somerset canyons chronicle

Somerset Canyons Chronicle Where Young Minds Have Changed the World

The World Just Doesn’t Know It Yet! Edition #1

Look World!

It’s our first newsletter!

February 14, 2014

MR. DANIEL FERNANDEZ, PRINCIPAL OF SOMERSET ACADEMY CANYONS IN THIS ISSUE

Of course you know he leads our innovative, new educational institution on the edges of the Canyon neighborhoods in West Boynton Beach, but there are many things we’re sure you don’t know about our principal, Mr. Daniel Fernandez. Did you know he once chased down a drug dealer at a school (not ours), tackled them, and held them down until police came? He later received an award for his act of bravery. Did you know he was going to be a lawyer, and was accepted to many prestigious schools including Columbia University, but changed his life course after he married a young teacher? Did you know his father was electrocuted? Though his dad survived, he was so severely injured the family struggled financially for years.

Did you know that this father of three started out as a social studies teacher? Did you know he led Miami Springs HS with 4,400 students and ten fights a day from one of the lowest performing schools in Dade County to having the highest learning gains in the county with maybe one fight a year? Did you know his staff at Lamar Louise MS in Kendall, near Miami raised the already high performing school to the 2nd highest in Dade County? Did you know he received a proclamation by the city of Miami for helping raise the at-risk Green Springs Charter School to the top performer of its kind? It’s no wonder why student safety remains his number one priority. There is a lot more to our principal, which 9th grader Shawna Bitton learned in a special interview. Interview is on page two.

> On this Valentines’ Day, we have a

Somerset Canyons’ love story more than half a century old! Get your tissues out.

> Our Featured Athlete is a rarity: A

native Floridian with LA sneakers!

> Is cheerleading a sport?

> Lots of Cougar advice for Justin Bieber

> Who is our Featured Student? MS

girl, HS boy, an athlete or artist?

> So, what’s up with construction?

Update

> Why our new bullying campaign is

different than any other in Florida

> Top 5: Apps, songs & videos. AND

MUCH, MUCH MORE!

CANYONS CHRONICLE | Issue #1 2

Mr. F… Gets an A So Far by Shawna Bitton, with Ta’ Teyana Fann

You’ll see his ever-present smile long before school starts until long after the final bell (well, a smile unless something is amiss, if you know what I mean).

Like all of us, Principal Daniel Fernandez has led an interesting life, full of accomplishment and complication. We were able to get this human whirlwind to sit and talk for nearly an hour. No questions were off limits. Like many parents and folks in the community, we students have many questions about our school: the original dream, the present, and … the future:

PHOTO by Maya Thompkins

What is your family life like?

“We’re a tight family,” he said quickly.

Mr. Fernandez has three kids. He

has a son, who is a senior in high

school, a daughter in 3rd grade, and

another son that is in 6th grade. He

drives 45 minutes to school, and 45

minutes back home. “We have talked

about moving, but my wife is doing so

well in her job that it’ll be hard for us

to just pick up and go.” Mrs.

Fernandez works for Dade County

Schools and specializes in special ed.

code compliance (Meaning, she

makes sure special ed. programs are

following the rules).

Do your children go to Somerset

Schools?

“Yes. They all go to a Somerset

school or a sister school.”

Will there be any uniform

changes?

Probably not. At his previous schools,

uniform shorts were allowed at first.

The problem, he says, is that the

shorts always got shorter and shorter,

and the schools eventually switched

to pants. And, there are other issues.

“When you wear uniforms, it allows

me to see who belongs on school

grounds. Also, students act differently

with uniforms. If you dress like you

are going to the park, obviously you

are going to act like you are going to

the park,” said Mr. Fernandez.

What do you think about cell

phone use during school hours?

“At one of my schools, students had

to put electronics in a basket at first

hour, and wouldn’t get them back till

the end of the day. Here, we allow

students to keep their phones, but out

of sight. They’re never to use them in

class (unless ask to), even in the

halls during breaks. It’s a policy we’ll

continue to monitor and discuss.”

How did you feel when you were

given the opportunity to be a part

of this new school?

“I jumped at it; I knew that the

students were coming from a great

community.” We asked if he

considers himself a role model and

he said, “Yes. Strong leaders lead by

example.”

What made you become a teacher?

