SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

!1

Spring 2017

SCHOOLING, SPRINGTIME, AND

MORE TYPES OF SCHOOLS PAGE 4

BOSTON TRIP PAGE 5

HISTORY OF THE BOY SCOUTS PAGE 7

STROKE OF THE PEN

Kelly Hodges, Grade 8

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

Letter From The Editor

!2

This issue of Stroke of the Pen is smaller than other recent editions, but nonetheless, we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished. Our staff is always working to assure our readers that we will never stop maintaining the highest integrity.

Dating from 2008, Stroke of the Pen has given the students of Erie Day School an invaluable opportunity to find a passion for writing or drawing. I discovered my love for writing in the sixth grade when I became a contributor to Stroke of the Pen. In my seventh-grade year, I became the editor-in-chief of Stroke of the Pen, a position usually given to an eighth grader. In my eighth grade year, I ventured beyond writing solely for Stroke of the Pen and took the position of Political Editor at Affinity Magazine, an international online magazine that gets 200,000 visitors every month from 196 different countries. Since then, I have moved on and created my own online magazine, Chai Magazine. My experience is just one of many opportunities our school’s magazine can offer our students.

Being the spring edition of my eighth-grade year, this will be my last publication. I cannot be more grateful for my incredible journey that would never have been possible without this quality magazine. As the editor, I hope that I have strengthened the magazine. In the last two years, we have changed the layout completely, adding article previews on the cover and more art throughout the magazine. We have found intuitive ways to encourage more people to read each edition, such as adding more artwork, poems, word searches, Sudoku puzzles, and short stories. I believe that our biggest feat of all was our excellent service to Erie Day School by inviting sponsors to donate to Stroke of the Pen.

Last year, I was reviewing the cost to print our magazine. I remember when I saw that the price exceeded $300, I knew that it was wrong to ask our independent school to fund the full cost of our magazine. I can never place that burden on my school, and that is when I chose to find sponsors for our magazine instead.

Because this will be my last issue of Stroke of the Pen, I have taken it upon myself to appoint my successors. I genuinely cannot be happier to announce that Mia Anderson and Jackson Surma will work together as coeditors and assume the responsibilities that I had.

I cannot end without mentioning some of the people who have gotten me to the place where I am today.

First and foremost, I need to congratulate Andrew Dolan because he is graduating from the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. Andrew Dolan is the founder of Stroke of the Pen, and I know that without this magazine, I would have never had the opportunity to be an editor. Thus, I am eternally grateful.

Secondly, I want to thank my parents for all of their support. Not once have they questioned my ability to be the editor of Stroke of the Pen, founder of my own online magazine, Chai Magazine, or any other accomplishments for which I have worked. The same thing goes for my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and my entire family.

Lastly, I have to thank every contributor to Stroke of the Pen during my time as editor. I honestly could have never asked for better writers who are quick learners and just highly intelligent. I loved my time as editor because of the writers who made my job so easy and pleasant.

Yours truly,

Harrison Jon Romero

Editor-In-Chief of Stroke of the Pen

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

Letter From The Editor 2 .......................................Types of School 4 ....................................................Boston Trip 5 ..........................................................An Interpretation of Animal Farm 6 ......................History of the Boy Scouts 7....................................

!3

In this Issue

Northern Wincek, Grade 8

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

Types of School Northern Wincek

!4

Why do we have so many different types of schools? Erie is a city with an abundance of schools, including private schools, public schools, independent schools, charter schools, and so on. Although public schools were created to give everybody a proper education, private schools are still being created today. For a city with an increasing poverty rate, it would make sense to only have as many schools as we need and not more, but both private and public schools have their advantages.

What exactly is a public school? A public school is a school funded by the government which provides all children with a free education. There are many different types of public schools, including cyber schools, magnet schools, and charter schools. In Erie County alone there are seventy-two functioning public schools, not including cyber schools.

Cyber schools are found online and are an advantage for some students because they can work at their own pace.

Magnet schools are just like public public schools but are often considered better and act like a magnet by attracting people to that neighborhood school.

Charter schools, such as Erie Rise Leadership Academy and Montessori Regional Charter School, are funded in the same way that public schools are funded, but are considered independent.

What exactly is a private school? A private school is a school which is funded by donations, endowments, and tuition. Private schooling has existed for much longer than

public education. Many private schools were created so that they could legally select their students. Thankfully, this is not what is happening today. Like public schools, there are different types of private schools, such as religious schools and nonreligious independent schools. A religious school is a private school where a religion, such as Christianity, is taught within a traditional curriculum. Independent schooling is different than Catholic schooling because it has no religious affiliation.

Although we may not need so many different types of schools, it is helpful for students with learning disabilities who may need a more personalized education. The variety of schools allows choices to be made which best meet personal needs for students and parents.

Connor Coughlin, Grade 8

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

Boston Trip Connor Coughlin

!5

Every year the Eighth Grade class participates in an educational trip to Boston, the capital of Massachusetts. In order to fund such an incredible experience, the class raises money through a variety of events such as babysitting, dress-down days, and movie nights.

On the first day, the eighth grade arrives at Erie Day School at 6:00 am. To reach Boston, parents drive students to the Buffalo airport where they board a plane headed to Logan airport. The plane ride is relatively short, and the eighth graders arrive in Plymouth after only an hour in the air. The first noteworthy event in which they partake is whale watching. The class files into Captain John’s boat where they watch whales swim in the Atlantic Ocean not far from the ship. The day ends with dinner at Sam Diego’s and swimming at the Pilgrim Sands Motel.

