Simmons Middle School Standard, 2013-2014

The Global Scholar
Simmons Middle School
November 6, 2013
This
fall,
s t u dents took the Global Scholar Tests
opposed to the SMI/SRI tests that they
took at the beginning of the 2012-2013
school year. Every grade took the reading and math tests, but the seventh
grade additionally took the science
test. A few seventh and eighth grade
students were selected to give their
opinion on these new tests. Two out of
four students said that they had liked
the Global Scholar better than the
SMI/SRI.
“I liked the Global Scholar better because it showed us charts and pictures," said seventh grader, Diega
MacDougall. "The questions were
more clear.”
Another student also expressed that
they thought the questions were easier
to understand.
There were also a few students that
said that they liked the SMI/SRI more
than the Global Scholar. “The
SMI/SRI seemed more like a trivia
game than a worksheet," said eighth
grader Warren Griggs. "Global Scholar
By: Ashley Blevins
was less engaging.”
William Cochrane said that he liked
the Global Scholar better for the reading because the passages were interesting. He also said that, although he
liked the Global Scholar better for
reading, he liked the SMI for math because “The Global Scholar drug on
and on for the math test.”
Mr. Cain spoke with a SMS Standard
Newspaper Staff member to answer a
few questions about the Global
Scholar topic. He stated his personal
opinion on school testing. “Sometimes
we take too many school days for
achievement tests and I hope that in
the future, we can use fewer days and
get just as good results.” The Hoover
City School system curriculum directors made the decision for us to take
the Global Scholar. Mr. Cain was
asked why they made this decision and
he responded that the “Global Scholars test was a better assessment of the
students abilities.” And Mr. Cain also
stated that teachers will use the Global
Scholar results “to help plan academic
intervention for students of all
achievement levels.”
The Principal's Message
Taken by Mrs. Preston
Hoover City School students took the Global Scholar tests this fall on their
brand new chromebooks.
By: Mr. Cain
Students,
I want to thank all of you for helping us get
off to a good start this school year. You really
have responded well each time I have asked
something of you. For example, Kindness
Week was a big success. Also you have gotten
a LOT better at taking care of your Chromebooks. Remember what I said at our first student meeting this year: Our expectations for
you are very high. We need you to respect
yourself and everyone else (both in school and
out of school). Making good choices is vital to
your success now and in the future.
Taken By Hannah Jordan
Mr. Cain
Flip to page 5
to learn about
the buses
Volume V. Issue I.
Also as you can see by our signs, a good ATTITUDE is a very high expectation we have
for everyone at Simmons. Please continue to
try and have a positive attitude about all things.
Keep an eye out
for an article on
Chromebooks
on page 5
It is important to get good grades, and it is
very important to LEARN the material your
teachers are teaching. You have great teachers
who want you to succeed. Your administrators
want you to succeed too. Keep trying to do
your best. Don't listen to anyone who tells you
that you can't be a great success.
If you did not make the grades this past nine
weeks that you wanted to, refocus your efforts
and attitude on doing better this nine weeks.
Go to your teachers for extra help each morning. Remember we are preparing you to do
well now, and at Hoover High School.
Have a great rest of the first semester.
Go Bucs
Brian Cain
Be sure to read
all of the sports
articles on page
seven
Band
Happenings
November 6, 2013
SMS Standard
Page 2
By: Kyara Lewis
Have you ever wondered what our school
band does? Well, a few
days ago on Saturday
October 19th the honor
band members and the
cadet band members went
to
the
Hoover
Invitational. Many high
school bands were also
there. The high school
bands performed really
long songs and had their
own show too. It was
really cool!
Our
Simmons band just
played the Star Spangled
banner from memory, but
they still sounded amazing. One of the judges
said that the band sounded better than the bands
that played before them.
If you've been to a
Simmons football game,
you saw the band there
too. The pep band got the
crowd going as they performed at home games
this year.
Another fun band event
that happened recently
was
the
annual
Halloween
concert.
During the concert the
band played lots of cool
music. Some of them
were
related
to
Halloween, but many of
them weren’t. The 6th
grade beginning band
played, (who sounded
awesome for their first
performance) the Honor
and Cadet band also
played many songs and
they sounded really great
too. After the bands finished performing they
went outside to the parking lot and everyone went
trunk or treating (which is
when you go trunk to
trunk to get candy). Also,
during the concert all the
students had to dress in
their Halloween costumes
and there were different
awards given in each
grade for the most creative costume, the spookiest costume, and just the
best costume in general.
Be sure to stay tuned for
more band action as the
holiday season gets
underway.
Taken by Megan Hagerty
The Simmons Pep Band got the crowd fired up at home games this year.
Taken by Diega MacDougall
Spirit Week dress up days are always fun. These girls are sporting their cowgirl outfits.
Belated
Spooky
Riddles
By: Eleanor Joe Harwell and
Kristin Simanyi
Here's
some
belated
Halloween riddles for you.
1. Why was there no food left
at the Halloween party?
2. Why does Dracula not have
any friends?
3. How do you make a witch
itch?
Answers:
Taken by Diega MacDougall
Mr. Erwin and Mr. Cain prepare to roll out the
Chromebooks.
Google images
The art contest for next issue is "Winter Themed." Turn
your drawing into Mrs. Preston in room 227 by Dec. 4th.
1. It was all goblined up.
2. Because he's a pain in the
neck.
3. Take away her "W"
Opinions
Winter
Dance
Fashion
November 6, 2013
page 3
What Are
You Wearing?
By Pippa Lother and Emily Bloom
There are school dances
coming up, and you're probably wondering what to
wear. Sixth graders, your
dance is November 22nd,
seventh graders yours is in
January 24th, and eighth
graders yours is February
8th.
My advice for girls, don’t Get ready to show off those fashionable duds at the winter dance.
overdo it. My suggestion is
a cute skirt and a flattering
complement your outfit friends. Low buns and high or a button up tucked into
top or a comfy dress for getshould do the trick. As for pony tails are the way to go pants. And remember,
ting your groove on. Wear
hair, please don’t come with if you want your hair up. If whenever you tuck in your
shoes that are comfy and
a hobo rat nest on your you have short hair style it shirt, you need a belt. And
allow you to have fun with
head, but also don’t spend to wear it frames your face neither of those outfits
your friends you without
all afternoon on those tiny and for long hair curl it to includes jeans of any kind.
falling on your face. Don't
Remember no shoes, no
meticulous curls. And if you make your hair look thick.
overdo it on your hair and
do have a gorgeous hairstyle
Now for the boys. For you, shirt, no service. So wear
accessories either. A simple
remember hairspray and young warriors, I suggest a dressy shoes you might
necklace or earrings that
bobby pins are your best neat polo with dressy shorts wear to church or a wed-
Google images
ding. For your hair, just
brush it. It’s really not that
hard, I promise.
I hope you find my fashion
advice helpful and that you
have fun at the dance.
Chromebooks
Was It Worth It?
Probably the biggest change
around Simmons this year, and
believe me there's been a lot, is
the one-to-one student to computer initiative. Every singe
student at Simmons has been
given the opportunity to have a
Chromebook laptop. The only
thing is that people aren’t sure
about is if that's good or bad. I
interviewed one student and
one teacher to get their perspectives.
I asked student Lexi M. if she
liked having a chromebook,
and she said, “Yes, I think it’s
cool to have and helpful if you
don’t have a computer at home
By: Pippa Lother
to use.” I also asked her if she
thought it was worth it to give
everyone in the school a
Chromebook. “No because they
can be broken easily and lots of
kids play games on theirs.
Although it is easier to study
for tests, and I do activities on it
with all of my core classes.” I
asked her if she thought all
schools would eventually go to
a one-to-one student to computer design. She said, “Yes, I
think that education will evolve
electronically.”
Then I tracked down a
teacher and asked her about the
same things and here’s what
she had to say. “I like having
chrome books. The world is
more technological today and I
hope that students will learn
responsibility by taking care of
their chromebooks,” she said.
“In the classroom we make
blog entries, read ebooks, and
do essays on them. It has definitely been a learning experience for me and my class this
year.”
What do you think about the
chromebooks? Only time will
tell if this will happen with
schools everywhere. But one
thing's for sure. Simmons is
leading the way.
Seventh grader Pippa L. gauges student and teacher
response to the new Chromebooks.
here’s what we got:
It turns out that 9 out
of 45 students prefer
pizza. Nine out of 45
like cheese sticks the
best. 10 out of 45 students think bringing
from home beats anything they could buy
from school. In second
place
was
"other,"
which
includes lunchroom
items like Monday
wings, chicken rice
bowl, corn dogs, and
fish sticks. And in
first place, with 17
votes
was,
you
guessed it,...crispitos!!! Seems like
School Lunch Favorites
Eleanor Jo Harwell
We asked students
around the school
what they thought
about their favorite
school lunches, and
Mrs. Preston
there's something for
everybody.
We’d like to thank
SMS lunch cafeteria
workers for preparing
a great lunch for us
every day!
November 6, 2013
The Worlds Weirdest
Animals
Features
Page 4
By Hannah Jordan
So it’s another year at
Simmons
Middle
School. Last year, as
some of you may
remember, I wrote
about different crafts.
This year, I am going
to be writing about
things that are SUPER
weird.
For this article, I’ll be
telling you about some
weird animals. At the
top of the weirdness
scale, is the Sea Pig. It
looks sort of like a
round chunk of meat
mixed with an octopus.
Next comes the Blob
Fish, which, as you
could of guessed, like a
blob. He looks like he
has a nose and is very
sad. There's picture of
this guy on the right.
Then is the Saiga
Antelope, with one
abnormal sniffer. He
looks like a cross
between a regular antelope and gonzo. Check
him out on the right.
This is followed by
the one of a kind
Glaucus Atlanticus, the
brightest blue, upsidedown swimming creature in the sea.
Don’t forget the
Lowland
Streaked
Tenrec, a prickly
orange mole looking
creature.
Then, last but not
least, the Panda Ant, a
fluffy, panda patterned
bug. All these creatures
and more are strange
and bizarre.
They all look like
they're invented from
imagination or, at least,
come from another
planet. animals from a
different world, but
you can find them right
here on Earth. So let’s
give it up for, the
world’s weirdest animals!
Google images
A Saiga Antelope
Google images
A Blobfish
SMS
Standard
Staff
Editor in Chief: Warren
Griggs
Opinions
Lother
editor:
Pippa
News editor: Sabirah Haque
Features
Jordan
editor:
Hannah
Sports
editor:
Jack
Dickerson and Jalen Mosely
Photographers:
Hagerty
and
McDougall
Taken by Megan Hagerty
This year, SMS and Bumpus wore wore green to support
a Brocks Gap student battling cancer.
Taken By Megan
Kindness week was a big success. Thank you to the SAC
reps and sponsors who worked hard to organize it.
Megan
Diega
Reporters: Emily Su, Emily
Bloom and Eleanor Harwell,
Kristin Simanyi, Kyara
Lewis, Jasmine Walker, and
Ashley
Blevins,
Luke
Hinkle,
John
Michael
Williamson, Breanna King,
and Abigail Ford
Goodbye, Buses
Opinions
November 6, 2013
By: Abigail Ford
Do you ride the bus? Well, you won’t
next year. Due to budget cuts, the Hoover
City Board of Education is cutting the
buses next year. This change in transportation is a huge problem for kids
throughout the school system currently
riding the bus. I interviewed people on
their opinions about the loss of the buses.
For some people there won’t be a big
change in their transportation, whereas for
others this is a huge problem.
First I found out what Mr. Cain had to
say about the subject. “Nobody really
wanted to cut the buses,” he said. “But it
Holiday
movies
By: Emily Bloom
Thanksgiving is right
around the corner, and one
of my very favorite things
to do over the holidays is
to go to the movies. Here
are two that are at the top
of my "to see" list.
The first movie coming
out is Free Birds, rated PG.
It’s about two turkeys
who are pardoned by the
president, then break into a
government facility and
travel back in time to prevent turkeys from being
the main thanksgiving
food
I'd rate the preview a 3.5.
It just came out November
1st.
Next, coming out Friday,
is Thor: the dark world.
This PG-13 adventure
takes our electric avenger
back to Asgard to save it
from an evil force trying to
destroy everything. To accomplish this, he needs
help from an unlikely ally,
his evil brother Loki. I'd
rate the preview a 4.5. This
smashing adventure comes
out on November 8th.
was a tough and necessary decision that
had to be made.” When asked how it
might affect the school system he replied,
“It could cause potential traffic congestion
issues, but it could mean that earlier or
later sessions, practices, and activities
could be held before and after school. We
all wish that some money miracle would
happen and that we wouldn't have to cut
the buses."
I also interviewed Pippa Lother, who
rides the bus. “I don’t know how I’m
going to get home now. Both of my parents work late.” says Lother. “This is a serious problem for me. I know they won’t
be able to stop in the middle of their work
day just to come and pick me up from
Page 5
school. Most people ride the bus because
their parents can’t take them to and from
school. I hope we can figure out a way for
me to get to school without the buses in
eighth grade.”
I interviewed a carpooler for her take on
the situation too. “For later high school
years, this will be a problem for me,” says
Brianna King. “It could cause my mom to
be late to work, since she would have to
drive me to the high school, my sister here
to Simmons, and all in the carpool traffic
that will get much worse. I do not think
this was a good idea to cut the buses,”
says King. “It will make it harder for parents and for students, since so many kids
ride the bus every day. This will probably
cause fewer kids to go here, since they
cannot ride the bus, and have no other way
of transportation. They might have to
move to where they can ride the bus.”
