Reaching `New Heights` - Paul Revere Charter Middle School

Transcription

Paul Revere Charter Middle School
November/December 2013
Volume 58, Issue 2
Patriots Pilot iPad Program
The wait is over for first
groups of students who
are issued Apple tablets.
Patriots show their school pride by dressing up in all red clothes.
Red Ribbon Week
Raises Awareness
By MELISSA
BUNNAPRADIST
By LYRIC LATSHAW
Revere’s iPad Revolution has
begun.
Despite the recent news that
iPads would not be issued until January, a few classes were
given the opportunity to learn
through technology early. Eight
teachers and eight classes, mostly 6th graders, are currently experiencing learning with a tablet,
channeling their inner “digital
citizen.”
When asked about her plans
for the iPad distribution, Mrs.
Somoza explained, “Following
a night and day meeting for parents, the remaining 6th graders
will receive iPads in January. If
we get approved by the district,
all students will receive takehome iPads by early February.”
Teachers’ lessons now ex-
Tomomi and Sasha follow Huckleberry Finn’s adventures throughout the story on the Google Maps apps on their new Apple iPads.
plore the creativity and wide variety of what can be done through
technology. This way, the old,
familiar way of learning is still
thoroughly used, but it now has
a new twist added to the mix.
“Most workplaces have changed
dramatically over the past couple
of decades, but schools today resemble classrooms as they were
a hundred years ago. A teacher
(continued on page 6)
These Patriots represent school
pride by socking it to drugs!
Monday, Oct. 21, started off
Red Ribbon Week. Mrs. Somoza
made an announcement saying it was “Mix-up Monday,”
and pepped up Patriots to start a
conversation with someone new.
“Go talk to somebody who you
don’t normally sit with at lunch.
Make a new friend outside of
your group. Mix it up!” Patriots were seen socializing to new
friends as well as old friends.
The next day, Revere said
“Sock it to drugs!” Patriots were
seen wearing crazy socks to say
no to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and violence. Seventh
grader Ysmael Kamgaing, at
the last second, colored his knee
high socks purple to participate.
Brittany Darrow wore pink and
white Breast Cancer Awareness
socks that were also about knee
high.
Wednesday was a busy day
and with it came a special bell
schedule, a cyber safety assembly, and the judging of the
decorated doors with the theme,
“Say boo to drugs!” The cyber
safety was held during second
period for eighth graders, third
for sixth, and fourth period for
seventh grade. Parents were invited to come from 8:10 to 8:50.
Periods two, three, and four were
extended up to one entire hour to
give the speaker time to present
her material. Homeroom ended
around the same time that it
would’ve on a Tuesday or Thursday, while the first, fifth, and
sixth periods were slightly shortened. The host speaker talked
about posts on social media and
how you should think before you
post, and never talk to strangers.
“I think the cyber safety assembly was very informative,”
7th grader Shelby Tzung offers
Yes We Can! 3
Bundles of Joy 5
Reverberations 8-9
Musical Magic 11
Tennis Stars 14
Patriots collect cans to raise
money for the L.A. Food Bank.
Ms. Del Cambre’s granddaughter
is one of five new Revere babies.
Students rev up their school pride
during Spirit Week celebrations.
Revere’s music makers share
their talents with the community.
Patriots swing into action as
they explain their sport lives.
As Red Ribbon Week came
around the corner, Revere’s Patriots were excited to show their
spirit towards anti-drugs. From
October 21st to October 25th,
Revere participated in Red Ribbon Week, which was meant to
bring everyone together to say,
“Sock it” to drugs and alcohol.
Red Ribbon Week is supposed
to bring many people together to
raise awareness about the need
for drug prevention and medication. It’s the biggest, most
widely seen drug awareness
campaign acted in yearly in the
United States. Each day, Patriots
were encouraged to participate
in whatever activities were mentioned in the announcements,
which were normally made by
Ms. Somoza. The intention of
each activity was to bring attention to drugs and the harm they
can do.
COVER STORY
Reaching ‘New Heights’
Student Council goes on the road to share goodwill and good books.
By ALICIA ABRAMSON
and CLAIRE SPECTOR
Student council member Kortney Nash grew
up loving the book “Animorphs” by K. A. Applegate. The book is about a group of children
that are given the ability to transform into different animals.
“The book was very dear to me and while it
told a great story it also had realistic lessons,”
she said. “The two I remember most are ‘with
great power comes great responsibility’ and
‘all actions have bad consequences.’”
When Student Council decided to organize
a book collection to help out another school,
Kortney thought of “Animorphs.” Naturally,
she had some trouble giving it up. But finally
she decided that she wanted to share the joy of
reading it with someone else.
“I was reluctant to give up one of my favorite books, but I’m glad another kid my age
Representative Chloe Taylor reads a short story to a ‘New Heights’ student.
Photo: Liam Mathers
2 November/December 2013
Opinion
Jingle All the Way to Target
The gift-giving time of the year is here again.
Some have already displayed their menorah, and
others have wreaths on their door. Christmas trees
have been seen sold in early November. But these
days, it seems that many do not care about the true
meaning of the holidays, and only wait restlessly
for twelve months just to get a visit from Santa, or
a generous coworker.
America has grown into a “capitalist utopia,”
and consumers are encouraged to purchase gifts
months ahead by persistent sales and discounts.
Santa has popped up in so many different commercials that we’re starting to wonder if a reindeer
might have kicked him in the head once or twice
when he was advertising some products. While it’s
great to give gifts to others, people need to get out
of their materialistic bubble.
It might not seem like our country’s biggest
problem, but our mindset has shifted from ‘caring’
to ‘materialistic.’ In ten years, maybe parents will
just take their kids to Toys ’R Us on the 25th and
tell them to pick something off the shelf.
When winter break comes around, kids give
each other gifts, and at Revere, we have the option
of buying candy grams for our friends. It’s completely innocent, but why not sell cards? They last
longer after all.
We can’t complain about getting presents, and
everything is good in moderation, but the holiday
commercials are on a bit of an overdose. Commercials with elves and toys are fine, but it gets
annoying when it’s everywhere and anywhere. The holidays are certainly the most wonderful time
of the year, so let’s keep it that way.
—By Yoni Strugatsky, Melissa Bunnapradist
and the Editors
How Healthy
Is Homework?
ALICIA ABRAMSON
As the school day wears on, the massive amount of homework piles up, and your free time isn’t free time anymore. Instead, it’s spent completing math equations and writing English
essays, while trying to make time for friends.
According to one editorial in The Daily News, 6th graders
should be assigned 15 minutes of homework per subject, and 7th
and 8th graders half an hour, becoming an hour to two hours of
homework every night. With four subjects a day, and homework
in each class, does it really add up to that?
Staying up late to complete assignments and having to wake
up early adds up to a less-than-adequate amount of sleep, leading
to groggy mornings and tiring school days. Another late night the
next day, and it becomes a never-ending cycle of fatigue. More
homework also means more stress, which can lead to anxiety or
depression in teenagers. Perhaps some homework is healthy, but
if it leads to an unhappy and unhealthy population of teens, it’s
time to give it a rest and let the youth of today live their lives.
Is School a Place
for Religion?
DANIELLE YORK
We asked students what they can do to make the holidays special. Here are some replies:
I think that people should just
enjoy being together instead of
worrying and spending all their
time worrying about gifts. Being
with your friends and family
should be enough of a gift.
—Tegan Rosso, 7th Grade
I think Patriots should think
about the holiday season as a
time to spend time with their
family. We’re always at school
and they’re always at work so
we rarely see each other.
—Kidus Teferi, 6th Grade
Just because people are buying
things doesn’t mean you’re not
also spending time with your
family. In winter you can share
those things and still have a
good time with your family.
—Avery Kranss, 6th Grade
You can always just do your
shopping a couple of months
before the holidays, so you can
spend the day of the holiday
with your family and loved ones.
–Amir Hodiyan, 7th Grade
The holiday spirit still brings
people together, but people are
excited for presents.
—Lenny Melamed, 6th Grade
Families can do all the traditional activities, like baking cookies
or caroling. A trip to the Bellagio
is not going to have the same
effect.
—Brian Zargar, 8th Grade
Holidays aren’t about buying
stupid gifts and gadgets. It’s
about family time, and Patriots
should stop worrying about
school and enjoy what they have
on the holidays.
–Jonathan Elkin, 7th Grade
They can donate to homeless
shelters or to people with untreatable diseases.
–Jeannie LaDuca, 7th Grade
To make the season more meaningful we should have one extra
week for the holidays.
–Andrew Delira, 7th Grade
I hibernate during those 3 weeks.
The extra sleep is needed.
–Hannah Shabtian, 8th Grade
School is abuzz with all the holiday excitement. Revere has
students from almost every race and religion. This year Patriots
will be celebrating many different holidays, from common ones
like Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years, to others like Kwanza
and Korean New Year. The holiday spirit is in every hallway and
classroom. But is that really where it belongs?
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution
mandates that the government should have a neutral opinion in
religious matters. Does that mean that students are allowed to
express religion, yet teachers and administrators are not? Not
exactly. Teachers are allowed to express religion, as long as
they do not promote it or force it onto their students. And it’s
important to learn about the different religions in our social
studies classes so that we can all understand each other better.
Since the holiday spirit is naturally filling classrooms all
across campus, students shouldn’t have to hide their feelings.
I think that students should feel safe with expressing their religious feelings and others should respect that, and the same goes
for teachers. Revere is a lucky school to have students and teachers from all races and religions, and we should embrace that.
THE TOWN CRIER POLL
Patriots can spend more time
with their families during the
holiday season, but they should
get gifts.
–Jake Sands, 8th Grade
Have a nice big family dinner.
—Ariana Campa, 6th grade
The holiday season is not just
all about getting, but it’s also
about giving. This holiday
season I think that Patriots can
make their holiday season more
meaningful by not just being
greedy and getting, but by also
giving.
—Maya Romanik, 6th grade
MESSAGE TEES
Any advice for the New Year?
Member of the National Scholastic Press Association
Published by and for the students of
Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Magnet Center
1450 Allenford Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Ethan Jones
Ysmael Kamgaing
Lyric Latshaw
Managing Editor:
Alon Levi
Alicia Abramson
Sierra Margolis
Reporters:
Haley McCarthy
Jessie Bierschenk
Samantha Rene
McKenna Brown
Mai Robinson
Melissa Bunnapradist
Claire Spector
Georgia Calvert
Yoni Strugatsky
Brittany Darrow
Amanda Thompson
Gabi Feingold
Shelby Tzung
Poppy Frost
Danielle York
Loren Jacobs
Brian Zargar
Editor-in-Chief:
Jojo Levey
Pictured from left to right: Brian Zargar, Hannah Yick, Celeste Juarez, Jimmy Taylor and Mateo Violich.
