Winter 2012-2013 Jericho Middle School, Jericho, New York Issue 1

At The Hands of Sandy by Sophie D. Power lines are strewn across sidewalks. Trees are uprooted and laying atop cars and houses. Entire lives have fallen apart. Hurricane Sandy has devastated thousands. After one of the largest, most destructive storms on record--Sandy--hit, many are still left without power or even homes. Some are suffering even greater losses, such as loved ones. Only four have died on Long Island, thirty-seven in total on New York. Hurricane Sandy has left more than 4.5 million families without electricity. Candle-lit dinners and extra blankets will have to suffice for some, while others, including me, spend their time without power with family or friends. The city of Long Beach has been without running water or sanitary services since October 28th. Raw sewage is filling hundreds of thousands of sinks and toilets. A rampaging fire reduced more than 100 houses to ash in Breezy Point, Queens. Explosions and downed power lines left the lower part of Manhattan and 90 per-cent of Long Island in the dark. The New York City subway system — a lifeline for millions — was paralyzed by flooded tunnels and was expect to remain silent for days. Sandy has caused devastation all along the coast-line. Though many people have already started recovering, there are still people without power! Can you believe it? They’re not completely hopeless, though. People are quickly regaining energy. As you probably heard, we are currently “adopting” the Oceanside school, which means that we will be raising money and personally supporting them. It was one of the many establishments destroyed by Sandy. Although this storm has caused lots of despair, the ray of hope shining through the clouds is the sup-port we give one another. We can all work around this obstacle with the help of our community.

Hurricane Sandy: Her Affects on the People by Adrienne P. A. On October 29, 2012, disaster struck. Hurricane Sandy affected New York and New Jersey, leaving serious aftermath. Sandy had winds up to 90 mph. With a width of over 1000 miles, Sandy left over 100 people dead, including men, women, pets, and little children. Hurricane Sandy swept up boardwalks, homes, people, water slides, and cars in NJ. I n NYC, Battery Park was underwater for a few hours. The city was heavily flooded. Oceanside had homes and cars swept away and wrecked.

The hurricane left more than 6 million people without power ranging from 1- 20 days. The damage was so bad that President Obama declared both New York and New Jersey in state of emergency.

This horrible event caused millions of people to suffer losses of homes, friends, and family. Together we will grieve together and work hard to restore our beautiful homes. We should be thankful that we are here now, and grieve for the people who are no longer alive.

Winter 2012-2013 News Issue 1

Newtown Shooting by Rehan H. On December 14, 2012, a horrible shooting occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. 20 year old Adam

Lanza stormed his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 25 people plus himself. This was a tragic day for everyone in America. Since the massacre, some people in government have called for tighter gun laws. This was a very, very tragic situation for everybody.

Sandy Hook Students Go Back To School by Alisha L.�

On January 3, 2013 the students at Sandy Hook Elementary School resumed their classes. At 8:30 in the morning the buses started to arrive at Chalk Hill School. The roads leading to the entrance of the school were lined with balloons, ribbons, welcoming posters, and dozens of police cars. Sandy Hook recalled retired principal Donna Page to step back into her position as head of the Sandy Hook School. She encouraged par-ents to accompany their children on the first day of school. The kids were nervous at first but they soon fell into their regular routine. There may be some bumps in the road before the school gets back to a regular rou-tine. The prayers of the nation are with the families of these children. Good Luck!

Fall 2011 Student News Issue 1

Winter 2012-2013 Student News Issue 1

PlayInterview by Miles R. I recently interviewed 7th grader, Jacky L., the lead of the school play Fiddler on the Roof. This is what he had to say. Interviewer: Why are you in the play every year? Jacky L.: Because I love acting. It is my first love. Interviewer: Do you like singing? Jacky L.: No, I don’t just like singing…I absolutely love it! Interviewer: I heard you were the lead for the last play. Is this true? Jacky L.: Yes. I played the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Interviewer:What role in the story does Tevye have? Jacky L: Tevye is the father of five daughters, and he is very poor. He must face the fact that his daughters eventually have to go away and get married. In the end, Tevye, and everyone else in his village, are forced to relocate. Interviewer: Now what is the next play going to be about? Jacky L.: The next play is going to be a comedy about a talk show, where the host interviews characters from your favorite fairytales such as Cinderella and Jiminy Cricket. That’s all we can tell you folks!

The Fiddler on the Roof Review by Jonah K.

