S PĆČĊ 7
Ursus
W PĆČĊ 8
Vol. 5 Issue 2/ Friday, March 8, 2019 / Bedford Middle School / Westport, Conn. 06880 / BedfordUrsus@gmail.com
Westport to Cut Teaching Positions Nikhil Kanthan and Henry Carson STAFF WRITERS
Students received a standing ovation at the talent show ϔinale.
BMS Talent On Display For Charity Nick Lolis
STAFF WRITER
The February BMS/CMS talent show had, indeed, a lot of talent—from singing to playing electric guitar and electric bass and piano to incredible dancing to solving a Rubix Cube in an amazingly short amount time. Run by the BMS PTA and by Maureen Asiel, the Bedford Talent Show was a huge hit, bringing in hundreds of dollars. The talents shown were truly amazing. There was one drummer, four electric guitar players, one very fast Rubix Cuber, three dancers, two piano players, three MCs, ive people behind the scenes, one yodeler, and six singers. Some acts had a group of people; some had a soloist. The inale was all of the people from all of the acts singing “On Top Of The World” by the band Imagine Dragons.
Left, Quincy Carson Sang “I’d Rather Be Me,” and Madelyn Spera, above, sang “Skyscraper.”
Next Year, All Under One Roof Finnegan Courtney STAFF WRITER
After several months of debate over multiple BOE plans, we are now able to say with certainty what the plan will be for the Westport Public Schools district next year. All Westport 6th, 7th and 8th graders will be under the same Bedford roof. No more until Fall 2020 will there be Bedford Middle School and Coleytown Middle School, no more Bedford and Coleytown students, there will just be all Bedford students. On Feb. 7, the Representative Town
On Feb. 7, a board of education meeting con irmed that four core teachers will be cut from Bedford and Coleytown combined. “The middle school population in Westport is experiencing a decline,” said Dr. Rosen, Principal of BMS. “If BMS becomes a seven and eight school, instead of having ten teams (Five grade 7 teams and ive grade 8 teams), we would run 4.5 teams per grade level for a total of nine teams at BMS. This represents a reduction of one teaching team, which explains the reduction of four core teachers.” With these four teachers making up a core, that will mean one LA, SS, science, and math teacher will be eliminated from the CMS or BMS staff. It has noth-
Meeting approved the Board Of Finance-supported plan for all grades in one school, effectively killing the K-6 plan, which was supported by Westport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer. According to a recent email sent on Feb. 7 to parents and teachers, Dr. Palmer said that she along with the Board Of Education brought the K-6 and 6-8 plans before the Board Of Finance. “Last evening (Feb. 6), the BOF (Board Of Finance) voted to fund $1M for portables at BMS.” This decision means that the Board Of Finance does not support the K-6 plan,
Grades 6th through 8th will be attending Bedford next year.
which as mentioned before the Superintendent and the Board of Education have supported. If it was approved, the proposed K-6 plan would have meant that grades kindergarten through 6th would remain at their own elementary schools. Seventh and eighth graders would have all been together at Bedford. Sixth grade teachers from both Bedford as well as Coleytown would have been reassigned to elementary schools if that proposed plan had been approved, but alas it was not. According to the Superintendent’s Twitter, the plan is for Coleytown Middle School to reopen in the fall of 2020 after rebuilding HVAC systems and ixing the damage. The reaction among students is mixed. 8th grader Matthew Fleming says “It’s ine, but it isn’t ideal and there are not many options.” 8th grader, Josh Gordon says he’s for building a whole new Coleytown. “They should just tear it down and rebuild it.”. The district inally has an of icial plan for combined middle schools, and “Ursus“ will try to bring its readers more details as the administration and teachers prepare for the new school year.
