Winter/Spring 2016 - Groton Public Schools

The Cutler Times
Winter/Spring
2016
Art by Tomomi Kimura
The Cloud
By Anna Terry
She is a bird,
Soaring through the
bright blue skies.
Not looking down,
Or being afraid to fall,
Singing sweet, majestically melodies.
She is a child,
Playing, laughing,
Do You Know What This Word Means?
VACANSOPAPUROSOPHOBIA
Well? Do you?
If not, find the definition HIDDEN in the
newspaper!
In the park.
Walking in the town with her mother
for ice cream
Wanting to grow up, but not knowing
The responsibilities and
Requirements.
She is an owl,
Quietly perched on a branch
High above everyone,
Table of Contents:
Watching as we scurry to and from
Our little homes like little mice.
Eventually, she is a cloud. Drifting
School News page 2 – 4
Movie preview of Rogue One, the next Star Wars
Movie review page 5
Puzzle page 6
Information page 7
Recipe page 8
TV & Book reviews page 9
Fiction 10-12
Far above all land. Zooming into a
place where she will have
No hair color and no race. A place
where music plays faintly,
Shaping the sound of lullabies and music.
Framing the light coming in from the
sun.
Should CMS Have More Activities?
Sean Finnegan
Should there be more activities in our middle schools? Some people think
there are enough, while on the other hand, some think that there should be
more. Our school has quite a selection of activities. Some of them are Basketball, Cross Country, Adventure Club, Newspaper, Yearbook, Stamp Club, Soccer, and YES Club.
Although our school does have some intramurals, it does not have baseball or
tennis intramurals. After thinking about this topic, I decided to ask some of
the students at CMS what they thought. Overall, it was unanimous that intramurals for students was lacking. Quite a few students would like to have
informal opportunities to play sports either before or after school.
The NYC Expedition
By Simon Choi
The January 2016 band field trip was an exciting change from the daily school schedule. The trip
was a chance for the Cutler Band to experience the music and history of Finland. Students
traveled from CMS by motor coach, heading toward New York City to see the New York
Philharmonic perform. This was a world-class performance, right in front of our very eyes. The
Philharmonic explained Finland’s uprising through beautiful music and clever storytelling. After the
performance, the Cutler Band switched to a visual presentation, traveling to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. Sculptures, jewelry, and paintings were displayed everywhere we looked. It was
a long, but fulfilling day of art.
Celebration of the Arts
Difficult Decisions
By Quinn Mignosa
By Sean Finnegan
Northeast Academy, a district elementary
school, held their 3rd annual celebration of
the arts. It was held on January 21st and
22nd. Cutler’s music and art programs were
featured. The Cutler Singers, jazz band, and
orchestra performed on the 22nd. All the
other school’s in the district participated as
well. Ms. Stevenson, the orchestra director at
both S.B. Butler and NEA, ran the show and
even managed to get some local professional
artists to bring their work. All our performances went very well, and we hope to be invited back again next year.
Which high school are you thinking of attending? What courses do you want to
take? What do you want to do someday?
Questions, questions, questions—Have you
ever thought about all of the decisions that
8th graders have to make regarding high
school? There is a huge selection of high
schools to choose from. Some of the more
popular ones are Fitch, Grasso Tech, and
Marine Science Magnet. All of the high
schools are a great choice, but it is important to choose the one that is best for
you. If you don't make a choice, it is assumed that you will be going to Fitch High
School.
Y.E.S. Club by Quinn Mignosa
Do you want to be a teacher someday? Are you a leader? If so, Y.E.S. Club is for you! Come
to a meeting and help us construct bulletin boards and go on fun field trips. Last year, we got
to shadow teachers and help grade papers. There is also an annual field trip to a conference
for aspiring teachers. This year, we will be visiting a kindergarten class and reading to them.
So, if you love to teach, come visit us in room three after school once per month. (Listen to
morning announcements for exact dates.)
RROCKS—responsibility
Created by Jason
Hartman
https://www.pixton.com/ca/
Absolutely Random Statistics
Emily Tarinelli
Are you curious just because you’re curious? If so, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy some absolutely random
statistics:
There are approximately 7 quintillion, 5 hundred quadrillion grains of sand on Earth.

About 361,481 babies are born each day.

On a human head, there are roughly 100,000 strands of hair.

