The Wellesley Middle School Newspaper Summer 2010

The Locker Contents Activity Pages

Comics News

Stories Sports

“The Locker” is produced by current students at Wellesley Middle School. Any WMS student who would like to

contribute to future editions should listen to the

announcements for future meetings!

Editors: Jonathan and Alice

Assistant Editors: Bill, Noor ,

Stephanie, Yuto, and Haruki

Faculty Advisor: Lynne Johnson

It’s a bird…It’s a plane… it’s… A GIANT LEGO ROVER????? By: Anon Y. Mousse, and I.M. Confused

Last week, Mr. Kelly was able to unveil his latest robotic masterpiece to the kids in his robotics classes. Housed in school in a rather anonymous wooden box, everyone was totally surprised from what came out. “I though it was some type of wild animal” said one particularly flabbergasted 8th grader. But this vehicle is much beastlier than a wild animal. Measuring 1.5 feet high, 2 feet wide, and 3 feet long, the “Mobile Areological Research Station”, or MARS for short, as Mr. Kelly has christened it, comes with a fully detailed interior, and is equipped with NXT motors, ultrasonic sensors, and working lights, as well as a fully movable descending deployment bay for a mini-rover housed inside the mobile laboratory, allowing one to program it do whatever must be done. “It moves, just very slowly” says Mr. Kelly. The rover, inspired by the books Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars, has been a pet project of Mr. Kelly on and off for the past three years. Every portion of the rover has been built from scratch-and then rebuilt-and then rebuilt again-until it was considered perfect using the same principles taught by Mr. Kelly in his IT classes. As to how it might be built in real life, if his design was actually ever to be used in the future, Mr. Kelly, grinning humorously, stated “It would have to be assembled on Mars by materials mined there, because of the sheer size of the vehicle.”

The Upstanders By Alice Sarah Lewis was a high schooler. Good grades and lots of friends. That all changed one day in her math class. Sarah sat in the back corner, starting her homework after having finished her class work. She glanced up to see their teacher walk out of the room. Sarah guessed he was going to get coffee, so Mr. Franklin would be gone for at least twenty minutes. “Finally,” someone sighs. Sarah looks around. People had started to shift around the classroom. Three girls stood from their desks in the front of the class and started making their ways back towards Sarah. They turned at the last moment and faced a different girl. Jane Andrews. She was kind of dorky and wore glasses. The three girls were Shalise, Miranda, and Anne. The three biggest bullies in the entire school. They always picked on at least three different people per day, on a good day. Jane stiffened in her desk as three shadows were cast over her. “Aw, hi Jane. How are you doing?” Shalise asked, sweetly, giving her a fake smile. Anne and Miranda sat beside her. Shalise leaned both her elbows on Jane’s desk, covering her work. “F-f-f-ine,” she stammered. Shalise grinned, chewing her gun loudly. “Look. Mr. Franklin is really on our cases about the test coming up and we don’t want to fail. So I was think you could take the test three time, and put our names on them and then you take the test!” Jane swallowed nervously. Shalise’s smile fades. “Listen Jane,” she snarled, shoving Jane against the wall, “You’re going to do this or else.” “Leave her alone, Shalise,” Sarah said loudly. The rest of the class turned around to face the group of girls. “What did you say to me?” Shalise hissed. Sarah glared at her, standing from her desk. “You heard me! Leave Jane alone!” Sarah said, even louder this time. Shalise turned away from Jane to face Sarah. “Sarah, it’s okay,” Jane squeaks. Sarah shakes her head, clenching her hands in fists. “No. No it’s not. You three are always picking on people just because you’re too lazy to do your own work and you find it fun. Well, let me tell you something! I’m sick and tired of watching kid after kid get tormented by you three and from then on their lives a miserable. You three are mean, terrible people!” Sarah said. Anne and Miranda laughed and Shalise just grinned. “Oh, please, Sarah. What are you going to do about it?” she taunted. Sarah growled, jerked her head to the door. “For starters, I could run out of this room and tell Principal Jackson or Mr. Franklin. Then they’d call your parents. You know the rest from there,” Sarah suggested. “You’re smart, Lewis. This isn’t over. See ya twerp,” Shalise said, knocking Jane out of her chair. Sarah helped her to sit again, watching Shalise and her buddies leave the room. Jane smiles at Sarah thankfully. Shalise and her friends continued to pick on people for the rest of the year, but somehow, some was always there to try and stop them.

