May 2014 - Alpine Public School

Alpine Public School
May 2014
The Alpine Journal
Alpine On The Go
Editor: Mimi
Advisor: Mrs. DeMoya
Writers:
Callista
Julia
Sambhav
Ginny
Sterling
Maddie
Paige
Yasmin
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Alpine on the Go
Page 1
Student Council Corner
Page 1
Mini Model Congress
Page 2
Environmental News
Page 2
Top Ten Lists
Page 3
Missing Jet Liner
Page 4
Restaurant Review
Page 4
Chubby Wubby Chef
Page 5
Basketball Wrap Up
Page 5
Movie Reviews
Page 6
Faculty-8th Grade
Page 7
Book Reviews
Page 7
Crossword Puzzle
Page 8
Spring
is finally
here and
though the
temperatures continue to fluctuate to extremes, it's
starting to feel like it. The fourth
marking period has already commenced! The recent school musical, the Little Mermaid Jr., was a
success. The blooming actors
and actresses worked hard in
preparation for the show and
experienced the adrenaline rush
of performing. This show starred
Quinn Martinelli as Ariel, Neel
Dhulipala as Prince Eric, Mimi
Ohashi as Ursula, Marina Hoffmann as Sebastian, and Sambhav Jain as King Triton, with
many more fun characters. Moreover, fun scenery and unique
costuming created an appealing
by Mimi, Editor and Paige
atmosphere.
Now, state testing is wrapping up and the 3rd through 8th
grade let out a collective sigh of
relief. For the 3rd graders, this
was their first NJASK. Before
the exam, students took a break
from normal studies in math and
language arts to practice statemandated math problems and to
create sample essays with guidance, so that writing will be
achieving students' fullest ability. Next year, the state of New
Jersey is switching to a new
state testing program called
PARCC, which is computerized
rather than written. However,
the PARCC test has sparked
controversy on whether the test
is more beneficial or not.
Students, faculty and parents
alike look forward to the Alpine's
Got Talent talent showcase,
where students can show off their
talents that may not show through
at school. Admission is $10 in
advance or $15 at the door. The
talent show was postponed to
June 3 so the acts had more time
to prepare and more acts could
join.
Despite summer's far away
feel, it's approaching quickly. Last
week, students performed in the
spring concert, which was a huge
success! Mrs. Hankle and Mrs.
Lee trained their pupils in the fine
art of performance, which clearly
paid off.
Furthermore, middle school
students are excited for their
upcoming overnight trips which
are occurring in late May. The
middle school is studying hard for
upcoming finals as well. As we
wave goodbye to spring, summer
is just around the corner!
Student Council Corner by Ginny and Sambhav
During meetings, the
Student Council has discussed many ways to
make the school a more
enjoyable environment.
Although spirit days and
our annual field day bring
some fun to the school
year, it is important to
keep looking for new and
fresh ideas. As a result,
the Student Council, together with the Alpine
Home and School Association, has decided to
hold a talent show open
for students in all grades.
It will be held on the third
of June and there are still
open spaces for many
acts. Auditions will be
held so teachers can
judge which acts are acceptable for the show.
We encourage you to
audition now!
Also, the Student Council
held a school-wide contest to collect bottle caps.
In this competition, the
class with the greatest
amount of bottle caps
collected would win an
ice cream party. Although
all classes had great participation in the contest,
the crown goes to kindergarten with more than six
thousand caps! Student
Council is proud to say
that the Alpine School
collected more than
twenty thousand caps.
What a great way to give
back to the world around
us! We are so proud of
the Alpine School community for taking part in
this school competition.
These bottle caps will
help promote recycling,
and a company named
Aveda, who melts the
caps to make new bottles
for their hair products,
reducing the amount of
energy used. Congratulations to all who participated!
PAGE 2
THE ALPINE JOURNAL
Inside the Law-Making World
On Tuesday, March 25th,
2014, several students from
schools all around New Jersey
met at the Trenton State House to
partake in the annual Mini-Model
Congress Event. Weeks of preparation took place in small groups
before this huge meeting occurred. “What was so important
about this event?” you may ask.
