Spring Edition 2019
2 Truths and a Lie: English and Social Studies Teachers
by Lily O' Daly and Eliza Levitt
Mrs. Casale- 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher
1. She sang the National Anthem at a New York Islanders
game and a New York Mets game.
2. She can waterski on one ski.
3. She has been to all 7 continents.
Mrs. Happe- 8th Grade English Teacher
1. She has gone rock climbing and zip lining
in the treetops in Ketchikan, Alaska.
2. She has a dedication "shout out" in a rap video
and has dined with Celine Dion.
3. She was a professional chef in an N.Y.C. restaurant
before becoming a teacher.
Miss. Anglim- 8th Grade English Teacher
1. In high school, she played field hockey in the Suffolk County District championship game.
2. She went scuba diving over Winter Break.
3. She has traveled to California 3 times.
Mrs. Miller- 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher
1. She was born in another country.
2. She plays the snare drum.
3. She once licked a slug.
Ms.Waterman- 7th Grade English Teacher
1. One summer she volunteered at an animal shelter in Hawaii.
2. She loves to go white water rafting in the summer.
3. She was the MVP of her high school badminton team.
Ms. Dorsa- 6th Grade English and Social Studies Teacher
1. She met former New York Yankees’ center fielder Mickey Rivers before a game. He said he’ll hit a home run for her, and he did, right where she was sitting.
2. She played softball in college and broke the record for the most hits in a season.
3. She was chosen by a magician to come up on stage to participate in the "sawing a woman in half" magic trick.
Mrs. Canning- 6th Grade English and Social Studies Teacher
1. She ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC
2. She lived in London, England for two years.
3. She interned with the Police Department her senior year of college.
Mrs. Guarnashelli- 7th Grade English Teacher
2. Her kids and husband speak German at home.
3. She won a national singing competition when she was in college.
Mr. Chlystun- 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher
1. He has rode a camel to the pyramids of Egypt.
2. He failed the 11th grade social studies regents exam.
3. Mrs. Casale was his 8th grade social studies teacher.
Mrs. Bilich- Social Studies Teacher
1. When she was in high school, she worked in a factory
packaging dog bones for an import company.
2. Mr. Joyce (science teacher) was her student.
3. She spent a semester in college living and going to school in Australia.
Behind the Scenes
A look behind the scenes at our writers and editors hard at work. Great job!
The Spring Musical Revue!
This fun-filled, crazy, production had you moving in NO TIME!! You’ll be walking on sunshine as soon as you see what these rockin’ kids have to offer! Musical numbers including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Thriller,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and “Footloose” featured in spectacular site!
But…even though it looks easy on the outside, these young performers have spent countless hours practicing and rehearsing. Every day of the week they are up on that stage, dancing, and singing for two and a half hours and when the show was coming close, they sometimes went to four hours! If you are interested in either singing or dancing, you should definitely join the Spring Musical Revue next year! If not, you should absolutely buy tickets next time-- it was AMAZING! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Go 80s!
Berner Idol Review
by Tara Villalba and Nicholas Miscara
On January 31st, 2019, the Long Island Radio station, 106.1 BLI, held its annual idol competition, Berner Idol. Berner Idol is a singing competition for all grades in Berner, ranging from grades 6-8! The Berner students sing songs from artists such as Bruno Mars and Loren Allred.
Tickets were sold for $10 each at all Berner lunch periods; however, there was an afternoon announcement on the day before the show, telling students tickets were sold out. So next time, make sure to be by the ticket concession stand early during your lunch period. Otherwise, you’ll be disappointed to not have the chance to hear all the beautiful, dazzling voices in the show. In addition to getting early tickets, the waiting line for the competition might be excruciatingly long. But it only starts getting long when it’s closer to the time for the doors to open, which is 5:45. So if you want front row seats to cheer on your classmates, a suggestion is to arrive outside of Berner earlier than everyone else. That way, you’ll get the seat that you desire in the Berner auditorium.
Here is a list of all the Berner Idol contestants for this year; all organized in grade-level, and alphabetical-order of their last names. This list includes the songs they sang as well:
6th grade:
Laila Adamo- “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande
Lana Angiulo- “Hey Soul Sister” by Train
Austin Benedict- “Fireflies” by Owl City
Tyler Benedict- “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
Isabella Corigliano- “Love Story” by Taylor Swift
Brayden Ford- “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat
Sofia Maran- “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainor
Kendra Moran- “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Munro- “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri
Ava Perakaris- “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie, “Moana”
Mason Taylor- “I’ll Never Love Again” by Lady Gaga
and Kaitlyn Warde- “Stitches” by Shawn Mendes
7th Grade:
Nicoletta Alcamo- “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten
Abigail Colfer- “Home” by Phillip Phillips
Delaney Diaz- “Remeny” by Zedd
Nicoletta Foresta- “My Immortal” by Evanescence
Keira Hanley- “Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King
Jack Holden- “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
Julianna Holmes- “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles
Anna Izquierdo- “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar
Emily Reynolds- “Someone Like You” by Adele
Nolan Tucker- “When I’m 64” by The Beatles
Grace Viene- “A Team” by Ed Sheeran
and Isabella Vonnes- “All of Me” by John Legend
8th grade:
Sophia Aivaliotis- “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
Sofia Almendarez- “Rise Up” by Andra Day
Daniella Anastasio- “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
Samantha Cabitac- “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars
Sophia Diaz- “Piece By Piece” by Kelly Clarkson
Jesse Findling- “Grenade” by Bruno Mars
Maya Hassett- “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera
Carissa Isolano- “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse
Hannah Molloy- “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga
Gabby Pezzuto- “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin
Erin Stanley- “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders
and Arianna Surrow- Hopelessly Devoted to You by Olivia Newton John
There was also a special performance by last year’s 6th grade winner, Antonia Buscemi, who sang, “Never Enough” from the movie, The Greatest Showman. The ending result of that performance was an unforgettable experience that left some of the audience jumping out of their seats.
In fact, all of the performances by these wonderful young musicians were breathtaking. So we would all like to take great consideration into all of those involved in the production of Berner Idol. All of the people in the audience were in pure delight cheering on for their classmates as they sing and had their best stage performances.
The competition contains two rounds. Each contestant needs to sing their hearts out when performing onstage for both rounds. The judges determine on how well an individual contestant had performed for both rounds. So, if you see one of the contestants have a dazzling performance for both of the rounds, there might be a high possibility of one winning the competition for their grade. Congratulations to the 3 winners: Isabella Corigliano (6th grade), Emily Reynolds (7th grade), and Erin Stanley (8th grade).
Berner Idol
by Nicholas Muscara
So, you may be thinking, what is “Berner Idol,” and why is everyone making such a big deal about it? Well, I was thinking the same thing. After all, what exactly is Berner Idol?
Berner Idol is a competition for Berner students to impress judges with their singing skills. The Berner Auditorium turned into a huge stage with bright lights everywhere!
Berner Idol is a singing competition for all grades in Berner, ranging from grades 6-8! The Berner students sing from artists such as Bruno Mars and Loren Allred. The students are put on a stage where they sing in front of all their friends and family and even a real radio station! Once you get seated, the credits roll and you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! Your experience will be great, trust me!
Berner Goes to Adventureland!
by Teresa Greene and Eliza Levitt
Berner Middle School will be going to Adventureland on Friday, May 3rd. If you didn’t know, Adventureland closes out the park just for Berner, so the only people that will be there are Berner students, the Berner staff, and the Adventureland staff!
Students attending the trip are allowed to walk around the park with their friends. They do not have to stay with their class or with a group.
There are rides, games, and food to buy so make sure to bring money with you if you want to participate in everything! Be aware that there are water rides.
If you have never visited Adventureland, here are descriptions of some of the rides. All information is from the official Adventureland website and personal opinions.
Musik Express
Must be over 48 inches to ride.
Adventureland description: Blast around up and down on the Musik Express. The steep hills create a coaster feeling and the gravity brings riders together making it a great group experience.
My description: Riders should sit with the heaviest person closest to the outside because when you spin, you are all forced to lean on that person. Music plays as you spin. The “track” moves in a circle and slightly up and down.
Wave Swing
Must be over 48 inches to ride alone.
