Issue 1 1-32.pub - Grover Middle School

JAGAZINE
December 16, 2010
Volume XII, Issue 1
25¢
GMS News
Save Outdoor Ed!
New Teachers
Book Reviews
Tech Talk
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 2
Dear Grover Families,
In order to con nue Grover’s “Go Green” efforts, we have decided to print a limited number of paper
copies of the Jagazine and to make the magazine available online. Therefore, we have also decided to
combine the ar cles geared toward parents (formerly the “Jag Journal”) with the ar cles wri en for the
students and teachers. Parents, once you have read the first pages of regular Jag Journal features, we
encourage you enjoy the ar cles wri en by our students from the Publishing club and “Wri ng for the
Real World” elec ve class. Thank you to all our contributors!
Principal’s Principles
For this month, I chose to revisit my
first Jag Journal article from October
2007 for a few reasons: John Wooden
passed away earlier this year, the
UCONN Womens’
basketball team is
poised to break Wooden’s UCLA mens’ basketball team’s record of
88 consecutive victories, and because it is
also time to re-examine
the purpose of teaching
and learning in school
at this time. While the
facts of Wooden’s
amazing career have
not changed, this version of the article has
been updated to reflect
changes in my life and
philosophy over the last
three years.
“You haven’t taught them until they
have learned.” This statement encompasses the essence of parenting and
schooling. For years people have
looked at schools as places where teaching takes place. Now, it is true teaching
takes place in schools; however, the
paradigm shift in education of recent
years has been to focus on learning.
Teachers have always wrestled with the
question: What do we want our students
to learn? Now, we need to ask a second
and third question: How do we know
what and if they have learned it? And,
what do we do if they have not learned
it? These questions bring us back to
“You haven’t taught them until they
have learned.”
Interestingly, You Haven’t Taught
Them Until They Have Learned is the
title of a book about John Wooden written by one of his former players, Swen
Nater. For those of you who don’t
know John Wooden, he is the former
UCLA basketball coach from the
1960’s through the mid 70’s. During
this time he set numerous NCAA records winning 10 National championships, (no one has come within 6 of that
record), and 88 games in a row, (no one
Dennis Lepold
else had come within 50 of that record
until the UCONN ladies’ impressive
run). However, it is not Wooden’s
achievement on the court that merits
attention; it is the life lessons he provided to his
players. John Wooden,
who recently passed away
at the age of 99, was more
than a coach; Wooden was
known as a teacher. His
simple, to-the-point sayings: “Be prepared and be
honest” or “If you don’t
have time to do it right,
when will you have time to
do it over?” are what kept
his former players calling
him for advice years after
they finished playing for
him. I would like to share
one of my favorite Wooden quotes with you: “The worst things
you can do for the ones you love are
things they could and should do for
themselves.”
we can
take is to
help build strategies and a capacity
within our children / students so they
can recognize how to be successful in
any task. Furthermore, if we, parents
and teachers, continue to do the things
children could and should do for themselves, we are not teaching them, nor
can we know if they have learned.
This idea makes me wonder: “What do
we really want our students/children
to learn?”
 Do we want them to know how take
good notes in a class by listening to
teachers?
 Do we want students relying on
teachers for correct answers?
 Or do we want them to be able to
know how to find reliable information on their own?
 Do we want teachers to adapt their
teaching to meet the needs of every
student in his/her class?
This statement reminds me that as a
 Or do we want to empower our stuparent and a teacher we have to let our
dents to understand how they learn
children and students gain independence
and develop strategies to understand
in order for them to learn responsibility.
the teacher’s style?
Success from these endeavors builds
self-confidence, as well as the foundaWe need to stop thinking of learning as
tion for future successes. It is easy as a
departmentalized with finite endings. If
parent, for the sake of time, to help a
we are to develop life-long learners, we
child finish an assignment, quickly find
need to think of teaching children/
a solution to a problem, mediate an
students in ways that help them to conargument, or pick-up after him/her
tinue to learn.
around the house.
So when the children
Likewise, it is easy as
The worst things you can
leave their backpack, jacka teacher to help studo for the ones you love
et or shoes in the middle
dents finish an assignare things they could and
of the hall way, fight the
ment, quickly find a
should do for themselves. urge to clean-up after
solution to a problem,
mediate an argument,
-John Wooden them. Remember telling
them to do something,
or pick-up after them
even if it is for the milaround the school.
lionth time, is not the same as teaching
However, these situations are all examthem. Be certain to make them responples of adults, with good intentions,
sible for their work, whether cleaning
interfering with children learning. Your
up after themselves or finishing an aschildren, and our students, are capable
signment. After all, you haven’t taught
and should be doing these things, and
them until they have learned.
the worst action we can take is to do
Best wishes for a restful Winter Break
these things for them. The best action
and a Happy New Year!
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 3
Assistant Principal’s Perspective
21st Century Competencies
Back in the summer of 2002, a
large group of staff members from Grover and
Community middle schools gathered to develop
a document we called “The Middle School
Competencies”. We based our work on a concept adapted from Ted Sizer and the Coalition
for Essential Schools. First, we brainstormed all
of the attributes we believed a well-rounded
person should possess; these are attributes
that we want our students to have when they
leave our care. Then, we examined our ideas,
grouping them into larger concepts. We came
up with five large categories: The Self Directed
Learner, The Creative and Practical Problem
Solver, The Effective Communicator, The Effective Team Member, and The Responsible and
Involved Student/Citizen. That fall, the middle
schools began to use the concept of the competencies by planning lessons in which they
were intentionally found.
Fast forward, eight years later: the
district has now picked up on our work, and
updated it to reflect 2010 needs. At our opening professional development opportunities this
year, all district staff heard about how an updated version of the now six competencies
could be expanded to reach all of our students,
grades K-12. You will noticed that the added
competency, Information-Literate Researcher,
reflects the needs of navigating the information
-saturated world of the Internet. Age appropriate lessons and language will be stressed in all
of our buildings! We are excited to share an
abbreviated version of the updated competencies with you:
As a Collaborative Team Member, I
strengthen my ability to collaborate and cooperate with others, and to develop interpersonal
and leadership skills. I
 Commit to the goal of the group, sharing
ideas, accepting opinions of others, positively interacting with group members
 Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member
 Respect cultural differences and work
effectively with people from a range of
social and cultural backgrounds.
Bev Krocker & Rich Stec
As an Effective Communicator, I strengthen my ability to communicate with others verbally, in writing, and visually; as a good listener, a
good reader, and a critical viewer. I:
 Express my thoughts, ideas, and opinions
clearly in front of a group
 Organize and convey information and
ideas accurately
 Develop listening strategies: ask relevant
question, take notes, make predictions to
understand what is heard
 Use multiple forms of media to gain information and convey what has been learned
 Respond to text by showing understanding, making connections and judgments
As a Globally Aware, Active, and Responsible Student/Citizen, I:
 Demonstrate skill in decision-making which
reflects that my choice is informed and
based on ethical behavior rather than peer
pressure
 Demonstrate dependability, productivity,
and initiative
 Participate in civic life through knowing
how to stay informed and understand the
governmental processes
 Continue to strive toward literacy in the
areas of finance, health, and the environment
As an Information-Literate Researcher, I
 Plan and determine the nature and extent
of the information I need
 Locate and gather necessary information
effectively and efficiently
 Extract and organize information by evaluating sources critically and incorporate
selected information into my knowledge
base
 Use information effectively to create a
product that accomplishes a specific purpose
 Reflect on my research process and product by identifying my own strengths and
weaknesses toward continual improvement
As an Innovative and Practical Problem
Solver, I:
 Strengthen my ability to create and innovate by elaborating, refining, analyzing,
and evaluating my ideas in order to maximize creative efforts


Identify and define a problem clearly,
brainstorm solution strategies using
various types of reasoning, gather
relevant information to support solution strategies and apply steps necessary to carry out the solution
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
that apply to the problem’s solutions
As I continue to become a responsible,
resourceful, and reflective Self-Directed
Learner, I:
 Plan and budget time to meet deadlines
 Take ownership of work and actions
 Ask a variety of questions in order to
clarify my understanding
 Know when and how to seek assistance
 Incorporate feedback effectively
 Am thoughtful, open-minded, and
curious
 Demonstrate initiative to advance skill
levels
 Demonstrate commitment to learning
as a lifelong process.
This is but a brief overview of the competencies we want our children to possess.
The entire competency document can be
found in our schools and at the following
link: http://www.ww-p.org/departments/
Curriculum/21st_century_competencies/.
We are proud to work with our students as
they continually grow in these areas. We
hope that you are seeing the results of this
work in your children at home.
PAGE 4
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PTSA and You
PTSA MEMBERSHIP
Have you joined the Grover PTSA
yet? Are you getting our email
blasts? Contact [email protected] or go to our website
www.groverptsa.org for more information.
UPCOMING PTSA GENERAL
MEETING WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12,
2011
9:15 a.m. start-time
The guidance counselors will lead a
panel discussion on key issues effecting middle schoolers. To help
facilitate the program, parents can
send their questions
before the presentation to
tgmsquestions@
gmail.com. The counselors will use these
questions to structure
the discussion.
JWAC STATUS
Thank you everyone
who has participated
in our main fund raiser- the Just Write A
Check campaign and
in our fundraising
survey. A report will
be sent home via the
Grover PTSA email
blasts later this
month. You may still
donate. For more
information, contact
Arthi at [email protected].
Catherine Lee & Kathy Lane
always two or three different drives
and service projects happening at the
same time? In lieu of promoting their
own programs this year, the Grover
PTSA is dedicating their efforts to better support students in their own community service projects. “We feel our
700 members are a powerful resource
to make existing projects more successful,” says PTSA President Kathy
Lane. The PTSA will be advertising
such projects in its daily email blasts.
The PTSA is also willing to donate its
time to help students in their community service as needed.
One example of their efforts has been
the “Save Outdoor Ed” fund raiser the
PTSA has sponsored in conjunction
with the WWP Education Foundation.
Special thanks go to Aztec Graphics
who donated the green bracelets that
were sold so that every penny raised
goes to the Outdoor Ed fund. Keep an
eye out for more things that you can
do to help save this important program!
SAVE OUTDOOR ED WRISTBAND
SALES
Thank you everyone who purchased a
wristband to help SAVE OUTDOOR ED.
So far, we have raised over $750 for
Outdoor Ed through this fund raiser. It
is NOT too late to purchase one- email
[email protected] and put in subject
line - “I NEED A WRISTBAND” and we
will get one to you for the cost of $5.
EVERY penny goes to Outdoor Ed.
PTSA and Service Projects
Does it ever seem like there are
Save the Date! PTSA’s
Grover Fun Night
January 7!
Buy your tickets at lunch 1/3-1/7!
TALENT SHOW
So you think you can dance? Maybe you want to be the next American Idol? Your chance is here! The
12th Annual Grover PTSA Talent
Show will take place on the evening
of Saturday, March 26 at 7:30. Pay
attention to the announcements
and advertisements for try-outs and
practices starting in the January.
Entry packets will be available by
the week of January 10. All interested students are encouraged to
participate and should start planning their talents now. We look
forward to another great event!
FATHER'S INITIATIVE
Keep an eye out for upcoming Father's initiative programs, such as
the annual bowling event in March
and a potential boating event in
early June. Stay tuned for details.
Contact Andi I. Sjamsu at
[email protected]
Counselors’ Corner
Important Dates from
Guidance
 January 21: end of the MP2
 February 3: HS Orientation Program
8th grade students: Periods 3 & 4, GMS
 February 3: HS Orientation Program
for Parents: 7 PM @ HSS
 March 14-16: 8th graders meet with
HS Counselors to discuss HS course
selections
As the second semester gets
underway, the Grover counselors are
busy teaching developmental guidance
lessons, facilitating student groups,
meeting with students, parents, and
teachers, and preparing for our annual
transition programs. Parents of eighth
graders will soon receive information
about a special high school orientation
program for parents being held in early
February at HS-South. Special orientation activities will also begin for our
eighth grade students at that time, as
well, culminating with each student
having an individual meeting with his/
her high school counselor in mid-March.
Our first “Coffee with the
Counselors” will be held on January 12th
at 9:30. Tune in to the PTSA website for
more information soon. Also, please mark
your calendars for the March 9th PTSA
meeting where Student Assistance Counselor Molly Rooney will give a presentation
on “Street Drugs: What You Need to
Know as a Parent.”
As always, we welcome your
phone calls and emails! Let’s all continue
to work together for the success of your
child!
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 5
Save Outdoor Ed
Outdoor Education, for those of you who
don’t know, is an amazing, adventurous,
and educational 3-day trip to the Poconos.
Parents volunteer to come with, kids stay
in cabins with about eight other students,
everyone gets to participate in exciting
activities like rope courses, stream-life
study, and more. For the last 40 years,
6th graders have had this experience and
really enjoyed it. This year, though, due to
the budget cuts, Outdoor Education has
been cancelled, or at-least, possibly.
But we students haven’t given up hope
yet. Some of my friends and I have started some productive and creative fundraising ideas, with the help of our supportive
teachers and parents. First, my good
friend Anna Carandang, of 6G, created a website:
www.saveoutdoored.weebly.com.
Everyone can post questions,
send in ideas, read about the
program, and get more information about how to help.
Many students have commented on the site and
found it helpful or inspir-
ing. We hope that you do too.
Also, Anna Carandang and I
created a business, A&N Craft
Co. We make jewelry, bookmarks, pouches, origami, magnets, and more! On November
30, 2010, we earned $235
selling these items at Grover
Middle School’s 6th grade Pasta Dinner. Lots of money going towards
Outdoor Education was also raised by kind
families that bought raffle tickets, donated,
and paid to come to the fun, family event.
To save Outdoor Education, we need
$40,000, but are trying to raise $50,000 so
that the 6th graders in years to come can
also enjoy Outdoor Ed. According to the
math, that would mean that if every family
could donate or raise $70 we would be able
to go! Also, thanks to Pasta Night and other
fundraisers/donations, the prices are already going down. But any donation is
gladly accepted and we are very grateful for
everyone’s generosity. The West WindsorPlainsboro Education Foundation is taking
donations for Outdoor Education at:
www.wwpeducationfoundation.org.
I would like to thank a lot of people, including the 6G teachers (Mrs. Dratch, Mrs.
Interfaith Caregivers
Ever wonder where
all those clothes
from the Lost &
Found go? After
months of reminders
for students to
check for their belongings, the items
are donated to organizations that can
use them to help
others. One group
that has accepted
donations from
Grover’s Lost &
Found is Interfaith
Caregivers. Interfaith Caregivers sponsored a coat drive
which collected 150 new and gently used
coats for needy families by partnering with
TEAM (Trenton Ecumenical Area Ministry).
So who knows? Maybe that
parka you lost last year is keeping someone else warm this
winter!
The primary purpose of the
group is to give students the
chance to spend time with a
senior citizen of our community.