Well, the best-of-the-best students
from across the state of New Jer-
sey discussed their own
imaginary bills. Everyone
invited to this event was required to write up a new set
of laws that New Jersey, or
even the United States,
could implement into the
governmental system. From
our own small school, 8th
graders Ines and Ariel had a
bill chosen to be debated at
the affair along with four
other well-thought-out bills
presented by students from
other districts.
The event was centered
around approximately three to
four groups of 11 students,
mixed and matched from different school districts, splitting up
to debate 5 bills. The directors
of the event assigned each participant to either find pros, or
positives, or cons, flaws and
bad ideas, in all the bills. Your
exciting job was to debate any-
Protecting Our Sea Creatures
Do you use plastic bags?
Most people do, ignoring the
danger that plastic bags
cause. Plastic bags never
really go away, unlike most
things we throw out which are
biodegradable. Plastic bags
are brought to landfills, and
usually blow away into the
ocean. Some throw out plastic
bags in recycling bins, and the
bags will damage expensive
machinery. Dolphins, along
with other marine animals,
can suffocate from the bags.
Marine animals can mistake
the plastic bags for food, but
the bags can be deadly. Furthermore, animals can be
strangled if the bag wraps
around its body. Because of
wind, weathering, and other
climate affects, lightweight
bags travel from trash cans
or the ground to the ocean.
Thousands of marine animals die each year because
of plastic bags. This concept
does not only affect the animals, but it affects the food
chain.
For
instance, if
dolphins
would eventually
become
extinct, the animals
who
eat dolphins
would have
no food. Furthermore,
by Sterling
one who had an opposing viewpoint. Making opponents think,
creating counter ideas, and using
effective debating skills were key.
After everyone in each group
voted to pass or defeat the debated bill, students met in a large
courtroom to discuss the bills that
were passed. Two students from
our school also won an award for
debating— 7th grader, Ginny,
and 6th grader, Sterling, were
both congratulated for their accomplishments.
Will you participate in the
Mini-Model Congress event when
you go to 6th grade? It's an event
exclusive to straight-A students,
that is a great all around experience. Don't forget, that if you are
invited, that means you get
amazing grades! Let's debate!
by Julia
the dolphins’’ prey would overpopulate. You could have swallowed a bit of plastic as well! By
changing our lifestyles, we can
create a healthier environment.
For instance, reusing plastic
bags will limit the amount of
bags in the ocean. How can you
contribute?
MAY 2014 EDITION
PAGE 3
Top Ten Music Countdown
by Julia
Happy- Pharrell Williams
Dark Horse- Katy Perry
All of Me- John Legend
Pompeii- Bastille
Team- Lorde
Counting Stars- OneRepublic
Let it Go- Idina Menzel
#SELFIE- the Chainsmokers
Rather Be: Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Timber- Kesha
Top Ten Blockbusters for April
by Sterling
10.) Brick Mansions $10,154,067
9.) Bears $11,537,162
8.) A Haunted House 2 $14,403,788
7.) Transcendence $19,013,583
6.) Draft Day $24,367,007
5.) Oculus $25,412,041
4.) The Other Woman $26,673,661
3.) Heaven is for Real $53,472,987
2.) Rio 2 $96,963,749
1.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$226,126,753
PAGE 4
THE ALPINE JOURNAL
Malaysia Flight 370: Lost at Sea
A Malaysian airplane disappeared on Friday, March 8th
halfway through a flight from
Malaysia to Beijing.
Different media sources
such as CNN, ABC News, and
The New York Times reported
that the flight swerved off track,
going off the radar, and eventually into the unknown. Media
sources confirmed there were
293 people on board, and these
families are mourning over the
loss of their relatives. Recently,
sources also say they believe
the flight flew for several hours
and finally crashed into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia.
More recently, possible wreckage from flight MH370 had been
spotted by satellite, but is yet to
be located by search planes and
ships.
