Cub's Column
The Voice of Jackson Memorial Middle School
November 2016
Principal's Message
Hello J.M.M.S.! I can't believe we are already into our second grading period. We have accomplished so much already and have new challenges ahead of us. I am quite pleased to report that the start of this school year has been the very best in all of my 7 years serving as our principal. It is my hope that our school motto for this school year "Our Past Determined Who We are Today...Not Who We Will Be Tomorrow" has started to resonate with you all. If you are pleased with how you are today...then continue making the essential choices that have set you up for who you are. If there are things in life you would like to see improve, then commit yourself to making the quality choices needed. I wish you all an incredible school year!!
Go Bears!
JMMS Principal
Mrs. Adolph joins JMMS team
by Madison Hart
This school year Mrs. Adolph has joined the JMMS administration team as a new assistant principal. But what are some of the responsibilities that she has, and why did she decide to become an assistant principal of JMMS?
It turns out Mrs. Adolph has already been apart of Jackson Schools for quite some time. She started out at the high school as an English teacher for 23 years before deciding to take on this position.
Mrs. Adolph is excited to serve as assistant principal after changing positions within Jackson Schools. "I think sometimes in a person's career we want a chance to challenge ourselves in new ways," Mrs. Adolph said, "and this was that opportunity for me."
There are many different responsibilities for an assistant principal. Mrs. Adolph works with disciplinary actions at JMMS, and she also gets to work with the students. "Whenever kids need something, they come here," Mrs. Adolph said.
Another important aspect to her job is being able to work with the language arts, PE, and world language departments. Everyday she gets to consult with the administrators, teachers, and counselors in JMMS as they make important decisions within their departments.
Out of all of these responsibilities, she said the favorite part about her job is working with the kids at JMMS because of the growth they undertake from sixth to eighth grade. The most challenging aspect is being able to balance and get everything done.
For the first year she hopes to get to know everyone and how the school works before she starts making many changes to JMMS. She does not think there are any major problems at JMMS. "I am very fortunate to come into a building that is very well run," Mrs. Adolph said. "We have a fantastic teaching staff and great kids and parents who work together. Without them I don't think this place would be as successful as it is."
Mrs. Adolph
New Assistant Principal at JMMS
Pancake Breakfast a massive success
by Annie Geissinger
This year's ninth annual Unity in the Community Pancake Breakfast and Health Fair, which occurred on Oct. 15 at Jackson High School, served around 3,000 community members. Staff and student volunteers from Jackson Local School District cooked more than 9,000 pancakes. Julianna Szink, grade 6, said, “It was fun! They had all of the activities in the hall, and the food was great as always!”
"I think this is a wonderful event and raises a lot of money for our students, and that is always a good thing," said Assistant Principal Mrs. Adolph.
Teachers from Jackson Middle School volunteered to cook pancakes, serve coffee, greet community members, and help make the event run smoothly. The teachers and principals woke up early to assist with the community breakfast.
Money raised from the pancake breakfast helped Jackson families in need, as well as create scholarships for Jackson students.
BTG Canned Food Drive breaks records to help the needy
by Harleigh Reichard
This year's annual canned food drive by the Be The Good student council was an amazing success, with over 9,800 food items donated to the needy by JMMS students. The canned food drive helps people who can’t afford to buy food.
BTG student council is advised by health teacher Mrs. Dunnerstick and math teacher Miss Bracken. “Jackson Middle School is trying to help people in need, especially at our own school," said Mrs. Dunnerstick. "We are going to help other people out of the school as well, but we are going to help some of the students in our school first."
“We can only accept non perishable food," said Mrs. Dunnerstick. "For example, canned foods and snacks that don’t have to be refrigerated."
This is the breakdown of donations by grade level:
6th Grade 3,757
7th Grade 3,031
8th Grade 3,015
Total donations = 9,803
Mr. Hirschman's homeroom donated the most amount of cans at 1,000!
"We are going to help feed a lot of people," said Mrs. Dunnerstick. "We are trying to make a difference. This canned food drive is going to show our community that we care, that nobody should have to do without."