Contributors:
Jordan Galef
Justin Howard
Nick Leader
Wyatt Loncar
Liam Mathers
Morgan Novak
Nima Rafie
Julian Speyer
Matteo Zabrucky
____________
Faculty Advisor:
Mr. Wechsler
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 3
Around Revere
Houston, We
Have a Speaker
When he heard that a scientist involved with a legendary Apollo project was coming
to Revere, 7th grader Khuslen
Otgonbayar made an effort to
see him. “I was interested in
the Mike Boughton talk because I got to see a real member of the Apollo 13,” he said.
“I found out that he liked the
same subjects as me, science
and math. I learned that being
an engineer-physicist is not
hard for him because he loves
what he does.”
Mike Boughton inspired
many others on Oct. 23, when
the engineer-physicist appeared
at Revere’s Town Hall to speak
to students about his profession. Mr. Boughton, a graduate
from Fresno High School and
Cal Tech, has worked on multiple projects, from the military
to the Apollo 13 mission. According to him, very much has
indeed changed. “Thirty years
ago, I would not have believed
that the Mars Rover would have
been possible,” said Boughton.
His story stretches back multiple decades, to when he accepted a job in the Air Force.
Mike
Boughton
worked
on the
Apollo
13.
News and notes edited by Alicia Abramson
helped host the 3rd annual food
drive, resulting in can after
can being placed in boxes all
over the school. Students were
instructed to bring in cans of
soup, yams, peanut butter and
other non-perishable foods.
The food then went to the Los
Angeles Regional Food Bank
and is distributed from soup
kitchens to the hungry people.
With a total of around 2,000
pounds of food the first year
and 3,000 pounds last year, this
year’s goal for Revere was an
approximated 4,000 pounds.
Mr. Slavin explains, “This effort gives Patriots a chance to
make a tangible difference in
their communities.”
—Claire Spector
Max McClung (left) and Zachary Eastland from council club homeroom donate to L.A. Food Bank.
The Gavel Comes
to Paul Revere
Order in Town Hall!
On Nov. 13, consumer advocate lawyer Ex Kano Sams II
appeared in Town Hall to speak
with Patriots about his career
in law. He shared his career insights as part of the “Roads to
Your Future” program.
Mr. Sams grew up in Los
Angeles and has wanted to be
What was supposed to be a six- an attorney since elementary
month experience turned into a school. He received his de40-year career, and those years gree in political science from
have yielded many adventures. UCLA. Later on, he went to
The speaker revealed that law school, where he received
he has flown in some of the his law degree in three years
fastest known aircrafts. He also instead of four, a fairly rare
spoke about the famous lunar event, which led to his gradumission which almost resulted ation in 1997. He is now an
in three dead astronauts due to antitrust attorney based out of
Century City.
an oxygen tank explosion.
As always, students had a According to Mr. Sams, bechance to ask the speaker ques- ing an attorney is challenging.
tions about their career. In re- He often finds himself worksponse to a question about how ing 60 hours per week and on
math courses helped him in his weekends, but also states “it is
career, he said, “The courses common for lawyers to make
enabled me; you cannot do in excess of $100,000 a year.”
physics or science without But to Mr. Sams, it is still remath.” Through math, science, warding; to him, the ability to
English, and even history, help people is his favorite part
Mike Boughton has created a of the job.
career for himself in the sci- Mr. Sams knew what his
career would be thirty years
ence industry. —Brian Zargar
before it happened. Through
his efforts, support and level
of determination, he now earns
nearly four times the income
of the average American, has a
career in law, and the attraction
of students throughout multiple
schools. —Brian Zargar
Achievement
Through Words
Patriots who have a passion
for reading were honored for
simply recording their reading
time. Revere participated in a
program, run by the NBA, to
motivate students to read.
According to Mr. Hubbard,
“Reading logs were collected
and submitted to the Clippers
for entry into a city-wide raffle.”
On Dec. 13, Mr. Hubbard
announced the “Hall of Fame”
winners, listed on the table
below. —Loren Jacobs
2nd place: Asaph Bay
3rd place: Katya Pronichenko
3rd place: Ansel Trevino
In Ms. Zarou’s sixth grade
class, the holidays and history
go together like peanut butter and jelly. Every year she
brings out a tree and the class
puts ornaments on it that represent what the student have
and will learn about this year.
Mummies, globes, pyramids,
dreidels and so much more, and
Patriots may wonder why she
does this tradition every year.
“It is our class’s way of combining history and the holiday
spirit,” said Ms. Zarou and her
students agree. The Patriots of
X-1 thought it was a creative
way of throwing in holiday joy
with school. Revere’s campus
is full of the holiday spirit this
time of year and what a better
way to show it than with a history holiday tree.
—Samantha Rene
READING ALL-STAR
HALL OF FAME WINNERS
Pages Logged
1. Monica Martell.........2,141
2. Niyas Hinze..............1,872
3. Celeste Juarez...........1,607
4. Ashley Breitman.......1,235
5. Sanjana Zalawadia......990
Beauty in Black
and White
1st place: Zade Mullin
O History Tree,
O History Tree
Revere’s Black and White
Art Contest had many participants, but in the end, there were
only four winners: In 1st place
Zade Mullin, followed by 2nd
place winner Asaph Bay, and
tied for third place was Katya
Pronichenko and Ansel Trevino. Zade wanted to do something that gave off a sensational feeling. “I knew I wanted
something that would kind of
make you just go, ‘wow,’ and
I knew that I would have to
draw something interesting,”
Zade said. “So I thought, white
tigers definitely give off a wow
factor, and I could do it with
pastel on black paper.” Despite
the creativity behind his drawing, Zade was surprised that he
placed first. “Honestly, I didn’t
expect to win at all, but when I
heard my name I thought I was
dreaming for a second. After
that, I kind of floated through
the rest of the day.”
—Gabi Feingold
Dylan, Rachel, Joseph, and
Sasha decorate the history tree.
‘We Can Make
a Difference!’
“Thousands and thousands
of L.A. residents go hungry
over the winter holidays. We
hope to warm where there is
cold, and fulfill where there
is bleakness,” says 8th grade
English teacher and council
club leader, Mr. Slavin. He
Xavier Flowers raised a total
of $504 dollars for the school.
Xavier Runs His
Way to Glory
All our school money has
to come from somewhere,
whether it’s the government or
our very own Revere Patriots.
Even the smallest donations
can add up to make a big difference. This is especially true
for 8th grader Xavier Flowers,
who after asking over 50 family members and friends for
donations raised a total sum of
$504 for our school.
The news about the LAUSD
fundraiser hit Xavier by surprise. “My mom told me about
the fundraiser, and I thought it
would be cool to try and raise
money for our school,” he said.
To complete the fundraiser, the
8th grader had to run a total of
five kilometers, a distance that
seemed reasonable to the Iron
Man shirt owner. Although
“LAUSD’s First Annual 5k
Fundraiser” took place on November 16th (a Saturday), he
was still determined to help
Paul Revere. According to
Xavier, “a bunch of kids, adults
and LAUSD teachers” also ran
with him in the Dodger Stadium, eager to raise money for
the school district. The money
raised from students and parents participating in the fundraiser will go to a variety of
activities that students enjoy,
including fields trips and athletics. Now with the option of
donating online, it’s easier than
ever to help our school’s money
from running out. —Alon Levi
Mr. Hernandez’s 6th graders celebrate their excellent attendance.
An inside look at the off-campus lives of Paul Revere’s faculty.
Mr. Slavin attends a Red Sox game with his sons, Emmett and Jack.
Mr. Carnine enjoys the cliff-side ocean view in Santorini on his vacation to the country of Greece.
Mr. Carnine
Walk into N-4 and find a
room decorated by an explosion
of cultures. Look at the walls
and see squares of sewn symbols
from China, the vibrant colors of
the Italian flag, prints of Hindu
gods and goddesses, and even
mock up relics from the first ever
civilization, Mesopotamia. It
may be supposed that the abundance of ethnic representation in
this room is due to the fact that
its teacher, Mr. Carnine, specializes in sixth grade English and
ancient civilizations. But his
interest in other countries isn’t
just part of his teaching job. Mr.
Carnine enjoys traveling, and
journeys to different places often. He has even been as far as
Kunming, China in the Yunnan
Province with a Chinese friend.
“Not many Americans go to that
corner of the People’s Republic
of China,” he explains.
He’s been all the way to the
other side of the world and back,
but if he was given the choice to
be anywhere in the world right
now, he would go to Venice, Italy. He can imagine exactly what
he would do there. “The horde of
tourists have mostly departed by
autumn and winter. I can imagine a day’s trip, on a vaporetto,
out to the lido and lagoon,” he
describes. “Once there, I would
enjoy un piatto grande di linguini
a vongole! Delizioso!” Mr. Carnine’s favorite thing about travel
is experiencing various cultures
and customs, hence the display
of a wide range of civilizations
in his classroom.
One of his top three hobbies
is planning trips. The other two
are collecting cookbooks and going to the movies. When he was
in middle school, however, his
hobbies were very different. He
enjoyed swimming, art, and cycling. That wasn’t the only thing
that was different about him
when he was a student. “I always
liked school, but I never thought
it would be my profession,” he
reveals. He had a favorite teacher, Mrs. Holland, who inspired
him, but he was more interested
in design and drafting.
Mr. Carnine can sometimes
be found in his classroom at
lunch, inviting students in and
listening to his favorite genre
of music. “I’d say in general,
I listen to more pop-rock than
any other music genre,” he says.
“Currently my favorite music
artist is a European singer named
Mario Frangoulis.”
With Veteran’s Day not far
behind us, Mr. Carnine revealed
an interesting tidbit about his
past. “Students don’t know that
I served our country in the U.S.
military from 1973-1977,” he
states. “Lucky for me, my service years were non-combative… I was with NATO forces,
SETAF.” From Italy to China,
Mr. Carnine has traveled the
globe, and brought back memories and stories to share with everyone. —Sierra Margolis
Mr. Schepps
One might not be surprised
that a 7th grade history teacher
like Mr. Schepps would be a
teacher whose adventures went
far beyond that of the classroom.
Indeed, Mr. Schepps is actually
very complex. He participates in
an abundance and variety of activities in his spare time.
“I practice yoga, play acoustic
guitar and enjoy bike riding,” Mr.
