The Pride Issue #4 - Carmel Clay Schools

Creekside MS
2012-2013
Volume #9
Issue #4
The Wildcat
Pride
Concerts show off
the old year and
ring in the new
Holiday
harmonies
By Alex Rowlinson,
Alina Husain and Collin Kern
Pride Staff
No one can measure up to
these ‘Cats!
Mrs. Wendy Higdon, performing arts director, Mrs.
Nicole Johnson, choir director, Nikhil Raghuraman, seventh-grade student, and Noah
Springer, eighth-grade student,
were all looking forward to
the winter concerts they have
worked so hard for.
“I want the music to challenge the students and entertain the audience with different
styles of holiday music,” Johnson said.
These snow-filled songs will
surprise. “I like everything that
we’re playing; we’ve really
been working hard,” Higdon
said. Out of the 11 performing
arts groups at Creekside, seven
will take the stage to perform
a winter concert. Three choirs,
two bands and two orchestras
will rise to become star performers. A few of the songs
the audience can expect to hear
are “Have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas,” “Good King
Kong,” “Gavorkana Fanfare,”
“Cajun Folk Song” and “Russian Christmas Music.” “I like
them all (the songs), but my
favorite one is “Have Yourself
a Merry Little Christmas,” because it is a very nostalgic and
Harmonies
...continued on page 3
Millie Dillmount, played by eighth-grader Frances Rafferty, is welcomed to a new and exciting life as she moves to New York City.
There she discovers adventure and joy but also pain and disappointment as things don’t go quite as planned. The three performances
of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jr. did go as planned, however, and delighted three appreciative Creekside audiences.
Where there’s a hero, there’s always hope
By Rachel Lacy, Beth Daniel
and Michaela Mellor
Pride Staff
Stellar students become superheroes for a superior cause.
National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) members Frances
Rafferty, Haley Klezmer and
Isaac Bell as well as teacher
sponsor Mrs. Stephanie Barnes
all took part in this year’s Lemonade Blanket fundraiser.
“Superheroes fight for a good
cause, and we fight for a good
cause as well,” Barnes said.
This year NJHS sponsored
the second annual Lemonade
Blanket fundraiser. The group
is a school club only for eighthgraders who want to make a
difference in their community.
“I think that NJHS is like a superhero group because we are
making a difference just like
superheroes,” Klezmer said.
Members voted on this charity
to sponsor last year and wanted
to continue it again this year.
“We found that the students enjoyed making the blankets, and
the kids loved receiving them,”
Rafferty said.
Lemonade Blankets is a nonprofit organization that gives
yellow blankets to children
who must receive difficult cancer treatments. Chemotherapy
is a type of treatment for cancer
when there is no specific cure.
The blankets help to make the
kids more relaxed during the
long sessions. “The Lemonade
Blankets are to give a kid at Riley Children’s Hospital a smile
so they can have some hope,”
Bell said. This fundraiser takes
place all over the country, because many people are eager to
help.
Students have the power to
shower kids in need. “We want
to be heroes for other people,”
Rafferty said. To help the cause,
Creekside students and faculty
members were able to dress up
as superheroes for a day if they
donated one dollar. “Superhero
day was a day that kids could
Hope
...continued on page 3
Student Features
Brace yourself for
this important news
By Colin Myers
and Carolyn Zhang
Pride Staff
Braces fill spaces.
Around Creekside students
and even teachers, including
Mrs. Jilliane Pruiett, Carly
Duncan, Lily Nisenbaum and
Kaitlin Melenchuk have experienced the delight and pain of
braces.
“It was like a pressurized
pain when they put it on and
when they held my mouth
open to stuff metal cotton balls
that dug into my cheeks,” Melenchuk said.
Many students at Creekside have endured the pain of
braces. “I think that braces are
painful and aggravating, but
also endearing,” Duncan said.
Getting them tightened sends
even more discomfort to the
mouth. However, wax can be
used to reduce the agony of
this mouth accessory. “Braces
are like having a headache but
all focused around your jaw,”
Pruiett said. The misery could
drive some insane. “Braces
hurt like crazy!” Melenchuk
said.
They may cause soreness,
but they take a lot of preventative care and maintenance as
well. “Braces are a lot of work.
When a bracket falls off, you
have to replace it,” Duncan
said. They also require unique
ways of eating a special diet
and brushing teeth multiple
times each day. Some dentists
require their patients to clean
their teeth as many as three
times a day. This results in students needing to make time to
brush their teeth at school after
they eat their lunch. “It’s difficult to brush my teeth, and it’s
irritating to have to get food
out of them,” Melenchuk said.
When food gets stuck in teeth,
flossing using a special utensil
is required.
Not only is food an issue,
but also balancing school and
appointments can be a tough
task. About every six weeks,
patients attend a mandatory
checkup with their orthodontist. This appointment sometimes interferes with their
schedule and often leads to
missing anywhere from a period or two of school up to
half a day. Students and parents try to schedule these important appointments during
study halls and around tests,
quizzes and important projects if they can.
Braces are not always full
of problems, however, and
they can even cause certain,
good feelings. Anticipation
is a feeling that several students have while waiting for
the process to be over. “I just
wait until it’s done,” Melenchuk said.
However, students still try
to look their best during this
time. Some orthodontists provide colors to choose from.
“Braces are pretty much a
stylish torture device,” Melenchuk said.
Braces might look nice,
but in the end one’s teeth
will look even better. The
outcome will be a nice smile
of straight teeth. “I chose to
wear braces so that I would
have a nice smile,” Nisenbaum said. Many were proud
of the outcome. “I was proud
of the fact that my teeth someday would look nice,” Pruiett,
who wore her braces many
years ago, said. The pain was
worth it. “I think that braces
are annoying, but I liked the
outcome because it made my
teeth straight,” Nisenbaum
said. Pushing through one
and a half to two years, Duncan said, “The outcome will
be straight teeth.” All the anticipation builds up just to see
the moment when a smile is
perfected.
Braces are common at
Creekside; there are obstacles
during the process, but the results are priceless.
Braces leave no traces.
2
News
& Notes
The sixth grade had their first Movie Night
on Dec. 7 in the Creekside cafeteria. Excited
students could watch Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
with friends for a five dollar fee. Entrance
included popcorn and water, as well as a Slipper Day on the day of the movie. All proceeds
from the film feature went to Riley Children’s
Hospital.
Congratulations to the 32 Creekside math students
who competed at Sycamore Invitational on Saturday,
Dec. 1. Nathan Fei, Ray Jiang, Melissa Yap, Asim
Dhungana, Allen Zhang, Brendan Yap, Anthony Ji
and Caleb He were all in the top 30 of the roughly
150 competitors.
Eighth-grader Caleb He (on left) was the winner
of the entire math competition!
Rit Bag was in the top 30 for the sixth grade and
under division.
Many MathCounts students also competed in the fun
“guts round” at the end and did extremely well.
Cereys Edwards enjoys a light moment with friends at her lunch this year. Braces haven’t kept her
from having fun in her eighth-grade year, but her dentist has recommended that she drink water
instead of caffeinated drinks and not eat things like hard candy, popcorn or gum. (Emma Ratzman
Photo)
3
Front page continued...
Hope... continued from page 1
Sitting in the third chair position but playing the first flute
part, Kaila Kolodkin really
enjoys band this year. Her favorite song to play is “Lullaby
from a Distant Star,” and she
was eager to perform in the
winter concert. (Josh Khansis
Photo)
Harmonies, continued from page 1
exciting piece,” Johnson
said.