Yamini Bhandari, a sophomore
at High School South, started
the youth volunteer group for an
organization that helps and
visits elderly people. This group
is for teenagers ages 13-17
years old, the group visits and
helps homebound elderly people, by talking to them, doing
household errands, spending time with them,
and doing outdoor chores. The head of group,
Bhandari says “I started volunteering in 8th
grade and what I learned from it was to respect older people and learn from their expe-
Nora Peachin
Pacifico, Ms. Frost, and Mr. Buck) and
Kiran Kumar of 6T, who donated $100 to
this great cause, and Bennett Sherr, Matt
Rabbitsky, and Gergely Sandor, all from
6G, for helping out selling at our Pasta
Dinner stand. Also, Vashvi Shah, 6G, did
the math to find out the costs, Audrey
Tran, 6M, really supported the cause,
Anne-Marie Foley of Community Middle
School, who helped find the Outdoor Education teachers at Community, and all the
families helping us with this amazing
cause.
There are many ways to help. Donations
are gladly accepted, helping out at fundraisers is free and fun, and even checking
out the site or joining the WW-P Outdoor
Ed. Facebook group and “like-ing” shows
that you care. With everyone’s support,
donations, and hard work, we can save
this program and win it back!
Rishab Bhandari
riences; that's the philosophy of this whole
thing. As neighbors, it is our duty to help elderly people live on their own, with a little
help. Throughout the experience you meet truly
inspirational people and that is what makes it
so much fun!” Bhandari also says, “My grandparents live in India, and because they live so
far, it’s hard for me to meet and learn from
them, so it is nice to see older people here and
get that experience.”
Due to recent budget cuts and many
clubs losing funding, this group cannot be a
school club, so it functions outside of school.
They meet once every two weeks, on Saturday
mornings. In the future, the group plans to hold
activity nights, craft fairs, and many more fun
activities. If you join, you will receive volunteer hours for your services. If you are interested in joining or wish to get any more information about the group, please feel free to
email Yamini Bhandari at:
[email protected].
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 6
Budget Cuts and Grover
Last April, West Windsor–
Plainsboro taxpayers lined up to vote
on a crucial decision. Parents and
children alike waited with bated
breath as the votes were counted one
by one, and then tallied. To the relief
of some, and to the disappointment of
others, the budget for the 2010–2011
school year had passed.
As much as we would like it to
be, our school district does not have
an infinite amount of money. Rather,
it must use some of the tax money
gathered from the
residents of West
Windsor and Plainsboro to pay its expenses. Each resident
must pay taxes, and
this money is used by
the state and local
municipalities to provide you with a number of services, education and maintaining roads to name a few. It seems like
a fair trade-off, your parents pay
money in taxes, and this money is
used to educate you. However, there
are many residents that don’t have a
child, or whose children have graduated and no longer attend public
school. Most of these residents don’t
want to pay high taxes that educate
children that are not theirs.
The school budget vote was crucial in a year when school districts all
across the state faced dramatic cuts in
their state funding and unprecedented
pressure to slash their budgets even
deeper. This year, Governor Christie
decided that in order to help patch the
$11 billion state budget deficit, each
school should be given less money in
state aid. But this created a gap in
most local school budgets. The only
way to obtain enough money to fill
this void was to raise taxes.
Teachers in the WWPEA opened
their contract early in 2010 and accepted a three-month pay freeze in
order to help reduce the impact the
anticipated budget cuts would have
on the district when everyone was
expecting about a 15% reduction in
state aid. Then it was discovered that
the district would be losing 71% of
their state aid. Though the budget
passed, the amount received in taxes
was not enough to fill every financial
need that the school district had, creating the need for administrators and
school officials to reduce spending in
as many ways as possible, resulting in
the infamous “Budget Cuts.” And
whether you recognize it or not, these
cuts affected Grover in many ways. I
interviewed Mr. Lepold to find out
more information about how Grover
was affected.
While some people believe that
several teachers were laid off at
Grover, in truth, no teacher was let
go. Some teachers no longer teach at
Grover, but they either retired or were
moved to a different building within
the school district. “We reduced our
teaching staff by three teaching positions through attrition. Also, we no
longer have content area supervisors
dedicated specifically for grades 4-8.”
These staffing changes largely do not
affect classroom instruction, but rather reflect the current numbers at
Grover. “There are 4 fewer busses,
but our enrollment is less than it has
been in the past.”
Budget cuts affected many sports
and afterschool activities. “For the
most part, we reduced rather than
eliminated.” For example, many
sports used to have two teams, a 7th
grade and an 8th grade. In order to
Aashil Desai and Jagazine Staff
reduce costs for uniforms, transportation, and coach salary, the school decided to combine those teams together into one team. GMS also had to
reduce the non-athletic co-curricular
budget by about $65,000 dollars. This means fewer clubs and
after-school activities.
Mr. Lepold also admitted that the
supplies budget was also reduced by
about $40,000. Many students were
puzzled when they realized that over
the summer, all the computers have
been upgraded, with
new software installed.
Was that really the best
use of our limited
funds? The answer is
that Microsoft decided
to cut support to Windows XP (our old operating system). That
means no service, no
help and no more programs released by Microsoft for Windows XP. Therefore,
all of the old computers had to be
upgraded.
Things are expected to be even
tighter next year when the state is
expected to make more aid cuts to
deal with the continuing budget crisis.
There is also concern that Gov. Christie’s 2% cap on property tax increases
will put a crimp in education spending. With planned redevelopment of
the area surrounding the Princeton
Junction train station and the building
of more housing units on Clarksville
Road, school enrollments are expected to go up—and with them
costs. "We don't know how (the cap)
will affect townships with growing
school districts like us, that are not
completely built out," said presiding
officer, Diane Ciccone, during a recent meeting of West Windsor Township Council. Regardless of the budget cuts, Grover will always be Grover,
and no amount of money can change
that. As Mr. Lepold puts it, “West
Windsor and Plainsboro have always
valued education and will continue to
support the public schools.”
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 7
HP 7 Review
The movie “Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows: Part I” is based on the
seventh and last book in J. K. Rowling’s
Harry Potter series. This movie is directed
by David Yates, who also directed “The
Half-Blood Prince” and “The Order of
Phoenix.” This movie generated revenue
of $330 million globally and $125 million in
USA within its first week of release, more
than any other Harry Potter movie.
In this movie 17-year-old Harry
Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) faces many troubles as he sets off to find and destroy
Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. But he
won’t be going alone because his friends
Hermione and Ron convinced him to take
them along. Hermione Granger (Emma
Watson) is the most knowledgeable out of
all three friends. She plays a major part in
this movie because she has all the information to help Harry defeat
obstacles that stand in his way.
Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) is
Harry’s best friend, but now
feels he is just tagging behind
his friends and is not equal to
them anymore. At one point he
is really upset about this, so he
leaves Harry and Hermione.
Fans of the book, will
concede that this story is
breathtaking. It’s like any moment a Death Eater will attack
or someone would die. Plus
this story changes your emo-
Sanjana Tatke
tions very fast. Like when the Death
Eaters brought Harry, Ron and Hermione
to the Malfoy Manor, I felt anxious and
worried what would happen to them.
Then when Dobby got stabbed by Bellatrix’s dagger, I felt sad and I was angry
at her because she killed the adorable
little house elf. But the most depressing
part was when Ron left his friends. The
background score (music) by Alexandre
Desplat helps build up these emotions.
This movie was definitely a
treat, although as a Harry Potter book
fan, I expected more. There were many
details that were missing. Like Harry’s
birthday or giving the locket to Kreacher.
But even though the movie wasn’t similar
to the book, it was well bound. The director made the film interesting by adding animations while the story of the
three brothers and the deathly hallow
was explained. At the end everyone
clapped and I’m sure like me, everyone
is waiting for the second part because
the end of the movie was a cliffhanger.
Don’t Mess with Red Bull, or You’ll Get the Horns!
Recently teens across the United States, and yes,
even at Grover, have been consuming energy
drinks such as Red Bull with increasing frequency. While they are considered safe for adults in
moderation, the high levels of caffeine and sugar
pose threats for young people. Higher levels of
caffeine in the teen body can lead to stomach
problems, panic attacks, anxiety, and cardiac arrhythmias. Energy drinks have been linked to a
rising number of adolescent emergency room vis-
Jagazine Staff
its for palpitations and other heart problems.
Caffeine is also known to mask the symptoms of
fatigue. When your body is tired, it sends your
brain signals to rest. When caffeine messes with
those signals and you continue to engage in high
levels of activity, your heart can be strained.
France even banned Red Bull in for 12 years
after a young basketball player died after drinking four cans. So think twice before getting
your energy from a can.
JAGS ARE POLITE IN THE PARKING LOT
When driving in the
GMS parking lot,
please follow these
pointers:
1. Keep your speed
to 5 MPH!
2. Don’t drive/park
in bus lanes.
 7:30am morning
drop-off in the
back of the
school.
 2:46pm afternoon
pick-up in the
front of the school.
3. While waiting for afternoon pick-ups (3:00pm or
later), please use available parking spaces in the
front of the school. The
curbside lane is reserved for late bus
use.
4. For mass pickups (after a dance or
concert):
 Please be prompt!
 Make a rendezvous location with your child.
 If you need to wait, pull up to
the curb as far as you can or
park in a designated spot
to keep a clear passing
lane.
 Carpool with
neighbors.
 Make use
of overflow
parking at
Village.
5. Drive cautiously when there
are children in the
parking lot!
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 8
New Teachers at Grover
Mrs. Bhatheja
Mr. Castner
Profile by: Salil Desai
This year, Mrs. Shveta Bhatheja switched from
teaching science at Community to Grover. She
is on team 6T. She taught at Community for
about two and a half years before she switched
to teaching at Grover. She said that she had to
switch to teaching at Grover because Mr. Stec
moved from being a science teacher to became
our Vice Principal. Mrs. Bhatheja thinks that
neither school is better than the other, but
likes Grover because Gold and Black are her favorite colors.
Ms. Hutchinson
Profile by: Arthur Shim
A new face has appeared in team 7G. Ms.
Hutchinson has replaced the retired teacher, Mrs. Mika and is currently teaching
IRLA. She has arrived from student teaching in Hamilton and is very excited about
her first teaching experience. Ms.
Hutchinson felt a bit strange returning to
her Grover, her former middle school. She
was apprehensive when she first walked
through the doors, but her nervousness
quickly vanished. She didn’t stay uneasy for long because everyone
was so nice and welcoming and helped her adjust. She also said she
has great students too. Likewise, her students are also very pleased
to have her here at Grover.
Mrs. Lenihan
Profile by: Matt Rabitsky
Did you know that Mr.
Castner loves the sport of
rugby? Or that he worked
at Grice Middle School in
Hamilton township school
district? If you didn’t then
now you can find out all
about Mr. Castner, our
new teacher of industrial arts (technology).
Mr. Castner teaches at both Grover and Community. He really likes both of our middle schools
so far. He got here very fortunately when he
was offered a position as a teacher after being
laid off in Hamilton.
When I asked Mr. Castner how he has the job
he has his answer was: “I started out from college many years ago to become a teacher. At
that time the school district I was working at
closed one of their high schools and I was laid
off. I switched professions and worked in the
auto industry for quite a while.” He later went
back to school so that he could teach industrial
arts.
Prior to this job, Mr. Castner worked as a tool &
die maker, process engineer and quality engineer in the auto industry. His favorite color is
blue and he is a big Philadelphia sports fan.
Profile by: Sandra Shim
In addition to new students, there have been many new teachers here at Grover. Meet Mrs. Lenihan, the new 8G IRLA teacher who has come from North. She has taught middle and high
school in Bridgewater-Raritan and West Windsor-Plainsboro. This is her eleventh year of teaching
IRLA. So far, she loves teaching here and deems the students bright, interesting and fun. Having
taught eighth grade before in Bridgewater, she feels thrilled to return and calls it a homecoming.
She considers eighth graders as the middle school students who have an amazing contagious energy and an ability to make everyday an exciting new adventure. They are the “seniors” who can
lead the school positively. She really enjoys teaching at Grover that she doesn’t have time to think
about missing North. Of course, everyone at Grover also enjoys having her here.
Madame Ohrel
Profile by: Vashvi Shah
Welcome to the world of France in Madame Ohrel’s classroom. You probably know Madame
Ohrel as an ordinary French teacher, but she’s much more. This year is Madame Ohrel’s first
year teaching at Grover. Madame Ohrel started learning French in 7th grade at Hopewell Valley School District, about the age we are now. Madame Ohrel taught for five years in Milltown
teaching English as a Second Language and Spanish. She knows the language of French,
Spanish, and English and has taught all three languages. She has been to France to work with
a French family. Madame Ohrel has two cats named Sebastian and Oreo. She enjoys watching
her daughters play soccer and she also enjoys going jogging. Madame Ohrel has a passion for
French and is a great teacher.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 9
Exceptional Educators
What makes an amazing teacher? We have all heard of that fun-loving
teacher, who holds class outside and
throws a pizza party “just because.” But
do those things make a teacher good?
What, exactly, does a marvelous teacher
do to lead students to view them in such a
positive light? I talked to several Grover
students and asked them why a certain
teacher is their favorite, as well as how the
perfect teacher would run their classes.
to them a list of your children’s achievements. Quite frankly, students neither
care nor relate to the latter. It would be in
everyone’s best interest to omit them from
the lesson.
The teacher can, and usually
does, make or break the opinion on any
given class. In a good class, you want to
be there—for the teacher. The subject
does not matter if you are unhappy in
class. “I love science, but last year I hated
The most important thing a
it because of Mrs. Smith*” agreed Tayteacher can be is approachable. It is absolor.* It works both ways; a student may
lutely terrible to be in a class where you
have hated math in previous years, howfeel as if you cannot ask questions. The
ever a good teacher in the subject can
majority of the time, it is because the
change their opinions on the class. The
teacher herself is so scary! “Remember
material in class changes from year to
that digestive system test we ALL failed?
year, however a good teacher makes the
To my knowledge, no one really bothered
student remember what they learned in
to ask questions, or get
that specific class, no mathelp, because we were
“The mediocre teacher tells.
ter when they learned it.
just scared to,” said
The good teacher explains.
In my opinion,
Alex.* An intimidating
The superior teacher demonstrates.
the
very
best
teachers are
teacher may scare stuthe ones who trust their
The great teacher inspires.”
dents into always com-William Arthur Ward students. They do not feel
pleting their homework;
the need to keep students
however, in the long
on a “short leash.” They
run, kids will not learn
do
not
teach
solely
through textbooks or
as much in this type of environment. If a
worksheets; they have faith that their stustudent feels stupid when asking a quesdents are mature enough to handle a more
tion, she will not ask, and will most likely
interactive lesson plan. They use activiend up getting that question wrong on the
ties and reenactments, and teach by examunit test. If a teacher is open, welcoming
ples that kids
even, to questions, kids will not hesitate to
actually care
ask. They will receive a superior, wellabout. “This
rounded education. Jamie* pointed out,
year, we did
“A teacher can be bad when they don’t get
‘The Swamp’
a high level of respect from the students.
activity in
By not relating to students or being mean,
science. Mr.
it makes the teacher harder to approach.
Maskell’s
You can’t learn well from the teacher, and
activity really
it’s all based on the level of respect given
helped me
from your peers and yourself.”
understand
One student explained that a
refraction.
good classroom depends upon the attitude.