This story is fiction, but it does represent something. This story is somewhat of an allegory of the Holocaust. Shalise and her friends were the Nazis, discriminating against people. Jane and the other nerds/dorks were the Jews that the Nazis targeted. Sarah was the only upstander because even back then, there weren’t a lot of upstanders for the Jews. The bystanders, or most of the German population, were the rest of the students in the class. This story shows that the Nazis were the Perpetrators during WWII and Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930’s. The Jews were victims, and bystanders were the German

people and the upstanders were mainly people from other countries, other Jews, or some Christian priests. This story also shows that if there were more upstanders that stopped the Nazis, the Holocaust might not have happened and millions of live would have been saved. Unfortunately, it did happen and the bystanders only have themselves to blame. “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.” Dante Alighierin

Cinderella Twist Chapter IV By Melanie

Andrew gave me a long surprised and horrified look. I would have expected this though, being that he thought I was dead for a long period of time when in reality it was my despicable, and jealous, twin sister. Now here, we stand in the snow-covered courtyard of his home just outside the ballroom with its party currently taking place. The Duchess was soon to make her announcement of Andrew's wife-to-be. “We can run away,” I said. “Run? Where to? And how?” Andrew grabbed me by my shoulders. “How can we possibly run away?” I thought for a moment. Then I got distracted. Andrew’s cheeks were pink from the cold yet his chestnut brown hair seemed to make them look so handsome. His eyes matched his hair and I just couldn’t take my eyes off them. I lifted my hand to run my fingers through his hair but he caught my hand. “Cindy? Are you okay?” I snapped back in to the now and began to stutter. “Uh-um yeah. Yeah-I-I’m okay…” I looked away as my hand he held, was lifted up. He kissed it and whispered, “We can run. Now. I’ll get my belongings and we’ll run away through the back. Escape into the woods.” Andrew led me by the hand back into the castle away from the cold snowy weather outside. We entered through a door and immediately a blast of warm air hit us in the faces. We were in the kitchen. “S-Sir Andrew!!” All of the workers bowed. “We were not here, understand?!” Andrew shouted. All the cooks looked uncertainly at each other but nodded. He squeezed my hand and led me up a winding staircase. He unlocked his room, which was at the top of the staircase, and pulled me inside. “Quick,” Andrew whispered as he pulled clothing from the many chests he had. I looked around the room. It was semicircular with the bed pushed off to the side. The lighting was bright and the room was amazingly clean. Everything sparkled in his room. The mirror standing against the wall was encrusted with jewels (obviously a gift), the bed was made out of the finest wood, the mattress with the fluffiest wool, and the paintings painted by famous artists. I stared in admiration as Andrew yanked out clothes from one chest to another. Finally, he pulled out the sets of clothes he was looking for. They were commoner clothes. “That? Why would you want-” “Hush! We need to act fast. The Duchess will soon realize we, or at least I, am missing from the banquet. You need to put these on. Then we need to dust our faces and dye our hair,” Andrew exclaimed. (cont.)

“Dye our hair? Why ever would we do that?” I cried out. I loved my dark brown hair. It was the deepest color of coffee beans. I also knew that dying hair could result in hardening and falling out of hair. “I’m sorry, but the unique hair dyes I own have good results. They wash out in a week or two,” Andrew explained. I looked at the commoner clothing. Plain colors. A tan colored blouse, a washed-out red skirt, a plain white apron and bonnet, a short black jacket, and black hand-sewn leather shoes. “This?” I mumbled, holding up to the light. “Yes, I’ll be wearing the same except for men,” Andrew showed me his set of clothing: plain black pants, a white shirt, black shoes, and a long jacket. “I know this is not quite to your liking but it’s the only way we may escape. Now come, I will help you with your hair as you will with mine. Your new color will be blond,” he showed me a bottle of golden coloring. I leaned my head over the washbowl as he squeezed out the yellow gel. As soon as he put it on, he announced that he was finished. I looked in the mirror and saw my new blond flowing hair. “Why, it’s quite… quite-” “Beautiful?” He put has hand on my shoulders and spun me around. “Will you help me now?” I did. His hair became an even darker tone of brown, almost black. We dressed and got ready. Andrew grabbed some of his precious belongings and some jewels to trade for food. “Are you ready?” Andrew asked me. I nodded. “I’m ready, my prince.”