Listeners should take note
of these amazing performers. Raghuraman is the firstchair tenor saxophone player in the Symphonic Band,
while Springer is the firstchair percussionist for the
elite Wind Symphony. “My
favorite part of performing
is being able to enjoy the
music that comes out of
my instrument,” Raghuraman said. To rise to his
full potential, Raghuraman
practices about 20-30 minutes a day. Practicing gives
him confidence, so he is
not afraid of messing up on
performance night. Springer has a rigorous practice
schedule as well. He rehearses about 30 minutes
for four days a week. “The
music can be very difficult,
so it must be perfected with
practice,” Springer said.
Although there isn’t much
time between this concert
and the last, Raghuraman
believes that it isn’t that
challenging to learn the new
material in a short amount
of time.
These ‘Cats won’t let their
nerves get the best of them!
For Springer, however,
there will be one nerveracking part. “I have a solo,
along with four other peo-
ple. It can be scary sometimes
because everyone stares at you
and expects you to perform at
maximum potential,” Springer
said. “When you are practicing, it’s fun, but once you get
it (the performance) over with,
it is relaxing.”
It’s not only students who
get anxious, teachers and conductors do, too! For Higdon
conducting on stage isn’t too
terrifying anymore, but some
songs are still harder to lead
than others. The hardest piece
for Higdon is “Cajun Folk
Song,” because of the difficult
time changes and patterns. As
for Johnson, she isn’t afraid of
leading the songs. She used to
be nervous, but not anymore.
The only exception is when
she is conducting a difficult
piece and makes a minor error, such as a cutoff or a metronome change. “ ‘Good King
Kong’ is a hard, but humorous
song. It is difficult because of
the funky tempo changes,”
Johnson said.
These music teachers will
be present all along the way
to watch their remarkable
students advance as young
musicians. Higdon and Johnson both want to see the same
improvements from their students. “We’ve really been
working hard on our tone
quality and sound,” Higdon
said. Johnson would also like
to hear her students have
richer tone and sound quality. Both teachers are looking
for a mature sound that will
distinguish their kids in the
performing arts community.
If not able to make it to
the winter concerts, there
will be plenty of other performances by these promising young artists. Band and
choir students have the opportunity to perform at Solo
and Ensemble, which is a
unique chance for young
musicians to be judged on
their performances. This
program starts Jan. 26 and
ends on Feb. 23. Three
bands will be traveling to the
Indiana State School Music
Association on March 16 to
compete with various bands
throughout the state. Lastly,
the Wind Symphony will
perform at the State Music
Conference on Jan. 19 and
is the only middle school
band invited to the coveted
conference.
Although some of the winter concerts were prepared
in a short amount of time,
the terrific songs, amazing
performers and dedicated
teachers will make these
concerts the best they can
be.
These ‘Cats will lead off
the holiday season on a high
note!
dress-up as their favorite
super hero. They had to pay
one dollar, and this money
went to Lemonade Blankets,” Klezmer said. Many
NJHS members dressed up
themselves. “I wasn’t any
particular superhero, but I
dressed up in yellow tights,
a black T-shirt, a black skort
and a cape,” Rafferty said.
Many people had fun for a
good cause. Popular costumes included Superman,
Batman and Superwoman.
“I think we should keep Superhero Day. We are heroes
for kids in Chemotherapy,”
Rafferty said.
Superhero Day and Lemonade Blankets were both a
tremendous success! NJHS
and Peer Pals raised $1,200
for making blankets for kids
in need of Chemo treat-
“
75 blankets, and this year,
along with Peer Pals, they
hope to reach the goal of 100.
Blankets were made Dec. 4
through Dec. 11 and students
were eager to help out. They
were made with felt and
soft, comforting materials,
and they are all hand made
with love and care for the
kids struggling with cancer.
“Hopefully, Lemonade Blankets will make these kids
smile,” Bell said.
They can bring hope and
relaxation during the hard
times. “If I was the one receiving the blankets, I would
feel warm inside because I
know that someone out there
cares enough about me to
make a Lemonade Blanket,”
Klezmer said.
NJHS plans on continuing
this fundraiser and others in
I think that raising money for the sick is
really important for Creekside and society.
Lemonade Blankets allows us help the needy
and sick, and kids can change the world.
Haley Klezmer
ments. This was a larger
amount than last year. “A lot
more people dressed up (as
superheroes) than I thought,”
Bell said.
Students and faculty members weren’t afraid to show
their true generous identity.
“I think that the superheroes were symbolism for
someone who does amazing
things and is an idol to others,” Klezmer said. Many
will be very happy and warm
this year, thanks to all the
work done by Creekside.
In order to give the blankets to kids in need, NJHS
and Peer Pals had to make
them. “I think that making
the blankets with Peer Pals is
a great idea because we can
combine all of our strengths
to help a cause,” Klezmer
said. Members make them
by themselves at about 45
minutes per blanket.
Last year, the group made
”
the years to come. “We have
a lot of really fun service
projects left this semester
and many more next semester,” Rafferty said.
The students and teachers
love to do these projects every year. “I am really proud
of NJHS and what they
have accomplished over the
years,” Barnes said.
This fundraiser really
makes members feel good
for making someone else’s
day. “I think that raising
money for the sick is really
important for Creekside and
society. Lemonade Blankets
allows us help the needy and
sick, and kids can change the
world,” Klezmer said.
Whenever there are kids in
need, Creekside will answer
the call.
These student superheroes
have shown off their strong
powers successfully once
again.
Club Features
4
Election selection is
seventh-grade success story
By Bryn Walker,
Crystal Rodriguez
and Ryan Watkins
Pride Staff
This recent election has been
perfection.
President and seventh-grader
CSG President
Nick Frey
Nick Frey and many other
members and officers of Creekside’s Student Government,
including seventh-grade CSG
member Chloe Wiser and cosponsor Mr. Scott Chelli, are
very excited about what this
group can accomplish at school
this year.
“You get to be involved with
people from different grades
and learn things about the way
the school runs firsthand. Government is what keeps me going,” Frey said.
The new president has many
responsibilities and works to
make the school a better place
to be every day. Frey isn’t all
work, though. He has a fun
personality and enjoys making students and teachers laugh
daily. Since an early age, Frey
has always been interested in
leadership, involving himself
in student government annually. Frey’s role models include
Justin Rose, a professional
golfer, and his mom and dad.
“Every day these special people inspire me to lead and to be
a better person,” Frey said.
Getting to be president is a
privilege and an honor. The
election process must be thorough to make certain the best
candidate is elected. To be
chosen the first step is for
members of CSG to make the
decision to commit to the position. Along with the title of
president comes responsibility that Frey has so far taken
very seriously. The next step
was writing a speech to present to the entire student government. The CSG members
then voted for the best candidate. “I wanted to pick the
right person. Not just anyone
can run the school,” Wiser
said. Frey ran against Rachel
Lacy, who was elected vice
president after Frey’s triumphant victory.
A new name brings out an
entirely new identity and
focus. CSG has recently
changed its name and overall
personality of the club. Meetings for CSG are held directly
after school once a month.
The club is constantly working on new projects that inspire Creekside and the community to be more charitable
and kind to others. “We get
to make decisions that affect
the entire school,” Wiser said.
The two co-sponsors of CSG
are Chelli and Mrs. BeckerWilpolt. Frey and the cosponsors help lead the monthly meetings and think of some
of the major ideas that CSG
brings to Creekside.
With power comes great
responsibility, and Frey
somehow manages to juggle
school, basketball and being
the president of CSG. “Nick
was elected to CSG because
he was very involved and
very supportive of everyone;
he took it seriously,” Chelli
said. Most members can
agree that CSG isn’t just a
club for Frey. “Regardless of
what grade we’re in, we look
up to the president as a representation of what we want to
be,” Wiser said.
Many CSG members hope
to have some sort of leadership position in the future.
