Ocober 2015 issue

Ursus

Pumping up the right way, page 12

B E D F O R D M I D D L E S C H O O L / WESTPORT, CT 06880 / BedfordUrsus@gmail.com

Vol. 2 Issue 1 Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

Connections Schedule Changes Kaela Dockray STAFF WRITER

New colorful mats that will keep BMS cleaner greet students at the start of the school year.

BMS Sees New Upgrades Juliette Prior

STAFF WRITER

Over the summer the Westport Board of Education bought Bedford new lat screen TVs, Blue and yellow doormats and a gym loor because they needed to update the old items.

Last year at this time, Bedford had an old, peeling red gym loor that was “beyond repair,” according to Dr. Rosen. The school also had worn-out gray doormats and old clunky TVs. The old gym loor was built with the technology that would be appropriate for the 70s and 80s, though the loor was constructed in 2001. The gym loor didn’t wear like it was supposed to, according to Dr. Rosen. Crundun, a local irm put in the new loor. Crundun changed the color of the loor and game

lines to “brighten the room,” according to Dr. Rosen. The process started the day after school ended in August. The gym loor cost $240,000, and it was paid for by the Board of Education. The loor will last approximately 40-50 years, and a preventative maintenance program will resurface the loor with new game lines every few years.

The old TVs in the school until last year were CRT televisions that used an analog signal, sucked up electrical energy and couldn’t do much at all. The new lat screens BMS got this year are LED powered and have a digital signal which is more ef icient and brighter.

Since these TVs use web service to send actions, BMS staff can update what’s on the screens from their smartphones.

Bedford ended up purchasing 11 new

lat-screens. The “Ursus” staff found out that 11 TVs in that particular model cost roughly $11,000.

Bedford used to have non-absorbent door mats at every entrance. These old mats didn’t do a good job soaking up the water kids and teachers tracked into the school in the morning. The PTA agreed to help supplement the Board of Education buying new mats. All of the new mats ended up being about $7,000.

The new mats are not only absorbing water, but they also have an “aesthetic appeal,” according to Dr. Rosen.

The new mats are much more durable.

The edge of the mats are beveled to the loor, which makes an easier entrance for handicapped people.

“It’s a very exciting way to start the year,” said Dr. Rosen.

Every Wednesday instead of having an extended homeroom, the 15 minute slot of time is now on a different day each week. The reasons, according to BMS administration, are many.

Although it may confuse students when planning out what mornings to study for what, the change in schedule makes it so time isn’t taken away from classes every week.

Mrs. Jacquelin Mellin, vice-principal of Bedford, said, “The connections schedule distributes the loss of time more equally across all days of the week.”

Instead of missing about ive minutes of every class students have before lunch on Wednesday, the new system rotates, so the loss of time does not add up signi icantly. This bene its those classes like health, engineering, or drama that students had only once a week. If that day was Wednesday, students were getting less time to learn in these classes.

This new system speci ically bene its those teachers who work at both Bedford and Coleytown Middle School. According to Mrs. Mellin, there are some teachers speci ically in the language department who work at both middle schools and the timing of homeroom needed to change to suit their schedules.

Now, students might be wondering, what is going to happen to vertical teaming? Mrs. Mellin says they plan on setting up a new system maybe after school for students of all grades to do activities based on common interests. Based on the feedback from the students, they didn’t like being placed in a room with a random group of older and younger kids. I think we can all agree it was a little intimidating and awkward.

Although, the change in schedule has many bene its for the teachers, there are many students who feel differently about the subject matter.

Jackie Zinn, a seventh grader at Bedford, states, “I am the type of person who likes to plan out everything in advance.

If I couldn’t inish my homework or if I needed to study more, it was nice to rely on those 15 minutes before class began.

Now that I don’t know when connections is, studying is a lot more time consuming.”

Those few minutes were necessary for many who needed the extra time to work.

See CONNECTIONS, page 2

Inside A new high-tech gym ϔloor for the physical education department and brighter, larger TV screens connected to the Internet were part of the changes that occurred over the summer.

News Opinions Features Centerspread Games A&E Sports

1–2 2–3 5–7 6–7 9 8-11 12

News

2 Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16 2015

Early Field Trips Allow Students to Bond Brett Levy

STAFF WRITER

Every late September to early October, all BMS grades take a ield trip lead by Mountain Workshop, an organization that promotes quality relationships, collaboration, problem solving techniques and respect for individual differences and values.

The ield trips’ purpose is to get kids to interact and problem solve with each other.

There is one Mountain Workshop trip per year for each grade. Sixth grade goes to the ields outside the gym, seventh grade goes to Compo Beach and eighth grade goes to North Salem, N.Y. to do a ropes course.

Each year the teams are shuf led so everyone gets to know each individual and make new friends. The trips also get the teachers involved in the activities. This happens so the kids and teachers form a good relationship.

