CUBS' COLUMN MARCH 2021
The Voice of Jackson Memorial Middle School
Principal's Message
As you are reading this, we are now more than a year removed from our first initial shutdown due to COVID-19. We now have daily phrases that a year ago would have made no sense to any of us...
"Mask-up" "Stop the spread" "Social distance" "Herd immunity"
Many will tell you that everything has changed. Many will say that we are entering a "new normal." I want to invite everyone to take a different look at all of this that is going on around us, particularly students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades....
Each and every day, start small. Wake up, get yourself ready for school, and take the next step - whatever that looks like. Don't look too far in the future, and don't dig too deep in the past. Consider what your next hurdle is, and think about how to get over it. That next hurdle might be getting out of bed that morning, going to a class that you struggle in, saying hi to a friend that you haven't seen in a while.
As a principal, I have to think about all the different parts and pieces of a school day, how things affect students and staff and community members, how things impact the building, etc. If I try to think about everything at once, it can become overwhelming. The same is true for you as a student. Focus on one thing at a time. Get the job done with that one thing, and then go after the next thing.
Another principal from elsewhere in Ohio who happens to also be named Mr. Carter gives some great advice. Mr. Dwight Carter always says "Be great... or not. The choice is yours." Every day, you get to choose how you are going to move forward. Make the choice every day to attack every challenge...one challenge at a time. Every person faces challenges. Each and every person can make the choice to be great. So...Be Great!
NEWS AND HAPPENINGS
Sixth Graders Compete in Rube Goldberg Competition
Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist from San Francisco, California who made comics that usually used a chain reaction type way to perform a simple task. Usually, what was depicted in the comics would be nearly impossible to implement in real life, however it has now become a thing for people to create real life Rube Goldberg machines. Many of these real life machines can still be described as over the top and crazy, just like how they were depicted on paper. Recently, here at JMMS, our own 6th graders got an opportunity to design one as a part of a competition.
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, this year’s 6th graders did not get the chance to do some of the usual 6th grade traditions, such as Camp Muskingum or the Halloween Party. However, the 6th grade teachers still wanted to give their students something to do this year. They got together and brainstormed, and eventually came up with the Rube Goldberg Competition, which is a fun and exciting opportunity that also can comply with Coronavirus safety protocols. According to Mrs. Dannung, there was a good student response to the competition. She says that many students thought it seemed fun and interesting, but some did find the complicated idea of a Rube Goldberg Machine to be a bit overwhelming.
The 6th graders got to vote on who they wanted as the winner, and Morgan Rosenberry ended up taking home the top prize. Morgan decided to enter the competition because as she says, “I already had experience with making these last year for an extra credit opportunity, and then I also made one over the summer just for fun. It was a lot easier this time because I had materials, ideas, and time.” She also said her machine probably was the longest video and that she was glad she thought of a different idea for it.
All in all, it seems as if the Rube Goldberg Competition was a fun, exciting, interesting, and Coronavirus safe activity for the sixth graders to do this winter.
Morgan's Winning Rube Goldberg Entry:
SPORTS UPDATE
JMMS Wrestling Team Pins Down Federal League Championship
Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable said, “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They are made of sweat, determination and a hard to find alloy called guts.” All that hard work paid off this year for the JMMS wrestling team. They won the Federal League Championship. Assistant Coach Studer said, “We ended up beating every team in the Federal League and being Federal League Champions, which hasn’t happened in our middle school wrestling program in over 20 years!”
This year was a little different with COVID and the amount of wrestling matches the team had and the regulations were different. There were no big tournaments this year and Studer said, “Normally in wrestling, some tournaments can last two whole days and our wrestlers can get 4-5 matches plus a trophy.” That was the biggest change this season. Even with all of these changes, the team, which is made up of 21 boys, did great with handling the season with COVID.
7th grade wrestler Charlie Giacomo said, “I like the physicality of wrestling.” He also added, “Wrestling is about respecting your opponents.” He started wrestling when his friend, Mason Winter asked him to come to wrestling camp. Charlie liked it so he wanted to be on the team. The team went 20-3 and Charlie did pretty well with 10-4 pins. This year Charlie also got takedown of the year in his last match versus North Canton. Congrats Charlie!
8th Grader Zak Saleh started wrestling in 6th grade. His uncle and cousin were wrestlers and his friend Van Rearden was on the team so he decided to try it out.. Zak trains for wrestling by lifting weights and working out. “Perry was my favorite match because one of our team’s goals was to beat Perry.” Zak said that his match was close and he came out as the winner. The team’s score was 68-38.