BTG student council stopped accepting food donations on Nov. 4. Mrs. Dunnerstick said the pressure is on next year to beat this year's record donations.
Australian author visits JMMS
James Phelan, the author of the Last Thirteen book series, came to Jackson Memorial Middle School in the Learning Commons on Sept. 29. James started writing when he was 15, but he was not serious about it until he was in his late 20s.
James’ inspiration came from his love of reading. James is currently working on 2 books. One is a thriller and the other is a sequel to the Last Thirteen series.
One time he wrote a book where each author wrote a chapter in a book and, they put all of their chapters together to form one big novel. James personally thinks the hardest thing about writing is knowing when the writing is finished.
To decide what the cover looks like on James’ books his publishers send him different cover ideas and then, he and a team of people sort through them and select the best designed cover. Every time a new book comes out James gets interviewed by TV and local news organizations.
James’ writing motivation comes from having an idea that sticks in his head for a long time. He really just wants to let others experience what he was thinking. When James writes books he writes full time.
Writing a book is a long process. James writes his rough draft by hand, but when he does his final copy he uses a laptop computer. If you want to become an author, James advises students to read frequently and practice writing. James mainly promotes his books in the U.S., but sometimes he promotes them in Asia or Europe.
James Phelan’s visit to JMMS was sponsored by the Parents And Teachers Together organization.
Mentors help sixth graders adapt
by Charley Fox
When summer ends and school begins, JMMS looks for new mentors to help the new sixth graders out on the first day. Mentors are eighth-grade students who volunteer their time to acclimate the sixth graders to life at the middle school. Mentors plan activities and lead sixth-graders around the building on the first day of school.
"On sixth-grade orientation night, mentors attend and help guide people as well as answer questions anyone may have," said mentor Maddy Nadeau. "On the first day of school, mentors are assigned a sixth-grade classroom they report to. Then they help the 6th graders open lockers and do activities with them such as playing games and making name tags."
Emma Henson is another eighth grader who serves as a mentor this year. She recalls hearing about the mentoring program in seventh grade. "Seventh graders can apply to be mentors by picking up a form in student services later in the year," Emma said. "It will be announced in the morning when these forms become available."
"I advise being a mentor because you could also make new friends and maybe even spend the day with one of your old teachers," Emma added.
The eight-grade mentors are not the only students benefiting from this activity. Sixth graders learn about the day-to-day activities at JMMS from their mentors. I also asked 6th grader Riley Wagner for her opinion on the subject.
Sixth grader Riley Wagner felt that her mentors were very helpful. "I wouldn’t have found my way around school without them," she said. Riley is interested in paying it forward and becoming a mentor when she is in eighth grade.
Mentors meet at JMMS in August before school starts. They undergo a training session with guidance counselor Mrs. Thomas where they prepare the activities for the first day of school.
Students who enjoy meeting new people, doing fun activities and helping out new students are encouraged to consider being a mentor.
8th graders help community through nonprofit initiative
Last year, the class of 2020, the current freshman, gave $1,800 to their community, which included 4,000 pounds of donations and 2,000 items. There was $1,800 for charities, 4,000 pounds of food for people and 2,000 items for animals. Throughout this school year, the current eighth graders will be working with 14 different nonprofit organizations to help benefit our community.
The nonprofit fair is entering its third year at JMMS. The fair has returning and new organizations each year featuring a wide range of entities so that every student can find one that they are passionate about.
About 15 years ago, Mrs. Bantum’s students were writing persuasive essays. "This really helps prove to the kids that they can, in fact, make a difference in the community," said Mrs. Bantum, Language Arts teacher.
"I think it gives the students the awareness that even though they are thirteen and fourteen years old, they can still make a huge difference in their community," Mrs. Bantum said. "Oftentimes in Jackson Township, we don’t see the other outlets that other people struggle with. And I love to bring that awareness to our students because our students are compassionate, and if they had a little bit of direction of how to help, they would do it."
Student Liz Zupp is considering working with Habitat For Humanity, the American Cancer Society, Stark County Hunger Task Force and Whispering Grace Horses.