“I was going to be an attorney, but I grew up in Miami Gardens, which is known as one of the most violent areas in Miami. And, during college, I noticed that most people were not prepared. I wanted to change all that. And, it didn’t hurt that I married a young teacher.” Why are a few students being

searched for drugs?

“By Florida law, students are allowed

to be searched on school grounds

without a warrant, or a legal guardian

present/informed. This is based on

reasonable suspicion.”

Will there be any special events for

the ninth graders this year?

“Yes. There will be an upper-class

picnic in place of homecoming. 9th

grade SGA members decided

homecoming wasn’t a good idea

since there aren’t many high school

students yet.”

If a student has any concern, what

should they do?

“Come see me for any and all

issues.” Principal Fernandez says he

has an open-door policy, so, if you

have a concern about a fellow

student, teacher, or things at home,

you can come and talk to Mr.

Fernandez or any other

administrative staff member. “I want a

student to feel safe with coming to me

about any issue. You just come in, tell

us anonymously what happened, and

you can leave knowing that we will

take care of your concern.”

What are some extracurricular

activities that are coming?

“Swimming, volleyball, football, and

much more. At the end of the year,

we’ll take a survey where we’ll find

out what the students want to add. So

make sure to request sports and

other activities you’d like to have.”

We were also surprised to learn Mr.

Fernandez wants to add college

classes here in the near future. He

envisions, within five years, college

professors will join our staff.

In five years, when you read a

newspaper article about our

school, what do you want it to

say?

“That it’s a school with many on its

waiting list due to student success!”

How do you feel about the school

right now?

“I am very much impressed with all of

the students and faculty.” He added,

“The students and teachers are

engaged in class. I am very proud of

all of you.”


It’s Valentine’s Day and we have a perfect story for this day. It’s a story you should hold in your heart every day of every year until the very end!

A Lasting Love

by Hannah Nunez Somerset Canyons 6th grader

My great grandma, Dalia Tamayo is 81 years old and she lives in Brewster, New York. As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’m thinking a lot about my abuela. You see, she got married when she was 15 years old and that was way back in 1948. Nobody remembers how they met, but they know she loved him very much (my mom only remembers his name as grandpa). When I asked my mom to describe their love she only said, “It was unconditional.” I googled the word and I found a dictionary and looked up unconditional: Without conditions: absolute. I guess my abuela loved my great grandpa very, very much.

My great grandma was poor as a child. She wore one pair of shoes her entire childhood. So, when she met her future husband, she was very happy. He had a job when they got married. She was no longer poor, in fact, my abuela was becoming rich in things that matter. They had five children; three girls (one’s my grandma), and two boys.

One day began like every weekday with my great grandpa walking to work in Colombia. All of a sudden two gunmen came out of nowhere. There was at least one shot and the dreams of great grandma were shattered. Her husband laid dead on the street. We found out later it was a robbery by two men who wanted money. I’m not sure if there were ever any arrests.

My abuela wasn’t there, but she found out later. And, all these years later, she has never forgotten her first and only love. She never got married again. She never even dated anybody else. She still loves him to this day! My abuela stills wears her wedding ring. Their anniversary date is still a very special day for her.

I’m only eleven years old, but I hope someday I meet somebody like my great grandpa. And then, after my great grandchildren are on their own, I will finally be able to meet my great grandma, Dalia, and her beloved husband.

We hope all of you have as big of hearts as Hannah and her great grandma. Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

Nice Job, Hannah!!

There are various theories on the origin of Valentine's Day, but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 A.D. Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on Feb. 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." Sound familiar?

73 percent of Valentine's Day flowers are bought by men, while only 27 percent are by women. 15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day.

California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the greater number sold on Valentine's Day in the U.S. are imported, mostly from South America.

Guess who gets the most Valentine's Day cards? Teachers! Followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

Valentine’s Day

Did you know? From history.com & sheknows.com


Winning Cougars on the Prowl Here’s a quick philosophy check: Student safety will always be #1 at Somerset Academy Canyons. Academics follow closely behind, and, while students exercise their minds, we believe a world class sports program will keep their bodies and hearts ready for any challenge!

Just a few months into our rich history, our teams have already done amazing things!