The team had to work very hard to get the Federal League. “The most memorable match this season would be Perry or Hoover because it is such a great feeling taking out our hometown rivals and bringing back the Federal League Trophy to JMMS where it belongs and where we plan on keeping it!”, Coach Studer said. All of that hard work and training paid off. Congratulations to the JMMS Wrestling Team!
Charlie Giacomo (7th grade)
Zak Selah (8th grade)
Karum Hussein (8th grade)
EDITORIALS
What is Being a Child Celebrity Really Like?
Have you ever wanted to be a celebrity? Have you ever considered what being a celebrity would be like? Celebrities are obviously well-known and a lot of people want to be like them because they want to have the fan base that celebrities have, and they want to hear people cheering their name. They want people to know who they are.
What people don’t think about is what this would actually be like. Celebrities are usually trapped inside of their homes due to people chasing them, stocking them, and attacking them. And while they do have a lot of fans, these fans can sometimes lash out on celebrities hurting them or worse. There are also paparazzis, always chasing them, asking questions and taking pictures.
Celebrities can’t go anywhere without someone following them and recording or taking pictures. This causes people to start rumors about them, which can have a big negative impact on their mental health. Dealing with all of these common conceptions is difficult, but imagine going through all of that as a kid.
Many kids today are influenced through social media such as Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, and Youtube. A lot of kids have these social media platforms and some have a lot of followers or subscribers. This brings them to the media’s attention, and as they get more and more followers, they face more and more challenges. Kids usually don’t understand what it means to be a celebrity, and because of this they don’t realize what their life is and what it will become with all of these people who know them. This has a huge impact on children and can cause many issues such as eating disorders, depression, stress, anxiety, etc. The list continues.
Parents often don’t think about what this will do to their kids either. Parents, Loann Kaji and Shion Kaji, have a very popular son named Ryan Kaji. He is nine years old and has over 27.2 million subscribers on YouTube. He does reviews of toys on this channel and has gotten a lot of recognition for it, such as from Nickelodeon. His net worth is 50 million dollars which makes a lot of people think, is this really the kid being passionate about YouTube, or is it the parents trying to make money off of him? According to Emma Brockes, “The most popular and successful channels, these kids are in essence child actors unprotected by labor laws, making their parents sizable incomes” (Brockes 6). Brockes goes on to talk about how parents can make a lot of money from their kids and can basically claim all of it because the kids aren’t old enough to understand not only how much they are making, but also what it means. So to recap, Ryan Kaji is well-known and only nine years old, he has millions of followers that see him, and “he” is making millions of dollars. It’s not just the money though, how many of those followers are actually kids? How many are adults that are tracking him and watching him? The truth is that we may never be able to find out. Kid celebrities are not very safe when millions of people know their name and know who they are. They are defenseless and can easily be hurt or stolen if the right precautions aren’t taken.
TikTok is trending right now with over one billion users. People create short videos to popular music that contain dances, lip singing, and challenges. There are many things that TikTok has created including the famous content house, Hype House. In Hype House lives many famous TikTok users that collaborate with each other. Currently, Charli D’amelio, who is considered the queen of TikTok no longer lives at Hype House, but she once did. She still collaborates with them, but she feels that it is best to live in a different place. Charli is 17 years old and she has over 100 million followers on TikTok. Charli’s fans love her because she is upbeat and always positive. However, being considered famous on one of the most used social media platforms has its difficulties. Charli is constantly being recorded by multiple paparazzis, her life is all on camera and she can’t live normally because everywhere she goes, someone knows her. Charli has had rumors throughout her TikTok career and has had to deal with regular things in the eyes of millions of people. And a lot of these people feel the need to comment on her choices about regular everyday drama. Charli is an example of someone who has suffered from an eating disorder as a result of pressure from the media. In an interview Charli said that, “It’s embarrassing telling your friends and family that you have an eating disorder. But it’s especially embarrassing to have to tell them and the rest of the world.” This would be difficult for an adult, but it was especially hard for Charli because she is so young.
In conclusion, being a child celebrity brings kids into the eyes of the public. This can dramatically affect the rest of their lives and the way they live it. They may not even understand what is happening at their age and when older, may not even want this type of lifestyle. So, at the end of the day, with all of the issues and challenges these kids face, do you really want this to be your life?