Schepps explained. He listens to
a variety of music consisting of
classic rock, blues and jazz. “I
have seen Green Day three times
in concert,” he stated. He also
elaborates, “I enjoy watching
the NFL and international soccer.” But Mr. Schepps’ athletic
activities aren’t just experienced
at home in front of the television.
Mr. Schepps plays soccer, skateboards, skis and surfs during
summer break. On this extensive vacation Mr. Schepps also
spends time “creating abstract
paintings on large canvasses”
and traveling with his family.
If Mr. Schepps could visit
anywhere in the world he would
definitely visit Israel. “There
is an abundance of history and
culture. I would like to visit the
Western Wall, Temple Mount,
Church of Holy Sepulchure, Old
Jerusalem, Masada, Haifa, and
go snorkeling in the Red Sea
near Elait.” One of his favorite
experiences was spending three
months in Africa with his wife
after they were married.
Some might wonder if Mr.
Schepps always knew that he
wanted to become a history
teacher. The answer is no. He
explained, “I did not know what
I wanted to be in middle school.
History was always my favorite
subject. I wanted to travel the
world.” —Loren Jacobs
Mr. Mercado
Every day, Mr. Mercado hops on
his motorcycle to get to school.
At 7:30 each morning, Patriots here the roar of exhaust and
stand befuddled as a 2002 Yamaha Classic motorcycle zips into
the West Driveway. Mr. Mercado has been riding for four years
and travels the twenty-two mile
ride to school every day, unless
there are expected rain showers.
Mr. Mercado explains what he
Mr. Schepps displays his complex abstract artwork that he created.
loves about this daily routine.
“What I like most about riding
my motorcycle is feeling the
wind in my face. You also really
get a good sense of speed. Sometimes when you are in a car you
can easily speed not realizing
how fast you are going because
a windshield protects you. It is
also a great de-stressor.”
Not only does riding a motorcycle soothe Mr. Mercado mentally, but it also takes some stress
off his wallet. “Fuel costs add up
to be about thirty dollars a week
on the motorcycle as opposed to
forty-five dollars every two days
on the truck.” For Mr. Mercado,
getting to Paul Revere is a long
trek in a car during traffic. “Even
though I am only 22 miles away,
it takes me anywhere from an
hour fifteen minutes to an hour
forty minutes during rush hour
traffic.” However with the benefit of a small vehicle allows Mr.
Mercado to navigate his way
through traffic and it only takes
him thirty-five minutes to get to
Paul Revere. Mr. Mercado says,
“So it’s a win, win, win situation. Less travel time, less fuel
cost, and I do not congest the
highway.”
Despite remarks from his
mother about the danger of motorcycles, Mr. Mercado continues to ride and has over 31,000
miles “under his belt.” “Many
people have asked me, ‘Aren’t
you scared?’ I reply not really,
what I am scared of are other
drivers.’” To stay safe, Mr. Mercado’s motorcycle’s exhaust
system is changed for a louder
sound. He tells us, “Most bikers change their exhaust system
for louder ones because drivers
might not be able to see motorcyclists but they will definitely
hear them. LOUD PIPES SAVE
LIVES.” —Jessie Bierschenk
Mr. Slavin
Undercover cook, beloved dad
to two, lover of food delicacies.
Some students at Revere know
him as Mr. Slavin: teacher of
eighth grade English and leader
of Council Club. But what most
don’t know may be surprising.
Mr. Slavin, despite ‘not being
much of a gardener,’ is always
making his own broth stocks and
preserving fruits and veggies
so his family can have the best
homemade meals, usually made
from scratch. When he isn’t
whipping up gourmet dinners
for the Slavin family, they take
a night off and go to a local restaurant. “I love going out to eat,
especially with my family. My
kids have adventurous palates
and we try to experiment with
our restaurant choices as much
as possible,” he says.
Mr. Slavin hasn’t been an
English teacher his whole life,
but it has always been included
in his ‘short list’ of jobs. Mr.
Slavin’s favorite place he’s ever
traveled to was a land of mountains, rainforests, beaches, and
cities: Ecuador. Just a summer
spent there was a great experi-
ence for him. He hopes to one
day visit Japan, China, India and
Ireland. When asked to share inspiring words with the youth of
America, he answered, “I once
came across a tap on a Lipton
teabag that read, ‘The purpose
of accumulating knowledge is
to use that knowledge to think.’
Strive to be a life-long learner.”
—Lyric Latshaw
Mr. Roig
Run, Roig, run! During lunch,
students often see Mr. Roig heading out of the school for his daily
jog. He started running when he
was fifteen to benefit his tennis
training, but after he stopped
playing competitively, he kept
on running. “I’m currently running Monday through Friday
on my school lunch break, for
around 25 to 30 minutes,” he
said. Each weekday he runs is
a different off-campus course:
“Mondays I go west on San Vicente to 11th Street through the
beautiful Santa Monica neighborhoods, Tuesdays I go east on
San Vicente to Bundy, Wednesdays I run up Mandeville Canyon Road, Thursdays I head west
on Sunset to Capri and run to the
top and back, Fridays I head east
on Sunset to Bundy, go south to
Vicente, then back to school.”
Mr. Roig runs for multiple
reasons. “I run because it frees
my mind up,” he said. “I come
up with all kinds of ideas when
I’m running: lessons for school,
the dinner and dessert menu,
vacation ideas, things I need to
do after school, etc.” Another
reason that Mr. Roig runs is that
he enjoys being part of a running
“club.” “Serious runners are
part of a brother/sisterhood. We
acknowledge each other when
we’re running because we all
know it’s hard to consistently put
in the miles.’”
Mr. Roig said that the biggest
reason he runs and exercises is
because he challenges himself
every time he exercises and feels
very accomplished. “At my age,
I have to really push myself
mentally to get this ‘tired’ body
into workout mode,” he said.
“But once I get rolling, whether
it’s my training at home, or on
the streets of L.A., it becomes
a challenge that I refuse to back
down from.” —Gabi Feingold
Mr. Roig goes on his daily run.
REVERE’S TEACHERS ARE . . .
Busy with Babies!
Ms. Ernst
Ms. Del Cambre
Ms. Ernst sure had an adventure when she gave birth to baby
Scottie Kate Ernst on Oct. 25.
She weighed in at 6.5 lbs. and
measured 20 in. birth.
“She’s a little pig—won’t
stop eating! We have started to
call her Pickle too.”
Ms. Ernst reports that her
4-year-old daughter Andie Jo is
very helpful with her new little
sister. The 8th grade Magnet
English teacher looks forward to
returning in January.
—McKenna Brown
Seventh grade Magnet math
teacher Ms. Del Cambre was recently introduced to a new bundle of joy: her grandchild Paris
Prepetit.
Paris was born May 2, 2013,
measuring 20 in. and weighing 6
lbs., 9 oz.
Mrs. Del Cambre sure is
ecstatic about her little granddaughter. She says,“It’s so exciting having a new child around.
She is growing up so fast, and it
is awesome to help her learn, develop, and reach new milestone.
She is very active and alert so
she keeps us busy.”
— McKenna Brown
Mr. Steenhoek
Ms. Walker
Mr. Matsu
On Sept. 14, 2013, Mr.
Matsu and his wife welcomed
a new member to their family:
little baby Kelly Ayami Matsubayashi.
She weighed 6 lbs., 7 oz. and
was 19.5 in.
“Kelly is doing wonderful!”
Mr. Matsu reports. “She spends
her days eating, sleeping, pooping and making funny faces with
her big sister, Leah.”
Mr. Matsu not only has a
newborn to admire, but a companion to watch sports with too.
He reports that Kelly surprisingly loves to spend some quality
time “watching football with her
daddy on the weekends!”
—Georgia Calvert
Next on Revere’s baby list
is Damian Steenhoek. Born July
16, 2013 and weighing in at 8
lbs. and 11 oz, he is smiling his
way through babyhood.
“It’s definitely a game
changer to now have two kids,”
says Mr. Steenhoek. “Both my
wife and I enjoy spending time
with the little guy. My son is always happy. He loves to smile
and giggle all the time.”
— McKenna Brown
On Halloween, Ms. Walker
got a sweet treat named Everly
Walker, who weighed 7 lbs. 12
oz. and was 19.5 inches long.
“I love being a mom,” says
the P.E. teacher, who will be
returning in January. “We cuddle all day and share a love of
Ellen and The Voice.
A few days after Everly
was born I heard my husband
screaming for help! I ran in the
nursery. As he was changing the
babies diaper she started pooping. There was poop everywhere.
Babies sure go to the bathroom a
lot,” Mrs. Walker laughs about
her new joy. — McKenna Brown
Three teachers have taught at Revere for a combined 80+ years. The Town Crier asked them about the past—and the future.
One faculty member has
taught at Revere longer than any
other: 8th grade science teacher
Mr. Aochi. He began his teaching career at Revere in 1980 and
hasn’t left since, which means he
has been working at Paul Revere
for an impressive thirty-three
years.
He told The Town Crier that
three decades ago he remembers
the school being rather different.
“Paul Revere Middle School was
not always a middle school,” he
says. “When I first got here it
was a junior high school for seventh to ninth graders.”
Even though Mr. Aochi has
been here for a long time, he says
that he has not greatly changed
the expectations for the students
each year. He has been in Room
W-2 the whole time that he has
been here and has worked with
six different principals over the
years.
“I have always had the same
expectations every year, but I
have a tiny bit more for the upcoming years and now because
classes have more resources,” he
states.
“But at the end of the day I
am glad I started my teaching
career. It was a very good choice
that I made.” —Poppy Frost
Many years ago, one of
Paul Revere’s most well known
staff-members began to teach
at Revere: Mr. Hamanishi. It all
started in 1982, only 27 years after the opening of Revere, when
Mr. Hamanishi walked through
the open doors of Paul Revere
Middle School. After 31 years of
teaching History, Mr. Hamanishi
has earned the honor of being at
Revere the second-longest out
of all teachers here, the first being Mr. Aochi. With over three
decades of teaching experience,
Mr. Hamanishi has been in several different classrooms, including X-15, X-9 and E-4, where he
still teaches today.
“I haven’t seen any physi-
cal changes. Revere still looks
the same,” explained Mr. Hamanishi. “But politically, it has
changed.” As for future changes,
Mr. Hamanishi is looking forward to the new technology coming to Revere, such as the iPads.
After 31 years, Mr. Hamanishi
seems to have made history at
Revere. —Brittany Darrow
It was fall of 1987 when
Ms. Uchida first started teaching
at “Paul Revere Junior High.”
Back then it was just a regular
school, “no magnet, not an affiliated charter school…” Ms.