As for me, this decision will not really
affect me since I walk. However, I don’t
know if this was the best decision for us.
When you think of school, what’s the first
thing you think of? A school bus! And
don’t forget about the bus drivers, they
will be out of a job. Of course, there are a
few positives. As Mr. Cain said, practices,
meetings, sessions and activities can be
scheduled earlier or later since kids would
need to be picked up. No one is sure if this
decision will last, I just hope that by next
year it will be worked out.
An interview with George Hardy, Somewhat Movie
Star
By: Warren Griggs
One night, my dad and I were looking for something to watch. We
came across a documentary called The Best Worst Movie Ever. It was
about Troll 2, which has gotten extremely famous because of it’s sobad-it’s-hilarious attitude. We were blown away because the guy who
played the dad in the movie, George Hardy, lives in Alabama, right
next to where my dad grew up! So, of course we watched it. It was
ridiculous and was one of the worst horror movies (but one of the best
comedy movies) I’ve ever seen! So I caught up with George Hardy,
who was just about to go to Abu Dabi with a few other cast members
for a showing of the movie for the fans there! So I called him up and
asked him a few questions:
G=George W=Warren
W: So how does it feel to be famous for being in the best-worst
movie ever?
G: Well, it’s still strange to me and it always will be to be recognized as the hero of one of the worst movies ever and it’s pretty unbelievable, but I believe that Troll 2 will never go away and it will just
keep getting bigger and bigger. I’ve become an icon for the character
I played and it’s been great for me because I’ve been able to travel the
world because of this movie and it was made years ago now!
W: So I heard that you were once in Utah as a dentist. How were you
recruited for this movie?
G: I finished Auburn and went to the University of Alabama School
of Dentistry then went to a doctor program in Salt Lake and I was practicing in Salt Lake for about ten years and I was just finishing my tenth
year there and one of my patients said why don’t you go up and audition for a show and I had taken a few acting classes a few years before
I filmed, so I said “what the heck?”, and I went up to audition and got
the lead part, pretty wild.
W: So what happened if you screwed up while filming?
G: Well, the film was shot on 16-millimeter film back then, it wasn’t digital of course. So they were running, or 60-millimeter was what
it was, which was the most expensive film that there was, so we took
only one or two takes. That was the same film that Star Wars was
filmed on, so it was pretty pricy, and if you got it right, good, and if you
didn’t we just went right on ahead with it, which is what you see at the
end of the film. So we only got that one or two takes to get it right.
W: How do the other actors feel about the movies?
G: Well, in the documentary you can kinda see it. It was hard to get
people in for the documentary because they all ran away from it and
we were all embarrassed by it. But now, we all enjoy it and learned to
love it and I think they all like their characters and are glad they were
in the film.
W: So if Claudio came back to you now and said he was making a
Troll 3, would you be in it?
G: Well, I was on the phone with him this morning and, yeah, we’re
planning a Troll 3, it’s gonna be in 3-D we’ve already got 3-D lined up
and we’re planning a kickstarter at the beginning of the year and we’ve
already got it kinda nilled out and so, Troll 3-D, yeah that’s what we’re
planning to do.
W: That’s awesome!
G: We need about a million on kickstarter.
W: How many of the original actors are gonna be in it?
G: I don’t know just yet, so that’s up to the mystery of it, but they
have plans for many of us to come back. I’ll play the grandfather I
think this time.
W: You’re going to have a huge rollout on this thing because of the
huge following on it!
G: I’m with you on that one, I don’t think that it’s too late. There
are literally millions of fans out there, I just don’t think the mass media
has caught on yet. Like when we did Best Worst Movie I thought people would pick it up. Well, Entertainment Weekly picked it up, but
Time magazine and some of the bigger magazines I thought would put
in an article about it didn’t, but I think if Troll 3-D is made, any questions that the writers have will be answered. Alot of demand for it.
G: It is just an honor for you to call me today.
W: Well, we’re truly happy for you and hope you have a great trip,
and it really is an honor to speak to you.
So my suggestion to you, readers, is that you go out and watch this
movie before the third one comes out, just so you can see how goodbad this movie is. This is Warren, ending another day at the cinema.
Picture credit: http://www.shoutingatco.ws/2012/03/07/movie-review-troll-2/
Actor and Dentist George Hardy in one of the famous scenes of the
movie.
The terrible movie that started it all
Photo credit: www.imdb.com
Photo Credit: usa.istreamguide.com
The documentary about the truly Best Worst Movie ever
Page 6
SMS Standard
November 6, 2013
Lady Bucs Basketball
Sports
Taken by Megan Hagerty
The boys basketball team beginning practice with drills.
By: Jack Dickerson
The Lady Bucs Basketball season is about
to get underway. The highly anticipate
games against rivals Mtn. Brook, Thompson, and Bumpus. Head coach of the SMS
Girl’s 8th grade team, Lanisha Cartwell,
looks forward to the upcoming season.
They have already started practicing for
2013 Basketball.
The 8th grade Simmons Girls team consists of Anne Marie Auchmuty, Holly
Woods, Mary Stewart Powers, Rachel
Elder, Jamya Hill, Ava Hayes Weems, Hannah White, Kionna Milligan, Taylor Lucas,
and Nariah Mayo.
Seventh grade coach Bill Mann is equally
optimistic about his team's season.
"I'm excited about the upcoming season
because our girls are hard-working and athletic. That's a combination that should help
us have a successful season, " said Coach
Mann, 7th grade Girls basketball coach.
The 7th grade players consist of Jaden
Paschel, Haley Green, Hannah Smith, Jessica Coates, Erica Bledsoe, Amanda
Gawlowicz, Maggie Rayfield, Mackenzie
Martin, Madeyln Martin, Anne Stewart,
Jayla Davis, and Erin Williams.
One of the recorded Tournaments for 7th
grade Girls’ team will the Metro South
Tourney at Hewitt Middle on January 29th,
2014. One of the recorded 8th grade Girl’s
Tournaments is the Metro South Tourney at
Simmons Middle on January 29th, 2014.
The schedule for the 7th and 8th grade
Simmons girls basketball team is Nov. 12
@ Mtn. Brook, Nov. 14 vs. Pizitz, Nov. 18
@ Bragg, Nov. 21 @ Thompson, Nov. 25
vs. Bumpus, Dec. 2 @ Liberty Park, Dec. 4
@ Berry, Dec. 9 vs. Oak Mountain, Dec. 12
vs. Clay, Dec. 16 @ Hewitt, Jan. 7 vs.
Homewood, Jan. 9 vs. Thompson, Jan. 13
@ Bumpus, Jan. 16 vs. Liberty Park, Jan.
21 vs. Berry, and Jan. 23 @ Oak Mountain
for our final game of the season. Come out
and support the Lady Bucs!
want basketball to start. A lot of
people are confident on doing
really good in basketball this
year. The boy’s 7th grade head
coach in basketball is Coach
Banks.The boy’s 8th grade
coach is Coach Williams Some
of you may have them as your
physical education teachers.
Want to see a game? Here are
some things you need to know.
Simmons home games will take
place down in the lower gym. If
you have no activity card than
admission will $5 per person.
Some of Simmons's rivals are
Thompson, Mtn Brook, and
Bumpus Middle school.
The first games are on Nov.
12th. Seventh grade plays
Mountain Brook at home at 4:30
and eighth grade will play at
5:30.
The 7th grade team consists of
Jaelon Agee, Adam Burton,
Cade Davis, Logan Evans, Jackson Hart, Xzaviah Horton,
Patrick Knight, Levi McCree,
Jabari Moore, TJ Neal, Andrew
Sasser, Copeland Scott, Sam
Warren, and Xzavier Horton.
The 8th grade team consists of
Nolan Hammonds, DeWayne
Williams, Alex Washington,
Marion Humphrey, Trevon
Sims, Qualan Johnson, Alex
Flint, Eric Haynes, Jaylon
Reese, Martavius Hollifield,
Cameron Shufford, Zac Pate,
and Ben Chaney. Good luck,
guys!
Simmons Boys Basketball
By: John Michael Williamson
Sadly the football season is
over. Thank goodness basketball is coming close behind it. I
think that we had a pretty good
football season, but I think we
can do just as good in the basketball season, maybe even better. So I think that it is time to
put down the football, and pick
up the basketball.
I can tell that a lot of people
Cross Country
Wrap Up
November 6, 2013
SMS Standard
Page 7
By: Reed Lochamy
The Cross Country season is over, and what a
successful season it was!
All runners had all Metro
honors based on their
individual top 30 finishes
in the championship race.
In the boys' division,
out of 360 runners, eighth
grader John McCrackin
finished in 23rd place
with a time of 11:48 on a
two-mile course. This is
John's first year to run
cross country, and, says
Coach Lochamy, "his
growth as a runner
through the course of the
season has been quite
remarkable."
Alex Leary also had a
great season. He finished
first for our team many
times this season and
missed out on All Metro
by only a few spots.
In the girls' race, out of
278 racers, 7th grader
Hannah Pope finished an
impressive 19th place,
with a time of 13:34 (well
under 7 minutes/mile for
those counting). Hannah
is a kid who finished 6th
on our team in the first
race of the season and
then steadily improved to
the point that she was our
first-place finisher in the
final races of the year.
All of the kids on the
team did a great job this
year and improved their
times throughout the season. If you see any of the
students on this roster
below, be sure to give
them a pat on the back.
Survey by: Luke Hinkle
Luke Hinkle recently took a sports pole among 50 people and this is what he got.
Boy runners: Alex
Leary, Ezra Hill, Will
Cochrane,
Copeland
Scott, Connor Spence,
Milo DeVore, Joey
Bearden, Aiden Yoder,
Christian
Hargrove,
Bryson Lorimer, Ansel
Arroyo, John McCrackin,
Brandon Harwell, Ziven
Fowler, Caleb Croushorn
Girl runners: Hannah
White, Jordan Beam,
Madelyn Foster, Kristin
Simanyi,
Amanda
Gawlowicz,
Amelia
Rumore, Hannah Pope,
and Madison Barker.
Photo of the 7th grade volleyball team by: Coach Hollis
The 7th grade volleyball team came in first in the Metro.
Strike
By: Mrs. Preston
The 7th and 8th grade
volleyball teams both had
great seasons this year.
The 7th grade team
earned first place in
Metro, defeating Pizitzs.
They went 11-0 in the
regular season metro
games. They also won
first place in the
Thompson Tournament.
The 8th grade team finished 4th at Metro.
Picture taken by: Megan Hagerty.
The Cross Country team at Simmons is warming up for
their run.
Photo taken by: Megan Hagerty.
The 8th grade volleyball team practices for their game.
Both the 7th and 8th
grade teams came in 2nd
place in the Madison
Academy Tournament,
losing to Liberty in the
finals.
November 6, 2013
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The SMS Standard
Volume 5, Issue 2
December 18, 2013
Band and Choir Events 6th
Simmons Middle School
Grade
Fall
Dance
Fine Arts
Winter Wrap Up
By: Sabirah Haque
The SMS Fine Arts
Department has been hard at
work this holiday season.
There were many fun events
that happened in band
recently. For example, band
had a huge performance at
the University of Alabama
and honor band even went
for a rating. They also had
their annual evening performance for family and
their day time performance
for students and faculty.
During the concerts all the
people in band wore their
favorite Christmas hat. It
was great, everyone played
really well. Many band
members also had UAB
Honor band and Allstate tryouts. Lots of our great band
members made it in both
and everyone who tried out
did a great job. I think that
band has done a great job so
far this year, and I’m sure
that they will keep doing
their best throughout the rest
of the year.
Choir has also been busy.
December third was the big
winter choir concert at
Shades Crest Baptist Church
and sixth, seventh, and
eighth grade all had wonderful performances. All of the
sixth grade soloists and
By: Jasmine Walker
Credit: The Simmons Band Website
The Simmons Band
eight grade soloists were
great along with the rest of
the choir. Family was invited and Principal Mr. Brian
Cain also attended. Lots of
fantastic choir members also
tried out for all state and lots
made it in. Everyone who
tried out gave their best
effort and did a great job.
Choir is now preparing for
state evaluations and every-
one is very excited.
Students enjoyed the fine
arts assembly last week. We
look forward to the spring
concert.
The dance was so much fun!
The star of the party was Jalyn
Lewis, everybody crowded
around him as he was breakdancing. The DJ, Mr. Lochamy,
played the Cupid Shuffle and
The Harlem Shake. The guys
were doing a conga line over
and over again while the girls
were talking to their friends or
dancing. Everybody looked
very nice. I asked several people what was their favorite part
of the dance. Here’s what they
had to say:
Anna Snider said, ”Dancing
with my friends.”
Emily Rice said, “The music
they played.”
Luke Hinkle said, “When they
played the Harlem Shake.”
John Michael Williamson
said, “The food.”
I asked them, "Did you have
fun?"
Anna Snider said, “Yes!”
Emily Rice said, “I had a lot
of fun!”
Luke Hinkle said, “Yes!”
John Michael Williamson
said, “It was okay.”
I think the sixth grade dance
was great! The seventh grade
and eight grade dances are also
coming up and I hope everyone
looks forward to those!
Winter Pep Rally
All You Need to Know About the Recent Pep Rally
By: Jasmine Walker and Kyara Lewis
Credit: Megan Hagerty
The basketball competition during the pep rally.