Livy Marrero is already involved in volunteer work. The nonprofit fair will allow her to continue growing from those roots.
There are many events throughout the school year to which the students can contribute to the nonprofit organizations. The first event was the Walk-A-Thon, named “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes”, which was held Oct. 28 and Oct. 31. Students were asked to collect sponsors and walk for these organizations. They conducted their Walk-A-Thon during their PE classes.
There was also a food drive from Oct. 24 through Nov. 4. Later in the school year, there will be a pet drive to help the animal based organizations as well as a clothing drive to help other kids who are in need.
Students are encouraged to go across from the cafeterias and check out the Volunteer Opportunities billboard. New things will always be added. Students have the option of working with other nonprofits, although they would be held liable for the money getting to those nonprofits.
This will be used all throughout the school. There will be a persuasive paper and speech to convince others to work for your organization. Mrs. Bantum had started this, and now it is part of the curriculum for all students.
The eighth graders’ awards ceremony in the spring will showcase the efforts of the nonprofit fair. The nonprofit organizations will be brought to the school, and students that made the biggest impact will present them with a check. Members of the nonprofit organizations will make speeches, and the parents get to see how much of a difference the students make over the year.
Mock Trial: Not something to laugh at
by Camden Swanson
Mock Trial. You may be thinking with the word “mock” is all about being funny. If you think that, you are very much wrong!
“Mock Trial is where the students take the roles of lawyers and witnesses," said team adviser Mrs. Clapper. "They must backup their claim, and it is based on literature.”
Mock Trial is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at JMMS.
“I would estimate there are about 20 to 30 people in Mock Trial,” said 7th grader Stavros Spanakis.
Mock Trial is recommended to students who like to learn about the law or like to role play. Mock Trial is from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Mondays and Thursdays, said 6th grader, Annie Geissinger. Mock Trial is in Mrs. Clapper’s room 309 for practicing the trial.
There are many reasons that people might join Mock Trial. They might join to learn how to role play, or they might want to learn more about the law. There are many other reasons as well. For instance, Mrs. Clapper did mock trial in high school, and she liked it a lot, so she decided to be the adviser for the team at JMMS. Some might just do it for the fun of trying to solve the cases or to meet new people.
Mrs. Clapper stated that there are competitions in Columbus, where teams go to a state showcase.
Mock Trial. Is it really something to laugh at, now that you see what it’s about?
Stark County Library Partnership opens more books for JMMS students
The Stark County District Library Partnership Program is a service that allows JMMS students to visit the Learning Commons to request materials from local public libraries.
"The Stark County District Library Partnership Program is a program I created to help students get materials they need and borrow them from the library," said Mr. Robitaille, the information and media specialist at JMMS.
Mr. Robitaille coordinated with teen librarian Ellen Doucette from the Jackson Branch Library to create the partnership.
This program was created last spring and has helped numerous students locate books from area libraries. The real reason this program was created was because students kept requesting books that JMMS library did not have. Now with this program there is enough books for weeks of check out.
In addition to books, students in the partnership program can request DVDs and electronic books.
Once a student has enrolled in the partnership program, they can request library materials from Mr. Robitaille in the Learning Commons. Mr. Robitaille access the student's Stark County Library account and requests the materials on their behalf. When the materials are ready to be picked up at the Jackson Branch Library, the student receives a notification from the Stark County District Library.
Students can then pick up the materials at the Jackson Branch Library, or they can request Mr. Robitaille to pick up the materials and deliver them at the middle school. Likewise, students can return Stark County District Library materials to the Jackson Branch Library, or they can ask Mr. Robitaille to drop them off after school.
Everyone at JMMS is allowed to enroll in this partnership program. Once enrolled, students can continue to use this service uninterrupted while they are students at JMMS. Applications can be picked up in the Learning Commons. At the time of publication, 165 students at JMMS have already enrolled in the Stark County District Library Partnership Program.
6th graders get spooky at Halloween party
by Joel Morris
Sixth grade students displayed their scary and funny costumes at the annual PATT Halloween party in the purple gym on Oct. 6.