Uchida explains.
When she walked into L-1,
her 1987 classroom, she immediately noticed the grey tile on
the floor. Locker doors and classroom doors were painted differently, while the outside color of
the buildings has been constantly
changing. When walking down
the west driveway there was
nothing but a plain white wall
to the left. The plant population
was smaller, and according to
Ms. Uchida, so was the student
population.
Now, 26 years later, Ms.
Uchida drives up the west driveway. Murals greet her on her
way up, while the plethora of
trees swing from side to side.
Roses, flowers and paint cover
the campus to beautify it. While
looking around the classroom
the blue tile floors pop out of the
ground. In addition, Ms. Uchida
notices how “the farm and agriculture areas cleaned up and utilized again.”
As she looks toward the future, she says, “This has always
been a great school and will continue to be so because everyone
helps out.” —Alon Levi
All Charged Up and Ready to Go
(continued from page 1)
stands in front of the class while
the students, who are sitting at
their desks, read from a book and
use a pencil to take notes on paper,” Mr. Hyman recalled. “The
iPads are a game changer. We
have been given the privilege to
be among the first in the city to
use this new approach to education. There will be no doubt be
some bumps in the road (as I can
attest), but it is an incredibly exciting opportunity.”
Mrs. Somoza claimed, “Although we can’t allow the students to take them home, the
iPads can still be used in classes who are able to keep them
locked up at night.” Students are
given the opportunity to explore
technology and learn at the same
time. It’s not only the students’
first experience with this, either.
Even though the teachers have
had theirs since the beginning
of the year, everyone, students
and teachers alike, can all experiment together and learn from
each other.
Mr. Hernandez, sixth grade
math and science teacher, tells
his opinions of the new additions
to class: “Even though I have
mixed feelings about the iPads,
I was eager to use them with my
science classes. I think the visuals will help the proficient students gain mastery of each stan-
Mr. Hyman’s sixth graders and Mrs. Somoza show off their new tablets.
dard. However, there are better
programs out there like Explore
Learning Gismos that provide all
the common core standards for
math and science K-12. For example, when I told the students
there are about six thousand
earthquakes a day or more, they
didn’t believe me. So I synchronized my iPad to Apple TV and
showed them the USGS website.
By the end of period two, thirtythree earthquakes had occurred.
The students would see dots
popping up on the screen every
time an earthquake of 2.5 magnitude or higher occurred. The
Pearson Math app is very lim-
ited only two units (actually two
standards with eighteen lessons
on each).”
Teachers are taking this opportunity to explore and experiment with their iPads. Although
teachers have had iPads most of
the year, doing it with their students is a whole new experience.
Said Mr. Slavin, “The pilotwithin-a-pilot is going very well
so far. The iPads give us a new
vantage point for understanding the metaphor of Huck Finn’s
journey down the Mississippi
River. With Google Maps, my
students and I are able to experience Huck’s journey vicariously,
Raising a Red Flag
on Substance Abuse
her opinion. “It really made a lot
of students think about the power of the Internet and what they
post. One of my friends even
deleted her account because she
was trying to be more cautious.
It was definitely a worthwhile
assembly.” Gabi Feingold, another seventh grader, shared an
opinion that was similar but a
little stronger. “The assembly really scared me. My mom has told
me multiple times not to talk to
strangers online, which I don’t,
but it still made me scared to go
online and look at my friends’
posts and pictures.” Overall, it
seems to be that the cyber safety
assembly affected most students.
The decorated doors were
constructed and critiqued during the homeroom period by students, and after two weeks, three
homerooms were said to have
decorated the best doors on campus: Ms. Holler’s seventh grade,
Ms. Mac’s sixth grade and Ms.
Faraone’s seventh grade. It was
Ms. Holler’s first year winning
the contest, and her homeroom
was ecstatic about their win.
“My class spent four days
during homeroom and one nutrition and lunch to finish the
door,” said Ms. Holler when
asked. “After we brainstormed
ideas on the board for a slogan,
we came up with visuals. From
the drafts, my students created
the door, and the cheers of the
entire room when the announcement was made was fabulous.”
On Thursday, Patriots were
asked to wear red to support Red
Ribbon Week. Revere’s students
were seen wearing vibrant colors
to support the central theme of
this week: anti-drugs.
On Friday, Red Ribbon Week
These three girls are showing
off their commitment to “sock it
to drug and alcohol abuse.”
was wrapped up with the theme
of “Team up against drugs!” as
Patriots wore green shirts and
Revere themed clothing to get a
red vine at nutrition. The decorated door homeroom winners
were rewarded that day with a
breakfast prize, with donuts and
fruit.
As Red Ribbon Week left
Revere, Patriots were left with
the reminder to never do drugs.
Photo by Mr. Hyman on his iPad.
which almost puts us in Huck’s
shoes as he matures in his understanding and respect for Jim. The
best part is that the iPads seem to
have a magnetic effect: students
are drawn into an interface that
is second nature to them, and in
which they may already feel a
certain level of expertise. I can
already see a shift in the power
structure of the classroom, and
I’ve already learned so much
from my students. I also see students teaching each other how to
get jobs done. It is my hope that
students and teachers will experience a parallel journey that
leads us into an increasingly student-centered learning model.”
N-4 is making progress like
never seen before, with the teamwork of Mr. Carnine and his
group of experienced sixth graders. “I am facing my technology
learning curve as I literally ‘play
around’ with what is available
on the iPad. With the expertise
of my more astute colleagues
and with the assistance of amazing students like Adam Weston,
I will get there. The students
have used their iPads to work
on definitions lists as well to access maps of Greece to locate the
route Odysseus might have taken
on his wayward journey back to
Ithaka. I did a class presentation,
using my iPad, to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination; I
assembled a photo gallery from
various sources,” Carnine talked
of his experiences. “As regards
to the Pearson Apps, at this time
the lessons that are available are
providing more supplemental
support than for purposes of the
actual core instructional implementation. That should evolve as
the Pearson representatives continue to work with the teachers.”
Other teachers are working
hard to make the transition from
paper to technology work. “It’s
going slow because old habits die hard,” Mr. Burke stated.
“The old habit, in this case, is
letting go of the paper and pencil
routine. I’m saying this to teachers, and administrators, as well
as students. As the digital learning community, our school has
much work to be done; but I’m
happy, even honored, to be part
of this historic shift from paper
to screen.”
“We’re still trying to work
out the ‘kinks’. When the iPads
are working in sync with the Apple TV, the students are very engaged and enthusiastic in class,”
Mr. Tokeshi told the school. Because LAUSD was given a $400
million minimum before the
discounted price is presented,
Apple TV’s are also included in
this technological experience.
Mr. Tokeshi is only one of many
teachers with students who enjoy
this new addition.
Mr. Matsu is another teacher
‘The
iPads seem
to have a magnetic
effect: students
are drawn into an
interface that is
second nature to
them, and in which
they may already
feel a certain level
of expertise.’
—Mr. Slavin
introducing the iPads to his students: “We haven’t had much
of a chance to get on them yet,
but the students are very excited
about the opportunity!”
Ms. Flenaugh, 6th grade Magnet teacher, feels that the iPad
addition is inspiring to her students. “The iPads are very motivating for students. It is also very
exciting for me because I use the
iPads to create Google docs that
reduce my grading time and increase the speed of providing
feedback to students. The more
I can give feedback to students,
the more they can learn!”
As Bill Gates once said,
“Never before in history has
innovation offered promise of
so much to so many in so short
a time.”
Paul Revere’s students occasionally earn the fortunate opportunity to be entered into a drawing for getting the honor of being called one of the few superstars of the week.
Old Books Find a New Home
COVER STORY
can read that book and feel happy,” she
explained. On Oct. 25, Ms. Istrin’s Student Council class visited New Heights Charter
and gave the young pupils there a gift
they might remember forever: the gift
of knowledge. Prior to the field trip, the
group of student leaders held a book
drive, where people were urged to bring
in books that were “gently used, but not
overly loved.” The fundraiser gathered
about 5,200 books ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade level. The first place
homeroom was Ms. Daley’s sixth grade
class with around 500 books. In second
came Mr. Carnine’s sixth grade homeroom, who brought in about 400 books.
Third place was Ms. Lee’s eighth graders with an estimated total of 300 books.
“I have worked with children from
all types of social and economic backgrounds,” says Ms. Istrin. “I think that
it was amazing to watch my own students realize how lucky they are to be
at Revere and to have what they do.”
Eighth grade representative Wyatt Feldman agrees that this experience changed his perspective. “It has
taught me to be grateful for everything
that I have. To a lot of us, a book is just
something you see on your bookshelf
or in a classroom, nothing grand. But to
a young kid, a book is really special.”
The first stop was the dropping off
of boxes at the middle school campus of New Heights. The speaker representing the children receiving the
books, an eighth grade boy by the
name of Albert, shared with student
council a heartfelt speech expressing
his gratitude for Revere’s generosity.
Afterwards, the book bringers moved
on to the elementary school campus,
where a more interactive activity took
place. The books were passed out to
Ms. Baker’s kindergarten class and the
members of Student Council were each
partnered up with a child to read with.
“When we gave them the books it was
life-changing,” says Wyatt. “The books
brought the cutest smiles to their faces that
lit up the room.” Afterwards, they headed outside to the playground, where they
played with the building blocks of creativity. This imaginative game allowed
the students from both schools to build
and design their very own structures, as
well as establishing close friendships.
Lunch was eaten with their newfound friends and too soon, the day came
Caroline Ross smiles with her new buddy from New Heights. The students of the
kindergarten grade there had made the welcome banner shown in the background.
Manny Feregrino, eighth grade student council
member, reads from a donated book and points out a
picture to his New Heights Elementary School friend.
Donna Kharrazi:
Happy to Help!
To find out more about the difference
Student Council is making in the community, reporter Brian Zargar interviewed Student Council President
Donna Kharrazi about her opinions on
how to make an impact off campus.
to an end. Joyous and tearful goodbyes
were said. As the school bus pulled
away, the Student Council members realized the true meaning of the field trip,
not just to give knowledge, but also to
give the young children of New Heights
Charter a lasting impression and a gift
they would remember forever. “This
made me feel amazing, because I knew
I was part of the reason why they were
so happy,” says Donna. “I never thought
that little kindergarteners would influence me to become a better person.”
Another eighth grade student coun-
cil representative, Amir Ebtehadj, reflected on the Student Council’s mission.
“Student Council hosts great beneficial
events throughout the school year, such
as this BookEnds project. But the one
that has been most impactful to me has
to be the Hope for Warriors Coin Drive.