Mountain Workshop is working on helping the kids make new friends. “’It’s important for us that the students across an entire grade level get to know each other,’” said Dr. Rosen. Mountain Workshop tries to help us become friends with new people by bringing out the best in them. They want kids to say “Whoa, I didn’t know he could do that!”

They want to bring people together to make lasting friendships by showing him or her the awesome things that other kids could achieve.

Dr. Rosen says that when he attended the eighth grade trip last year, he did all of the ropes courses and made new friends with students. Rosen also said based on his opinion, “‘Students have positive and meaningful relationships with the adults in the building, and kids see teachers as approachable.’”

Kit Meszaros, Gabe Sargent, Yasmeen Quireshi, Oliver Van Spaendonck, Carolyn Cassell make catapults out of PVC pipes, bungee cords, and other materials with a Mountain Workshop assistant. The activity allows students to learn to work together to accomplish a goal.

The trips want to give kids a chance to get to know each other and develop friendships.

Working together Sky Beck descends from the sky after completing a walk across the catwalk 30 feet high.

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Left, the 6th graders work on a project during their team building event held at BMS. Above, rafters get ready for their 7th grade trip at Compo Beach.

Opinions

Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

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Ursus Ursus is Bedford Middle School’s student newspaper. It prints 800 copies, ive times a year. All content and opinions come from the newspaper staff and do not re lect those of the teachers or administrators of the school.

Benches Would Help Access to BMS

Living with a physical handicap is tough.

Stairs are dif icult, sometimes walking from point A to B takes planning and help certain activities are beyond participation. Society needs to do all it can to help.

This brings up the handicap parking at BMS. There are two areas of handicap parking areas at the school. One is where the buses arrive and depart and one is at the end of the sidewalk along the loop where the parents drop off and pick up their kids. This last area is a problem. Because it stops those with a disability from

having to cross what becomes a busy dangerous road in the morning and afternoon, it is far away from the school, 210 feet away.

In the Handicapped Parking

EDITORIAL Laws for the State of Connecticut, it says “State law uses the federal criteria for de ining limitation in ability to walk (23 CFR 1235 .2). Under these criteria, someone is limited in his or her ability to walk if a physician determines that he or she

cannot walk 200 feet without resting.”

We have ramps and we have handicap elevators. We do an admirable job of providing access in the building. However, we need a bench in between the handicap spots and the school front doors for users of those spots to rest.

The bench is needed because the people who have handicapped permits need a resting place every 200 feet.

It is important for the schools to set the tone of pro handicap facilities and help parents and grandparents who need help getting to our front doors.

STAFF Roxy Augeri Ella Berg Ella Bloomingdale Lillie Bukzin Kaela Dockray Violet Feldman Sebastian Fiffer Siri Kanter Brett Levy Juliette Prior Evi Tarshis Jake Trock ADVISER Stephen Rexford Letters to the Editor The paper welcomes letters to the editor. Send letters via email to the address below or drop off letters in rm. 113. Please keep letters under 175 words. Your letter may be shortened and edited for space.

CONTACT US BedfordUrsus@gmail.com Bedford Middle School 88 North Ave. Westport, CT 06880 203.341.1586 Gold Medalist, 2014 as awarded by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Ursus lets you

Speak Out This year Bedford has decided to take away the Blue and Gold games, ‘Ursus’ asked students how they felt about the changes.

Photos and quotations compiled by Violet Feldman and Ella Bloomingdale

Emma Van Riper, 8th

“What do you think about losing Blue and Gold games?”

Tamari Rivera, 7th

“I think that it’s bad because it was a good time to come together as a school and participate in a variety of different sports and activities.”

Holden Cohen, 8th

Kylie Grace Cohen, 8th

Clare Henley, 7th

Elana Atlas, 7th

“I don’t miss the Blue and Gold games because they weren’t that necessary because they wasted time when we could be doing school work and stuff like that.

But I will miss hugging the bears.”

“I didn’t really like the Blue and Gold games because for nonathletic kids like me, the games are unappealing. I’d rather be doing things, other things like studying.”

“I just think that it’s weird that they suddenly changed it, it’s now red, purple and green, and I don’t know why they did that but I just don’t think it’s gonna be fun with three different teams.”

“Well they were really fun I guess, I thought they were fun I don’t know why they took them away.”

“I think they should’ve kept the blue and gold games because people thought it was fun. I also don’t like how they changed the colors to red, green and purple.”

Opinions 4 Ursus Negotiating Middle School is an Uphill Battle Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

Evi Tarshis

STAFF WRITER

For teachers, being a middle schooler is probably ancient history.

But for the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Bedford Middle School, being a middle schooler is completely relevant.

Some things teachers should know about middle school students are that being a tweener or teenager today is a lot different than being a middle schooler back in the day.