When students walked in the doors there were spots to pay for their admission. If students walked in a bit further, they heard music, saw kids and immediately started to begin the festivities. There were raffle contests, kids in costumes, candy, games and DJ music. Sixth graders could dance, eat candy, talk to other kids and more.
Many sixth graders had a great time but, it was very loud! “This night is awesome,” said Alan Newcomb.
“My costume is the BEST!!” said Kowen Gayhart.
Sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Clapper, was dressed as a Cleveland Indians baseball player. “You could say I was Corey Kluber,” she said.
Click here to view a gallery of photos from the Halloween party.
Faculty dress in Halloween costumes [Photo story]
Sixth graders bond at Camp Muskingum
by Briana Brogan
Sixth-grade students attended a two-night community building camp this September in the rural hills of Camp Muskingum in Carrollton, Ohio.
At Camp Muskingum students learn about nature, get to know their new classmates and make many memories. They provide food, dorm rooms, showers and more. Many of the students believe Camp Muskingum was a very interesting and fun learning experience.
"Everything was a blast and super exciting," said student Annie Geissinger.
"If there was one thing I loved about camp, it's meeting my new friends," said student Alana Lubinski.
Many students felt the best part about camp was the Underground Railroad experience. Students played the role of runaway slaves who had to escape to freedom while being pursued by slave catchers, played by the camp counselors.
Community 6A attended camp on Sept. 14-16, while 6B went on Sept. 19-21, and 6C on Sept. 21-23. Students made many memories at Camp Muskingum.
PHOTO ALBUM:
Click here to view photos from the 6B Camp Muskingum experience.
Faculty Feature: Custodian Andy Baltzer
Custodian Andy Baltzer is a familiar face at JMMS and has many responsibilities, which include cleaning and maintenance.
Mr. Baltzer particularly enjoys maintenance responsibilities. He never really does one job. He does different things everyday.
When Mr. Baltzer was younger, he wanted to be a police officer and eventually an FBI agent. He enjoys his job at JMMS, though, because he get to be creative and solve lots of problems for staff and students.
Mr. Baltzer enjoys working with the staff and students at JMMS. "We are always around and staying active and interacting with the staff and the students to make sure that they're comfortable," Mr. Baltzer said. "With anything they need help with they can feel like they can ask us [custodians]."
Perspective: Do you rush or take your time?
Do you notice small details or do you just get the main picture? Do you tend to procrastinate, and how is this inconvenient or is it convenient to you? Do you take your time on projects or do you rush and what is the final look? When do you think you rush most and when do you think it's most obvious? These are some questions I asked to seventh graders at Jackson Memorial Middle School.
Most of the students answered that they run and some have no idea why. Others feel it is because they do not want to see all of the suffering in today's society and today's world. Most interviewed students felt they ran through this wonderful thing we call life and one, Vidushi Bhau, feels she does both.
The first question asked to the interviewers were if they paid attention to small detail and how did this help them or pull them back? Amnah Iqbal answered, "I pay attention to small details. It helps give me a perspective upon people's life. And I wonder in depth upon our existence and life and what we're meant to do." Amnah seems to go deep in thought far enough to wonder what role we play as everyone does.
Camden Swanson feels differently. "It depends what it is," he said. "If it's something that I don't care about, I just get the big picture.” He likes to get the major picture of something that he feels does not affect him much yet something he does care about he pays close attention.
The next question is if they procrastinate and how this helps or does not help. Most of the interviewees said they procrastinate until the deadline is really close, and some just end up doing all the work the night before, by the sound of it.
"Well it depends," said Amnah Iqbal. "If anything really big happens I tend to slow down. But if something is stressing me out or I need to pay attention I don't pay attention to anyone or anything else." She feels it is just when life is throwing pressure and slows down when something tragic happens.
What is the reason you walk or run through life? Christina McDaniel said, "I feel I run through life because, I guess because I'm scared. I'm scared of what I might see and hear. If I just block out all the bad things I don't have time to think deeply about what's happened or happening." Christina's grandmother recently passed away. "I am right now, not paying much attention except in my classes, of course," Christina said.