ing to do with what school they are from this year. “Yes, there is certainly a distinct possibility that both BMS and CMS teachers will be cut, since the teachers all belong to the same bargaining unit (union); the fact that teachers are assigned to BMS or CMS has no bearing on their individual seniority within their union. In most cases, the most recent teacher to be hired are high up on the reduction in force list,” said Dr Rosen. New teachers are farther away from tenure. Tenure is the inde inite appointment of a teacher who has been there for a while, usually ive years, which gives the teacher immunity to being removed unless their subject is taken out of the school, or they are no longer it to teach. However, no subjects are expected to be removed from the district, thus only the declining number of students
See Cutting Teachers, page 2
Inside News Opinions Features Games A&E Sports
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News Friday, March 8, 2019
Crowded Stairs Means Learning to Use Them Isabella Martenson and Camille Mergenthaler STAFF WRITERS
Traditionally, people walk up the stairs according to the sides of the roads we drive on the right side. Walking on the wrong side of the stairway is a growing problem at BMS. This year there are over roughly 1,200 students are at BMS and nearly double the staff in a school designed for a number closer to 800 students. One student walking on the wrong side can throw off course many people, slow traf ic and even lead to injury. So why is this a problem? After the arrival of 6th and 7th grade CMS students, the school has been much more crowded. P.E. Classes are subjected to being in hallways and the cafeteria, schedules have been changed and classes have changed rooms. Even if one person walks up the wrong side of the stairs, it still can be a problem because they could trip one person and start a domino effect. Stairs are a fact of life at Bedford and getting to encores requires lots of people following a guideline that many ind easy to forget in a rush to get to class. “I think that it’s dangerous” said Brian Kurtz, a science teacher in the 6th grade purple pod at BMS, “We drive cars and ride bikes on the right side, so we should walk on the right side.” Getting the school to use the stairs in
Students are urged to “Stay to the Right” to make the crowded stairways as safe as possible. an orderly fashion is important to the administration and teachers. After every BCTV show their motto is “Stay to the right,” meaning on the stairwells and the hallways, but do students really understand the growing problem of walking on the wrong side of the stairs? “There’s less people on the left side,”
said Hannah Salpeter, a 6th grader at BMS. Most student’s reactions are that either it’s easier because there are fewer people or that they just don’t care. Students just want to get to their next period as fast as possible, even if it means walking on the wrong side of the stairs.
“Well, I don’t think it’s mainly a problem because if everyone walks on the same side (left, right) it would not be a big deal. But it is annoying when you go up the stairs and there are people going down the same side. It creates traf ic and slows us down,” said Anna Ji, a 6th grader at BMS.
6th Grade ‘Fractured Fairy Tales’ Coming Soon Lucia Wang
STAFF WRITER
Sixth grade plays, like those at Bedford, have long been ixtures in the Westport theater program. However, it is uncertain whether this year’s “Fractured Fairy Tales” will be the last—at least for the next few years. “Fractured Fairy Tales” is a series of about nine different short plays condensed into one, all comical versions of real fairy tales. While it is simple, it is abundant in roles and characters. Mrs. Karen McCormick, the director, said, “I chose it because it offered kids the maximum amount of opportunities for having a larger part.” In the midst of Coleytown’s merge with Bedford, in which both are using the same stage and costume rooms for
their respective plays, its simplicity is extremely bene icial. Due to Coleytown Company’s production of 42nd Street, Bedford is unable to use the stage until the end of March. Since the play is in April, this means that there are only three full weeks to rehearse there. This resulted in an uncomplicated set for Bedford’s play, consisting of mainly blocks and other props. The music, as usual, is also limited. The sixth grade play typically isn’t a musical, and in this case, it will make the work easier behind the scenes. The costumes are simple, too, with solid colored and few-pieced out its. As previously mentioned, the costume room is being shared between both acting groups, so this should allow this department to run more smoothly.