ENTERTAINMENT
A Review of Wonder Woman 1984: Sequel to Wonder Woman
By Kendra Gerstenslager
Rated PG-13
Action/Fantasy
2h 35m
Released December 25, 2020
Wonder Woman 1984 is an excellent movie that takes place after 1984. While the movie takes place in a time before the first, it is still a sequel to Wonder Woman 2017. The movie is about Diana, it starts after a war has ended and Steve, another character, is no longer living, due to the accident at the end of the first movie. Diana has a job where she works as an archaeologist. She meets Barbara, another archeologist who works with Diana. Barbara is labeled as weird and she doesn’t have any friends. She idolizes Diana and wants to be just like her. Diana is kind to her and the two become friends. One day Barbara is in the lab and she sees an artifact that she can’t name. Diana is walking past and offers her help, Diana doesn’t know what it is but feels that she has seen it before. The two research it profusely and find out that it is called the Dreamstone. It grants any wish and causes a great deal of drama. Diana must stop, Max, the person who steals the Dreamstone from ending the world. She faces many challenges but she doesn’t stop trying to save everyone from a terrible fate. Will she succeed? Find out by watching Wonder Woman 1984. In a survey about the movie, a majority of the participants liked the movie and said they would watch it again. Half of these participants said that they had seen the first movie and those that didn’t were still able to follow along with it. Many of the participants agreed that Diana was the most heroic character and that the movie wouldn’t be the same without her. In conclusion, I would recommend the movie to anyone who likes action packed movies! Wonder Woman will keep you on your toes and you will not see what’s coming next.
The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning
By Sri Gowravajjhula
FEATURED LOCAL ARTISTS
The Unique Bead
By Amelia Bach
This week I interviewed Jessica Domingue, the creator of The Unique Bead, a small business that creates beadwork by incorporating traditional Native American beading methods to create modern and unique products! I asked her a few questions to learn more about her business and products. Links to The Unique Bead Etsy page and other interesting pages can be found below the article, as well as pictures of Jessica’s work.
Q1. Tell me about what you sell!
Jessica: I sell ready-made and custom beadwork. That allows me to cover so many things that I’m passionate about. If I had to narrow it down, I sell unique beaded items that you can’t find anywhere else like cat ears and Victorian inspired watch chains for history-bounding. I take inspiration from the things I love to wear and make beaded versions of them. My custom work also includes traditional beadwork for pow wow dancers, historical recreations for historical costumers + achieves like Foundations Revealed (click link to learn more) and contemporary beadwork designs for history-bounders and cosplayers.
Q2. How do you incorporate your culture into what you sell?
I started beading 26 years ago when I was 10. My mom taught me how to loom bead but because I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up with my tribe, I felt like an outsider. I had no idea what I should be beading so I beaded everything. Bracelets, earrings, hair ties, shoes, clothes, the pens I wrote with at school, scissors…you get the picture. I didn’t feel like anything was off limits. It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I learned other styles of beadwork and how to apply them to traditional clothing. It’s because I didn’t grow up around my tribe that I feel a bit more freedom in how I use my traditional skills and what I choose to bead.
Native American’s have a long history of beading everything. There is no distinction between something that is art and a functional item like a bag or knife. If it could be beaded, chances are it would be. Because of this, I really like to make items that fuse my culture with another’s. For example, I fell in love with Kawaii and Harajuku culture when I lived in Japan. Harajuku is all about nonconformity and creative expression in what you wear. It’s not about what’s trendy. That’s how I came up with the idea for my beaded cat ears. As a contemporary bead artist, I don’t use designs that are affiliated with any one specific tribe. Instead I use what I’ve learned over the years to create a style that is uniquely me. I use very non-traditional color palettes with traditional beading techniques and materials.
Q3. What is your favorite item to make?
The beaded cat ears! I feel like I get to be the most creative with them because they are such an unexpected item to see. As far as I know, there isn’t anything like them out there so I felt I could be as outlandish as I want.
Q4. What is the hardest item to make?
Coincidently, the beaded cat ears are the hardest to make. It was a challenge to figure out how to transition them from being 100% fabric to the fully beaded version you see in my shop today. Because of the curved shape, it takes a lot of experimentation with the designs to make sure they looked balanced from the front and the back. They are a combination of multiple beading techniques and I like to mix up the bead finishes and sizes that I use to create various visual effects. It takes some creative planning to get the designs to fit. I also shape them as I bead them. The stitches I use gently shape the curve as I bead. Kind of in the same way a tailor would use pad stitching to shape a jacket collar. It’s a skill that takes a lot of practice but it’s worth the extra effort to create a polished product.
Q5. How do you stay motivated, especially with COVID?