Without the
“Very laid-back teachers, like Mr. Gold,
hands-on acwho talk about other things than just their
tivity, I still
subject are always easier to approach.”
probably
Notice how he said other things, not themwouldn’t unselves. When asked what about their prederstand revious teachers had annoyed the kids, they
fraction” said
said that the personal topics teachers talked Emily.*
about made a huge difference. “Mrs.
When a teachSmith* always talked about herself, and
er compares
consistently went off topic and wasted our
one war to
class time. Then, even worse, said it was
another war to
our fault,” reports Ryan.* There is a masanother war,
sive difference between entertaining stuthere is very
dents with a funny anecdote, and reciting
Devon Austin
little chance the students’ attention
will be captivated. However, when a
teacher relates the war to something
the kid understands, they actually take
an interest in what the teacher is saying. Teachers should be interactive,
creative, and understand that students
are not learning machines. We all
think and learn in different styles.
Sometimes we need breaks. The
astounding teachers work for the students, and base their actions on what
will best benefit the kids. They do not
work for a paycheck – they work to
help the children.
Most kids do not really understand why they like a teacher –
they just do. That, I believe, is part of
the art. Stupendous teachers come in,
make a difference, and leave in such a
way that students remember what they
have learned. They walk away from
the year with not just an education, but
also a look into themselves. “The
dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes
and leads you to the next plateau,
sometimes poking you with a sharp
stick called ‘truth’" (Dan Rather).
*Name has been changed to protect
student and teacher identities
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 10
Hark! Hear the Winter Concerts
Every winter our school has an orchestra concert, band concert and choir
concert, where we perform songs that
GMS students have been practicing for
months. The musical concerts at
Grover are really impressive, and this
year’s winter concerts were no exception.
This year some featured performances
were “Quintus” from the 6th grade Orchestra, popular among students because it is “jumpy” and the 6th grade
band’s hit song “Jingle Bells
Upside Down,” a holiday tune
with a unique arrangement of
Jingle Bells. The 7th grade band
played another seasonal song
called “Sleigh Bells Jing-a-ling.”
The 6th grade chorus hit song
was “Jabberwocky;” the students love it because it uses
random awesome words to
describe a crazy monster. It is
based on a poem by Louis Carroll (the author of Alice in Wonderland). The 8th grade band did
a medley of songs from
"Mamma Mia,” which is still a
very popular Broadway show featuring
the songs of ABBA. The 7th grade Orchestra performed “Concerto in G major,” which has a fast rhythm. Last of
all the 7th and 8th grade concert choir
was extremely excited to sing their hit
song, “Double Trouble” from Harry Potter—minor and creepy! It probably will
get the audience very interested since
the 7th Harry Potter Movie recently
came out. Hope you got a chance to
enjoy the shows!
Grover Day Plays Halftime Show
On the crisp Saturday morning of
October 2, over 35 members of the 8th
grade Wind Ensemble and other Grover
students interested in joining the color
guard, gathered at High School South to
get their first taste of the Pirate Marching Band, an elite ensemble of talented
musicians from 9th-12th grade. The day
was anything but boring, as students
practiced and performed many exciting
songs, and joined the Pirate Marching
Band on the field during their half-time
performance at the first football game
of the season.
“I feel that it is a
great way for the
Grover students to
get a taste of what
marching band is
about without having
to decide right away.
They can have the
experience, talk to
their parents about it,
and make their decision.” Mr. Fultz the
8th grade band instructor states. “One
day it may help them
get into college!”
Mr. Collins, the
director of the Pirate
Marching Band, began the day by leading the Grover band into a large auditorium to practice several fun tunes with
some dedicated members of the band.
The music was quite challenging and
printed very small in order to fit into the
music holder used by a marchers called
a “lyre.” With Mr. Collins’ amazing conducting and help from some Pirates, the
8th grade students quickly mastered
these pieces to a surprisingly smooth
and balanced level. Later, the band
went outside to practice playing standing up, something that was quite novel to
Anesha Nadella
Hannah Widmayer & Bill Huang
concert band students.
At the same time, the students interested in color guard were taught some
simple moves to go along with the songs
the band was learning. The band and
color guard prepared a routine to
“What I Like About You.”
The highlight of the day was when
the Grover students were invited to
perform in front of a crowd of frenzied
fans. Even though we were only introduced to this music that morning, the
helpful Pirates and excellent conducting
on the part of Mr. Collins
kept us going to finish with a
grand spectacle. Performing
in front of all those cheering
fans was an exhilarating
experience for trumpet
player Bill Huang. “I had an
amazing time.” Hannah
Widmayer tried out the
color guard and said after
her experience, “I might
even consider joining the
Marching Band next year.”
Though the Pirates lost that
game, Grover Day is one of
those delightful days that
will be etched in minds for
eternity.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 11
A Tradition Brought Back
In 2005, Grover started a choir made
up of parents and teachers of TGMS. However, the
Grovertones have not performed in the five years
since, until now: 2010.
There are no auditions to join Grovertones, and it is available to all parents and teachers of Grover. There were approximately 50 performers this year, which is an impressively high
number.
“It’s a fun way to get to know other
staff members that I don’t get to work with very
often.” said Mrs. Fiess, a member of Grovertones.
“It’s also fun to see the parents of some of my
students.”
Dad Adam Cohen had a very similar
point of view. A “fun chance to meet other parents
in a relaxed atmosphere” is how he described it.
“I mean, what could be more relaxed than a bunch of
parents singing doo-wop?!?”
es
n
o
t
r
e
Grov
Mrs. Haemmerle and Ms. Johnston—the
choir teachers at GMS—taught the Grovertones
participants at practice which is once every two
weeks. Meetings were held at the GMS concert chorus
room, D-133. Parents, who meet every other Tuesday, gather at 7:15 to 8 in the evening, and teachers,
Spooky Spoof
Grover Middle School is happy to announce auditions for their annual theatrical
production, This year the play is a mystery
farce called Murder at Coppersmith Inn. Mandy, Elinor,
and Sara are three very
stage-struck high school
juniors who will do almost
anything to get themselves
cast in a play. Answering an
audition notice for “Three
college-age actresses for a
murder-mystery weekend at Coppersmith
Inn,” the girls meet Alex, the Director of the
Coppersmith Players, who casts them in the
production. What happens next can only be
described as a hilarious theatrical travesty:
The performance was very interesting; it
was like no other concert I have ever experienced. At one point, he invited students to come
up on the stage to play and sing with him; he
created a piece of music just from the sounds
who also meet every other Tuesday, assemble at
either 7 to 7:30 in the morning or 3 to 3:30 in
the afternoon.
Grovertones, just like Grover’s choir,
performed at the Winter Concert, which was on
Thursday, December 16th 2010 at 7:30 PM.
They sang both by themselves (A jazz arrangement of “Carol of the Bells”) and accompanied by
the 7th and 8th grade choir. (“Seasons of Love”
from the Musical Rent.)
Many people think of Grover as a
place for children to learn, but it’s more than that.
It’s a place for us to get to know the world, and
now it’s also for parents. Now, parents can gather and spend some time with each other, just like
we have the opportunity to do every single day.
What a great tradition to finally bring back.
Jagazine Staff
cues are missed, lines are delivered at the
wrong times to the wrong characters; sound
effects cover up the actors’ dialogue; it rains at
the wrong time on the wrong
people; and as everything else is
going wrong, the wrong person is
murdered!
Audition sign-ups will
take place in the theater on Monday, December 20th and Tuesday, December 21st before first
period, from 7:15-7:40. Auditions will happen following winter break on
Monday, January 3, Wednesday, January 5,
and possible call-backs on Thursday, January
6. The final cast list will be posted on the
“School Play” webpage under GMS Depts. on
Le Roux Le Rox the House!
On November 18, Francois Le Roux performed on Grover's very own stage. He is a
performer and cellist from South Africa. Le Roux
takes sounds of nature and spontaneously
creates music from his mind. Almost all of his
performances are improvised. During the performance, Le Roux has an electronic system
backing him up, while he improvises on his cello.
He shows videos of scenery above him. Through
this, he recreates the sounds he has heard
through his journeys around the world, with his
voice and this keyboard.
Ilene E
generated by Grover students! When a parent
asked him how he could improvise, Le Roux
decided to show the process instead of trying to
explain it. He asked for a feeling, and the audience shouted out,
“Sad.” Then he
asked for three
instruments, which
he inputted into his
keyboard by selecting certain buttons.
All of a sudden he
sat down, pressed
play and joined his
back-up creation with
the cello. It was
phenomenal.
the school website. Play involvement is limited
to students in 7th and 8th grade who are not
participating in Winter Sports.
Stage crew is also starting up! The Stage
Crew Interest Meeting will be on Tuesday January 11, 3-3:30 in the Performing Arts Room.
The directors are looking for 7th and 8th graders
who are good painters, builders, sewers, makeup artists, and technical people to help make this
production work. The directors are also looking
for parent volunteers to coordinate props, costumes, apply make-up, sell tickets and photos,
construct sets, and organize the cast party.
Everyone at Grover should come to see this
hilarious play March 4 & 5 at 7:30PM. Your
ticket is your alibi; watch out or you might be
accused of Murder at Coppersmith Inn!
Hannah Widmayer
There were some odd moments; he liked to
make bird sounds by whistling. Overall the show was
intriguing and interactive. In the end, he played
songs and danced around the theater; little by little
students and adults joined him, and
were parading around.
Le Roux met Mr. Peterson, an orchestra director at our
school, when Mr. Peterson attended one of his concerts at Princeton
University. When Le Roux is not on
tour he is traveling the world to see
beautiful things and meet amazing
people, which are his inspiration in
his music. I am glad I attended, and
recommend you to see the show
the next time he visits.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 12
Table Tennis—A True Sport
What takes the hand-eye coordination of
tennis, the stamina of swimming, the speed of lacrosse,
and the strength and agility of soccer? No, it is not the
triathlon – nor is it the decathlon. It is ping pong! You
might think it is just a game you play in your basement,
but true athletes know it as table tennis.
Most people today still recognize table tennis
as just a recreational game. For most people, table
tennis should not fall in the category of “sport;” it’s a
game such like chess or poker. Table tennis began as
just that – a game you play after dinner. In the 1800’s,
some British families began playing a very basic form
of the game called “wiff waff” after the sound the ball
makes when it hits the paddle. They used books as nets
and paddles, golf balls as balls and the actual dinner
table as the table (I’m not making any of this up!). Yet
200 years later, this after dinner entertainment managed to turn into an Olympic sport – how did that
happen?
Throughout the years, table tennis gained
much popularity due to its exciting and entertaining
game play. In1901, a British manufacturer, Jacques &
Son Ltd. trademarked the term “ping pong” for the
sound of the ball when it hits the paddle. This company
started creating the first specialized tables (just for
table tennis and not for eating) and new rackets. The
manufacturer later sold its trademark to various
companies in
other countries in
Europe, China and
Korea. In the U.S.,
Jacques & Son
sold the trademark to Parker
Brothers. At first,
it failed dramatically. Then, at the
start of the
1920’s, many
Americans now
had basements to
store these
tables and the
popularity of
table tennis in America soared. Soon, many new innovations for table tennis came and changed the game
play dramatically. A light celluloid ball replaced the
hard golf balls and actual wooden paddles with a sheet
of rubber glued on both sides sped up the game. Many
books were written on the subject, an International
Table Tennis Federation was created and the first
official world tournament was hosted in 1927 in London.
Table Tennis was becoming a real sport.
When I was first introduced to table tennis I
did not believe that it was a sport. Table tennis required little action and less strategy. But I was wrong.
Brian Qiu
As I found out, table tennis can be a lot more challenging
then it seems. My father brought me to watch a professional table tennis match. The tournament was located in
a gym, hosting more than 40 tables. Each table was
placed in its fence of barriers, to prevent balls from
flying out of the court. It looked just like an excel spreadsheet. My father led me to a sit near a very high leveled
match to watch. It was like watching tennis on television,
except with fewer people, and faster on a table. Both
players showed serious expressions and were sweating a
lot. Each player moved with grace and strength. Every
time the player would serve or begin the play, their
motion was smooth and precise, controlling the ball’s
exact spot on the table, just above the net. The opponent
would push or slice the ball with great force sending the
ball straight into the backhand corner of the table. Players rapidly turned around, pushing with great muster and
speed. Rallies were smashed back and forward with
explosive sounds. Left and right. Right and left. Right
down the middle, past my eye. Suddenly, ball scrapes the
net, barely touching the edge of the table, baffling the
server and – point done. The ball fell to the ground and
rolled across the floor spinning in circles. The entire
point barely elapsed five seconds. The footwork was fast.
Reaction was a major key and I was astounded. How
could players take table tennis so seriously? The answer? Because table tennis is not a game you play in
your basement anymore. It is a sport.
To help prove this
further, I talked to a
Grover student who
is currently a world
class athlete and
tournament championships in table
tennis – Michelle
Luo. Michelle recently won the 2010
AAU Junior Olympic
Games in table
tennis for Girls
Under 14. “Table
tennis requires
good footwork and
precise hand and eye coordination.” says Michelle. Which
is often true. Many times, the speed of the ball may
exceed 60 miles per hour. That is faster than most
sports already. To keep up with the speed, devoted practice is necessary to keep up with the ball. Michelle practices 1 to 2 hours each day, and more on weekends.
Some people may still call table tennis a game. But
table tennis is not that. Table tennis requires much
physical activity, strength, quickness and coordination. It
is an Olympic sport, played by many professional athletes. Finally, table tennis takes skill and practice. As
some people might say, ping pong is a game you play in
your basement. Table tennis is a true sport.
Athlete Profile
Michelle Luo
Age: 13
Years playing: 2 ½
Rating: 1933 rank points
Club: NJTTC
2010 US Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic
Games – Table Tennis
Gold: Under-14 Girls Champion
Silver: Girls Under-18 Team
Copper (4th): Girls Under-18 Doubles (with
partner Janice Ho)
Michelle is Grover’s own example of a world
class athlete. Her ranking indicates points
earned at matches she competed in and puts
her ranking 86 in US women’s rankings, even
with adult athletes ranking in the top 150
players in the world. Michelle’s teammates,
Lydia Hwang, Jodie Kim, and Janice Ho (all high
school seniors) selected Michelle to be the
captain of the team because she has the highest table tennis rating on the team. Despite
her talents, Michelle felt surprised winning
because it was her first time competing at that
event, and said afterward that she hopes to
continue playing table tennis and perhaps to
eventually win a college scholarship. Concerning her sport, Luo says, “I would only recommend table tennis to people who actually consider it a sport. It’s a lot of work.”
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 13
Fall Sports Wrap-up
Soccer
Jagazine Staff
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Mr. Wendel coached the boys soccer team
for the fall 2010 season. This Boys Varsity Soccer team was the first combined
grade 7 & 8 soccer team in GMS history!
Coach Wendel reported, “The team started slowly and developed into a stronger
team over the course of the season.” The
team averaged 1.69 goals per game and
allowed only 1.08. That means the defense was really strong! The team finished with a 5-6-2 record. Grover would
like to recognize the 2010 season award
winners: Coach’s Award - Jelan Samatar
and Dallin Nielsen; Most Improved Adam Bachir and AJ Cordero and Best
Sportsmanship - Rodrigo Trevino and
Austin Meo .