The play, though, may be the last of its kind for awhile, or until the current situation is resolved. The Board of Education has seemingly decided to set up a sixth through eighth grade school at Bedford, combining the two middle schools. This could be problematic in regards to the sixth grade play’s continuation. Still, Mrs. McCormick explained, “Plans are up in the air about how we can make it work, but it appears that the administration are 100 percent behind us and trying to make sure we still have the play. They agree that it’s very important to us.” The sixth grade play is, essentially, the beginning of kids’ careers in the Westport theater program. As this runs throughout both middle school and
high school, it is valuable for them to gain the experience as early as possible. The competition with other clubs, also, increases with each grade level. Another reason to maintain the production is for the students’ love and passion for it. Sixth grader James Pretty, who plays Curdy in the “Goblins” skit and George in “Princess and the Pea,” said, “I really like acting and the play. There’s a huge plot twist in my scenes, and it’s really fun.” Kaela Cohen, who plays the princess Elaine in “Princess and the Pea,” agreed. “It’s a lot of fun to do. I joined because I like acting and make believe, and it’s super fun to do the fairy tales with all the different scenes and emotions. It’s all coming together with the different parts and its really well.” Hopefully, a functional system will be devised once a comprehensive plan is established by the Board of Education. Bedford Acting Group will perform “Fractured Fairy Tales” April 26 through April 28.
Cutting Teachers From page 1 is causing the reduction of teachers. Despite the reduction of some teachers, there is a possibility they could come back later on. When asked if cut teachers could make a return, Dr. Rosen said, “Yes, of course! We love and protect our talented teachers; if it comes to pass in all likelihood that a teacher is reduced due to no fault of their own, we would absolutely consider them for openings that may arise.” Rehearsals for “Fractured Tales” have 6th graders working with 8th grade assistants to perfect performances.
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Opinions Schools of the future? Think Small
Ursus lets you
Speak Out
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Friday, March 8 2019
Editorial
On Friday, March 1, parents attended a meeting with the Board of Education on the future of middle schools in Westport. They were asked to “envision worldclass middle schools of tomorrow,” with an emphasis on the “essential elements for us to focus on,” and speak about their opinions on the education plan for the coming years. The “Ursus” staff wants to include our own thoughts on the topic. We irmly believe in these elements that should be kept for students next year and beyond: close knit pods, smaller classes, and easier access to multiple activities. One aspect unique to Coleytown and Bedford are teams, or “pods,” which consist of four teachers for each core class and about 100 students. The purpose of them is to bring these students together to grow familiar with one another and with the teachers, fostering a comfortable learning environment. Students are able to form connections, and through pod activities, they can learn more about themselves and each other. Teachers, too, can get to know them better in order to improve their lessons to it the kids’ wants and needs. They have also been historically useful from an organizational standpoint. From picture days and seating arrangements during assemblies to schedule changes, which are frequently tailored to it the pods’ needs (for example, if they missed a class that week because of a movie), they are a strong advantage in a multitude of circumstances. However, the merge between the two middle schools has resulted in some teams losing their enclosed spaces, and the situation is presumed to worsen in the next few years—perhaps with the loss of them altogether, into a “junior high” style format or with larger student bodies grouped together. Both teachers and students have ex-
Ursus
These pod signs hang outside each Bedford pod area. pressed their thoughts to “Ursus,” and it seems that this idea will be counterproductive to the small learning environments Westport has had. At the end of the day, we agree that we should keep the pods for all future students. Another major part that could become complicated concerns after school activities; it is immensely important for the future system to include a rich extracurricular program. We can tell that next year’s “megaschool” will lead to fewer opportunities and greater competition for students, especially if there are the same numbers of plays and music ensembles as there are now. Even clubs that don’t require auditions, like Science
Olympiad, may become overcrowded. This signi icantly damages the warm middle school experience. Larger class sizes and grade levels would, ultimately, be a downside to our school system in Westport. As a bridge between elementary school and high school, our middle school should be enjoyable and comfortable before entering the seeming vastness of Staples. Stress is an enormous problem in schools, particularly for early-to-mid teenagers, and having a smaller school would help reduce it. Smaller pods, classes, and after-school activities would help retain a sense of warmth and connection at any middle school.