If a person lived for 100 years, they would sneeze approximately 18,250 times in their life time.

About 4% of lost remote controls are found in the fridge or freezer.
http://www.livescience.com/33657-8-weird-statistics.html & www.npr.org
Spirit Week
Written by Kavita Srirangam
This year's Spirit Week was definitely good! Many students participated in dressing up for the
events and joined in on the fun. Every one showed pride to our country on America Monday by
dressing in red, white, and blue. Twin Tuesday was very “twinilicious”! Lots of people seemed to
mysteriously turn into twins! On Wednesday, people had a chance to show their Cutler pride!
There was blue and white everywhere! It filled the school! But then on Thursday, we went back to
the past. Everyone was dressed up either as a 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s person! And then lastly on Friday, everyone came together and dressed in their favorite pajamas. This is by far my favorite
day! Spirit Week is designed to boost students’ spirit and it seemed to do so this year.
Downton Abbey: A Modern Take on Historical Television
Quinn Mignosa
Downton Abbey brings a whole new aspect to the
world of historical television. A writer, Julian Fellowes, shows us both the life of the downstairs
servants and the upstairs family, the Crawleys.
The Crawleys are the earl and countess of Grantham which is a small village near York, England.
The show follows the ups and downs of pre and
post war life in England. The characters are relatable which is why I think the show has become so
incredibly popular. It is aired all over the world and
has been translated into many languages. The
final season is currently airing, and you can get all
of the previous seasons at our local libraries. This
is such a good series that you must watch this
show from the beginning. I also recommend you
watch with a parent or guardian. Downton Abbey
is a great show for anybody who is interested in
history or just wants a well written TV program to
watch.
A Book Review: Throne of Glass by Kavita Srirangam
Throne of Glass is a book series by the author Sarah J. Maas. The first book, “Throne of Glass”, is
about an 18 year old girl who gets pulled out of the mines to go to the Castle of Adarlan. But there is a
catch. This girl is an assassin. Celaena Sardothien is a trained killer who has been pulled out to fight in a
competition to become the King’s Champion. Once she becomes the Champion, Celaena will have to work
four years with the king to earn her freedom. Freedom is a word that Celaena hasn’t heard in a long time.
I think this book is amazing. The first time my friend recommended this book, I thought that the
book was just going to be about people killing each other to get to the top. But it’s much more then that.
People who read this book will experience Celaena develop from a scrawny girl to a more mature, young
woman. This book experiences different points of view, so you won't only read what Celaena goes through
but, you will also read about The Crown Prince of Adarlan and The Captain of The Guard. This book is sarcastic, romantic, and action packed. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it!
A Movie Preview: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Anna Terry
In September 2013, Joanne Kathleen that expands. The briefcase is opened, and
Rowling, author of the famous Harry Potter se- Newt finds that it contains many dangerous
ries and more well known as J.K Rowling, an- creatures and their habitats. Soon after, the
nounced that her Harry Potter companion, American authorities are after him and Newt is
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was on the run. This movie takes place in a fantasto be made into a movie. The planned release tical community of wizards in the 1920s. In
date is November 18, 2016. The movie will be March 2014, Warner Bros. announced that
centered around a man named Newt Scaman- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is to
der. Newt Scamander arrives at the Magical be made into a trilogy with the last two movies
Congress of the United States of America for a being released in November, 2018 and Nomeeting. Essential to the story is a briefcase vember, 2020.
Rogue One
by Emily Tarinelli
This article CONTAINS NO SPOILERS from The Force Awakens,
but it CONTAINS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW about the next Star Wars movie.
Many, including myself, have been piped up over Disney’s newest Star Wars movie. However, we’ll
have to wait two more years for Episode VIII to hit the theaters. But don’t worry - on December 16, 2016,
Disney will release the first of its stand-alone Star Wars movies - Rogue One, A Star Wars Story.
Here is Disney’s movie plan: Every other year, having started in December 2015, a new Star Wars
movie is yet to come out, totaling to three movies and making a trilogy. So in 2015 we had The Force Awakens, in 2017 we’ll have Episode VIII, and in 2019 we’ll have Episode IX. However, in between these movies
- in 2016, 2018, and 2020 - Disney will release a stand-alone movie, that isn’t connected to the new trilogy
and that has its own story. The closest to come out is Rogue One, which will be followed by a Han Solo
movie in 2018, and a concluding Boba Fett movie in 2020.