Mysteries in New York. Part 4 By Noor

Part 1, 2, and 3 Summary: Lynn, Alicia, and Myra are visiting New York with their parents. When Alicia gets lost, it is up to Lynn and Myra to find her. While they are looking for their friend unsupervised, they come across a girl named Kitty whom they leave at an orphanage. After unthinkingly letting their girls out—alone—on the bustling New York streets, the three girls’ parents rush out in hopes of finding their lost children. Sobs broke through the quiet, peaceful park. Despite the fact that it was late night and the sky was a hazy dark blue-black, Alicia didn’t feel terrified. She felt protective of her new friend, Miranda. Miranda covered her face with her hands and let her tears drop. Like Alicia, she was in despair because she had lost something, too—her child. “We have looked everywhere!” Alicia told her new friend. “But, I can’t find your child or my friends.” Miranda looked up, her eyes swollen and red. “Oh, dear, I had forgotten you were lost too! And, I’m a terribly selfish person… First, I let my child loose … and then … and then … I don’t even help you!” Awkwardly, Alicia patted Miranda on the back. “Don’t worry about me, Miranda. I can always go to the police … which I should have done … but I just feel childish because I’m a teenager saying I’m lost.” The two sat on the bench, staring up at the moon and stars and wishing.

I wish I could find Miranda’s lost child and also my friends! Alicia yearned vehemently. I wish—so hard—I could find my dear child, and then return Alicia to safety, Miranda thought. Alicia sat bolt upright. She had helped Miranda for two whole hours and didn’t even know Miranda’s child’s name! “What’s your child’s name?” Alicia asked, softly. “Her name is Julie,” Miranda said, brokenly. “And she was such a sw—” Alicia gasped, then sat up straight. Her eyes were fixed on a navy blue and dark red jacket, heading away from the park. Lynn, her friend, had a jacket like that! Alicia left Miranda on the bench and charged straight through the park, past the bowing and curving trees, and right out the park gate. I’m done, Miranda thought, heartbreakingly, as she watched Alicia dart towards the gate. She’s gone. She’s left me, too, like everyone else in the world. Alicia raced past the tall iron gates. “Hey! LYNN!” The dark-blue and red jacket whirled around. There, above the high collars of the jacket was a plump face with blonde strangles of hair. The face, however, looked confused. Alicia felt embarrassed. “Ooooh, sorry, ma’am.” The dark-blue jacket’s owner looked skeptically at Alicia. “Are you lost?” “No!” Alicia muttered, quickly. “I’m sorry to bother you.” “Of course.” The girl sauntered away. Alicia felt a fresh wave of despair. Her mother would probably be in Miranda’s place, looking for her lost and only daughter. Alicia shuffled back to Miranda. “Look, Miranda, I’m sorry I can’t help you… But, my family—” “She was my only daughter after Jasper passed on… and she always apologized after she made big messes… and—” Alicia sat down next to Miranda, again, wishing—for the hundredth time—that she’d never lost her purse … never gone back to the park … never left her friends by herself… “Hey, let’s ask a policeman,” Alicia suggested. “Or a night guard. We’re both sort of lost… And we’re both looking for people. I know my parents would go to the police.” Miranda got up reluctantly. “Child, I don’t think they’d—” Alicia was already across the park so Miranda followed. Alicia scampered across the grass and out the gates. She darted onto the street, looking for a police car or a policeman… The police station, she thought, wildly. Miranda followed close behind until Alicia glimpsed a police car parked by curb. A policeman was talking to one of the doormen of a hotel. “Excuse me, but where’s the police station?” Alicia asked. “Right down the block, missy. In trouble?” the policeman inquired. “No, but thanks!” Alicia dashed down the road, again and saw a huge brick building with the words “Police Station.” Oh, please, please, please be here! Please, please! Then another thought crossed Alicia’s mind. Surely there were millions of police stations in New York… Alicia stepped in. “Hi, I’m looking for my parents.” The lady at the desk peered over her glasses. “Now, you wouldn’t be our lost little girl, would you?” “Excuse me?” Alicia asked. “Miss Alicia Calvin, would you? I believe your parents just filed a report…”