President – Nick Frey
Vice-President—Rachel Lacy
Secretary—Alina Husain
Treasurer—Anika Bhargava
Historian—Meloddy Gao
Public Relations—Kendall Fahey
6th grade representative—Meredith Lipps
7th grade representative—Alexandria Hicks
8th grade representative—Hailey Klezmer
CSG
Officers
Government is a representation
of a country, state or school.
That’s why CSG is such an
important part of Creekside;
it stands for everything Creekside is and wants to be in the
future. Frey is definitely interested in government in high
school and college and is considering a government career
in the future. “It’s a lifestyle,”
Frey said. With that in mind,
whatever these young leaders
do, they might be changing the
world one idea at a time.
Frey being elected brings
excitement and energy to an
already-changed club and inspires students to think, plan
and leap into the last half of the
school year ready to achieve
their goals.
Students and teachers welcome Nick Frey to Creekside’s
oval office.
Book Club
Front row: Madison Lindfelt, Kaitlin Melenchuk, Emily Dant,
Karinna Kanach and Stephanie Gohmann. Second row: Micah
Brodsky, Erin Martin, Indhu Ramanathan, Divya Annamalai,
Alyssa Highberg and Mrs. Courtney Uglum. Back row: Rilee
Wilson, Cami Roper, Kate Vanderveen, Pooja Jeyakumar and
Samantha Ardery.
By Katie Pelton, Ben Goldberg
and Reagan Claymon
Pride Staff
The Book Club Shivers this
month.
Alyssa Highberg and Kate
Vanderveen, both seventhgraders, and Stephanie Liechty, seventh-grade language arts
teacher, are participating in the
Book Club this year.
“The Book Club this year
is great because we eat lots of
different foods, and it’s fun to
have friends who share similar
interests,” Vanderveen said.
One or two Wednesdays of
every month, this club meets
after school in Liechty’s room.
They discuss what they are
currently reading, and they do
activities such as skyping with
the author of a book and having oatmeal-eating contests.
“We do some really fun activities, and it helps all of us understand the book,” Highberg
said.
Having read two books so
far, the club is raving about
the quality of the texts and the
enjoyment they have while
reading them.
The Book Club has read In
a Glass Grimly and is currently reading Shivers. “The
books we have read are really good and interesting,”
Vanderveen said. Sometimes
the book choices are made by
Liechty and sometimes they
come from suggestions from
the members who have read a
good review of a book.
One interesting learning
experience that they did was
skyping with author Adam
Gidwitz, who wrote In a Glass
Grimly. “It was so much fun
skyping with the author, and
it really helped us understand
the work that goes behind
writing a book,” Liechty said.
Also, Gidwitz gave them information on his future plans
for new reads. “Skyping with
the author was really exciting. I never thought I would
meet someone so famous,”
Highberg said.
It wasn’t hard for the Book
Booking time with a real author
Club to get in touch with Gidwitz; all it took was a simple
email from Liechty.
Liechty has been the head
of the Book Club for the past
two years and has loved doing it. Students appreciate her
time and efforts to make it fun.
“The Book Club has really
prospered since last year, and
I really appreciate the work
that Mrs. Liechty and Mrs.
(Courtney) Uglum put into
all of this,” Vanderveen said.
Uglum, special educational instructional assistant, helps the
Book Club be safe, fun way
to share on interest with other
students.
“Book Club is fun because
you get the chance to meet
people who like the same
books as you,” Highberg said.
Book Club allows students
to bond over good reads and
experiencing new and exciting
things.
This reading group is really
bonding and bookin’ through
this year.
Club Features
5
These Kats have a knack for creative crafts
By Brandon Thikoll,
Regan Watkins
and Amandeep Samra
Pride Staff
‘Cats get crafty!
Mrs. Jan Distel, Mrs. Heidi
Davis and Taylor McWhirter
are all enthusiastic members
of the Krafty Kats club at
Creekside.
“Krafty Kats is a good way
to have fun with friends and to
let your mind wander through
the crafty world,” McWhirter,
sixth-grader at Creekside, said.
This special club is open to
all students who have crafty
interests, including knitting,
crocheting, cross-stitching and
any other handmade ability.
This group even works on
some community service projects and makes some fun holiday projects to give away.
One of 26 clubs at Creekside,
Krafty Kats provides most
supplies and plenty of helpful guidance to any student
who wishes to join. “There is
a lot of creativity at Creekside,
not only in Krafty Kats but in
many other opportunities,” Davis said.
The students and sponsors
come up with ideas for each
design. “I help get the materials and give the kids a chance
to get involved,” Davis said.
Each student has enjoyed every design that has been chosen
this year. Davis and Distel lead
the students in their creative
path to help achieve an individual masterpiece. For each
meeting, about a dozen kids
come and complete a project.
“At the end of each meeting,
the students walk out of the
classroom feeling satisfied
with their finished craft,” Distel, seventh-grade language
arts teacher, said. Distel has
just joined the program this
year, while Davis has been participating in the program for a
few years now.
Most of the goodies this club
makes do not walk out of the
room with the people who
made them. The club members give the crafts to different
charities, sometimes just so the
people who get them can have
a smile on their face.
Many people wonder why the
club Krafty Kats name starts
with K’s. “We use Krafty Kats
with K’s to catch peoples’ eye,”
Davis said. Most students go to
clubs that pique their interest
By Uma Kocherlakota,
Ally Nou and Syd Holtzapple
Pride Staff
‘Cats are taking a chance to
learn about France!
The members of Creekside’s
French Club are having fun
after-school learning about
French culture, cuisine and
crafts.
“I really enjoy being able to
share the French culture with
students. I like to broaden their
horizons and show them that
there is more out there than
just Carmel,” said Mrs. Jilliane Pruiett, French teacher
and world language department chair as well as previous
French Club sponsor, .
French Club provides the
opportunity for students to
experience a new culture even
if they don’t take the elective
class. During meetings members get to learn a variety of
things, including the geography of France and other
French-speaking
countries,
the culture of these countries
and more. “(The best part of
French Club is having) the
chance to delve a little deeper into French culture and do
a lot of the things we didn’t
have time in class to do,” Pruiett said.
The upcoming holiday season has inspired the group to
connect their own traditions to
their knowledge of France by
celebrating this holiday with a
French twist. They will do this
by creating fun crafts, playing
related games, and trying new
foods. They will also watch
fun videos and movies. These
exciting, cultural events make
French Club unique from other
groups in Creekside. “My family travels to Europe almost
every other year, so I wanted
to better understand European
culture,” said Sophia Georgiadas, a member of the group.
This club does a variety of
activities, including eating a
special dinner at The Melting
Pot and other restaurants. At
the restaurant, members of this
group recently enjoyed tasting
French food and fondue. “The
Melting Pot was awesome!
The food was really good, and
it was fun to see some of my
friends from French,” Georgiadas said. The group enjoyed
trying samples of French food,
including fondue. “We had a
great time because everyone
was willing to try the fondue,”
said Ms. Ellen Anderson, current French Club sponsor. According to Georgiadas, fondue
connects to French culture because though it is a Swiss dish,
it is often eaten in many other
European countries.
In their homemade T-shirts,
this group also recognizes and
celebrates major French holidays. “(French Club is) fun,
delicious and educational,”
Pruiett said.
“French Club is a club where
you can have fun and have
snacks even if you don’t take
French,” said Lauren Winston,
another member of this group.
Based on the results of an
early-in-the-year trivia game,
students decided what they
wanted to do during future
meetings. “My favorite thing
is that I have excited students
who are interested in learning
French culture,” said Anderson.
The members of the French
Club are looking forward to
making more memories.
It’s nothing to ignore, French
Club is for sure.
Bon jour to fun French club
and a name like Krafty Kats
generates a great deal of attention from the many craft-interested kids looking for a new
place to spend their time.