To conclude, most of the students are JMMS are lost in their own world going at their own pace. Will the majority of the world ever slow down, or will we all turn into runners? Will we turn this enjoyable walk into a race to see how fast we can to without even being aware of what we have? We can only wait for that day to come.
Gaming and e-Sports: Teacher perspectives
Two of our JMMS teachers were interviewed to discover their gaming habits. Here is what they had to say.
Key:
Mr. Jones (science teacher) = J
Mr. Hartley (technology teacher) = H
How often do you play video games?
J: I don't play a ton of video games, more of just when I’m with friends. So occasionally on the weekends, about once a month or so. On my personal device though, on my iPad, I probably play about once a day for about five minutes.
H: I like to play at least a couple of times a week. I haven’t been able to lately, I’ve been pretty busy with a Master's degree, but I still play a few days a week for an hour or two at a time.
What are some of the health benefits or deficits that you know of from gaming?
J: I know my brother plays a lot of online games. I know growing up that he would come out of the bedroom that we had the gaming stuff in, and I know that his eyes were shot. I know that my eyes start to dry out if I’m looking at a screen too long, so I like to keep my screen time down to a minimum. You know, it hurts and usually if there’s pain, it’s not good. Those are the biggest things that I know of from personal experience.
It can be a distraction from daily tasks that I should be doing like doing work or something like that. It can be a distraction, especially the turn-based ones. You’re just constantly going back and forth and it can be quite distracting.
H: I’m one of those guys that gets really angry at the video game. I get really into it, and it definitely becomes part of the emotional state, and so that would be not so good. Most of the people I see playing video games, I would say that it’s a negative thing for them. For example, (a) like I already talked about, your emotions get involved and usually I get angry (and b) it requires a lot of maturity to walk away from that. It just evolves into reality when it’s just a silly game, so many people don’t remember that. You have to know when to walk away and when to move on, to say “Oh, I lost that one,” or, “Oh I missed that catch.” But something that is even worse than that is that kids, especially today, will get on at the expense of their homework, spending time with their families and the expense of going outside and realizing that life is happening around them. So I think that it is a very, very negative aspect of gaming, at least with kids today. It wasn’t so much that way when I was a kid. Kids today get into their games and you can tell that some of these kids will grow up to live in their mother’s basement so they can just continue playing video games. That’s a very bad thing. All of this happens at the expense of their education, expense of their socialization, and the expense of their health. If you’re not out in life participating in some type of physical activity, it can be very bad for you. I have to schedule time in for video games because you have to have a life outside of being a teacher, some type of way to let loose. Although, lately I haven’t had time to do that because I’m working and doing my master's degree. So you have to schedule some time, and I think that it is very useful for blowing off some steam, not just to create some steam.
Do you play more gaming sports or physical sports?
J: I have a good mix, that’s hard. I do a lot of outdoor sports, like hiking. So I would say more of that. I don’t play a lot of video games, I’m more of a board gamer.
H: Physical activity is always more important to me, even as a kid I preferred to be outside playing tag and such. But I like to be outside playing, I’m a swimmer, I’m a runner. I’m definitely more of an active person, than gaming or eSports.
How did you get into gaming?
H: I began gaming in 1985, right about the exact moment that Atari came out. I was in love with Atari from the moment that I saw it on the TV screen. I had a next-door neighbor that had one, we were really poor at the time so we couldn’t afford one.
What types of games do you like to play?
J: I usually play turn-based games, like Words With Friends or something. Games that we’re shooting each other too, FPS (First Person Shooter).
H: My favorite games are Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla, it’s cool. I love to destroy some cities or throw a monster across the skyline. I mean, I don’t want to throw any student across the room but it’s a great way to blow off steam created by a student.
What are your favorite games?
J: Things like Words With Friends or stuff like that, like I have a putt-putt golf game that I play, and I play things like Halo with my friends too. More like Mario, beat ‘em up type stuff.