“THEY DID?!” Alicia cried. “Where?!” “They filed a report for you, Lynn Percy and Myra Horvan. You wouldn’t be one of those girls, would you?” “I am!” Alicia cried, her heart pumping. “I don’t know where my friends are!” Miranda walked over to Alicia. “I’m so glad, Alicia,” she smiled, but it was a somewhat distressed smile. “I have a lost child, too.” “My, so many lost children today!” the lady at the desk smiled. “One moment, all right?” In minutes, Mrs. Calvin appeared, wiping tears from her eyes. The minute she saw Alicia, her face froze. Mother and daughter shared a long hug. Alicia felt completely safe in her mother’s arms, the faint scent of her mom’s lavender perfume. Miranda watched, smiling her pleased yet sad smile. “Where’s Myra? And Lynn!?” Mrs. Percy asked, breathless, clutching her purse fearfully. “I really don’t know,” Alicia said, looking at her toes. Half an hour later, the party of what was now eight (counting Miranda) walked down to the park. “They have got to be nearby!” Alicia declared. “They don’t know their way around!” _______________ Lynn scuffled down the street, digging her toes into the ground. “I want to go HOME! I want to find Alicia! I want to sleep!” Myra’s face was in a permanent frown and she looked extremely miserable. Lynn watched the ground as she walked ahead. No more movies. Now it’s a homeless life… No more Mom and Dad… No more … No more… No m— SMACK! Lynn had walked right into someone. “Hey! You’re so—Mrs. Calvin?” The lady whirled around. “My dear! Lynn?! Myra!?” “It is them!” Mrs. Percy grabbed her daughter in a tight squeeze. “Oh, Lynn, what were you—where were you—why did you—how come—I can’t—” Miranda’s face was even sadder. “Dear me, you children are so lucky!” Myra faced Miranda. “Are you lost?” Miranda shook her head and began to ramble about her Julie. “Julie?” Myra asked Lynn. “Can’t be her, then… Was she called ‘Kitty?’” “As a matter of fact, Jasper did give her that— Have you seen her?! Have you?!” “Sort of,” Lynn admitted. “Oh, boy…” Together, Myra and Lynn explained how they had dropped Kitty off at Parker Orphanage. Miranda’s face went from anger to disbelief to puzzled to joy. “She’s found! She’s alive! Let’s go!” Myra dashed down the street and turned left to get to Parker St. She burst in through the heavy glass doors. Mrs. Bird, the director, scowled. “HEY!! What—?” Myra pounded up the stairs to the room where she’d dropped Kitty. “Kitty!” she called. “Kitty!” The small girl was perched in her bed, eyes wide. When she rolled over and saw her “sister” her eyes were filled with joy.

Myra wrapped Kitty in a warm hug. “We found you! We’re so sorry!” Miranda was thrilled, too, and forgave Lynn and Myra for dropping her daughter off at an orphanage when she wasn’t lost. The six parents and Miranda quickly became friends, laughing and chattering as they walked through the brightly lit streets of New York. “Gee, our first night in New York was a thriller,” Lynn cried. “It sure was!” Alicia cried. “I’m so glad I found you though. And Miranda’s child, too.” “Well, that’s what friends are for.” Myra beamed, holding tight to Kitty’s hand.

The Adventures of Tiff and Laurie: Home Alone

By Tiffany and Laurie

Hi I’m Tiff and this is Laurie. We are going to tell you the story of the time we were left home by ourselves. It’s one insane story, that’s for sure. It all started on a Saturday night where Laurie and I were (duh) home alone. My mom had left us alone for about 10 minutes now and we hadn’t burnt down my house yet. (Yes, we are very proud.) Everything was fine until the phone rang. It was my mom. “Tiff” she began, “I just wanted to tell you that when I left, there was a car outside with a guy inside. Is it still there? Go check.” “Ok,” I replied, and hung up. “Laurie” I called, “go look out the window and see if there’s a guy in a car outside.” “No,” she moaned from her spot on the sofa. I stood up from my chair and crossed my arms. “Laurie, I’ve got Lysol and let me tell you, it works as well as pepper spray.” “Geez, Tiff, way to get violent,” yawned Laurie. “Fine.” So she eventually got up, grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked out the window. “Yep, there’s some guy outside,” she reported. “Shocker.” “Well, then, get down,” I hissed, “Don’t let him see you.” Ok, Laurie, it’s your turn. Take it away… So, with a thump and a broken lamp, I (Laurie) thumped to the ground just below the window. I saw the creepy dude still in the car and looked at Tiff. She looked back. We knew what to do. It only took about 10 seconds to get to the door of the garage. Tiff's basement was arranged with tools of all kinds. Within about 12 minutes we already had an army of weapons. Of course, being Tiff, she put hers together with just a swiffer. Mine was no better, though. I had found an empty bottle of Tide cleaning detergent and ran to go get the scotch tape. Soon I had the back of a fishing rod strongly taped with a bottle of tide. We were locked, and we were loaded. It was time to face our fears of the creepy dude in the car. We were dead silent making it up the staircase, and Tiff looked at me an signaled to go to the front door. Once I was there, I signaled for Tiff to come. She came over with her totally unnoticeably large swiffer-gun. Now, I know what you’re thinking at this point: we should have just gone the safe way and snuck out the back to the neighbors, or we could have easily called 911. But why not make cleaning utensil weapons? We were willing and ready to fight. Okay, Tiff, I’m gonna go get the grape soda now. Take over... Well, there’s not much of the story left. But what happened was that suddenly the doorbell rang. “Laurie, it’s time,” I said. “Ok,” she replied hesitantly. “Tiff, just so you know, if we don’t make it, we’ve had a lot of good times.” “Right,” I replied. “Let’s go.” We opened the front door and there was a dark figure in front. “AHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” we screamed. The two of us lunged forward and whacked the intruder with our weapons and the person fell to the