This article will contain what we already know about Disney’s Rogue One. If you would prefer not
to know, do not read beyond this point.
Rogue One takes place during the reign of the Galactic Empire. If you recall, at the beginning of A
New Hope, it explains in the word crawl that the rebels had scored their first victory by stealing the plans
to the first Death Star. This new movie will be about how they stole the plans.
The movie is directed by Gareth Edwards, not J.J. Abrams who directed Episode VII. Also unlike the
previous movies, the music will not be composed by John Williams, and instead written by Alexandre
Desplat.
Actors for Rogue One include Felicity Jones (rumored to be playing a woman called Lyra Erso), Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie
Yen, and Jonathan Aris (rumored to be playing a man named Senator Jebel). Personally, I am expecting
Wedge Antilles, a fighter pilot in the original trilogy, to have a role in the movie as he was a part of every
major battle during the reign of the Empire.
Another point-out is that Rogue is the name of a squadron that is most commonly known for its
role during the Battle of Hoth. If you recall, there was no Rogue One title for anyone, but there was a Rogue
Leader (Luke Skywalker), Rogue Two and Three (both titles were given to Wedge Antilles at different
times), and so on.
From today (February 29, 2016), there are less than 300 days until Rogue One comes out. Although I know many can’t wait for the movie… Patience, young Jedi.
Unscramble the words
(they are all in Emily’s article)
yoirgtl _______________
aerotsn_____________
cetpneai______________
iataglc______________
lwrca________________
retehat_____________
ctrilae_______________
tsrofe______________
dsoomcpe_____________
elnnuicd_____________
Magician or Artist?
By Simon Choi
In South Africa, where darkness is associated with crime and poverty, artist Marcus Neustetter seems like a magician. Spinning elaborate structures with glow sticks and lights, he
brings shining beacons into the night, weaving abstract creations that are as beautiful as
fireworks. "By dropping a little bit of light onto structures, the interaction people have with
that context and hopefully the way they see the city is changed," he says. This man brought
beauty from simple things. Marcus really can change someone’s life with his illuminated artistry. I stumbled into this subject wanting to know what this man could do. I came out
knowing the beauty of light.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35257155
El Oso Perezoso by Alejandra Elizabeth Cajamarca Gallado
El Oso Perezoso, a sloth, is found in tropical South and Central America. It clings to tree
trunks and hangs from tree limbs. The sloth is a slow moving mammals found in the rainforests.
This animal can be seen from the highways in Ecuador and when approached by people, it runs
away. The sloth got the name of El Oso Peresozo because it sleeps for almost the whole day and
the peresozo means sleepy/lazy.
Most sloths are the size of a small dog. El Oso Perezoso has a weird looking nose and it's really furry. This animal has small ears and eyes. Another interesting fact is El Oso Perezoso's nails are really long and curved. Most of their diets consists of leaves and plants.
Emotional Truth
by Justin Wright, guest writer
BBC.com.mundo.noticias.2016
If true joy could last forevermore,
A feeling never felt before,
Then love shall leave the feeling to care,
The man who no one can love is the one no one can bare,
Although the men with forever sorrow may not live to see tomorrow, if one lone emotion is what one man wish,
Is to feel than he is not hoping for something that’s real.
Science Vocabulary
E P C I G R Y C T E U Y S S Y J R M A X
X L O H E M H G X N G A C F G E A I L U
D M E Y E E D P R O H I I K O N D N K T
Y D H C M M E Z L E S V T C L T I E W G
M F P I T R I O H Y N B E A A O O R R E
O E C Y I R I S H C Q E N S R M L A L X
P A O M V B I P T E R G E E E O O L Z J
L K E Q O R O C S R P A G E N L G I F Q
F N H R E E T B I C Y O E H I O Y N Q V
T X C K G N I L M T E M C S M G L O N K
L I A I E O X U E U Y L T S E Y A I G B
M E E M L E J S H S O P L K O R W T T C
B E E O G V P W C L I M A T E R S O S U
S L G U M I Y R O T A R O B A L C M R I
E Y G O L O E G R B O T A N Y Z T I B R
E L U C E L O M T N R C I L N Y W U M U
J C Y W O B I O C H E M I S T R Y J T X
L C R A W S I U E L P J Z F M J L A A C
G S R D J X R N L D V E V O L U T I O N
L X I M C Q J X E I L S B N A P O Z I A
Discovery.com
electricity
electrochemist
element
energy
entomology
evolution
experiment
cell
chemical
chemistry
climate
laboratory
laws
microbiology
microscope
mineral
mineralogy
molecule
motion
beaker
biochemistry
biology
botany
radiology
research
genetics
geology
geophysics
Oreo Snacks
Ingredients:
1 package of cream cheese, softened
42 Oreo Cookies finely crushed
4 packages (4 oz. each) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
Instructions:

Mix cream cheese and 3 cups of the cookie crumbs until blended.

Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Dip balls into melted chocolate and place onto a waxed paper-lined pan.

Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs.
Refrigerate one hour until firm. Keep in the refrigerator.
http://www.snackworks.com/recipe/oreo-cookie-balls-126799.aspx
OREO Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake
Ingredients
2 cups fat-free milk
2 cups reduced-fat strawberry ice cream , slightly softened
4 oz. (1 / 2 of 8 oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese , cubed,
softened
1 tsp. vanilla
5 fresh strawberries
Directions : place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
http://saymmm.com/recipe/oreo-strawberry-cheesecake-milkshake736
Friends Forever
by Quinn Mignosa
Kerry stared up at the sprawling yellow colonial. It seemed to take over the lot it was
so bulky and modern. ‘’Cool!’’ exclaimed her little sister Madelyn. ‘’We get to live somewhere
fancy!’’
Kerry grumbled. She already missed the family’s comfy little cottage back in rural
Georgia. Not to mention her best friend, Cami. They used to spend every afternoon and
weekend horseback riding and playing with the barn cats on Buttercup Family Farm which
Cami’s aunt and uncle owned. She truly doubted there were any expanses of land large
enough to house one goat here in Boston, never mind a whole farm.
“Why did you have to uproot us all just for a stupid job?’’ Kerry snarled at her mom.
She got a ‘’look’’ for that one.
“You know the answer to that question. There isn't enough need for a neurosurgeon in
rural Georgia. We needed to move to a city where I can work in a big hospital.’’ Her mom
was tough. Kerry understood she wasn’t going to win this one.
It was after midnight, and Meg was already conked out in her car seat. ‘’Everybody
grab your sleeping bag and find somewhere to call it a night,’’ said her dad. ‘’And don’t forget
the baby, Kerry!’’
Her sister made cooing noises as Kerry took her into the house. Even Meg is happy to
be here, she thought, as her head became heavy with sleep. Next thing she knew, sunlight
was streaming through the living room window and her mom was shaking her awake.
“Ready for your first day?’’
Kerry stalked out of the room without speaking, and went off to figure out how the shower
worked, with its 20 glass knobs. Getting ready seemed to take two minutes on the day she
wanted eating her breakfast to take an infinite amount of time. All too soon, Kerry was climbing on the big yellow bus. She thought about how sorry she was for herself. Who wants to be
the new kid? No less, she was starting in April! The year was more than halfway over! Everybody would have their own groups, nobody would want to include the new girl from the country. Just as she started to feel a lump forming in her throat, the bus pulled up to Quimby Middle School.
Kerry walked as slowly as humanly possible to the building. Kids stood in clumps, all
talking and laughing. She was trying her best to blend in with the crowd, but the stares
burned like fire. Kerry ducked into a room labeled GUIDANCE. Her mom had received an
email that a Mrs. Walby would be waiting for her here.
“Hello, you must be Kerry Balboas,” exclaimed a heavy set older woman, her gray hair
sweeping across her face as she spoke. Kerry gave a meek nod. Just then, a tall girl with a
wide smile strode in.
“Hi! You must be Kerry! I'm Grace, and I can't wait to show you around,” said the girl talking
a million miles a minute. The people around here are so cheerful, Kerry thought, annoyed. Mrs.
Walby handed her a piece of yellow cardstock with her class schedule on it.
“Grace will show you around and introduce you to your peers for today.”
They walked to first period, Grace still not bothering to take a breath in between sentences.
Although she had vowed not to make any friends here in this crazy place, Kerry felt herself being
roped into this colorful girl’s funny stories and expressions. During lunch, even with her signature
scowl on that obviously meant “ leave me alone,” Grace talked nonstop about the clubs, sports
teams, and volunteering opportunities in town. She tuned this all out, until she heard the
words...“volunteer at the city animal shelter.’’