What’s the best thing about living in Westport?
Ursus Ursus is Bedford Middle School’s student newspaper. It prints 700 copies, ive times a year. All content and opinions come from the newspaper staff and do not re lect those of Bedford’s teachers or administrators. STAFF WRITERS James Blanco Henry Carson Kendra Cheng Leilani Fleming Mack Haymond Jack Hong Ryan Hong Alex Gaines Anna Ji Isabella Martenson Camille Mergenthaler Nikhil Kanthan Shivali Kanthan Nick Lolis Noah Oren Matthew Stashower Ko Seltzer Curtis Sullivan Ryan Tzou Kristin Villaluz Lucia Wang STAFF CARTOONIST Dereje Tarrant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Tommy Dry James Fiffer Preston Siroka STAFF AT LAYOUT Finnegan Courtney Leilani Fleming Ryan Hong Nikhil Kanthan Shivali Kanthan Matthew Stashower Lucia Wang Nick Lolis Kristin Villaluz EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lucia Wang STAFF ADVISERS Samantha Gettings Stephen Rexford CONTACT US bedfordursus@gmail.com
Ella Moore, 6th Grade
James Pretty, 6th Grade
“My favorite things about Westport is downtown, too, and if I’m downtown, I’m at Lester’s. The last thing I bought there was a gray shirt with holes in it. It’s lit.”
“Westport? It’s got to be the beach. It’s fun, and I like to play volleyball and newcomb. It’s a great place to be with friends.”
Maggie Wiele, 6th Grade
“I love downtown, and my favorite store is Ulta. It’s a makeup store and it’s so much fun to look around and see all the products like the James Charles palette. It’s my favorite. It has many different colors.”
Bedford Middle School 88 North Ave. Westport, CT 06880
Letters to the Editor-In-Chief The paper welcomes letters to the editor. Send letters via email to the address below or drop off letters in rm. 263. Please keep letters under 175 words. Your letter may be shortened and edited for space.
Sage Cohen, 6th Grade Quincy Carson, 8th Grade “I love Westport because all my friends are here, and I really love that I get to do the plays. They are great. You can be anyone you want to be, and hang with your friends, and make friends, too.”
“I. Love. Starbucks! They have amazing drinks. May I suggest the strawberry acai. It’s lemonade and iced tea, I think. It makes me happy.” Leilani Fleming and Shivali Kanthan STAFF WRITERS
Shane Sandrew, 6th Grade “What I like about Westport is that I live close to downtown. And when I’m there, I always go to Westport Pizzeria for my three slices.”
Crown Finalist, 2018 as awarded by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association
4 Ursus
Opinions Friday March 8, 2019
America, We Have a Problem Finnegan Courtney STAFF WRITER
We have a problem as a country. No, it isn’t overpopulation, it isn’t middle school mold issues, it isn’t lead in waters, it isn’t the New York Mets. It’s a problem with the President of the United States. Donald Trump is slowly, but surely ruining our country through no fault of the common folk but of himself. He has recently shut down the government for a historic amount of time and he has pushed for funding of a border wall that most agree would be irrelevant and easily traversed. He has ired numerous cabinet members and mostly appears like he is becoming mentally unhinged. His former lawyer in front of Congress recently called him “racist,” “sexist,” and says he was instructed by Trump to threaten people 500 times. He declared a national emergency; an action to get higher approval ratings which have never been over 50 percent.
President Trump has been acting like a petulant child for... well... his entire President. All this shows how much discord and tension there is currently in the country. Government workers went without
pay checks for three weeks; there have demonstrations, and protests by citizens, Democrats and Republicans are
completely divided on issues, and our President is doing next-to-nothing to ix it. We need a change, and we need one quickly. His State of the Union address, once rescinded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, occurred on Feb. 5 and was full of lies. When a CNN noti ication comes out about the State Of The Union that says “We’re fact-checking his claims,” you know that something is completely wrong. He is acting, in short, like a petulant child. He is holding his breath and having tantrums so that he can get his way. That’s not the way government should work, and it is sending a poor message to everyone. Thank goodness for the presidential election in 2020, when the country, hopefully, will not make the same mistake twice. I pray that all of those who voted for Trump in 2016 have learned enough not to vote for him again.