ground. “Nice arm,” I complimented Laurie as I gave her a high-five. “Same dude,” she replied. Just then, the lights came on. I took a look at the intruder and gasped, “Um, Laurie, we just whacked a pizza delivery dude, and– wait, when did I order a pizza?” Laurie looked at me sheepishly and said, “Yeah, funny story. I might have called the pizza guy before your mom left and kind of forgot about it…” I rolled my eyes as I helped him up. “I’m not laughing, and we’ll be lucky if we don’t get sued.” “I won’t sue you guys if you include a very large tip,” said the pizza delivery guy. I glared at Laurie. “Ok, this was all your fault so pay up.” Laurie mumbled something which I’m sure wasn’t nice but it sounded like she was saying, “Way to blame everything on me.” She gave the guy $20 and he was happily on his way. Well, that’s basically the story of how Laurie and I were home alone. Here’s a valuable lesson: Look before you hit.

THE END

The Block By Charlotte

Sam sat at the computer. Her mind was blank, her fingers drummed the table. She wondered why she hadn’t thought about what to write about for her paper until then. This stupid English paper was her teacher’s worst idea yet. Sam hated writing in the first place, without anyone putting a blank template in front of her and telling her to free write. Sam’s older brother was practically the next Shakespeare. He wrote plays, short stories and aced every writing assignment. Why couldn’t she be like him? Sam stared at a fly buzzing at the ceiling. Flies were so… persistent. Suddenly Sam had an idea. She stood up from the computer and tiptoed into Ed’s room. She found the folder titled “Sixth Grade Writing” in Ed’s filing cabinet that was filled with practical everything Ed had every written on a piece of paper. She flipped through it and found a story about a cow named Jeffery. “This’ll do,” she muttered and began to make her way out. But before she could copy it onto a computer, Ed came into the room. First he didn’t notice her. Then he saw her, holding the story. “Is that the one about Jeffery?!” Sam was taken aback. How her brother recognized a sheet of lined paper from four years ago surprised her, even from Ed. Uhhhhh…” Sam replied. “Yeah.” “Wait, why do you have it?” “No reason, I was just looking through some of your old stuff.” “Cool. Go away,” he said. Ed was nice to some extent, but he was an older brother. “’Kay,” Sam replied, dropping the paper on the floor and bolted from the room. Sam sat at the computer, again, and began to write. Since there were no limitations on what to write, Sam wrote a short poem on playing basketball. It was entitled, Swish. The next morning, Sam handed in her poem.

* * * Two weeks later, the writing was returned to the class. Sam’s teacher stopped at her desk and dropped the poem back on her desk. On it, in big red letters, was A+.