The winter pep rally was
very exciting! Most of the students we overheard enjoyed it,
but some of the students that
we overheard were just not
happy that 7th Grade won the
pep rally. Mr. Cain was very
proud of all the students’ energy and said that we might get
to have another pep rally this
year! It was really fun watching the half-court shot compe-
tition. We had asked Mr. Cain
a few questions about his opinion of the pep rally. We asked
Mr. Cain, “What was your
favorite part?”
“The energy of all three of
the grades and the half court
competition,”
Mr.
Cain
answered.
“Did you expect 7th grade to
win?” we asked.
“I didn’t know who would
win because the overall scores
were very close”.
“Did you enjoy the pep
rally?” we asked.
“I thought it was awesome!”
Thanks to the cheerleaders,
dance team, band, sponsors
and coaches for putting on
such a great event.
Opinions and Poles
Chromebooks: What People are Saying
December 18, 2013
Page 2
By: Jasmine Walker
One of the biggest changes at Simmons this year has been the
one-to-one student to computer ratio. The wave of technology
has had mixed reviews from students and teachers alike. I interviewed Mr. Cain, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers and students
gauge their opinions.
Interview with sixth grade teacher Mrs.Haley
Me: What bothers you the most about the chromebooks?
Mrs.Haley: The fact that students get their chromebooks out
before writing down their homework.
Me: Do the chromebooks make it easier to teach?
Mrs.Haley: Yes, I think it allows us to provide more opportunities for students to learn in different way.
Me: What would you like to
be improved about the chromebooks?
Mrs.Haley: Nothing really,
they are a great tool in the classroom and the more we use them,
the more we will learn.
Me: How often do you use the
chromebooks in class?
Mrs.Haley: Not as often as I
would like to.
Me: What do you like about
the chromebooks?
Mrs.Haley: I like the fact that
every student has one and it
makes the lessons easier with Edmodo, Kid Blog, and other fun
things.
Interview with sixth grader Megan Clyce
Me: What did you think when you were told you were going to
get a chromebook from school?
Megan Clyce: I was excited and thrilled!
Me: Has the chromebook helped educationally with any subject?
Megan Clyce: Yes, because in math you have access to our online math textbook for homework and in language arts you can
do the typing club app.
Me: What do you like about the chromebook?
Megan Clyce: I like that you are able to play educational
games.
Me: Do you think anything needs to be improved about the
chromebooks?
Megan Clyce: No, nothing needs to be improved it is perfect
just the way it is.
Interview with seventh grade teacher Mrs. Martin
Me: What bothers you the most about the chromebooks?
Mrs. Martin: It is difficult to monitor students and make sure
they are using them properly.
Me: Do the chromebooks make it easier to teach?
Mrs. Martin: Most of the time.
Me: What in your opinion do you think is better paper and pencil or the chromebooks and why?
Mrs. Martin: Pencil and paper because they always connect to
the server and are always accessible.
Me: What would you like to be improved about the chromebooks?
Mrs. Martin: They need to be less fragile and have better cases.
Me: How often do you use the chromebooks?
Mrs.Martin: Rarely.
Me: What do you like about the chromebooks?
Mrs.Martin: The students’ interest and ability to use it as a resource.
Interview with seventh grader Kathryn Brooks
Me: What did you think when you were told you were going to
The Chromebook
Congratulations to this issue's art contest winner, 6th grader Elliot McCown
receive a chromebook from school?
Kathryn Brooks: I was happy.
Me: Has the chromebook helped you in any particular subject?
Kathryn Brooks: Yes, with language arts when you’re typing
because it auto corrects.
Me: What specifically do you like about the chromebooks?
Kathryn Brooks: I like the calculator and the other built in apps.
Me: Do you think anything needs to be improved about the
chromebooks?
Kathryn Brooks: They’re really fragile and they should be better built.
Interview with eight grade teacher Mrs. Peterson
Me: What bothers you the most about the chromebooks?
Mrs. Peterson: When students break their chromebook and
don’t replace it.
Me: Do the chromebooks make it easier to teach?
Mrs. Peterson: Yes, because they can pull up their textbook on
the internet. I make a video about what I talked about what we
learned in class and the students pull it up and watch it at night and
then we talk about in class.
Me: What would you like to be improved about the chromebooks?
Mrs. Peterson: I would like for it to be touchscreen like the
highschoolers’ IPads. I would like for them to have an app where
they do their work and turn it in electronically.
Me: How often do you use the chromebooks?
Mrs. Peterson: Pretty much every day.
Me: What do you like about the chromebooks?
Mrs.Peterson: The access to the internet. There is so much out
there. There is IXL and Khan Academy that all of the students
have access to on their chromebooks.
Interview with eighth grader Ashley Hopping
Me: Has the chromebook helped you in any particular subject?
Ashley Hopping: IXL has helped me in math.
Me: Specifically what do you like about the chromebooks?
Ashley Hopping: I like how you can connect with the other
students and teachers.
Me: Do you think anything needs to be improved about the
chromebooks?
Ashley Hopping: They should be built better because they are
very fragile.
Interview with principal Mr. Cain
Me: How many chromebooks have been broken?
Mr. Cain: approximately 89
Elliot McCown
Me: How do you think the chromebooks will have improved
our thinking and education?
Mr. Cain: By putting technology in students’ hands, we have
given them access to lots of material and challenged them to think.
Me: How do you think the chromebooks will affect our future
education?
Mr. Cain: I think the chromebook will be for your generation
what the paper and pencil were to past generations. Technology
will help you in so many ways if you know how to use it properly.
Me: Is there anything you would like to be improved about the
chromebooks?
Mr. Cain: Yes, I would like there to be a more durable chromebook case.
So while the opinions differ, everyone can agree that having
the chromebooks has drastically changed the way we learn. Simmons is certainly leading the way in technology in the classroom.
Holiday Features
Student
Holiday
Favorites
December 18, 2013
By: Abigail Ford
It’s that time of year. Time for the
holidays. But which one is your favorite? Halloween, Thanksgiving,
Christmas, Hanukah, New Year’s
Eve? There are so many choices! I
interviewed some students here at
Simmons to see what they thought.
Out of the 15 students I interviewed 10 of them said they liked
Christmas the best, two said Halloween, two said Easter, and one
said Thanksgiving.
Personally, I have to agree with
the 10 people that said Christmas.
Christmas is by far my favorite
holiday. You get presents and
cookies, and trees. Plus, you also
get to see family and friends, and
celebrate. It is lots of fun, and such
a merry, happy time. You can’t
help but love it!
I first interviewed Mia Rouss.
Her favorite holiday is Halloween.
“It’s great!” said Rouss. “You get
to dress up just for fun! And by
dressing up, you get free candy!”
When asked why she liked this
holiday better than others, here’s
what she had to say. “I like this
holiday the most because I get to
be with my friends, and have fun
with them.” In my opinion, Halloween is truly a holiday meant for
kids. And as Rouss said, it’s one of
the few holidays you get to spend
with your friends.
I also interviewed Laurel
Burkhardt. “My favorite holiday is
Easter,” she said. “I love it because
of its religious significance to me.
I also love that it has that same exciting feeling as Christmas. Easter
is a time for me and my family to
spend time with each other. I love
this holiday better than the others
because it’s not really about presents and toys. It’s really about
being together, the start of spring,
and the resurrection.”
So everyone favors a different
holiday. Favorites are influenced
by students' personal beliefs, traditions, and experiences. Of course,
everyone has a different opinion,
but what makes the holidays special are the memories you make on
them and who you spend them
with. In the end, I think all holidays are equally wonderful. Each
one has its special perks and joys.
10 Must
Watch
Holiday
Movies
Page 3
By Kristin Simanya and Hannah
Jordan
During Winter Break, many
students enjoy curling up on the
couch with a good movie. Here
are some of my personal favorites.
Weird and bizzare
December Holidays
Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day Dec. 14th
Hannah Jordan
Usually there are only a
couple holidays that we mention during December. Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, New
Years Eve. Yeah, we know
about those. What you may
not realize is that there are a
lot more holidays then we all
think. This being true, I have
taken it upon myself to tell
you every single weird holiday that takes place this
month. I promise you that all
these holidays are really celebrated and not made up, even
if there are some pretty weird
ones. By the way, happy
Bake Cookies day!
1 Eat a Red Apple Day
2 National Fritters Day
3 National Roof Over Your
Head Day
4 Wear Brown Shoes Day
5 Sachertorte Day (a type of
cake)
6 Mitten Tree Day
7 National Cotton Candy Day
8
Brownie
Day
9 Christmas Card Day
10 Human Rights Day
happyholidayhayley.wordpress.com
11 Noodle Ring Day
12 Ding-a-ling Day
13 Ice Cream Day
14 Wear a Plunger on Your
Head Day
15 Lemon Cupcake Day
16 Chocolate Covered Anything Day
17 Maple Syrup Day
18 Bake Cookies Day
19 Oatmeal Muffin Day
20 Go Caroling Day
21 National Flashlight Day
22 National Haiku Poetry
Day
23 Festivus
24 National Eggnog Day
25 No ‘L’ Day
26 National Thank-You
Note Day
27 National Fruitcake Day
28 National Chocolate Day
29 Tick Tock Day
30 Bacon Day
31 Make up Your Mind Day
So if you find yourself with
time on your hands and in the
mood for something different
this holiday season, refer to
this list and celebrate away.
1. Frozen- This is a new Disney movie that is very funny
and definitely sets the winter
spirit!
2. A Christmas Carol- This
movie fills you with holiday
spirit every time you watch it.
There are many different versions.
3. Rudolph- Rudolph is a classic holiday story.
4. The Nightmare before
Christmas- Who said stealing
Christmas and turning it into
Halloween is a bad thing?
5. Frosty the Snowman- Is an
original movie that is sad,
funny, and heartwarming all at
the same time.
6. A Charlie Brown ChristmasA funny, must watch, Charlie
Brown original that the whole
family can enjoy.
7. How the Grinch Stole
Christmas (the original, animated version). This short film
reminds us that the season is
about much more than stuff.
8. Home Alone- Left behind
by his family, Kevin has to fend
off burglars in this amusing
film.
9. Elf- Buddy the human is
adopted by elves and tries to
find his father in New York.
Warning. This movie is rated
PG 13 and has some cussing.
10. Santa Claus is Coming to
Town- Another classic for the
holidays, about how Santa came
to be.
Features
December 18, 2013
A Southern Fried Interview with
Fannie Flagg
By Warren Griggs
I recently had the opportunity to interview a
famous writer. Her name is Patricia Neal but
she is better known as Fannie Flagg. I was actually very surprised to find out many people
around Simmons actually know who she is!
Fannie Flagg was born in Alabama and of
course she is well known here but she is also
very popular in Sweden! Before she became
an author, she was an actor and TV personality. She co-hosted a show called Candid Camera. Think Betty White’s Off Their Rockers
meets America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Fannie’s big writing
break came when she
wrote Fried Green
Tomatoes At The
Whistle Stop Cafe.
The popular book was
made into a very popular movie. Fannie is
a friend of my grandmother’s and the
names of my family
and their friends are
the names of most of
the characters in her
books. I wasn't born
when Fried Green Tomatoes was written and
the book mentions my mother as having
adopted a little Asian girl named Apple. I was
pretty shook up about that when I was
younger. I did eventually make it into a later
book for one chapter on one or two pages.
Fannie recently came to town on a book
tour for her latest book The All-Girl Filling
Station’s Last Reunion. She invited us to dinner and I was able to pull her aside for a quick
interview.
F=Fannie W=Warren
W= What inspired you to become an author?
F= Well, you know, I grew up in Birmingham and my granddaddy and father were motion picture machine operators. So I grew up
seeing a lot of movies, and I think I just love
stories and so I started, I don’t know why. I
just started writing little stories and my dad
wrote little stories and I always just got a big
kick out of people. I would write stories about
people I knew, you know? And I think that’s
what really started me and inspired me and
then as I got older. I was living in New York,
and I just wanted to write something about the
south. I thought I really wanted to write something about the real people in the south, the
really sweet people that I knew. I think that
sort of inspired me a little bit and then they
did the movie and I got a contract to write
books so I quit acting and started writing
books full time.
W= You know, my friends and I are actually writing short stories on our computers
now.
F= Oh good! That’s excellent! Are you enjoying that?
W= Oh yeah, it’s fun.
F= Yeah, I think it’s a
really good way to get
things out that are bothering you sometimes.
The first book I ever
wrote, which was Daisy
Fay and the Miracle
Man, was basically
about my childhood and
I think just writing about
it was almost like going
through therapy. And
I’m an only child, like
yourself, and that’s
tough. It’s hard to be an only child, because
there’s so much expected of you.
W= I can figure out the beginning and end
to my stories but I always have trouble writing the middle and creating dialogue. How do
you figure it out?
F= I listen to how people speak, and I listen
in on conversations, and for instance your
grandmother has a wonderful way of speaking
and she says hilarious things. And so when
she says it, I just remember it and when I’m
writing a book. I’ll use it the way she said it.
W= Thank you for letting me interview you.
F= You’re very welcome!
This is excellent writing advice from an accomplished author that we can all use. This
has been another celebrity interview with
Warren Griggs.
I thought I really
wanted to write something about the real
people in the south,
the really sweet people that I knew.
-Fannie Flagg
Your reporter hard at work doing his interview.