When this talented group gets
together in Davis’ room, they
snack, talk and prepare to make
interesting crafts. “Krafty Kats
meets once a month, and it is
a club for decorating,” McWhirter said. “My favorite
craft would have to be the foam
turkey for Thanksgiving because we got to decorate it with
googily eyes.” There are many
plans for this year, most based
around the holidays, such as
Thanksgiving, Halloween and
Christmas.
All members of the Krafty
Kats club including McWhirter are very inventive. “The
kids are really creative, and it
doesn’t matter what the project is, they are always ready to
craft,” Distel said. Both teachers are very proud of the students.
“I hope the kids will have fun
and have a creative outlet to go
to,” Distel said. “I enjoy being
with the kids in a different setting other than the classroom.”
Krafty Kats is always looking
for more artistic minds to join
in the fun. With the holidays
right around the corner, along
with plenty of things to celebrate throughout the year, it’s
a perfect activity where many
can spend time with friends,
create a wonderful gift and
discover a new interest people
didn’t know they had!
Consider this club crafty.
Krafty Kats
Front row: Priyanka Subrahmanyam, Connor McNally, Maria Cervantes, Christina Yang and Sophie Vincent. Second row: Isabella
Shelton, Taylor McWhirter, Natalie Perkins, Karinna Kanach,
Katherine Springston and Alissa Bandejas. Back row: Mrs. Heidi
Davis, Molly McDaniels, Anna Collins, Nicole Hartsel, Margaret
O’Connor, Tanya Bharatula and Micah Brodsky.
French Club
Front row: Sophia Georgiades, Joie Cao, Caitlin Young, Stephanie Gohmann, Grace Womack, Lauren Winston and Abby Hays.
Second row: Addison Milton, Karinna Kanach, Bella Bonanno,
Isabella Shelton, Zoe Rainey, Alex West and Emily Dant. Third
row: Mario Nava, Erin Martin, Shelby Neal, Sam Boynton, Alex
Dennison and Julia Hiatt. Back row: Kate Snelling, Anna Leffel,
Kate Vanderveen, Alina Yu, Audrey Hakanson and Lia Keadle.
Winter Features
Holiday Shopping
Wildcats went wild for
wonderful weekend
By Lily Klezmer,
Gabi Rivera and Iqra Asad
Pride Staff
Coloring the days from
shades black and gray.
The upcoming holidays
lead many Americans into
a colorful battle for the best
deals and prices, especially
on the biggest shopping days
of the year.
“I would say this year’s
Black Friday was moderately
successful, warm, but busy,”
Mrs. Becca Hanson, 14 Districts owner, said.
All shoppers targeted sales
on this year’s Black Friday,
which takes place on the day
following Thanksgiving. It’s
meant for shoppers to purchase items for lower prices
at well-known stores. “It’s
really an event for the big
department stores,” Hanson
said. Many buyers annually wait in line for hours to
get the best values possible.
“It’s all about the deals for
me,” Mrs. Deseree BeckerWilpolt, sixth-grade humanities teacher, said. Patience is
a virtue. “It was so crowded
you couldn’t move an inch.
The line went around the
entire store,” Sehrish Seyd,
sixth-grader, said.
The day after Black Friday
is important to the American
economy as well. Shoppers
on Small Business Saturday
also found successful sales.
Small Business Saturday was
created by American Express
for shoppers to purchase
items on sale at smaller retailers that have trouble keeping
up with the big stores. “It’s
meant to incentivize people
to purchase things for small
businesses like mine,” Hanson said.
Popular department stores
across the nation get hit hard
with costumers on Black Friday and even Cyber Monday.
Though members of Creekside’s staff didn’t purchase
as many items online this
year, they did at stores such
as Target and Best Buy. “I
saw over a hundred people
camping out at Best Buy,”
Becker-Wilpolt said. Millions of people across America live outside of stores for
one night to get the best
prices for things such as
electronics. “I love to camp,
but I wouldn’t camp out at
a store,” Mrs. Nicole Johnson, choir teacher, said.
This year some stores are
even got a head start by beginning their sales late on
Thanksgiving Day.
Regardless of the day, holiday shoppers want the best
deals. Stores such as Aéropostale went all out and
marked 60 percent off everything in the store. Limited also had 50 percent off
all items in the store. However, many costumers had
to still plan out the amount
they spent. “I budgeted very
well in the amount of money I spent,” Becker-Wilpolt
said.
The holiday season is
an important factor when
purchasing gifts on Gray
Thursday, Black Friday,
Small Business Saturday or
even Cyber Monday. “My
favorite part is knowing
that my girls will be excited
when they open their presents,” Becker-Wilpolt said.
Wish lists are studied and
purses are opened. “I purchased iTunes cards for my
kids,” Mrs. Jennifer Carson,
seventh-grade social studies
teacher, said.
Even though the frenzied
shopping weekend has recently ended, holiday shoppers has several days to go
in order to find the perfect
gift for those they love.
While the holiday tales
have just begun, the hectic
sales will never be done.
6
Students just chill out during season
By Erin Martin and Caleb Rusk
Pride Staff
Whether winter is bad or not,
Creekside will weather it well.
Lauren Whited, sixth-grader,
Mr. Jim Irizarry, head custodian, Mr. Perry Montgomery,
Carmel bus driver, and Mrs.
Claudia Lingeman, school
nurse, are ready for winter.
“I think the attitudes of the
students do change for the better when coming into the winter season,” Irizarry said.
Many fun winter activities
are right around the corner. “I
enjoy winter because I get to
make snow forts and drink hot
chocolate by the fire,” Whited
said. She also enjoys eating
popcorn and watching movies,
whereas Lingeman likes to do
a variety of different things.
“I read a lot, eat a lot and like
to go outside on free winter
days,” she said. Lingeman also
shovels her driveway and winterizes her house. Others like
to snowboard, get into the holiday mood, and see family and
friends. “I sled on snow days
because I like the exhilarating
feeling,” said Whited.
Unluckily for the custodians,
like Irizarry, they still have to
come to the school over Winter
Break to wax floors, catch up
on chores and salt sidewalks.
Custodians work very hard in
the winter to keep the building Spic and Span. Whether it
is dirt and debris carried in on
shoes or messes left from festive activities, custodians are
here to keep Creekside clean
and healthy. “We make this
place impressive so that students can enjoy coming here
every day,” Irizarry said.
In previous years Carmel
Clay Schools built in two snow
days into the yearly schedule.
This year will be interesting
because the district will have
no snow days to use freely.
That means that if students
have to miss school because
of snow-related issues they
will have to make them up at
the end of the school year.
Sometimes the season brings
sickness. “Usually they have
cold symptoms, coughs, sore
throats and, occasionally, flu
symptoms,” Lingeman said.
At other times it is difficult
just getting to school. “The
bus tends to slide, and I am
more worried about cars hitting me than me hitting them,”
Montgomery said.
The ‘Cats will be prepared
and ready for the winter season no matter what it brings.
Weather is snow problem
for Creekside.
By Zach Munson,
Kyle Zollman
and Morgan Wolseley
Pride Staff
Wildcats walk their way
through a wonderful winter
wonderland.
Seventh-graders Anthony
Zoccola and Luke Hamachek
as well as seventh-grade teacher Mrs. Lana Hawk will dash
through the snow this Winter
Break.
“The most special moment of
Christmas is going downstairs
and seeing presents under the
tree while having a big breakfast,” Zoccola said.
Creekside’s schedule has
changed a bit this year. From
Dec. 22 to Jan. 8 students will
enjoy the season and the snow.
“I’ll be sad to come back, but
everything comes to an end,”
Hamachek said.
However, not everybody
starts school on Jan. 8. Teachers are coming back on Jan. 7
for Professional Development
Day.