Student Gov. Needed Now More Than Ever Ryan Hong
STAFF WRITER
Many of you may have heard of student governments in books or movies. But have you ever considered it as an actual option? A student government, where students elect representatives to be involved in decisions, could potentially bene it students if utilized correctly. It is a great way to give students a voice in what happens at school and could help prepare students for the real world where they will be voting for the person to best represent their interests. Believe it or not, there are actually organizations dedicated to helping student governments. The American Student Government Association is “the national organization that trains and supports collegiate Student Governments.” While their main demographic is college students, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are too young to have one. A student government’s ability to give students a say in school-related decisions is important especially in times like these with the Coleytown/Bedford issue crippling the functionality of our school.
On life at BMS
It is more important than ever to give students a say in issues. After all, we are the ones being affected by these issues. Not only would giving students a say in issues mean that they could choose what is best for them, but they may provide valuable insight not otherwise gained on these topics. For example, a student government could elect a representative to speak about potential issues or a certain decision, such as a schedule changes, because students may know about the issue and how it affects student life. Many of those who have been upset by how the Board of Education has handled the extra Coleytown students and what to do with them, could have the opportunity to potentially in luence that decision with a student government. In addition, a student government could prepare students for real-life elections by giving them experience with the election of representatives who would best address the issues they are concerned about in the way they believe is right, and it might allow them to participate in a government rather than simply learning about one. In short, a student government could allow students to experience what par-
ticipating in a government is like irsthand, give them a greater interest in it and a better understanding of how a government has an affect on them. After all, youth voter turnout is rather low, at 50 percent in the 2016 election according to civicyouth.org. Voter turnout is an important part of democracy, in which
the main goal is to serve the majority. All in all, a student government could be bene icial to both students and teachers by letting students give their opinions and insights on how decisions made by the school might affect their school life, and give them experience with working with a government.
Dereje Tarrant
STAFF CARTOONIST
Features
Ursus
Friday, March 8, 2019
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BCTV: News by Students for Students Ko Seltzer and Preston Siroka STAFF WRITERS
Bedford and Coleytown’s live television channel, BCTV, launched on Nov. 14. BCTV airs during homeroom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each student in the show is put in a position that best suits their interests. The staff rotates positions every week. The staff media club is only seventh and eighth graders right now, but they’re hoping to include students in sixth grade from both BMS and CMS in the following months. BCTV staff say that the live aspect of presenting the show and putting all the “puzzle pieces” together to make a near-perfect show is fun. According to Mr. Rob Rogers, advisor for BCTV, the hardest aspect of BCTV is doing the show live. “When it’s live, you usually ind more problems, which are hard to correct during a stream,” said Rogers. For each airing, staff try to get a couple of students from each homeroom to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on air. They would like to do a live broadcast in the cafeteria and library, and in the following months, they plan to broadcast from outside the school. Their schedule looks a little like this: start with an update on school events or news (fundraisers, drives, raf les), followed by a recital of the Pledge Of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence. Some have asked, “How do you join?” Well, if you want to join, contact Mr. Rogers via email. Or you can head to room 115 after school from between 3:00 and 4:15.
BCTV Hosts Cooper Sadler and Curtis Sullivan in front of the green screen airing a new episode of BCTV.