For example social media. We have to deal with smart phones, Instagram, Snapchat, and texting. These apps are making us not just what we are known for, they are taking over our lives.

This is the life of some of the middle schoolers at BMS. When we get in trouble for having our phones with us, teachers, you have to understand how some people have to have their phones with

We have very busy schedules them every minute of everyday. We have an emotional attachment to them.

I, for example, am typing this column on my phone. My phone is my friend; it’s how I connect to everyone I know in the world.

Having it in our pockets doesn’t mean we’re going to go on them. Phones also have many useful school tools, like a calculator, notes and others features. And

we can just pop them out of our pockets and only use them when necessary.

Another thing teachers should know about middle schoolers is most of us have VERY busy schedules. We dance, act, play sports, sing, babysit and do a number of other things. So when you give us a whole essay to write in a night and it’s not perfect, there’s a small chance we were just being lazy, but most of the time we have after school activities or a lot of work in all the other classes and just not enough time to inish it.

We know that if we don’t do our homework it’s our fault and we should do it, but teachers need to take in consideration that we have other things to do and managing our schedules with school work and other things can be very hard at times.

Related to this is the last thing teachers should know about middle schoolers: giving homework over the weekends or assigning big projects due Monday doesn’t always mean we have the whole weekend to work on them.

The weekend is a break from school when we get to hang out with friends and family, and in the middle school years, going to bat or bar mitzvahs.

You think it’s nice giving us the whole weekend to work on it, but it’s really not the whole weekend, mostly just Sunday night at 9 when we should be sleeping but instead we have to inish a project.

And then on Monday morning when you tell us to wake up when we are sleeping on our desks, that’s why. So it would be strongly appreciated if you wouldn’t give us too much work to do over the weekend because the two days we have is more like two hours.

When a Seasonal Trend Goes a Little Too Far Roxy Augeri

STAFF WRITER

When asked to think about fall, the average middle schooler thinks of a few different things: leaves, the cooler weather, Halloween, and pumpkins.

Speci ically, pumpkin spice.

Why pumpkin spice? Whenever the date hits Oct. 1, every store you walk into loods you with an overwhelming number of pumpkin spice products.

To see how crazy this obsession is, I went to the Trader Joe’s website. I found that there are an astounding 48 products with pumpkin spice featured in them, and then later when physically walking into the store with my mom, I could barely see any products that didn’t have pumpkin in them.

In my opinion, one thing and one thing only started this craze: Starbucks.

The infamous pumpkin spice latte is the most popular drink from October through December. Cliff Burrows, the President of Starbucks, said in a recent interview that more than 200 million pumpkin spice lattes were sold around the globe last year alone. Last year, the latte didn’t even have pumpkin in it.

People are also forming their own “secret society” around this drink, called the Orange Sleeve Society. Feverish fans receive an orange knit sleeve in the mail that says Team PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) on it, and wear it around their drink instead of the normal brown paper sleeve.

I decided that, yes, maybe this is a big thing that tastes good, but does it actu-

I’M DROWNING IN PUMKIN SPICE ! ally? I asked around Bedford and Coleytown Middle Schools to get people’s opinions on their favorite and least favorite pumpkin spice items.

“The pumpkin spice latte is disgusting,” says Olivia Gordy, Aydan Moskowitz, and Grace Cooper 8th graders at Bedford and Coleytown.

“I love pumpkin bread,” say Caroline Vandis and Hailey Nusbaum.

“The pumpkin spice Oreos make me want to barf,” says Maisie Dembski.

This is not convincing me that this

pumpkin spice obsession even makes sense. I then decided to put Google to good use. First, I looked up what even is pumpkin spice. Google states that it consists of these products: 1) ground cinnamon, 2) ground nutmeg, 3) ground ginger, 4) ground allspice. That’s it. It feels like it’s missing something. Oh right. It’s missing PUMPKIN. Why does pumpkin spice not even have pumpkin in it?

One thing that is a big problem about pumpkin spice is the fact that it has become so commercialized in the last few

years. People worship this ghost product. It is very likely that these fans have never even tasted actual pumpkin before. Companies publicize the warmth and general foolishness of their products, but usually it is just a hoax.

The question is, why would someone create a fanbase around a useless product? The answer for most companies; money. People are drawn in by the idea of warmth, fall, and most of all, the trendy idea of it. Customers lock around it and fantasize over it. Then they buy the product. And it stinks.

They end up disappointed with a gross tasting product and a bunch of money out the door. Yet, they keep coming back because it makes them seem cool.

And that is the of icial downfall for all the consumers of the mystery that is pumpkin spice.

Another Google search seemed in order, so I decided to search pumpkin spice with a random letter of the alphabet and see what came up. For example; pumpkin spice “A” resulted in: pumpkin spice at Starbucks, pumpkin spice at Dunkin Doughnuts, pumpkin spice ale, and pumpkin spice almonds.