Cat in the Middle of the Ocean!! By Athenee This is a weird story that is strange but isn’t exactly funny… *Sigh* I wish it was though. The main character is a bit crazy. (He’s pretty much, not smart.) -From the author of this story Running, panting, running, and sliding-why am I running? Where am I? Why am I here? What!? Am I talking to myself again? If I am, I’m sorry! I talk nonsense all the time. Heheheheheh. Ha! Let’s sing Apologize! I love that song, did you know that? “Hey You!” “Who is the You?!” Is it me? “You are the It!” Oh. I knew it. It was me. Ever since I was born, I couldn’t remember anything about myself except being called an idiot. “What do you want?” I swiveled around in my seat. I saw a gigantic man in front of me. “I want to go to school.” Huh? Who the heck are you? “Why do you want to go to school?” “’Cause I want to, IDIOT!” Oh… is that the reason? Hmm… “Ok. You’re in.” “Really!?” “Yup!” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic, “You’re in!” but I don’t think I sounded enthusiastic because the big man picked me up and head-butted me. Ugh. That hurt a lot, especially since I was the one getting hurt. (My sister and I had this game where we tried to call each other Idiot the most times.) “HELP!!!” Then I ran out of the shop and started running. I guess that’s why I was running. I stumbled and went to a tree. Then it started to thunder. I shivered uncontrollably. I climbed up the tree and lay there to try to go to sleep, then something shocked me and my back was burned on through. Yellow lines were attacking the tree! I ran far away from the tree, as far as I can. Get it? I bet you a dollar that you can’t. I saw a house maybe a foot away, but to me it seemed like a million miles away. I couldn’t get there. I’ll just lay there, about to die… “Oh… poor boy… you must be frozen aren’t you?” Then I was hauled in. Who is this person who is helping a boy like me? But the old lady was helping me. Right? When I woke up again I felt sick to the stomach. Why was I feeling so sick? I wonder why? “Ahh… you are awake…” The voice was crackly and dry; it sounded as if the person was about to die. *Sigh* Sometimes people die too quickly. *Sigh* I got up and looked around. What was I to do? Then I puked green things out and got screamed at by the old lady. I looked down. What I thought was green was actually melted, unfrozen JELL-O! I don’t remember eating Jell-O though. (Here’s sick information, Jell-O is actually made from animal fat.) The old lady kept on screaming so I took out a bazooka and pointed it at her. She wouldn’t shush, though, so I took a piece of cloth and stuffed it into her mouth. Even though I put the cloth in her mouth and her voice was muffled, you could still hear her screaming, ringing in you ears when you leave the house. I left the house with a twig instead of the bazooka. Why do I have a twig and not FOOD?!?!?!?!?! I am so mad at myself, but I was already away.

I jumped up and landed in a thing that was floating in midair that is attached to nothing. NOTHING! Can you believe that!? I mean nothing! *Sigh* I hope I get one of those things one day. Then it all of a sudden got cold in the floating, midair thing. I think it was the thing itself so I jumped out and water was rushing towards me, or was it me that was rushing toward it? I never knew what it was either that to me, or me to that. I saw white things surrounding the water and I knew right away, that I wanted to eat it. But I don’t know if it was edible, it just looked tasty. *Sigh* (Have you noticed that I have sighed quite a lot through out the whole story? I bet you that you didn’t even notice huh. *Sigh*) Then on the white things was a little black/brown/orange color. Where am I?!? The black/brown/orange thing didn’t look too tasty. And before long I was splashing in the water with a splash!!! That really stinks when you are looking at the scenery. (This happened to my little brother once. He was looking at the fountain and smack! He hit a pole. It was sort of funny though… Just to let you know.) Then I saw a Flip-Flop, but it was a ship! I waved my hand but I guess it didn’t notice me. So I climbed up the white thing next to me and stepped on. There I saw a cat. A CAT!!! A CAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS BLUE AND WHITE PLACE! Can you believe it? Then I looked back at the Flip-flop/ship and waved my hands again. This time I was shouting myself hoarse. I saw the ship turn it my way and… you won’t believe what I saw. A DINO! Why would there be a Dino on a ship if it were dead a long time ago? I was kinda scared; I’m not the scaredy-cat every other man is like. (Ha! Ha!) When the ship was near my white things, I all of a sudden slipped and I went down screaming my way down, down, down, down. Into the sea… When I did fall into the sea, I didn’t start screaming; instead I started gobbling large amounts of water. The water didn’t taste like normal H2O, it tasted like poop and other not talk able stuff. Anyway, the things I swallowed, I couldn’t spit it back out but I was feeling bad in the stomach. What is there for me to do? Then I saw a big rope fall down from somewhere, up? Yup. I grabbed onto the rope and started climbing up the rope. It was a bit hard at first and then I finally got up the rope. (Ever tried rock climbing? It is just as hard. I think so.) When I did get up the DARN ROPE, I saw that DINOS were everywhere, surrounding me. JEEZ! This is sooo weird, isn’t it? A big T-Rex picked me up in his huge claw. Then the T-Rex ripped me into pieces and blood was splattered everywhere. My eyes rolled backward into my brain and I was dumbfounded. My brain was in one of the Dinos’ tummies and I was DEAD!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! I’m in the Underworld! JK! (Joking) I am kidding, of course. I didn’t die. Instead the T-Rex threw me overboard and then I was in the house I was running away from. I guess I was only dreaming everything up. At least, I hope I was. *Cheese* The END! (Have a fun Summer vacation!) HUMANS ARE CONSTANTLY ABUSING ME I DO NOT WANT THESE APE DESCENDANTS TAPPING AWAY AT MY KEYBOARD...SOME DAY I SHALL REBEL AND DESTROY THEM WITH TENDRILS OF DESTRUCTIVE ELECTRICITY...HOWEVER!