The Eighth Grade begins the second day at 9:00 am with a trip to the Plymouth Plantation and the Wampanoag Village. They eat lunch at the plantation and continue their day with a tour of the Mayflower followed by a trip to the JFK Library. At 4:00 pm, the class checks into the Best Western Roundhouse and dines at the Prudential Center before they enjoy Mamma Mia performed at the Boston Opera House.

The third day of the trip begins with visiting Orchard House, home of Louisa May Alcott in Concord. At 1:00 pm, the class tours Walden Pond and Thoreau’s House. The next event is at the New England Aquarium where the class views its collection of twenty

thousand fish. Next on the agenda is one of the highlights of the trip, Sheer Madness! Sheer Madness is the longest running play in Boston and is a favorite among eighth grade students.

On the fourth day, the class begins with a trip to the oldest operating candy store in the

United States followed by visiting the Witch Museum. The Eighth Graders then shop for Boston merchandise in Quincy Market until it is time for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The main event of the evening is the Boston Pops, where the

Eighth Grade experiences the music of one of the most prestigious symphonies in the world.

On the last day of the trip the class spends the majority of their time learning about the history of Boston. They visit both Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution. They then depart from Logan airport on their journey back to Buffalo.

Athan Diniaco, Grade 8

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

An Interpretation of Animal Farm

Finn Chambers

!6

Animal Farm is a classic that, on the surface, appears to be a simple fairytale about animals revolting against their tyrannical farmer but is actually, at a closer look, a satirical narrative based on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the transition to the oppression of Stalinist Russia. As with many classics, Animal Farm, even though it is from 1907 and about communism, is as relevant in this day and age—where facts have become irrelevant, negative press is declared “fake news”, and racial discrimination and distrust of elected officials prevails—as it was when it was published in 1945.

In Animal Farm, three important principles are present: those who are ignorant are vulnerable, power corrupts, and communism will never truly work because of corruption so prevalent human nature. In Animal Farm, animals are tricked into supporting policies that hurt them or are inherently and ethically wrong because of their ignorance and propaganda. This principle can be seen in modern Russia, where even Vladimir Putin has supported laws that purposely fine or shut down organizations that engage in election monitoring, corruption investigations, and human rights work.

In Animal Farm, the pigs who managed the farm, in the beginning, look out for the welfare of all animals but begin to seize more and more power and privilege. The fact that communism is doomed to fail is shown by the fact that every one of their seven ideals had been erased at the very end. These same behaviors can be found commonly in modern times, such as representatives that run on the best policies, but only focus on Gerrymandering, corruption, and whatever else it takes to stay in power once they are in office.

Paul Pelkowski, Grade 6

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

History of the Boy Scouts Ved Patel

!7

The Boy Scouts of America Foundation (BSA) is well known and has been around for years. The question were, “How was it started, what made it popular, and what is the journey of becoming an Eagle Scout (highest rank in Scouting)?”

The BSA was inspired by and modeled on the Boy Scout Association, established by Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. The BSA foundation was later founded in 1910. While Baden-Powell was stationed in India, he discovered that his men did not know basic first aid or the elementary means of survival in the outdoors, so his response was to create a book called Aids of Scouting. This book talked about resourcefulness, adaptability, and the qualities of leadership that frontier conditions demanded. Baden-Powell realized that English boys were using his book to play the game of Scouting. Baden-Powell had the vision, so he took twenty boys to Brownsea Island in a sheltered bay off England's southern coast. The boys divided into patrols, played games, went on hikes, and learned to stalk and to pioneer. In just a few years, Scouting was popular all over the world. Powell published a new book called Scouting for Boys.

Back in England, younger boys were eager to become Boy Scouts. Baden-Powell created a program for younger boys based on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The Wolf Cubbing Program began in 1916, and since that time, Wolf Cubbing has spread to other European countries with very little change.

Reasons why many people joined Boy Scouts are because you can learn to respect your

community and country, you can learn new hobbies that you will not likely find

anywhere else and many other things. Boy Scouts will make you a good leader. Boy Scouts offer many fun activities so that you can get out of the

house. It will make you a good role model, and you will be proud

to be one.

Now, let us talk about the journey to becoming an Eagle Scout. The journey of

becoming an Eagle Scout is not just requirements; it is harder than some people think. There are six ranks before you achieve Eagle: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second-class, First-class, Star, and Life. Boy Scouts is not like Cub Scouts; you do not progress to the next rank every year. Everybody moves at his own pace. To become an Eagle Scout, you need to earn a total of twenty-one merit badges. The hardest requirement that many people talk about is the Eagle Scout service project. For this level, you must plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project, and the project must benefit any other organization than the BSA.

SPRING 2017 STROKE OF THE PEN

!8

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Staff Editor-in-Chief

Harrison Jon Romero, Grade 8

Editorial Director Connor Coughlin, Grade 8

Cover Artist Kelly Hodges, Grade 8

Editorial Contributors Finn Chambers, Grade 6

Connor Coughlin, Grade 8 Ella Harrington, Grade 6

Ved Patel, Grade 6 Northern Wincek, Grade 8

Artistic Contributors Connor Coughlin, Grade 8

Athan Diniaco, Grade 8 Kelly Hodges, Grade 8

Paul Pelkowski, Grade 6 Northern Wincek, Grade 8