Adventureland description: Dangle and fly high in the sky on the Wave Swing
My description: The Wave Swing is a very fun ride. You will go high in the sky and spin around. Make sure you don’t wear shoes that fall off easily while riding this ride because the may fall off.
Pirate Ship
Must be Over 54 inches to ride alone.
Adventureland description: Sail the seas with the Pirates of Adventureland on the Pirate Ship
My description: The pirate ship is fun, as long as you don’t get sick easily. I get sick easily, so I sit towards the middle and it isn’t as rough as sitting on the end. If you want a big thrill, sit on the end!
Turbulence
Must be over 48" to ride or Over 44" with an adult.
Adventureland Description: Twirl and Spin on Long Island's largest and only spinning coaster
Seventh grader Eliza Levitt says, “Turbulence is a great roller coaster at Adventureland. If you easily become nauseous during rides then this isn’t the one for you. It spins around and you can get extremely dizzy. At one point, you turn sideways! Even though this sounds scary, it is very enjoyable.”
There are plenty of other rides at Adventureland. If you want to see others, go to the Adventureland website or look up videos online. Have fun at Adventureland!
Anonymous Adrianna
by Elizabeth Terranova
Dear Anonymous Adrianna,
All of my friends are into sports and they play soccer together on the same team, and I would like to play with them, but sports aren't really my thing and I’m not very athletic. I want to hang out with them, but I don’t enjoy sports. Do you have any ideas on how I can stay active and still see my friends throughout the spring?
From,
Not Into Sports
Dear Not Into Sports.
It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. There are plenty of people who love sports and plenty who don’t (including myself). When my neighbors come over and they want to play sports, I am the water girl and commentator for the neighborhood flag football or running bases games, and that's more fun for me than running and competing. I’m involved and I’m having fun making everybody laugh without running around and sweating. There are a lot of physical activities you can do where you don’t have to feel pressured to win. Such as riding your bike, outdoor chalk, or jump rope. Maybe one of these is more your speed.
From,
Anonymous Adrannia.
Dear Anonymous Adrianna,
My sisters are so annoying. Whenever they do something wrong, my parents hardly notice or they don't notice at all and my sisters almost never get in trouble. When I do something wrong, my parents magically are alert and know every little detail of what I did, even if they weren't there! I get into so much trouble and then my father lectures me about setting a good example for my younger sisters. It’s so unfair! I feel like we’re not being treated equally. What can I do to make my parents understand what is really going on?
From,
I Get Blamed for Everything.
Dear I Get Blamed for Everything,
Sometimes, as the oldest sibling, we can feel like more is expected of us, even if our younger siblings aren’t even that much younger. I get what you are experiencing, because I have felt the same way. Now I’m going to ask you a question, but don’t freak out. Is it possible that things are not actually as unfair as they seem? Sometimes when we get upset and frustrated, the situation can appear more dramatic than it really is. I’m not saying this is necessarily true for you, but think about for a minute. At any rate, as the oldest sibling, if you are being held more responsible for the sibling relationships in your family, then you should use your status as the oldest to have a mature, heart-to-heart with your parents. Without whining or complaining, tell them how you really feel. If you are calm and respectful when you explain your feelings, they will listen to you. Plus, they love you and your siblings, and truly want everyone to get along. Hopefully, your family can work together to understand this issue and fix it.
From, Anonymous Adrianna
ADOPTING A RABBIT: WHAT RABBITS NEED AND TIPS FOR CARING FOR YOUR RABBIT
by Charlotte Focarazzo
Rabbits are amazing animals. They’re wild animals and can also be domesticated pets. Rabbits live about 8-10 years as pets, but less than three years in the wild. If you’re thinking about getting a pet rabbit, think again! Even though they’re fun and adorable, it’s a big responsibility.
TYPES OF RABBITS
There are many different types of rabbits, all with their own unique features. The Flemish Giant is a huge rabbit, about the size of a dog. The small, Netherland Dwarf has short ears. The Lionhead rabbit’s fur looks like a lion’s mane. The sweet, American Rabbit is a very popular breed. No matter what breed of rabbit your family is deciding to adopt, they all need love and good care.
Can you guess which rabbit breed at the top of this article? The answer will be at the bottom of the article!
RABBIT’S BASIC NEEDS
A rabbit’s diet is a very important part of their health. They need fresh water every day, and lots of hay should be kept in their hutch or cage (Timothy Hay is a good choice). You should also have a bowl of healthy hay pellets for your rabbit to munch on in their cage. They can be given a treat every day, like a carrot or fresh lettuce leaves. Before feeding your new pet rabbit food you are unsure they can eat, do some research. You should use a few trustworthy sources, such as a book or the internet, to make sure they can eat it. You don’t want them getting sick!
Have a someone clean out your rabbit’s cage every week. Make sure your rabbits also have a litter box to go to the bathroom in.
Here’s a fun fact. Did you know that rabbit’s teeth never stop growing? This means that it’s important for them to always have something to chew on. You can give your rabbits the empty roll of toilet paper or paper towels.
Some people don’t know where to keep their rabbit. If they live in an outside hutch, make sure they have enough hay to keep them cozy in the winter, and a fenced-in area for them to play in each day. If your rabbit lives indoors, make sure there are no wires plugged in and no toys on the floor when they run around. There shouldn’t be things that could fall on them, or they could pull down. Put your plants, small items, and valuables up high. However, you still need to keep an eye on them. They may try to chew on your carpet!
VETERINARIAN
Rabbits need to get their nails clipped often, at least once every four to five weeks. They also need check ups at least twice a year. If you notice signs that your rabbit may be unhealthy, take them to the vet right away.
MORE PETS
Do you want a rabbit, but you already have a pet? Well, if you have a pet such as a fish, that wouldn’t really matter. But if you already have a dog, cat, or another animal that runs around your house all day, a rabbit is not the best choice. Rabbits and other animals need lots of care and attention. If you have a dog, you have to make sure your rabbit and your dog would get along. With a cat, it’s the same thing, although most cats probably wouldn’t get along with rabbits. Sure, you see dogs and bunnies on the internet cuddled up together, but some breeds just won’t do well with rabbits. Also, most dogs, have their own unique personality. So, before bringing a rabbit in your home, think; will having a dog and a rabbit work in your home? If so, ask your parents if your dog and rabbit can safely meet each other before making a decision.
If you want two rabbits, it’s best to adopt a male and a female. You and your family should research more to make sure adopting another pet will work out.
FINAL DECISION
So, rabbits are cute and fuzzy, but a lot of work. So, do you think you can handle a pet rabbit? Talk about it with your family, and see if you could make adopting a rabbit happen!
RESEARCHING RABBITS
For further research on pet rabbits, and wild rabbits, visit these links!
What Rabbit Breed Is This? Answer: Flemish Giant
The Mixed Up Fairy Tale
by Eliza Levitt
Not that long ago and not too far away lived a young girl named Annabeth. She lived in a small village with her dad. Her grandma unfortunately got eaten by a wolf. Yes, she was the grandma in “The Little Red Riding Hood.” You know, the one that the wolf got dressed up as? Yes, that was her. Anyways, Annabeth loves to read. She has read almost every book in the library! She is the biggest bookworm in town! Annabeth’s dad is an inventor; He invents the most interesting products.
One day, Annabeth’s dad was going to a convention to show off some of his newest inventions. He got on his horse and headed on his way. “Goodbye father! Please don’t get lost!” said Annabelle concerned. Annabeth’s father almost always gets lost. On his way there, he made a wrong turn and got lost in the woods. All of a sudden, he heard something rustling in the bushes. “Hello? Is anyone there?” he asked with a look of fear on his face. In the blink of an eye, a wolf turned up out of nowhere. “Oh hello! Were you looking for me? I know I am a great actor. Did you see me when I tricked that little girl that I was her grandma? That was hilarious!” said the wolf who was smiling from ear to ear.
“Wait a second…. I recognize you. You are that inventor! Oh, my friend is at that convention!” said the wolf with a look of greed on his face.
“Oh golly! Do you know where the convention is from here? I was on my way there and made a few wrong turns. Can you please help me?” replied Annabeth’s father who was extremely relieved.
“Oh of course! Just keep going straight from here. They moved the convention to a tall tower instead.” Annabeth’s dad look extremely relieved. “Thank you! I am so glad I found you.” said Annabeth’s dad as he trotted away on his horse.