Credit: Linda Griggs
SMS Standard Staff
Page 4
Features editor: Hannah Jordan
and Kristin Simanya
Features reporters: Emily Bloom
Your SMS News Team has been
hard at work to bring you the here and Eleanor Joe Harwell
Sports editor: Jack Dickerson
and now in Simmons news. You
and
Jalen
might be wonderMosely
ing who these heSports
reroes of news are.
porters:
Luke
Well, here's the ofHinkle and John
ficial SMS StanM i c h a e l
dard Staff List!
Williamson
Editor in Chief:
Opinions ediEmily Su and Wartor: Pippa Lother
ren Griggs
Opinions rePhotographers:
porters: Breanna
Megan
Hagerty
King and Abiand Diega McCredit: Mrs. Ashley Preston gail Ford
Dougall
Sponsor: Mrs.
News
editor: You SMS Standard Editors
Ashley Preston
Sabirah Haque
Look for our
News reporters: Kyara Lewis,
Jasmine Walker, and Ashley next issue to come out in February.
By: Mrs. Preston
Blevins
Warm Winter Fashion
December 18, 2013
Opinions
Page 5
By: Emily Bloom and Pippa Lother
Trying to stay warm this winter may be tricky, but it doesn't
mean you can't look good
doing it! Of course with the up
and down Alabama weather
it’s hard to decide on what to
wear. Here are
some funky
fresh fashion
Pippa Lother tips that will
help you dress
for winter without feeling like
it is too cold or hot.
Layers, layers, layers! And
no, that does not mean that
you have to dress in so many
layers that you look like a
puffed out marshmallow. Start
with a tank top or camisole
and add an oversized long
sleeve shirt or sweater. Jeans
or patterned tights go great underneath but make sure to stay
within dress code at school.
Accessory
necessities!
Scarves, gloves, and caps are
always in style, and always
useful to. Fingerless gloves are
Favorite Holiday Foods
always cute and are easier to
use with your phone, but fingers can end up frozen if
you’re out to long. Hats are
good for windy days and you
can tuck up hair if you don’t
want to ruin your hairstyle.
Scarfs can complete an outfit
and keep your neck cozy. Go
for and endless look or leave it
long, looks good and is efficient at the same time.
Not ready to let go of your
favorite sundress? Top it with
a complimenting sweater, and
then add some fleece-lined
leggings with a pair of boots
and you've got a new winter
outfit. The same goes for skirts
to. Maxi or mini, wear leg-
whether they prefer paper to
screen.
I interviewed Bryce V. and
she said, “I like paper books
because if the internet is
down, you usually can’t read
your eBook.” I also asked
Danielle G. and she said, “I
like eBooks because if you
forget your paper book
somewhere, you can read it
on your device.” I also interviewed the librarian. She
said, “I like paper books and
eBooks. I prefer to read fiction books as eBooks and
nonfiction books as paper
books.”
There are big pros and cons
to having an eBook versus a
paper book. EBooks take up
less space in your house
since they are stored on your
device. They are also
ecofriendly and don’t use
trees to make their digital
pages. Paper books are bigger but don’t run out of
charge on long road trips.
Plus it’s easier to mark in
Sweater from Aeropostale
gings so you won’t shiver and
can do the splits.
So cozy up by the fire
or go have fun outside. With
these tips you can be fashionable and stay warm this winter. Feel free to put your own
flare into my advice and jazz
it up. Happy Holidays!
eBooks vs Paper Books
By: Breanna King and Pippa
Lother
The world is changing. Are
books, which have been
around for centuries, going
to be replaced by the new
eBooks? I asked the public
and got their opinions on
eBook vs Paper Book
Bing Images
“In the past year, the number of
those who read e-books increased
from 16% of all Americans ages
16 and older to 23%. The number
of those who read printed books
in the previous 12 months fell
from 72% of the population ages
16 and older to 67%.”
Pew Research Project
paper books or do research
in them.
Everyone has their personal
preferences, but there's no
denying that change is coming. It may be that we forget
paper altogether someday.
We aren’t still using scrolls,
are we? Who knows, there
are benefits and consequences to both. Books are
here to stay for now, but
eBooks are up and coming.
Dear Rose
December 18, 2013
by ???
Q: “Dear Rose,
My parents don’t like my best friend. What should I
do? Help!
- Chickened-Out Companion ”
A: “Dear Companion:
If your parents don’t like your friend, first ask them
why they don’t. They won’t have an unfounded hatred
for your friend, but what they think may be a misunderstanding, based on one event. If you talk to your parents, there is a good chance that you’ll be able to clear
up any misunderstandings - and if there was no misunderstanding, then tell your parents why you like your
best friend. The chances of them understanding get
much better if you just talk to them about these subjects.
Best of luck,
Rose ”
Q: “Dear Rose,
How do you become a teacher’s pet?
- Brownie Points Bill ”
A: “Dear Bill:
Here’s some genuine advice from a teacher in the
school (whose identity is to be kept confidential):
First, don’t be a blatant in your desire for their approval. Just be nice to people; help them out when they
need it. Don’t flaunt your generosity because your
teacher will notice if you’re simply a kind person. Be
genuine and patient. Work hard on all your assignments,
and get them in on time. Your teacher will see your effort and will reward you as they see fit.
Sincerely,
Rose”
Q: "Dear Rose,
I didn't make the Volleyball team. Should I ask the
eighth grade team members what I should work on?
- Volleyball Junior"
Q: "Dear Rose,
I didn't make basketball... Should I try out in the
eighth grade?
SMS Standard
- Basketball Burn-Out"
A: "Dear Junior and Burn-Out:
Don't give up on making the team. You may not have
made it this year, but trying out again next year is definitely advisable. You should ask for tips from anyone
who is willing to help you, not just the eighth graders.
Ask your coaches and see if they'll help you improve in
areas you need to work on, and help yourself, too: look
On December 12, we had our annual school-wide Spelling Bee, students from each grade all competing
to bring home the title of first place.
At the time the paper went to print,
this event hadn't happened yet, so I
can't tell you who won. Participants
from the 6th grade included Wyatt
Rees, Josh Oakman, and Jack Dickerson; from the seventh grade we
had Brandon Harwell, Tiffany
Duong, and Summer Patterson - and
from the eighth grade, the participating students were Warren Griggs,
Jennifer Corona-Sandoval, and
Grace Waters. All of our participants did very well, and we wish the
victor good luck in the system-wide
Spelling Bee. He or she will travel
to the Board of Education to compete against other schools in the
Hoover City school system!
It's cool that someone in our school
could be the national champion.
Birmingham boasts one national
champ, Julie Ann Junkin, who won
with the word "hydrophyte" in the
1970s. Finalists' words can be as difficult as the one Wendy Guey
(Florida) got. She received the word
"vivisepulture" in her final round!
On the other hand, they can also be
deceptively simple, such as the word
"therapy," which was given to Laurel Kuykendall from Tennessee.
There are all sorts, so don't forget to
look over all of your words, victors!
Letter From the Principal
By: Mr. Cain
up videos and instructions on how to improve in your
sport, and above all, practice as much as you can.
I hope you both make the team next year. Good luck.
- Rose
P.S. Some of this applies to you, too, my mystery
friend who asked about Outdoor Track."
Q: "Dear Rose,
I study and still don't get good grades! HELP ME!
Mrs. Preston
Have a question for Rose? Drop a note in the Dear Rose box in the library.
Spelling Bee
By: Ashley Blevins
Page 6
• “It takes a lifetime to build your
reputation, but only a moment to tear
Our principal Mr. Cain has given it down.” - Will Rogers
• What is ONE thing YOU could
us a letter that we are now sharing
with you all. It gives many tips and do to improve your grades? (Go to
tricks to stay on top of your life, so teachers for extra help, do your
homework EVERY time?)
read it carefully!
• The Hoover High School students
come
by each year and tell our stuDear Students,
We have now come to the end of dents that high school is hard ONLY
the first semester, and I need you to because they did not work as hard in
middle school as they should have.
reflect on a few things:
• Why not CHOOSE to make a dif• Are you making the BEST
choices for your life? Remember our ference in your life in 2014, a lastConquest assembly? They reminded ing difference? Hang around people
you to think about what advice who build you up, and who are good
would your “future self” give you if for you and you are good for them.
• Treat others as you want them to
he/she could talk to you now?
- Panicking Pupil"
A: "Dear Pupil:
I'd start out by asking your teachers and friends for
help; there's no shame in trying to get better by asking.
Only your teachers will truly know where you are in the
learning spectrum, so talk to them; ask them how you
can improve your study strategies or absorb more information. Ask them to go over information that you don't
know with you, and I'm sure that your grades will go up.
From,
Rose"
Q: "Dear Rose,
Why don't we have more than two dances this year?
What happened to the talent show and Encore Day?
- Twinkletoes"
A: "Dear Twinkletoes:
I'm sure Mr. Cain has his reasons; he has said before
that the dances and other events lead to unruly behavior
(as demonstrated last year; some people started inhaling helium at the Star Dance). He just doesn't want people to misbehave.
Sincerely,
Rose"
Q: "Dear Rose,
Why are there ladybugs taking over the upper gym in
the middle of the school year?
- Creepy-Crawly Crusader"
A: "Dear Crusader:
The ladybugs are coming. They have invaded the defenses of the school, and are seeking us all out. Run. Run
before the word gets out and the ladybugs proceed with
their plan. Run away as fast as you can.
- Rose"
Q: "Dear Rose,
Mr. Fox always says that he'll tell us what the fox
says. Should we be concerned?
- Fearful Fox-Listener"
A: "Dear Listener:
Yes.
Sincerely,
Rose"
Mystery Teachers
By: Eleanor Jo Harwell and Kristin
Simanyi
In this column, you’ll find information about a teacher and it’s your job
to find out who it is!
Teacher #1:
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: 40 years.
Q: What is your favorite vacation to
go on?
A: A cruise.
Q: What would you do if you didn’t
teach?
A: Be a secret service agent or in
the FBI.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Frozen yogurt.
Q: What grade do you teach?
A: 6th grade.
Teacher #2:
Q: What is your favorite pastime?
A: Playing tennis.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: “Let me eat cake!”
Q: What is your favorite football
team? Auburn or Alabama?
A: Auburn.
treat you.
• Make wise decisions as you use
your technology.
• Don’t start a habit now that by the
time you are in your 20s will be
something you can’t quit very easily.
• Don’t expect to get better results
in your life unless you change the
behaviors you are currently doing
which are getting you the results that
you DO NOT want.
All of the adults who work with
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Green.
Guess those teachers! And now, the
answers. (They are below; if you
haven't guessed yet, do not proceed!)
Teacher #1: Mrs. Prickett
Teacher #2: Mr. Lochamy
Google images
How well do you know your teachers?
you at Simmons Middle School care
about you and want you to be the
best YOU that you can be. They
have high expectations though, and
they will not lower them. Set high
expectations for yourself.
I hope the second semester is
loaded with decisions by you that
improve your life and get you the results you want.
- Mr. Brian Cain
Page 7
SMS Standard
Simmons Wrestling 2013
December 18, 2013
By: Jack Dickerson
Wrestling, in my opinion, is a very unique
sport. The SMS Wrestling season is off to a great
start. On December 2nd, Simmons defeated
Bumpus 66-18.
Here’s how a match works. Wrestlers are divided into weight classes so that guys compete
against other guys that are roughly their same
size. Some examples of weight classes are 75,
85, 95, 103, 112, 119, 155 pounds and heavy
weight classes.
You earn points for doing different moves. One
Hoover High
School Men's
Basketball
John Michael Williamson
The Hoover High football season
has come to a close. Basketball has
started and it’s been a good season
so far.
I interviewed a student from Simmons and asked them what they
thought of the high school basketball season so far. He said, he
thought they we were doing well
and that he knew a kid on that team
who could dunk. The head coach
for the Men’s basketball team is
Coach Charles Burkett. There is
also Coach Trey Matlock, Coach
Scott Ware, and Coach Trent Hosmer.
There are three types of basketball
teams at Hoover High School.
There is the Varsity team, the Junior Varsity team, and the Freshman
team. The Varsity teams players are
#3 Quamauri Hardy, #4 Matthew
Rickman, #10 Ben Hudson, #12
Sam Bowman, #14 Jack Hutcheson,
#15 Austin Cherry, #20 Matthew
Rickman, #21 Brett DeFore, #22
Andrew Strickland, #23 Darrell
Williams, #24 Tavian Roundtree,
#30 Maurice Brown, #32 Leonard
Wood, and #33 Walter McDonald.
The freshman basketball team has
won their first five basketball game
against Ramsay 51-43, Oxford 6235, Clay-Chalkville 47-43, Huffman 45-28, and Ramsay again
65-61.
So far the varsity team is having a
good season with more wins than
losses. If you to find out more information about the Hoover High
School Men's basketball teams, you
can
go
to
www.hooverbasketball.com.
point for “breaking out,” or escaping a pin. Two
points for reversing another player’s move.
Three points for getting the other player on their
back, but not pinning them. Two points for “slamming” or getting behind the other player on the
ground. Six points for pinning the other player
for five seconds.
I interviewed head coach Abernathy about this
year and this is what he said…
Me: How do feel about the season so far?
Coach: There are some guys that do very well.
We have won some very close matches.
Me: How did the Bumpus match go?
Coach: Good. We won 66-18. Eighth grader
Bryce Heerten in particular really played great.
Me: What qualities do you see in a good
wrestler?
Coach: The heart and willingness to work hard
and not give up.
Coach Abernathy and his team have done very
well so far this season. Pay attention to the daily
announcements and come out and support them
at their next home match!