Coach Agalias reported, “Despite an
uncharacteristically poor season the
Lady Jaguar Soccer Team exhibited an
intense desire for success and displayed
impeccable sportsmanship.” The
team’s record was 2-10-1, but
the team achieved growth in
goalie development and integration of 7th grade players into the
varsity team. Winning the
Coach’s award was Natalie
Cardulla. Most Improved Players Olivia Jaime-Cavanagh and
Mei Li Cully were honored in
addition to Sportsmanship
Awardees Melissa Balzano and
Amanda Brown. A few of our
Cross Country
Andrew Chen & Jagazine Staff
The Grover Cross Country team ended its season with a 6-1
record, with notable wins including two over Community
Middle School, its longtime rival. The only loss, to Pond
Road was a very close meet.The team this year was very
large with 84 runners total. We would like to thank Coach
Maloney and Coach Airey in helping us improve our times.
Special congratulations to our very own “Jaguars”, 6th graders Alexandra Hesterberg and Haley Rich, 7th graders Nikhil
Pulimood, Nicholas Maher, and Christina Rancan and 8th
grader Harsh Yallapantula, showing amazing times that al-
lowed us to win many
meets. Congratulations
also go out to Zach
Crossey and Allie Cohen
for winning Sportsmanship awards. We wish
the 8th graders luck in
high school and hope the
6th and 7th graders will
come back next year!
Field Hockey
Field hockey is a great sport that combines speed, technique, and agility.
Field hockey requires intense running,
which leaves the players exhausted. But
yet, they keep at it and never give up.
That’s the right attitude for all the
games they play against Lawrence,
Fisher, Witherspoon, Kreps, Timberlane, Trenton, Community, or
Pond Road! If you’re looking for
the Jaguar Hockey Players, they’re
easy to spot. They have bright
gold and black jerseys, shorts and
knee socks. Put on your cleats and
you’re good to go! Grover’s team
was coached by Joyce Hermann.
Coach Hermann was optimistic
about the team’s outlook saying,
“Since the majority of team was
very talented 7th graders, the future outlook of this team is prom-
other outstanding performers were Gabriella Portilla, Jen Case, Kara Benerofe
and Natalie Porfido.
ising, a winning season almost guaranteed!” Keep an eye out for these talented
players next season: Sydney Gurock and
Tori Hannah (Coaches Award), Alexa
Gioseffi and Namankita Rana (Most Improved), and Erin Sheets and Sam Servis
(Sportsmanship).
Sonya Gande & Karen Wang
Sports History Sidebar
Field hockey is played in different versions in almost 70 countries. Historically, a game like
field hockey seems to have originated with the Egyptians 2500
years ago. It was adopted by
many other cultures and in some
changed significantly (for example, in Scotland it turned into
golf). The first women’s field
hockey club was made 1887.
Field hockey is also one of the
27 Olympic Games.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 14
Nora Peachin & Kiran Kumar
Just recently, the West Windsor Arts
Council has opened a new building, in the
old fire house on Alexander Road. The West
Windsor-Plainsboro Arts Center is a place for
people of all ages, with many different interests, to come and express themselves. The
classes included dancing, painting, jewelry
making, drawing, performance poetry, and
more! We interviewed some of the staff and
artists at the Arts Center, to find out their
response to the new location, new classes,
and new ideas.
First, we interviewed the Executive
Director of The West Windsor Arts Council,
Eduardo Garcia. He seemed pleased with the
changes that have occurred. Mr. Garcia explained that “While many people were supportive of the idea from the outset, especially our Mayor, artists, people who care deeply about the arts, and our neighbors, there
were those that felt that the money needed
to turn the old firehouse into an arts center
might be better used for other Township
purposes and services.” At first, not everyone believed in the idea of a new center for
the arts.
“In the final analysis however,
Township officials including the Mayor and
members of the Town Council recognized the
value of having a community arts center in
West Windsor and voted to spend township
money to convert the building from a firehouse into one. The Township was willing to
spend money to make the
building safe for public use and they spent
close to $800,000 to do that. The West
Windsor Arts Council, the organization that
the Township wanted to run the facility,
put up $300,000 to outfit it as an arts
center. West Windsor was very supportive
of the arts center.”
From what we’ve heard, we can
tell that the Township officials really value
the safety and well-being of their community.
“Mayor
Shing-Fu Hsueh,
when he first ran for
office, wanted to see
the firehouse converted into an arts
center. So, he called
an ad-hoc group of
West Windsor residents together and
asked them to study
the implications.
This core group was
led by Paul Cerna,
Heidi Kleinman, Carol Schepps and Brenda
Engel and they went on and formed the
West Windsor Arts Council that would have,
as part of its mission, to establish the West
Windsor Arts Center in the old Princeton
Junction Firehouse.” And they have succeeded in their goal.
“Meetings were being held with
Township officials, Town Council and the
Mayor to start the process of actually renovating the building. After 9 years, all of
those efforts by countless volunteers and
constant negotiations and discussions
with the Township and the architect
and the construction company, the
doors have finally opened and we have
the West Windsor Arts Center.”
We also interviewed Ina B.
Marx, a board member of the West
Windsor Arts Council, about what she
thought of this The building has become an exciting example of a vision
that has been in many peoples’ minds
of what a real Arts Center can be for
the present. Even more importantly for
the future of West Windsor and surrounding communities, teaching my
students it would create a tactile metaphor for the future of the firehouse as
a vibrant Arts Center” she says.
We, as a community, lucked
out to have such a caring Mayor and
Township, and such a determined Arts
Council. And the result? The new West
Windsor Center for Arts.
Plainsboro Library Health Center
Divyansh Devnani
Guess What? There is a new health fitness center in the Plainsboro Library! It’s
located in “the big tall glassy building” as the Pub Club Jags call it! Right now, you most likely
be thinking, “I don’t need to be doing fitness. I am healthy.” This article is for your family,
especially your grandparents and parents. It might be great experience.
Have you ever noticed that your grandparents can’t play the Wii at all? Well, here’s their
chance to prove to you they can play some good Wii Fit at the library’s fitness center (I am
really sorry to say you can’t play any game you want like ”Modern Warfare 2” or “Mario Kart”).
They can choose to play whichever fitness game they want.
The director got the idea of this health center. She got inspired from all the people who get
sick and aren’t able to get what they need. The machines in this center are Wii Fit (which helps
Balancing), Blood Pressure Check, Weight Check, Computer Research, Books about different
diseases, Health Brochures around the room, and TV for watching videos about health conditions/diseases. The librarians made this center because they wanted everyone to have their
privacy. For example, if someone was sick and their doctor told them they had a disease and
he asked them to go to the library and find out about the disease. This is a very good opportunity in my opinion. Tell your family to take advantage!
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 15
Mrs. Rooney Smoothes the Path to High School
Alisa Rubinstein
Mrs. Rooney is a counselor here at
Grover and at High School South, but
she is a special type of counselor. She
helps 8th graders with the transition into
high school! They meet in small groups
on Tuesdays and talk about high school,
middle school and life in general. I’ve
been lucky enough to participate in one
of these groups (by the way, it was
AWESOME!!! I really recommend it to
all future 8th graders) and I had a
chance to ask Mrs. Rooney some questions:
wanted to connect with students and
help them with problems.
cussions in a safe, confidential environment.
Why do you think having a transition
counselor like you is important?
What do you like to do in your free
time?
Because high school is a big transition
from Grover and I think it’s important
that students have a person to go to in
order to help them with that transition.
I want to be a familiar face next year
for any students struggling in high
school. My one piece of advice is to
always make positive choices.
I enjoy spending time with my husband
and son. I enjoy spending summers at
the beach and reading books, traveling
and spending time with my friends.
What made you want to become a
guidance counselor, specifically in
helping eighth graders transition?
On a scale of 1-10 how much fun do
you have in the groups (1 being the
least and 10 being the most)?
I’ve always wanted to work with students, so I became a teacher. I decided I
wanted to go into counseling so that I
could work with students on a more
personal level. I enjoyed teaching but I
Ten! I’m having a ton of fun with
groups. I love getting to know students
and having the opportunity to have
conversations about their lives. It’s
very enjoyable to be able to have dis-
Dr. Doehner: Is She Who She Seems?
In every school, there is at least
program may not be suited for them. You
one teacher who is feared above all
may be somewhere in the middle, above
others. Well, I'm sure you've all heard
average math, but just below the level of
of Dr. Doehner, the meanest, toughest
A&E, and that, if so, "Honors is a great,
teacher around... right? Or is she? We
great, place for you."
have had the opporThe PhD mainly wants
tunity of interviewher students to "focus on
ing the teacher
The meanest, toughest
why and how math
who's constantly bad
works." She also wants
teacher around... right?
-mouthed behind
them "to be able to
her back and we
COMMUNICATE that
have proof that the
to others." Basically, she wants her students
meanest teacher in the world is not as
to truly understand tough mathematical
she seems.
concepts. One
When asked about being known as
can memorize
'the meanest teacher in the world', she
definitions and
replied, "A teacher can only teach when (in terms of
he or she has control." Then she goes on math)
to say that her being 'mean' and 'tough'
"numberis her way of controlling the classroom.
crunch," but
to understand
Dr. Doehner admits that many
the meaning,
students worry about their grades. But,
the structure
as she continues, "Grades are NOT
of the definieverything." Dr. Doehner reminds all
tion - reasons
students to try their best and to worry
for why things
about whether they are learning or not.
happen, this is
"I DO NOT KICK ANYONE
true
OUT!!" Dr. Doehner confirms to a
few of her students. She informs us that knowledge. Unfortunately, this high level
knowledge is difficult to acquire.
she may give recommendations to her
This is why...”there may be tears in
students' parents if she thinks that this
Nalanda Sharadjaya & Audrey Tran
this classroom." Every legend has its
unforgettable quotes that permanently
burn an impression in peoples' minds.
When asked to elaborate, Dr. Doehner
continues that "The tears usually come
when they realize the course is too much
for them." Dr. Doehner assures us that
she will talk to any student in distress
privately and find out what is wrong. She
says that most of the time that it's the
difficulty, though sometimes it can be
other problems. The student might be
having problems at home or at
school. Whatever it is, Dr.
Doehner wants to try her best to
help prevent it and make her
students feel better. Dr.
Doehner adds with a smile, "I
always have a box of tissues at
the ready."
The meanest, toughest teacher
around... right? WRONG. Dr.
Doehner, though strict, is one of
the most productive teachers in
the entire school. Personally,
people should stop stereotyping
her and simply get the facts.
Reserve your judgment until you
know who she really is. All Dr. Doehner
wants is to teach her students and guide
them through their mathematical journey.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 16
The Terrifying but Amazing Middle School Era
Middle School. Those are the two
words that incoming sixth graders think
about during summer break. Waiting for
that mail man to deliver that letter. When
we think about this terrifying but amazing thing, a few things in particular come
in mind.
First, there’s the HUGE school. I
mean, how are you supposed to find your
classroom, with that scary map in your
hands? All the little rectangles with room
numbers on them are just a blur.
TIP:
TIP: Try to find someone you know
that’s in seventh or eighth grade that can
show you your classroom before you end
up in some kind of rainbow. That way,
you won’t get totally lost on the first day
of school. Sadly, we both experienced it.
I mean, we couldn’t even find the gym!
Next there’s the idea of CHANGING CLASSES. Wow, and we’re so
used to walking in single file lines, going
to each class with the teacher. But now,
there’s no one to supervise you and
watch every movement you make. Plus,
you only have three minutes to get to
your classes. It’s even worse if your
current class is upstairs and your next
class is downstairs. Especially if your
next class is in the eighth or seventh
Jessica Chen & Connie Jiang
grade wing, and they go, “HI SIXTH
what? It is pretty cool after you can actuGRADERS!” It gets annoying and
ally open them, without getting a teachcreepy, and makes you feel really small.
er’s help. And, after listening to all those
books and movies talking about how they
TIP:
TIP: Just say, “HI EIGHTH GRADopened their locker and got their stuff.
ERS” or “HI SEVENTH GRADERS!”
Also it’s awesome decorating and putting
right back with them, with a nice big
shelves in, and actually having a place to
smile on your face.
store your stuff where no one can invade
The teachers in middle school are
your property.
actually pretty nice. They’re not the
TIP:
mean, terrifying teachers that you read
TIP: Do the combination to open
about in books, or watch in movies. Eveyour locker every time. The people who
ry teacher is always on your side, and let
try to look cool by opening their lockers
YOU make the
with a well-placed kick are
final decision.
the ones who bend the latch
For example
so much that they have to get
Jessica has a
the guidance counselor or
teacher who is
custodian to open it for them.
nice and caring
In addition to that embarrassand a really good
ment, sometimes the latch no
teacher. And
longer locks and anyone can
Connie has a
open your locker.
teacher, who
Okay, so maybe “wimpy kid” has it worse... So basically, middle school
makes school
isn’t the best thing, but it’s
really fun to learn in. Even if your teachnot the end of the world. Middle school
er who’s not as nice as you expect them
can be fun, and it can be boring. It can be
to be, they’re only showing how you can
easy, but it can be very frustrating. In
do better next time.
conclusion, middle school is in the midThen finally. Lockers. We’ve probdle!
ably been thinking about how cool it
would be to have one. And you know
TEAM 8M—Making a Difference
There are two exciting December Team
8M activities in the works. Team 8M's
four 8th period classes are having a friendly fund raiser competition. To fund raise
for the Spot the Jag holiday fund raiser,
which will benefit families in our commu-
nity this season, Team 8Ms 8th period
classes are collecting change that will be
combined into a team contribution for the
fund raiser. The 8th period class that
collects the most money will be the first
to be called to the tables to eat at our
December 23 International Food Festi-
Things that go Bump in the Night
Last month, Madame Chiocca’s
7th grade French students presented a play based on the
book, Il y a un Alligator Sous
Mon Lit. The story centers
around a little boy who believes
that there is an alligator hiding
under his bed, and when his parents refuse to take him seriously, the boy has to solve the problem by himself. The play ends
with the boy locking the alligator
in the garage, and the audience,
7th grade Spanish, German and
Chinese students, reflected on
whether the alligator was just a
figment of the little boy’s imagination, and also offered their
opinions about what would happen to the alligator, if indeed,
there was one. Madame Chiocca’s students later wrote their
own original stories.
val. For the Food Festival students on our
team will be making and bringing in a
food dish that represents their cultural
heritage. There is always an incredible
variety of delicious food and any left overs
are brought to the Trenton Area Soup
Kitchen.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 17
Dr. Sax Has Got Teens Pegged
“I can’t believe it! My mom is making me give her my cell phone at 9pm!”
complained one Grover student. This
parental ac on was just one effect of Dr.
Leonard Sax’s provoca ve message at
High School South’s on November 17.
Dr. Sax is an expert of gender and what
teens face in real life. Gradua ng from
MIT, and earning a Ph.D. in psychology
and then an M.D from the University of
Pennsylvania, he is also the author of
the books, Why Gender Ma ers, Girls
on the Edge, and Boys Adri . Dr. Sax
works with schools all over the world,
teaching adults how to deal with what
their children are experiencing and how
to prevent some things from happening.
As Dr. Sax states, the problem with
boys are that they are under-mo vated.