H: I love Madden Football because you don’t just get to be the armchair football player, you know? It makes you feel like you’re really in the game. It doesn’t mean that I’m good at football but when I’m playing this game, it feels like I am. And that’s really fulfilling inside. To feel like you can play so well and governing the team, catching so well, it’s just an amazing feeling.
Fantasy Short Story
"THE BEGINNING"
by Damanpreet Chahal
Once upon a time there was an Queen that ruled over an magical land where anything is possible. She had ruled with her King and now she will pass down it to her oldest daughter. Her two children both twins a girl and an boy. Her daughter named Harmony and Harmony’s twin brother named Leo. On their sixteenth birthday the older one Harmony will go out to the academy for becoming queens that will rule over the other kingdoms. Her brother had already left for the prince academy when they were 3 years old. Now before she is able to leaves she has to pass a test and test to test her courage. Will she be able to pass it?
It was a bright and beautiful day Harmony was turning sixteen. She had been waiting for the day, she was ready to take on the test. They had taught her everything she needed to know since she was homeschool. She was ready to leave the castle, she had lived in for her whole life. If she passes she will get to go to the outside of the kingdom. Harmony gathered her thing and headed down stairs. “ I am ready. I can do this. I cannot fail.” Harmony was so nervous as she reached the front doors she saw everyone from the castle there. They were cheering her on they knew she could do it. They had trained her and had faith in her. Harmony’s mother had left to here viewing area where everyone from each kingdom, the rich and the town folk. Harmony was going to travel through the magical forest. She would have to retrieve an flower that will never die. No one else no what it can do except for those who have got it. Harmony was on the edge in between the magical forest and the kingdom. She had looked back at her home and stepped into the forest. She looked all around the magical forest it was full of energy and was filled with vivid colors. Harmony was amazed but she shaked her head “I've got to focus this is my only chance.” Harmony walked and went deeper and deeper into the forest then she finally found it. She thought to herself “It can’t be this easy they would always made sure they went over the dragons section everyday so where is the dragon”. She looked and looked but here was no dragon until she heard it. A furious roar screeched out and it appeared. It was beautiful with dazzling golden scales glowing in the sunlight. It eyes like red rubies. Harmony knew it was going to be difficult know since this dragon was an rare golden shining dragon. They were dangerous known to all. Now she needed to devise a plan.
Harmony sat behind a tree and try to figure out a plan. Then she had it, but it will be in danger nor will she know if she will be able to get the magical plant. The crystal flower shining like glass. Harmony was ready for anything now she always saw the flower in her mother’s hair. It was beautiful,but now this will determine if she leaves to another place. Harmony was ready now she will go and get the plant. Her plan was risky. She would first distract it by throwing and stone the way away from the plant and her. Then she will grab the plant and run for her life. She would keep on running until she get out because the dragon can’t go out of the magical dragon. It was acidotic idea, but worth it. If things go south she had another plan in store.
The sun was almost about to set so she started the plan. Harmony threw the stone and it worked the dragon was distracted. Harmony then grabbed the beautiful flower and right before she ran the dragon turned around. She quickly then backed up and ran. She was frightened but only in her mind. She kept on running and she saw the exit and realized she still wasn’t close to it at all. As she was running she slipped and fell. She was on the ground and the dragon wa right behind her she tried to go, but she couldn’t she had to use her backup plan then now. It was much more risky. She went up to the beautiful dragon and placed her hand on it. “I am sorry I had taken it without her permission, but it was my only chance to leave.” The dragon understood every word and let her out he would not hurt her. When she made it out everyone was there they were smiling with joy on their faces. Harmony looked backed and thanked the dragon. Now she will be going to the academy and see her brother after 13 years. Harmony had succeeded. Now we will follow the Journey in the next time.
Student video feature
Do you have video talent?
Athletic notes
by Mr. Michel
Middle School Cheerleaders
Coaches: Katie Raddish & Lyndsey Fentner
The middle school cheerleaders went to Ashland and took first place in two categories at a summer cheer camp.
Middle School Volleyball
7th Grade Gold, coached by Erin Johnson, finished the season 9-9.