The quick answer would be that I have a very meticulous planning phase. Depending on the scope of the project, it can be as short as a week or up to a month. I set milestones for my projects and when I hit them, I give myself a reward. Like an extra day off, I treat myself to some ice cream or maybe buy some new beads/fabric I’ve had my eye on.
Another way I stay motivated is that I take about a week, sometimes more if needed to plan out my projects. Taking this time to slow down and do this kind of work means that I have fewer roadblocks once I get started constructing the project.
Last, I make myself take time off. My work doesn’t feel like work and it’s something I love getting up every morning to do but that can mean that I overwork myself and don’t even realize it until it’s too late. I make sure that I schedule time off for myself. I do personal projects, play World of Warcraft with my guild, family game nights, go for a walk or meditate.
Fun facts/links:
I’m a traditional dancer and educator. I dance Jingle Dress, Southern Traditional and Fancy Shawl. I got a late start dancing and didn’t dance in my first pow wow until I was 25 and was in a PBS documentary about pow wows in 2019. You can find that here https://youtu.be/86INihmfqJI
I’ll be hosting a beading challenge + giveaway on my Instagram from 4/1 to 4/3. Registration starts 3/22 and the winner of the giveaway will be announced on 4/4. The registration link to sign up will be posted on my Instagram @theuniquebead on Mon 3/22
Here is a special gift as a thank you: 50% off in my shop with the code STUDENT50! This includes both ready-made and custom orders. There is no expiration date! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheUniqueBead
CREATIVE CORNER
The Racer's Cup
Once on a tropical dazzling Tuesday in India, Sama was training in her racing car, while Mike inspected it. Sama and Mike have been training for a huge race coming up that has about fifty to seventy racers in it. Sama was the racer while Mike fixed any parts of their car that were damaged or disintegrated. It took a huge amount of perseverance to make it this far in their training.
Sama that day scolded,”Mike you shouldn’t just leave gas or dirt near my tires!” Mike stated,”This is my mechanical work space. If you have a problem talk to David.”
Of course Sama did and all she got from her boss was a chuckle. Sama was so much more frustrated and angry than she used to be. Maybe it was because of this big race coming up. Who would know?
Sama was born on a timid summer day in Chicago and lost her mother in a car accident. Sama learned that cars could be very dangerous. When Sama was in 8th grade at Gary Elementary School she read a book about race cars and how these cars could go at outrageous speeds. This sparked Sama’s interest. When Sama finished highschool at age 18 she decided to apply for colleges and got accepted to one. Sama made it to Roosevelt University. When Sama was there she learned all sorts of tips and tricks on how to use a race car. Near the end of her classes there was even a test for how fast you could drive while following all the safety regulations and Sama did all that! She was marked as one of the safest and fastest students in her class! After finishing college Sama looked for racing teams that needed a racer and it just so happened that David Blossom's team was looking for a star racer.
Mike was born in New Jersey and worked for Stan Bucken. Stan Bucken was an inventor. Mike was Stan Buckens' apprentice in the Bien Vas labs. Mike would work tirelessly trying different trinkets that would wow Stan’s mind. While working on the latest rock invention Mike noticed that he’d have to use metal in order to do this invention. Stan however didn’t notice and was worrying about getting these products on the market and becoming a top seller and inventor. When Mike figured out that he was the only one mostly doing these inventions he blew up at Stan and that's when he got fired. Few months after being fired Mike moved back with his parents, but sadly his mom died. Mike's dad was going to find a new wife and that’s what he did. Mike was left with a huge house to sell and barely any money. That’s when Mike discovered that he was excellent at building car parts and fixing car parts. Mike moved to Los Angeles and found that a guy named David Blossom and his Racer Sama were needed for a mechanic since their old one went on retirement. This was Mike's chance to prove he could be something in the world. So Mike gathered his stuff and left for the race track.
Starting off rocky Sama barely managed to even get close to this major race. Mike had stayed up nearly fifteen hours just to get the now nearly polished car all ready for this final race. The reason this is their final race is because David Blossom wants to retire and leave racing behind. Sama was downsided when she found out about him wanting to retire and Mike was shocked that David Blossom would think of such a thing.
That night David said, “I know we have about two days left to prepare for this race, but don’t stress we all will just have to pull more weight.” Sama remarked, “I have been pulling my weight. I’m suddenly not getting enough sleep or any practices though. My friends have been saying you’re backing down and ready to run. Is this true?” David retorted, “Well I was going to, but now I have a team to support and with you and Mike barely getting enough sleep I now am forced to hire employees for you guys.”