Coming of Age with Meaning and One Big Celebration Alex Gaines and Matthew Stashower to the Torah reading and prayer reciting STAFF WRITERS
At the age of 12 or 13, Jewish children throughout the world celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah: a coming of age ceremony. They must read a passage from the Torah, the Jewish holy scripture, write a speech about the passage’s meaning, and complete many other tasks, only to be followed by a huge party with snacks, games, and dancing with your friends and family. Hundreds of years ago, 13 year old Jews were bar mitzvahed with no party nor friends. Children were bar mitzvahed and then immediately took all of the adult responsibilities. They stopped school, looked for a job, and even got married in their teens. In a single day, Jewish 13 year olds would become adults. Nowadays, after a bar or bat mitzvah, teens keep going to school, and wait a while until we take on more adult responsibilities. We interviewed Rabbi Michael Friedman, Rabbi of Temple Israel, a religious school and synagogue in Westport.,Conn. When asked what the process leading up
was, he talked about all the thought and work that goes in to the ceremony. “You start in kindergarten, but that’s just learning how to be a Jewish person, but the preparation for that one day starts six months before, and you have meetings with the rabbi and the cantor.” He also mentioned that the party aspect of the bar or bat mitzvah was not an issue for him. He said the path to adulthood should be celebrated. There are three types of Judaism: Reformed Jews, Conservative Jews, and Orthodox Jews. Unlike the other two, in most Orthodox temples, girls are not allowed to read from the Torah, and they might not even be able to get bat mitzvahed in general. During the bar or bat mitzvah service, students must irst lead the audience in a few prayers. They must then read a portion of the Torah, depending on the time of year the service is. For example, if you were to have your bar or bat mitzvah the week of Feb. 9 this year, you will read Exodus 25:1-27:19. It describes the mikdash, a sanctuary, being built. All 54 of the Torah portions are different and tell a different story. After the
student reads their Torah portion, they must deliver a “Dvar Torah” or a speech they work on with a rabbi about the Torah portion just read and its meaning. After this, the celebrant will receive a blessing from the rabbi and the cantor, a person who leads the chanting during prayer at a Jewish synagogue, and of icially become bar or bat mitzvahed.
Max Ardrey sketches his comic design.
The Joy of Drawing Comics Curtis Sullivan STAFF WRITER
“The path to adulthood should be celebrated,” Rabbi Michael Friedman.
While Hebrew school may seem stressful, its outcome is very exciting and rewarding. The prayers said at a bar and bat mitzvah will be used throughout life, and having friends and family there make bar or bat mitzvahs a proud and memorable experience.
Comic Club meets twice a week to allow students to transfer stories from their imaginations onto paper in artistic ways. People who discover their passion to draw and create come here, and when “Ursus” came, we saw the many creations that students made. When the club publishes its work in the annual comic book collection, you will be blown away by some of the unique designs and ideas. Comic Book Club students all share a similar story. They started drawing comics and grew interested in it over the years. Max Viner said that he was given the opportunity to draw in class one day. Realizing how much he enjoyed
it, he joined the club because he had some free time. Another great aspect of the club is that students can freely express themselves. “I love to express all my ideas!” said 8th grader Hugh Kennedy. He has been drawing comics since he was young, so he jumped at the opportunity to join. Aiden Goldenberg reported that he inds it fun to create comics and show them to people. Students love to tell stories in comics. Stefan Couloures tells us that he likes to tell stories of past life experiences through them. We were shown just how much comics mean to these people. So if you are looking for a fun pastime illed with art and imagination, talk to Mr. Mark DeRosa about how and when you can join.