Wildcats are all looking forward to Winter Break, but they
all have different plans. Zoccola has a very unique way to
spend his time. “I’m so excit-
ed! It’s not too often that you
get to go down south to a warm
place. I’m excited for the barbeques in Mississippi and
the beaches in Florida,” Zoccola said. He will stay in these
states for three days each.
However, some people like
to stay around Carmel. Hawk
plans to stay home and hang
out with friends and family.
She might go visit a friend
in Nashville, but she plans to
relax during Break. “I usually
read a lot and do a lot of craft
projects and hang out with my
husband,” Hawk said.
Family is one of the most
important priorities in the lives
of these ‘Cats. “Family means
everything. It’s my comfort
zone. It means the world to
me. If I didn’t have my family,
there would be a hole in my
heart,” Zoccola said.
Hawk has many memories from past Winter Breaks.
“When I was younger, my
family and I used to go skiing
in Michigan with another family,” Hawk said. Zoccola also
has very vivid memories of
the holiday season. “A couple
years ago I went to Miami two
days after Christmas. We unloaded, then we went to the
beautiful beach with a blazing
sun. When we first got to the
beach, my brother tried out
his new skim board and face
planted. It was the funniest
thing ever! Just seeing his face
splurge into the shallow water
was glorious,” Zoccola said.
Many students are very eager to open presents on Christmas morning or during Hanukkah celebrations. Zoccola
wants an Andrew Luck jersey,
a black De’anthony Thomas
jersey and a new phone.
Hawk, on the other hand,
wants a Keurig coffee machine. Hamachek wants a music gift card and likes to eat
cereal and cookies on Christmas. “Last year was the best
because I got an iTunes gift
card,” Hamachek said.
Whether it is counting down
the hours until the ball drops
on New Years or counting
down the days and minutes
until Winter Break, it is a time
for Wildcats to kick back and
enjoy the holiday season.
Students’ spirits rise when
the snow season starts.
‘Cats ring in new year on Break
Classroom Features
7
Experimenting with
hands-on learning
Science teacher Mrs. Pam Irvin helps an inquisitive group measure the strength of a spring when
weights are added. All students love the hands-on aspect of this core class and enjoy discovering new
things about their world through experiments. (Serena Patel Photo)
Half done, new goals begun
By Kyle Wood,
Shelby Everitt and Marie Kress
Pride Staff
Hocus focus!
The Creekside students had
a magical first half of the year
and after a restful winter break,
are ready to do even better in
the second half.
“I think the kids are adjusting very well to the rigors of
the new standards and expectations,” Mr. Scott Chelli, sixthgrade humanities teacher, said.
According to Principal Dr.
Tom Harmas, the first few
weeks of school can be review
for the teachers and students
until things really get rolling.
By the end of the first semester, students should be reaching
goals and setting new ones.
“This year has been spectacular!” Chelli said. Brian Getz,
seventh-grader, said that during the first half he didn’t receive anything below the grade
of a B.
Just before the holiday break,
however, can be a trying time
for everyone. “There is a definite change in behavior before
Winter Break,” Harmas said.
According to Creekside’s lead-
er, students can get restless.
Christan Chin, seventh-grader,
also notices that some students
can begin to lose some focus
in their classes as the first half
comes to an end. It could affect
grades. “I would never get a
bad grade toward the end of the
semester,” Getz said.
Much of the hard work before
the break in the schedule prepares students for the ISTEP
exam that they take during the
second half of the year. Students notice a increase in difficult work as the year progresses. “School work is getting
harder because we are getting
more projects toward the end
of the first semester,” Christan
Chin said.
Chelli said that he cannot wait
until the Winter Break for this
year to relax and take a deep
breath before launching the
next 90 days. After the chilly
break the students are often refreshed and focused to take on
the second semester. “Students
and staff need two weeks to refresh,” Harmas said.
Harmas thinks that both semesters are pretty much the
same, and his work ethic is the
same throughout the school
year. But teachers sometimes
need to look into creative ways
to keep students’ attention in
the second half. “I am going
to implement some new fun
classroom management techniques,” Chelli said.
He sees that his sixth-graders typically change a lot after
Break. “In the second semester
the sixth-graders grow from
elementary students to true
middle school students,” said
Chelli.
Along with the seventh and
eighth-graders this school
takes a turn for the best when
they arrive back from its 17day break. Students and teachers take pride in being successful. “Every day is different, and
I love hanging out with my fun
and creative students. Creekside is an awesome place to be
every day!” said Chelli.
Students and staff are all
looking forward to the second
half of the year after a great end
of the first semester.
‘Cats will have a blast as the
second half comes fast.
By Nick Frey, Bo Sendi
and Esteban Richey
Pride Staff
Supreme science soars sky
high.
Mr. Jon Bannon, Miss Svetlana Kamensky, Mrs. Tamisa
Lush and Mr. Chris Bartley are
all very excited for this year’s
science experiments.
“Any way we can do an activity or experiment gives students the opportunity to learn
hands-on,” Bartley said.
Most science teachers are
very excited about planning
and implementing science lessons. The next lab Bannon is
planning is a milkshake lab.
Students will start his favorite
experiment right before break.
Kamensky is also very excited for CSI: Creekside. “Everyone looks forward to it, and it
brings the whole seventh grade
together,” Kamensky said. She
wants to keep it a surprise for
the whole grade until the second half of the year. Lush also
wants to build a multi-step device with her students.
The first lab that Bannon
does every year to get students
excited about science is the
lung measurement lab. In his
first hands-on activity, eighth
graders measure the volume
of lungs to help teach about
lung capacity and carbon dioxide distribution. He tries to
have experiments every week
throughout the school year.
“Blowing up hydrogen balloons is the most dangerous
thing I have ever done,” Bannon said.
Though she might not have
had this explosive experience,
Kamensky has a lot of experience with animals. She took zoology, and to get more knowledge about animals, she did a
lot of dissections. “I learned a
lot about the inside anatomy of
animals,” she said.
Bartley also has a lot of good
memories from past experiments. The milky rainbow lab
was his first. It had to do with
the surface tension of milk and
also involved food coloring.
Kamensky remembers doing
her first lab with beans. They
grew beans and watched them
in a baggie. Kamensky also
loves to do the lab that she takes
a piece of food that looks like a
candle and she eats it. It always
fools the kids and makes the
class more enjoyable. The first
science experiment that the students do in Lush’s class is different every year.
New or experienced, science
teachers had an inspiration
to become educators. “I have
always loved the sciences. I
think that even more so I love
explaining things and helping
students out, and it seemed like
a natural fit because of my love
for science,” Bartley said. Lush
was inspired to become a teacher because her mother was one
herself. Her mother wanted her
to become a teacher but Lush
loved science. So to blend them
together, she became a science
teacher. Bannon’s encouragement to become a teacher came
from his friends and family.
Bartley and Lush love to do
owl pellet dissections in their
classrooms. Kamensky has
never done dissections here at
Creekside, but since she was a
zoologist she did a lot of this
kind of work while she was doing her previous studies. Other
classes have dissected cow
eyes and other things to see
what makes animals tick.
Bannon’s favorite experiment
is letting students launch water
balloons at him. Lush’s favorite trial is making homemade
ice cream. “I think a lot of
the physics labs that we do in
eighth grade are fun. In seventh
grade, I love the dam design
project,” Bartley said. “I hope
they have fun in many of the
labs,” Bannon said.
All of these memories and experiences have affected teachers and Wildcats in hands-on
interactive ways future.
These superior science stars
have gone far.
Special Presentation Features
A play
with a
purpose
By Anthony Green,
Grace Moyer
and Julien Housefield
Pride Staff
This scene made the bullies
look mean.