The following day Sama’s employee Tina Bitna woke her up and decided that Sama should get a spa day and get her brown rusty uniform remade into a shimmery navy blue suit with a lotus pin. While Sama was having all this done Mike decided to paint the racing car so it would match Sama’s outfit. David however was on his phone with a business man named Billy. Billy had told David that Sama isn’t a good racer and that he could get a star racer named Gary to join David’s team for three-hundred thousand dollars.
David had said, “Sure, Sama has been off and I’d hate to lose this once in a lifetime race!” Gary came that day and when Sama saw him she immediately bursted, “Why didn’t you tell me you were firing me!” David exclaimed, “Gary is our second racer in case you were to break or damage something.” “I’m glad to hear this David, but right now I should probably go get my outfit on” Sama remarked.
On the hot tinkly day of March 28th, Sama was getting ready for her big race tomorrow. This race contained seven grueling hills and five shiny ripe golden flags that each racer had to collect. If a racer even missed just one flag that could put them in the bottom. During this race the racers also had to do a limit of one flip in the air. This race also contained three medical beys and two break stations. Sama had just spent all night coming up with some swaggy title to say when the news reporter guy comes over. Mike was extra polishing the “Lotus Blade” for extra points and just to show off how amazing the team is. Gary was texting on his phone and gelling his hair so he would look spectacular, but David was just cleansing his teeth and getting his all new vintage black diamond heel shoes on. While everyone was busy getting ready Tina Bitna went over to the costume store to buy a realistic lotus flower hat to show her support. However, Tina ran into Sama’s old friend Rem from college. Rem said he was racing because he needed this prize in order to build his life back up and make money to support his family.
Last night Tina Bitna seemed to have forgotten to put Sama’s honey bloom face mask on her, so when Tina entered she got swarmed by Sama.
Sama screamed, “WHY WEREN’T YOU BACK!” “Because I had to get something at the costume store and I met someone you know there.” Tina blurted out “WHO?!” Sama shouted.
Before Tina could answer David came in to tell Sama she needed to get outside quickly. When Sama came outside she saw Rem doing the double twirl move. This move is one of the most impossible moves in racing history and Rem had gotten attention for doing this move. Sama came over to Rem and hugged him. Rem and her were best friends, but lost touch when Rem had work issues and so they hadn’t really seen each other in such a long time.
Sama exclaimed, “Rem I didn’t know you did racing?!” Rem didn’t make any eye contact with Sama and whispered, “I only do racing to support my family and for the money.”
Sama went to bed thinking back to how Rem and her took multiple college classes together. Tina went to bed dreadfully due to Sama’s negative talk they had earlier and David left to see what time the race was going to be. Mike and Gary were fixing up the race car before heading off to bed because tomorrow was going to be a tiring day if they didn’t finish getting the car ready.
The Masked Bandit - Part 2
Click here if you missed the first part of the story!
The girls stood there in shocked silence, until Kara asked “What? ...I don’t understand!”
The man said “ let me explain….”
“Once upon a time there was a small family of 3, a father, a mother, and a horse. It was a strange pairing the man and the horse, because the horse was a short tempered and robust animal, while the man was kind hearted and had lots of patience. Yes… this is my story. All of the myths were wrong, I was paired with my horse, Challenger. We were a happy family, me, your mother, and Challenger. Until one day, disaster struck, my horse and I were on a trail, when he slipped, and fell. His leg broke, and after a while, he died. I was never the same, I tried to fill the void in my heart by filling it with another’s pairing. It sounds cruel, but I was desperate. My first attempt was with a young girl’s jaguar. Boldheart was its name. After that failed attempt, I tried again, this time with a lion that belonged to a young boy. Time and time again I tried, and by my 5th animal, I had made myself a name, the Masked Bandit. I had wanted to return home, but I couldn’t, because then I would risk being arrested, and never getting the chance to see you two. My chance has now come to see you two, and here I am”
“ Now wait a minute, does this mean that you are here to take Frostbite and Wildfire? Because I am NOT going to just stand by while YOU take OUR animals!” Casy exclaimed with exasperation.
“ no, no, no, you have it all wrong! I came to gift you these.” said their father. He opened his hand, and in his palm were two of the most beautiful collars the girls had ever seen. One was pure white with blue designs on it, that looked like snow falling on the ground when it shook. In the middle of it was a clear blue gemstone, with two names ingrained on it, Kara and Frostbite. The second was similar, but with a deep red background and light orange designs, and was made to look like a dancing flame when shook. The blood red gemstone in the middle had two names as well , Casy and Wildfire. After some pleading and begging from their father, they would never get used to that, they accepted their gifts, and Casy proclaimed “ we have to go home to tell mom, she’ll be psyched to find out Dad is home!”