In December, the Jericho Middle School performed the musical The Fiddler on the Roof. The play is about a Jewish family in the town Anatevka, in Russia. The family has three daughters and no sons. There is a matchmaker in the town who tries to match up young people for marriage, but the girls and boys start to get married because they love each other. Later in the play, the Jewish family is forced to flee the town because of racism.

This musical had a wonderful array of songs and dances, like “Tradition,” “Sunrise/Sunset,” and “Anatevka”. The cast had wonderful voices and it sounded like they were from Broadway!

Read It Forward By Abdullah M. Before the December break some lucky students received gift bags with books in them from one of our teachers or staff members who wanted to share their love of reading with us, and I was lucky to be one of those students who got a book. Some books shared included: The Hobbit, The Secret Garden, The Hunger Games, Star Girl, Amulet, and The Bronze Bow, to name a few. If you received a book you had to decide if you liked that book. If you liked the book then after you finish reading it you have to sign the inside cover and then you must pass it on to another student. At the end of the year all the students who participate will come together for a celebration. This is the Read It Forward program. Have you had a book passed to you yet?

Diversity Day By Alia H. & Mahina S. "Common Threads: Connecting Our Community Through Commonalities and Differences" was the theme for this year’s Diversity Day, held on February 12th in the JMS auditorium. Students performed various acts to represent their culture or shared something about themselves through music, song or dance. The show was a big success thanks to Ms. Waters, the director, and Ms. Liptak, who controlled the lights and music for the show. 8th grader, Tamar B., was the MC and host. At the end of the show, Ms. Waters presented the princi-pal from Oceanside Middle School with more than $2,000 in donations to go towards helping Oceanside with the damage done by Hurricane Sandy.

Yes, He Did It Again! By Alisha L. For the second year in a row 8th grader, Feng Kai X., has won Jericho Middle School’s Geography Bee! This is an incredible accomplish-ment! We want to wish Feng Kai the best as he goes on to represent JMS in the New York State Geography Bee! Feng Kai is pictured with Mr. Sundberg, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Gately.

An Interview with Mr. Pollitt by Mahina S. I sat down with Mr. Pollitt in late October for an in depth interview. The reason for my interview was my great love of modern classical music. I wanted to learn more about the individual who is running the music department here at the Jericho School District. Here are his answers to my questions. 1. How many instruments can you play and what are they? I play the trombone, phonium, flute, clarinet, oboe, sax, and

mainly the trumpet! 2. Who was it that got you interested in music when you were

a kid? The people who got me interested in music were my junior

high school band director- Bob Roberts, my college band director- Bill Green, and a jazz trumpet player-Clark Terry.

3. Did you have a musical idol when you were growing up? I always had a musical idol growing up. Mostly, I idolized Clark Terry and Leonard Bernstein. 4. What is the best part of your job here at Jericho and how long have you worked here? I love my students and the fantastic staff that I am around everyday. I have worked at Jericho for 31 years. 5. What college did you attend? I attended Buena Vista University and earned my masters degree at Drake University, Mississippi University, and Columbia University. 6. Were you musically involved in your college? I was always musically involved in my college. 7. Does anyone else in your family play an instrument? My wife plays the trombone and sings alto, my daughter plays violin, sax, flute, and sings soprano, and my son is an All-State euphonium player. 8. What do you dislike most about your job? I do not like to tell students that they can’t do something. 9. Do you have a goal or dream that you want to accomplish in this field? Every single day I wake up and I have more and more goals and I love to bring the best music education to my students. 10.What is your favorite instrument to play out of all of them? It is not an instrument, I love to arrange and compose music, and I love musical composition. I found Mr. Pollitt very interactive and full of life when he talks about his musical background. He is a very

talented musician and I enjoyed speaking with him.

Winter 2012-2013 Editorials Issue 1

It was thought that the Mayans said the world was going to end 12-21-12. But apparently it didn’t, so when it does these are some possibilities:

Nuclear war Zombies apocalypse A meteor hitting earth The closest star to us explodes Our sun explodes Drought People stop making coupons China owns the U.S. Alien attack

Dinosaurs come back Bugs evolve

Black hole If I had to choose, I would go with Back hole, it sounds like a great way to go! What would you choose?

Because of Hurricane Sandy this year Thanksgiving is quite dear We’re all in a rush Before it rains slush Farmers are putting out turkeys For the people who are looking Kids running around smirking Once they found their turkey they yelled out “let’s start cooking!”

Time to make the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and more Say goodbye to the turkey because it shall never again soar People coming from far and wide The cooks pass around with food gleaming with pride! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving by Angelina L.