They spend so much me playing video or
computer games, they prac cally live in
the fantasy world they play in. He writes
that video games provide a boy with a
virtual world that they can retreat to if
the world they live in has problems they
can’t handle. Instead of trying to find soluons to their problems, or be er yet, asking an adult for helpful sugges ons, a boy
would stare at a screen for hours, controller in hand, and shut everything else out.
Girls generally have a similar problem;
except with them, it’s not games that parents should be concerned about, it’s their
social life. As boys prac cally live in a fantasy world, girls just about live in a cyberbubble; constantly surrounded by a group
of friends, even if they are not physically
with them. Dr. Sax tells adults that girls
today do not know who they are. He says
Internet Safety
When people talk about Internet
safety, most students zone out and think,
“How can this hurt me? Nothing bad can
happen to me. I wonder what’s for lunch
today.” However, the Internet has problems
that you cannot ignore. Follow these tips to
stay safe while surfing the web.
1. Don’t post important information online.
People online can be trying to
obtain personal info so they can use it
against you. So, when you are online, don’t
give out your full name, phone number,
address, or date of birth to people you don’t
know. These criteria also apply giving info
about friends and family.
2. People aren’t always who they
seem.
There is a wonderful person
online. He has the same interests as you, is
the same age, and agrees with you on everything. WARNING. This “kid” might be too
good to be true. He can be an adult trying to
harm you. If he starts to act suspicious in
any way (i.e., requesting personal info), it’s
a good idea to avoid him.
3. Cyberbullying.
Online bullying is a very important issue. You shouldn’t post unflattering
pictures, videos, or hurtful comments about
friends or family online. Not only is this cruel,
it can land you in serious trouble and is
considered bullying. If someone is bullying
you on the net, ignore and/or block them. If
it gets serious, complain to an adult.
Michelle Luo
they have no me to be themselves because of their endless tex ng and instant
messaging. He says, "Our popular culture
is toxic …Girls need find the authen c
sense of self which is more than just GPA,
athle c performance and appearance.”
At the same me, Dr. Sax encouraged parents about what is “normal.”
One mom noted, “Dr. Sax put me at
ease of many concerns I had over my
son, like his obsession with ac on stuff.”
Another parent took hope in what is
possible: “Parents and Teachers of this
age should know, why the sex differences ma ers a lot more now rather in
the past era, and they need to first understand current social challenges faced
by their Boys and Girls. Dr. Sax emphasizes that through community of parents,
Boys and Girls of this age could easily be
guided, so yes, there is hope!”
Special thanks to our school’s PTA,
who helped make it possible for Dr. Sax
to come to WW-P and speak with the
parents of this school district.
Dhruva J. Byrapatna
4. Malicious websites.
If you’ve ever done a search on
Google, Bing, or Yahoo, you know that A
TON of websites pop up. However, they
aren’t all are trustworthy. Certain websites
contain bad programs called viruses that
can crash your computer, or worse. The
websites with viruses are often the lesser
known URLs. It’s also not a good idea to
open suspicious emails from people you
don’t know.
5. What you CAN do.
Just because the web contains
awful programs and people doesn’t mean
that you should stay away from it entirely.
You can give out some info online, such
as your first name, hobbies and things you
like to do. Good natured teasing or ribbing
with your friends online is OK, and it is
perfectly safe to go onto fairly well-known
websites.
The net can be dangerous if you
don’t know how to handle it. However, if
you keep these tips in mind, it is easy to
have fun and avoid viruses, scammers,
cyberbullies, and online salespeople. And
remember, Internet safety is not just about
spam.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 18
Dead Zones
Dead Zones are places in the ocean with
almost no oxygen. Because there is very
little oxygen, obviously, nothing can survive. As of a 2008 survey, Dead Zones in
the world numbered 405 and counting.
Some are as small as 0.4 square miles, but
some are as big as 27,000 square miles.
Dead Zones are caused by an increase in
Nitrogen or Phosphorus
in a certain area of the
ocean. This process is
called eutrophication.
These chemicals then
cause an increase in the
density of plant like creatures called Phytoplankton. This makes them
undergo a process called
cellular respiration, which
takes the oxygen out of
the water around them.
Some places in the world
are not dead zones, but
they have little oxygen,
so they are called OMZ’s
(oxygen minimum
zones).
A major Dead Zone is
near the northern Gulf of
Mexico. Back in June,
scientists reported that
they believed that the BP
Gulf Oil Spill was contrib-
Salil Desai & Jagazine Staff
uting to dead zones near the spill site.
However, federal agencies reported in
September that they believe that the oil
spill hasn’t caused dead zones. There is
decreased oxygen in areas surrounding the
spill site as oil-eating bacteria consume
dissolved oxygen in the water. But “None
of the dissolved oxygen readings have
approached the levels associated with a
dead zone,” said Steve Murawski, chief
scientist for fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As the
oil spreads out and breaks down, the
threat of a dead zone resulting from the oil
spill lessens.
Image courtesy of Nola.com
The Turkey Trot
Everyone knows about the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade but what
is less known is that Trinity Church,
in Princeton, along with many other
or-
ganizations around the country,
runs a race on Thanksgiving day
called The Turkey Trot. For the past
three years on Thanksgiving morning, people from around the Princeton area arrive at Trinity Church at
7:30 am, anticipating the race
start at 8:00 am. The first
year, only about 100 people
participated. That number
grew to around 250 people
last year. This number doubled for this year’s race,
with almost 500 people participating. Proceeds from the
race go to The Crisis Ministry
of Princeton and Trenton,
Allie Cohen
the Trenton After School Program
and Housing Initiatives of Princeton.
The course is a 5K (or 3.1 miles)
that finishes up in time to go home
and watch the Macy’s Parade!
Personally, getting up at
6:30 on Thanksgiving morning is not
a favorite for me, but the great feeling I get from running at such an
early hour is one that cannot be
matched. My family and I have been
running a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving for the past five years, both in
Illinois and here. This is my way to
make myself feel less like a turkey,
when I’m eating one later.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 19
Pen Pals
Have you ever wondered what it
might be like to be a teen in another
country? World language students at
Grover are ge ng a chance to find out!
Frau Wadelich and Madame Chiocca have
teamed up to create an interna onal pen
pal project with students from Germany
and France.
Seventh and eighth grade students
from Frau Waidelich's German classes at
Grover Middle School have been
matched up with 7th, 9th and 10th graders from the Peter-Peterson School in
Frankfurt on the Main River, Germany. Grover students received le ers at
the end of November, which were
wri en in English. Each Grover student
was then matched with a student of
similar interests and wrote them back in
German. Students discovered that their
lifestyles and interests were very similar
to each other’s. The German school has
students from grades 5 to 13, and they
begin learning English in fi h grade.
They are just as curious about us as we
were about them. Some of them have
expressed an interest in visi ng the United States just as some of the Grover students have even expressed an interest
in going to Germany!
Students in Madame Chiocca's 8th
grade classes are also having the wonderful experience to be able to communicate
with students from Tours, France. Students sent le ers to students in Tours
with facts about themselves, their interests, their likes and dislikes. Soon a er,
Frau Wadelich’s class and Gabriela Portilla
they received le ers with the same format
from the students in Tours. "It was amusing to read the le ers the French students
sent us. They made their sentences very
funny,” said Emily Beene. A er receiving
the le ers, Madame Chiocca assigned
people to their pen pal partners based on
interests and preferred gender. Students
seem to enjoy being able to communicate
with students from a different country.
Tours, France is the town in which
most of the French students live. Madame
Chiocca selected this town because it is
the site of the castle, Ie chateau d’Ussé,
that inspired the author Charles Perrault
to write the famous fairytale, “The Sleeping Beauty.” Madame Chiocca thought it
would be interes ng to have a pen pal
exchange with students that live in a town
near this beau ful and well known castle
because we will be reading several French
fairytales this year. This castle is located in
Loire Valley which is 35 kilometers from
Tours.
Olympic Legend: Apolo Ohno
Apolo Ohno. Everyone knows his name,
but who is this amazing American athlete? Born on May 22, 1982, this now 28year-old legend has been skating half his
life. His eight winter Olympics medals (four
bronze, two silver, and two gold) are only
a tiny portion of Apolo Ohno’s amazingness. World Cups and multiple championships are a piece of Apolo’s breathtaking
skating career. This short track speed
skater is a hero to many people. And now
he’s even written a book documenting his
incredible ongoing speed skating career:
Students are looking forward to
their responses. "I can't wait to see what
other mistakes they make this me!"
said Eliana Hughes. Overall, students are
learning the li le mistakes that occur
when learning a new language. "You
don't realize the mistakes you make
when you are wri ng in another language, but when you see other people
from other countries wri ng in your
language, you can easily point out their
mistakes," said Ka e Abels. Students
realize that the mistakes that they are
wri ng in French occur in the English
wri ng of the French students. In class
students are showing enthusiasm about
the project and are already looking forward to their next response. This project
allows students to use what they have
learned and test their conversa onal
abili es with French teenagers. This project really helps Grover French students
stretch and enhance their French
knowledge by pu ng their skills to the
test.
Both the German and the French
classes would like to thank the PTSA who
funded the mini-grant that made their
pen pal experience possible. The PTSA
has agreed to sponsor the project by
paying for postage on the interna onal
packages and also the purchase of postcards that show images of the United
States to send to the European students
in exchange for views of their local landmarks. Danke! Merci! Thanks!
Laura Wolfe
Zero Regrets: Be Greater Than Yesterday. In a
heartbreaking turn of events and “scheduling
errors,” Apolo Ohno could not arrive at one stop
on his book tour: West Windsor, NJ. But his book
gives clear insight into his amazing life and career. His theories in life are to keep going forward, push to the exact, specific, clear thing you
want to do. You have to give more than you think
is possible to everything you do. Zero regrets.
Apolo’s book is available at any Barnes
and Noble bookseller.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 20
The Annual Fall Book Fair!
Every year the PTSA sponsors a fall
book fair. Most of you probably
thought, “Time to buy some books!”
But most of you probably didn’t consider the big efforts the book fair moms
had to pull off to hold an awesome,
excellent book fair for us Jags. The
PTSA moms told me, “We decided
which books to sell based on how many
Anesha Nadella
copies were sold in the whole world.
We get our books from the Scholastic
Warehouse which is very close by.”
Wimpy Kid selling 48 copies. And the
biggest hit seller was The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan (68 copies!).
Science Fiction and Fantasy were the
most popular genres sold at the book
fair. One of the really popular books
sold at the fair was the 10th book in the
series of 39 Clues, (37 copies!).Series
sold well with the fifth Diary of a
But being a book fair mom isn’t all
work. One told me, “This is my 3rd
year in a row being a book fair mom. I
help because I enjoy being part of
TGMS.” Thanks to all our Jaguar
moms from your jag cubs!
Book Poll
Michael Mu
With the book fair fresh in their minds, 100 students and adults vote
on their favorite genres, whose results are displayed above. Each age, gender, and lifestyle can affect who enjoys what kind of book, and of course,
there are many different opinions on what someone
would want to pick out for a good read. About 1/3 enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy, a 2 to 1 ra o to the next three
highest genres, which no doubt shows a popular choice.
Many chose realis c fic on, which many teachers voted
upon.
Other students at Grover seemed to enjoy acon/thriller, mystery, and horror books. Some also chose
other, because they either enjoyed reading ALL kinds of
books, or just didn’t prefer reading at all. But why is it
that many teenagers prefer sci-fi over the other choices,
and that many adults enjoy certain other topics like
realis c fic on? It might be that more mature adults
aren’t interested in the fantasy of sci-fi books, while
teenagers enjoy the thrill of reading something that
doesn’t exist, being in a different world where there is
no school and homework to stress about and where all
concentra on is on the magic that exists in the futuris c
world. Sci-fi may just be fun to read. What really is important though is that the love of reading and learning
by all Jags at our school will never go away.
The Lightning Thief
Have you ever wanted to be a demigod? I
hope your answer is no, I have never
thought about this question before because most of the time “…it’s dangerous, it’s scary and it can get you killed in
nasty painful ways,” says Percy Jackson
from the book Percy Jackson and the
Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
In this book, sixth grader Percy
Jackson finds himself getting attacked
by his pre-algebra teacher, losing his
mom, finding out that his best friend is
half-goat, getting used to the fact that
he is part god and to top it all, Zeus’s
master bolt has been stolen and Percy is
the prime suspect.
Besides learning in this book
how to sword fight, and how to avoid
lava on rock-climbing walls, Percy learned
the value of friendship when the oracle
warned him of the betrayal of a friend
making him more cautious than ever to
make new friends.
I highly recommend this book, if
you haven’t read this book put it on your
Top Ten Books To Read list now! It’s exciting, heart stopping, hilarious and once
you start reading you won’t be able to
put it down.
Have you realized anything
unusual about yourself after reading this
article? Maybe you’re ADHD, you can’t
sit without moving for a long time? You
could be dyslexic; you can’t read without
the words floating of the page. If any of
this applies to you, if you feel a fizzing
inside yourself. I suggest you hide, or run
Jessie Fan
because it’s only a little while before they
sense it to. Don’t tell me I never warned
you.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 21
The Red Pyramid
Exciting, exhilarating, enhancing, and
amazing, Rick Riordan presents one of his most
recent books, The Red Pyramid. The story takes
place in London, Greece, Washington D.C. and
many other interesting, different places. Follow
Carter and Sadie around the world, saving their
father, protecting the lives of many innocent people, discovering their heritage, and finding who
they truly are.
The two separated siblings, Carter and
Sadie, have an incident bring them together.
Soon, they’re fates are intercepted by the Egyptian gods. They uncover the dark secrets, and the
truth about their family, and the myth of their
ancestry. Carter and Sadie soon make new
friends, some who may prove trustworthy, and
Angela Weng and Julia Hu
others who don’t. They’re brought before Iskandar, in the Hall of Ages. Would you like it if some
strangers told you, tomorrow you shall die or
live? Most likely, the answer wouldn’t be, ‘I’d
love it!’
Not that he needed it after the blockbuster success of his Percy Jackson series, Rick
Riordan’s publisher engaged in an epic marketing campaign that made his book a bestseller. At
Grover’s book fair, it was the top seller!
The Red Pyramid is now a remembered book by many young readers. This book
inspired people all over the world, to work hard,
and fight for what they believe in. Surely, The
Red Pyramid will become a world treasured
book, for the many generations to come.
39 Clues
The 39 Clues series is
very unique and special in many
ways. One of its most astounding
things is that it has a different author for each one of the books in the
series. For example: Book 1: Rick
Riordan, Book 2:Gordan Korman,
and Book 10: Margaret Peterson
Haddix. The 39 Clues series is
about two siblings named Dan and
Divyansh Devnani
Amy Cahill on a mission to become the most powerful family
on the Earth. This all begins
when their loving grandmother
who dies from cancer gives the
Cahill family an option to leave
with $1,000,000 and get the first
clue which you have to figure out
by reading the book. This competition is for the family. Their
Ranger’s Apprentice
In the first book to the Ranger’s Apprentice series, The Ruins of Gorlan, Will,
an orphan, will be tested in his courage,
skill, and loyalty. Will is picked to be a
Ranger- part of an elite group of people
skilled in the bow and unseen movement.