Wrestlers are William Watts (75), Will
Cochrane (85), AJ Holiday (95), Alex Mason
(95), Luke Davis (95), Brandon Harwell (95),
D’Vante Sims (95), Jonathan Blenkinsop (95),
Emmanuel Thuos (95), Josh Reynolds (103),
Maxim Rudolph (103), Alex Leary (112), Tony
Sullivan (112), Charlie Steele (119), Jacob
Sports
Costello (119), Bryce Heerten (125), Jacob Brady
(125), Taylor Moreno (130), Christian Hoffman
(130), Tyler Bushnell (130), LJ McLemore (135),
Chase Frier (135), Noah Marshall (135), Jacob
Allums (145), Warren Godwin (145), Caleb Foster (155), Caleb Foster (155), Blake Brown (165),
Peyton Griften (175), Lance Darden (heavy
weight), Joshua Crumpler (heavy weight).
Go Bucs!
Indoor Track
By; Jalen Mosley
The indoor track season is underway. For
weeks, the team practiced to get ready for their
first meet on December 12th. Indoor track doesn’t practice indoors, and, unlike cross country,
there’s much more to the sport than running.
Different people on the team specialize in different events: pole vaulting, high jumping, long
jumping, one mile, 800 meter, 600, 400, 200, and
100.
It sounds like fun, but it’s not as easy as you
think. Seventh grader Amelia Rumore said “I do
the mile in track and it takes a lot of practice.
Our team works really hard. I hope we get a good
place at our next race.”
“I’ve always liked running,” said seventh
grader Ziven Fowler. “But now I really like pole
vaulting.”
“I do the 800 and the pole vault,” said Mackenzie McDonald. “We have to go to the high school
to practice pole vaulting, and it’s really fun. But
it takes a lot of practice.”
Coaches are Coach Barb and Coach Eyer. Boy
athletes are Ansell Arroyo, John Beasley, Taylor
Clowdus, Jeremy Cooke, Justin Cooke, James
Courson, Anthony Davis, Milo Devor, Lucien
Doss,
Zach Elam, Scott Elliott, Ziven Fowler, Joshua
Hill, Brady Hopkins, Myson Howard, Marion
Humphrey,
C.J. Johnson, Ryan Keeney, Bryson Lorimer,
Shannon Lott, Cameron McArdle, Josh McDowell, Jonathen Morris, Jalen Mosely, James
Ramsey, Cam Singleton, and Ethan Tidwell.
Girl athletes are Marlanda Armstead, Sarah
Buchanon, Maddie Bufford, Jamiah Dye,
Cameron
Ferguson, Madelyn Foster, Syncere Henderson,
Lauryn Hill, Taylor Kinnell, Alyssa Kupfer,
Kyara Lewis, MacKenzie McDonald, Meleah
Montgomery, Emily Newsome, Shbrya Palmer,
Hannah Pope, Amelia Rumore, and Journey
Sims.
The team has really have improved since the
first practice and look forward to their next meet.
Good luck!
Track Practice!
Simmons track team working hard!
Indoor track practicing on the outdoor track.
Photo by Megan Hagarty
Photo by Megan Hagarty
Photo by Megan Hagarty
December 18, 2013
SMS Standard
Simmons
Basketball
Page 8
By: Warren Griggs
and Emily Su
Picture of the 7th grade basketball team.
By: Megan Hagerty
One day, the sports section was short one article.
So we, the editors-in-chief,
decided to take on basketball. Warren decided to interview boys’ basketball,
Emily decided to interview
girls’ basketball.
We were able to pull aside
the coaches and some of
the basketball players
(Nolan Hammonds, Anna
Marie Auchmuty, Anne
Stewart, and Marion
Humphrey) to ask them
questions regarding the
basketball season so far.
First, we interviewed the
coaches. We spoke with
Boys’ basketball Coach
Williams and girls’ basketball Coach Mann.
Warren and Emily: “Is it
difficult coaching the
team?”
Coach Williams: “When
the players don’t buy into
the game or teamwork,
that’s when it’s difficult.”
Coach Mann: “It can be,
because everyone has different skills, so we have to
make sure everyone is successful.”
Warren and Emily:
“How’s your record this
year?”
Coach Williams: “We are
currently 7-2; 6-1 in metro
play.”
Coach Mann: “We’re improving with every game
and just beat Oak Mountain
in a hard fought victory.”
Warren and Emily: “Is
coaching the students fun?”
Coach Williams: “Yes,
it’s very fun.”
Coach Mann: “Yes, it’s
rewarding.”
After we interviewed the
coaches, they let us pull
aside two players in both
teams. From the boys’
team, we interviewed
Nolan Hammonds and
Marion Humphrey. From
the girls’ team, we talked to
Anna Marie Auchmuty and
Anne Stewart.
Warren and Emily: “Is
basketball fun for you?”
Nolan and Marion: “Yes.
It’s been fun so far, because
we’ve been winning. The
coaches are fun.”
Anna Marie and Anne:
“It’s a lot of work, but all
the girls are great, so we
get along and bond together.”
Warren and Emily: “Is it
challenging at times?”
Nolan and Marion: “Yes.
A lot of times we have to
run extra, or do other exercises.”
Anna Marie and Anne:
“Yes. In games, it gets really challenging. You get
tired easily, and you have
to fight through it.”
Warren and Emily: “How
do you feel about wins and
losses?”
Nolan and Marion: “We
would rather win all the
time. Nobody on the team
likes to lose.”
Anna Marie and Anne:
“We haven’t won yet, but
we’d like to win soon. Losing is much harder than
winning, but it’s a part of
basketball, and it helps you
improve.”
The 6th Man Club has
been a presence at many
games this year, cheering
our basketball teams on.
The Club is a group of dedicated students who show
up at game after game to
boost our players’ morale.
To see a picture of the sixth
man club members, check
out page 4.
After this, I hope you
have some insight into the
views of the players and
coaches of the beloved
Simmons basketball team.
Until next time, this is Warren and Emily for Sports at
Simmons.
SMS Standard
March 10, 2014
Simmons Middle School
1575 Patton Chapel Road
Snowmageddon--SMS Lock-In 2014
Volume 5, Issue 3
By: Pippa Lother
As most of you know, snowpocalypse took
Alabama completely by surprise, and our own
school along with it. Unfortunately Alabama’s
happy snow day did not come because while a
good two inches of snow fell, it not only froze
in our yards, but on our streets. On TV, you
have seen the air coverage of cars parked on
the side of the highway and people walking to
the nearest shelter. We also had another three
days off at home with snow and a slightly less
dangerous situation, and I was happy about
that. Here’s what some other people thought
about the weather.
The first interviewed, Abigail Ford, said, “I
have mixed opinions about this outrageous
weather. I must admit that I was very excited
to see the snow coming down like crazy, and
sticking to the ground! Everyone was so
excited, we couldn’t wait for school to get
called off, it’s not everyday you see snow in
Alabama. But getting home, that was a little
more complicated… The roads were covered
with ice, people had abandoned their cars in the
middle of the road, traffic was horrible. It was
a complete disaster! Of course since Alabama
seldom gets snow, we are not prepared for it,
so then everyone freaks out, and practically
goes crazy! However, it was lots of fun to play
in the snow, and I did enjoy the rest of the week
off school.”
Then I interviewed Diega MacDougal, who
said, “It was crazy and beautiful. I had to walk
home with my friend Ashley and we stopped at
a closed UPS store to warm up. We unlocked it
with a key since my mom has a box and then
continued on our way. I went night sledding in
the road, jumped on my snow filled trampoline,
built a snowman, and had a snowball fight with
my brother. The next day Ashley and I walked
to Krispy Kreme and got doughnuts.”
Unfortunately I was not able to go and get
doughnuts because, like 170 other students and
52 staff members, I was stuck at school. I got to
stay overnight in the with teachers who stayed
to watch over all of the stranded kids. We had
food and watched movies and played games
the whole time until our parents came to pick
us up. The teachers who were still there let all
of the kids have the pillows and rugs out of
their rooms. Sixth grade boys crashed in the
computer room, sixth grade girls slept in the
SDR room, seventh grade boys slept in the
band room, seventh and eighth grade girls took
the library - that's where I stayed - and eighth
grade boys were in the aerobics room. I asked
Mrs. Preston, who stayed with all of the
students, about here over night experience. She
told me, “It was something I never expected to
do and something I hope to not have to do
again, but overall it wasn’t that bad and I can
think of much worse places to be. I was very
proud of how our faculty and staff responded to
take care of our students. The highlight of my
day was getting a toothbrush Wednesday
afternoon.”
It was an week that everyone will remember
whether they were stuck at school or at home.
Hopefully this will never happen again, and if
it does hopefully we will be more prepared.
After all of these crazy snow days, I think
everyone is ready for some warm weather.
The Lakeshore
Assembly
By: Jasmine Walker
Two weeks ago, Simmons
welcomed members of the Lakeshore
Foundation for a very special
assembly. In my opinion, it was the
best assembly so far this year.
Leading the assembly was eight-time
US Paralympic basketball team
member and gold medalist Mary
Allison Cook. She and the other
Lakeshore guests showed us how they
play a few games.
Finley Award Winners
by Emily Su
Recently, the Finley committee selected the
2013-2014 recipients of their prestigious
award; this is the highest character award given
to Hoover students.
The purpose of the Finley Award program is
to “recognize individuals who possess and
display exemplary character, in the spirit of
Coach Bob Finley”, say the Selection
Guidelines for the award.
Students are selected in middle school at a
ratio of 1 to 100; in every one hundred students,
one student is selected to receive the Finley
Award - and the students who are honored with
it are truly students of exemplary character!
This year, the worthy honorees are:
Photo taken by Mrs. Bueche
Students and staff stuck in the school gather for a picture to commemorate the occasion.
One sport that they demonstrated
was sled hockey. To propel
themselves on the ice, athletes use
sharp picks on the ends of two hockey
sticks. When they shoot the puck,
they have to quickly turn the stick
around and use the flat end to score.
They brought two sleds to
demonstrate and let Coach Good and
Mr. Pair try them out. Since the lower
gym isn’t an ice rink, they changed
the blades on the sleds to wheels, and
let the two teachers slalom between a
line of cones.
By far, the most exciting game was
wheelchair rugby. For the wheelchair
rugby demonstration, the Lakeshore
athletes faced off against a less
experienced Simmons faculty team.
The teacher participants were Mr.
Pair, Mrs. Winnie, Mr. Lochamy, and
Mr. Letson. But they didn't even come
close to beating the Lakeshore
members!
The athletes are proof that with hard
work and determination, you can
overcome any setback. When it
comes down to it, the only person
who can limit you is yourself.
In 6th grade,
Bryce Varner,
Lena Hammoud,
Cindy You,
Monserrat Lopez
In 7th grade,
Mattie Test,
Kristin Simanyi,
Joey Bearden,
Mary Ingalls Dwyer
In 8th grade,
Grace Waters,
Warren Godwin,
Kathryn Stubblefield,
Daniel Michael
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Photo taken by Mrs. Bueche
Congratulations to this year's Finley Award winners!
SMS Standard
Math
Power!
Geography Bee
March 10, 2014
By: Mrs. Preston
At the Pizitz Math Tournament, Simmons joined
competed against 1200
The SMS Math Team has been students. From sixth grade seven
hard at work this winter. At a re- students had perfect scores. In a
cent tournament at ASFA, they sudden death playoff, and Cham
competed against 500 students. Yao came in 3rd. Misaki Uchida
SMS 7th graders bested every had the 2nd highest score and
other team at ciphering, scoring ranked 7th, Nicole Tayler and
85 out of a possible 100. David Alex Laney tied with the next
Xin had a perfect round; the highest score and ranked 8th and
other students each only missed 9th. Also in the top 25% of stuone question.
dents were Jack Hudson and
Mary Virginia McKinley. The ciIndividually,
phering team of
David
placed "It's challenging, but Jack, Misaki,
4th, Manish NaMarcus
Mugaraj 5th and rewarding at the same dano, and Janna
Ben Hartwiger time, because when Renhad had an
6th. Others in
amazing total of
the top 20 were you go to a tourna- 70 points. The
Zac Shaw, She- ment, sometimes your Simmons team
hzan Maredia,
came in 6th.
Eric
Wang, hard work pays off,
Anastasia Zell- and you get a trophy." From seventh
ner, and Aiden
grade the trophy
Yoder. Simmons
winners
incame in fourth
cluded Aiden
overall.
Yoder
(4th),
David Xin (5th), Manish Nagaraj
Simmons 6th graders came in (6th) and Shehzan Maredia (7th).
2nd in our division in ciphering. Also in the top 25% were Bryce
Individual awards were won by Thornton, Ibshar Marnia, Debbie
Cham Yao in 2nd place, Jack Fu, Zac Shaw, and Rory Luthin.
Hudson 5th, Alex Laney 7th, and Simmons took second place.
Mary Virginia McKinley 10th.
Others in the top 20 were Nicole
Eighth grade trophy winners
Taylor, Misaki Uchida, Caleb were Andy Kong, Areebah Nur,
Yousif, and Michael Chen.
and Emily Su. Also in the top
25% were Zhiqi Deng, Lexi
In algebra ciphering, Simmons WItherspoon, Lauren Jones, and
beat Berry by one point to take Barret Pickering. Ciphering for
third place.
Trophies were Simmons was Andy, Zhiqi,
awarded to Andy Kong (5th), Emily, and Areebah. Simmons
Emily Su (6th), and Zhiqi Deng again placed second.
