December 9, 2011 - simonbaruchpride.com

The Official Student-Written Newspaper of MS 104
Issue Number 1
December 9, 2011
m
Simonbaruchpride.co
Available online at
PBIS Sets Tone in School
By Logan Blunt
Peanut Butter in School?
No, more like Positive Behavior Intervention System.
PBIS is a system that is enforced in schools all over the
nation. It is used at MS 104
to encourage positive behavMr. Macri speaks to students
about PBIS and what it means ior.
to have positive behavior.
“PBIS has become a piece
of MS 104’s culture,” said Michelle McCaffrey, eighth grade
assistant principal. Mrs. McCaffrey continued, “PBIS is
about expressing the positive behavior to the students, and
not so much about consequences and punishing them.”
The goal of PBIS is not to make the school behavior
perfect, but to improve the behavior.
“I think that our school is in pretty good shape. If I
had to say what I think needs to improve, it would probably
be walking in the hallways and the cafeteria. We definitely
need to improve the behavior held the lunch room,” said
Rocco Macri, seventh grade assistant principal.
Mr. Macri also said, “The Positive Behavior Intervention System has had a major affect on the students here
at Simon Baruch Middle School.”
Not only is it an incentive program, but it also recognizes the students whose behavior has become more positive. There are rewards that follow along with this that continue to encourage students to keep up the good work.
Continued on Page 4
Occupy Wall Street Sparks Interesting Debate
By Marina Barron
On September 17, 2011, a revolution started in New York City. It was
Occupy Wall Street.
Occupy Wall Street, or OWS, is a
series of protests against the economy and the problems with it. People
have come from all over to sit and
protest in the middle of Zuccotti
Protesters in Zuccotti Park against the government and its
Park are camping out wrongdoings. They claim to be repfor Occupy Wall Street.
resenting 99% of America. People
in Occupy Wall Street believe that the 1% of people who
hold most of the wealth and power are destroying the world.
Many people are out of jobs and do not have health insurance, and Occupy Wall Street is trying to change that.
Volleyball, Page 2
“It’s really messed up how 1% controls 40% of the
wealth,” said one young protester named Travis. “We really
need to find a way to get the power back into our hands.”
Over 900 people have already been arrested at the
protests in New York City. Police have pepper sprayed and
hurt many of the protesters.
Another protester, Marcus, said, “I have come to
support the true spirit of the protest, which is a peaceful protest… I want people to be aware that what is on the news
about the danger of OWS is wrong and we are here just sitting out, peacefully protesting.”
Though many believe that OWS is an unsafe and
violent area, it is very different to those protesting and those
going to see the protest.
Continued on Page 4
What’s Inside
Flag Football, Page 2
M15 Woes, Page 3
Baruch Buck Store, Page 4
Next Issue: Are Baruch Bucks fair? What do you think of the new laptops? And more...
Volleyball Team Finishes Strong
By Annie Huynh
The smiles on the
faces of the Simon Baruch volleyball team will
never be forgotten.
After a 6 and 2
regular season, the playThe Lions are getting ready for the off against I.S. 289 was
serve from the other team.
on Thursday, November
3. We won the game and we also won the playoff on Friday versus Nest+m. The following Monday we had a playoff against MAT for the Manhattan Volleyball League title.
However we lost with a score to 20 to 25, bringing us second
place.
The two coaches were Mr. Ko and Ms. Lin. They
both worked as hard as they could to support and encourage
the members to try harder.
Eighth grade team member Rebecca said, “If I mess
up I’ll feel that it’s alright but I have to try harder, because
you will never know which game is your last, so you have to
try your best to get to where you are.”
Marina, an eighth grader who is a volleyball fan,
thinks that the Baruch volleyball team is a great team, and
they work well together as a group. Marina also wants the
team to continue because they work well as a group and just
do their best and have fun.
Volleyball in Simon Baruch Middle School was
mainly open to people who enjoy practicing and playing
against other schools. Until 2009, volleyball only met as a
club. Starting last year, the team that competes against other
schools was created.
Volleyball tryouts were on Monday, September 26,
and the results were shown the next day. Practices were almost everyday afterschool.
Check out Annie’s video
on the volleyball team at
simonbaruchpride.com
Flag Football Team Completes Season
By Vincenzo Acquaviva
Throughout the fall, MS 104 students would go to a
park near the school to play flag football once every week.
In September, when the flag football team started,
around 25 kids joined the team to enjoy a fun afternoon activity.
Eighth grader Lance said, “I joined the flag football
team because it is my second favorite sport and I thought
that I would be an asset to my team.”
Even though the record was 0-5, students still had a
lot of fun.
Basketball Season
Has Begun
Eighth grader Robert said, “I had a lot of fun playing
flag football, even though my team lost all of the games.”
Mr. Ng, the flag football coach said, “It was a really
fun experience to coach the flag football team.”
Mr. Ng also stated, “The purpose of the flag football
team was to give kids a fun and active afternoon activity,
instead of lazing away all day. Even though the kids lost a lot
of games, I’m sure they had fun.”
Based on what the flag football team members said,
the purpose of the flag football team was fulfilled.
Girls
Boys A
Boys B
Keep reading
Simon Baruch
Pride for all
the latest!
M15 Not Exactly Express
Tempers Flare on M15
Its 3:00, and a crowd of students rush out of the
school. Within minutes the bus stop at 21st Street is full, but
the bus is even more crowded.
Students from MS 104 wait loudly for a bus. When
the bus does come a crowd of kids rush into it. In a matter of
seconds the whole bus is full. This makes taking the M15 a
pain for most adults and sometimes the bus drivers.
Eight grade student Matthew said, “I take the M15
to school but not back home because it’s too crowded.”