Fall 2012 Entertainment News Issue 1

Books, TV, Movies & Video Games: Brohoof By Sophie D. & Taylor B. My Little Pony, My Little Pony, ahhahhahhahh! Do you know this song? You should by now. Because My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has taken the world by storm. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. These six ponies have changed the lives of mankind forEVVERRR! No, really. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has changed the world for the better. The show is based on the characters listed above. There have also been stories told by people in the army that the show has made their lives happier. The army men have also painted the ponies’ cutie marks on their jackets. Cutie marks are the little symbols on the ponies’ flanks (butts). But they don’t just magically appear, the ponies have to find their special tal-ents in order to earn these special symbols. The show is centered around the life of an educated, talented, and rich unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, who is an antisocial bookworm, so, her mentor, the Princess, sends her to a small village called Ponyville to make friends. The show is mainly about their adventures with her friends as their relationships blossom and they grow closer together. It is a heartwarming and humorous show that will bring you and your friends closer together. The Internet has taken a liking to the show too and has manipulated it into many forms. There is a place where pegasisters and bronies can join and sell, talk, trade, and discuss the show. This is called “BroNY con” Terms such as brohoof and join the herd are popularly used among fans. Everywhere, in every school, you will find people who like the show. Try watching the show yourself. Those 22 minutes will be worthwhile. Vocabulary references: forevEEERR! : Pinkie Pie says this several times in Green isn’t Your Color. cutie marks: explained above. brohoof: Basically a fist bump. join the herd: Bronies say this to new lovers of the show, or Bronies. pegasister: Girl lovers of the show (some girls prefer Brony). brony: a person who likes My Little Pony.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 By Misbah Y. & Priyanka M. On November 16 2012, Breaking Dawn Part 2 made its appearance on the big screen for the first time. Directed by Bill Condon and produced by Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt and Stephenie Meyer, this movie starts with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) in the forest. Edward tries to teach Bella that attacking humans is wrong and attacking other animals is ok. Edward wants to teach her this because everyone is scared about meeting her baby, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). Finally, before meeting Renesmee, she runs into Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and Bella is excited to meet her daughter. Jacob had kept an eye on Renesmee from the day she was born. Aro (Michael Sheen), part of the evil vampires, assume that Renesmee is mortal. Who will survive? Who will die? You’ve got to watch the movie to find out the rest.

United States of Bacon By Miles R. It was only a matter of time before there was a show dedicated to bacon. One

of the newest shows on the air is the “United States of Bacon”. The series follows a California chef named Todd Fisher for 12 episodes. Todd Fisher travels around America searching for the tastiest bacon dishes. In the first episode, Fisher samples a chunky peanut butter and bacon cheeseburger, checks out a daily bacon happy hour, eats a garbage platter with five kinds of meat, and then has some bacon-wrapped meatloaf and bacon cheddar apple pie. The second episode brings even more bacon with a deep-dish pizza and a triple-decker BLT. If you like looking at bacon, smelling bacon, and eating bacon then this is the show for you. Enjoy!

Scribblenauts Unlimited for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U By Lauren Koenig

I own the game “Scribblenauts Unlimited” (the Wii U version). It’s a lot of fun. The game is centered around two siblings, Maxwell and Lily (you can add more siblings as the game goes on). One day, their parents give them 2 magic gifts. Lily receives a magic globe that lets you go anywhere in the world, and Maxwell re-ceives a magic notebook. To use it, all he has to do is write any word in the notebook, and POOF! The word would come to life! One day, Maxwell and Lily are walking near their older brother Edwin’s farm. On the way, they meet a hungry old man. Maxwell makes him a rotten apple, and he eats it. After noticing the trick, the old man puts a curse on Lily that slowly starts turning her to stone! Later, at Edwin’s farm, Edwin tells the twins about Starites, magical star-like items that appear when you make people happy. Maxwell decides to go on an adven-ture to get as many Starites as possible to break the curse, and so, our story begins! You can help Maxwell get Starites by making items to help others, each with different problems. Picture this: A man’s house is on fire and his children are trapped on the roof! You can make a “COLOSSAL PUDDLE” to put out the fire, and “WINGS” to help you get the kids off of the burning building. You can also make many video game charac-ters, such as “YOSHI,” “LINK,” “ZELDA,” “MARIO,” and the list goes on. Also, if you help any of Max-well’s other siblings, you can use them as your avatar! Try and find all 39! Remember, in this game, you can imagine everything, explore anything.