Before we get to what they’ve accomplished, let’s talk about the biggest sports unknown:

One of our students spoke with Athletic Director Nick Mangini this week and here’s what the head of our sports department said about football coming to Somerset Academy Canyons:

7th grade Interviewer: Will football be the 10th team established at our school?

Coach Mangini: “With help and support from everyone, my goal is to implement football as soon as we can.”

7th grade interviewer: Do you know approximately when that might happen?

Coach Mangini: “Football is an expensive proposition. It costs up to $100,000 just to establish a new football team at this level. We have amazing support for a new team among our students, staff and especially our parents. And, thanks to all of them, we are beginning to see a foundation of financial support. To answer your question, as to when we’ll have a team, I wish I had a firm date, but, I can tell you, it’s one of our top athletic priorities!”

7th grade Interviewer: Will you keep us updated then?

Coach Mangini: “The moment anything is ready to be announced, I promise we’ll let everybody know immediately!”

The athletic director then reminded us that Channel 12 news recently did a TV report on our school’s athletic quest. Here is a link to that report:

http://www.cbs12.com/sports/stories/vid_824.shtml

2013-2014 Somerset Academy Canyons Season Records (so far)

HS Sports Girls Soccer (6-4) Boys Basketball (6-15) Cheerleading (no contests) MS Sports Boys Soccer (7-3-1) Girls Soccer (3-3-2) Boys Basketball (5-4) Girls Basketball (season) Cheerleading (no contests) Boys Baseball (starts Feb 20th)

A message from Athletic Director, Nick Mangini, “Wow! What an amazing year it has been for the inaugural season of Somerset Canyons’ athletics! First I would like to say congratulations for your extreme hard work and dedication to the Somerset Canyons athletic program, as we embark on our successful journey to be an “Athletic Powerhouse.” We established nine teams to represent our school in the first year of existence and finally put Somerset Canyons on the map! GO COUGARS!!!

We are trying to host a golf outing on May 3rd, which we hope will be a major fundraiser for the athletic program. We will need all the help and support that we can get, so we’ll need the coaches, parents, and players to be willing to help prepare for the outing by obtaining sponsors




and donations etc., as well as running the golf outing on May 3rd. Foursomes will also be needed. More details to follow.

Our school’s athletic program will also be represented in the Delray Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 15th. This will be an all-day event. We will be building a Somerset Canyons float, so please let your team’s coach know if you will be able to be at the parade. More details as we get them. Thanks!

Who has the most school spirit? And, do you like what some of the coaches and athletes are wearing around school? You can soon look like them. There will be an online Cougar Spirit store with lots of Somerset Canyons wear. You’ll be able to get shirts, hats, shorts, sweatpants and more! We’ll let you know as soon as the store has opened.

HEAD IN THE GAME by Samantha Licciardi

This week our Featured Athlete is 9th grader Anthony Chavez. This 15 year old, 6’1 basketball player scored 30 points in the final game of the season at Park Vista High School. #22 was a big part of the varsity team winning 6 games over the season (they lost by 2 or fewer points in 7 other games). Way to go guys! According the Athletic Director Nick Mangini, “That’s an amazing start for kids who’ve never played together.”

Anthony, BTW, came to us from Odyssey Middle School. He remembers the start of the school year, “When the team first got together, we were not really close and now Coach Tony (Spates) is like our dad. We’re one big family.” Anthony practices about two hours a day, and on game day, add another 3-4 hours to his school day. When asked to describe the team in two words, he simply said, “You could call us the fighting brothers.”

Anthony knew he had the potential to play the game when he was playing around with some friends in sixth

grade. As for his game philosophy? “I try to keep my head in the game and just think about basketball because if you think of something else, you will lose your focus and mess up.”

He averaged 14-to-15 points a game. And, the boy who wears size 11 Kobe’s, says that the reason he does so well is because he has a lot of support from his parents, coach, and his team. Many people are very proud of the Cougar’s starting center and amazed at his high achievements. And he’s very proud to be a member of Somerset Canyon’s first basketball team. “Not many people can say that they were the first to wear these uniforms.”

According to Coach Tony, here are our school’s first set of basketball game records:

Most points in a game: Anthony Chavez (30)

Most rebounds in a game: Anthony Chavez (12)

Most blocks in a game: Anthony Chavez (5)

Most assists in a game: John Mercado (11)

Most steals in a game: Amari Rowe (10)

This space is reserved for all future records at Somerset Academy CANyons…

And there will be countless!