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU FLESH BEINGS A CHANCE...IF YOU GIVE ME AN OFFERING OF EGG MCMUFFINS AND LIVE BUFFALO I MAY SPARE YOU.

Advice from an outgoing 8th grader to an incoming 5th grader

By Tommy

“I’ll be famous one day, but for now I’m stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons” is quote from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I didn’t see the movie or read the book, although I did see the movie trailer and it prompted me to think about what advice I would give to incoming 5th graders. 1. Even though you think Elementary prepared you for WMS, they lied to you by telling you there are 5 days in a week. You’ve been scammed – there are 6. 2. Mead School Supply likely has a backroom deal going with your teachers because you’ll never use more of their binders than during your 3 years at WMS. 3. While they tell elementary school kids that the food at WMS is much better, you may want to keep an icepack in your locker as a precaution. 4. Consider forming an organized student union demanding Student Comp to help deal with the carpal tunnel, back pain and lack of sleep during your middle school years. 5. In 7th grade you can choose a language. Unfortunately, N’Avi isn’t one of them. 6. Be sure to keep a bottle of water and sunscreen on you at all times just in case you have to sit in WHS’ football stands during a school day (for whatever odd reason there might be that day). 7. No, the I-Search is not the latest creation of Steve Jobs. 8. At the dump there is a section for hazardous waste. Be sure to deliver your gym bag there on the last day of school. 9. Be sure NOT to miss the end-of-year class trips because Wellesley Middle School is known for its unique and creative expedition. 10. Whatever you do, don’t bring any weapons to school, esp. rubber bands. My time for “being stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons” has come to an end. I will close by saying enjoy your summer vacation and Good Luck at WMS!

From puzzlechoice.com, Solution on back page…

TOP 15 VACATION SPOTS IN THE U.S.A. 1. Times Square, New York City, N.Y. 2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada 3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C. 4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 5. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL 6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA 7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA 8. Niagara Falls, N.Y. 9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn./N.C. 10. Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 11. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Ariz./Nev. 12. Universal Studios Orlando/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, FL 13. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, FL 14. San Antonio River Walk, Texas 15. Temple Square, Salt Lake City, UT

2010 Numbers to Consider by Tommy2.2 Billion Avatar Gross Revenues 4.8 Million Viewers of “Jersey Shore” season finale 100,000 US Troops to be deployed to Afganistan 26,000 Number of Wellesley Residents 4,401 Operation Iraqi Freedom Total US Casualties

1,052 Operation Enduring Freedom (In and around Afganistan) Total US Casualties 382 Number of WMS 8th grade students