“Oh…. I am glad I found you too!” replied the wolf quietly while smiling an evil grin.
Finally, Annabeth’s dad arrived to the tall tower. He thought that this was an unusual place to hold the convention. It wasn’t that big and there were no people around. He knocked on the door and no one answered. He knocked again and still, no answer. Suddenly, long blonde hair waved down the building. “Hey! Just hold on to my hair and I’ll bring you up here!” said a girl in the tower.
Annabeth’s dad was confused. “Um, is this the convention?”
The girl hesitated. “Um…. yeah it is!” replied the girl.
Annabeth’s dad hesitated. The voice sounded different the second time. Annabeth’s dad grabbed onto the girl’s hair. The girl slowly lifted her hair up. As he got closer to the tower, he could hear the girl whispering to someone. He couldn’t hear them very clearly but he heard “... hide…..trick…...capture….” As Annabeth’s dad heard all of this, he tried to come up with an escape plan, but he was too late. He reached the top of the tower, stepped into the tower through the little window and looked around curiously. He didn’t see anyone. He then looked carefully and saw a shadow. Suddenly, the shadow disappeared. He looked around, nervously. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps. He was shivering in fear as the footsteps were getting closer and closer, louder and louder. He tried to scream for help, but someone grabbed him before he could.
TO BE CONTINUED……..
Dragon Kingdom Volume 2
by Kailey Burns
Alessiya was surrounded by flames, choking out smoke in agonizing coughs. Her eyes stung. She scampered down the hallway, hearing screams of the palace workers. She dashed out the door, just as the palace entrance gave in. Tons of charred stone and wood came tumbling down. Alessiya turned around in horror and saw the collapse for a few moments before something hit her in the head. Immediately, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Lilac was running faster than she had ever in her whole life. She needed to get away from the castle as soon as possible. The last hour replayed in her mind like a horror movie, but it was real. How could everything have gone from being perfectly normal, to this? She was supposed to be aiding the princess in the castle, but now… The princess! As far as she knew, the royal family was gone. Completely. Buried under charred rubble. Lilac squeezed her eyes shut and hoped that Princess Alessiya was alright. Her mind continued to show what she wished to unsee: the palace crumbling into ash and rubble. Red dragons, she had heard of them before. Stormbreaker, their leader, had led an unsuccessful raid on the Fire Realm Leader’s home. The 13 dragons were banished into exile, but apparently, their hunger for power never went away. Lilac had heard that the dragons would do anything for power-even overthrow the Sky Palace, the ruling palace of all of the dragons in the 5 realms. As she gracefully landed on a soft patch of grass, she took one last look at the charred remains of the palace. She turned to face what was in front of her. A large forest, the realm of the forest dragons. Lilac felt chills run down her spine, only the well-hidden forest dragons who lived in this realm were able to navigate through the trees and plants of the forest safely. The Great Forest was what it was called. Great, maybe it should be called enormous! Lilac thought. Every dragon knew he forest was over a hundred miles wide. Everyone always said, “You’re nuts if you think you can get out of there alive.” Suddenly, Lilac heard flapping in the distance, and she saw gleaming red scales. They’re probably looking for dragons from the castle, she thought. Despite all of the warnings, despite every tale told about dragons who went into the forest and never came out, Lilac took a deep breath and stepped into the forest. She thought to herself, What am I getting myself into?
Juniper was the kingdom’s gardener. Native to the Forest realm, he naturally knew all of the plants and how to care for them. He was devastated, his hard work was burning to ashes. He turned away, now wasn’t the time. He had to warn the governor before Stormbreaker, and his new army of followers, (Who had just suddenly come out of the shadows to stand at his side) took over every realm. Juniper continued his trek around the side of the mountain, he would be seen in the air. He could just see the Forest realm, with it’s beautiful trees. People called him crazy, but he'd always wanted to go in there. It wasn't his fault! He was a forest dragon himself, given the honor to tend to the king and queen’s garden. Suddenly, a voice made him stop in his tracks. “Halt! And just where do you think your going?” Juniper froze and slowly turned around. 3 large Fire dragons towered over him. “I know this one!” One of them said. “He’s the king’s gardener!” “Was,” another one corrected. “You know what Stormbreaker said,” The first one spoke, a sickening grin on his face. Please, no! Juniper thought. “If you find anyone from the kingdom, don’t let them live.
Yeah, yeah, we get the point,” the second one said, clearly he heard this rule repeated many times.
“So you know what that means,” the first one continued. Juniper was frozen in panic. “No no… please-” His pleas were cut of by a loud slash. Juniper fell to the ground, absolutely still.
Alessiya was woken up with pain in her head, surrounded by green. A distant voice, an old dragon probably, spoke, “Child? Child!” Another voice joined it, another old dragon. “Hush, Fern. Don’t bother her. She’s been through a terrible ordeal already.” More muttering, Alessiya couldn’t really hear… She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was natural colors… she was in a cabin… kinda stuffy….. The dragon “Fern’s” voice snapped her awake.
“What is your name child?” “A-Alessiya,” She replied, weak. The two old dragons, one bright emerald, the other colored sage, gasped in shock. “The princess,” the Sage colored one spoke, clearly he was shocked, but why? Alessiya nodded, confused. “I-I need to find my family,” Alessiya said, gaining her strength. The two old dragons looked at each other, awkward, grave, and not knowing how to say whatever it was they wanted to say. Finally, the emerald dragon spoke. “T-the royal family…...they’re gone. As far as the entire kingdom knows, you’re the only survivor.”
Sweet Spring
by Jillian Matone
Spring is the season for rain and sun;
Spring is fun for everyone.
It is the time to jump and play;
Also, for hanging with friends all day.
The dogs are happy and shout with a bark;
as they are running around in the park.
The trees are swaying from side to side;
as the wind blows taking the leaves for a ride.
The flowers are growing with swarming bees;
and all the kids are wearing their tees.
Spring is fun, spring is cool!
Spring rules!
Poem
by Teresa Greene
Her tail wags like a windshield wiper;
her tongue hangs fifty feet out of her jaw.
When I play with her she is very hyper;
she stares at her treats in awe.
I say, “Do you want to go on a walk?”
She jumps like a bunny.
She tilts her head as I talk,
I find it really funny.
She loves the snow when it’s cold;
she loves to chew her bone.
She is seven years old;
but has spent one year in our home.
When she wants water;
she hits her bowl and looks.
And since the first day we got her;
She wants to eat what my mom cooks.
Suki is her name;
she is a rescued beagle mix.
Kentucky is from where she came;
she’s so smart and we taught her many tricks!
Scenery
by Maya Zaidman
Scenery: the natural features of a landscape considered in terms of their appearance, especially when picturesque.
(Source: Google Dictionary)
Irene sat, writing a new tune inspired by her surroundings- the trees that danced along with the wind, the flowers that swayed left to right. The waterfall flowing as the water drops jump out and onto the grass next to the water.
All in one perfect beat.
She imagined a clear metronome sound in her head, and tapped her foot along with the beat of the waterfall.
Irene closed her eyes,
playing the melody in her head.
The sound of the piano ringing in her ears.
She let her fingers glide along her handwritten notes as she played the invisible piano.
But to Irene, the piano wasn't invisible, as she could see it so clearly in her mind, and hear the sounds so perfect.
The scenery, like candy to the eye.
The smell of nature filling her nose.
She never wanted to leave such a calming place.
____________
Story inspired by Scenery: sang by Kim Taehyung (V) of BTS.
COMIC BY COOPER ARBISI
Comic by Gianna DiLucci
Comic
We Need More Sleep
by Jamie Stoll
How much sleep do you think the average student needs? Kids ages 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep. I don’t know about you, but I barely get 8 hours of sleep. I mean seriously. . . why should we be awake when the sun isn't up? Our education can and probably is suffering because we’re not getting enough sleep. Instead of focusing on our school work, we’re closing our eyes trying to sleep. We wake up early 5 days a week for 10 months. We need more sleep because sleep is healthy. We either have bags under our eyes, or go to bed early without finishing our schoolwork. Our health would be better if school started later so we can get more sleep. A school in Seattle moved their start times from 7:50 in the morning to 8:45 in the morning. Researchers found that the students got about 34 more minutes of sleep! The students who got more rest than the others, saw a 4.5 percent jump in their final grade, had better attendance, and less tardiness. All in all, sleep is extremely important. So, even if your school has an earlier open, it’s best to get a good night’s sleep-- your brain will thank you!