“No, don’t do that,” their father said, face pale in the moonlight “ the police might come and arrest me!” the girls begged and pleaded “ please dad, oh please, please, please PLEASE!” their father sighed with defeat, and they pulled him home. When their mother saw the girls faces she asked “what came out SO good from your meeting with the Masked Bandit?” Casy led her mother to the red chair with a hand woven shawl on it, and said “ we have someone for you to meet.” At that time Kara walked their father into the living room, and their mom gasped “Ezra, what are you doing here? You’ll get arrested!” The girls thought of a way to keep their father from getting arrested, so he could live freely with them. Suddenly Kara exclaimed “ I know, we can go to the sheriff tomorrow and…”
“Convince him to tell the world that Dad is harmless” Casy finished. The girls smiled at each other. They often finished each other's sentences, it was a twin thing. The next morning the family set off to find the sheriff, people gawked at the sight, a family without a father, now has a father….how? Was the question on everyone's minds. When they got there, they found the sheriff at his desk, fifteen minutes later,the family was sitting on the couch together when they saw the broadcast saying that Ezra, the girls’ father, was no longer to be hunted for. The family had a huge celebration all night, and they lived happily ever after.
Change Can Be a Good Thing (part 2)
Click here if you missed the first part of the story!
Slowly I woke up, opening my eyes to see the blinding sun shining through the window. Then lightening the room of a hospital. I realized what I had just seen and then my panic started. What happend at the crash? Why was I in the hospital? How long have I been here? What was the damage to my body? Suddenly, I heard the door open. A doctor came in and then followed my mother and father. They looked at me teary eyed and then scanned down my body. I looked at the doctor and he nodded as though to tell me I could look. I examined each part of my body and sat up. My body was bruised, scared, with a number of scrapes and a broken bone. I asked the doctor if anything else was hurt, and he told me stand and sit on the chair next to my bed. I was confused at first and then I realized what he didn’t tell me. I couldn’t move my legs and as I looked up to him with a frantic look on my face he said “You are paralized from the waist down.”
I was allowed to leave the hospital in about a week and every day seemed longer than the one before. Each day I learned something new about what happened on the bus. I found out that I have been in the hospital for about 2 weeks and the driver hit the bus right where I happened to be seated. I wondered how I could have been in the hospital for two weeks and not remember a thing, but I also had a mild case of amnesia. So many questions came into my head after all this information. If I am paralized, I will have to be in a wheelchair. What will my friends think?... Wait! How am I supposed to play basketball? At that point I was hyperventilating. My parents heard me and they rushed to me to ask if I was ok and what happened. So I said the crash happened, how am I supposed to play against the Montana Lynx? They looked at each other and then looked at me and said that they thought about that too. Also they told me that they did research and found that my school had a wheelchair basketball team. Once I finally got out of the hospital, I started school again.
My first day back I got stared at a lot, I understand that they are curious but it didn’t feel good to be talked about and stared at. It actually made me feel depressed because they always had a face of disgust or were just staring. The hall went silent as I wheeled down it. I was really lucky to have Jess with me. She was helping me while I was in a wheelchair and was helping me to not focus on the people staring. Later in the day, my basketball coach approached me and talked to me about basketball. He told me that since I was unable to play the rest of the season he had to replace me. He was a very nice man so he informed me that the head of the wheelchair basketball team was going to meet with me during PE class. I was really nervous, not knowing if the coach would be nice or not. The day went by quickly and before I knew it I was in PE class. I wheeled myself into the gym and saw a man approaching me. He introduced himself as Mr. Fonmel but told me to just call him coach. He asked me if I felt comfortable enough to try a Basketball Wheelchair. I said yes and went with him and he told me that he would show me the basics of using the wheelchair. To be honest, I was actually having a lot of fun, he told me that I was doing great and invited me to join the team. He clarified that I didn’t need to try out because I had a “disability.” He wanted to make sure that I understood that “disabled people '' are just differently abled. He calls it a “diffability.”
I went to practice and the first thing I noticed is that there weren’t a lot of people there, I only counted 11. I was absolutely shocked, on my old team there were 18 people. We went on with practice and by the end of practice I was really sore but I had a lot of fun! I have started to get annoyed when people who play non-adapted Basketball say “It's pretty hard” or “Yea, it is so easy.” I get annoyed because they get leverage and the ability to jump, while we are the ones that have to shoot from the floor when the hoop is at the same height. I just wish that they could just try and make a basket while sitting in a chair, then they might understand. Each time we had a practice I would get stronger and faster, but each time I got a little sore. My coach said that the soreness would go away because I wasn’t used to it yet. So sure enough, after multiple practices I wasn’t hurting at all, except for an occasional blister on my thumb from power pushing my wheelchair I couldn’t wait for our first game, it’s in only one week!
