The Potato Paper
BRMS 2014 to 2015 - by Aryanna
The Prize
That's when I found other friends that I could perform with. They had an idea to perform, and we eventually found more people to join us. After forming a group of 8, as a joke, we called ourselves the Smarticle Particles. After about a week, we decided we hated that name. But every week, we dedicated ourselves to practicing our songs.
After a nervous audition, we waited weeks for the results to be posted. Ms. Pratt was taking a while to determine between 2 people. Only 12 groups would make it in this performance. We checked her door three times a day, once in the morning, once after lunch, and once after 8th period. Eventually, we were excited to learn that we made it in! We couldn't be happier!
After numerous more practices, the day of the show came by in a flash. While we were up on the stage, behind the curtain in the darkness, I heard some of my friends say that they were nervous. I remember reassuring them that there was nothing to worry about, and that this was all meant to be fun.
When we performed, I wasn't too scared at first. The lights were in my eyes, so I couldn't exactly see the crowd. Then I came to a realization; people were recording this! If I messed up, future me, all of my relatives, and all of my friends would see me mess up on stage! But the worst part was the drum stick trick at the end. Although tricks are cool, they are a risk for dropping your sticks. The whole time, I debated whether I should add in the trick or not. Last time I had tried the trick, my stick flew out of my hand and almost broke my friend's viola. What if it hits someone in the face? But then, I saw the faces and heard the cheers of people that I had known for years. Without thinking, I spun my stick, and those cheers got louder immediately, along with clapping. When we had finally ended the song, I couldn't have felt prouder of my group.
When exiting the stage, we were all relieved that it was over. That's when my friend said "We're totally gonna win that prize guys!" It was at that moment when she realized that the talent show didn't have a winner. But in a way, we all won that night. We won the prize of knowing that we put on a great show.
Come to Hershey Park Today!
Buy a Grapple!
Pencils for Everyone!
Little Einsteins
About a week before, Mr. Donahoe explained to us how the rockets worked. We were learning about these rockets as part of our space unit. It was literally rocket science, but it was the "Ducky horsey" version. As we watched him build the rocket, he explained everything. There were certain fuels that made the rocket propel higher, and there were also lots of wires and precautions that needed attention. Mr. Donahoe explained how you didn't want to accidentally push a button on the control pad. That's when he pushed a button, with an "oops". The whole class was horrified, waiting for the rocket to make a decent-sized hole in the ceiling. With a shocked class, Mr. Donahoe laughed, claiming that the wires weren't connected so the rocket wouldn't launch. That was the meanest thing he's ever done to us, but it was funny at the same time. As he finished his explanation, he made everything look super easy, but that wasn't the case.
We raced outside to start launching in the cool, cloudy air. None of us could wait, we could finally start launching the rockets! In no time, we reached the track as Mr. Donahoe set up the rocket launching pad. After watching him, we formed a perfect circle around so everyone could see. People took turns setting up the rocket, and pressing the launch button. I didn't want to do either because I knew something would go wrong as soon as my hands touched something. With my luck, the rocket would have launched in the direction of the kids playing lacrosse nearby. I decided it would be in my best interest to help retrieve the rockets instead.
Eventually, the whole class was eagerly counting down, like a group of people counting for New Year's. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" The rocket was delayed a bit, so we stood their confused for a few seconds. Then, all of the sudden, the most magnificent event happened. A sound, like a mini jet, came out of the bottom of the rocket. Our heads whipped up as the rocket shot up like a firework. We watched it ascend into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind. The smell of burning fuel was in the air as we watched the rocket gradually become smaller. Soon, it had disappeared into the smokey-looking gray skies. This had to be the most difficult part of rocket retrieving, finding the rocket in the air as it landed.
Soon after, we spotted a tiny floating object with a parachute, hundreds of feet above us. The rocket retrieval team raced in the direction of the rocket, while some confused people still looked for the object in the sky. One kid tried to jump over fence of the track, causing him to fall over and fail, so we let him get the rocket.
This went on for countless more times, and each time was just as exciting as the last. On this cool, crisp, spring day, we were having so much fun. Some of my friends joked that the rocket was the rocket of the Little Einsteins, and that we had to join them. We sang the theme song as the rocket flew into the clouds, and we never wanted it to end.
The Fruit Stand
But somewhere, somehow, the fruit stand will live on...
TO BE CONTINUED
Pun of the Day:
Firestix: Light up Drumsticks
Calcul8ers
Plan a vacation to Universal Studios today!
Letter to the Editor
As a student at BRMS, I agree that this is a great school! I've had so much fun here, yet at the same time, I've learned so much. Although this is an amazing school, I have to admit that there should be some changes at BRMS. These changes include the time between classes, the cell phone policy, and rehearsals. With these changes, the school could be even better than before.
Here at BRMS, it is vital for us to get to class on time. But how is this possible when we only have 3 minutes to get from class to class? The teachers always tell us that the bell doesn't dismiss us, they do. If this is the case, and the teachers don't dismiss students right away, they have a greater chance of being late. Also, if students have classes from one side of the building to the other, how are they supposed to get to class on time? Students shouldn't have to break the rules of running through the hallways to get to class on time. If teachers really want to prevent running through the hallways, then we need more time to change classes. Sure, some teachers might understand that the kids come from the other side of the school. But how are substitutes, or new teachers, supposed to know this information? The time between classes is a big problem at the school.
Another thing that should be changed at BRMS is the cell phone policy. Yes, students definitely should not have their phones in class. It is distracting to them, and the students around them. But what about the hallways? If there was really an emergency happening in the school, kids could contact their parents if there was something bad happening. Some students will contact their parents after an emergency, but it still leaves parents extremely worried about their kids. All students have to do in the hallways is walk, and occasionally get some books from their locker. There is no actual work that students would be distracted by besides getting to class. If there is no distraction, then phones should be allowed. There are plenty of good reasons to have phones in school.
One last thing that I would recommend changing at BRMS is the rehearsal schedules. There are some days where I don't want to go to rehearsal because I have an important presentation or project. Unfortunately, the students in music program can only miss rehearsal for a test. When we miss our classes for orchestra, sometimes what we miss is just as important as a test. It isn't fair if two people are presenting a project, but only one presents the work because of rehearsal. Imagine someone who has a project that they can only work on school, and they have one more day to finish. Now imagine that they got a lower grade on their project because of rehearsal. To solve this project, rehearsals should either be held before or after school, or people should be able to miss rehearsals for these reasons. If this was done here at BRMS, it would make teacher's lives easier when it comes to presenting or other important events.
BRMS is an amazing school, and it really does make an impact on students each day. But with the changes of more time between classes, a better cell phone policy, and improved rehearsal excuses, this school can be even more extraordinary. The students, and possibly even the teachers, will have a better experience here at BRMS. A better experience will lead to students wanting to show up at school every day, excited to be here and eager to learn. Making these changes will bring nothing but good to our school.