Should More Classrooms Use Technology?
This is a topic readers have debated many times. Some think going digital is better, and others think it is not a good idea and want to stay offline. Almost 2/3 of students prefer to use a computer. Going digital in our classrooms has been a great opportunity to make education better and healthier for the environment. The digital community has created sites and downloads that help us become educated and there are various websites that can help teach students.
Some say there shouldn’t be more digital-based classrooms due to the fact that students can be opening distracting websites. In addition, they believe teachers can’t watch what their students are all doing online at once; however, since Berner Middle School uses technology in the classrooms SO much, we already have solutions to these problems.
School districts can block websites on school devices so students won’t be able to go on them. Teachers can also watch students’ online activity via Hapara. Hapara allows teachers to monitor students’ activity, see what they are doing on their computers, and even take students off websites they shouldn’t be on. Overall, students activity can be monitored, and therefore classrooms should use technology.
Also, technology is good for our classrooms because it encourages other people to create websites that can help teach classrooms, and this is great because everyone can get a say in helping the younger part of our population learn. There are many websites created by everyday people that help teach something to others. Some websites that classrooms could use are sites like TCI History Alive which is a website about ancient history, NoRedInk which helps teach grammar skills, Quizlet which helps kids create study sets for practice, and Smartmusic which can be used to practice music and see what students can improve on in a song. Additionally, many teachers use websites such as: Peardeck for interactive learning, padlet for closures, Kahoot! And Quizzes for reviews.. . and MANY more! These websites can be a real benefit to classrooms and can help teach the future generations, too.
In conclusion, having more technology in classrooms is beneficial for both students and teachers. It can also be a great benefit for people who want to help educate the future in their own way through technology. Technology is a great invention that we have created, and we should take advantage of it and use as much as needed. As students, we appreciate all the technology we get to use at Berner Middle School each and every day!
7th Grade Boys Basketball Roster and Stats
Games
Berner 38-35 Plainedge
Plainview 26-52 Berner
Berner (O.T) 53-50 Mattlin
Island Trees 23-59 Berner
Hicksville 25-51 Berner
Berner 44-34 Merrick
Berner 47-23 Salk
Berner 66-60 Woodland
Wisdom Lane (O.T) 69-72 Berner
Berner 78-49 Grand Ave.
Grand Ave. 59-79 Berner
Roster+Stats
Key
*= Practice player only played in 4 games
PG= Point Guard
SG= Shooting Guard
SF= Small Forward
PF= Power Forward
C= Center
PPG= Points Per Game ( Average)
Ast= Assists per game
RPG= Rebounds
BLK= Blocks per game
# 4 PF : Paul Dulanto PPG: 3.6 RPG: 7.5 Ast: 3.1
# 5 SF : Joe Swinarski PPG: 2.4 RPG: 3 Ast: 2.7
# 10 PG: Brian Kopp PPG: 13.6 Ssn High: 25 3PM: 16
# 11 PG:Giuliano Camporini PPG: 11.1 Ssn High:26 3PM:16
# 12 SG: Scott Bowen PPG: 2.4 Ast: 2.7 RPG: 1.7
# 13 SG: Braden Mehm PPG: 2.7 Ast: 3.1 3PM: 3
# 14 SG: Dan Spero PPG 1.5 Ast:3.2Jellies: 5
# 23 SF: Luca Zeni PPG: 3.6 Ast:2.4 3PM: 12
# 30 SG: Matt D´Angelo PPG: 3.0 Ast:4.1 RPG: 3.1
# 31 SF: *Jack Garguilo PPG: 2.5 Ast: 0.2 RPG 1.2
# 32 PF: Noah St. George PPG: 2.5 RPG 3.7 Ast: 3.2
# 33 C: Randz Rionda PPG 6.2 RPG: 10 Ssn High:15
# 34 SF: James Reilly PPG 3.1 Ast:2.1 RPG: 5
# 35 PF: CJ Prato PPG 2.5 RPG: 5.1 BLK: 0.2
# 40 C: Thomas Harrington PPG. 2.7 RPG 8.1 BLK 1.5
# 41 PF: *Ryan Wieczorek PPG 2.25 RPG BLK 0.25
# 44 C: Nick Hinck PPG: 3.0 RPG 9.1 BLK 0.7
# 45 PF: Nick Henry PPG : 1.8 RPG: 2.3 Ast: 3.1
# 54 SF: *Dominic Saenz PPG 1.5 Ast: 1.1 STL
TEAM STATS
Record: 11-0
PPG:58.3
Opponents PPG: 41.1
Total Points: 645
Being the Only Girl on the Wrestling Team
by Autumn Romer
Hi, my name is Autumn Romer, and I’m here to tell you the story of how joining the wrestling team went from a thought, to a conversation, to an action, and ended up a passion. I’m not going to lie to you, there were quite a few times during practice where I excused myself to the bathroom, looked myself in the mirror, and questioned how I got myself into this crazy situation and wondered where the nearest escape route was. During this time, I came to the conclusion that your dreams can be looked at one of two ways: They can be intimidating, or they can be inspiring.
Fortunately, I chose to be inspired by my dream and decided that I was going to work my butt off until I was happy. On the day of the first practice, I was hit with reality. This is when the conversations turned into actions. The workouts were near brutal, I was weak compared to the boys, and my experience in Jiu-Jitsu helped very little. I was faced with pushups, pullups, sprints, and even front handsprings. That day was by far the most important day in my wrestling career. I went home, sweating, with tears in my eyes. I sat down and really wondered what the heck I was doing. I had already started, that was my first mistake. I wasn't going to quit, that's not who I am. I wanted to succeed in wrestling, and I wanted to be as good as the boys, but would I be able to...?
Then, I flipped the switch. Even if I didn't believe it then, it was only going to get harder. Every disadvantage I had, or every time I lost, I realized that was a sign to work even harder. Today, I’m still not as strong, I’m much better than when I started, but not as good as I'd like to be. But, what's the biggest difference between myself now, and before wrestling? One of us has a dream, and one has a goal. Today, the best advice I can give you is to take your biggest dream and flip the switch. Make your dream a goal, and figure out every step you must take to achieve that goal. ANYTHING is possible.
New York State School Music Association
by Lily O’ Daly
Do you play an instrument or sing? If you do, you should participate in NYSSMA!
NYSSMA stands for New York State School Music Association. It is a festival for music students. You can participate through school or a private teacher. You can play any instrument in band or orchestra (including piano) or sing. If you play an instrument, you prepare a solo and scales for a judge to listen to. If you play an instrument on level 1 and 2, you will play 3 scales for the judge. For the rest of the levels, you prepare 7 scales and the judge will pick 3 for you to play. If you sing, all you have to do is prepare a solo. Regardless of what you do, you will be tested on sight-reading. Each year, you perform a new level. Students prepare all year for the festival in April. After NYSSMA, the participants will receive a score. This score includes your solo, your scales, and your sight reading. Your participation in NYSSMA and your score can help you get into different clubs around the school like Tri-M. If you have any interest in NYSSMA talk to your music teacher!
D1 College Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
In Division 1 softball before every season, there are preseason polls put out so you have an idea of what teams to look out for. Being on these polls is a great achievement for a team and gives them some confidence for the upcoming season. These polls also give viewers an idea of the best team and who to look for when the season starts. The poll that you can look at is the NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The first poll is NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. There were no really big upsets with this poll. We will talk about the top ten teams; however, you can use the link below to get the whole list. The top five were the ranked almost in order from one through five except UCLA finished third and Washington finished second. There was no surprise though Florida State won. The team lost the first game in the Women's College World Series. Along with the grit of the team there coaching staff carried them through to the National Title. Also, the top eight is almost the exact teams that went to the World Series. Listed at eight number Tennessee was not at World Series however if you look at the full list you will see Oregon is listed at 25. This is because Oregon's head coach went to Texas A and M, so the coach that lead them to the World Series is now on different teams.