The next week flew by and we were all preparing for the big game against… the Lynx. I just found out that our first game was against the best team in the league. I thought to myself “How is it that I got hurt right before the game against the Lynx, and I am about to face them again after?” It couldn’t have been a coincidence, it was too perfectly timed. I didn’t care at that point because I had to set aside all of my thoughts and focus on playing my best. My team played hard but the fact that the Lynx didn’t even seem to be trying and yet were winning made us play harder. I pushed my wheelchair as hard as I could and shot with as much force as I could pull out of me. Then before we knew it the game was down to the last three minutes. Our coach chose to call a timeout and he said that we have gotten far and he is proud, and even if we didn’t win he would still be proud to say that we are his team. I looked at the score, it was 34 to 30. I thought to myself, “We have come this far… let's finish out with a bang.” The timeout was over and the clock was ticking. One layup after another we tried to make the points needed to win. Cassy, a girl on my team, made a basket for our team making our score 32. Then we were down to the last minute and a half and so we set up our layup and the ball was caught by the other team. We pushed in anger and knocked the ball right out of their hands and the clock was down to 15 seconds. So I gathered all of my strength and shot and did something I had only dreamed of doing. We all watched the ball go towards the net as the clock went 3, 2, 1. The crowd roared and the buzzer sounded as my three point shot went through the hoop.
That was the end of the game, the Lynx had lost but were happy for my team. I wonder why they were happy for us even though they lost. I think it is because everyone has a similarity so we all try and help each other. Wheelchair basketball is different, the teams try to help each other. Everyone is like family. If someone tips over everyone goes to help. That is what is so awesome about it. In the end, everyone feels like a winner.
"Mutter?"
By Keira Tabron
Now not every night did it get this quiet, and that scared little Anne. A helpless girl; only six years of age, the brownest eyes and the darkest hair. Her sister, Elizabeth, only nine years old, insisted she was to be called “Liz”, for she felt it was cooler. Still, she was caring, and so she attempted to comfort Anne as they strolled down the cracked, cold street. Elizabeth knew that Mother wouldn't be happy about how late the girls were out; but how could they have known that it would get this dark? Anne and Liz were sent out to purchase a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and three apples, because that was all they could afford.
Their father was a hardworking man, he worked in the coal mines while the girls mother stayed at home. Anne had always had a deep fear of the dark, she feared she would be pulled into the concentration camps like the other children her age. Those girls and boys never saw their mothers again, those children were forgotten by the rest. Liz felt the same too, she feared they would be taken too, but she cared too much about Anne to let her know that. For it was only 1924, they had their whole lives ahead of them! So why should she scare Anne when she could protect her while they were still close?
They eventually reached the one block mark, which was Mr. Settlemen’s house, they were almost home. They lived in a run-down neighbourhood where rats and disease flooded the area, and everyone the girls ever knew had always had a yellow star on their clothes. Anne and Liz took pride in their stars, it gave them a sense of hope that maybe one day, one day, they would be out of that rabbit hole. They could drive the cars the wealthy families drove, they could walk on the brick the rich people walked on, and they could eat the food the rich children ate for lunch. Maybe this would neve happen, maybe they would never live to see this day they so hopefully dreamed of. But they could hope, and hope was all they needed.
“Just one block away” Liz told Anne as she struggled to breathe.
The girls were out of breath completely, the long stretch to the market was a whopping three miles. It was almost over, but before they could reach their home, they had to pass the three dark alleys that were notorious for dragging people to the cattle cars. Liz stopped, therefore, so did Anne.
“Okay. We can do this Anney.” said Liz.
“Are you sure Elizabeth? Maybe we should just run super duper fast!” Anne said hopefully.
“No Anney, we have to face our fears. That's what Mom always says.”
And so the girls ran past the first two alleys;
Anne shouted, “Clear!”
They stopped and decided to walk past the next one, Liz was terrified, but Anne didn't need to know that. They took two steps in synchronization;
Liz whispered under her breath, “Almost there Mutter.”
The girls stopped mid-alley, they heard footsteps.
“Mutter?” said Anne.
“No. No Mutter here.” said a deep, hoarse voice.
“This is not amusing me, you know.” said Elizabeth.