Officials have concluded that
the Boeing Flight 777
crashed in the southern Indian Ocean with
no known survivors.
This week, the last
recorded contact with
the flight crew will be
publicized at the urging of the grieving
families.
Hopefully, Malaysia will figure out the
by Sambhav and Sterling
cause of the crash and bring truth to
the families in despair. As a result,
these families may finally have
some answers and closure for the
unexpected loss of their loved ones.
As the world waits for details, many
hold on to the hope that eventually
there will be a resolution to this horrific tragedy so future complications
similar to those of flight 370 can be
avoided.
Restaurant Review: Burger Joint
"Alllllrighty!
Who's
next?"
Those are
the magical
words you'll
hear before
stepping up
to the
counter.
The words "The Burger Joint"
tower above you, as you follow a simple 3 step process.
1.) Choose the type of burger
you want. 2.) Choose how you
want it cooked. 3.) What'd ya
want on it? This classic,
home-style restaurant proves
that even in a space smaller
than White Manna, starring in
a previous Restaurant Re-
view, burgers can be cooked
to perfection! They have lots
of toppings to go on your burger, along with hard-working
employees that help bring nirvana to your taste buds!
Their burgers are specially
made. They're very homestyle and are served with perfectly cooked fries. As I said
before, they have as many
toppings as you can think of
and really outdo themselves
when they make your food.
Sadly, since this restaurant is
so popular, the booths are
pretty much always taken.
This means you're going to
have to stand around a little to
get a seat and eat, but hey,
it's worth it for all the delight
you'll get when eating their
by Sterling
burgers!
Located at the Parker Meridian Hotel in New York, right
next to Central Park, this small
hidden gem, no joke, is nearly
impossible to find if you haven't
been there before. You must
first travel down the hallway of
anticipation, just like every
amazing place, and then, you
can enter! People all over the
world are welcome here! Don't
believe me? They have a ten
language menu. (I can't even
name ten languages!) Are you
going to drop by this hidden
restaurant? "Aaaannnnd here's
your burger!" Tastiness has
landed!
MAY 2014 EDITION
PAGE 5
The Chubby Wubby Chefs
Once upon a time, the
Chubby Wubby Chefs baked a
delectable peach cobbler for
Mother’s Day.. However, little did
they know that their creation
would be gone instantaneously.
The Peach Robber had leaked
their recipe on Twitter and stole
their peaches! What would they
do? Revenge was never an option for the mighty Chubby Wubbies. They would just need to
make a better recipe. After
hours of baking and experiment-
Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Steps:
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix
well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
 Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in the oven to melt.
 Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if desired. Batter will rise to the top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
Serving Suggestion:
Scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice
cream.
ing, the Wubbies finally created
the most delicious peach cobbler
ever baked!
Successfully, the recipe was a big hit and the Peach Robber
never bothered them again, except to ask for a bite. And so, the
Chubby Wubbies baked happily ever after.
Alpine’s Basketball Season by Yasmin
The ball soars through the air towards the hoop as the clock counts
down! What will happen next? Score! Alpine School’s two amazing basketball teams cheer. And boy, these teams do have some incredible
players!
As the season came to a close, the team reflected on their accomplishments. The girls’ basketball team had lots of awesome things to say
about playing. According to Norhan,"The experience was great!" She
also said she enjoyed learning all the new techniques. Additionally, the
girl's basketball team reported they "enjoyed spending time together and
bonding as a team." Even though they may not have won too many
games, the girls are looking forward, knowing that
they will try harder next season to achieve their goal of conquering the court!
Likewise, members of the boys basketball team exclaimed, "Hanging out
with each other was great, and so was learning new skills!" The boys team
also mentioned that their winning season was amazing! The team was led by
Armon and Jake, from the class of 2014! Many boys on the basketball team
said that they would be sure to join again!
Are you interested in joining the Alpine School basketball team? Lots of
current players know they will! You should join next year and make some
baskets yourself! Ready to dominate the basketball scene? Play ball!