That was interesting so I did another; pumpkin spice “Y” said pumpkin spice yogurt, pumpkin spice yogurt pretzels, pumpkin spice yankee candle, pumpkin spice year round, and pumpkin spice Youtube.

I think that this is one of the most ridiculous obsessions yet. It doesn’t taste good, and it is a waste of money. Pumpkin spice fans beware.

Features

Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

A volunteer douses a young runner on the course with blue dye made of biodegradable cornstarch.

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A haze of powder made many squint during the run.

Colorflash Raises Money for Cancer Research Juliette Prior

STAFF WRITER

At Sherwood Island State Park on Sept.

27, a 5K Fun Run called the Color lash, organized by Phoebe’s Friends, was held to help support cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The Color lash is a 5K that has runners jogging close to three miles around Sherwood Island, Westport, Conn. At sections of the course, stations are set up to throw colored powder at passing runners. The powder consists of corn starch and food coloring. Runners must pay a fee of $30 to take part in the Fun Run. They also get a white T-shirt to run in, sunglasses to wear, and tutus to put on.

After people have completed the run,

Curing Cancer One color At a time

they gathered near a DJ booth where they were handed color packets of dyed powder. During some of the songs, the DJ counted down from three to one, and all at once, the runners threw loose colored-powder into the air, dousing each other with different pigments.

Although inal dollar igures were not available at press time, last year the event raised $60,000. This year’s event was even higher and the inal amount raisedshould be greater than last year.

All funds are to be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where it will used to ind treatments for individual leukemia patients.

There were many colorful selϔies taken and shared on social media during the event. The glasses helped keep the powder out of the eyes and the fun in th event.

People danced and sang as a rainbow of colors ϔilled the air near the DJ booth. Maisie Prince on the shoulders of a runner celebrates ϔinishing.

The Spread

6 Ursus

Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

New Staff Selfies Meet the new staff members of Bedford Middle School for the 2015-2016 school year.

Ella Berg

STAFF WRITER

Christie Cardinale

Favorite things to do?

Following the Yankees, playing with my English bulldog, reading, and gymnastics.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Providing my students with the necessary tools to be positive and productive members of society, and in luencing them to lead happy and healthy lives.

Marianne Honeycutt

Favorite things to do?

Making art, especially painting and photography.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Coming to school everyday knowing that I get to improve students’ lives.

Looking forward to his year?

Meeting new people and gaining more knowledge

Emily Hoyt

Favorite things to do?

Going to country concerts and baking.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Helping kids grow.

Looking forward to his year?

Getting to know the Bedford community.

Mark DeRosa

Favorite things to do?

Making art, mostly with industrial materials.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Providing a source of inspiration for students.

Looking forward to his year?

Developing students’ art skills and producing work for the art show.

Pam Mancusi

Favorite things to do?

I enjoy running and yoga.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Being a speech pathologist is extremely rewarding because I get to follow students through the grades.

It’s exciting to see the progress that students make over the years.

Looking forward to his year?

I look forward to being part of the BMS culture.

Diana DiMarino

Favorite things to do?

Read, paint, spend time with family What does being a teacher mean to you?

Coaching children, getting to share my native language with the students, and being a part of their learning process.

Looking forward to his year?

Engaging children in Hispanic culture and the Spanish language.

Kathryn Nicholas

Favorite things to do?

Running What does being a teacher mean to you?

Helping students to reach their full potential every day and seeing students succeed beyond their expectations and become inspired by the activities in the classroom.

Looking forward to his year?

Getting to know the staff and students and becoming part of the Bedford community.

Lauren Glasheen

Favorite things to do?

Traveling to new places.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Helping students believe in themselves both inside and outside the classroom.

Looking forward to his year?

Having a smartboard and the upcoming spirit competitions.

Susan Marnel

Favorite things to do?

Singing and spending time with my children What does being a teacher mean to you?

Helping students become musicians Looking forward to his year?

School concerts

Jodi Grose

Favorite things to do?

Spending time with my kids and canoing.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

To have the chance to connect with students and develop life habits.

Looking forward to his year?

Creating an awesome year.

Rob Rogers / Technology

Teacher Favorite things to do?

Playing video games on the computer.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

Working with students and helping them have that “aha” moment.

Looking forward to his year?

Becoming established at Bedford and making it home.

Lorien Hallama

Favorite things to do?

Writing spooky stories, reading, and going on walks with my baby daughter, my husband, and my two crazy dogs.

What does being a teacher mean to you? Getting to share my love of books and the written word with creative young minds every day. Hopefully my class will inspire my students to love and appreciate literature as much as I do.

Looking forward to his year?

Reading some of my students’ own creative writing, and to share out some of these stories in class.

Amanda Saperstein

Favorite things to do?