Kourtney Leonard and Carmen Craddieth led the team this year with setting for the 7th grade gold team. Gia Price, Delaney Byrer, and Megan Grisak came on strong in the back row defensively and helped with serving. Rylie Buso, Maggie Downard, Alexa Yockey, Ollievia Frasier, and Ava Reott helped out tremendously in the front row with aggressive swings and great transition work. Good Job Girls!
8th Grade Gold, coached by Samantha Dannug, finished the season 15-4.
The Gold team finished the regular season as the 2nd seeded team. Great job to Riley Anthony, Lyndsey Clendenin, Kayla Fulks, Ava Kargel, Mak Morgan, Karlie Mossa, Lauren O'Dear, Aly Stanislawski, and Ally Woolbert!
7th Grade Purple, coached by Allie Kracker, finished the season 10-9.
Ava Peterson and Hannah Sanders led the team setting and serving strong for the 7th grade purple team while Taylor Wilson led the team in serving points: serving 20 points straight in one game and being a power in both the back and front row. Taylor Hill, Gia Fuline and Isha Vasil helped the bears out in the back row while Ariana Wyant, Sarah Roth, Maraja Moss and Bri Artz ruled up at the net.
8th Grade Purple, coached by Julie Kovick, finished the season 15-5.
The Purple team was the runner up in the Federal League championship match. Congratulations to Kendel Betz, Megan DeChellis, Kylie Hawke, Jaidan Hockman, Ryleigh Houston, Jessica Mathieu, Maddalena Passerini, and Sami Secrest!
Middle School Cross Country
Coaches: Katie Elliott, Pam Dingler, Bridget Fontes
Boys finished the season 6-0.
First at Glenoak Invitational, North Canton Invitational, Jackson Invitational, Cloverleaf Invitational, Boardman Invitational, Andrew Osborne Invitational, Federal Meet, and Second at the OHSAA State Meet.
The boys were led by the duo of Alex Zuckett finishing 2nd at the OHSAA State Meet and Chase Powers finishing 3rd at the OHSAA State Meet. Lucas Immel, Ryan Kelley, and Bailey Young rounded out the top 5 for the Polar Bears.
Girls finished the season 6-0.
First at Glenoak Invitational, North Canton Invitational, Boardman Invitational, Andrew Osborne, Invitational, and Federal Meet. They also placed 2nd at Jackson Invitational, and Cloverleaf Invitational and OHSAA State Meet.
The girls were led by Allie Hartnett who won the OHSAA State Meet along with Allyson Bailey finishing 5th at the OHSAA State Meet. The top 5 was completed with Emma Henson, Hailey Rohn, and Lauren Stayer all giving great performances for the Polar Bears.
Middle School Football
Coaches, Jim Williamson, Josh Hirschman, Jordan Johnson, and Brian Poetter
The 8th grade football team finished the year 4-4. The B team record was 5-0.
Cross Country runners become Federal League Champions
by Donovan Kincaid
Starting way back in June, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, JMMS students started their conditioning for cross country. During the summer middle school and high school trained together. In August team practices began. The middle school team visited the high school team for a day at Camp Shaggy, where practiced for a week.
As the runners improved and conditioned, Head Coach Mrs. Elliott would change their color groups, which is a way to have athletes train with other kids that run at the same pace. The colors were originally Purple, Orange, Yellow, Green, Red then Blue. Later the color Pink was added due to the amount of kids that would be in Purple.
Cross country athletes participated against other schools in the area on Tuesdays. On Saturday they traveled around Ohio for larger meets againsts multiple schools. The boys won all of the races, and the girls got second place in one but first in all of the others.
The average cross country course is two miles with times for boys averaging from 10 minutes through 18 minutes at the latest, with girls being about same.
The top 12 runners from the boys and girls cross country teams attended the middle school state tournament on Oct. 22, with both teams coming in second place.
Students ran in a wide range of temperatures, with some days being 90 degrees and other days being 50 degrees and rainy.
6th Grade Running Club dashes to victory
Earlier this year, there was an after-school club at JMMS called 6th Grade Running Club (6RC). This club was open to any 6th grade students who love to run. Mrs. Snow, a 6th grade social studies teacher, coached the runners this year.