Games
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Frdiay, March 8, 2019
Championship Word Search
On Feb. 3, America, the world and most of the students at BMS watched Patriots quarterback Tom Brady win yet another Super Bowl. It was said by many to be one of the most boring Super Bowls in history. But fear not, because this word search will be more entertaining than Adam Levine without a shirt. —Matthew Stashower
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New England Los Angeles Commercials Super Bowl Throw Catch First Down Turnover On Downs Tackle Red Zone
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The One (and Only) National Tartar Sauce Day Maze
Finnegan Courtney EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Who is that young dog lover? Can you igure out which BMS staff member this is? Use the picture and the answers to these questions below to help you guess the staff member. Upstairs or Downstairs? Upstairs Art or Music? Music Lunch Duty or Recess Duty? Recess Duty IPhone or Flip Phone? IPhone Purple or Red? Red Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert Running or Walking? Walking Jolly Rancher or Lollipop Jolly Rancher Coffee or Tea? Coffee Homework or Assessment? Homework
For answer, go to ursus.news
Field Goal Offense Defense Special Teams Quarterback Running Back Wide Receiver Tight End Interception Fumble
Rams Patriots Football Field Flag Referee Tom Brady Jared Goff Helmet Touchdown
Guess the Staff Member
Teacher
SRCMALBE Teachers jokingly kid that the middle school are little mixed up sometimes, but “Ursus” turned the tables and scrambled teacher names. See how many BMS teachers you can igure out by unscrambling the letters. —Ko Seltzer
Last issue writer Alexa Gaines explored the crazy and very random national whatever days that pop up from time to time. We needed a maze theme, so with a little research we discovered that March 8 is a day for celebrating a ish condiment that can’t be beat. So help the ish makes it’s way to the jar of tartar and enjoy.
Juoi Nrasasgl Ulap Leefhcrt Liteeahzb Stimh Yjeerm Oyerrst Dar Soamen
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—Maze made by Leilani Fleming
Alison Jasgur Paul Fletcher Elizabeth Smith Jeremy Royster Adam Rosen
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A&E
Movies
Ursus
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Friday, March 8, 2019
Spiderman Returns to his Comic Book Look Alex Gaines
STAFF WRITER
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was released Dec. 14, 2018 and has since made $338.1 million in the box of ice. It’s a movie with new animation that captures the style of old-time comics, a great storyline, and an ending with a meaningful lesson. In the movie, we follow a boy named Miles Morales, who has been in several Marvel comics since 2011, who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a spiderman. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk, oth-
This movie will kick in your SPIDEY- SENSES. erwise known as Kingpin, has created a particle accelerator to access parallel universes and dimensions. Miles, along with spidermen and women have to join together to ight a huge battle against Kingpin. Here at Bedford, we are a truly diverse community, just like the different types of spider-people. We all work together through clubs, class projects, and other activities and show Bedford and Coleytown students to be full of citizenship
“Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” won the Academy Award this year for “Best Animated Feature.” and kindness. The movie carries this kind of message and it’s one popular with kids. The movie is set to look exactly like a comic book, which both surprised and intrigued me. The thought bubbles, text,
Gaming
and lots of color all over the screen at various times really made it feel like reading a comic book. Stan Lee, creator of Marvel, has recently passed and this movie is one of his last cameos. He poses as a salesman selling
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Spider-man merchandise in a store. The “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’s” DVD is available March 19. It has done great in the box of ice and I thoroughly encourage middle schoolers to watch it.