Go to the theater, do Zumba, and garden.

What does being a teacher mean to you?

The opportunity to share the joy of music with students and our community.

Looking forward to his year?

Getting to know the Bedford School community and sharing my students’ music-making with everyone.

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A&E

8 Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

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Fashion beauty that is truly skin deep Violet Feldman STAFF WRITER

A dark brown design wraps around the arm of an 8th grade girl. The design is a swirl of little shapes and lines that cover her skin from the back of her palm to the end of her forearm.

What she has on her arm is called a henna. It is a cool trend that lots of girls like drawing on themselves or have drawn on them.

Nina Udell shares her opinion about what she thinks of these temporary tattoos.

“I think that henna tattoos are really cool, and I hope that I can get one. And I hope that more people start learning how to do them in Westport,” she said.

Nina is only one out of the many people that have this same thought on hennas.

Abby Straight and Karolyn Hood were also interviewed about their experience with henna.

The girls had bought henna kits together in the summer because ¨They’re pretty,¨ said Abby. When a question was asked about if they would get permanent tattoos when then were older, they immediately said no.

Abby and Karolyn say that they learned by looking at pictures of hennas from what others people had made. ¨My parents like it as long as it’s not too big,¨ Karolyn explains. Hennas are a great and fun trend because you are able to express yourself while looking good.

This henna kit is for sale at Urban Outϔitters for $24.

Henna’s History

The art of Henna has been practiced for over 5,000 years in Pakistan, India, Africa, and the Middle East. It was a popular form of temporary body decoration in the 1990’s.

Henna is a plant that comes from the Lawsonia genus or the dye made from the henna plant that is used for temporary tatooing. The henna plant contains a reddish-orange dye that binds with a protein in your skin that safely stains your skin.

By Lillie Bukzin

Photo of Westport middle schoolers with henna tatoos.

‘Oliver!’ Comes to the BMS Stage Roxy Augeri

his life it would be Matilda.

“I watch scenes from the movie, read the book, and learn as much as I can about the play and my character,” says Aisling Kelly of the eighth grade, who is playing Oliver in the fall musical. “I try and practice 30 minutes a day to make sure I know what I have to say.” She is

STAFF WRITER

Whether you’re “There as Long as He Needs You” or you “Pick a Pocket or Two,” everyone is going to love the upcoming 7th and 8th grade fall musical on Dec. 4, 5 and 6, “Oliver!”

Mrs. Karen McCormick is the Bedford drama teacher, director, and one of the many fans of the upcoming play “Oliver!”

“Unlike a lot of plays that we do at Bedford, “Oliver” has real character with serious issues, like abuse, neglect, and violence between Bill and Nancy,” said Mrs. McCormick when asked about the challenging aspects of this musical.

“Oliver” is based on the 19th century novel, “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. A musical version of the novel premiered in 1960 and was made into a musical movie in 1968.

“Oliver” is about an orphan boy who works in a funeral home, where he is miserable. He ends up joining a pickpocket clan, and gets taken in by the main characters, the Artful Dodger, Fagin, Bill Sikes, and Nancy. He is constantly going between living with his long lost grandfather who is rich or staying with this clan of pick pockets.

One of the most challenging parts as a director is getting actors into character, especially the evil ones. “I picked the roles very carefully, because some people just match the role,” said Mrs. McCormick. The main leads like Bill Sikes and Fagin have been very carefully selected,

‘Oliver!’

Dec. 4,5,6

P

B R

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Mrs. Karen McCormick, Ian Kramer, and Aisiling Kelly work out the blovking for the ϔinal scene. Kramer is playing Bill Sikes and Kelly is playing Oliver. and Mrs. McCormick is happy with the results.

There are 70 students from 7th and 8th grade in the cast that are working very hard to make this musical great. Some numbers you should get excited for are “Consider Yourself” and “Food Glorious Food,” which are iconic scenes from the show.

Directors are a key piece in making or breaking a musical, but you can’t have a musical without the actors. “The hardest

part in my opinion would be juggling school, sports, rehearsal, and studying,” said Macey Lavoie of the eighth grade.

Macey is Nancy in the play, and is very excited to perform all of her hard work in front of an audience.

“I practice my lines over and over, and imagine that I am Oliver,” said Gabe Sergeant of the eighth grade. Gabe is playing Oliver, and he is very excited about his number “Be Back Soon.” If he could star in one Broadway play for the rest of

very excited about everything about performing in a big show, from the costumes to acting in front of an audience.

“Singing in a lower voice is the hardest part for me,” explains Krish Shah-Nathwani, an eighth grader playing Fagin. His favorite musical number is “Pick a Pocket or Two,” and he is excited about bows in the inal performances.

“Getting into character is de initely the hardest part so far,” said Katelyn Wenkoff, the eighth grader who is playing Nancy in the eighth grade. To get into her character, she watches famous actors and actresses on Broadway who have already mastered her part. She looks forward to everything about the performances.