There are many polls predicting the rankings of the teams. Most are very similar. Florida State is supposed to be really good again this year even though they lost their star player Jesse Warren. Also, watch out for UCLA with All-American pitcher Rachel Garcia. As I stated before, Oregon's coach moved to the Texas Longhorns. Four players loved him so much they followed him to the Texas Longhorns. When of these pitchers was Miranda Elish who had when of the best ERA throughout the year. Lastly, always look out for Oklahoma and Florida who are always a threat due to all their World Series wins and appearances. The softball season has officially started so find a game a watch softball being played at the top level.
I would recommend watching Florida State who is fun to watch. They hit over 15 home runs in the St. Pete's Clearwater Tournament which had some of the best teams in the country. Not only can the hit but they have already been some jaw-dropping plays by this team.
Sources:
Hasn’t This NBA Season Taken Lots of Fans By Storm?
This NBA Season has been a catchy one, with all sorts of players changing teams, such as “The Move Part 3,” when LeBron James decided to take his talents to play for purple and gold (The Los Angeles Lakers), or when Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Raptors in a blockbuster deal that would send DeMar Derozan to San Antonio, or maybe even DeMarcus Cousins’ decision to play for The Warriors. But led by surprises and upsets, this NBA Season has been fueled by the best.
The Eastern Conference And How Things Are Playing Out
I think that we can all agree That The Eastern Conference has definitely improved this year, with The Top of The Pack concluding with The Kawhi Leonard and company Toronto Raptors, The Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee Bucks, and Victor Oladipo’s Indiana Pacers. Those teams have all shown Promise in depth and possible Playoff Runs. The Middle Of The Pack might surprise you a little bit due to the fact that some of these teams are really top teams, but just aren’t playing anything like it. Teams such as The Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick, they just haven’t seemed to click yet. The Boston Celtics are another example led by Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, whom have both battled injuries, along with Big Man Al Horford, and The 2 Young Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. This Team at least has an excuse for the way that they have been playing because at least they have battled injuries from some of their best players. Also, I like to consider a Mid/Bottom Pack in the east because of the fact that a lot of Teams are Medioaka, such as The Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons, with Teams such as The Charlotte Hornets led by All-Star Starter Kemba Walker, and The Brooklyn Nets, whom in my opinion have just completely taken our League by storm. Finally, here comes The Lottery Pack Territory, such as The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks, just all in the race for The Number 1 Draft Pick in The upcoming 2019 NBA Draft, which brings along top College Studs, like Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Ja Morant and Rui Hachimura. The Eastern Conference will all come down to who is the most consistent down The Road. If I had to give out Awards for The Eastern Conference right now, I’m going to have to take Giannis Antetokounmpo of The Milwaukee Bucks for MVP, Nate McMillan of The Indiana Pacers for Coach Of The Year, Zach LaVine of The Chicago Bulls for Most Improved Player, Kawhi Leonard of The Raptors again for Defensive Player Of The Year, and Trae Young of The Atlanta Hawks for Rookie Of The Year. Overall, The Eastern Conference has always been kind of 2nd To The West, in terms of Power, and Stardom, and things like that, but don’t be surprised if This Year’s NBA Finals Winner comes from The East.
The Western Conference And How Things Are Playing Out
If you are a Basketball fan, you need to tune in to this year’s epic Western Conference Playoff Race, in which every team in the Conference besides The Phoenix Suns has a legitimate chance at a Playoff Spot. The Top of The Conference has Star-Studded Teams such as The Denver Nuggets led by “The Joker” Nikola Jokic and guys such as Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris, and also, Teams like The Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook and Paul George, and The Golden State Warriors 4-Headed Offensive Monster, in Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins, who all have a fight. The 2nd Tier Teams such as The Guard-Duo in James Harden and Chris Paul leading The Rockets, and The Guard Duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum of The Portland Trail Blazers, and even DeMar Derozan and LaMarcus Aldridge’s San Antonio Spurs are all in the mix but aren’t as deep as The Top Tier Teams. The Middle includes LeBron and company and his Los Angeles Lakers, and The Los Angeles Clippers, with Tobias Harris and Lou Williams. Those Teams are all favorites in my opinion for Postseason slots. Teams like The Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings with The Deadly Backcourt Duo in De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, and The Memphis Grizzlies and even The Dallas Mavericks who are all still in The Race. The Whole West is involved basically except for The Phoenix Suns, who continuously are in contention for a Top-Notch Draft Pick. The NBA Western Conference could always have a different Team for a change be in The Finals. If I had to give out my Western Conference Awards Right Now, I would give LeBron James the MVP, Luka Doncic The Rookie Of The Year, Paul George The Defensive Player Of The Year, Mike Malone The Coach Of The Year, and Buddy Hield Most Improved Player. As we all know, The West is The Best and that should remain the same for a while.
The NBA All-Star Game In Charlotte, North Carolina
If you are looking for a snoozefest, The All-Star Game is the obvious choice, but improved Rosters and rule changes have gave the Annual Game some Hype, Energy, and More Popularity. Now, instead of The East Against West Format, rule changes include The Top 2 Vote-Getters from each Conference becoming The Team Captain’s who can Draft Starters and Reserves. Now 50% of The Vote comes from The Fans, 25% from The Players, and 25% from The Media, so obviously The Fans Vote counts The Most. If I had to pick 12 Players from each Conference, for The East, for The Guards, I would go with Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Victor Oladipo, Kyle Lowry, and Zach LaVine. For The Frontcourt, I would go with Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum. For The West Guards, I would go with Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and DeMar Derozan. Finally, for Frontcourt, I would go with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Nikola Jokic, and Donovan Mitchell. I personally think That This Year’s NBA All-Star Game will be fun, because Of Things like The Rising Stars Game, The All-Star Skills Challenge, The Slam Dunk Contest, or The 3 Point Contest. Obviously, it can get boring at times, especially in The All-Star Game, but overall, it should be a fun weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. During NBA All-Star Weekend, it was a very fun time for the fans. It started a Friday Night with Team USA defeating Team World 161-144, and Kyle Kuzma taking home The MVP to go along with his 35 Points. His contestants included the following - (Team USA -
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers, Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn Nets, Marvin Bagley lll, Sacramento Kings, Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers, (injured) John Collins, Atlanta Hawks, De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings, Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies, Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, and Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks.) (Team World - OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors, DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix Suns, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Sacramento Kings, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles Clippers, Rodions Kurucs, Brooklyn Nets, Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls, Josh Okogie, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cedi Osman, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers.) Then On All-Star Saturday Night, The Taco Bell Skills Challenge was highlighted by Jayson Tatum of The Boston Celtics having a come from behind, game winning Half-Court Shot that crowned him Champion. His contestants concluded with Trae Young of The Atlanta Hawks, Mike Conley of The Memphis Grizzlies, Luka Doncic of The Dallas Mavericks, Nikola Jokic of The Denver Nuggets, Nikola Vucevic of The Orlando Magic, De’Aaron Fox of The Sacramento Kings, and Kyle Kuzma. After the Skills Challenge, the fun continued with The JBL Three Point Contest and Verizon Slam Dunk Contest. The Three Point Contest was supposed to be about The Curry Family because their Dad played for The Hornets (All-Star Game Host) for his whole entire Career. The whole Family seems to carry the same exact genes. Three Point Shooting. A two time MVP, (Most Valuable Player) Stephen Curry has proven himself to be one of the best and most popular players in All of Basketball. His brother, Seth, hasn’t quite achieved the feats that his brother has, but has established himself as a premier 3-Point Shooter. The 3-Point Contest concluded with the following - (Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, Danny Green, Toronto Raptors, Seth Curry, Portland Trail Blazers, Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns, Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets, and Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings). It ended up being a fun Shootout as Joe Harris from The Brooklyn Nets was crowned Champion as Stephen Curry from The Golden State Warriors, and Buddy Hield of The Sacramento Kings were the Runner-Ups. Then Followed The Dunk Contest. Contestants were as followed - (John Collins, Atlanta Hawks, Mikal Bridges, Charlotte Hornets, Dennis Smith Jr., New York Knicks, Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City Thunder). Hamidou Diallo of The Oklahoma City Thunder ended up winning against Runner-Up Dennis Smith Jr. of The New York Knicks. As All-Star Saturday night was done, it left behind great memories for not only the players, but for the fans also. And then there was one. The Big Moment. The NBA All-Star Game. The Team Captains were Giannis Antetokounmpo from The Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James from The Los Angeles Lakers. The Rosters were as followed - (Team Giannis - Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - Captain, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons, Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder - Via Trade, Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors, Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers - Injured, D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets - Injury Replacement, and Dirk Nowitzki - Special Addition - Team LeBron - Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics, James Harden, Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors, Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs, Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards, Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers - Via Trade, Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers - Captain, and Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat - Special Addition) The All-Star game was a lopsided one in which Team Giannis led most of the game. But a late run from Team LeBron sealed the deal, and Team LeBron won by a final score of 178-164. Kevin Durant was named All-Star Game MVP as he finished with a statline of 31 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 2 Assists. It was definitely a weekend to remember in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Broadway Anastasia Review
by Jillian Matone
The Broadway Trip Club went to go see the Broadway show, Anastasia. We got to go on this amazing and very big coach bus. The driver was even wearing a cowboy hat! The bus ride there and back was crazy and the view was amazing. The line wasn’t as long as I thought it would be, but it was still long. The play was so musical and inspiring! It took you on an amazing adventure and through so many emotions that you could really feel it.