And by the next breath the girls took, they had both been snatched and stopped from screaming by stone cold, veiny hands. The next thing the girls knew, they had become the girls Anne knew from school. They were the girls in the cattle car. They were the girls that would suffer a terrible perishing. They were the girls who would never see their mother again. They were now part of the bewildering number of people taken during the holocaust.
Oliver and the Dragon (part 2)
By Sri Gowravajjhula
“It has melted cheese on it, how bad can it be”? said Oliver to one of his friends named Peter. Peter dropped a melting cheese stick in the hallway and the teacher asked them to clean it up.
“I’ll get some paper towels,” said Peter.
“OK. I will wait here” Oliver said. A few moments later, Peter came back with the towels.
Oliver bent down to clean up the cheese and when he touched the cheese, the towels disappeared.
“ Hmm..that is weird,” Oliver said.
When Oliver and Peter bent down a little and touched the cheese with their hands, they both fell down into a hole made of cheese. They landed in a world made of cheese with a soft thud. Everything was Minecraft but it was all made of cheese.
“Spikey would love this”! Oliver muttered.
“Who is Spikey ?” said Peter.
“Um he is my Dra....errr.… Dog!” Oliver replied.
“Hey! this looks like the Minecraft 1.16 update. I know how to beat the game but first, we have to raid a village or punch trees. Let’s raid!” said Peter.
So they went to the village and saw a guy selling potions and he had one called “out of the cheese dimension”. He said to them, “if you want the potion then in return I want an enchanted sword with fire aspect 3 on it”. He also told them that a witch who lives in the nearby swamp makes enchantments.
“Ok, “Don’t sell this one to anyone else. We will be right back” said Peter and Oliver. They both walked into the swamp.
“Watch out for the revengers, Ok,” Oliver whispered.
They went to the witch and she said, “ I will give you the enchanted sword but you both will get me Ender egg”.
“First I need blaze rods for that. Can you go to the Nether dimension and get them for me?” She continued.
“I will give you some diamond armor with protection 5, in case you get hit by a ghast, and here is some nether wart on a stick if you want to cross lava on the striders.”
“What are those?”, asked Peter and Oliver.
“A ghast is a bat that shoots fireballs, striders are horses that walk on (melted cheese) lava and the nether warts are to guide the striders,” the witch said.
“Thank you!” said Peter and Oliver. They went through the nether portal. Peter suggested to Oliver, “ Let’s not attack anything unless it attacks us first”. Oliver agreed with him. They walked around a little and found a nether fortress. They rode on striders to get there and they found some blazes.
“Try not to get burnt,” said Peter. Oliver and Peter managed to ride through the blazes and reached a big hallway where there were many blaze rods on the display. They picked a couple of them which they liked and carefully avoided the blazes on their way back and gave the blaze rods to the witch.
“Good, the witch said. “ I will enchant these rods and now both of you will be able to kill the ender dragon and get the ender egg for me. Don’t forget to take the bow and arrows with you.”
Oliver and Peter picked up the bow and arrows which were hung up against the walls next to them. They also took the enchanted rods and stepped into the nearby portal and activated it. Peter and Oliver both stepped through the portal. The witch told them that they would have to break all the crystals that are hanging from the tower to stop the dragon from flying and attacking. Peter and Oliver started shooting arrows at the crystals and the dragon flew down upon them with a ferocious roar. Peter and Oliver tried hard to save themselves and tried to fight the dragon and also were taking turns to shoot down all the crystals.
In the end, all the crystals eventually broke and the dragon was unable to fly in the air.
Peter and Oliver now attacked the dragon with the enchanted rods and killed the dragon. They looked around and found a dragon’s egg. They carefully put it in the box the witch gave them and hopped back into the portal. The witch took the ender egg and in return gave them the enchanted sword. Peter and Oliver thanked the witch and went into the village and gave the sword to the guy selling the potions and took the potion, “out of the cheese dimension” which they wanted.
They looked at each other’s faces and said “ Now what”? at the same time. The villager who sold them the potion told them that if they want to get back to their world, they will have to reach the spot where they first landed and throw the potion on the ground. They both did the same thing and the world around them spun so fast and they both held hands and closed their eyes. When everything stopped, they opened their eyes and were in the hallway of their school. Shrugging their shoulders and smiling, Peter and Oliver walked into their classroom.
Spring Forward
My Dogs Playing
Cubs' Column
Email: jem2jc@bearworks.jackson.sparcc.org
Website: https://www.jackson.stark.k12.oh.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=6497
Location: Jackson Memorial Middle School, Mudbrook Street Northwest, Massillon, OH, USA
Phone: 330 830-8034