, but it could have been better because they could have added more characters and put more detail into the animatronics.

Another problem is that the movie did horribly with critics. One said, “Because the movie itself, as a film, fundamentally fails.” They also say that the movie is bland and that it doesn’t have enough jumpscares.

Overall, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie is an amazing movie and is loved by me and so many other people and was a big success. The movie is a great addition to the FNaF franchise. n

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” has made about $220 million at the box office.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” could also become the top horror movie for 2023, possibly beating “The Nun II,” which has currently made about $270 million.

Blumhouse is known for creating great horror movies, like “Sinister” and “M3gan.” But “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is one of their best movies. I think with a $20 million budget, they exceeded our expectations, like how much detail

Josh Hutcherson in “Five Nights at Freddy’s” Photo courtesy of Universal Studios

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Opinion

Trimester 1 2023-2024

Opinion: Diversity makes Riverbend a better place

By Thomas O’Brien

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he inclusion of minority groups in Riverbend helps to foster a healthy and diverse environment. Diverse groups are an essential component of any community, whether a workplace or a school.

From a strong Latin-American community to groups of Pacific Islanders, Riverbend has many small communities that are integral to its functioning. But many students also feel that they are mistreated or discriminated against.

The inclusion of minority groups helps people find like-minded groups. In the school lunchroom, you can see pockets of tables containing large friend groups.

Having these groups not only expands the academic potential but also ensures these students have a support group to feel safe in.

Teachers need to be aware of their students’ cultural differences as well. According to a 2016 study in the American Educational Research Journal, when people of color are introduced into classrooms in which the teacher is aware of cultural differences and actively works to support and accommodate them, they typically show higher academic outputs and attendance rates.

Studies have shown that students are less likely to gain racial prejudices when introduced to diverse groups. Schools with exchange students and diverse groups typically keep a lower rate of discriminatory behavior.

Riverbend has room to grow in this area. Many students of color at Riverbend have attested to experiencing some variety of mistreatment regarding race and most students have seen other

students being mistreated based on race.

Sadly, discrimination in younger generations is not treated as an urgent problem. Many students see it simply as dark humor to insult others in such a way. One of the emerging problems is the misconception that discriminatory jokes are okay. In many instances, these jokes can evolve into prejudices and mistreatment.

Several Riverbend students of color shared that they have been called slurs and insults in an attempt to be funny.

The many ethnic communities in Riverbend help to keep our school diverse and healthy.

Although we have many different and unique people, Racism and harmful interactions continue to run rampant. The students at Riverbend should take steps to limit and stop this behavior. n

Opinion: Wireless headphones should be allowed in all classes

By Ethan Frederick

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ireless headphones should be allowed in every classroom. The rule is that in certain classrooms, students aren't allowed to use wireless headphones. Teachers have this rule because students connect their wireless headphones to their cell phones, which are not allowed at Riverbend. Students use their cell phones to listen to music that might be blocked on the school Chromebook. Most students have wireless but not wired headphones.

It’s been proven that wireless headphones help students perform better in class. Students can listen

to any music they want. They can listen to it longer because it doesn't make their ears sore. The music the students choose and listen to makes them perform differently.

As an example, if someone listens to their favorite song then they will most likely perform better than a song they hate.

Wireless headphones can also help them focus better. Most wireless headphones have noise-cancelling technology. This helps cancel out background sounds so the students can focus and do work without distractions.

To deal with students connecting their headphones to their cell

phones, students can connect their headphones to their Chromebooks in front of their teacher. This way the teacher can trust that they are connected to their Chromebook.

It’s difficult for students to have both wired and wireless headphones. Wireless headphones can block distractions and help students focus. Students should be able to use wireless headphones at school. n

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Opinion

Staff Editorial: Tribe Travel has improved since last year, so it’s time to fix club days Riverbend Times staff editorials reflect the opinion of the staff as a whole.

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he current Tribe travel system has been much improved since the underwhelming system of last year. However, the club days still fail to deliver.

Among the many improvements given to our revamped Tribe travel, the most significant is the length.

Previously, Tribe travel was only given upwards of fifteen minutes.

However, with the new version of Travel, students are allowed the entirety of 30 minutes given by Tribe.

However, the inclusion of our traveling system also brings up a few gripes with some students.

If you’ve signed up for an activity this year, you would be aware that students are only allowed to travel if they have no Fs or Ds. Some students at Riverbend have the belief that it is too restrictive and only Fs shouldn’t be allowed. The students with this belief believe that since Ds are still passing, they have the right to travel.

Many students are still unhappy with the current club system. The current club travel is exactly like the Tribe travel of last year: it’s too short. This could be solved by allowing students to head directly to clubs rather than go to Tribe first, giving more club time.

Some students report a growing trend in dwindling club attendance.

Only about a third of all students

Beta Club members attend a meeting during club time on a Friday. Beta Club is an academic honor and community service club.

actively participate. One of the problems is that we have too few options. Due to the lack of options, students are searching for new clubs. Some club ideas include a woodworking or a hardware club.

Alongside the lack of options, many clubs are pointless. A common example of this is our online games club. Having an online games club is repetitive when they can be simply played in Tribe, saving the time of having to relocate.

Removing clubs like this can help to save space and open room for clubs with a higher public opinion.

Some also feel as though they are uninformed about clubs, especially new students. Many don’t know how to sign up for a club and even

less know where to meet. It is difficult to find the club teachers meaning new students don’t know who to ask.

If Riverbend was to set up a central page with information on clubs and how to access them, students would have more opportunities to participate in their activities. The current system using 8th & 7th grade central is hard to find and under-delivers.

Although this year still faces some of the recurring challenges from last year. Students still continue to see it as a major improvement from the chaos of our previously used system. With a few simple changes, the integrity of our system could be vastly improved. n