(9th). Others in the top 20 were
Reece Eberhard, Riley Hiers,
Congratulations to the math
Areebah Nur, and Lazim Vattoth. team on your successes so far
this year.
Quote by Emily Su
Photo taken by Mrs. Clopton
Math team has been working very hard this year!
Page 2
By: Emily Su
As some of you students know, we have
recently had a Geography Bee take place in
Simmons! Participants
were Joseph Phillips,
Matthew Cason, Warren Godwin, Daniel
Kekes-Szabo, Sean
Kennedy, Wyatt Kent,
Kristin Simanyi, Cole
Hadnot,
Benjamin Phillips,
and Wyatt Rees.
After the competition, one person came
out on top and will ad-
vance to a state qualification test -- this one
person is...
Daniel Kekes-Szabo
of the eighth grade!
Coming in second was
sixth grader Benjamin
Phillips, and in third
was Cole Hadnot, also
in the sixth grade.
As previously mentioned, Daniel KekesSzabo will now attend
a test to qualify for the
State Bee. This test
will take place at Samford University sometime in the spring. If
he qualifies, then he
will then compete for
the title of State champion, and go on to the
Nationals!
Last year, the Geography Bee State winner for Alabama was a
seventh-grader from
Prattville Christian
Academy by the name
of Christopher Lough.
Soon, Daniel will be
competing to be recognized by this title as
well, so wish him
luck!
By: Warren Griggs
and Emily Su
Here we are again,
your loyal newspaper
editors in chief, here
to talk about the last
pep rally.
We know it’s been a
while since it happened, but how could
we pass up the opportunity to talk about
our principals being
pied in the face? The
Pep
Rally
was
jammed packed with
entertainment. The
choir performed, the
dance team danced,
the band played (quite
well, if we might
add), and we got a
sneak peek at the
teacher student basketball game. I (Warren)
personally
wasted a dollar on the
pie-to-the-face event,
and wasn’t that disappointed when I wasn’t
picked. I, (Emily),
however, did not
choose to spend a dollar on that.
Our basketball team,
when faced with the
challenge of defeating
the teachers in a basketball game, put up a
good fight but failed
miserably in the face
of the teachers’ might.
Could this be a sign of
what’s to come, or inspiration for our
courageous team of
players? We will just
have to wait and see.
Winter Pep Rally
SMS Standard
Talent
Show
March 10, 2014
page 3
Showcase of
SMS Talent
By Kyara Lewis
The talent show was
wonderful.
Everyone
who was in it did their
very best and it was a star
studded event. The performers included Ben
Shelley who sung “Say
Something,”
Katelyn
Kreager
who
sang
“Rolling in the Deep,”
Chloe Arnold
who
danced, Drew Crenshaw
who played the guitar
and sang “You,” Akina
Smith-Carruth who sung
“Beautiful,” Jesse Mollel
and Amari Smith who
rapped,
Mackenzie
Ussery and Gracie
Many students showed up to support their friends in the talent show this February.
Lambert who sang
“Titanium,” Anna Ayers
who played the violin,
Jake Evans who danced,
William Ayers who sang
“Dust in the Wind,” Ben
and Joseph Phillips who
played “Say Something,”
Chris Mack who played
Band Honors
the piano, Joseph Phillips
who played the piano,
Kabrien
Head
and
Millinia Byrd who
danced, Jailyn Taylor
who sand “La La,”
Sumner Dobrava who
sang “Let it Go,” Cam
Copland and Mr. Cater
who sang “I’m Yours,”
and Gianna Venters who
sang “Stay.”
After each performance
the presenters acted really silly and had short
funny bits. After one performance they ran off the
stage saying the British
Photo taken by Angela George
were coming, which had
everyone laughing. After
the talented participants
finished everyone in the
audience was kind
enough to help clean up.
Band Students Selected for Local and State Honors
By Ashley Blevins
On January 18th, 14
Simmons Band members went
to an audition for District
Honor Band and All-State
Band that was held by the
Alabama Band Masters
Association. For both of these
bands, there was one big audition where students from all
over Alabama came to audition.
“It’s an audition that selects
the top musicians in our district and in our state,” said
Mrs. Morgan.
The judges listened to everybody that auditioned and from
that, they chose the musicians
that would be selected for the
District Honor Band. The students from Simmons that were
accepted into the District
Honor Band were William
Ayers, Zach Fox, Debbie Fu,
Emily Fu, Caroline Habig,
Daniel Kekes-Szabo, Elijah
Mathews, Joseph Phillips,
Rahul Shah, and Ethan
Tidwell.
After the judges decided
who was going to be in the
District Honor Band, they
selected All-State Band members. This is the highest honor
awarded to middle school
band students in Alabama. We
had one student from SMS
accepted into All-State: Rahul
Shah. All District and All
State Band members will perform with the other best middle school musicians in
Alabama. The All-State Band
convention will be held on
April 10th in Huntsville,
Alabama.
Congratulations to our talented musicians.
Snow Ball Dance here at
Simmons. All Simmons
7th graders were invited
to attend this dance.
Almost everyone had a
blast. There was great
music, dancing, pizza,
and cool decorations. “I
liked the Snow Ball
dance! I had a really
good time!” said SMS
seventh grader Diega
MacDougall.
And on February
7th, the eighth graders
had
their
annual
Winter Dances
By Ashley Blevins
There have been several SAC-sponsored social
events at Simmons this
winter.
On January
24th, SAC 7th graders
held the 2nd annual
The Band is doing great.
Valentine’s dance. It was
held in the Simmons
lower gym. The dance
went from 6:30 - 8:30.
“Me and my friends all
had a great time! None
of us had dates but that
didn’t matter! It was still
Photo taken by Mrs. Preston
a great night!” said one
SMS eighth grader.
Thank you to the SAC
members and SAC sponsors for your hard work.
Opinions
March 10, 2014
The 10 Worst
Movies of All Time
By: Warren Griggs
Readers, I feel like I have let you down. I call myself a critic, but I haven’t criticized anything this year.
So now here it is! My top 10 worst movies list! Remember, this is my opinion. It may not be yours. Any
movie with a “*” by it means it may not be appropriate for some viewers. Please check with your parents
before watching any movie. (This message required
by management)
10. Sharknado:
This is last on my list for one reason. It was meant
to be bad, and it definitely is. The bad acting, a girl
who constantly rambles on and on about her shark
trauma, terrible CGI, and clear stereotypes of the characters. It really makes this
movie bad… On purpose!
9. 2001: A Space
Odyssey
I like to call it “Boring
and Confusing: The
Movie”. This movie was
probably very cool when
it was made, but now it is
a slow grind as you watch
a good five minutes of a
spaceship being lowered
down with no music and
no sound. Then the closer
you get to the ending, the
more confused and bored
you get until finally you
are kind of happy to see it
end.
8. Son of the Mask
The sequel to The Mask with Jim Carrey, this one is
truly terrible. It doesn’t have Jim Carrey, who made
the best mask character, or any of the original cast.
Pair that with terrible writing, music, and CGI, this
movie is a major disappointment.
*7. Judge Dredd
This whole movie can be summed up in one statement: Sylvester Stallone trying to deliver dialogue.
While he can pull off the tough guy look, the constant
slurring of his words and strange yelling makes it absolutely unintelligible. The guy who plays the villain
always has his eyes so wide open they look like
they’re going to fall out, and has some sort of weird,
breathy voice. Overall, instead of being serious, it’s
hilariously bad.
6. Super Mario Bros.
This movie is a TERRIBLE representation of the
Mario franchise. Instead of the bright, happy Mushroom Kingdom, they have a dark, grimy one that is
just unpleasant. Bowser, instead of a giant turtle, is
now a weird blonde guy who, throughout the movie is
trying to order a pizza. This movie has lazy writing,
lazy casting, and lazy editing. Just overall laziness. It’s
bad, bad, bad.
*5. Rubber
Ok, imagine a movie about a telepathic tire that rolls
down the street exploding things with its telekinetic
powers. This movie was “created as an homage to no
reason,” which pretty much explains everything that
goes on. It’s very quiet, constantly breaks the fourth
wall, and the violence is crazy.
*4. Face/Off
This movie is basically two insane actors (John Travolta and Nicolas Cage) trying to over-act the other
one. The movie is about a cop (John Travolta) who has
to literally swap faces with a terrorist (Nicolas Cage)
to go under-cover and figure out the terrorist cell’s
next move. It’s weird, it’s hilarious, it’s over the top,
and it’s bad.
*3. M. Night Shyamalan movies
These movies, oh these movies. I stuck them all in
one category because they are all the same. Director
M. Night Shyamalan has the
strange talent to suck the joy
and happiness (and talent)
out of any actor that stars in
one of his movies. Don’t believe me? Both Will Smith
and Mark Wahlberg starred
in movies he directed, and
both looked and acted like
they would rather be asleep.
All of his movies are weird,
bland, and boring.
2. Grown Ups 2
Why? Why Adam Sandler? This thing is like
watching a messed up two
year old on a sugar high. I
nearly stopped watching this
movie because of how bad it was. The jokes aren’t
funny, most of the scenes are gross, there are a lot of
gross-out jokes that really are just stupid, and many,
many more flaws. I don’t even know what the story
was supposed to be about. I hated it from beginning
to end. Sandler you owe me six bucks!
1. Troll 2
Finally, we have reached the pinnacle of bad. This
movie is considered to be the worst movie of all time,
and it is. It started out trying to be scary, but got it
wrong in all the aspects. It has so many places in it
that you can pick out screw-ups or continuity errors
that it’s absolutely hilarious. This movie is a full blown
comedy movie because of its “so-bad-it’s-hilarious”
factor. I love this movie because it is the king of bad
movies. Because of its bad acting, writing, story, monsters, effects, and continuity, it wins my number 1 spot
for worst movie that you should definitely see!
A wide screen just
makes a bad film
twice as bad.
-Samuel Goldwyn
So there we are, my worst-of-the-worst movies list.
I would definitely recommend you watch these at least
once, so you can know for yourself how bad these
movies really are. This is your loyal movie critic, ending another day at the cinema.
A picture of the truely worst movie of all time.
Horror-101.com
Page 4
Compass Learning: Good or Bad?
By: Breanna King
if it teaches you something that you don’t know. It
is bad if, as Danielle and Bryce said, it is always
teaching you something that you already know. If
that’s the case, then, it isn’t that educational since it
This year one of the biggest changes at Simmons
isn’t teaching you anything.
Middle School is the addition of Compass LearnI also see what Bailey is saying about all of the
ing. Every student at SMS have heard of it and
cartoons. The cartoons do make me think of being
probably are asked to use it daily. Kids have been
for little kids. Some of
doing compass learning in
the ones with cartoons,
reading strategies and lanhowever, are helpful and
guage arts. Some teachers
are better than they
grade the kids on it. During
would be without them.
class and in the hallways, I
The good thing about
have heard people say that
Compass Learning is
they don’t like compass
that it moves slow and
learning. So I started to wongives you practice at speder, Is Compass Learning
cific skills. Mrs. Preston
good or bad ?
said that what some kids
So I decided to ask some
don’t know is that the acstudents what they thought
tivities in their math and
about it. For the most part,
language arts folders are
their review was negative.
specifically designed for
“I don’t like it because it
our needs based on how
sometimes goes over things
we did on Global
that you already know,” said
Scholar tests. According
Danielle Goodwin.
to our test results, they
clarowellness.ca
“I don’t like it because it
are skills that we haven’t
seems like it is for little kids
Is Compass Learning actually
mastered yet and need
because of all of the carpractice at. Because
toons,” said Bailey Johnson. good?
everybody is working on
“I don’t like it because it
different activities, it allows every student to work
seems boring,” said Bryce Varner. “It just teaches
at their own particular level.
you the basics and things that you already know. It
So, do YOU like compass learning? Is it good or
isn’t that fun.”
is it bad?
Personally, I think that Compass Learning has the
potential to be both good and bad. It could be good
SMS Standard
Winter Highlights
March 10, 2014
Photo taken by Diega McDougall
At the winter pep rally, students entered a raffle for a chance to pie Mr. Cain and Mr. Erwin in
the face.
Page 5
Photo taken by Mrs. Bueche
The Lakeshore athletes come to visit Simmons and play some sports with our teachers.
Photo taken by Rebecca Bueche
A group of girls gather before entering the seventh grade dance.
Picture Credit: Megan Hagerty
Will Pearson, creator of Mental Floss Magazine, shared words of wisdom.
Photo taken by Kathy Thorsen
Daniel K. won the Geography Bee. Benjamin P. came in second and Cole H. third.
Features
SMS standard
Weird Food
By Hannah Jordan
There are some weird foods out shell, and then pierce a hole in it
there that need to be done justice. to drink the liquid inside. Oh,
Durian is so stinky that it is and did I mention that the egg has
against the law to bring them to an unborn baby duck inside? Not
the airport. Ever heard of burying all strange foods are gross
an egg for a couple months before though, the longan for example.
At first glance
eating it? Or
"Fruits,
fish,
eggs,
and
you may think it
even a dish that
involves chop- cheese all are things we is a nut, or a
ping the head eat and enjoy, but some small coconut,
but when the
off of a fish and
burying them of the food of choice is flesh underneath
with their in- not exactly something is shown the
nards. Sounds you’ll be seeing on your truth is revealed.