Sonic Generations the Video Game by Afshin S. In the game, the story is that Sonic goes through 1990s through 2011 and there are two Sonics and two Tails and two Dr. Eggmans, one from the past and one from the present. In Sonic and Classic Sonic you need to collect all of the chaos emeralds. To collect the emeralds you need to clear missions. You have to do what the character tells you. You then get a key to go onto the next level. The game is fun because of the new characters and the old Sonic comes back in 2011. The systems for Sonic Generations are Xbox 360, Play Station 3, PC, and 3ds.

Winter 2012-2013 Club News Issue 1

Club News by Alisha L. & Afshin S.

Jayhawk Newspaper Club The Jayhawk Newspaper Club meets once a week on Thursdays in room 206 throughout the year to help create an online newspaper for students, faculty and anyone who wants to read about what happens in our school, our neighborhood and even the world! Our advisors, Ms. Judge and Ms. O’Brien, bring lots of tasty drinks and snacks to keep you going as you write articles, interview people, review the latest movies or books, and just think of ideas to report on. You don’t have to be an A+ English student because you get lots of help with editing! If you like to take photos or draw cartoons you are welcome to join too!

Scrabble Club This club meets every Thursday at 2:05 to 3:05. Enjoy playing a game of Scrabble with Ms. Aubrey, in room 112. Good luck trying to beat Ms. Aubrey! Also, come and enjoy some snacks!

SADD Students Against Destructive Decisions meets every Wednesday in the computer lab in the library, and during Red Ribbon Week, every Wednesday and Thursday. Members are asked to help out with school events. If you have artistic skills you would love this club! Ms. Verdino is the advisor.

Games Club Come and enjoy playing different games while munching snacks and drinking a beverage! Mr. Kovo-ros is the advisor, and it meets every Thursday in Mr. Kovoros’ and Ms. Travis’ room right after school until around 3ish.

Strength & Conditioning In this club, you can work out under the guidance of Mr. Martinez and Mr. G., who will have you on a treadmill, lifting weights, jumping rope, and whatever else you want to try! Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays right after school in the workout room on the first floor next to the dance studio!

Kung Fu Club Mr. Pekor is the advisor and he will teach you Kung Fu moves if you come on Fridays at 2:10 to 3:10 outside the gym locker rooms.

Fall 2012 Problem Solvers Issue 1

Dear Problem Solvers, Recently I have been having a hard time getting along with my group of friends in school. They have been complaining that I have been mean and unfriendly, but I really don’t understand why.

My friends like to stand and chat in the hallway in between classes. They talk at each other’s lock-ers or have conversations while walking to their classrooms. They call me over to join in the conversation or ask me to walk along side them, but I am always worried about being late to class, so I don’t stop to talk. Sometimes when I am rushing to get to my class on time, they try to get me to slow down to tell me some-thing, but I’m afraid the bell is going to ring so I keep on going.

I don’t get it! I just want to get to class on time! I mean, I like to chat too, but why can’t we just

get to class quickly and save our conversation until our lunch period? How can they think that makes me mean or unfriendly? I feel like my friends don’t understand the way I feel and it is affecting our friendship. Please, help me quickly before things get even worse!

Signed, Misunderstood

Dear Misunderstood, We are so glad you wrote to us because it’s clear that you care about your friendships and you

want to retain them. It seems like this is a situation where miscommunication could be affecting every-one involved.

We’ve noticed that although some students stop to chat in the hallways, others continue walking

because they don’t want to be late for class. After all, it is difficult to get from one end of the building to the other. Those rushing students often look nervous and impatient, thinking about their next class, and not paying attention to others around them.

We think it’s possible that you might be in such a hurry, you end up rushing past your friends

without a friendly smile or saying “Hi.” Your friends might feel hurt, mistaking your worry for mean-ness or unfriendliness. We have some simple suggestions that we believe could help to solve this problem.

It takes just a moment to smile or look at your friends as you rush to class. You can be in a

hurry, but still acknowledge your friends and make eye contact with them. You can even let them know that you can’t speak right now, but will catch up with them later, possibly at lunch.

When you’re at lunch, you can explain your problem to your friends – let them know that you

are interested in spending time talking, but you’re also worried you will be late to class. Suggest that lunch is the perfect time for you to catch up and socialize. You can also try to plan to walk to class with friends who are in the same class or walking in the same direction.