Will, though, isn’t sure if he really wants to
be a ranger. He is apprenticed to Halt, who
he soon finds out is legendary for saving
the entire kingdom. As Will starts his first
of four years being a Ranger’s Apprentice,
he finds himself warming up to the job of
Ranger. Once, he saves his fellow roommate, Horace, from a wild boar, starting to
begin to like the job. One day, though, he is
confronted with the Kalkara, two gorillalike figures covered with wild hair that
makes them virtually indestructible. He
must muster up all his courage and skill as
a ranger and defeat the two beasts, else
relatives are vicious and barbaric. The
relatives are divided into four branches:
Ekaterina, the invention family; Janus, the
artistic, creative family; Tomas, the strong
muscular family; and Lucian, the powerful
family. Amy and Dan don’t which one they
are in. Is there something they should
know? Are they going to win this completion? Or, will they be doomed to death by
their bizarre relatives? Find out!!!
Jason Zhang
condemn his home to destruction.
Will Will save the kingdom and finally
accept his role as Ranger? Or will he fail
and doom the kingdom to be conquered?
The book shows the difficulty in fully
taking up the responsibilities of a job one
does not fully want- the consequences will
be disastrous if one does not. There is a lot
of action and suspense in this book. The
detail is also very good—one could almost
picture everything happening in the book.
The characters are very fully developed
and have realistic qualities and faults.
Readers would be satisfied with the ending, as the story continues in the second
book, but Flanagan finds a way to end the
book in a place that would arouse interest
in the next book, but not so that the book
is a cliffhanger. This book is highly recommended for all people.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 22
Gamer Girl
Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi
is about a high schooler named Maddy
who likes drawing and manga. Her
parents just got divorced and she
moved to a new town and a new school
where she didn’t make a very good first
impression (unless coming to school in
a unicorn sweater, hand in hand with
you grandma is cool). On her birthday,
her dad gets her an online RPG (roleplayer game) called “Fields of Fantasy”
and in-game she creates a beautiful elf
princess as her character. While playing, she is rescued by a brave knight
named SirLeo and “Fields of Fantasy”
starts to become her getaway from life.
Even though she is tortured by school
bullies, Maddy makes friends with her
teacher, Mrs. Rielly, who helps her start
a successful manga club. She even
finds out that SirLeo lives in the same
Alisa Rubinstein
town as her. She enters a manga contest, but her drawings get ruined by
Billy, the school bully...Gee, I wonder
how it will turn out?
I had high hopes when I
picked up this book, but I was disappointed by the ending. Of course you’ll
figure out who SirLeo is when you get
to the middle of the book and it causes
frustration in the form of yelling “Come
one, Maddy! Don’t be so stupid! It so
obvious who SirLeo is! Put it together
already!” The plot is formulaic in the
“boy meets girl” kind of way. And it
ends like all good Disney movies with a
happily ever after kind of resolution. I
liked Mancusi’s writing style and
thought that the idea was pretty good,
but I wished for more creativity and
less predictability in the plot.
Hunger Games Series
Imagine if you were forced into
an arena for a fight to the death.
Katniss Everdeen lives in District
12, one of thirteen districts under
the rule of the Capitol government
in futuristic Panem, who throw
away lives like middle school students waste paper. Each year every
district must conduct a random
lottery to select children to sacrifice
to the Games, a televised death
match held annually to remind them
of their defeat in the long ago war
with the Capitol. This is not the lottery you would want to win. Katniss
is the heroine of the story, volunteering to take her sister’s place in
the annual Hunger Games.
The Games are quite violent,
but when it is a fight for survival
they have to be. The author shows
us the story through Katniss’s eyes,
making it thick with her complex
feelings. Every chapter will be full of
riveting action that will keep you on
the edge of your seat. At the end,
the author adds a surprising twist,
smoothly leading into the next book
in the series. Overall, I would recommend The Hunger Games to
people looking for a good science
fiction read.
Catching Fire is about the start
of a new rebellion. Katniss, and her
district counterpart Peeta, came
out of the Games alive but not unscathed. Katniss took inspiration
from the mockingjay, an artificial
hybrid bird and a symbol of the
spreading rebellion. In Catching
Fire, another Hunger Games, a special one, was announced; the Quarter Quell. Katniss returns to a completely different arena with totally
different people. This book, like the
last one, is often violent, but so suspenseful you can’t put the book
down. Katniss is caught up in a plot
in the arena and don’t know who to
trust or what will happen next.
What does happen next lands Katniss and Peeta in very different places.
Rachel Schaefer
In Mockingjay, the rebellion truly does catch on fire. An angry Katniss is upset to find out the plot in
the arena was staged for the rebellion. Katniss’s own district was
blown up and her friend Gale narrowly rescued her family. She found
herself in the deep underground
labyrinth of District 13 thought to
no longer exist. Right away, Mockingjay drew me into its intense story. Invited to be the face of the rebellion, Katniss has a hard decision
to make. Reminiscent of the Revolutionary War, Mockingjay pulls you
along with the rebellion and the
harsh struggles involved. It is fastpaced and written to make you
think. It gives just enough away and
withholds enough to make you keep
reading. As like the previous two,
the book is overflowing with emotions and thoughts, to the point
that sometimes it is annoying. The
supply of action makes up for it,
however. While the books are
lengthy and the slew of characters
sometimes hard to follow, the plots
are unique and intriguing. Anybody
that likes the Twilight Saga or the
Uglies series would enjoy this futuristic series on love, war, and peace.
And may the odds ever be in your
favor.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 23
Banned Books
Did you know there are books
that are banned by the government? It’s
true! Even more books are banned by
libraries, schools and communities, some
you might have even read! A banned book
is a book that is removed from the shelves
of a library, bookstore, or classroom because of political, religious, sexual, or social
grounds. You can still read them but often
libraries will keep them off the shelves and
out of the hands of young people. Miss
Radwanski, our school Media Specialist
explained, “Books are usually challenged to
protect readers, especially children, from
difficult or inappropriate ideas, information,
language, or content.”
Vishal Tummalapalli & Jagazine Staff
land and To Kill a Mockingbird. In fact, several other books read in our school have been
banned in other places at other times: books
like The Outsiders and The Diary of Anne
Frank. Each fall, the American Library Association sponsors Banned Books Week to
celebrate the first amendment. “Held during
the last week of September, Banned Books
Week highlights the benefits of free and open
access to information while drawing attention
to the harms of censorship by spotlighting
actual or attempted bannings of books
across the United States.”
media center houses books that are best
suited for its patrons, in Grover’s case,
students in sixth through eighth grades,”
Miss Radwanski explained. This means
that some books, like the Twilight series,
are kept out of the school library because
they are deemed inappropriate for 6th
graders—even though many 8th graders
read them. And just because a book is
not available in the school library doesn’t
mean you can’t read it. You can find
banned books at many public libraries,
bookstores, and online booksellers. You
can also read banned books at school,
Most often books are challenged
but often teachers won’t select those titles
by parents who feel that a particular title is
not appropriate for the age group. And me- to be read with a whole class. So the
Some of these books include
dia centers especially must consider whether next time you see someone reading a
banned book, just for fun tell them that
classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonder- books are suitable for everyone. “A school
they’re going to get in trouble. Ha!
Why was Sylvester Banned?
Catherine Lee
While progression in age effaces some of childhood’s blissful memories, many readers
will doubtlessly recall William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, a classic picture book published in 1970. The plot is simple: a donkey named Sylvester finds a magic pebble and has subsequent adventures. Nevertheless it may surprise some to know that this seemingly innocent story
raised controversy to the point of its being banned in various parts of United States seven years
a er its publica on (1977). The Illinois Police Associa on complained that the book portrayed
the animal police as pigs in one of its illustra ons and urged librarians to remove the picture
book from shelves; similar measures were taken in eleven other states and the book was described as “the Nightmare-fuelingest kid’s book ever.” Ironically, the same images that horrified
the police had been commemorated by the ALA in 1970, when Steig won his first Caldeco Medal. Today Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a celebrated work of children’s literature.
Dumble-dangerous?
Nisha Sukumar
Are you a Harry Po er fan? Well if you are, then hear this: Harry Po er is a banned book! Some
people say that the book is to dark and it sets a bad example also that the whole witchcra element
goes against the Bible. St. Joseph's School in Wakefield, Mass., has banned the series of J.K. Rowling’s
books from its library, saying themes of witchcra are inappropriate for a Catholic school. Others
disagree, saying that it is all fantasy. I think that Harry Po er books should not be banned because,
even though it might offend some families, I think it has a greater moral.
Terabithia is Evil?
Jagazine Staff
Another book that was banned is Bridge to Terabithia. This book won a Newbery Medal in 1978 and
has been popular among young readers since then. It's been banned for occult/Satanism, offensive
language, and violence—all of which seem kind of ridiculous to me. Even though I’ve read the book,
I have a hard me finding the devil in Terabithia. The author, Katherine Paterson has said, “There
are folks who believe that children’s books should teach lessons to children. I believe they should tell
a story about people as truthfully and powerfully as possible. When you tell a powerful story it nearly always seems to offend somebody.”
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 24
The Other Side of the Island
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to
But Honor is not normal. Her
live in a snow globe?
name is different. Her parents are different,
dangerous. They are Unpredictable, they are
In the years following the Flood,
Honor Greenspoon was having just that expe- the spark of the rebellion to come, to shatter the ceilings of the Colonies
rience. It had been a long time since all the
and take Earth Mother down.
pollution and global warming had destroyed
the planet and decimated ninety percent of
Earth’s population. The Flood left behind islands spread across the sea. For almost her
entire life, Honor has lived under a ceiling, living
beneath a color-changing Enclosed sky under
the control of the Corporation and Earth
Mother. She lives a shallow, sheltered life, her
existence insignificant, a single pawn in the
chess game known as the world.
Allegra Goodman’s young adult
novel, The Other Side of the Island, provides a
potential future for our planet, and the hardships and struggles future generations will
face, in a uniquely crafted story about a girl
who broke out of her ceiling.
All those who resist
the Enclosure vanish, never to be
seen again, their names forgotten. Honor realizes this, and
realized her parents would disappear, because they are Unpredictable. She tried to blend into
society to make up for her parents’ oddness. She did well in
school, allowing her early memories of the Northern Islands to
fade, believing everything was
Safe and Secure, even if that
was far from the truth.
Then tragedy struck. Slowly,
Rachel Schaefer
Honor began to learn the real truth of the
world, and reluctantly see through the lies fed
to her at school. Her old memories began to
resurface, and began to make sense. The
revolution was beginning, the
revolution to crack the Cooperation and shatter the
citizens’ cluelessness. The
revolution to expose the
truth about Earth Mother.
To help her dystopian society, Honor needs to live up to
her name and join the Forecaster to end Enclosure.
The Other Side of the Island
will be featured as the Futuristic Fiction Book Club
choice for December 17.
Come to B-118 during your
FLEX period to talk with other fans about the
book.
W h y B e l l a i s a B a d E x a m p l e fo r Te e n s
When you think about
Twilight most girls say
ether “Team Jacob” or
“Team Edward.” What
about Bella? People
never think about how
Twilight might be a bad
influence on teenage
girls who read the book.
For one thing, Bella
doesn’t really try for
herself. Whenever she
has a problem she cries
for Edward and he
comes running along
like a puppy dog. Every
night Edward sneaks into
Bella’s room and watches her
while she sleeps. Talk about
creepy. Although they just
talked, it’s still not good for
her to have a boy in her
room no matter how ‘’old
fashioned’’ Edward might be.
In New Moon Edward leaves
Bella, and she goes totally
mad. She refused to eat,
cried all day in her room like
someone died, and she tried
to kill herself. I think that’s
some extreme measure to go
just because someone left
Edwina Gulama
you. It’s not like people don’t break
up. When it happens you eat ice
cream, some chocolate or may be
cry a little but, you don’t try to kill
yourself. In Eclipse Bella’s archenemy is back to kill her, so Edward is
supposed to go out and fight Victoria and her army. Bella makes Edward stay by her just for the sake of
herself. Edward being the person
he is, stayed just because she asks
for him to. In Breaking Dawn, Bella
gets married and pregnant instead
of going to college. I really hope
most girls don’t look to Bella as
their role model.
Interesting Places You’ve Never Been
Anchala Rao and Kriti Jain
Ever been to see the biggest drive-through safari in the world? If not animals, how about exploring tombs in pyramids? What
about climbing to the top of volcanoes? If this sounds interesting then you will love our feature article on astounding places
you have never been.
 Guatemala has 252 listed wetlands, including 5 lakes, 61 lagoons, 100 rivers, and 4 swamps. Guatemala is mountainous
with small desert and sand dune patches, hilly valleys filled with people. There are several active volcanoes that tourists
can climb safely, and tall, steep Mayan pyramids to boot.
 Located in Agra, India, The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It is widely considered to be
one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and stands as a symbol of eternal love. It is one of the 7 Wonders of the
World. It is a really historic place to learn about intricate designs.
 The Galapagos Islands are located near Ecuador. It is a great place to go if you like wildlife, its most notable feature.
Some of the animals there can’t be found anywhere else. The Galapagos Islands are a great place to visit, if you love
amazing beauty of all kinds.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 25
Earth’s Twin
Aliens invading earth!! Well not
yet, but astronomers and space scientist
found an earth like planet 20 light years
away. This planet has a host which is a star
meaning there
is warmth on
this planet.
Scientists are so
excited that one
quotes, “I’m
getting goose
bumps.” Scientists say that
Gliese 581g can
potentially harbor life.
With this amazing scientific
discovery you may ask yourself, “So what?”
Well, the movie WALL-E shows how earth
got so polluted that no life can survive
there. Though it may be fiction, hundreds
of years from now, we may be happy to
know of another place in our solar system
where we might be able to settle down.
Nisha Sukumar
“The goal is to find life on a planet
like the earth around a star like the sun.
This is a step in that direction,” said study
leader Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland.
“Each time you go one
step forward you are
very happy.”
“It means there probably
are many more such
planets out there,” another scientist, Dr. Charbonneau said in an interview. It is unknown
whether Gliese 581g
harbors life, but it is considered to be the
just right distance from the sun for having
potential to have liquid water on its surface.
Gliese 581g has been nicknamed the Goldilocks planet: not too hot, not too cold, just
right. And that bodes well for us humans
who might just be looking for a nice vacation planet in a few centuries.
So does that mean there might be aliens in the future? Maybe, but why
don’t we hear it from an alien’s perspective. Alien’s Diary:
October 13, 13000
Dear diary,
This planet is warm but is
locked with the host, that means
this planet has an internal sunrise or eternal sunset. So this
planet can be a gloomy or Happy
place which depends on where
you live.
Mario: Nintendo’s Original Villain
Would you believe me if I said that
Mario, who is the worldwide symbol
for Nintendo and maybe even the
universal symbol for video games,
was once a villain in a few video
games?
Mario was introduced in
the game Donkey Kong in 1981 when
he made his debut as “Jumpman.” In
this game Mario mistreats his pet
ape so Donkey Kong comes along and
kidnaps Mario’s girlfriend so you
have to play as Mario and save his
girlfriend. It might be hard to notice that Mario was a bad guy in
this game but his next game he is
the definite antagonist.