Every Saturday, runners were welcome to run a 1/2 mile or 1 mile race against other schools. They also had the opportunity to run another race every Sunday, also against other schools. Runners, both boys and girls, were able to earn plaques.
According to Mrs. Snow, at the end of the season, the boys ended up with five wins, and the girls with four.
"My favorite race to watch was the Jackson Invitational because it was very enjoyable to watch the runners run on our home course," said Mrs. Snow.
Mrs. Snow has been interested in running since she got out of college and has been running about 20-25 years. "I decided to coach this year's team because I love to run, and it's fun," said Mrs. Snow.
"A strength we had was that everyone improved," said Mrs. Snow. "Even if it was by one second, everybody worked hard together, encouraged each other, and I don't think we really had any weaknesses as a team."
Mrs. Snow encourages her 6th grade runners to try out for cross country next year. "Running is awesome!"
Coach Williamson reflects on football season
by Max DeLuca
The 8th grade football team completed their season with four wins and four losses. Head Coach Mr. Williamson said his players demonstrated a lot of effort as they faced challenges.
"Our team was successful this year because we had a lot of hard workers," Mr. Williamson said. "Hard work is very important."
Mr. Williamson also noted that each week his players had to concentrate on different aspects of the game, depending on their opponent's strengths and weaknesses. "Focus is very important," Mr. Williamson said. "Just working on different plays and different things that different teams are going to do it is like playing a different team every week because each team does something a little different."
Players on this year's team look promising as they move into high school football next year. "There is a lot of good players in this grade," Mr. Williamson said. "At least five or six players I expect to be seeing on Friday nights in the near future.
Mr. Williamson believes a successful football player must continue to develop their skills year round. "I encourage my players to play different sports like basketball, lacrosse, baseball, things like that to keep them active," Mr Williamson said.
Mr. Williamson focused on getting all of his players some time on the field during games, but he acknowledged that he also wanted to win as many games as possible.
Besides being a head football coach, Mr. Williamson spends a lot of time on his teaching duties and his family responsibilities. "It's tough," said Mr. Williamson, who is a father. "I just do the best I can and try to keep football and coaching together. Then after football is over be a dad at home," Mr Williamson said.
Mr. Williamson offers advice to his players as they head to high school sports. "Work hard, get in the weight room as much as you can, and play other sports to stay in shape," said Mr Williamson.
Volleyballer reflects on 7th grade season
by Marysa Starcher
Brianna Artz played on the 7th Grade Volleyball Team this year. Her position on the team was outside hitter. When reflecting on her performance this season, she said, "I really needed to work on my approach. I needed to talk more on the court to my teammates."
"Our team's strongest point was when we were hitting at our best, when we had a lot of confidence and when we were passing the ball around," said Brianna.
"Our team's weakest point was called the Jackson hole," said Brianna. "It is when the other team was serving and they hit it to our front left and they usually can not get it."
Although the team lost this year in the playoffs, they enjoyed many wins throughout the season. "I don't dwell on the games that we lose," said Brianna.
Editorial: Our new BYOD policy has pros and cons
This year, the Bring Your Own Device policy was scaled back to prevent students from accessing their cell phones throughout the school day. Students are allowed to keep their phones in their lockers, but they are not permitted to bring them to class or to use them in the hallways during school.
The BYOD policy could use some work. We should be able to use our technology resources for looking up a educational things, or using the calculator on our phones.
Sometimes, I know that people will be tempted to go on games, but the teacher could pick certain students to be permitted to use them.
There are some benefits of implementing this policy, too. We can focus better. If we always had our technology out we would rely on that rather than life-long skills.
I'm not saying we can never have ours out, just not always. Technology is great and can solve many problems, but we need to learn basic things. This is similar to using a calculator. If you use it for everything, you would rely on it. Then you would come across a time you couldn't use it or didn't have one. What then?
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Location: Jackson Memorial Middle School, Mudbrook Street Northwest, Massillon, OH, United States
Phone: (330) 830-8034