What? When? How? Kerry’s mind ran through a thousand things just then. She hurriedly
wrote out all the info her possible new friend jabbered out. She knew her parents would let her do
this in two seconds. All of the sudden, she could barely wait to reach that big yellow mansion that
was supposed to be home. After that, Kerry floated through the afternoon excitement causing her
whole body to tingle.
As suspected, her parents were over the moon that their daughter was excited about anything in Boston, and drove her straight to the shelter to get the needed paperwork. Debbie, the volunteer coordinator, asked if she could ride the bus there the next day to start! Kerry nodded vigorously. ‘’See you then.” The coordinator shot her a smile as she walked out the doors.
The next morning, Kerry couldn’t wait to tell Grace about the events of the previous night.
Congratulations!!!!! You found the definition to vacansopapurosophobia!!! It means, “the fear of blank paper”.
“Awesome,” her friend said. “ I forgot to tell you in the craziness yesterday, I volunteer there too! I'll
see you tonight!” Kerry didn't think this opportunity could get any better! Animals and friends! The
day dragged as the girls anxiously awaited the loud RING…. of the bell. Finally, after what seemed
like 2 years, the girls boarded the bus side by side.
When the friends walked into the shelter, Debbie was there to greet them. In her hand was a cardboard box with….. they peeked over the flap. ‘’KITTENS!!!!’’ Grace exclaimed in a loud whisper.
“We found them on the side of the road next to someone’s garbage can.’’ Go find a big
cage, and we’ll get them set up.’’
The girls hurried off. After the kittens had their spot, Kerry and Grace plopped on the concrete floor
to give them a cuddle. There were three kittens, two girls and one boy. ‘’ We can each name one
girl, and you can name the boy,’’ Grace volunteered.
When all was said and done, Willow and Callie were the girls and Bruce was the boy. The
kittens were hugged and cuddled for hours and hours. All too soon though, it was time to close up
and head home.
That night, around the dinner table, Kerry could not stop chatting about the adorable cats.
The next day, Debbie officially put the girls in charge of the kittens. They were thrilled! For the
next week, Grace and Kerry came before and after school to scoop the litter box, refill the food
and water, and give them a cuddle.
That next Tuesday, Willow, Callie and Bruce turned what they suspected to be around
eight weeks old. Debbie said it was time to find homes for them. Kerry’s heart sunk to her feet.
These kittens were the only thing keeping her from being sad and missing Cami all the time. Reluctantly, the girls the girls spread the word, putting ads in local papers and signs on lampposts
and in mailboxes.
“They need a real home, you girls have been amazing, but we need to get these cuties
out of this cold cage,” Debbie told her helpers as they walked in from hanging up posters with
forlorn looks on their faces.
The next day, coincidentally Grace’s 13th birthday and two weeks before Kerry’s own step
into teenage years, Debbie told the friends the kittens had been spoken for. The owners would
pick them up in just two short weeks. Kerry went home and sobbed. Her parents were consoling,
but they didn’t know how much this hurt.
She walked through the next two weeks in a trance, happy only when with Grace or the
kittens. Kerry’s parents convinced her to plan a little sleepover birthday party. The girls were
pretty happy about spending the night together. The day before Kerry’s party, while the girls
were at school, The kittens went to their new homes. Kerry cried on her best friend’s shoulder.
Though they were sad, they headed to ‘’The Big Yellow House’’ as it had came to be
known, as planned. They did have quite a time painting nails and chatting despite themselves.
The next morning, Kerry rose bright and early to the smell of waffles and bacon and the…
pitter patter of tiny paws on her legs??? There were Willow and Bruce!!! They both had tags
around their necks saying ‘’ Happy Birthday Kerry.’’ She cried with joy and shook Grace awake.
‘’Look! Look what I got!’’
Grace screamed in delight. Then though, something crossed Kerry’s mind. Poor Callie all
alone…. just then, Callie herself peeked her head in the room. She had a tag on that said ‘’ Happy Birthday Grace.’’ The friends screamed some more. ‘’ I can’t believe its’’ and I’m so excided
ran through the room. Just then, both the girl’s parents peeked their heads in and grinned.
“How do you like your presents? “ Grace’s mom asked.