The merchandise there was really cool. They had clothes and special items like a tiara and a keychain. Except, at the end of it, we weren’t allowed to get anything because the police saw the bus and were asking us to leave. I was very sad when it was over because I love the city and I didn’t want it to end. Overall, I thought it was amazing! I can’t wait to go to another Broadway show.
Review: Current State Of Star Wars
by Steven Horn
Two movies have divided a fanbase that has been together for almost 30 years. I of course talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. The two movies have provided mixed reviews like never before. Personally, I disliked The Last Jedi strongly. I thought it was extremely disappointing. It was mainly how they portrayed Luke. He wasn’t the “I sense the good in you, let go of your hate.” Luke. He was grumpy, and unwilling to try new things. He was put down once, and never got up. Sure at the end he was redeemed. But he wasn’t there through the whole movie. Luke is one of the most iconic Star Wars characters, and to have him completely changed just made literally no sense. Another thing, why are you switching directors in the middle of a trilogy, Disney? Although The Force Awakens wasn’t good, it wasn’t terrible, and actually could have achieved its main goal, set up a new trilogy of movies. Then, Episode VIII came along, and Rian Johnson was like, “You know what J.J. Abrams. I don’t really like what you did. I’m gonna change it.” And change it he did. Snoke, dead! Luke, dead! Who’s Rey? Literally nobody! This killed the whole trilogy, and stamped out all speculation. Episode IX is now set up for total failure, with the only main characters left being Kylo and Rey. Unless of course, Poe, which I think he will, plays a big factor, along with Finn, they also have Rose, but no. Rose, another issue. Especially the end of the movie. Rose saving Finn from going into the cannon was one of the stupidest things in movie history. I’m not gonna say Finn’s character arc would have been complete, but he would have sacrificed his life, from scared runaway stormtrooper to hero of the resistance, it would have been perfect. I will not even start with Cantobite. This movie was absolutely terrible.
On the other hand Solo: A Star Wars Story was a really good movie. To start, the actor of Han, Alden Ehrenreich, does not look like Harrison Ford or sound like Harrison Ford, but he still, he feels like Han Solo. I thought I would not like it because I thought I wouldn’t be able to get over the fact that Han Solo was not Harrison Ford. But I did. This movie was great. There was one thing I didn’t like, every plot hole about Han Solo’s life was filled. I and many others wanted at least one plot hole to remain. There are no theories now, just cold, hard, boring facts. Other than that, the movie was great, the kessel run was very fun to watch and from the beginning of the movie, I knew that the movie was going to be great. Tobias Beckett is a great character, and the fact that the bad guys of the whole movie, become the good guys of the entire saga. One more thing. Lando Calrissian is a great character in this movie, I love the way Donald Glover sound exactly like Billy Dee Williams. He plays the part do well. Some people consider this a bad movie. I think these people are just mean. This movie is a fun action packed ride that everyone could enjoy. Solo is a really cool movie that is done so well.
Avengers Endgame- Trailer 1, 2, and 3 Review
by Tim Feehan
(WARNING!!! This review may contains minor spoilers)
If you haven’t seen the trailer for Avengers Endgame, go see it now. Avengers Endgame is shaping up to be the best of Marvel this year. *Trailers are linked at the bottom!
Although there isn’t any action during the trailer, it still gives some ideas on what Endgame could entail. The trailer first starts off with Tony Stark, or better known as Iron Man, tinkering with his helmet. If you watched Avengers Infinity War, then you would know that Tony, along with Spiderman, Doctor Strange, Nebula and the Guardians of the Galaxy minus Gomora, Rocket and Groot, are on Titan when Thanos snaps his fingers. All are dusted away except Tony and Nebula, leaving them stranded on Titan. But then they use the Guardians ship, the Benatar, and use it to get off the planet of Titan; that’s where we pick up. Tony is tinkering with his helmet. He is recording a final farewell message for Pepper Potts. He and Nebula are drifting through space, with barely any food, water, or even oxygen left.
After that, we see the mad titan himself, Thanos, or really his armor, appearing to act as a scarecrow, which in the comics, after the snap, Thanos retires and becomes a farmer and uses his armor as a scarecrow. Now we actually see Thanos walking through his crops, but something I notice is that, like at the end of Infinity War along with the gauntlet, Thanos’s arm seems to be damaged and cracked.
Then we pick up on Earth where we see Cap crying over something, most likely a very emotional loss. We go to Natasha Romanoff or better known as Black Widow, speaking of the snap and how it wiped out 50% of all life in the universe. Something to add is that not only humans dusted away but dogs, cats, even plants dusted too. We see Avengers HQ, but not how it is seen in Avengers Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. It seems to have fallen into disrepair, the grass is overgrown and the buildings seem grimy.
Bruce Banner is trying to locate anyone he can find. We see him filing through pictures of Shuri, Peter Parker, and Scott Lang. As we know Spiderman dusted away in a very emotional way during Avengers Infinity War, which broke many of our hearts. Scott Lang is stuck in the quantum realm at the end of Ant-Man & The Wasp, but then we see him later in the trailer. And finally, Shuri, Black Panther's little sister, her fate is really unknown because Corvus Glaive hit her while working on removing Vision’s Stone. We see her laying on the floor unconscious, but she probably isn’t dead because being such a smart character and just a teenager she would have had a better and more heartfelt death.
We then pan through the Avenger’s warehouse, with it being deserted, and we see Thor, still with his prosthetic eye which he got from rocket, mourning over a loss. If you think about it, in the past couple of weeks he witnesses his father passing away, he had to kill his sister and destroy his home Asgard, and finally see his brother being killed in front of his eyes, this time maybe for good. Last we see Nebula comforting Tony on the Benatar. Over this, we hear Cap say “We lost, all of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. This is the fight of our lives.” Then Natasha says to him “This is gonna work Steve,” most likely a plan to defeat Thanos. Then Cap delivers the coolest line of the trailer.”I know it is, cause I don’t know what I’m gonna do if it doesn’t.”
Next, we see a hooded figure and it turns out to be Hawkeye who we haven’t seen since Captain America Civil War, but he is briefly mentioned in Infinity War. We see that he has taken on the role of Rollen, his alter ego, from the comics. We can suspect that he has taken on this role from the loss of his family from the snap.
But this trailer isn’t over. After we see the Avenger’s logo being all cracked and crumbled, we see Scott Lang. We see him in the X-con van that the Quantum tunnel is in at the end of Ant-man & the Wasp. Scott asks if there is anyone home and if they can buzz him in which might get a chuckle or two out of us.
Cap asks if this is an old message and to our surprise it is. If you look in the top left corner it seems to say archive and 1983. This would indicate that Scott used the Quantum Realm to time travel. If you picked up on the easter egg in Ant-man & The Wasp during the end credit scene, when they are sending Scott back into the Quantum realm, Janet Van Dyne tells him to not get trapped in a time vortex. This may be the way Scott goes back in time. Also if you watched Ant-man then you would now that before it was Avenger’s HQ, it was an old Stark warehouse. Maybe Scott has gone back in time and instead of going to the Avenger's home base he went to the old Stark warehouse and that video was just tossed into the archive footage. And that concludes the trailer. Avenger’s Endgame will be coming out on April 26, 2019.