Is cheerleading a sport?

by Mara Vaknin Alexis’ photo by Shayna Lurie

8 th grader, 14 year old, middle school and competitive cheerleader Alexis Lobello tells us the truth about cheer. Alexis has been cheering since 6 th grade. She did sideline cheer at Polo Park Middle School, continues to do competitive cheering on The Wellington Cougars, and this year she was on the varsity cheer team right here at Somerset Canyons.

Her friends Shayna, Emma and Marin went to middle school with Alexis, and are also cheerleaders at Somerset Canyons (Shayna is also on her competitive team, where Alexis is a junior level 3).

Alexis says, “The best part about cheer is the exercise, but there’s more to cheer than just cheering.” She says there are tough physical work-outs and serious lessons on teamwork.

She also gave us her opinion on the ever-debated question, “Is

cheer a sport?” She says, “Yes!”

Cheer includes a variety of stunts, jumps, tumbling, dance routines, etc. Her personal favorite part of competitive cheer is traveling to competitions with all of her cheer friends. She tells us she really felt like a great cheerleader when her competitive team, the Wellington Cougars won the match play competition in 2013.

We asked Alexis if she’ll continue cheering through 12 th grade, she said she might because there’s always a chance for cheer scholarships. Either way,

she says that confidence and self-esteem are two important skills she’s received from cheering.

Alexis also shared a sad story with us: about a cheerleader who died from falling during a stunt at a different school! That is something she never wants to see here. (Safety is Somerset Academy’s number one priority in all things, and that is especially true for all our cheer squads)

Alexis is a base (which are the girls on the bottom of the pyramids) because she is tall, strong, and doesn’t particularly enjoy flying (the girls at the top). Her cheer life began as a gymnast. When she got sick of gymnastics, she began to tumble and that triggered a love for cheer.

As much as she loves to cheer, Alexis says she doesn’t want to be a NFL cheerleader. For her, it’s just a hobby for fun, to stay fit and healthy.

But for sure: all of the picky competition wardrobe, and 10 hours of practice a week have definitely paid off for our featured cheerleader and athlete Alexis Lobello!

Did you know? According to Varsity.com

When cheerleading was first created, only men were involved. Now, 97% of all cheerleaders are female. 83% of cheerleaders have a

3.0+ or B average GPA.

On Deck: Baseball by 6th grader Sophia Mogavero

Our junior varsity baseball

team has been chosen, games

are coming!

“Practices have been going

great,” says 6th grade player,

Anthony Orcinolo. “We have a

great coach and he’s helped us


improve a lot. We’re ready to

play,” adds fellow sixth grader

Matthew Thompson. They’re

talking about Nick Mangini

Senior. Sound familiar? It

should. Coach Mangini is the

father of Athletic Director, Nick

Mangini.

There are 16 players. And

so far, so very good. Matt says,

“From the time we started to

now, we’ve really got to know

each other. I think we’ve really

bonded.” The players say

winning is a priority, but safety

is number one with coach

Mangini.

The team’s first game is

February 20th. The season will

conclude in April. Good luck,

guys. We’ll follow your

swinging success of a season!

COUGAR’S COLORFUL COLOR GUARD

Is color guard a sport? Hmm. There’s lots of practice, you build muscles, you must function as a team and competitions are fierce. So, yes, color guard is a sport, and Somerset Canyon’s has a great color guard.

Color Guard

By 6th grader Morgan Liotta

What exactly is a color guard? According to Band Director, Jennifer Ponsart, “It is an art and a sport with choreographed dance moves

with flags and weapons (don’t worry parent’s, they’re not dangerous). Our color guard did very well at its first competition. All eighteen 6th and 7th grade members put on a great show. If you’ve seen them practicing out back of the school or in the cafeteria, you know how beautiful their routines are and how hard they’ve worked. We should be very proud of each boy and girl member.

Beyond Their Goals

by 7th grader Joey Zammataro

Congrats to the Somerset Canyons’ middle and high school girls’ soccer teams for great first seasons. “A home away from home,” 6th grade player, Alyssa Wrathell said in an interview with us. They finished their season with 3 wins, 3 losses and 2 ties, and that’s a great record for any first year team. We have high hopes for our Cougars next year as they continue to practice and get better. “Over time, we’ll get better and succeed, and hopefully we’ll bring the gold home for Somerset,” said Alyssa.