Stay relaxed and friendly when you talk to your friends. This is your time to turn things

around and make things better. And remember – keep smiling! Sincerely, The Problem Solvers

Fall 2012 Fun Page Issue 1

Looney Tunes in JMS By Teja S. Do you like The Looney Tunes??? As a blast to the past, a por-tion of JMS students recently took a poll on who their favorite Looney Tunes characters are. The choices were between Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Daffy Duck, Taz, Porky Pig, Elmur Fud, and Woody the Woodpecker. The outcome resulted in a tie of two very fa-mous characters. Both of these cartoons came to 26 votes and unfortu-nately, the not so popular Elmur Fud came in last place with 2 votes. Here are your results.

LOONEY TUNES!!!!!!!!! Bugs Bunny

Tweety Bird

Daffy Duck

Taz Porky Pig Sylvester the Cat

Woody Wood Pecker

Elmur Fud

26 26 11 14 12 4 3 2

Chuck Norris By Miles R. Chuck Norris is like the being of the universe. He created all and pretty much rules all. Here are some true Chuck Norris facts:

Chuck Norris is the nightmare in his own dreams. Bears play dead when they are attacked by Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris found the stairway to heaven, but prefers the elevator. The Titanic didn’t hit an iceberg, it hit chuck Norris. Anything you can do Chuck Norris can do better. Chuck Norris fought the law and won. Someone once broke into Chuck Norris’ house and instead of stealing anything they gave Chuck Norris

everything they owned. Chuck Norris killed the Dead Sea. Santa writes to Chuck Norris about what he wants for Christmas. When anyone asks, “Who’s your daddy?” the answer is always Chuck Norris. When the boogie man goes to sleep he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

Winter Drink by Catherine S. Do you like to curl up on the couch after a fun day in the snow? What if you had a nice delicious cup of hot chocolate with you? Here is a recipe that is easy and will keep you asking for more.

Yield: 6 cups Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients 6 cups whole milk* Enriched Chocolate Sauce, recipe follows Whipped cream, optional 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate shavings or small pieces *Note: this recipe can be made even more delicious by substituting 2 cups of cream and mixing it with 4 cups milk. Enriched Chocolate Sauce 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1/8 teaspoon grated orange zest Directions Heat the milk until it simmers and whisk it into the chocolate. Pour into individual cups and serve with whipped cream, if desired. Top with chocolate shavings. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the cream, sugar, cinnamon and butter to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts. Add the orange zest before serving.

Fall 2012 Sports Issue 1

Flying Around the Track By Alex D. & Azqa Q. Approximately 20 7th and 8th graders have joined the Middle School Co-Ed Track Team, coached by Mr. Klobus (High School Gym Teacher) and Mr. Martinez (Middle School Gym Teacher). We have practice everyday (Except on meet days) until 4:30 PM. After 15 minutes of stretching and agili-ties, we hit the track for a 2 mile run. Bad weather often finds us running through the school hallways. Although tiring, running gives you a sense of self-confidence and euphoria.

The track team not only runs, but also does many field events, such as shot-put, long jump, hurdles, and high jump. The coaches teach us, so you don’t have to be an expert to participate.

Have you ever thought about running track? If so, you should consider joining the Jericho track team for 7th and 8th graders next year! We are looking for long distance runners and sprinters. Race you later!

Super Bowl 47 By Rehan H. The Super Bowl is a great American tradition, but this year’s game had a little twist. Brothers Jim and John Harbaugh faced off as the coaches, with both of their teams going for the ultimate prize – The Vince Lombardi Trophy (talk about sibling rivalry). John Harbaugh coached the Baltimore Ravens, while Jim Har-baugh coached the 49ers. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick tried hard to win his first Super Bowl, but Joe Flacco was also going for his first Super Bowl, and he ultimately became the MVP of the game when the Ravens won.

VS.

8th Grade Volleyball Team By Hunter P. & Tyler B. � The Jericho 8th grade volleyball team has kicked of their season with two straight wins. With Mr. Her-bert as their coach nothing is stopping them. First, the team played South Woods Middle School and won all five games. Tyler B. made some beautiful passes and sets out on the court. Max C. had a great day serving on the court. Next, the team played Clarke. Jericho beat Clarke four games to one. Blake S. had some great bumps including the game winning serve. Our big man, Jason K., had a leading 7 blocks and 9 spikes.

The Jericho 8th Grade Volleyball Team has an hour and a half practice everyday after school. The practices are tough and it helps them get into the greatest shape in order to succeed in their volleyball play. Coach Herbert pushes them to be their best.