Avengers Endgame - Trailer 2
This trailer starts off with some of the Marvel heroes with red highlights in their design. Something to notice is that all of the heroes we see are heroes that die in Infinity War. Also, something to add is that the heroes are in reverse order in which they fade away.
First is Hope Van Dyne. She dusted in Ant-man and The Wasp’s end credit scene, and the frame is of Hank Pym when he reveals to her the Wasp suit.
Next is Nick Fury. He dusted away in the end credit scene of Infinity War. In his frame, he is stepping off the helicopter in the first Avengers.
Then is Spider-man, which we really don’t want to talk about his dusting now do we. His frame consists of grabbing Cap’s shield during Captain America Civil War.
After Spidey is Doctor Strange. He dusted right before Spider-man in Infinity War, the frame that he is in is during Doctor Strange after his fight with Dormammu’s desirables and suits up with the cloak of levitation.
Next are the Guardians where they were either killed at one point or dusted away during Infinity War. Their frame is when they are breaking out of prison during Guardians of the Galaxy.
After them, we get Falcon. Like most of them, he dusted in Infinity War. His frame is when he lands after doing a barrel roll during the opening mission of Captain America Civil War.
Next is Scarlet Witch. She dusted away while holding Vision during Infinity War. This frame is when she is defending Vision against Corvus Glade and Proxima Midnight during the train station fight in Infinity War.
After that, we see the King, T'Challa. He dusted while trying to help Okoye up before he too turns to ash during Infinity War. The frame he is in is when he walks into Shuri’s lab and does the arm cross chest beat.
Then there is Bucky, who was the first to dust away in Infinity War. His frame is when he catches Cap’s shield on the roof during Winter Soldier.
And finally Vision, instead of dusting away Thanos rips the mind stone out of Vision’s head. His frame is from the end of Avengers Age of Ultron when he goes to the last copy of Ultron.
After this, we pan over a fog-filled New York City. We see Liberty Island. Usually, it has only two docks, one for staff the other for tourists. But in this clip the island has docks branching outward, possibly from search parties looking for people. Then there is the home of the Mets, Citi Field, but not as seen like it is during a game. Like Avengers HQ it to has fallen into a bit of disrepair. Beside Citi Field there are abandoned cars piled up, most likely from people leaving their cars to go home and check on their families.
Next, we see Cap at a group therapy session. Then after this, we hear Cap say ”Some people, move on. But not us.” While we are listening, the poster at the session says “Where do we go, after they’re gone?” This shows how society has been affected by the snap and how life has slowed down. Also, something about how the voice sounds doesn’t seem right. The first part actually sounds like Tony and the second part sounds like Cap. This scene may take place after Tony gets back to Earth and he and Cap reunite.
Then while we are hearing this we see Tony and Nebula tinkering on the Benatar. Different from the last trailer Tony and Nebula are seeming to save themselves. Tony is working with some wires and Nebula is taking her arm apart. Just to clarify Nebula’s left arm is a robotic arm given to her by Thanos. She was given it and other robotic parts because of the battles she would fight and lose to Gamora. The next clip shows Cap, Natasha, Bruce, and Rhodey in a field outside Avenger’s HQ looking up into the sky. Now this may be Tony and Nebula returning to Earth with the Benatar or could it be the other captain in the Marvel franchise, as you probably now know Captain Marvel will play a crucial role in Endgame being confirmed to be the strongest hero in the franchise and having the ability to time travel, and fly through space. Also, something to add is, notice the distance between Bruce and Rhodey. They could have just walked on different angles or Marvel left that space open to later digitally add another character.
Next clip we see is of Rocket opening a door to what looks like a type of hut by the sea due to the waves and lobster traps. Notice in the background the cliffs and the crashing waves. This maybe Norway, I’ll get back to this later. Next, we see Nastha lighting up a target with bullets, and her hair is significantly longer than seen in the other trailer and earlier in this trailer. This would indicate a time jump between 6-8 months.
After that, we see Scott Lang and Rhodey jeering up. Scott is in his Ant-man suit and Rhodey is in a new war machine suit because at the end of Infinity War Thanos crushed the war machine armor. They are probably suiting up for some sort of mission. So this means Scott will return to the regular timeline regardless of the other trailer.
Then we see Clint, who is still in his Rollen suit. He looks to be in a crash site. Maybe this is where the Benatar crashes. Next, we see Cap with his old shield and he seems to be tightening it. With Cap with his old shield, he could have traveled back in time to perform a mission that he may have messed up in the past. Now we see Thor in a similar place to Rocket, they could be there together where Odin passed away so this could be a place for them to reflect on the events of Infinity War. It could also be Titan 2, the planet we see Thanos in the end of Infinity War and in the other trailer. Thor may be Titan 2 to try and once again kill Thanos for what he did.
Finally, we see a wide shot of the Avengers (Cap, Thor, Natasha, Rocket, Scott, Rhodey, and Bruce) walking through the deserted warehouse in the other trailer. Also just like the field, there seems to be a unusual space between Ant-man and War Machine, like how I said about the field scene, the director may do this to put another character in later. And that concludes the trailer. Avenger’s Endgame will be coming out on April 26, 2019.
Avengers Endgame -Trailer 3
The third trailer for Avengers Endgame has arrived. Does it give anything new? Let’s find out and dive in. The trailer starts off with Tony when he escaped from the cave in Iron Man 1 and crashed in the desert. He says how it seemed like “A thousand years ago since he fought his way out of that cave, and became Iron Man”. Also just like the last trailer there are the red highlights in the frames. Next we see the first arc reactor from Iron Man and Pepper holding Tony’s helmet after the Mandarin attack in Iron Man 3. Over this we hear “And I realized I loved you, and I know I said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one.” He is referring to when he and Pepper were talking to each other before Doctor Strange popped in. They were talking about how Tony should promise Pepper no more surprises.
After that we then see Cap where he first tries to join the army and was too short to stand in the soldier mirror at the Stark expo. Then we see the Liberty Island shot from the last trailer and over this we hear Peggy Carter from Captain America the Winter Soldier. She was saying “The world is changing. None of us can go back. All we can do is our best and sometimes the best we can do is to start over. Then we see Cap at the therapy session. He is truly upset at this huge loss. For Cap’s last frame, he is a Pallbearer during Peggy’s funeral.
Next we see Clint Barton or better known as Hawk Eye seeming to train his second oldest child, Lila. This is most likely a memory from Clint from before the snap. Then we see Clint, or most likely now Rollen, and we see Natasha going to hold Clint’s hand.
Then we see Asgard in black and white with highlights of red in the flags. Thor is in his classic red cape talking to Odin during Thor 1.
Next we see Thor in Infinity War right after the snap, and then a montage of those who dusted away. Again with red highlights. The red may represent the blood that was spilt the day of the snap and how the Avengers feel responsible for the devastation that occurred. Over this we hear Thor ”I see all these people die.” Then Cap “I keep telling everyone they should move on. Some do, but not us.” We then see Natasha listening to Cap. But now her orange hair is back, but with blonde highlights. Like the last trailer this would indicate a time jump.
Then we see a very confused Scott Lang looking at a lamp post filled with missing posters. After that we hear Natasha say “ Even if there’s a small chance, we owe this to everyone who’s not this firm to try”. Next we see Natasha and Clint talking to each other. Also look where they are. They are on the Benatar, the ship Tony and Nebula are on in space. This confirms Tony and Nebula make it back to Earth fairly early on in the movie.
We then see Clint running through a tunnel with red lights up above with an explosion behind him. This looks like the same place with see him in the last trailer.
After that we possibly get the the coolest shot in the trailer. Rocket loading up on a decked out war machine armor. This may be the rumored War Machine Buster.
Next Cap meeting up with Clint for the first time since Civil War. Cap says “ We will, whatever it takes” about something. After that we see Scott in the office that we saw him in with War Machine in the last trailer. There seems to be something glowing behind him. This may be an attack on the Avengers HQ. Then we see Thor with stormbreaker, seeming to question whether he is he worthy to wield it. It’s similar to how he questioned his worthiness in the first Avengers. Next we see Nebula on a battlefield raging over something in front of her. Notice the background and what she is holding, it looks like the sky of Titan in Infinity War and she is holding the same baton. We then see Clint still in that tunnel with the red lights. He is pointing his bow at something. Over this we hear Clint say “ Whatever it takes”.