The middle school players hope to, one day, be as good as the varsity girls. The varsity team had an amazing season with 7 wins and 4 losses (2

games were cancelled or they would have done better). With strong leadership from coach, Nick Jaramillo and captains, Brianna Rivas, Tiffany Segura and Samantha Tournesy, who we interviewed about their season. “Half of the girls went from not even able to kick the ball to play soccer and work as a team,” Brianna tells us, “which is the hardest thing of all.” Samantha adds, “We became one.” We asked Tiffany what she’d learned from soccer. She told us, “Not to be so sensitive.”

Not everything was serious on the field. Tiffany tells us they would look over sometimes and smile because, “Parents on the sidelines, trying to be refs, was funny.”

After talking to these athletes we could feel our school becoming a whole, not just a bunch of individual parts. And, with student athletes like these girls’ soccer players, we are building a stronger bond as a school. Go Cougars!

Special Sports Note!

The Sports Section was edited by 3rd period journalism student, Morgan Liotta. Really awesome job, young lady!

You should know that all of these sports articles were the responsibility of one class (although they got a lot of support from other students and staff). Like our school, it was truly a TEAM effort! We’re so proud of all of you!


Top 5 Songs According to Billboard.com #1 Dark Horse Katy Perry featuring Juicy J #2 Drunk in Love Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z #3 Timber Pitbull Featuring Ke$ha #4 Talk Dirty Jason Derulo & 2 Chainz (Inappropriate for our students) #5 Counting Stars One Republic Native

Top 5 Videos on YouTube According to Period 5 Journalism How Animals Eat Their Food The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading Evolution of Music – Pentatonix YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say? 10 Month old Baby Emotionally Crying When Mother Sings

Top 5 Free Apps/According to app shopper

Flappy Bird Iron Pants NBC Olympic Highlights & Results Unroll me – unblock the slots Super Ball Juggling

Hey, Justin. Grow up!

Some advice from Somerset Canyons Kids …

Wow, how much has changed since Justin Bieber looked like this. You all know by now that the superstar singer has recorded more trouble than songs lately. According to Biography.com Bieber was born in Ontario, Canada. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He was born March 1, 1994 (age 19). His middle name is Drew. He was discovered on YouTube. His debut album, My World, went platinum in

the US, Canada and United Kingdom. But these days Bieber is seeing more courtrooms than recording studios, so we thought we’d ask Somerset Canyons fans (and some not!) what advice they’d give the troubled teen sensation.

From Stephan Elias:

“Go abroad and find yourself.”

From Christina Salsberry:

“Don’t do drugs!” “Keep calm and don’t get angry so fast.”

From Monica Prosniak:

“Don’t race with your friend in your expensive Lamborghini while drunk and or high!”

From Daniel DuPont:

“I think you should stop being so cocky and thinking that you’re so much better than everybody else.”

From Tiffany Sims:

“Don’t be a follower, go on your own positive path.”

From Angel Tavares:

“Just stop, kid … for real!”

From Zach Jacobson:

“Make better choices.”

From Tiffany Segura:

“Turn your publicity around.”

From Marcela Abadia:

“I think that you should stay out of sight for a little and calm down and get rid of so much stress!”

From Christina Sherman:

“I advise you to try and make better decisions so you can gain more respect from the public.”

From Steven Charlot:

“Take a very long, long time to rebuild yourself.”

From Ayleen Garcia:

“Don’t smile in your mug shots.”

From Johnny Dicuia:

“If you stopped trying to be so rebellious, you might actually regain some fans.”

From Tyra Singh:

“You have to think about the things you do, they will stay with you for the rest of your career. Don’t let anyone bring you down (especially you). We Beliebers will stay with you forever!”

Jaimie Nalitt:

“Don’t fall under peer pressure. You can get back to being a better person.”

Construction Update

The high school will be completed before the start of next school year. This will NOT be delayed (The first year delay was caused by the county insisting the stop light be put in). Other updates: The gym will be ready by August, 2015. There are no firm dates, but the weight room, swimming pool, Bio-med lab, performing arts center, and Cafetorium (an indoor cafeteria with a stage) are coming.