The fruit is said
delicious right?
local
menu"
to
have a mild
Well read on to
tang and taste
make
your
like an onion.
stomach really
what’s
really
strange
is its resemgrowl!
The first delectable on our list blance to the white of an eye,
is found in Italy. While Italy may hence its translation to “dragon
be the home of treats like pasta eye.”
Fruits, fish, eggs, and cheese all
and pizza, this one might not be
your kind of meal. Casu Marzu is are things we eat and enjoy, but
a type of cheese, but I wouldn’t some of the food of choice is not
recommend putting it on your exactly something you’ll be seecrackers; it’s full of fly larva. ing on your local menu. This is
These maggots tunnel in the just the tip of the iceberg. To learn
cheese giving it a unique flavor more you can travel to your local
opposed to other cheeses. The market or even the internet. I
next one is gross enough to make hope you learned something and
vegetarians squirm, Balut. The think that these foods have been
process is simple really. First you done justice. Remember, you are
get an egg and boil it still in its what you eat!
Hannah Jordan
Spiders...yum!
http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a307_f1.jpg
Page 6
Newspaper Staff
March 10, 2014
These hard-working students
stay after school every week
to bring you exciting and entertaining news from Simmons. If you enjoy writing,
taking pictures, or designing,
this could be something you
consider trying next year.
Editor in Chief:
Emily Su
Warren Griggs
Opinions editor:
Pippa Lother
Features editor:
Hannah Jordan
Sports editor:
Jack Dickerson
Jalen Mosely
Photographers:
Megan Hagerty
Diega McDougall
News reporters:
Kyara Lewis
Jasmine Walker
Ashley Blevins
Features reporters:
Emily Bloom
Eleanor Harwell
Sports reporters:
Luke Hinkle
John Michael Williamson
Opinions reporters:
Breanna King
Sponsor:
Ashley Preston
There is a new club for 6th grade.
The Science club! Science club
is an all 6th grade club that meets
every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of
each month. At the meetings, we
do lots of fun experiments and
things that we wouldn’t normally
get to do in class.
The first two club meetings were
about “civil engineering.” We
tested various materials under
lamps to see which absorbed/ reflected heat. Then, the next
meeting each group had to build
a “penguin” house with the various materials so that an ice cube
penguin would not melt quickly.
Our third meeting was chemistry.
They had to test various kitchen
chemicals (baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and confectioners sugar) to observe how
they reacted with various liquids.
Then, they tested a “mystery”
powder to determine what it was
made of.
Our next meetings will include
“Bungee Barbie”, egg drop, and
a nature hike.
Science club is sponsored by
sixth grade science teachers Mrs.
Ogle and Mrs. Langford. With
not many clubs for the sixth
grade to choose from, the science
club is very popular. There are 31
members. The science club is a
great place to learn and socialize
with fellow young scientists.
The Science Club
Page 7
Track
Sports
SMS Standard
March 10, 2014
By Mrs. Preston
The Indoor Track season has come
to an end. Our girls finished 5th overall and our boys finished 4th. Some
of our big winners were: Shannon
Lott who took first in Long Jump,
breaking his own record, second in
60 Meters, and first in High Jump,
tying the indoor record for middle
school. Marion Humphrey took first
in the 60 Meter Hurdles and broke the
record. Madelyn Foster came in first
in High Jump.
Team members included Ansell A.,
John B., Jeremy C., Justin C., James
C., Anthony D., Milo D., Lucien D.,
Zach E., Scott E., Ziven F., Joshua H.,
Brady H., Marion H., C.J. J., Ryan
K., Bryson L., Shannon L, Cameron
M., Josh M., Jonathon M., Jalen M.,
James R., Cam S., Ethan T., Marlanda A., Sarah B., Maddie B.,
Jameia D., Cameron F., Madelyn F.,
Syncere H., Lauryn H., Taylor K.,
Alyssa K., Kyara L., Mackenzie M.,
Meleah M., Emily N., Shbrya P.,
Hannah P., Amelia R., and Journey
S..
But now that the Indoor track season is over, the Outdoor track season
begins! The head coach for Outdoor
Track is Coach Barb. Outdoor Track's
first meeting was on March 1st at
Hoover High School. Congrats to Indoor Track for a great season! Come
out and support the Outdoor Track
Team.
The Hard
Hitters!
By Jack Dickerson and John
Michael Williamson
This season's SMS Tennis team is going to be great
this year under the direction of coach Lochamy! Here is
some important info, rosters, and schedules in order to
follow the team this season.
If you need a map to any of the tournaments, check
out the tennis wiki.
Tennis team members bring these things to practice
every day: racket, water or sports drink, usable tennis
balls for match play, and a jump rope.
2014 Boys Roster:
Zac Tucker
Jake Berg
Carsen Brown
Joseph Phillips
Matthew Green
Christian Hargrove
Bryson Lorimer
Caleb Croushorn
2014 Girls Roster:
Katelyn Ragland
Kristin Simanyi
Ashley Vourlotis
Caroline Sall
Helen Zhou
Julia Keffer
Sabirah Haque
Grace Hale
2014 Schedule:
Feb 20 vs. Thompson
Feb 24 vs. Bragg
Feb 25 vs. Bumpus
Feb 27 vs. LIberty Park
Mar 4 vs. Hewitt-Trussville
Mar 11 @ Pizitz
Mar 13 vs. Clay-Chalkville
Mar 18 @ Oak Mountain
Mar 20 vs. Mountain Brook
Mar 31 @ Berry
Apr 4 and 5 Metro South Tournament
Good luck!
Golf
Indoor Track practicing hard!
By: Jalen Mosely
Photo taken by: Megan Hagerty
tournaments (4 four the boys, 4 for
the girls) and they will get to compete
against other schools in the state. So,
The Simmons Middle School Golf wish them luck as they go out there
team is ready for a great season this and represent Simmons! If you want
year. But they will have to face some to know anything else about the golf
stiff competition, like Homewood team, meet with Mrs. Scott, the 6-2
and Oak Mountain. Almath teacher.
I guess there is nothing that
though they’ve got
will get your mind off every- Golf team members
some pretty good play- thing like golf. I have never are Jalen Mosely, Reid
ers this year, we’ve got been depressed enough to take McClung, David Xin,
some too! Simmons up the game, but they say you Ben Cornelius, Alex
players practice at Ox- get so sore at yourself you for- Flint, Luke Sanderson,
moor Valley golf get to hate your enemies. Holly Woods, Nicole
course mainly on TuesWaldrop, Victoria Sutdays and Thursdays.
ton, and Sanjaya Amos.
They play in 8 golf
Will Rogers
SMS Standard
March 10, 2014
Page 8
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SMS Standard
April 24, 2014
Simmons Middle School
1575 Patton Chapel Road
Summer
Volume 5, Issue 4
By: Pippa Lother
Well, folks, summer is almost here - and I
know you are all excited as I am, but is summer
really beneficial? Yes, on carefree sunny days,
all you want to do is go outside and play, but are
you losing all the knowledge that you worked so
hard to learn the school year before? Every kid
dreams of that split second when the last bell
rings and they can go home for infinite freedom
and sunny vacations. But lots of schools in other
parts of the country have already done away
with summer, trading it for year-long school.
Summer is definitely fun, but review time in
August isn't, so do we keep it, or have shorter
breaks year-round?
First I interviewed Haley Munn, who said, “I
like summer because hanging out with my
friends and not getting in trouble for talking is
fun. I think we should have summer break so we
can have time off from school, but I don’t think
the break should be as long. We forget the things
that we learn over the summer, so we should
have shorter breaks throughout the year.”
Many points support Haley’s point of view:
schools all over the U.S. are switching to yearround school, just like lots of other countries
have done. Over 3,000 schools in America alone
have switched to a no-summer schedule to keep
up with the growing gap of lost knowledge.
Schools with no summer have improved test
scores and less time is spent in class reviewing
the last year’s lessons. There would still be
breaks every quarter or so, and holiday time off,
so it wouldn't be a never-ending stressful term.
Summer was only originally started because
doctors thought that children were weak, so too
much schooling would damage them and that the
overly hot school rooms would spread disease.
Summer is an outdated tradition that could be
done away with to benefit kids learning in
school.
Then I interviewed Journey Sims, who said,
“I like summer, swimming, and hanging out
with my friends because it’s the only time when
I’m not in school. We should keep summer
because kids should get a long break to relax
from the stress of school.”
On the other hand, summer is really great.
Summer activities increase agility and we drink
more water and eat more fruit during the
summer. It’s also a time to spend with your
family and hang out with friends without having
to struggle through classes all week. Also if there
was no summer, then kids who had a hard time
during the school year wouldn't be able to go to
summer school in order to learn everything they
need to go on to the next grade. It’s also a good
time for kids to attend a camp so they can focus
on music or sports. Summer camps also help
kids develop their independence so it’s easier on
them when they are out of school. Summer is a
great relaxation time and helps kids catch up for
the next year while making memories with their
family and on their own that school could not
give them.
Mrs. Preston says that while she enjoys
summer, she thinks kids would be better served
by a shorter summer and more short breaks
throughout the year.
So what do think we should do with summer?
Both options have their pros and cons, and
everyone has a different opinion. For now,
summer is here to stay and for us to enjoy it with
all the sun and relaxation waiting for the end of
school in less than nine weeks.
Dear Edwina
annual theater in the round play
to travel around to the elementary
schools. This year the department
It is that time once again, dear has picked the play Dear Edwina,
students of Simmons, that the and the newspaper staff has
theater department puts on their picked the editors in chief to
By Warren Griggs and Emily Su
ASPIRE: For It or Against It?
By: Breanna King
This spring, Alabama students will be taking a
brand new standardized test: the ASPIRE. We
don’t know much about it yet, but I wanted to
know what students’ expectations were. Should
we have to take standardized tests like ASPIRE?
Is it worth all the time we spend preparing for
them? Would they rather be in regular classes?
I asked a few people what their opinion about
ASPIRE and standardized tests, and here’s what
they had to say.
Danielle Goodwin said, ''I don't like
standardized tests because they’re long and ask
you a lot of things that you don't know.''
Reagen Gagliano said, “I think students
should [take standardized tests] because it lets
the teacher know what the student needs to learn.
I don't think it is a waste of time even though
most kids hate the tests.''
Mia Hembree said, ''I think that the Aspire
testing is going to be okay, but I really do not
want the teachers saying that it will count when
it really doesn't count.''
Mr. Cain assures you that it does indeed count
and determines what courses you can take.
Esther Kimani said, “I think we should take it
only in 7th and 8th grade because we are already
learning and taking test and quizzes. Aspire is
making it even worse.’’
As you can see, the majority of the students
that I interviewed said that they don’t really like
standardized tests like ASPIRE. On the other
hand, you need to get a good grade on because it
gives educators, students, families, and even
future colleges early insight into your level of
preparedness for classes and careers. So whether
or not standardized tests are your favorite thing,
try to do your best.
Google Images
Summer gives us the opportunity to take vacations, but does it take away
from education?
write about it.
“Dear Edwina,” written by Zina
Goldrich and Marcy Heisler over
a decade ago, is about a 13-year
old girl named Edwina (played
by Sumner Dobrava) who has
very talented siblings and thus
wants to prove herself to be as
good as them by participating in a
festival. Other characters include
Scott (played by Daniel Presley),
who tries to win Edwina’s love,
Andrew Van Buren (played by
Daniel Michael), the talent scout
for the festival, and more!
The play will feature many
songs sung by the actors,
including but not limited to "Paw
Paw Michigan," "Up on the
Fridge," and "Dear Edwina,"
which shares the play’s name.
The play will begin showing on
April 28th. It’s a great
opportunity for elementary
students to find an interest in the
performing arts. We believe it is a
great thing, and look forward to
the next show!
Google Images
Standardized testing has always been a big part of spring, but what do
you think about it?
SMS Standard
2014
Career
Day
April 24,2014
Page 2
A 7th Grade
Tradition
By: Pippa Lother and Ashley
Blevins
On Friday, March 28, SMS
7th graders had their annual
Career Day. There were many
interesting speakers such as a
broadcaster, a TV producer, an
FBI agent, a Hoover Toyota
owner, a US attorney, a drug
intervention counselor, a fashion truck owner, a US Marshal,
an orthodontist, a recording studio manager, an artist, a paralegal, and a pond specialist. Each
seventh grader got to choose
four of these insightful speakers
to hear and find out what they
would have to do to get and
work at their individual jobs.
Each guest told about his or
her job job and how much it
paid and what education they
needed. The drug intervention
counselor talked about how difficult dealing with people who
have an addiction can be and
Photo taken by Diega MacDougall
On Career Day SMS hosted many professionals including an artist who led stained glass demonstrations.
how you have to make sure
they don’t trick you. She told a
story about one patient who
used fizzy lemonade instead of
urine for their drug test. She
said that this is a common
occurrence when people are
tested. The paralegal was also a
drug specialist who specialized
in cases instead of rehabilitation, but unfortunately she said
Spring Break
she is allergic to drugs, the evidence she has to work with
every day. These jobs have
more to do with law enforcement and rehabilitation.
There were also lots of jobs
that focused more on creativity.
The was an artist who made
stained glass and demonstrated
how she made her glass and
brought tools to show every-
one. At first she said that she
did not want to be an artist, but
then she took a class and was
enthralled by the process and
result. The fashion truck owner
told us how mark ups work in
stores and how she had to
watch for new trends to put in
her truck. She has a yellow
truck that drives around
Birmingham selling girls
clothes. These jobs are more
artistic and creative, although
the markups have lots to do
with math.