“Come join us and enjoy as the Bedford Acting Group display their hard work in Oliver! the musical,” urged Mrs. McCormick.

Games

Ursus

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

WORD SEARCH

Ben Carson Bernie Sanders Carly Fiorina Chris Christie Donald Trump George Pataki Hillary Clinton

Jacob Trock

STAFF WRITER

Jeb Bush Jim Gilmore Jim Webb Joe Biden John Kasich Lawrence Lessig Lincoln Chafee

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Can you guess this BMS staff member?

Lindsey Graham Marco Rubio Mike Huckabee Rand Paul Rick Santorum Scott Walker Ted Cruz

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Info and picture gathered by Siri Kanter

When asked a series of 10 “Coke or Pepsi” questions, this teacher answered them honestly. Using the answers, try to igure out the person’s identity.

Tea or Coffee? De initely coffee.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate.

Pancakes or Wafϐles? Pancakes.

TV Shows or Movies? TV Shows, especially home improvement ones like HGTV. Ketchup or Mustard? Mustard.

Hamburgers or Hotdogs? Cheeseburgers.

Cake or Pie? Pie. Dog or Cat? Dog. Spring or Fall? Fall.

Fiction or Nonϐiction? Non iction.

Halloween Maze

10 Ursus

A&E

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

A&E

Ursus

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Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

‘Everest’: It Has its High Points Jacob Trock

STAFF WRITER

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to climb to the summit of Everest, this movie will take you to the top and back without the physical impediments. This story follows a group of people who are doomed by their passion to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. But personally, the part of this dark tale that I ind most scary is the fact that this is a true story.

The movie “Everest” opens with a breathtaking sight of a group of climbers ascending a narrow snow-covered ridge on Mt. Everest. The clear, blue sky and orderly line of the group gives you a sense of optimism.

The movie Everest is based on the best-selling book by Jon Krakauer, “Into Thin Air.” Krakauer traveled with the group in 1996 in order to write a travel story for “Outdoor Magazine”. The group was led by Rob Hall who ran the mountaineering adventure group with his fellow guide. The group that arrives in Nepal for orientation is Beck Weathers, who is a pathologist from Texas; Doug Hansen, a Seattle mailman, and Yasuko Namba, a Japanese woman who has already climbed six of the major mountain peaks in the world.

The group prepares for 40 days at the three levels of camps on the mountain in order to acclimate their bodies to the lack of oxygen and extreme conditions that exist at such high altitudes. This is where jets routinely ly. This is called the “Death Zone.”

Jon Krakauer asks the question, “Why do you need to climb Everest?” The best answer is from the mailman, Doug, who said he was doing this to inspire schoolchildren that anything is possible. Beck Weathers said it gave meaning to his life. And inally, the Japanese woman,

Maddie,Tae Country Pop Lillie Bukzin

STAFF WRITER

‘Everest’ is based on the book ‘Into Thin Air’ by John Krakauer.

Yasuko, said she had already climbed the other six tallest mountains on Earth and that this was the inal challenge for her.

The group seems ready for the task, but the irst wake-up call is when Beck Weathers is walking on a ladder across a deep crevasse. A large piece of ice breaks off, sending snow down the mountain and knocking him over so that he is dangling from his safety ropes. Rob helps him get over the ladder and the group continues on. This is the irst sign of the extreme and terrifying danger that lies ahead for the group of climbers.

This foreshadowing of events to come is an example of the main character’s greatest trait and his greatest weakness.

Rob Hall, the group leader, is so determined in his mission to help each client realize his dream and to get them up and

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down the mountain in one piece, that he tries to personally help each and every one of them. This is his undoing.

The cinematography is great, and so is the acting. The production is very believable. But towards the end of the movie the actors voices are hard to hear due to howling winds. At times the movie can be extremely slow. The director could have at least put in subtitles or made their voices louder than the wind.

So, overall I rate this movie a six out of a possible 10. If hiking and mountain climbing is more your speed, I would recommend it. But if you’re looking for looking for a fun action adventure movie, then this tragic, human story is not for you. Otherwise, I would save this for your Net lix list, plop down on your couch and watch it on a snowy winter day so you won’t feel so bad about being trapped in your warm house.

Country music? Not your type of thing, right? What if it were pop with a hint of Texas in it?

Welcome to Maddie and Tae, two girls who make an amazing duo.

Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye started together by writing the song, “Girl In A Country Song,” and when it turned out to be a hit, they kept on writing and singing.

They write songs for the purpose of telling their own stories in ways that other people can relate to. That gives people a voice, through their music. “We wanted to write the songs from a girl’s perspective,” said Tae, which they know how to do in the right way.

Maddie explains how one of their songs was inspired because of a “beauty-queen bully” from high school who sent her friends and her home in tears every day.