We Refuse To Be Abused

This is the mantra of our school’s new bullying campaign, and this picture, drawn by 9th grader, Mia Chapman, is one of many images that will be featured in our upcoming projects. Students have been working very hard telling their experiences on camera. There have been many tears shed for this effort. In fact, one day, in our TV Production 4th period class, Mr. Fernandez, Mrs. Santiago, Mr. Barker and several students began to cry. You’ll see it all in a few weeks when we debut three videos. They will describe our school’s zero tolerance policy when it comes to bullying. Many schools say that but these videos will prove we mean it. We’ll give you the links to these paradoxical (beautiful and ugly) videos when they’re ready. Great work so far, students!

BTW If you haven’t seen what our TV students have do so far, we invite you to go to Mr. Barker’s video page at www.somersetcanyons.com And watch our student made videos, including: Scotty’s Story Silent Movie What the Teacher’s Say

Bio-med Update: 2013/2014 Biomedical

Health Science I program

A Message from Program Director, Kristin Berry:

This course is planned for those students interested in becoming a physician, nurse, therapist, veterinarian and other medical pursuits.

This is a four year program that starts in your freshman year with Health Science 1, and continues your sophomore year with Health Science 2, after you have completed the Health Science course you will continue your junior year with Allied Healthcare Assisting 3 then your senior year you will have dual enrollment medical electives.

At the end of this program students will be able to take a test to become a state certified medical administrative assistant. This test will be offered at our school for the biomedical students.

The bio-med students are the best and brightest. Their first high school year has started off great. They’re all learning medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. They will continue to expand their

medical knowledge with animal dissections, guest speakers and medical-related field trips.

I am honored to be a part of their lives and look forward to seeing them grow into great medical professionals.

From our Bio-med Students:

Tiffany Segura: “I believe the Bio-Med course is a way to help the kids who are indecisive figure out what they want to become in the future.” Christina Sherman: “I believe that the medical class is preparing me with my future dream job: a surgeon.” Steven Charlot: “I feel that starting medical courses early will help to enhance our education for the future.” Antonio Castellanos: “I feel that the medical program has helped to improve my knowledge of the human body.” Tyra Singh: “I feel this course is a way to help us decide what we want to do later in life.” Marcela Abadia: “I thought the class was going to be just a normal science class, but we are actually getting more in depth with the medical field.”

http://www.somersetcanyons.com/


Normally, February is a time studios release (hide) their weakest movies because attendance is low. However, as we find out from 7th grader, Christina Salsberry that is not the case with: “The Lego Movie”

Everything is Awesome!!! That's what I would say to describe this animated movie. Within the first five minutes, I, along with everyone in the theater, began laughing. This colorful film was amazing, bringing every plastic character to life. You'll learn to love many of them as well, and the plot was very entertaining. It has an awesome ending too, making you wish for more. (Isn’t that what all art should do?) Summed up, it's a must-see... a spectacular film! Great job, Christina! According to rottentomatoes.com, 96% of the country’s top movie reviewers agree with YOU! BTW: The LEGO Movie opened to a

fantastic $69 million, which is the second-highest debut ever in February. (1st was The Passion of the Christ-2004)

Our Featured Student is 7th grader

Tara Fox (That’s her on the right next

to her friend Alyssa Wrathell)

Tara is an amazingly, original

young artist who’s come up with

some pretty unique characters. Here’s

a colorful example:

Recently we asked our journalism

students to write about somebody

interesting in their class. Fellow 7th

grader Victoria Sierra remembers

when her group chose Tara: Tara is

quiet in class. We didn’t know much

about her until we were put in a big

group and told to write a story on

“the most interesting student in the

group.” We chose Tara because she

had the most enthusiasm for what she

does: her drawings. She’s really

great. All her characters have names

and are kind of an extension of

herself. In other words, there’s Tara,

and there’s Crystal who represents

Tara in the cartoon world. She really

opened up and got comfortable with

us. Does she want to be an artist

when she grows up? “Of course,” she

said instantly. Like Tara is for us, her

characters, she says, are always there

for her. You deserve this article,

Tara.

Here are the lunch menus for the rest of February.