Last May, Student Council hosted the
2013 Hope for Warriors Coin Drive. Day
by day we would go to each homeroom
to collect their coins and the class that
had the most coins won a pizza party.
Many classes participate just for the fun
of the competition, but what they truly
don’t know is that the money that Paul
Revere raises will go to the Hope for
Warriors organization helping disabled
veteran families get back on their feet.
We raised a total of $ 2,100 last year.
It was very rewarding receiving a letter
from the organization president commending our efforts in helping military
families all over the United States. Personally, raising the money for Hope for
Warriors gave me such a rewarding feeling and made me feel like a true leader.”
Besides BookEnds and the coin drive,
multiple other events are taking place this
year. In November, Revere hosted Spirit
Week, where Patriots dressed up and
competed against each other in competitions during lunch. A dance was also held
on Friday, Dec. 13 with a holiday theme.
After the conclusion of winter events,
the second semester will begin, and who
knows what that will hold in store? “We are trying to create a more
fun, social and meaningful experience
for our students,” says Ms. Istrin.
“We try to help the community become stronger and more successful.”
This is the second in a series of Town
Crier special reports about Patriots
who are making a difference in their
community.
Left to right: Student Council Advisor Ms. Istrin, Donna Eighth grade student council member Amir Ebtehadj
embraces two students, after making structures with
Kharrazi (President), Ashley Miller (Vice President)
and Maggie Catalano (Historian) arrive at the school. building blocks of creativity at their elementary school.
Town Crier: What effects has Student
Council had on Revere and the community? What more can we expect to
see in the upcoming year?
Donna: Student Council has been really
good in encouraging people to participate
in schoolwide events. We have greatly
impacted many kids by just donating
books, and it has opened all of our eyes to
the act that we really can make a difference in the community and has driven us
to do better things.
Town Crier: What more do you think
Student Council can do to have a
greater positive impact?
Donna: I think we should focus more
on helping people in need. We could do
that by donating to charities and doing an
AIDS Walk, or something where we can
meet children our age, like kids in hospitals. Also, to get everyone involved, we
can do another coin drive and come up
with more ways to have Revere students
involved.
Town Crier: How can the average
person help out?
Donna: It depends on the activity, but
it is really easy. For example, for the
book drive, anyone who donated even
one book made a difference. Donating
a dollar or cent to something we do,
really helps someone out.
Donna: Student Council is an amazing
program that I greatly recommend everyone consider joining. I’ve changed a lot
because of it and anyone with any sense
of leadership should join.
Town Crier: How has Student Council affected you, personally?
Donna: It has honestly opened my
eyes to people in need. Ever since I
entered Student Council last year, I
have become a much better leader
and more confident about myself and
my abilities. I truly believe I can do
anything I set my mind to ever since
joining Student Council and becoming
President.
Town Crier: Is there anything else
you would like to tell us regarding
Student Council?
Donna is all smiles as she shares a book
with her grinning New Heights friend.
Jessica and
Kortney
dressed up as
twins.
Finn and Aidan
participated in the
ski race.
During the week of November 18-22, Patriots showed their school
spirit by dressing up to match the theme for the given day.
Layout by Shelby Tzung
Patriots dressed
in red, white,
and blue were
welcomed into the
gym to enjoy a
game of Bunkerball.
Twin Day
“Ready…Set...GO!” On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Patriots
headed to the gym to twin for the win in a ski race. “This
is the ski race,” explained 8th grade representative Manny
Feregrino. “Your twin—well, mostly triplets—would get
on the skis and you race across the gym.” Competitors received a raffle ticket as they walked in, and then the winning
ticket owners were able to compete in the race. The crowd
cheered as the first round began, Ashley Miller and Maggie
Catalano taking an early lead, Elina Kilkowski and Laney
Chou close behind. Ashley and Maggie finished in first, but
were disqualified because they are in Student Council. Elina and Laney won. In the second round, Jackson and Henry
sped to victory, earning a win. Later, in the third round,
Nima and Ariel won excitedly. Twin Day ended with a blast.
—Ethan Jones
Before playing Bunkerball, students
were encouraged to enjoy their lunch
and to socialize with
their friends.
Shane eagerly
showed off his
American spirit.
America Day
3-2-1, Bunkerball! On Nov. 18, Patriots celebrated America Day by appearing at the gym dressed up, representing multiple American countries for fun and games. After ten minutes of explaining, dividing, and enjoying lunch, Patriots found themselves playing Bunkerball, a game similar to Revereball with a twist: bunkers.
Invented by 8th grade student council member, Wyatt Feldman, “It’s Revereball with mats to hide behind.” A
total of approximately 80 6th, 7th, and 8th graders came to experience Bunkerball for the first time. At the end of
lunch, Patriots found themselves leaving the gym and heading to class, only to come back the next day for more.
—Brian Zargar
Are you seeing double? Sets of twins like this pair
gathered in the gym for the ski race on Tuesday.
Sports Day
Ariya, Bella, Piper, Cameron, Justin, and Ryan display
their spirit through their sports jerseys.
Jessie (left) and Morgan show
their team spirit.
Eighth grader, Edie, decked herself out in a
groovy outfit from the 70’s.
Students in the gym
display their athleticism by participating
in the Sports Day
obstacle course.
Decade Day
On Decade Day, Patriots were encouraged to show
their spirit by grooving out in outfits from the 1950s to
1990s. On this day, Revere students showed off their vibrant personalities as they dressed in clothes from their
favorite decades. After disco-ing out in their bright outfits, Patriots met in the auditorium for a lunch of song
and smiles. Participants were given a raffle ticket and
hustled excitedly to their seats. Patriots watched eagerly as Revere Student Council members pulled
and called out ticket numbers. It was a blast-to-thepast as students sang karaoke songs and won prizes
as they tried to guess the remaining lyrics to a song.
—Jessie Bierschenk
Over 100 6th, 7th and 8th graders had a ball on Wednesday, Nov. 20 as Patriots dressed up in their
favorite sports’ teams jerseys for Sports Day. Patriots gathered to watch five teams of four compete in an obstacle course set up by Student Council in the gym. The team that came out victorious received a cash prize for each member. Round one saw Shayne Larimer, Dean Phillips, Jackie Hamilton, and Jalyn Johnson finish first. Afterwards, new teams were chosen (through a raffle), and Matthew
Garcia, Ryan Breitman, Kaie Heninger, and Lisa Emanuel beat the rest. It was definitely a game to remember.
—Yoni Strugatsky
Groups like these stepped onto the stage to
show off their karaoke skills on Decade Day.
Patriots got messy in their
search for an Oreo in a bowl
of whipped cream.
Conrad and Nnamdi
gather in the gym for
the Oreo Blast.
Black & White Day
Mr. Hernandez and his class suited up in black and white on Friday.
Many Patriots gathered in the auditorium on
Thursday to support the karaoke groups onstage.
Ready, set, ore-go! On Friday, Nov. 22, Revere looked like a black and white 1950s movie. Patriots were dressed up in black and white attire and many students were especially excited for the tasty conclusion to Spirit Week. With five rounds and eight people per round, only forty students in black and white
clothing were chosen to play. First, chosen students crab-walked towards pie tins filled with whipped cream
and a hidden Oreo inside. Hurried participants stuffed their faces with whipped cream to find their chocolate treasures, hurrying back on one foot to the finish line. Black and White day was a slam-milk-dunk!
—Mai Robinson
Can You Withstand the Pressure?
By SIERRA MARGOLIS
Students are sometimes put
under a lot of pressure in school.
But Mr. Aochi seems to have
found a fun and new way to
teach students about physics and
what pressure is really all about.
On Dec. 4, his students trudged
to school carrying poster boards
full of images and answers to
questions, while carefully protecting their balsawood bridges
from the current of students
squeezing through the gates.
Earlier in the school year, the
students were given an assignment that “stressed neatness,
craftsmanship, and creativity.”
The assignment was to design
and construct a model balsawood bridge from students’ own
plans to carry a maximum load
while using as little wood as possible. For months, students constructed carefully, while making
sure their group paid attention
to the long list of restrictions
and requirements, such as maximum width, height, clearance,
span, and bridge weight, as well
as what sort of glue they could
use, whether or not they could
carve or notch their wood, and
how to glue their wood together.
Each bridge was to face the
Stuctural Stress Analyzer 1000.
This was a boxlike machine
that tested how much weight
each bridge could hold. When a
group decided their model was
ready, Mr. Aochi would open the
front of the machine and place
the bridge inside, under a few
blocks of wood and a metal bar.
Once the bridge was secure,
the bar would come down on
the bridge, increasing pressure until it felt no more resistance, and then move back up
decreasing the pressure to zero.
The student team to whom the
bridge belonged to would tell
Mr. Aochi the amount of pressure. Some bridges were disqualified before they were even
tested because teams either violated some of the restrictions,
or failed to meet requirements.
Though there were a few bridges that were too big or heavy, or
used the wrong kind of glue,
groups like Tomomi Uruma’s or
Chelsea Fong’s, met all requirements and triumphed. Tomomi’s
group’s 155 lb-carrying bridge
had the best results in their period 2 class, while Chelsea’s team
came in first in her period 5 class
with a bridge that could support
95 lbs. Tomomi’s group member
Helene Ren stated that, ”Alicia
A., Jennifer P., May K., Tomomi
and I had some disputes, but
overall we had good participation from everybody.” Chelsea
Young Scientists
Skate the Slopes
By AMANDA THOMPSON
Ready, set, go! On Oct.
25, Ms. Combis’ Physics class
launched into action with a helmet and skateboard. If you happened to look down the west
driveway, you would have seen
students sitting on skateboards
and rolling along while placing
down cups at a steady rate.
“You have to have good balance,” joked 8th grader Simone
Diamond. The idea of the lesson
was to try to push the skateboard
at a constant speed, placing
down cups to the steady rhythm
of classmates counting, “One
chemistry, two chemistry, three
chemistry …” Once all ten cups
were placed down, students measured the distance between each
cup, efficiently noting down the
McKenzie lays down cups to
measure his acceleration rate.
acceleration and speed of the
skateboard.
“Science, especially physics,
though very challenging, can be
Anxious engineers Joshua Barzilai and Ashton Barrie hope their bridge can withstand the pressure.
said that her group, (Meghan J.,
Abbie N., Heather H., Maxine
G., and herself) worked really
well together and that they all
did an equal amount of work.
“We learned that working in
groups is hard in some ways
but easy in others,” Chelsea
explained, “It was easy because we didn’t have to do the
whole thing by ourselves, we
had other people helping us.”