To help get over it, she wrote the song, “Sierra.”

They both continue to say that they are “girls who have something to say,” and communicate that and their “themes” through their music.

With songs like “Your Side Of Town” and “Smoke,” their music is both upbeat and moving, and communicate meaningful messages.

In “Fly,” the moral is that it is a necessi-

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Country duo, Maddie and Tae

90s Show Speaks to Teens Today Kaela Dockray STAFF WRITER

There are so many pop culture trends from the 90s that are making a comeback today. From the combat boots to the crop tops to Doc Martin’s, these trends have been popping up left and right in the midst of our everyday lives.

If we seem to be repeating history in the aspect of fashion, why not television?

It seems as though every show currently on T.V. revolves around elusive subjects such as vampires or witches.

What teenagers need is to go back to the basics. The television show Friends does just that.

There have been a number of TV shows that have tried to replace the hilarity and commonality of the sitcom, but the task simply cannot be done. The show survived for an astonishing 10 seasons because of its witty humor, relatable subject matter, and lovable cast.

Friends is about a group of six young adults who are trying to navigate their lives in New York City as they enter their thirties. With each episode you become enraptured as you grow to love the characters and their relationships not only with each other but the an ensemble of random characters who are woven in and out of the story line.

The personalities of each character are perfectly distributed, with the motherly Monica, spoiled yet kind Rachel, care-

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Rachel, Chanlder, Mocnica, and Joey bond over coffee and help each other with the problems life throws at them at their local cofee shop, Central Perk. free Phoebe, comedic Chandler, perfectionist geek Ross, and the laid back yet not so bright Joey. They are relatable characters whose personality quirks exist in each of us middle schoolers, and it’s something from watching the show you can learn to embrace. They are not the invisible, strong, nothing hurts me type of characters that are in so many of the T.V. shows on lately.

Erica Fanning, an eighth grader at Bedford Middle School, says that she would rather watch Friends than any other show currently on TV. “The show is entertaining, yet relatable” she said of her love for the show.

Another aspect that the show provides is the feeling of not knowing where you belong. Every middle schooler can ad-

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mit they have felt anxious or awkward because they did not know where to sit at lunch or who to hang out with during their classes.

Throughout the show you watch the gang demonstrate loyalty as they help each other out with any problem that comes their way. This is an imperative quality in order to lead a successful life as an adult. That is what really makes this show worth watching. Although it may be illed with jokes that make you roll on the loor crying with laughter, there is an element of trust that can be taken away from this show.

Throughout every obstacle that life may bring, each character is always there, carrying a trait that every middle schooler should learn.

ty to keep moving on in life. In “After The Storm Blows Through,” they sing about the importance of having someone by your side, no matter what occurs.

In the song, “Girl In A Country Song,” there is a reference to the great country singer, George Strait. They sing, “Aww no, Conway and George Strait, never did it this way, back in the old days.” They sung this because country today is more pop music than it was even just 15 years ago.

Today, country songs have a variety of other instruments. Country is usually not so loud or too upbeat; it is usually more low-key. Nowadays, country is very upbeat, peppy, and sometimes pretty loud.

While Maddie and Tae are great singers, their country music is more pop than country. That doesn’t make it any worse, though, and a lot of people can still enjoy their music.

The line between country and mainstream music has been meddled with overtime, but there are still many differences.

Everyone knows Taylor Swift’s “Mean.”

The lyrics she sang were all country, without the Southern accent. She is like Maddie and Tae in many ways, but they were born in different areas. Taylor’s country is very similar to pop music because it is upbeat, fun, and more mainstream like Maddie and Tae’s music.

“We love all music, but we’re girls from where Country comes from. It’s who we are; it’s how we live. And that’s the music we want to make. It makes us happy, but like what we write about, it’s also who we are,” said Marlow and Dye.

Sports

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

Crew Cuts:

Rowing Becomes Popular with Westport Middle Schoolers

Siri Kanter

STAFF WRITER

A unique sport that requires strength and stamina, an activity valued by institutions of higher learning, a competition that revolves around a team working together, Crew is gaining popularity among Westport middle schoolers.

As there becomes a greater variety in the after school offerings in Westport, more middle schoolers are signing up for rowing at Saugatuck Rowing Club.

This sport is newly popularized and is growing quickly. Both boys and girls love to participate in the sport after school twice a week. Rowing, which is often referred to as Crew, is an ancient sport that originated in Egypt.

The boat, called a scull, can be a single, double, or can have up to eight people in it. The boat is propelled by an oar that forces the boat to move forward at up to 20 miles per hour. Westport is known for its rowing. Two of the girls teams at Saugatuck Rowing Club won nationals this June.