On Nov. 13 during third period, Carmel High School Drama Club came to Creekside to
perform an anti-bullying play.
According to seventh-grader
Grant Collins, this issue might
just decrease because of the
performance. According to
students services coordinator
Miss Carolyn Penn, one grade
sees this play each year, rotating through the seventh grade.
This is Penn’s second year
planning this dramatic presentation. “We (Creekside) have
done this play every year and
will hopefully continue,’’ she
said. “It has been planned by
the high school students for
months. They wrote it and directed it for months. They did
everything.”
“Bullying is too prevalent and students needed to
be aware. This kind of thing
needs to be stopped,” Mr. Jim
Peterson, Carmel High School
Drama Club teacher, said. Peterson has been working with
the Drama Club for 13 years.
He enjoyed the play and will
hopefully perform it again.
“My favorite part of rehearsal
was watching my students
grasp the concept of bullying
and how they are helping the
kids,” Peterson said. “I am
incredibly proud of my students because it is hard to put
together. This topic is serious
and, hopefully, stops at middle
school thanks to this play.”
According to Collins and
most responsible students, bullying is a terrible thing and will
hopefully decrease. It is estimated that 160,000 children
miss school every day due to
fear of attack or intimidation
8
Creekside hosts two Activity Nights
Fun-filled visit for fifth
Hong Kong’s infamous slave trader Mrs. Mears, played by eighthgrader Sarah Biette, hatches another evil plot against unsuspecting orphans who have found their way to New York City in Creekside’s rendition of Thoroughly Modern Millie. The experienced
actress loved playing the part of the bully, but understands just
how difficult that situation can be in real life.
by other people. One in seven
students in grades K-12 are either a bully or a victim. Fiftysix percent of students have
personally witnessed some
type of abuse at school, while
71 percent report incidents of
bullying as a problem at their
school. Fifty-four percent of
kids said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to
violence in school, and harassment and bullying have been
linked to 75 percent of schoolshooting incidents.
Bullying can be physical,
verbal or even indirectly hurting someone. “Bullying is a
terrible thing that should never
be done, but sadly it happens
all the time,” seventh-grader
Morgan Bracken said.
“It is an important message.
This year the play specifically
focused on the bystanders and
how much power students
have,” Penn said. Seventhgraders Bracken and Gracie
Todd thought that the message
of the play was if students see
bullying going on you can stop
it. “I thought the play was really funny, but the message got
through to the viewers. I think
the play will help Creekside
students not bully others and
be friendly to all. The play was
about a very serious topic at all
schools, but the play will help
some problems at Creekside,”
Collins said.
“I thought it was relevant,
made sense and portrayed
views seventh-graders encounter,” Penn said. “Counselors
do a great job dealing with and
containing bullying. Creekside
is a terrific school, and we just
want to keep everybody on the
right track.”
‘Cats have learned a valuable
lesson from this play.
By Alex Null, Jason Murray
and Caroline Zortman
Pride Staff
It was fantastic fun, all for
fifth-graders’ futures.
Mrs. Deseree Becker-Wilpolt,
sixth-grade humanities teacher, Mrs. Pam Irvin, sixth-grade
science teacher, and Creekside
Student Government member
Alex Hicks helped continue an
important annual event.
“The best part of the Activity
Night is to see the excitement
of the kids and how much fun
they have,” Becker-Wilpolt
said.
Two Fifth-grade Activity
Nights allow current elementary students to feel welcome
and get used to Creekside.
CSG, Student Athletic Board
members and teachers plan the
exciting and informative evenings. Students prepare for the
activities and give tours to the
elementary students.
Most of the sixth-grade
teachers help out with the Activity Night to get to know
their new students coming to
Creekside. “I have helped with
it so many times I can’t even
count,” Becker-Wilpolt said.
The future Wildcats have fun
with friends and enjoy having a special night focused on
them.
After a complete tour of the
school, fifth-graders eat pizza
and watch the seventh-grade
boys’ basketball game. On
Dec. 10 Creekside hosted Carmel and on Dec. 13 the Wildcats took on Noblesville. The
fifth-graders also got Creekside T-shirts and met their future sixth-grade teachers.
“The expression of the fifthgraders is big old eyes, because
it is a big school for them,”
Becker-Wilpolt said. This is
a pretty nice and casual introduction to Creekside. “What
makes the fifth-graders feel
welcome is that they are not
rushed into things, it is nice,
slow and casual,” Hicks said.
This event is very beneficial
to the sixth-graders of next
year because it allows them to
see what middle school is like
instead of being in a new
environment on the first day
of school next year. “It is
important for the fifth-graders to feel welcome because
we don’t want them to feel
uncomfortable. We want
them to be in a nice, warm
environment,” Hicks said.
“Fifth-grade Activity
Night is important because
it makes sure that the fifthgraders feel welcome, and
that they are not fearful
or frightened flying into a
new school,” Hicks said.
“I think Fifth-grade Activity Night is a great idea
because it gives the next
year’s sixth-graders a feel
for the school.” The evening event is very important
for the future sixth-graders
because it takes away most
of the fears that they have
for next school year.
“I love to see the wow
factor in their faces,” Irvin
said. “Watching their reactions to be in an outstanding middle school building
is great.”
Irvin always jokes with
the kids about the eighthgraders putting the sixthgraders in their lockers.
“They’re just so gullible,”
Irvin said. The future sixthgraders are usually amazed
and somewhat scared how
big Creekside is compared
to their elementary schools.
Over time, the size of the
school becomes much more
manageable.
Overall, there are mostly
positive reactions to seeing
Creekside. “If it was cancelled, I would feel really
bad for the fifth-graders,
because they would miss
out on an extraordinary experience,” Hicks said.
Fifth-grade Activity Night
is an important and fun
event for next year’s sixthgraders to see the school
and get used to it.
Awesome activities and
amazing amusement set up
the anticipation.
After-school Features
9
Wrestlers can’t weight to pin down winning season
By Nora Clemens,
Shady Hanna and Josh Fogel
Pride Staff
Pin it to win it!
Coach Tom Griffin and the
wrestlers of Creekside definitely know how to pin down
the team’s rivals.
“One of my main goals is
trying to go to varsity, to be
the best of the best,” seventhgrade wrestler Dominick Sanford said.
The coaches of the wrestling
team recently had a callout
meeting on Nov. 26. At the
callout meeting, the leaders
went over what the athletes
needed to bring, what their
schedule looked like, and
when practices were. There
are no tryouts in this sport; everyone interested in the team
makes it, except that they must
have a 2.0 GPA. “Academics
come first,” Griffin said. The
season will run from Jan. 10
through March 9.
To be good, wrestlers need
to learn the rules. “It’s not like
you see on TV,” Griffin said.
“Wrestling is tougher than you
think it is.” Learning the rules
and how to score is a big part of
it. They can get really complex.
The rules are that athletes cannot punch, kick, slam, curse,
hold illegally, bite or scratch
and more. There are penalties
as well, that can include ejection from a match. Athletes
also have to understand the
scoring. There are five ways to
gain a point. The first way is
to take down an opponent and
have the upper hand on them.
The second way is to escape a
take down. The third way is to
complete a reversal in which
the player that is being pinned
gains the advantage over the
other player. The fourth way is
to never fall on the ground. And
the last way is to get a penalty
point from an opponent. The
wrestler with the most points
or a final pin wins.
These ‘Cats have a lot of pressure because they will have a
lot of matches, but they seem to
handle it pretty well. Wrestler
Sanford describes matches as
the longest four minutes of his
life. “It really takes muscle, endurance and stamina,” he said.
To make the matches more
fair, athletes are organized
by weight classes and paired
against opponents of the same
weight. Sometimes they have
to gain or lose weight to stay in
a certain class.