Theater
Has ‘Fortnite’ Peaked? Hamilton Makes CT Debut in Hartford Shreyas Gorre and Jack Hong STAFF WRITERS
The popular video game “Fortnite” released in July 25 of 2017, quickly became an obsession with not only gaming but with players posting or streaming their rounds. Since then, it has grown in popularity, reaching 200 million players as of November 2018. We can only assume that number has grown. Or has it? Some aren’t as obsessed these days. Brett Lampert, a sixth grader at Bedford, said that it isn’t so special now. “‘Fortnite’ is not even fun if you are not good at it. Also, plenty of games already have the same content.” “Fortnite” has an estimated net worth of $15 billion dollars. Some of these earnings goes to Fortnite’s 700 employees at Epic Games. However, a study in July of 2018 made by SuperData suggests that “Fortnite’s” revenue from players is slowing down. The study provided that the game’s revenue growth in the months of April and May 2018 was at 32 percent, as compared to months of June and July 2018 2 percent revenue growth. “Fortnite” is a free-to-play game, where you pay for extras. As of June 2018, a study by lend.edu reported that over
68.8 percent of “Fortnite” players spend money on the game. Of these people, an average of about $84.67 was spent on ingame purchases from each person. The in luence of popular streamers and gamers seem to make gamers inclined to purchase cosmetic items like pickaxes, “back blings” or backpacks, character skins, and emotes. Here at Bedford, other players of “Fortnite” also have opinions on the game’s seemingly decreasing audience of players. Josh Gordon, an eighth grade student here at Bedford Middle School, says that “Fortnite” is “asking too much from its players, like money.” The addition of new content to Fortnite may improve its popularity to some extent, such as Limited Time Modes, (LTMs) and special promotional events. Other “Battle Royale” style games, such as “Apex Legends,” another free-to-play game, and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” seem to be slowly taking “Fortnite’s” place. “Fortnite” may prove that it has a lot of followers through players, YouTube, Twitch, IGN, or Reddit. It showed that playing with your friends and eliminating other players for free made it a great game, but all great things eventually come to an end. Or do they?
The characters and plot of ‘Fortnite’ have been a huge part of teen life.
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Noah Oren
STAFF WRITER
“Hamilton: an American Musical,“ which has smashed box of ice records all over the world, made its Connecticut debut at The Bushnell on Dec.11 and ran to Dec. 30. It was a huge success. Austin Scott did a tremendous job portraying the lead role of Alexander Hamilton, and the same goes for Josh Tower, who played Aaron Burr. I had a great time going with my sister and my dad to see this incredible production. The show tells the story of our irst secretary of the Treasury, and the rap component of the show is good, and it gives audiences a mix of songs, from ballads like “Dear Theodosia,” to upbeat songs like “My Shot.”
“Hamilton” came to the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Conn., on Dec. 11, and played there 19 days until Dec. 30.
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The cast of ‘Hamilton’ performing“Yorktown.”
Sports
Friday, March 8, 2019
Wrestling is about speed, strength and strategy. The coaches discuss all three before wrestlers begin practicing.
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Pinning Down a New Sport Kristin Villiluz STAFF WRITER
Middle school students typically play sports like football, baseball, and soccer. But what if they wanted to try something new and different? Wrestling is becoming a popular sport among kids looking for a new challenge. “Ursus� asked Bedford Middle School’s 6th grade student and football player Matteo Lombardo why he joined wrestling, and he will tell you that he had ce heard that wrestling was good practice he for football and wanted to try out the sport. esMany things motivate kids to try wrestling. One thing that motivated a lot of kids to ds try wrestling was their friends. Friends eel motivate us to do a lot. What does it feel like to wrestle your own friends? Al-
Tough workouts, warmups, some wins, and some pins, but in the end at least you get to share the learning experience with your friends.
though this is a very tough and physical sport, it is also a fun sport. There is a lot bond building in the sport too. There are many tough workouts, warm ups, some wins, and some pins, but in the end at least you get to share the learning experience with your friends. Many things are new about wrestling as of these past few years. This includes new Westport youth coaches and a new coaching staff for varsity and junior var-
sity wrestling at Staples High School. Coaches are a big part of any sport. First of all, they teach us everything we need to know about the sport, such as the rules and how to train and prepare for matches. Second of all, they mentor us. Teaching and mentoring seem like the same thing, but actually teaching a sport helps the athlete develop new skills and strategies.
Mentoring involves someone who guides you through something new and is there to provide advice when needed. Coaches are a big part of the process of learning and enjoying a new sport, as well as developing life skills. Without these coaches, the athletes would not learn so much about the sports and not gain as many life skills. If you are interested in tough physical training, building close bonds with teammates, and meeting some great coaches, wrestling may be the sport for you.
Charlie Iannone and another student wrestle under the watchful eye of P.A.L. P.A.L .L L. Wrestling Coach Pallo. P Pa llo. o