Sometimes when the bus is too crowded a lot of
problems arise from pushing to fights. Although the buses
are very crowded, students still take the bus because that’s
their only way to get home.
It is even worse when one of the machines where
you get your ticket breaks down. This means everyone will
only be using one machine causing a very long line.
Eight grader Duking said, “I don’t even take the bus
anymore, and now I take the subway because it’s faster and
has less people.”
Eight grade student Tony said, “I just ignore the
people on the bus, but sometimes people start pushing.”
Some people do complain to the MTA but the MTA
doesn’t seem to be changing anything.
Charles Seaton, a spokesperson for the MTA, said,
“As of now there are no plans for extra buses.”
Hopefully MTA will change their mind and add
more buses to the route.
On December 1, 2011, at around 1:45 in the afternoon, a fight occurred on an M15 bus between the driver
and a passenger.
It started when a man got on the bus at 14th Street
and headed to the front of the bus. He started talking trash
and cursing the bus driver for no apparent reason. The bus
driver became very angry and pulled over to a nearby street
and demanded for the man to get off his bus. The man got
off, but not before he shouted a few more words of insult,
and shook his newspaper at the bus driver.
That got on the last nerve of the bus driver. He instantly got out of his seat and ran off the bus after the man.
They met on the sidewalk, and each man held up their fists.
They circled around for about 30 seconds before the fight
was broken up by some people, who happened to be strolling by. The passers by told both the bus driver and the passenger that the other was not worth their strength.
Many people feared that this fight would have
brought a delay to their tight schedule.
“I had to get to work soon,” said a teacher on the
bus. “How would I explain that my tardiness was caused by
a fighting bus driver?”
There were many nervous passengers for the rest of
the trip. Many passengers were also shocked.
“He is a bus driver, he should know better,” said a
senior citizen on the bus. “Can we really trust that bus drivers would keep us safe throughout the trip?”
By David Chen
You
Said
It!
Compiled by
Sophia Lam
By Sophia Lam
“People wanting get on the bus always push me and my friends and I are always separated. Usually one of us gets on the bus and the other one doesn’t.”
-Britney Chen, Sixth Grade
“I can’t believe that people fight over to get on the bus and be so careless. Innocent people can get hurt.”
-Kan Wang, Sixth Grade
“It’s awkward, knowing that people are fighting against you.”
-David Ologan, Sixth Grade
OWS, From Page 1
When I was at the protest, the second I walked
through it, I felt a sense of comfort. There were no fights,
nobody was yelling, they were just there supporting a good
cause. A group of people at OWS were sitting around a circle, listening to a man talking about the problems. It wasn’t
loud, it wasn’t scary, and it was almost like a family.
So, what about the other side of the protest? What
about the people the protesters are fighting against?
In an email interview with Marc LaVornga, a spokesperson for Mayor Bloomberg, he said, “The Mayor strongly
believes everyone has a right to express their views -- whatever they may be -- in New York City and we will defend
their right to do so, but people do not have the right to break
the law or infringe on the rights of other [sic] while express-
ing their views.”
Occupy Wall Street has now spread to cities worldwide. In cities such as Tokyo and Brussels, protesters have
set up camp and police have continually shut them down. In
Los Angeles and Philadelphia police have taken away the
protesters’ tents.
Occupy Wall Street is not meant to harm. It is trying
to change the world for the better.
Now, Occupy Wall Street. Next, a revolution.
Check out Marina’s video
on OWS at
simonbaruchpride.com
PBIS, From Page 1
These rewards can be purchased at the Baruch Buck
Store. Students are given Baruch Bucks when their positive
behavior has shown, whether it is in classrooms, hallways, or
cafeteria. When students reach a certain amount of “money,”
they can go spend their bucks at the Baruch Buck Store.
“We have everything from Rubik’s Cubes and Nerf
footballs to iPod docking stations and electronic devices,”
said Mr. Macri. This gives students who have a little amount
of money, all the way to a great amount of money, to be able
to participate in the store.
Respectful, Responsible, and Ready! These are the
three R’s of the program. Students understand what it means
to be respectful towards teachers, leaders, and even fellow
students. They understand what it means to be responsible,
whether it’s keeping up with their class work and homework,
or being independent when it comes to projects and afterschool sports that may affect the time that they have to do
their work. They also understand what it means to be ready,
from being prepared for class, to being ready to listen and
learn.
The teachers and faculty of MS 104 continue to support the program.
“It’s our way of life,” said Mrs. McCaffrey.
Check out Logan’s video
on PBIS at
simonbaruchpride.com
Baruch Buck Store Open for Business
By Kristin Gribbon and Britney Chen
After several weeks of waiting, the Baruch Bucks
store is finally here! It is in the lunch room. People use Baruch Bucks to pay for items they want.
“I think it’s a cool way to reward people for being
respectful, responsible, and ready,” remarked sixth grade
Kazia Nowina-Sapinski.
“I love the items they have. I’ve been saving Baruch
Bucks for items I want.” said Sophia Lam.
Macri has created different collections of prizes,
each having different prices. They are called The Blue Collection, The Gold Collection, The Blue and Gold Collection,
and The Lion Elite Collection.
Some of the items up for sale include pencils, gift
cards, Rubik’s Cubes, erasers, basketball hoops with the
mini basketball, ITunes gift cards, hand balls, Uno cards,
Tech Decks, footballs and other items.
During lunch, students are supposed to await their
class to be called so they can purchase goodies. Still, sometimes people wait and crowd the table to see what items they
want. Some people even go to sides they aren’t supposed to
go. Some people even just look without buying things.
“I think the Baruch Buck store is cool, but the bad
part is that I don’t have a lot of Baruch Bucks.” said Vanessa
Louie.