Brody Braunstein, an eighth grader who is in his second year participating in rowing at Saugatuck, says that he does rowing because it is different from the rest of Westport’s team sports. When asked what was fun about rowing, Brody answered, “The most fun thing for me about rowing is being part of the team.

My experience on other team sports was different from rowing; it’s not like being on a traditional soccer or baseball team.

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Left, at the Maritime Rowing Center in Norwalk, rowers of all ages train on Ergs, stationary rowing machines that measure rowers output.

You have to work together more.”

And working together it is. To be successful in rowing, everyone has to be in perfect sync. Brody says, “The most mentally dif icult thing about rowing is memorizing the terminology.”

Kaela Dockray, also an 8th grader at Bedford in her second year of rowing, has a alternate opinion of the most dificult thing about rowing. “Rowing is an extremely dif icult workout that requires immense strength in your upper and lower body. It is also scary to be on

the water on cold or rainy days.”

Aside from rowing the boat, the kids who do rowing have to be in good shape.

As a warm up, they are required to do a challenging number of push ups, sit ups, and burpies. Although Kaela’s point of view on the dif icult parts of rowing were different from Brody’s, her reasoning for doing it was similar. “It [rowing] is a unique activity. It is different from hitting a ball or making a basket. Rowing being so unique is what makes me want to do it.”

New rowing participant Brett Levy has a different opinion on rowing, as he is in his irst year.

“The main reason that I do rowing is so that I can get into a college of my choice.” said Levy. Colleges value rowing because it is different from other sports. One hundred and eighty-one schools from Washington to Florida all have elite rowing teams.

“There is no way I’m not going to do rowing when I’m in Staples,” concludes Kaela Dockray.

Pumping Iron the Smart, Sensible Way for Teens Roxy Augeri

STAFF WRITER

Many boys and girls lift weights at Bedford, and that could be good or bad thing because the eighth grade body is still developing, and weightlifting can affect how a middle school tween develops.

“Experts say that middle schoolers should not do traditional weightlifting.

Instead they should do what they do at Bedford which is strength training as a circuit,” said Mr. Tim Lyons, a physical education teacher at Bedford.

Strength training is when someone repeatedly lifts very small weights. This helps work out muscles without risks of getting permanent injuries. Another thing that can also be helpful to developing muscles in a safe way is using a lifter’s own bodyweight to workout, doing exercises like push-ups and sit-ups.

The State of Connecticut does not technically limit what type of weight lifting a student can do in a middle school, but the Bedford physical education staff is knowledgeable about the effects heavy weights could have on a growing body.

Traditional weightlifting, as it has come to be known, usually consists of heavy weights lifted one to ive times.

This not only strains young muscles, but is not effective in trying to get a good workout. It exerts a lot of force into a small task that usually tires a lifter out to the point where he or she has to stop exercising. Middle school bodies are still developing, and the traditional weight lifting can damage skeletons and muscles as they grow.

“Meet with a knowledgeable adult and ask about strength training as outlined. It should begin with the smallest weight to get body ready for the brand

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Ari Pooya and Emma East in back with Maise Prince and Nina Udell in front show the suggested way to weight train at Bedord Middle School. new activity, focusing on tone instead of bulk,” said Mr. Lyons.

Another side of this ongoing debate is the gender equality side. Should boys and girls lift the same amount of weight? Mr. Tim Lyons says that middle schoolers should lift according to body size, not gender. If a boy and a girl are the same body mass, they should be lifting the same amount.

Many middle schoolers see weightlifting as an important part of their lives. “Weightlifting is a good idea for middle schoolers because it can keep you healthy, and puts you ahead in sports,” says Brody Brounstein of the eighth grade. He believes that if done in the right way, it can be very good for you.

Small weights are healthier for young lifters

“It is extremely important to be supervised while weightlifting so that you don’t hurt yourself,” explained Brody. He weight lifts at home and at a crossfit gym, and he has only hurt himself once by doing the exercise wrong.

It is important to do the exercise correctly because that is when weightlifting can go wrong and injuries can occur. In Brody’s opinion boys and girls could lift the same as long as they are the same body size and type, which is usually not the case. He explained that this helped keep him fit and put him ahead in his sports, which has been a great thing for him.

“It’s okay because it’s not bad for you, it just helps keep you fit,” explains Olivia Gordy of the eighth grade. She does not lift weights, but she is an avid tennis player, and has considered it before.

She thinks that middle schoolers should be able to weightlift because it is very healthy for you, and there is no harm in doing so because is can only be good for you.

“If you aren’t already weightlifting, then you probably shouldn’t start until high school,” she advises. She would never consider starting to lift weights because she does many other physical activities.

She does not know many people who weight lift, and she thinks that most people start because they want to have a bigger and stronger appearance, not so much for the health aspect.

Many people weightlift, and there are many sides to this issue. It is very good for physical health if you do it correctly, but if you don’t, you can cause serious harm to your body.