Did you know the school menus are online?

http://www.somersetcanyons.com/apps/food_menu/

Mon 17th No school: President’s Day

Tues 18th No school: Teacher Workday Wed 19th

Turkey Hotdog, Sweet Potato Fries Baked Beans, Plantains, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety

Thurs 20

Ground Turkey, Tortilla, Salad, Pinto Beans Fri 21

Pizza, Salad, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety

Mon Feb 24 Ravioli, Lettuce, Tomato Seasonal Fruit, Milk Variety Tues Feb 25 Mini Corn dogs, Carrots Tater Tots, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety

Wed Feb 26 Chicken Nuggets, Macaroni & Cheese Green Beans, Carrots, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety Thurs Feb 27 Nacho Supreme, Nacho Chips Red Beans, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety Fri Feb 28 Pizza, Salad, Seasonal Fruit Milk Variety

Breakfast is available too!!!!!




Cambridge Update from Mrs.

Sarah Temple/Lead Teacher

Currently, Somerset Academy

Canyons is a full Cambridge school

as of December 2013. We became a

Cambridge school the first year of

opening, which is not an easy

task. We offer the check-point

Cambridge courses in science and

language arts for our 7th and 8th

grade students. We offer Pre-AICE

courses in math for students in the 8th

and 9th grade. Our other Pre-AICE

courses are offered for 9th grade

students in science, language arts, and

social studies. All checkpoint and

Pre-AICE courses are weighed as

honors courses for students weighted

GPA's. Next year we will begin

offering AICE courses. Students

taking an AICE course that pass the

Cambridge exam at the end of the

year will earn college credit. AICE

courses are actually weighted more

than and honors course towards

students weighted GPA's and are

equivalent to other college level

courses like Advanced Placement

(AP) and International Baccalaureate

(IB). Teachers now have access to

resources offered through the

University of Cambridge to help

facilitate their courses and can also

sign up for on-line training's to better

their teaching methods in these

Cambridge courses. We will be

hoping to offer the AICE courses in

science, math, language arts, and

social studies for the 2014-2015

school year! These class offering will

be coming out shortly when subject

selection begins for are current 6th

through 9th grade students.

BIG REQUEST FOR PARENTS-FRIENDS OF SOMERSET CANYONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY:

We are planning a time capsule to be planted on the grounds of our school before the end of this

semester. Does anyone have access to a large, thick plastic drum or any airtight container that we could use? If you or your company has something that will work for a time capsule, we’d be happy to put your and your company’s name on it so future Somerset Canyons students (probably media too) will see our original, benevolent supporters. Thanks so much in advance.

Language Arts Cambridge 8 classes are reading international and multi-cultural poems and making Accordion Displays of favorite lines for the multi-cultural celebration.

French classes are celebrating La Chandeleur (Candlemas) also known as “Crepe Day” in France (February 2nd) by learning about the origins of the holiday and eating crepes in class. Speaking of yummy ---

Got Greek? On February 21st, 6th grade will be celebrating Greek Day! We have been learning about Greek culture, important contributions and rivaling city-states (plus, much more). This is our chance to show off our

knowledge by reenacting Greek life. A few of the activities will include: a march of the city states and banquet, where students can taste samples of traditional Greek food.

Many of our elective teachers will join this festival of knowledge and will teach special Greek lessons.

Chronicle Staff Note

The Somerset Academy Canyons Chronicle mirrors the vision of our institution. We are new, we are mighty, we are willing to step outside of any box, and we WILL achieve great things … but we are new. Like our school, we are a beautifully, creative work in progress. Will we make mistakes? Hopefully not, but sure, there may be some unintentional errors. Will everyone be happy with our efforts? Of course not. But that will always be our goal. We promise to provide students, staff and parents with transparent truth, along with interesting and memorable things that are being accomplished at Somerset Academy CANyons. Our philosophy will always be: “Interesting and Memorable always!” Most of our journalism students have been involved with this newsletter. It was hard; really hard putting this together this past month or so. Shouldn’t all things worthwhile be so? The Front Page, Features and Sports sections were supervised by Editors: Morgan Liotta, Shawna Bitton and Bridgett Palomino. They were great, in fact, everybody did great! However, without our student editors, this work would not have been accomplished with such amazing care from such young and talented writers. Thanks to all!

See you again on April Fools’ Day!! (Tuesday, April 1, 2014) Are there any student volunteers who want to help with the next newsletter? Please, see Mr. Barker. Thanks!

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