These ‘Cats hate to wait
for their chance to fight. The
Creekside team is always improving. Two years ago the
record was two wins and 10
losses. Just last year their record was 10 wins and six losses. In fact, last year they won
the Lynhurst Invitational. “I
was stunned when I found out
that we won the Invitational,”
Griffin said. These ‘Cats also
get a lot of valuable experience
from this sport. “I have enjoyed
wrestling since the age of 5. It
lets me see the full circle of
wrestling and why my coaches
did some of the things they
did,” Griffin said.
The coach is not the only one
to gain experience from this
sport. Eighth-grader Kaden
Ford sets his own goals from
past experiences. “It gets me
in shape and teaches me how
to focus,” Ford said. Even the
coaches have things they want
to achieve. Griffin’s was to get
the wrestlers to be competitive
in every match, to have fun, and
possibly compete for a county
championship. The entire goal
for the team was to improve on
last year’s success and grow
the interest of the sport of wrestling. “My goal this year is to
win more matches than I did
last year,” Ford said
Altogether, the wrestlers and
coaches of the Creekside hope
to have a great season from
start to end.
‘Cats really can’t weight to
take down their opponents.
I, Robot
Wildcat Robotics team takes
down vexing competition again
Creekside’s three VEX Robotics teams traveled to the
Hoosier Hills Career Center in Bloomington for a contest on
Saturday, Nov. 24, and had an outstanding day! In a field of
approximately 30 teams, Creekside qualified second, ninth
and 18th during the morning rounds. Twenty-three of those
teams were high school teams!
In afternoon competition, two of Creekside’s teams were
eliminated in the semi-final round by the third Creekside
team, which went on to win the contest! Overall, Creekside
had one team in first place, with the other two tied for third
place.
For weeks and months leading up to competitions like this
one, Wildcat robotics teams learn, build, plan and practice to
be the best. It is typical for students to stay after school for
several afternoons in a row to prepare their best ‘bots.
Admission for this contest was cans of food. Completing a
sweep, Creekside also won the Community Service Award for
donating the most food of any school.
Creekside’s winning alliance team included:
Thomas Xuan, Franklin Hou, Elliot Choy,
Sepehr Asgari and Kevin Chen.
Third-place teams included these students:
Uma Kocherlakota, Deepa Jayasankar, Brody Powell,
Hari Rao, Will Fair, Garrett Brooker, Carson Strohm, Nick
Stawick and Jacob Sears.
10
Editorial/Ed. Cartoons
Bullies not welcome at
Creekside or anywhere
By Pride Staff
Bullying has become a form of torment over time, and
social cliques and available social media have played roles in
contributing to this serious issue.
Many teens, and even adults, don’t understand just how
dangerous bullying is. We, however, are against bullying of
any kind, and we understand how seriously it can affect a
person.
Though we are sure bullying has gone on for as long as humans have been alive, it has actually become easier for bullies
over the last few years to victimize peers. One of the biggest
reasons is social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
Tumblr. Bullying on the Internet can now spread very quickly
and, unfortunately, seem harmless and anonymous. Hate
pages have become an easy way to victimize a person, and
because there are so many different ways to do it, the official
sites have trouble shutting them all down before they do their
damage.
Cliques, and the so-called “popular people” can be the
bullies at the top of the school food chain. Many are targeted
by whole groups, but often it is just a vindictive few who are
cruel to others. Their preferred method is often talking about
others behind their backs, even calling them names or worse.
But bullying can be physical, mental (social, emotional) and
even indirect. One thing we have noticed over and over is that
it is easy to pick on those who don’t dress like you, look like
you and talk like you. Unfortunately, bullies often attack students with low self-esteem to start with, creating a depressing
situation that is hard to escape.
There are indeed multiple sides to every issue, including
this one. Sometimes people just tease each other for the fun
of it, not knowing just how dangerous it can be. Sometimes
friends are just talking about another person without realizing the consequences of their actions. Sometimes bullying
is accidental; at other times it is on purpose. People need to
understand the difference and make the situation right in both
cases.
Long and trying torment might even persuade the victim
that they are worth nothing and have nothing to live for. In
the end they might believe all the talk, gossip, rumor and
hurtful lies, or suffer injury from physical abuse. Sometimes
the unfortunate final end to bullying that has gone on too long
is suicide.
When people are made fun of, it really hurts. After being
called all the names, people might try to simply avoid the
bullies in the hallway or at lunch because they are afraid they
might be teased again or worse. But if you hold your head up
high, without a care, it can really help. Know that you have
value, and bullies are the ones with the problem.
If you have found relief from bullies, understand that they
may have just moved on to find new targets. We don’t want
others to experience the same fear, so be ready to act on
someone else’s behalf.
This may sound cliche, but it does get better. If you, or
anyone close to you is a victim of bullying, there are plenty of
ways to get help. I persuade you to consult a parent or counselor because, believe it or not, they actually know what they
are talking about and can put an end to the torture.
I encourage you to not be a bully or a victim, but rather to
stand up for yourself or a friend and help make their day.
“I’m flying south for the
winter, but I’m scared!”
“Moving is hard, but
you’ll make new friends.”
editorial cartoon by Caroline Zortman
“Go!!”
“Say, ‘Please!’ ”
editorial cartoon
by Grace Moyer
“Do you have
any blankets
to spare?”
“Mine!
All mine!!”
editorial cartoon
by Lily Klezmer
Editorial Book Reviews
11
The following page has several editorial book reviews. They reflect the opinions of the author
only. Our hope is that while Creekside holds firm to its goals of making better readers and
writers out of its students that these reviews might encourage you to grab a good book and
settle in for a great read. Each is rated out of four stars -- four being the best possible score.
A breakfast of milk
and
a
good
book
This book is a definite steal
By Erin Martin
Pride Staff
Thievery isn’t the only thing
Liesel Meminger does well.
I recently
read
The Book
Thief by
Markus
Zusak.
This realistic fiction book
set during World War II will keep the
reader on edge.
When picking up this book, it
will probably not strike you as
looking good, but a boring cover gives way to an exciting, fun
read. The thing I actually liked
best about this one is the words
the author uses. His language is
unique and descriptive. He also
plays with your emotions -- at
several points I laughed, and
at other times I cried. Most of
the time I felt as if I were truly
experiencing the same things
Liesel, the main character, goes
through.
The Book Thief is long, about
550 pages, but features lovable
characters who deal with loss,
trouble and anger while staying
loyal to family and friends.
The book begins with Liesel
on a train traveling to her new
home. Though she can’t even
read as a 9-year-old, there she
steals her first book while looking at the grave of her dead
brother. Liesel soon moves
in with her foster parents and
starts a new life with new
friends and a good education.
Nightmares and a terrible event
will continue rock her Nazi
Germany world yet again.
Interestingly, the narrator is
probably my favorite character of them all, and his name is
Death, definitely providing an
interesting point of view.
I highly recommend this to
other readers ready for adventure.
By Uma Kocherlakota
Pride Staff
One minute. That is all the
time it took for the world to
change forever.
Alex is
your typical geek -a pale shutin with an
addiction
to World of
Wa r c r a f t .
But
one
Friday afternoon his life is turned upside
down.
Written by Mike Mullin, Ash-
fall is a science fiction tale of
strength and survival.
Locked in his video-game
world, Alex is soon sent on a
dizzying journey to find his
family and everything that is
really important to him after
Yosemite Guyser erupts and
turns his world into chaos.
Alex’s desperate journey
brings encounters with bandits
and trouble that leaves him
near death, but he also finds a
friend in farm girl Darla, almost a reincarnation of the
Hunger Games’ Katniss, who is
a witty, clever survivor. Travel-
ing hundreds of miles in the
most trying of circumstances
brings them closer together and
they find the strength in each
other to continue.