Helene agreed that it was
hard to arrange meetings.
“There were some houses that
we couldn’t meet at,” she re-
very exciting and fun to learn,”
Ms. Combis stated. “I hope my
students learned the value of
teamwork and perseverance.”
In an attempt to get the most
precise data, students were told
to use the average of three tries.
“It was hard to get accurate data,”
said 8th grader Kiara Vaziri. “It
is a challenge to push the skateboard at a constant rate.”
Afterwards, Ms. Combis’
students graphed the data into
a distance vs. time graph and a
speed vs. time graph. “I would
love to do another project like
this one because it makes learning fun,” stated Simone. “It really helps to have a visual of what
I’m studying.”
Students like Simone might
be happy to hear that Ms. Combis already has several similar
projects in mind. “Physics is
not about a pen and paper,” she
stated. “Physics makes life ex-
citing. It helps you plan a strategy to solve your own problems;
helps you design and create, and
so much more.” Ms. Combis has
high hopes for projects like this
one. “Most of all, I want my students to enjoy learning physics
the way I do.”
called, “and we had to meet almost every week, so that was
kind of difficult.” On a slightly
less serious note, Chelsea joked
that her group also learned that
“Bridges take a long time to construct, and are not easy to make
(especially with Elmer’s glue).”
Preventing Teen
Brain Injuries
Humerus Learning
7th graders Ezra, Caroline and
Claire color a spine-tingling
poster about the skeletal system
for Mr. Burke’s science class.
Ms. Asahina’s classes enjoyed a presentation by Dr.
Mayumi Prins from the Department of Neurosurgery at UCLA,
about the brain and how to
prevent brain injuries in teens.
Along with the presentation
on Nov. 8, the speaker invited
students to try on goggles that
would mimic certain types of
common brain injuries, such as
concussions. —Shelby Tzung
SPOT THE
DIFFERENCES
1. no Friday, 2. extra yellow scrap, 3. cool info, 4. red scissors, 5. no black stripe, 6. no gray stripe, 7. different sink color, 8. none on board
Smart Sal the Science Gal
Science can have its ups and
downs, but Mr. Matsu’s science
class definitely seemed to have
a blast during their rollercoaster
project. They spent several weeks
designing, constructing and testing their rollercoasters. The objective was to help the students
learn about gravity and physics.
The image to the left has been
Photoshopped with 8 differences. See if you can spot them all!
By Mai Robinson & Danielle York
‘Live from Revere, It’s Thursday Night!’
By DANIELLE YORK
Ever hear of “Saturday Night
Live?” Well, Revere’s P.E.P.
students certainly did and they
put on their own version of the
show: “Thursday Night Live!”
Directed by Miles Crawford
and Katy Mushlin, this P.E.P.
production was written by the
cast members who then acted out
their skits.
Students first practiced the
art of improvisation so they
could then write and participate
in comedy sketches.
“It is a safe environment,
without judgment, where everyone gets to participate!” said
Katy. “Comedy is certainly the
best forum for getting out of your
shell!”
Miles agreed. “The difference
from the beginning of the course
to the end was huge. I think it is
due to the fact that they got to be
silly and play characters.”
During rehearsals, Patriots
played improv games, filmed
short digital skits, worked on
SNL sketches, and generated
new ideas for future sketches.
A different group of people was
worked with in each skit.
“It was epic and funny, and
the cast was excellent,” said
Ethan Jones, a cast member.
“Katy and Miles were awesome,
and I loved performing in the
show.”
After weeks of rehearsals,
the Patriot actors premiered their
show on Nov. 14, which was
a Thursday night (of course).
Some of the sketches that drew
laughs from the audience were
“Blow Drying and Hair” by Lilliana Zar, “Name That Cat” by
Maya Feldman, “The Real Family” by Alexa Maghloubi, “Romantic Date” by Ethan Jones,
“The Creation of ‘Drop It Like
It’s Hot’” by Ally McCoy, and
“Band Auditions” by Anna Clements. There were also some
short digital skits such as “The
Red Button” and “Rap Battle.”
According to Miles, the codirector, “We poked fun at everything from politics to culture,
to people and places, from musicians to beauticians, all the way
to everything from the mundane
to the eccentric.”
Added Katy, “I have loved
working with these kids and
seeing what they think is funny.
Having them generate their own
material, that they’re excited
about, has been a real joy.”
(from left to right) Jack, Owen, Maya, Shane, Ethan, Reed, Rebecca and Ally were some of Thursday Night Live’s performers and comedy writers.
Patriots Present Winter Fun
Chamber Orchestra Plays
for Chamber of Commerce
By MAI ROBINSON
Musicians in Paul Revere’s
prestigious Chamber Orchestra preformed at a Chamber of
Commerce convention on Oct.
18 and shared their musical talents with principals from many
schools in Los Angeles County.
Two dozen of Revere’s top
string players took a break from
their classes to visit the Omni
Hotel and performed in front
of the Omni’s Waterman Hall.
Principals attending the convention enjoyed Revere’s sweet
renditions of Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel and Mozart.
The performance was a particularly rocky one for student
Esther Son. “I was kind of ner-
vous at first, then I started playing, and then I was relieved, and
then it was fun,” the double bass
player recalls. “All that was in
my mind was ’Keep playing.’
and ‘Look at the conductor.’”
Revere’s Chamber Orchestra
consists of violins, violas, cellos
and double basses. Ms. Jacques
describes the orchestra as “a
small group of auditioned, motivated music students.”
The 24 members of the orchestra meet once a week at
lunch on Thursdays. According
to Ms. Jacques, Patriots are welcome to visit the practices and
enjoy their bagged lunch with
Beethoven, macaroni with Mozart, or cheesecake with Tchaikovsky.
Chamber Orchestra musicians perform at Omni’s Waterman Hall.
Photos: Miles Crawford
By YONI STRUGATSKY
Anna Davtyan poses in her
ballerina outfit before the
show, “The Nutcracker.”
This holiday season, Patriots
are preparing to deck Revere’s
halls with lots of holly and jolly,
and they won’t be leaving their
coats at home. From dances to
music performances, ballets and
winter grams, it’s quite a snowpacked winter.
Dec. 17 was the date set for
music makers to hit the stage
for a choral concert and a winter themed performance the next
day. “The Advanced Orchestra
will be playing ‘Fantasia’ and
‘Troika,’ and the Symphony
will play ‘Farandole,’ ‘Aboriginal Ritual’ and ‘Rudolph, the
Red-Nosed Reindeer,’” says 8th
grade violinist Tyler Spencer. “It
will be a breath-taking performance.” In addition, four soloists will play ‘The Star Spangled
Trumpet players in H-3 practice their tunes for the winter concerts.
Banner’ and the chamber will
play ‘Concerto in B Minor. ‘
The choir practiced for
months to fill the auditorium
with sounds of holiday songs,
such as “We Wish You A Merry
Christmas.” The band will be
playing in the auditorium on
Thursday, Dec. 19, and performing space-themed pieces such as
the “Stark Trek” theme.
Meanwhile, students prepared to take a sleigh ride out
of the auditorium, and to Town
Hall for the 2013 winter dance.
This winter-themed snow-ball
was held on Friday, Dec. 13. It
featured a D.J and “other fun
surprises,” said Ms. Istrin.
Another kind of dance, “The
Nutcracker,” was highlighted in
special shows after Thanksgiving by Patriots Gabi Feingold,
Shelby Tzung, Anna Davtyan,
Thais Casanova, Willow Saxon, Rachel Kovacs and Olivia
Baum. They all performed outside of school at the Broad Theater. “We started rehearsing at
September, during the weekends
for two hours,” said Gabi. “My
mom was a dancer and when
I was younger, she put me into
ballet and I’ve been doing it ever
since.” On stage, Gabi played
the main part of Clara, and was
also the party girl and a Chinese
dancer. 12 November/December 2013
The Town Crier asked 12 opinionated Patriots to take sides on some of the hottest topics of the year.
Layout by Melissa Bunnapradist
I like hip-hop because it has a fast beat. It
gets me up in the morning and also, in a way,
it can be a slow song. In some ways it can be
bad, but overall I like hip-hop. There is some
other music I like and it’s rap—yes, there are
some bad songs, but most are really good and
that’s why I like rap. –Cameron Lewis
The reason why I like pop music more than
hip-hop is because pop music has a good beat.
You’d rather wake up listening to it than hiphop. You can dance to hip-hop but pop is more
upbeat and happy so it’s a lot more enjoyable.
You can’t really sing to hip-hop, plus you would
have a better day if you listened to happier
music. —Ayanami Taylor
“What Does The Fox Say?” is an awesome
video. It’s a mix of comedy and real life sounds
from animals. It makes you truly wonder what
the fox says. “Cha-cha-cha-chow, ring- ringring- ringring- ring.” Does a fox communicate
by Morse? We may never know… until you
watch the video. It’s better than “How Animals
Eat Food” because it has a better theme and a
catchier tune. –Zach Hausner
“How Animals Eat Food” is a hilarious fiveminute video. The video basically just copies
how animals eat, and puts a comical spin on it.
Sometimes the “animals” don’t even really eat
the food, like when portraying a rhino, the actor
just runs into the table. It’s way more entertaining than “What Does The Fox Say.” It’s a cool
song and all, but who writes a song about the
sounds animals make? —Kristin C.
Active is way better than Neff. First of all, Neff
is a blue guy sticking his tongue out. Active
means something. People need to be Active.
What is Neff? Who cares about Neff? Neff is
just a plain old guy with long hair. Nothing
special, but Active has all kinds of things. They
make socks which is totally hip these days. Neff
sounds like somebody’s sneeze. Active is way
better. —Ryan Simanian
Neff has revolutionized the clothing industry.
All of their merchandise is made with the best
materials and always features vibrant colors
and patterns. This makes Neff way better then
Active in terms of youth clothing and accessories. You can’t forget the little smiley face logo
with its tongue sticking out displayed on their
products. All of these things make Neff superior
to Active. —Niara Brown
The first time that I heard an Eminem song
was when I was 7 or 8. Eminem is very talented
and usually puts his talent in the right place.
I mostly enjoy his songs just because he isn’t
screaming and there aren’t sirens wailing in
the background. Even though I was definitely
disappointed in his new album because it just
didn’t seem like him, I will still always enjoy
his old music and style. —Jake Takakjian
Lana del Rey is one of the biggest jazz artists
of the year. Her songs are great for a “rainy day
mood.” Her music has a tune that’s peaceful and
pretty, unlike Eminem whose music is loud and
can give you a bit of an earache. While Lana del
Rey has stayed “Young and Beautiful” throughout her music career, maybe it’s time for Eminem to “Go to Sleep.” —Melissa Bunnapradist
The Goldbergs is TV’s number one new show.