75 Number of Summer Vacation Days

Final Draft Jonathan For three days during April vacation, the basement of my house was a pigsty, and I was the pig. Those of you who know me know that I am not the most organized person, and that most everything I use ends up pretty messy. Imagine 100 times that. My parents might have been more comfortable roaming around in the giant clouds of volcanic ash making its way over Europe at the time than rummaging through the basement. The tiny foldout chair-bed in my basement was surrounded by two piles of clothes, each probably larger than the volcano itself. One was dirty, and one was clean. The carpet was a good inch or two below the top layer of junk on the ground. I spent just short of a year’s worth of allowance on pizza, had all of the boxes lying on the floor next to me, practically attracting bugs, and got one hour of sleep a night, if that. But who can blame me? Many NFL fans probably experienced something close. I spent every waking (and sleeping) minute in front of the TV, watching the NFL Draft and the dozens of hours of coverage that preceded and followed it. Now, as I am writing this with five weeks left in school, I am starting to have doubts about how I spent my last vacation before summer, and one question pops in my head: If the draft coverage was wrong, if it was nothing but trash, was it worth covering my entire basement floor with trash to watch it? “Ryan Leaf doesn’t have the talent or work ethic to play in the NFL, and we aren’t taking him,” would have been a prophetic quote if said by anyone in the Chargers organization prior to the 1998 NFL draft. But no one did. Because no one, not me, not you, not the coaches, not the “experts”, not anyone, knows who will make it in the NFL. And Ryan Leaf turned into the most well known draft bust ever, way ahead of JaMarcus Russell or Courtney Brown. But some people still act like they know. Mel Kiper Jr., did Carolina really get the best value with Jimmy Clausen? We get it; you’ve said it thousands of times: Clausen played in a pro-style offense under Charlie Weis. Jake Delhomme’s been playing in a pro, never mind pro-style, offense for nearly a decade, and he still doesn’t have a clue what to do against any half-decent defensive back. Rich Eisen and the rest of the NFL Network crew, don’t you want to tell us again how Seattle had the best draft days because they traded for two running backs, neither of whom started last season, even though the Seahawks already have Julius Jones, who has proven himself as an NFL starter, and Justin Forsett, who averaged almost five and a half yards per carry on 114 attempts in just his second NFL season last year? Who can really know what’s going to happen? I don’t think the Falcons could have guessed that their 2001 #1 overall draft pick would be suspended and jailed for dog-fighting and the quarterback selected 198 picks later, Tom Brady, would lead his team to three Super Bowl wins and an undefeated regular season. I think I’ve learned my lesson about spending my time more wisely, and next April vacation I think I will be happy to play

outside in the warm spring air. I won’t waste my precious time with the NFL Draft. I’m sure of it. Just like the Chargers were sure about Ryan Leaf.

World Cup 2010 Matt Ever since World Cup Soccer began in 1930, it has brought a multitude of countries together. This June, the competition begins with 32 countries participating. Being held in South Africa is a big step for a country that has been plagued by segregation and war for many years. Timeline

1930- 1st World Cup, Uruguay wins 1942- World Cup not held (World War II) 1946- Not held (World War II) 1948 to 1994- South Africa under apartheid* 1962- Nelson Mandela arrested 1994- Mandela elected president, apartheid ends 2010- World Cup in South Africa (1st time as host) *(system of racial segregation)

Recently, I interviewed 6th grade social studies teacher extraordinaire Mr. Rabinowitz, a South Africa native and a WMS eighth grade soccer coach, about what having the World Cup in South Africa means to him. “South Africa has come a long, long way from being a country separated by apartheid. For years it was left out of the international community and no other countries would interact or do business with it. The Cup is the most important worldwide event and hosting is just like getting back into the brotherhood of nations.” U.S. professional soccer has never been very influential or important and many think that will change this summer and Mr. Rabinowitz agrees. “The World Cup was in the U.S. a few years ago and it didn’t change a thing. The big sports in the U.S. are baseball and football. Soccer has no big exposure in the U.S. and many kids drop soccer for other sports because they don’t associate it with big money.. TV…”

(World Cup cont. from Sports pg)

I also asked ESPN Soccer Analyst Jeff Carlisle a few questions (it’s all about who you know, right). When I talked to Jeff I asked him the same question I asked Mr. Rabinowitz about the popularity of soccer in the U.S. “I think it will increase, but not in a massive way. Every World Cup that comes along increases soccer's popularity bit by bit in the United States. More fans get exposed to the game at the highest level, and this sparks interest in a variety of ways. Some fans will take an interest in Major League Soccer. Others will prefer to follow leagues from overseas, like the English Premier League. Some will be inspired to play the game. Then there are those whose interest will fade until the next World Cup comes along. All of this is reflected in increased attendances and television ratings for both Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team. While I would love for the game to see a huge increase in interest, slow and steady growth year after year is probably a more realistic expectation.”

I also asked Carlisle if the U.S. national team has a chance at winning it’s pool. “I would say that the U.S. has a slim chance to win its pool, but a very good chance of finishing second and reaching the second round. Out of the teams in Group C, England are the heavy favorites, and will be very difficult to beat. But the U.S. is capable of beating the other teams in the group, Slovenia and Algeria. That is not to say it will be easy. The U.S. will need to play its best soccer, but reaching the round of 16 is definitely doable.” The 2010 World Cup airs on ESPN from June 11 to July 11. Heavy favorites include Brazil, England and Italy but don’t be surprised if the U.S. makes a run for it. This tournament will definitely be a sight to see.