PAGE 6
THE ALPINE JOURNAL
Movie Review: Mr. Peabody and Sherman
by Mimi
During the 1960’s, Mr. Peabody and Sherman was a popular Saturday morning cartoon. Now, this
dynamic duo return in a new movie showing some of the most exciting travels in a new 3-D computer animated form! In this adventurous tale, a witty dog genius, Mr. Peabody, and his adoptive human son, Sherman,
go on a journey through time and space. Throughout the film, the adventures take place during some of the
world's most significant historical moments. Time travels begin when Sherman meets Penny, a young girl who
teases him for having a dog for a father. When a social security agent threatens to remove Sherman from Mr.
Peabody, Mr. Peabody sets up a dinner with Penny and her parents. Despite his father’s warning, Sherman
shows Penny the WABAC, his time machine. As a result of Sherman sharing his father's secret, the time-space
continuum is warped. Now, its up to Mr. Peabody and Sherman to save the world.
This movie is great for all ages. The older generation will experience nostalgia for the original cartoon, young
children will love the action-packed adventures and immature jokes, and older students who have learned
about the very events the characters experience through time travel can compare the historical facts through
the incorporation of laughable fiction. Mr. Peabody and Sherman is rated PG and has a run time of 92 minutes.
Movie Review: Rio 2
As a sequel, Rio 2 begins with Blu and
Jewel, the last two blue Macaws on Earth in
their home. Jewel was raised in the wild
before the species disappeared, but Blu
was raised as a pet under the care of a
loving, nerdy bird-lover. In fact, Blu acts
with extremely human-like actions and
teaches his three children entertainment by
watching television and listening to iPods.
Rather than collecting food from the nature
reserve, Blu prefers buying prepackaged
foods.
The family decides to go on vacation to
the wild Amazon. There, they discover a
flock of blue macaws. Though this means
the species is not as close to extinction as
first presumed, Blu is now facing extreme
competition from the suave and hunky,
Roberto. Furthermore, Blu is far from fitting
in to the customs of a regular bird and is
mocked for his human-like characteristics.
Moreover, the birds also have to deal with
men illegally chopping down the rainforest to
expand their business. Blu is the only one
who knows, and no one will listen to him. To
increase the current problems, a past nemesis, Nigel, vows revenge, now with two new
sidekicks. So now Blu is engulfed with by
harsh circumstances all at once.
There were an overwhelming amount of
subplots in this movie which rather than
making a complex, intriguing plot, created a
mish mosh of situations, not allowing for full
attention to watch the situation unravel and
Movie Review: Divergent
“I’m not Dauntless, I’m Divergent.” An action packed movie
produced by Douglas Wick is now
out in theaters. The story takes
place in post-apocalyptic Chicago,
where people are divided in factions based on their characteristics. Tris, the protagonist portrayed
by Shailene Woodley, is a
“divergent,” a person that does not
obtain the characteristics of just
one faction. The citizens of the
community are scared of divergents, for they think differently
than the rest. Tris, like everybody,
had the option of choosing what
faction she belonged to. Tris chose
by Mimi
bloom into a beautiful storyline. It seems that
the creator attempted to grab a variety of successful plots, such as exclusion, or an evil
nemesis. However, the movie seemed overly
packed instead of letting viewers delve into a
single conflict.
Nonetheless, the movie has been a big hit
among children or anyone who enjoys a light,
innocent laugh and a movie that requires little
thought to understand, for this movie is rated G.
Furthermore, the perky Brazilian music will
cause one to leave with a smile, inspired to
dance. If you are searching for a fun, “feelgood” film, Rio 2 is highly recommended.
by Sambhav
Dauntless, people who protect the
society from others outside the border, which is a dangerous role. She
eventually dominated the other
Dauntless members, despite her
lack of prior physical training. The
conflict of the story is caused by
Abnegation, who try to overthrow
the government using their intelligence. Tris attempts to end this
conflict with the help of friends she
meets along her journey. Will she
succeed or fail? The only way to
find out… is to witness it for yourself.