It brings comedy and relatability together into
one 30-minute segment. But what really ties
this sitcom together is the real experiences. You
can watch thrillers like The Walking Dead that
show you the near-fictional possibilities of a
zombie apocalypse, or you can spend your time
with a hilarious comedy that will drop your jaw
and leave you wanting more. —Brian Zargar
The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows
because it’s a show like no other. Most people
like watching those comedy shows like the
Goldbergs, but I enjoy watching a show about
the world taken over by zombies. The Walking
Dead is about a few survivors who must stay
together to survive a zombie apocalypse. This is
one of my favorite shows and I would recommend it to anyone. —Morgan Novak
I’m a big movie watcher and this year I saw
Ender’s Game. This sci-fi masterpiece is
jampacked with action, adventure, and a little
romance with spectacular special effects and
mindblowing twists. Technically both Catching
Fire and Ender’s Game are great movies, but
Ender’s Game had way better special effects, a
better story line, and more emotional scenes.
–Rayne Camden
Catching Fire is catching the attention of
people all over the world. The Hunger Games’
sequel premiered on 4,163 screens throughout
the country in late November. Complete with
excellent directing by Francis Lawrence and talented actors, Catching Fire was complimented
by both critics and raving fans. Who wouldn’t
eat poison berries to see this movie?
—Alicia Abramson
The Town Crier
CHALLENGE:
By LYRIC LATSHAW
Six competitors. Thirty-five
minutes. Eighty-one squares.
One winner.
Sudoku is a popular puzzle that exercises your brain
Savvy Sudoku
and gives you an opportunity
to think in more logical ways
than you would normally have
to. On Nov. 15, six 6th grade
students were gathered in E-5
where barricades, puzzles, and
pencils were set out and ready to
Designed on http://www.life.currenttoday.com/sudoku/
go. Cameras were snapping, the
timer was ticking, and the children were given silence to solve
their puzzles in peace. In this
particular Town Crier Challenge,
Jasmin Jean-Louis held the Sudoku crown with a Paul Revere
record-breaking time of thirty
minutes and thirty-two seconds.
Before the challenge, the
competitors were asked to rate
themselves on a scale from one
to ten. Based on their skills and
their experience, the majority
of the kids were an eight, with
one exception. “I actually didn’t
think that I was going to win, because one of my peers (Yucheng)
rated himself a nine,” Jasmin
confessed. When the challenge
was nearing to an end, tension
was felt in the air. Most of the
competitors were close to finishing, but there was only one true
victor.
While she filled in the nine
by nine Sudoku board, Jasmin
felt anxious, despite her love
for a good test. “When I won, I
was happy and surprised at the
same time. I was nervous doing
it, even though it was actually
pretty easy,” Jasmin said.
“I like Sudoku because it’s
Alicia, Jasmin, Yucheng, Connor, Emily and Vincent are prepared.
challenging and I like to play it
with my mom.”
When Jasmin was younger,
she practiced Sudoku frequently.
At age seven, she and her mom
finished all the Sudoku puzzles
that were labeled “easy.”
When asked about her strategy, Jasmin explained, “I just look
at the numbers in the squares and
see which are missing. The ones
that fit together are the solutions,
usually.” It’s that simple.
And what was Jasmin’s favorite part of the whole challenge? Winning, of course.
Jasmin is declared victorious!
Sports
Cross Country Runners Cross the Finish Line
7th grader Brent Smith (1st place overall) takes the lead followed by Flaviano Winther, an 8th grade Patriot (coming in 2nd place for Revere boys and coming in 4th overall).
By GEORGIA CALVERT
Wednesday, Oct. 30th may
be recognized by most as the
day before Halloween, but to a
cross-country runner competing
in the Delphic League finals, it
was much more than that. Two
hundred and seventy runners
crowded the starting line waiting
for the signal that would send
them off, speeding like bullets.
The race was held at Pierce College on a bumpy terrain. Revere
contestant Ryan Breitman said,
“Pierce College was definitely
Brittany Darrow finishes the race, taking the overall first place spot.
Girls Volleyball Team
Finishes Season on Top
By BRITTANY DARROW
One team at Revere that has
been spiking up some interest is
the varsity volleyball team. The
new season started on Oct. 4th
and lasted until Nov. 15th. During this time, Revere competed
against teams from schools such
as St. Jerome, New West, Park
Century, La Tijera, Culver City,
and Century Community.
By the end of the season,
Paul Revere ended up placing
first place in League B, with St.
Jerome close behind them. St.
Jerome had the same amount
of points as Revere, but Revere
ended up defeating them and
taking first place in the league.
Revere ended the season with
a six-to-one record, losing only
their first game, which was
against Culver City’s team.
Because of their success in
the league, Revere made it to the
top eight teams in the entire division. They played against Frank
Parent, who was placed 4th in
League A, and defeated them.
After their win in the round of
eights, Revere was victorious in
the semi-final game against Culver City’s 7th grade team, who
was in 2nd place in League A.
After the semi-finals, Revere
was on their way to their final
game—the championships. At
the game, Revere went headto-head with Culver City’s 8th
grade team, which had been undefeated for three years.
According to Jessie Bierschenk, a 7th grader player,
“Everyone on the team played
extremely well in the finals.”
Nevertheless, Revere’s team still
was defeated by their opponents
with a final score of 25-23, landing them in second place in the
entire division.
“Even though we lost, I feel
that our team has become really
close-knit, which, I think, affected how far we got in the division
and league,” Jessie stated. The
season may have been tough, but
the volleyball team was able to
find their way to the top of their
league.
the hardest course I’ve ever run.”
The course was 1.9 miles of dirt
and dust that Patriots, along
with competitors from other
schools, were ready to take on.
Despite the fact that Revere
was the only public school competing in the race, their excitement still raged and their spirits
were high. The opposing schools
for Revere’s teams included
Oaks Christian, Marlborough,
Harvard Westlake, Brentwood,
Immaculate Heart, Chamanade,
Campbell Hall, Buckley, Crossroads, Viewpoint, Calvary Christian, Windward, St. Paul’s, St.
Matthew’s, St. Mel’s, Pilgrim,
Archer, and Sierra Canyon.
“Revere was quite impressive and was by far the most talented and spirited out of all of the
local private schools,” said Mr.
Foxson proudly. Patriots proved
their passion for this sport by
snatching up first place for the
boys and third place for the girls.
Seventh grader Brittany Darrow stayed in front of her 95
rivals the entire race. She made
her mark by sprinting to the finish line with not only the glory of
first place, but also her new best
time for that distance: 11:56. “I
was exhausted when I completed
the race, but at the same time I
was ecstatic about my win.”
The top five Patriot girls to
finish were Brittany Darrow, Lillia Weissmuller, Stella Collin,
Quincy Timmerman, and Alexa
Steinberg. Sixth grader Lillia Weissmuller was the second
contestant from Revere to cross
the finish line and the sixteenth
overall. Sixth grader Stella Collin was the next Patriot to finish
the race and was ranked twentyfirst. Afterwards, came Quincy
Timmerman in twenty-fifth
place, yet another sixth grader at
Revere. And the fifth Patriot to
finish was eighth grader Alexa
Steinberg, who completed the
competition in thirty-first place.
Overall Revere’s girls were
proud to take home third place,
losing only to Immaculate
Heart and Harvard Westlake.
Brent Smith, a seventh grader
at Paul Revere, was the overall winner of the boys race,
finishing with a time of 10:21.
While 173 participants struggled to cut in front of Brent,
he still managed to finish first.
The next four male Patriots
to come in after Brent Smith, in
order, were Flaviano Winther,
Christian Jackson, Finn Cawley,
and Brandon Gonzalez. Eight
grader Flaviano Winther crossed
the finish line in fourth place overall. After, came Christian Jackson, an eighth grader at Revere,
who finished in eleventh place.
Next was eighth grader Finn
Cawley in twelfth place. And
finally came Brandon Gonzalez, another eighth grader
at Revere, in thirtieth place.
Revere cross-country runners
were happy to show their competition what they are made of
and were proud of their actions.
Morgan Novak, a competing
Patriot, told of her experience in
the race, “I was extremely proud
of all our runners and I can’t
wait until next time.”
Revere’s volleyball team had a high-scoring season. On the top row, from left to right, are Olivia Kravitz,
Wallis Ramsdell, Lilly Von Ruden, Miros Valipour, Maddie Fowler, Melody Echove and Megan Talazar.
On the bottom row are Jaden Fergueson, Chloe Uhls, Hannah Yick, Jessie Bierschenk and Meilani Wang.
Jake Sands
Jake Sands is very serious
when it comes to tennis. He
practices every day for two to
three hours. He starts with warm
ups, then does drills and points
such as fitness, sprints, and lots
of running. Doing this makes
him strong during P.E.
Jake says he became a tennis
player because of his dad, who
was a pro tennis player and rated
in the top 100 in the world.
“I like tennis because it is
fun,” Jake explains. “I just like
being competitive. It fits my personality.”
He plays tennis so much that
it usually takes up the whole
weekend. During tournaments,
he doesn’t care how big or strong
his opponents are, he just sticks
to the routine and strives hard to
win. “My favorite tennis player
is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and he
also inspired me to be a better
player.”
His biggest achievement was
winning four national tournaments (two in Southern California and two in Arizona). They
were all hard for him since he
had to go up against his rivals
but at the end, he was proud to
bring the trophy home.
—Ysmael Kamgaing-Kouam
Caroline Ross
Caroline Ross is a spontaneous a tennis player. She practices
4-5 times a week, for 2 hours depending on the day. She started
playing it 5 years ago. During
her practices, her routine consists of drills, games, practice
matches, and lots of exercising.
“To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how I started playing
tennis,” said Caroline Ross. “But
my dad played tennis and I tried
it out at my friend’s birthday
party and I liked it, so my dad
helped me continue on. Gradually, it became a natural thing.”
Not only it is fun for her, she
has become faster and stronger.
Whenever she exercises before tennis, it keeps her more in
shape for other physical activity
(like in P.E.). This also increases
her stamina. Her favorite thing
about tennis is that she is able to
Smashing Tennis Stars
Serve Up Success
on the Courts
run around and have fun playing
a sport she enjoys while hanging
out with her friends who enjoy
the same game.