We then see Natasha unloading a mag full of bullet on that target similar to the last trailer. Over this we hear her say “Whatever it takes” same as Clint and Cap. Then we see Cap on the same Battlefield as Nebula. We saw some of this shot in the last trailer with Cap tightening his shield, with dirt and blood all over his face.
After that we see Scott In the Ant-man suit using a pencil to give him a little more height on his jump. This is probably the office we saw earlier in the trailer. We then see Tony recording the message for Pepper and then he says “Whatever it takes.” Next we see the empty Avenger’s Warehouse. Then we get the biggest reveal of the trailer. Cap, Clint, Tony, Nebula ,Scot, Natasha, Rhodey, and one more behind Natasha who I cannot make out who it is. They are wearing what is speculated to be the Quantum realm suit, considering they look very similar to Hank Pym’s Suit in Ant-man & the Wasp. It wouldn’t be that crazy to imagine, since the Quantum Realm is confirmed to play a big part in Endgame.
We then see the Avenger’s Logo which is the same as the last two trailers. But like the first trailer, it isn’t over just yet. We then see Thor walk in where Carol Danvers is standing or she is better known as Captain Marvel. Thor calls Stormbreaker to him and flies by Carol’s head and she doesn’t even flinch. Then Thor smerks and say “ I like this one” which may get a laugh out of us.And that concludes the trailer. Avenger’s Endgame will be coming out on April 26, 2019.
Link to Trailer 1
Link to Trailer 2
Link to Trailer 3
New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe Review
by Aidan Moody
Nintendo released its first game of the year within the first week of January. You would expect it to be a crazy original game to start off with their best foot forward, but it ended up being a port of the last two 2D mario games: Super Mario Bros U. And Super Luigi Bros U. Many people across the internet have been debating whether this game is worth the $60 price wall, so I have decided to throw my hat into the ring and give my opinion on the game, and whether or not it is worth it.
What’s New?
Surprisingly, this port has hardly anything new in it. There are no new levels, no new worlds, and only 1 new character(Toadette) that comes with her own powerup(Super Crown) that is just a redesign of an already existing one. But one of the main parts of the game that have been added to are the challenges. To me, those are the most fun part of the game, and provide a very entertaining experience. especially the speed runs. It is satisfying to just sit for an hour trying to get a couple milliseconds faster than your previous time(No joke what I do). There are also small tweaks to the real game, but there too small to be acknowledged.
Pros
The game itself is very enjoyable and if the other 2 games didn’t already exist, this game would be praised for its size, for only 60 dollars. It also has really good and enjoyable challenges as I previously stated. Furthermore, there is two different play styles. You can either to the slow and more completionist like Mario mode, or the Speedrunning and fast paced Luigi mode. Personally, I haven't completed the game yet, but I am enjoying it, and am excited to finish it.
Cons
THERE’S NOTHING NEW!!!!!! There is nothing new to the actual game, besides an easier mode, in the form of toadette. She makes the swimming easy and controllable, and has 100 extra seconds of time. She also has her own power-up that only works on her, EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE SAME THING AS THE ACORN(Been grinding the game for a couple weeks now, and it's actually really annoying)! Also, they changed the controls from the previous two games, which can mess up a lot of small jumps. Over all, the cons are almost impossible to look past if you played the last two games.
Is it worth it?
Short answer: Probably not. Long answer: It depends. If you never bought the first to U’s, then you should definitely pick it up. It is a lot of content even for the price. The problem is that most people interested in this have already bought the U’s. For them, this game has no new benefits, except for the challenges. The challenge modes of a game can not be the only saving grace of the game.
All in all, if it is new to you, get it. If you are a long time fan, you might want to skip it, since there is nothing new. Thank you for reading, and next time, I will most likely be reviewing a movie!
Dear Evan Hansen: The Broadway Musical!
by Cooper Arbisi
Imagine this: You love to sing, act, and dance, and you have a passion for performing. Because of this, you also love to watch shows and shed a tear here and there while watching them. Then comes Dear Evan Hansen, and you strap in for the ride of your life. Two and a half hours later, the show is over. You walk out of the theatre astonished and surprised, and your heart is as warm as a sunny day. You know you just saw Dear Evan Hansen when you feel all of this.
The plot of Dear Evan Hansen is about a freshman in High School whose name is Mark Evan Hansen (Evan Hansen for short). Throughout the course of the story, he gets caught up in a huge lie involving another student in the school, and gets trapped in the family’s grief and problems. In addition to all of this, Evan Hansen has to cope with his own problems. Despite the fact that the show makes you feel very sad at some points, a great lesson emerges from the show. You will also walk out feeling like a better person.
Although the show doesn’t have all of the big dancing numbers or the sophisticated costumes, what makes the show so amazing is how subtle it is, and the great impact it has on every single individual in the audience. Furthermore, there are amazing vocal numbers and some well-known songs from the show, including “Waving Through a Window” and “For Forever.”
Overall, everyone should see Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway because of the effect that it has on all of its members, and also the great singing/acting. In addition to all of this, a great story line and a life-changing lesson. Dear Evan Hansen is a heartwarming musical where you get to step into the shoes of Evan Hansen and travel through a journey with him. You will definitely leave the theatre with a new perspective on life and a warmer heart.
Tokyo Street Food
French Fry Corn
by Maya Zaidman and Teresa Greene
(Japanese translations by Maya)
French Fry Corn ハッドグ ー (ha-tdo-gu)
1 cup of yellow cornmeal, fine grind
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of whole milk
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp white pepper, ground
peanut oil for frying
16 of your favorite hotdogs
16 skewers or separated chopsticks
cornstarch
1 pkg crinkle cut french fries, thawed & cut into 1"+ piece
Source:
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/beef/french-fry-corn-dogs.html
TONKATSU (Japanese Pork Cutlet)
by Maya Zaidman
とんかつ ー(to-n-ka-tsu)
Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 pound boneless pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup Panko* bread crumbs
Cooked rice, for serving
Tonkatsu sauce, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Heat corn oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Season pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste. Working one at a time, dredge pork chops in flour, dip into egg, then dredge in Panko crumbs, pressing to coat.
Working in batches, add pork chops to the skillet, 2 or 3 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately with rice and tonkatsu sauce, if desired.
NOTES:
*Panko is a Japanese-style bread crumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store
Fun fact: both foods are sold all year round.
Source:
https://damndelicious.net/2013/04/07/tonkatsu-japanese-pork-cutlet-sundaysupper/
Stuffed Strawberries
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/104493/stuffed-strawberries/
Ingredients:
1 Pint of Strawberries
1 package of cream cheese
½ cup of confectioners sugar
Optional Toppers:
Chocolate Chips
Blueberries
Steps
Cut the tops off of the strawberries and stand upright on the cut side. Make a cut 3/4 of the way down from the tip of the strawberry towards the bottom.
Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and liqueur until smooth in a mixer or a food processor. Place into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe into each strawberry and arrange on a serving platter.
Apple Cobbler Crumble
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/233069/apple-cobbler-crumble/
Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish.
Mix flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon together in a bowl using a pastry blender or fork until crumbly; reserve 3/4 cup flour mixture to use as a topping.
Sprinkle a light layer of the flour mixture into the prepared baking dish; top with a layer of apples. Continue alternating layers of the flour mixture with apples and ending with apples. Sprinkle top apple layer with the reserved 3/4 cup flour mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
2 Truths and 1 Lie Answer Key
Mrs. Casale’s lie: She has been to all 7 continents.
Mrs. Happe’s lie: She was a professional chef in an N.Y.C. restaurant before becoming a teacher.
- Miss. Anglim’s lie: She went scuba diving over Winter Break.
Mrs. Miller’s lie: She was born in another country.
Ms.Waterman’s lie: She loves to go white water rafting in the summer.
Ms. Dorsa’s lie: She was chosen by a magician to come up on stage to participate in the "sawing a woman in half" magic trick.
Mrs. Canning’s lie: She ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC
Mrs. Guarnashelli’s lie: She won a national singing competition when she was in college.
Mr. Chlystun’s lie: He failed the 11th grade social studies regents exam.
Mrs. Bilich’s lie: She spent a semester in college living and going to school in Australia.