MAY 2014 EDITION
PAGE 7
Eighth Grade - Faculty Basketball Game
On Wednesday, March 5th, all the students at Alpine who weren't at school
at 6:30 the night before were buzzing
with the same question, "Who won?"
This time, though, they heard that the
teachers beat the eighth grade again, in
an action-packed basketball game.
The Student vs. Faculty Game started
with Mrs. McCann introducing all the
students and teachers. If you looked
carefully, you could see that each
eighth grader had a country's flag and
name on their uniform t-shirts, which
was inspired by the 2014 Winter Olympics. Some of the faculty had nicknames on their back of their shirts, and
others chose to use their last names as
professional athletes do.
As the game began, it started
out as a close and energetic game. For
the onlookers cheering, eating, buying
raffle tickets, and players running
around trying to make baskets, time
seemed to go by fast. Before anyone knew it, it was already half
time! The raffle winners were
picked, and some lucky people
smiled broadly as they carried
their prizes back to their seats. The
gym was packed to capacity!
But it wasn't over! The game resumed, along with the cheering. It
was a close game, with the faculty
winning by only a couple of points.
The faculty started making even
more baskets, and unfortunately
the eighth grade began to fall behind. The game ended with a score
of 50-39. The faculty had officially
beat the class of 2014. Even
though they didn't win, the eighth
grade did a great job. It was a
great time for them to play their
last game at Alpine. Most importantly, the class had fun playing
against their teachers.
The teachers who played did an
excellent job, too. They managed to
beat the eighth grade, even though
there are some really talented basketball players in that grade. Many
teachers also made it happen with
their basketball skills. Who knew
we had such talented teachers?
Those who didn't play in the game
helped out by selling tickets for entry or raffles at the door, and helping the seventh graders with other
sales management. The Student vs.
Faculty Game was actually a seventh grade fundraiser, so seventh
graders sold food tickets and other
fun item to show Alpine spirit and
help cheer on everyone!
Next year, do you think the students or teachers will win? Place
your bets! It’ll come before you
know it!
Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Divergent, by Veronica Roth, tells
the tale of a 16 year old girl
named Beatrice Prior, who lives
in the post-apocalyptic world of
Chicago. The world is divided into
five sections, or factions, for different characteristics: Dauntless
for bravery, Abnegation for selflessness, Amity for friendship,
Erudite for knowledge, and Candor for truth. Beatrice, from Abnegation, feels out of place with her
family, for she still cares about
herself. When her 16th birthday
comes, she has to choose which
faction she will join after taking a
test to see which faction suits her
best. However, Beatrice's test results come out inconclusive, mak-
ing her “Divergent,” thus,
leaving Beatrice to make the
difficult choice that will affect
the path of her life. On
Choosing Day, Beatrice surprises all by joining Dauntless. Changing her name to
Tris, she faces various challenges of trust, friendship,
and difficult decisions. Additionally, she must keep her
Divergent identity a secret, or
she could face death. As secrets unravel, Tris must
make difficult decisions to
save the people she loves.
This fast paced, suspenseful
novel is a great read for
those who love science fic-
by Maddie
by Ginny
tion novels, and is a must
read for fans of books such
as The Hunger Games
(series,) and the Giver
(quartet.)
The Little Mermaid Jr. Crossword
by Paige
Across
Down
3. Ursla's sea spies
4. Crew on Prince Eric's ship
5. Someone who wants to explore the ocean,
Ariel's love
8. Ariel's best friend
9. Sea witch
10. A mermaid who longs to be human
11. A funny seagull who knows all things human
12. Prince Eric's advisor
1. Ariel's father
2. Crabby character who loves to compose
6. fish crazy chop-a-holic
7. Ariel's sisters
8. FLOUNDER
7. MERSISTERS
5. PRINCE ERIC
12. GRIMSBY
4. SAILORS
11. SCUTTLE
3. EELS
10. ARIEL
Across
9. URSULA
ANSWERS:
6. CHEF LOUIS
2. SEBASTIAN
1. KING TRITON
Down