“I’ve played tournaments
for years, and I’m pretty comfortable and used to playing. I
play tournaments about every
3 weeks.” When Caroline was
younger, she always wanted to
be a professional tennis player,
but then realized that having
a tennis career takes up your
whole life, and even though she
loves tennis, she wouldn’t want
to devote every hour of her life
doing it.
—Ysmael Kamgaing-Kouam
Danilo Milic
Gigi Feingold
When she was eleven, Gigi
Feingold walked onto the tennis
court feeling excited to try something new. It was her first year
playing seriously; however, she
actually started at six just playing for fun with her father.
Since then, Gigi describes
her tennis routine as rigorous and
says it requires a lot of fitness
and core training. She plays every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for
about two hours. “My practice
starts with a bit of mini tennis,”
she says, “which is basically a
mini tennis game that warms up
my arms and legs. Afterwards,
I usually do a drill that consists
of forehands, backhands, and
volleys or overheads, which are
all different tennis techniques.
When I’m done with the drills,
I do a basket of serves and end
the day with either a game or
match.”
Gigi also says that tennis
has helped her in other fields of
physical exercise. She says tennis has made her feel more fit
and athletic, and also has made
her a faster runner. “My favorite
thing about tennis is the feeling
after you hit a great shot or after you win a tennis match,” she
says. “Whenever I play at a tennis tournament, I always start off
really nervous. The first match I
play is always a little shaky but
during the next few, I hit much
better and I have more confidence in myself.”
She says she’d like to play
tennis professionally when she’s
older, but she also says that
“you’ll never know what could
happen along the way”, knowing
she could get badly injured. But
so far, Gigi Feingold’s taking her
chances and getting her game on.
—Melissa Bunnapradist
This tennis sports star sure
knows how to cause a racquet at
Paul Revere. Danilo Milic, a 7th
grade patriot, is one of multiple
tennis players at Revere. At age
six, Danilo’s father introduced
water polo, basketball, and tennis to Danilo, but Danilo chose
tennis. By age seven, he began
to become more serious, and he
knew tennis was his sport.
“I felt it in my heart,” says
the preteen tennis sports star.
His favorite moment was when
the coaches from USTA decided
they wanted him to train three
times a week. Danilo especially
loves when he is in a tight match;
he has a lot of pressure on him.
After years of training at the
USTA Training Center, Danilo
is now in the Youth Top 20 for
best tennis players in Southern
California.
In the future, Danilo sees
himself being a professional
tennis player in many worldwide tournaments. He plans to
make a large effort to be in the
Olympics and participate in all
of the Grand Slams, large tennis
competitions. Also, he finds Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis
Olympian, one of his main role
models. All in all, Danilo is excited for the future and says, “I
just want to play.”
—Gabi Feingold and
Brittany Darrow
Casey Ehrlich
Casey Ehrlich’s just finished
another tennis practice. His experience dates back to since he
was eight, when he walked onto
the tennis court for the first time.
While he hasn’t started participating in tournaments yet, his
practice happens twice a week
for ninety minutes each. He
wants to compete in tournaments
around the spring of 2014, but
that doesn’t stop him from putting his best effort into what he’s
doing right now.
“I started playing [tennis]
because I wasn’t so crazy about
team sports,” Casey says. “I
thought tennis would be a good
outlet.” When asked about how
he practices, he continues, “During my lessons I first warm up
with some basic drills. Afterwards, I either work on serving
the ball or volleys, which are
strikes or kicks of the ball made
before it touches the ground.
Sometimes, I even practice my
footwork. I also play with my
dad or uncle another time once
during the week.”
Casey claims that tennis has
also helped him with another
sport he does- skiing. He says
tennis has made him more balanced from all the footwork
he does during practice. While
Casey doesn’t plan to pursue a
tennis career when older, he says
he’d like to play as much as he
can and stay in practice.
—Melissa Bunnapradist
Currently, she practices almost every day with her mother
and brother. She also drives to
Oxnard in order to practice with
the USTA competition training
center team. When she is not
practicing, she spends most of
her weekends at competitions.
“I play tournaments all over
southern California. I have also
played national tournaments in
states such as Florida, Nevada,
Oregon and Arizona,” she said.
“Last summer, I was selected to
represent southern California in
the Pacific Zonals Tournament
in Tucson, Arizona. We played
teams from Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Hawaii and northern California.”
During this tournament,
Caroline went undefeated and
won 9-0 in all of her matches.
And just last month, she won the
Desert Cities Grand Prix Masters
Tournament.
“I feel great playing tennis,
especially when I know I have
done my best, win or lose,” Caroline says. “Tennis is important
to me because it is a sport I know
I will be playing for the rest of
my life.” —Shelby Tzung
Henry Lovett
One Patriot who is serving
it up in sports is Henry Lovett.
Henry has been playing tennis
for about three and a half years.
And six times a week for 2-3
hours he is down at the tennis
courts causing a racket. What
motivates him to dedicate so
much time to this sport?
“I like the competition and
the individual fight,” he explains.
He is an experienced player and
he has approximately three tennis tournaments a month, which
he hopes to win.
Tennis is exciting for him
and Henry Lovett loves it, but
having fun is not the only benefit
this sport serves up. Henry hopes
that tennis will help him in the
future by making it easier for
him to earn a scholarship to some
of the top schools in this country.
Henry will continue to play this
sport because tennis seems to be
right up Henry’s ally.
— Samantha Rene
Caroline Goldberg
For as long as she can remember, Caroline Goldberg has
been out on the tennis court.
She comes from a family of tennis players and her mother and
brother encouraged her to begin
playing. By the time she actually started playing, she had no
doubts about the sport and was
very optimistic. Now, she is in
the top 100 12-year old female
tennis players in the country.
Lily Gruber
Looks like this Patriot is really having a ball! Sixth grader,
Lily Gruber, is one of Revere’s
very own tennis stars! Nine
years ago, she was inspired to
play by contemplating on how to
hit a ball perfectly.
Lily has also started playing club soccer, and she attends
many tournaments and competitions for both soccer and tennis.
Since she manages to do two
sports at once, she only gets to
play tennis on the weekends and
during the summertime.
Lily says she finds the competitions quite difficult because
she plays in a higher level of
tennis than others, but when she
plays with her age division, she
isn’t challenged. Even though
soccer is her primary sport, she
knows she can always fall back
on this secondary sport.
“I don’t know whether I will
continue to play tennis or not
because there’s a chance I might
play soccer forever.”
—Jojo Levey
High-Flying Halloween Fashions
On Oct. 31,
Patriots
showed off
their wicked
cool styles.
On Halloween
night you might
have seen (from
left to right)
Brittany and
Jordan in their
comfy onesies,
Meilani in her
cute fairy
outfit, and
Mira dressed
in all blue in
her Cookie
Monster
costume.
Ethan looks like
a dead man
walking through
Westwood in his
creepy makeup
and zombie
attire.
Jite is dreaming
of “The Happiest
Place on Earth”
as she models her
Minnie Mouse
dress and ears.
But what would
Mickey say about
those boots?
Scotty gives herself
a richly-deserved
thumbs-up for her
comical, colorful
jack-o’-lantern outfit.
Bright face paint
completes her
stylish look.
Rachel poses
after wagging
around and
sniffing for
treats in her
one-piece dog
get-up and
makeup.
Claire (left) and Tess show off their
serious football attire and black face-paint
to increase the intensity of their
costumes.
Aaron is grinning in his
bright-orange Pac-Man
suit after dodging ghosts
on his search for sweets.
Grace (front) and
Eloisa (middle) stay
warm in trendy onesies while
Morgan (back) mixes things
up with a Dorothy costume.
Where’s Toto?
Arash has a killer look with
his one-of-a-kind tuxedopumpkin-zombie outfit.
Cat (left)
and Hannah
are rocking
their stylish
unicorn and
panda
costumes.
(From left to right) Taylor, Lily, Perri, Camden and Uliana are all smiles on Halloween night.
Camden and Taylor stick to the same theme as Peter Pan and a Lost Boy. Perri and Lilly dress
as animals in their unicorn and cat costumes. Uliana keeps it classic in her prima-ballerina look.
Layout by Nick Leader. Captions by Poppy Frost and Jessie Bierschenk.
Celebrating the Holidays in Style
Patriots come from over 100 different zip codes as well as many different cultures.
Town Crier reporters invited them to talk about this year’s holiday celebrations.
Interviews and layout by Brittany Darrow and Gabi Feingold
Thanksgivukkahh
On Nov. 28, Oliver Spector, a sixth grade Patriot,
and his family celebrated Thanksgivukkah, a
holiday that won’t come again for 70,000 years,
since the first day of Hanukkah almost never
falls on Thanksgiving. “We made and lit a
menorah out of pumpkins,” he said. “We
ate Thanksgiving food and Hanukkah food,
such as turkey, mashed potatoes, and latkas.”
Diwali
Nilay Desai celebrated the Indian new year, also
known as Diwali, on Sunday, Nov. 3 with his
mom, dad and sister. “During this new year, my
family performs Hindu rituals in a ceremony at my
house. On this day, we all pray to the god Ganesh,
who helps us overcome obstacles, the goddess
Saraswati, who guarantees a good education and
the goddess Laxmi, who brings wealth and prosperity. Diwali is also the time when Ram, another
Indian god, was coming home after killing the
demon, Ravan. Diwali symbolizes good triumphing over evil.”
Christmas
Hanukkah
Seventh grader
Meilani Wang and
her family prepared
for Christmas this
year on Dec. 8.
“We hung stockings
and Christmas
cards, drank hot
chocolate, and
listened to
Christmas music
by the fireplace,”
she said. “I like it
because we do it
annually and
it’s fun.” Her
two dogs joined
in the good times.
Seventh grader Aaron Heisen
celebrated Hanukkah this year by
participating in his favorite family
traditions. “We got to watch the
football games, light the menorah
candles and recite our prayers to
thank the lord,” he said. “We also
got to take part in a secret gift
exchange where the parents gave
presents to the kids.”
Eid Al-Adha
This year, seventh grader Ali Zafar-Khan
participated in the Muslim holiday
known as Eid Al-Adha. Ali celebrated at
a friend’s house with his family.
“We celebrate it because of
Ramadan, a month of fasting,
and Hajj, a pilgrimage.
After all the fasting and
the hard work, we
celebrate, so we
get presents—
kind of like
Christmas.”
Norouz
Seventh grader Samira
Ahmadzadeh celebrated the
Persian new year, known
as Norouz, with her family
and friends. “One thing that
we do on Norouz is pick
two pieces of grass, tie them
together, and make a wish.
We also put money in a Holy
Book, and then my sister and
I get the money!”

Reaching `New Heights` - Paul Revere Charter Middle School

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