All of the careers were good
examples of successful professions to encourage students to
go for their dream job. This
2014 career day was a big success and was enjoyed by the
Simmons seventh grade.
Students Recap Their Spring Adventures
By: Eleanor Harwell and Pippa Lother
Spring break recently
happened here at SMS
and I interviewed some
Simmons students to see
what fun things they did
over SB14. I talked to
several students about
where they went and what
they did. Hannah Jordan
went camping on a fifteen
mile hike in the woods.
Brandon Harwell went to
California with his family.
His favorite thing was
whale watching. He said
they saw at least 11 humpback whales! Claire
Oliver grade went to
Auburn. Her favorite
thing was seeing her sister
at the university. All of
those vacations sound
really fun and exciting
and I would love to visit
all of those places.
Other people had a staycation. Emily Su said “I
liked not being outside so
I don’t have an allergic
reaction with all the
pollen.” Madison Roberts
went
to
Treetop
Adventure. Her favorite
thing was doing the Gocarts. Pippa Lother stayed
home and went to Desoto
caverns with her cousin.
Her favorite part was trying to find her way out of
the maze. Spring break
was hopefully a lot of fun
for you and your families
and I hope you all have
fun next year during
SB15!
Thank you to Ms. Cunningham and Ms. Clopton, who
will be retiring this spring.
trip for 6th Grade.
While at the zoo, we’ll
see tons of interesting,
lesser-known animals
like the Southern
Screamer
and
Chinchilla, plus some
local animals like the
Cottonmouth. We will
be able to feed Giraffes,
Pelicans,
and
Lorikeets. We are probably going to be able to
see Red Diamond Sea
Lion Splash Show, The
Predator Zone, and take
a train ride. We’ll get to
visit the newly-opened
“Trails of Africa”
exhibit, which is just an
area in the zoo for
Sixth Grade Field Trip
By: Jasmine Walker
The 6th Grade will be
going
to
the
Birmingham Zoo in
less than 2 weeks. This
will be the first field
Photo credit of Ms. Clopton
Endangered Elephants.
I am sure all of the 6th
graders can’t wait to go
on the spring field trip
to the Birmingham Zoo
to visit all of the interesting animals.
April 24, 2014
Weird Places
SMS Standard
Page 3
By Hannah Jordan
I’m pretty sure we all
dream of going to strange
and exotic places. Some of
us might even wish to go to
other worlds. What most of
us don’t realize is that some
of the strangest places are
right here on earth. I've
brought together some pretty
awesome locations that seem
like they could be from
another world.
Mexico City holds one of
the coolest houses, the snail
house. The snail house is
made to look like a snail
shell, and is very exotic. The
inside is covered in plants
and has everything from a
kitchen to a living room.
Stained glass decorates the
outside and causes a wonderful display, and nearly all the
furniture seems to grow from
the walls and floor.
If this isn't your style, try
something a little closer to
home, Flathead Lake in
Montana. At first the lake
looks shallow, but at a second glance is nearly three
hundred and seventy feet
deep! The reason of this is
the lake’s crystal clear water
allows you to view all the
way to the bottom, making
anything on top seem to float
in the air. Flathead Lake is
also the largest lake east of
the Mississippi.
If you’re in the mood for
something colder, I have just
the thing. A cave in Alaska,
but not made of rock, but of
ice. Complete with its own
waterfalls, this cave has
almost any form of water,
including your breath!
Still nothing striking your
fancy? Try something not so
low to the ground, the Tianzi
Mountains in China. These
Mountains aren't exactly
hills, the highest standing a
staggering four thousand,
one hundred and forty feet.
Basically I wouldn't suggest
this one to those of us scared
of heights.
The Zhangye Danxia landform, once again in China,
are actually hills, but if
you've read this far you know
there is more than that to
them. These hills contain all
the primary colors, and more.
From red to green to yellow,
these striped rocks are sure to
inspire.
These natural landforms
are all real and, right here on
earth! If you're lucky, you
might even get to see them
over the summer. Saying
goodbye for the last time this
year, Hannah Jordan.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1a2Dh88pWwM/TjI3Riuz49I/AAAAAAAAAR0/cG4_z0sv9sA/s320/mini-sachin-
The interior of the snail house. This doesn't even show the flat screen TV!
http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20090927/000d87ad3cdd0c2904db12.jpg
The Tianzi Mountains of China are worth the trip.
Origami
By Emily
Su
Origami is a traditional Japanese art
of folding paper into artwork. The
word itself comes from “ori”, which
means “folding”, and “kami/gami”,
which means “paper.”
I want to teach you how to make a
hat. All you'll need is a piece of paper.
Some people use special origami
paper, but regular printer paper seems
to work just as well.
To begin, put the paper on a table so
that it’s longer up and down than
sideways. Fold the top down to the
bottom and crease. Then, fold the top
two corners to the middle so you end
up with a pentagon. Make sure the
folds are even and touch each other at
the middle!
http://mcoapi.kaivos.org/ss2.png
Try Minecraft as well as Roblox and Goodgame Empire
this summer, recommended by Luke Hinkle
http://scalliwagtoys.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/origami-yoda.jpg
Try your hand at an origami Yoda
You’ll have two strips of rectangular
paper below the triangles you just
folded, so fold those up; one on each
side. You should end up with something resembling a triangle with a little brim, so open it up from the bottom, crease so that it stays that way,
and you have your hat!
Check
out
the
website
http://www.origami-instructions.com
for additional ideas.
SMS Standard
Spring Practices for Sixth Graders
Spring
Track
and Field
April 24, 2014
By John Michael
Williamson
By: Warren Griggs
Hello,
people
of
Simmons. Once again the
sports section required my
help and
so I took
the job.
This time
I met up
with the
t r a c k
team and
Editor in Chief its head
Warren Griggs coach. I
interviewed them and got
these interesting answers:
W=Warren Griggs
C=Coach
J= John Mccrackin
E= Emmanuel Thuo
W: Is it difficult to coach
this sometimes?
C: No, I know all of the
events and activities, so
it’s pretty easy
W: Are there track meets
or competitions you go to?
C: Yes, we have track
meets where the individual students can place 1st
2nd or 3rd in each event.
W: How do the students
feel about track?
C: The ones that are here
are good at different
things. Some are good at
running, some are good at
throwing, some are good
at jumping. But I believe
they all like it.
Next I interviewed John
Mccrackin and Emmanuel
Thou who are members of
the track team:
W: Is track hard?
J&E: Yes, you have to
push yourself sometimes
W: Do you like track? Or
just tolerate going to it?
J&E: Yeah, I like it
because it makes me better.
W: Is track fun?
J&E: Yeah
So that’s some info on
the track team. Hopefully
you are now more
informed about the people
running for Simmons.
This is Warren, hoping
you have a great day at
Simmons.
The year has been a good
year. Sadly it is coming to an
end. Well most of you wouldn’t
say that you are sad school is
out. Sixth graders will become
seventh graders and seventh
graders will become eighth
graders. When you enter sixth
grade you don’t get to play any
sports for that year. Only seventh and eighth graders get to
play sports. Well, sixth graders,
get ready. It’s almost our turn!
Many sixth graders have
already started to practice for
Tennis
Page 4
next year’s season.
Summer basketball for boys
and girls will be happening in
the next couple of weeks, and a
lot of sixth graders seem to be
trying out. So if you are a sixth
grade reading this then on the
day of tryouts bring your “A”
game. Volleyball is also a very
The 10 Best
Movies of All Time
By: Warren Griggs
Hello movie freaks! This is your
newspaper critic with my final article for the SMS newspaper. So to
top off all of my past reviews, I
would like to list the ten greatest
movies of all time! Now these are
compiled not only from my own
list, but various other lists done by
other critics. So without further ado,
let’s see what they are, shall we?
Photo By Megan Hagerty
Helen Zhou and Ashley Vourlotis of the Track team
posing for a photo.
By: Mr. Lochamy
Tennis season is over. Here's a
wrap up of our successful year.
For the boys, 8th grader Jake
Berg (who just started playing tennis last year) played at our #2 slot
this season and advanced all the
way to the finals at our metro tournament before losing to a very talented player from Mtn. Brook. 8th
grader Matthew Green advanced
to the semifinals with a very
impressive win over a talented
player from Pizitz. 7th graders
Carsen Brown and Christian
Hargrove have really taken to the
sport and contributed heavily this
season as well, and 7th grader Zac
Tucker played #1 for us this season and managed a win percentage
of .875. Our Metro South Players
of the year for the boys' squad
were Zac and Jake.
Our girls' team finished tied for
fourth place, which is a pretty
impressive finish in a year like this
where the competition on the girls'
side of Metro was extremely
tough. 8th graders Helen Zhou and
Ashley Vourlotis both advanced to
the finals of the Metro tournament, playing in the #4 and #5
slots, and Julia Keffer made it to
the semis. We were an 8th-grade
heavy team this year, but our #1
seed was seventh grader Katelyn
Ragland, and Kristin Simanyi contributed to the team as a singles
player as well. All of our singles
players on the girls' side-- Katelyn
Ragland, Julia Keffer, Caroline
Sall, Ashley Vourlotis, Helen
Zhou, and Kristin Simanyi--man-
aged a win percentage of at least
.500, which is not too shabby at
all. Metro South Players of the
Year on the girls side were
Caroline Sall and Ashley
Vourlotis.
If you see any of these players,
pat them on the back for a successful (and fun) season.
2014 Boys' Team:
Zac Tucker*
Jake Berg*
Carsen Brown*
Joseph Phillips*
Matthew Green
Christian Hargrove*
Bryson Lorimer
Caleb Croushorn
2014 Girls Team:
Katelyn Ragland*
Julia Keffer*
Caroline Sall*
Ashley Vourlotis*
Helen Zhou*
Kristin Simanyi*
Grace Hale
Sabirah Haque
*At season's end, these students
played in 5 or more singles matches during the regular Metro
League season and maintained a
winning percentage of .500 or
higher or advanced all the way to
the final match of their respective
tournaments at the season-ending
Metro South Tournament. They
earned a "Not Too Shabby"
bracelet as a token of accomplishment.
popular sport here at Simmons.
After a successful volleyball
camp last week, tryouts are
wrapping up this week.
Sports are very important
here at Simmons and we would
love to have a winning season
in all sports next year. So, sixth
graders, get ready. GO BUCS!
10.Mary and Max
An indie movie, it’s one of the
best indie movies, if not one of the
best movies, I’ve ever seen. It’s
about a little girl from Australia
who wants to know about New
York, so she picks a name out of a
phone book and writes a letter to
this person. The guy she contacts
has never had a friend, so he is
ecstatic to receive this letter. This
small exchange leads to a friendship
that, through thick and thin, never
gives out until the end. This movie
is based on a true story and is truly
one of the best I’ve seen.
9. Jaws
While the special effects don't
always meet today's standards, this
movie was able to scare people
away from the beach for many
years. Whenever people talk about
what movie kept them out of the
water as a kid, the answer is usually
Jaws. This movie was able to bridge
the generation gap and still scare
people, and for that effect it’s one of
the best movies of all time.
8.Harry Potter Movies (All)
These movies are one of the best
book-to-movie adaptations ever
made. In these movies they were
really able to bring an entire imaginary world to life and minimized
the collateral damage to the story in
the process. These movies truly are
magical, which makes them some
of the best.
7.Jurassic Park
With animatronics and special
effects that are still great today, this
movie is truly great. I’m not saying
the next two Jurassic Park movies
were good, but the first one was a
true gem that set the science fiction
genre to a higher standard.
6. Psycho
A famous movie from one of the
great masters of horror Alfred
Hitchcock, this one truly is a classic. The fact that the ending still
surprises today is a true achievement. The true mark of a great
movie is if it can stand the test of
time and still be good, and this
movie succeeds in that.
5. The Toy Story Trilogy
Usually, when a great movie has a
sequel, it can never quite live up to
the first one. Not only did the
sequels in this movie meet the quality of the
first, in some
ways they
exceeded it.
That’s why
these movies
are some of
the best.
4. Forrest
Citizen Kane, the best
Gump
This movie movie ever made.
keeps
you
locked in throughout its journey
across historical events and has fantastic satire. Not only has it’s great
writing made it famous and won it
awards, it’s one of the only movies
to get a shrimp themed restaurant
chain named after it. This movie is
great and I believe everyone should
see it at least once.
3.
Planes,
Trains,
and
Automobiles
This movie is not only a hilarious
movie, it’s got a great story to go
behind it. It is a great movie and I
love it. It will always remain one of
my favorite comedy movies of all
time.
2. The Godfather Trilogy
The movie trilogy that’s famous
for a great many things. Today's
popular culture weaves references
of it into everyday life so often you
probably don’t even notice it. It’s
scarily realistic and overall it’s awesome. It stands the test of time as
great, and it deserves this spot.
1. Citizen Kane
The story is partially based on the
life of William Randolph Hearst.
This movie is considered by many
to be the greatest movie ever made.
The genius camera angles and shots
were so revolutionary for their time
it’s amazing. The pure creativity
and great writing poured into this
story is epic, which all blends
together to create a true masterpiece
for the ages.
There you go movie freaks, the
top ten movies of all time. I’m not
saying there aren’t others, but we
don't have the space for all of them.
Thank you, movie freaks, for reading my articles and hopefully
watching some of the movies I suggested. This is Warren Griggs, your
loyal movie critic, saying goodbye
and closing the cinema.