This book cannot match the
flawless Divergent trilogy
or the action-packed Hunger
Games books, but it compares
favorably to both. The plot is
similar to other books of survival, a popular current theme.
Regardless, Ashfall was a
wonderful read that is perfect
for middle-schoolers in search
of action.
By Gabi Rivera
Pride Staff
If you love scary, bonechilling
mystery
books,
Ghost of
Graylock
is for you!
With
their father gone
and their
mother mentally unstable, two
siblings are spending time with
their aunts. When they find out
the town has its own mental institution, they must investigate.
Curiosity leads to some trouble, and after a small injury and
some cuts and scrapes, they are
relieved to leave. They could
never imagine who would follow them home!
Even though at times it will
make you peek under your bed
at night, Ghost of Graylock,
written by Dan Poblocki was
a wonderful story with terrific
surprises.
Even the cover will make you
a little edgy as you pick up this
haunting story.
This is the best I have ever
read. If books went to school,
Ghost of Graylock would sit at
the popular table. Full of mystery and creativity, Ghost will
thrill!
Action explodes off the pages
Chilling thriller will haunt readers
By Regan Watkins
Pride Staff
Got milk?
Set in modern day, The Face
on the Milk Carton is a realistic fiction tale of surprise and
suspense.
Written
by
Caroline
C o o n e y,
it is one
of
my
favorite
books. I
love her
word choice that makes the
story seem so real.
Lactose intolerant Janie
can’t drink milk, but she notices that each day the milk
carton has a different picture
of a missing child on it. One
day the unthinkable hap-
pens as she spots a serious
problem on her friend’s milk
carton. Now she is on a suspenseful search to find out if
this is true or not.
I love the friend in this book
because she stays by Janie’s
side throughout, offering her
support and encouragement.
Compared to other books
I’ve read, this has to be in my
top two. It is a good, fun read.
Even for those who don’t enjoy reading, I think this book
will change your mind as you
go on a twisting, turning ride
with Janie to discover the
truth.
Even if you don’t like milk,
you won’t be able to put this
delicious book down until it
has satisfied your hunger for
the truth.
By Esteban Richey
Pride Staff
This is what The Lord of
the Flies would look like if
Stephen King had written it.
Gone
is written
instead by
Michael
Grant.
The action/adventure
p i e c e
takes place in modern-day
California.
Everyone, age 15 or older,
has disappeared. A spherical
wall now surrounds the region. Animals are mutating,
children are gaining strange
powers, and an evil entity is
controlling the action of key
people.
Power is the intense and
obvious theme of this book
as a battle rages between the
children of Perdido Beach
and the Kids of Coates Academy. Action scenes make it
nearly impossible to put this
book down and I rarely did.
This book heavily reminds
me of the Harry Potter series,
because it has many characters and very complicated relationships.
The way the characters reacts to each other really deepened the plot for me. Protagonists Sam, Astridi, Quinn and
Lana must deal with antagonists Caine, Drake and others.
Who will gain control of the
region? And how long can the
nuclear power plant support
the town, keeping it safe?
This is now my all-time favorite book. If you have the
time, Gone will keep your
interest.
Grab this book
before it is Gone!
12
Special Feature
Which Wich would
Wildcats wish?
Teachers and coaches pitch in on athletic
fundraiser with a little magical Whichcraft
By Alex Couture,
Lucy Whittle and Zev Burton
Pride Staff
Which Wich makes Creekside tick?
Ms. Aly Spugnardi, the area
manager for Which Wich
restaurants, Mrs. Pam Irvin,
sixth-grade science teacher,
Mrs. Becky Cheetham, sixth
and seventh-grade science
teacher, and Mrs. Darcie Mueting, owner and president of
the Which Wich in Carmel, all
were ecstatic about this year’s
annual athletics fundraiser.
“We want everyone to come
in and have fun. We don’t want
it to be like every other sandwich place; we want people to
come in and feel the vibe, since
that is what we are all about,”
Mueting said.
Creekside has done this fundraiser for three straight years
now to help fund the athletic
department. Creekside teachers and coaches volunteered
to help make the sandwiches,
and in turn a percentage of
the overall sales were given
to the middle school to help
buy things like new uniforms,
sports equipment and other
things necessary to run an athletic program that serves hundreds of student/athletes.
The response was so enormous that at one point there
was a line of loyal but hungry
sandwich-eaters that stretched
out the front door and around
the corner of the building.
The first one of these inventive sandwich shops opened in
1994 in Dallas, Texas, by Mr.
Jeff Sinelli. According to the
Which Wich website, Sinelli
was “frustrated by the lack of
great sandwiches available in
quick service restaurants and
bored by burned-out sandwich
brands, so the founder and former CEO of Genghis Grill set
Fast Facts...
23 teachers and coaches made sandwiches/shakes.
Creekside earned 10% of net sales for one day.
Wildcat athletics gained $500 from this fundraiser!
his mind to creating a fresh, innovative concept featuring superior sandwiches served in an
edgy, magnetic environment.”
Today this restaurant is one of
on 10 different cheeses, five
unique dressings and 12 vital
vegetables as well.
Some of Creekside’s students love the grilled cheese,
the fastest growing franchises
in the nation, with a Hot Concept award to back up its reputation.
The first Which Wich that
opened in Indiana was in Carmel, founded by Dan and Darcie Mueting. “My husband
owns 43 Jimmy Johns and we
wanted something to share,”
Mueting said. Since the first
one opened in 2009, the Muetings have opened two other
Which Wiches in Indiana. The
second store opened in Bloomington in 2010, with the newest one positioned this year in
downtown Indianapolis.
Eventually the restaurant
reached out to Creekside and
other schools in the area to see
how they could help education.
Mueting has a special connection with Creekside. Her children went to the school, and
she also substitute taught at
Creekside for a while.
Which Wich’s menu consists
of too many combinations to
count so people supporting this
fundraising evening had their
choice or many sandwiches,
milkshakes, cookies and even
salads. Customers can add
turkey mayo, buffalo chicken
salad and chicken sandwiches.
Even the teachers like Irvin and
Cheetham enjoy Which Wich
for its good food and quality
service.
Several middle school teachers and coaches participated in
this special Creekside day by
either ordering a sandwich to
be delivered to them at their
lunch time on the day of the
event or by going behind the
counter to make sandwiches
for others throughout the evening at Which Wich. Teachers
like Cheetham and Irvin love to
help out and make sandwiches
for students at Creekside. “It’s
nice to do things with the community,” Cheetham said.
All the teachers have different jobs they feel attached to
and attract them back to help
each year, like Irvin. The science teacher loves the milkshake machine. “I like the
milkshake machine because it
makes a mess, and I like making messes,” Irvin said. She is
famous for her blended milkshake flavors like banana-Oreo
or strawberry-Oreo. “You can
always tell a Creekside student
when they walk through the
door (later) and order a bananaOreo milkshake,” Spugnardi
said. Irvin also likes the milkshake machine because she
loves talking to all of the kids.
“I’m at the very front so I get
to talk to everyone,” Irvin
said.
Lots of students and teachers will agree that seeing
teachers outside of school is
a little weird but fun. They
all seem to have different
personalities when they are
not in the classroom. Irvin
enjoys working alongside
Mr. Josh Moore. “I like Mr.
Moore because he is really
strict in school, but funny
and a good friend outside
of school,” Irvin said. Even
workers at Which Wich notice the enjoyment of the
students’ faces. “They (the
teachers) always have a lot
of fun, and they like having
their students see them,”
Spugnardi said.
From Irvin and the infamous milkshake machine
to the delicious food, this
year’s Which Wich fundraiser will be one not soon
forgotten.
When teachers work
Creekside goes berserk!