Donkey Kong Junior is Mario’s next game where Mario captures Donkey Kong and puts him in a
cage. Donkey Kong Junior goes out
to save his father and he has to
fight Mario and win, while collecting keys to open the cage.
Mario Bros. is Mario’s
first video game where he is the
star. Mario and Luigi run around
the New York sewers destroying monsters. This game is
basically an arcade game
where you run around to
get a high score.
Mario kept on
going in newer games and
changing. He was part of
many different storylines and was included in games which
weren’t just run
around-fighting
games like Mario Kart,
Mario Party, etc.
Newer Mario
games include New
Vishal Tummalapalli
Super Mario Bros. which was the
first 2.5 D Mario game, which
means it has 3D graphics but you
can only move right and left. In
this game, Princess Peach is stolen
by Bowser and Mario goes to save
her.
Then New Super
Mario Bros. Wii came out
which is currently the highest-selling Mario game. It
features extra game levels
and power ups.
The next time
you see a Mario game
don’t just think of
playing, remember
Mario’s long history to
get there.
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 26
The Legend of Zelda
We all have asked the question,
“What is the greatest invention of all
time?” In 1994, we had our answer: no, it
was not democracy, it was not the internet, and NO it was not the birth of Lunch
Detention. It was a sword playing game
titled The Legend of Zelda. But this wasn’t a sword playing action game that
would spark a huge, million dollar
franchise. It was the sword
playing action game that
experts repeatedly praised and
it was the game that millions
more would fall in love
with during the course of
its existence.
So now, 16 years later,
when action games are the
norm and games with more
action and better graphics are
the hottest games on the market,
why have the Legend of Zelda
games kept their legions of fans
along with newfound ones?
Story
Without fail, in every
single Legend of Zelda game, the protagonist is a boy (or sometimes man) named
Link, and in most of the games, Link is a
poor boy with no money and no parents.
Suddenly, strange events start to take
place, such as an attack by an evil beast.
Link somehow obtains a sword and journeys to save a Princess (named Zelda)
from a horrible fate. He travels through
multiple dungeons until he confronts the
villainous character that is responsible for
all the havoc. After slaying this character,
peace is restored to the kingdom of
Hyrule and the game ends.
While this seems like a very straightforward story line, usually there is a twist
halfway through that changes Link’s original goal. For example, in The Legend of
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Link is told
to journey to the Ghost Ship, a mystical
ship that haunts the seas, and save Zelda.
However, after all the hard work Link
goes through to reach the Ghost Ship,
upon reaching it, he realizes that in order
to save Zelda, he must rather defeat an
ancient creature named Bellum, and that
the Ghost Ship was not his final obstacle.
This plot twist, which occurs in nearly
every Legend of Zelda game, makes you
complete a set of objectives, but just when
you think the game will end, it turns out
that all the work you did was worth little
Adeeb Kabir and Aashil Desai
compared to a new task that must be
completed. Plot twists like this make the
game interesting and keeps you hooked
until the very end.
Gameplay
Your sight in the game is thirdperson, meaning it is like seeing through a
camera behind Link. Link’s main weapon is a sword, which is used for most of
his attacks. To help him bypass puzzles and sticky situations, Link also
boasts a wide variety of tools from
bombs to a boomerang to a shovel.
But not everything Link gets is
used for combat. Some items are
used for quests that have nothing
to do with the central storyline, while some are to be
sold for money or traded
for usable items.
Style
For a game of its
genre, Zelda
is a fairly
light twist on a
dark concept: classic medieval adventure.
Usually games like this feature decapitation and gore, but in Zelda, enemies
scream a little bit, and then disappear in a
cloud of darkness, leaving an evil scent in
the air. This turns what would have been
an ugly scene littered with gore into a
lighthearted one instead. The styles of the
games are light with a big touch of realism. Ocarina of Time was a very melancholy tale, but it also has a lot of humor
with all the realism. The two darkest
games of the series would have to be either Majora’s Mask or Twilight Princess. Majora’s Mask was indeed dark, but
its humor was light and the intentions of
all of the protagonists were noble. Twilight Princess was darker because its humor was dark, more violent, had minimal
blood, and all of the characters were like
real souls and sometimes did not make
the right decisions or play “brave hero”
when thrust in the conflict.
Innovation
When the first Legend of Zelda game
was released in 1994, it had horrible
graphics and was merely a top down 2D
game. This 8-bit wonder with a little cute
soundtrack of bleeps and bloops of the
Zelda theme, was one of the first to innovate swordplay, adventure, and puzzles all
at the same time. Following a forgettable
sequel, The Adventure of Link, came the
series-changing Ocarina of
Time. Finally, the game had the 3D
graphics and a massive variety of tools
and weapons to collect. The swordplay
and combat of the game also took a new
direction with target and lock. You
would press your index finger to the side
button of the controller and presto, the
game was locked on one enemy for precision attack. Developments have continued as the game transferred to other
gaming platforms like the Wii and Nintendo DS. These modifications fall into
two general categories: handheld games
(Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks) which have an overall
“cartoon” look, and console games
which have more realistic graphics.
But the LoZ francise continues to
adapt and grow to fit the demands of
their customers. For example, the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure
received good reception because the
concept of controlling four Links at the
same time was new. Also when Nintendo released its plans for creating The
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, fans
were excited because this was the first
time in the history of the series that you
could actually play as Zelda, albeit her
being a side character.
The Legend of Zelda series has
always been a patron of innovation. In
games such as Modern Warfare and
Call of Duty, each time you receive a
new weapon, it acts like a better version
of your older one, thus making the game
one sided. However, in The Legend of
Zelda, no tool replaces another, meaning that you have to keep trying different combinations of tools to solve complex problems. What’s more, no tool has
only one use. Each has at least three
different uses, all of which you have to
discover yourself. This enhances the
difficulty of the game and adds another
dimension to the game.
The Legend of Zelda has an
interesting plot of a young man’s journey
to be the hero. The gameplay is innovative, and the style is amusing. But that
is not to say it is perfect; there is some
room for improvement. The game is
much too repetitious. Rather than Link
always saving Zelda, why not have Zelda
save Link for once? But that qualm is
only a candle in front of the inferno that
is The Legend of Zelda.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 27
GEEK PATROL:
3-D Cameras
Rishab Bhandari
The world is becoming more
drawn to 3-D than ever before: 3-D
home TV, 3-D theatrical experience,
now the first portable 3-D cameras.
Fuji Films has made one of the
first series. It is about $400 and
about the size of a credit card. But
what is special is that it has two
cameras. With two viewing slots,
this camera can catch the roundness
of the object with light to create the
image.
The Sixth Sense
A trip to Paris is a once in a
lifetime chance. But you forgot your camera! Now how are you going to prove to
everyone that you really went to the Eiffel
Tower? Just great. Suddenly you remember
the new invention that your mom bought
you, the SixthSense. You put the brightly
colored rings on four of your fingertips and
make a box shape with them. With a satisfying click, the SixthSense takes a high-def
picture of the Eiffel Tower.
So now you’ve got a picture
hanging in midair in front of you, suspended
by your fingers, you pinch your fingers
together and drag the photo onto the
screen of your laptop, and boom, you’ve got
a window with your precious picture on it.
And then the brightly colored rings on your
fingertips suddenly grow brighter. You
pinch them together and make an enlarging
movement with them. Immediately, the
Eiffel Tower on the screen grows bigger,
following the movement of your fingers.
Now, what should you do with the picture?
You take the picture and send it to your
best friend, just clicking the “email” button
on the top. Perfect.
This may seem impossible, but
it’s not. What you’ve just “experienced” is
Anna Shi and Julia Wu
The SixthSense. So maybe it doesn’t seem
very sophisticated because it’s really just
bright rings on your fingertips…but is that all?
Is there something else to it? Yes. There is.
The SixthSense has brought the digital world
into the physical one, something that’s never
been done ever before.
"You can turn any surface around
you into an interactive surface," says Pranav
Mistry, an MIT graduate student working on
the SixthSense project. "Let's say I'm in a
bookstore, and I'm holding a book. The
SixthSense will recognize that, and will go up
to Amazon. Then, it will display online reviews
of that book, and prices, right on the cover of
the book I'm holding."
If you draw a circle on your wrist,
the projector displays a clock on it, allowing
you to check the time. You hold up your left
hand, fingers pointing to the right. The system
recognizes that you want to make a call, and
projects a dialing pad onto your fingers. You
tap the virtual keypad with your right hand to
dial the call. You run into someone at a party.
The system will project his name and keywords about him onto his shirt, allowing you
to remember his name and start a conversation. Isn’t that awesome? The possibilities are
endless! The SixthSense isn’t in stores now,
Most humans (at least if you
have two eyes) have binocular vision system. The binocular vision
system relies on the fact that our
two eyes are spaced about two
inches apart. Therefore, each eye
sees the world from a slightly different perspective, and the binocular
vision system in your brain uses the
difference to calculate depth and
distance.
If you were in the position
when to buy a camera I would buy
a camera I would recommend buying a Fuji films 3-D. Have fun with
your shopping!
P.S. Look for the new Sony 3-D
camera is scheduled to come out in
the holiday season!
but the device costs less than $350 to
produce, but of course the price will depend on if it reaches the “mass production” point. So for all you people who want
to rush out and buy it, you’ll just have to
wait a bit, plus they are still developing
new, cool technologies in it!
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 28
QJ Pyraminx Review
It’s sleek smooth, fast, light – all the
qualities a speed-cuber needs. The
QJ Pyraminx surpasses all its
competitors in quality, speed,
and flexibility. The
Pyraminx, like the Rubik’s
Cube, is a twisty puzzle
which you can scramble and solve. Unlike the regular 6
sided Rubik’s
Cube, the
Pyaminx has 4
sides and is a
tetrahedron. Each
face was divided into
nine triangles, each which
can be rotated into a different
60 degree orientation. The goal
Brian Qiu
great price for any puzzle. When I first
took it, the puzzle was stiff and hard.
Although debate still rages
There also was a clicking mechanism
about its original inventor, the
Pyraminx is reportedly invented by installed which made the cube clicked
every turn and helped align layers.
Uwe Mefferet who later bought
However, after I fooled around with it
the UK copyright and mass
for a few minutes, I could feel that the
produces it up to today.
However, it is no match for cube turned much faster. This fresh
new puzzle needs time to bring it to its
the QJ Pyraminx. The
highest quality. With just a wisp of JigPyraminx I have was
purchased was from a-loo, a silicone based lubricant, the
a local competition. puzzle become insanely smooth and
fast. The QJ Pyraminx has never
It came in a white,
popped yet. The stickers are very
fragile and slim paper
bright, textured and long lasting. It is a
packaging with the logo QJ
really a fun twisty puzzle that has great
cut out from front and back of
the box, giving a small glimpse of turning speeds and well quality puzzle
for any speed-cuber.
the puzzle inside. At $ 7.00, it is a
of this puzzle? Solve all four sides.
Pen Spinning
You glance up from your
schoolwork and see some Asian kid
spinning a pen. You look around and
find that almost all of the nerdy kids are
spinning pens in a hypnotizing fashion.
The more skilled kids can usually continue the twirling action for a few
minutes, and
when taking
into account
the gravitational, centrifugal, and
frictional
forces acting
on that pen, it
is really quite
impressive.
You take a look at your pencil – nothing
interesting like those fancy counterweighted pens they have – and fruitlessly attempt to twirl it between your fingers, and it pops out and hits the teacher
in the face. Detention.
Like many new sports, penspinning is rapidly growing and gaining
many new competitors. The tools of the
game have evolved from a simple pencil
into expensive, carefully-calibrated
pens. Some of the better ones include
the RSVP MX model and the Ayatori
model. On the other side of the world,
enthusiastic Japanese people have been
spinning these pens since the 70's and it
has caught on quickly with the general
Bill Yan Huang
public. Collegiate students were especially addicted to this simple marvel, and for
some, pen spinning was no longer a hobby, but a 'profession.'
Starting out with regional gatherings of pen spinners, larger and more
organized competitions have arisen. Nowadays, international competitions of pen spinning have been
formed, like the
World Cup Pen
Spinning Competition, invented
by a pen twirling
ace in the UK.
Thousands of
contestants participate in these activities
each year, from an increasing pool of
countries around the world.
The twirling of the pen is also a
great way to show off dexterity, though at
the price of wasting precious time practicing tricks. One way or another, it is for
sure that, as fun and addicting as pen spinning is, you must first learn it, and that
requires a whole new level of tolerance
and perseverance of consecutive failures.
Tips on Starting Pen Spinning
If you feel inclined to start spinning pens, it would be wise to first warn
you that it takes a lot of arduous, tedious
practice of utter failure. Once past that
phase, though, one can easily get high on
spinning pens for extended periods of
time. Some key steps to mastering the
nimble technique of pen spinning include:


Get a pen/pencil.


Brace for failure.
Make sure that there aren't any
people who are dangerously close
to you and prone to a sharp pen/
pencil.
Try out some tricks – but don't
drop the pen/pencil too much, or
the teacher may get angry.
Basic tricks: Thumb-around
 Hold your pen/pencil about twothirds of the way towards the
'eraser' end with the pen/pencil in
between your thumb and your
index and middle fingers, keeping
your thumb facing your index finger.
 Push against the pen/pencil with
your middle finger, and keep your
thumb still.
 Let the pen/pencil spin a full circle
around your thumb and catch it in
between your thumb and your
index fingers.
There are many other simple
and complex tricks which you can find
online, but beware, they can be hard.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 29
All Hail the Pocket Protector
Our story begins in New York in
1952; a man by the name of Strassberg
was standing over his vinyl heating
press attempting to make a bank book
when he received a phone call, sticking
the half-finished bank book in his shirt
pocket. The result was a completely
accidental stroke of genius; a mistake
that would revolutionize the world,
rocking the foundations of all society,
ushering in an era of ultimate peace,
finally creating the utopia man has
strived for the moment he stepped out
of the petri dishes we called “Oceans”
over 4.5 billion years ago. Strassberg
had made… the pocket protector.
Yes, the pocket protector; something so simple yet so convenient for
the common engineer, scientist, pharmacist, or, well, any profession that
tends to use any kind of writing utensil.
The original purpose of the device was
to protect your clothing from being inkstained by leaky pens. Once a fad back
Joe Murphy
in 1973, this little pocket of plastic
has only recently began to make a
comeback, weaseling its way back
into the world of fashion.
Nowadays, a single pocket protector
can be priced anywhere between ten
cents to three-hundredfifteen dollars at retail
price. They are widely
become a collectable as
well. Dr. John Pojman,
PhD, is currently the
owner of the world’s
largest collection, counting to over
500, and growing. Dr. Pojman’s collection contains every single type of
pocket protector one can imagine;
from Alligator Skin to Ostrich Leather, from Little Debby to NASA. Yes,
back in the good old days, pocket
protectors were once quite the tool for
advertising your company.
It is unfortunate that today’s image of the pocket-protector-wearer is
that of a man with cokebottle glasses and a Casio Calendar watch, as I
personally would recommend one to anyone that
has a shirt pocket. My
point is that they’re convenient, and who would
choose having to walk
around with a bulky
pencil pouch when they
have a perfectly good
sleeve right below their
chin? The main reason pocket protectors aren’t popular are because of the
previously stated image; people are
afraid to look different or “nerdy”, so
they choose not to do anything to
stand out. Well, I say bollocks to that;
I would choose ease and comfort over
annoyance any day.
Paradoxes
A paradox is when a statement contradicts itself. Essentially, a paradox is a
flaw in logic that results in a statement
not making sense. Here are some common ones:
Safety Paradox
How come the safer someone feels, the
more reckless they become?
Sorites Paradox
One dollar doesn’t make you rich. Gaining another dollar still doesn’t make you
rich. Neither does another, and so on. If
so, no one is rich.
Aashil Desai
Liar’s Paradox
Boy – Girl Paradox
This sentence is a lie.
Bob has 2 kids. One is a boy. What is the
probability the other is a boy?
Birthday Paradox
What is the probability that 2 people in
this room share a birthday?
The answer, surprisingly, is 1/3 (not 1/2).
There are 4 possible outcomes for the genders of Bob’s children:
Obviously, in order for there to be a
Because one of the children is a boy, we
100% probability, there must be 367
can eliminate the Girl-Girl scenario. That
people in the room (including February
leaves a 1/3 chance that Bob has 2 boys.
29th as a birthday). Strangely enough,
in order to get a 99% chance,
Girl Girl
Boy
Boy
Older Child
there would only have to be 57
people in the room.
Girl Boy
Girl
Girl
Younger Child
KJ Chu
Flash. If I were to come up to you randomly and say that, you’d be confused.
Even I admit it. “Flash” is an unusual
name.
software is popular because its easy
interface makes creating animations
simple for even novices. And the resulting animation is small enough to stream
over the web or be downloaded quickly
even if you don’t have the fastest internet connection.
entire games (those that you see on
AfroNinja).
People even get famous for
Flash. Take Edward Gould for example.
He made Flash Animations and is now
Flash. Even if you don’t know
the 2nd most popular comedian in the
what it is, you’re all probably familiar
UK. His Flash Cartoon series Eddsworld
with it. Anyone who has played on AdIt is, in essence, the professional has totaled up to 100,000,000 hits on
dictingGames, Kongregate, Crazy Monway of making flipbooks on the comput- Newgrounds.
key Games, or ArmorGames is.
er. You draw “frames”, or images, and
So the next time you secretly
By Flash, I mean Macromedia
string several frames together to form a
play games on AlbinoBlackSheep while
Flash™, developed by Adobe Systems
moving animation. Once you finish the
pretending to type an essay, remember
Incorporated. It’s so popular, even
frames, you can enlighten your animathe people at Adobe Systems Inc. and
Grover has it. I’ve even started out playtion with color, music, and programbe sure to thank them for bringing you
ing around with it, making animation
ming. Flash is even capable of making
Macromedia Flash.
shorts and whatnot. This authoring
V O LU M E X I I , I S S U E 1
PAGE 30
“Speak Now”
Jessica Chen & Connie Jiang
… And now, presenting Miss Taylor
Swift and her new album, Speak Now!
The very first song, “Mine”, has been
very successful over the summer and
into the beginning of fall. This single
was already number one on iTunes the
day it first leaked out. Song and
music video reviews were very high,
both by professionals and students
right here at GMS! We surveyed 10
people in our Publishing club and
asked them if they liked the song
“Mine”. 8 out of 10 people said yes.
One of them stated “It makes me feel happy.” Another told us “It’s
very touching.” And someone else said that “It’s one of her best
songs yet.” She has definitely showed her new grown up personality through her albums and songs, like her old albums, Taylor Swift
and Fearless. Taylor Swift’s album came out on October 25, 2010.
Even though you may know the lyrics to some of her new
songs, there is always a story beneath the words and the rhythm.
Like in her new song, “Back to December,” it’s a song not written to
make fun of one of her exes, but to apologize to Taylor Lautner. Then
there’s the sweet and sour song “Innocent”, which describes the unforgettable night in which Kanye West went up onstage and interrupted Miss Swift while she was giving her thank-you speech for her VMA
award. Swift gets the last word to Camille Belle in “Better Than
Revenge,” which could be easily seen as a sequel to her song“Should’ve
Said No” on Taylor’s old album, Taylor Swift, because it too is about
an old desire for getting even.
Looking at her past, Taylor Swift has been the only female
artist for the past 10 years to sell 1 million albums in the first week.
She is also one of the very few artists who writes AND sings her own
songs, and is actually good at singing it in live performance. So here’s
a congratulations to Taylor Swift!
Trident Layers : Wild Strawberry +Tangy Citrus
The new Trident Layers, Strawberry and
Citrus, was somewhat of a
disappointment. This three
layered piece of gum
tasted familiar; something
like the 5 gum, Mixed
Berry, as it had the repul-
sive medicine flavor to it. The
first bite especially, leaves you
grimacing as the burst of the unappealing citrus flavored goo in the
middle of the gum spreads around
your mouth. As your teeth mash the
gum, and as your mouth gets use to the sour
Michelle Luo
flavor, the gum generates a mouthful of saliva that becomes warm; like microwaved ice cream. It becomes so
nauseating, it develops a taste that is impossible to swallow. It becomes intolerable and at this point, one would
make the smart choice to spit it out. As some gum would
have too little flavor that runs out too fast, this has the
exact opposite. It has so much flavor, it is sickening .
Holiday Traditions
All of us celebrate some
type of holiday whether its Christmas
or Diwali or Hanukkah. Even if we
don’t notice, we all have different
ways of celebrating each holiday. You
wouldn’t believe how many traditions
there are and how different each one
is. Different families have different
traditions.
In Christmas, you might meet up with
all of your relatives or you might just
spend Christmas at your house with
your family. Usually on Christmas a
family has a large feast, there are lots
of varieties of food such as, turkey,
cranberry sauce,
pies, etc. They
also attend
church. My
family is not
Christian but
we celebrate
Christmas as a time of giving and
coming together as a family. On
Christmas Eve all of my cousin’s and
close friends come for a sleepover at my
house then we have a large feast that includes chicken, gravy, cookies, and pie.
Then we put any gifts under the Christmas
tree. All of us stay up till 12 o’ clock and
cut a chocolate cake that say Merry
Christmas. This is a tradition that we have
been doing since nine years. That is how
my family celebrates Christmas, but
Christmas isn’t the only holiday with its
traditions.
Diwali falls on different days every
year, depending on the position of
the moon. Diwali is an Indian holiday that is often known as “the
festival of lights.” In India, Diwali
is celebrated by lots and lots of
fireworks and bursting firecrackers.
Usually, families meet together and
wear traditional Indian clothing like
salwar kurtas and saris. In my family, we
usually attend a Diwali party at a family
friend’s house. There, we have a lot of fun
by dancing, singing, and eating Indian
Ananya Kashyap
foods. One of the desserts we prepare is
called the gulab jamun, an Indian sweet. We
also have a puja (prayer) in our home with
our family. Everyone receives gifts and also
wear new clothing. Which reminds me of
another holiday when you receive gifts.
Hanukkah is filled with fun traditions such
as playing dreidel, and lighting the menorah. Some families go to a temple to light
the menorah. A menorah is a candle holder
and each day of Hanukkah one candle is lit.
Dreidel is a fun family bonding game and it
can be competitive sometimes. Latkes are
one of the delicious foods eaten on Hanukkah. Latkes are a Jewish potato pancakes
prepared on Hanukkah. Sometimes even
homemade applesauce is prepared. Hanukkah is usually celebrated as a family.
As you can see, each family’s holiday is
celebrated in a different way. There might
be silly traditions or serious ones but every
family’s tradition is special in its own way.
Thank you: Sanjana Davuluri, Beth Greenman, & Karen Wang.
J A G A ZI N E
PAGE 31
VOCALOID
“Vocaloid” is a mind-bendingly popular voice synthesizing program,
which was developed by Yamaha
in 2004. It is especially known for
personifying its voices as specific
‘singers,’ and is used to make
songs with vocals, which are provided by the synthesized voices.
These voices are often used in lieu
of actual voices, and the program
makes songwriting much easier for
amateur composers.
Now, let’s get to know the characters; Meiko and Kaito were the
most popular characters of the first
version of Vocaloid and Kaito is the
most popular character of Generation I.
Although
the Englishspeaking
Vocaloids
were released
Miku Hatsune, the
first, the
most popular VoJapanese
caloid in the fandom,
-speaking
was the first characones were
ter to have a personithe ones
fication
that
gained
more popularity in later years, and to this day
the Japanese vocaloids are usually
more popular than the English
ones. Miku Hatsune, released in
Vineeta Muthuraj & Anjali Jothi
Vocaloid 02, is the most popular Vocaloid character of all time. She has
“live” concerts using holograms, and her
music videos are all over the internet.
Even cars are decorated with her image
(in a practice called Itasha). Rin and Len
Kagamine were packaged together as
one set, and are considered to be twins
or mirror images of each other. Gakupo
Kamui was the first Vocaloid character to
use the voice of an actual singer, in this
case, Gackt. In addition, the voice of
Luka Megurine was the first adult female
voice of Vocaloid 02. Gumi is so far the
most realistic Vocaloid voice - in the right
hands, that is.
Vocaloid has
an immense
crowd of fans
spanning
multiple languages. The
most common languages
among fans
are Japanese, English
and Spanish.
Vocaloid
songs created by composers are
often released with accompanying videos known as Promotional Videos, or
PVs. These PVs originate on a site
called Nico Nico Douga, and then are
After that Cheese!
Centuries ago, on Cooper’s Hill,
Gloucestershire, and the old English ran down after a…wheel of
cheese. To this day, this still happens on Cooper’s Hill. However,
the tradition has spread. On the
Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler,
Canada, the great event is also
reenacted. It is called the Canadian Annual Cheese Rolling Festival. When this doppelganger
event first appeared in Whistler,
200 people participated and
5000 spectated. To this day, a
cheese rolling festival still
takes place on Cooper’s
Hill. How this event
works: an 11 pound
wheel of cheese is literally dropped down the side
of the mountain. The
competitors start off
down the side, running
republished to YouTube, where users
subtitle the PVs for the fandom at
large. Also, the personalities and
relationships of the Vocaloid characters are often determined by the fans
themselves. They are given signature
items, such as foods. Examples include Miku’s leeks, Rin’s oranges,
Len’s bananas, and Kaito’s ice
cream. The first Vocaloid characters
made by fans used parts of actual
Vocaloid voice banks. One example
is Haku Yowane, who uses parts of
Meiko’s and Miku’s voice banks.
UTAU is a free competitor for Vocaloid that retains the personification
of voice banks. It allows anyone to
make a voice bank. An example of an
UTAUloid is Teto Kasane, who started out as an April Fools’ joke, but
was given a voice by UTAU. The
influence of fans on Vocaloid and its
characters is apparent in the songs
and music videos scattered across
the internet, which are peppered with
alternate interpretations.
In conclusion, listening to Vocaloid
songs and watching music videos are
interesting methods of passing time
while bored. Try listening to some
songs on YouTube. All one has to do
is type the name of any Vocaloid
character in the search bar, and
songs that they sing come up-they
are that popular. But if you don’t like
the vocaloids, Miku will leek slap you!
Claire Paul and Sandra Shim
after the cheese. The terrain is
tough and uneven, forcing the
participants to wear protective
gear and helmets. The runners
trip and fall, one by one. The objective: get to the bottom first.
The winner gets the glory…and
the cheese.
“Spot” the Jag!”
How to Order Grover’s
2011 Yearbook
1. Go to www.smart-pay.com
2. Follow the “Locate your
school” Link.
3. Choose “NJ” and “Princeton
Junction” to find Grover.
4. Shop! A GMS yearbook is
$36.
Just purchase a gift card from any
local store and trade it in at the
Nurse’s office for a personalized spot on our
Jag. All gift cards will be
distributed to Grover
Sunshine Families during
the Holiday Season. Your
donation will be ‘Helping
Us Help Our Own’.
Mrs. Adair’s
Afterschool
Advice
Don’t Let Black Friday Darken Your Holiday
Rahul Arora & Jagazine Staff
Or you can call Smart Pay at
1-800-853-1337.
Orders will be accepted online
until January 14, 2011—no orders
will be accepted at GMS.
Save
Outdoor Ed!
All proceeds from the sale of the Jagazine are going to support the Outdoor
Ed fund. Donations accepted!
FUN FACTS
1.
2.
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4.
5.
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13.
14.
Rishab Bhandari
They call crazy people “Mad Hatters” because the factory that made hats used the toxic mineral lead which
made the people who wore them went crazy! Just like in
Alice in Wonderland.
The most dangerous animal in the world is the common
housefly. Because of their habits of visiting animal
waste, they transmit more diseases than any other
animal.
Maine is the only state with a one syllable name.
There are no poisonous snakes in Maine.
The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a
year.
The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started
in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was
dropped into wine.
If you recycle 17 ton of paper you save 1 tree.
There is a town called “Jersey Shore” in Pennsylvania.
The first Ferris wheel was built in Atlantic City in 1869.
Cows give more milk when they listen to music.
An ostrich’s brain is smaller than its eye.
The first food eaten in space by a U.S. astronaut was
applesauce.
One lemon tree will produce about 1,500 lemons a year.
There are over 61,000 pizzerias in the U.S.
Thanksgiving is a holiday where families come to rejoice
and be thankful for what they have. It is usually celebrated with a
heavy dinner. There have been many alleged origins of Thanksgiving,
and many nations celebrate the symbolic ways it reminds them of. To
acknowledge Thanksgiving, people donate to the less fortunate, so
they know that luxuries aren’t needs.
Sure, Thanksgiving also has its problems. Some families just
cannot get along together. Obviously, the temptation to eat a lot
during Thanksgiving dinner might ruin someone’s diet plan, but overall, Thanksgiving is a day when all Americans gratefully recall the
blessings of the year. But is Thanksgiving actually effective, or does
greed and jealousy still rule over us all? You may think Thanksgiving is
a holiday to admire, but if we forget to take the time to be truly
thankful for what we have, it can become Black Friday Eve—merely
another opportunity to focus on materialism.
Sure the stores have great deals, and new products are
launched on Black Friday, but is it really worth the hassle? For example, when the PlayStation 3 released, Black Friday shortages resulted
in riots, fights, and deaths, just for a gaming system. In these times of
economic hardship, stores are doing whatever they can to make us
focus on the sales. Frankly, it made me a little sick to see so many
stores open on Thanksgiving this year—think of all the employees
who couldn’t stay at home to enjoy the day with family. Don’t let
bargains steal your holiday. Make time to remember and be grateful
for what you already have.
1. When riding the bus:
 Stay seated with
seat-belt buckled!
 Don’t distract the
driver.
2. When waiting for a
bus or pick-up:
 Visit your locker at
the end of school—
not at 4pm.
 Wait outside the front
door of the school
so you don’t miss
your late bus!
 Make a rendezvous
location with your
parent (“I’ll meet you
at the car if you park
by the baseball
field.”).
 No horseplay—
especially no ball
bouncing in the lobby!
 If it’s really cold, wait
in the front lobby
where you can easily see the parking lot
through the window.
3. Look both ways before crossing the
parking lot.
See Yourself
in Print!
Send articles to
groverjagazine
@gmail.com
Sandra Shim