The Start of Something Great
Transcription
The Start of Something Great
The Belzer Blog V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E S E P T . 4 , 2 0 1 4 G OT G RI T ? ? Show what you know. (with confidence.) Give your personal best. Don’t give up when the work gets tough. Be prepared— that is half the battle. 1 BEL ZE R M I D D LE S CH O O L ST UD E NT N E WS P A PE R The Start of Something Great INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Building Info 2 College Info Ice Buckets 3 State News 4 Belzer News Survey 5 More News It’s Time 6-7 Updates 8 Sports 9 Review 1011 Comedy 12 ...and here we go, 2014-15! PAGE 2 By: Kaiden Moore and Dejuan Anderson. Mr. Landers is the 7th grade guidance counselor at Belzer Middle School. This is his third year here; this is also the only school he has served as guidance counselor. When he’s not being a guidance counselor, he’s coaching wrestling. He has coached for five years now. It sounds like Mr. Landers has a full load, but he enjoys what he does. When he took the job here at Belzer, he only took the job for the kids. He loves help- By: Storme Torrence and Isaiah Henderson. Belzer Middle School’s 8th grade guidance counselor is Bonita Neal. She is a very interesting woman. She has been married for 26 years. She has one daughter and one son. Her daughter is a senior at IUPUI. Her son is a freshman at Purdue. Mrs. By:Christina Strader. What is the Belzer Performing arts department? At Belzer middle school we have a performing arts department that includes band, orchestra, and vocal music. Our arts department is a privilege not a right. Students have a choice to be a part of the arts department through elective classes. There are several bands, orchestras, and choirs from which to choose. Many 7th and 8th graders THE BELZER BLOG ing students. When Mr. Landers is not at school, he likes to be with his friends and family. He likes to play golf or wrestle in his spare time. When Mr. Landers is coaching he feels awesome when the kids improve and succeed, but when they don’t work hard it becomes a whole other story. Mr. Landers’ jobs Neal loves her family, friends, and students. This is her 5th year at Belzer Middle School. She was counselor at Craig Middle School and also at Fall Creek Valley before that. When asked if she wished are in the performing arts department and have signe up for more than one of these classes offered by their teachers. In addition to these classes, this year Belzer offere percussion, keyboarding, guitar and drama classes. Students are encouraged to follow Belzer’s performing arts online and on Twitter: @BelzerPA. Websites for teachers are also available such as: http:// www.belzerband.com or www.myhaikuclass.co m/heathernieto/ belzerorchestra1/ cms_page/view here at Belzer include more than just wrestling and guiding students. He also has hall duty, conducts administrative responsibilities, helps students, meets parents, watches grades, completes schedules, and assists with career planning. So next time you see Mr. Landers say, “Thank you for all you do in this school.” she would have gone to college for any other job, she said, “If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.” She likes her job as a guidance counselor mostly because she loves working with kids. VOLUME 2, ISSUE SEPT. 4, 2014 1 By Shelby Wheeler. Thanks to the 21st Century Scholar program, no Indiana student can be denied a college education. Students’ families who require assistance or have an inability to pay can receive financial aid from the state government or PAGE colleges and universities. On average, enrolling takes just five minutes. The 21st Century Scholar Program was started in the 1990’s by the State of Indiana. For guaranteed free college tuition, participants must carry out a pledge of good citizenship to the state. This includes a clean permanent record and maintaining adequate grades. The tuition By Jalen Pannell. Belzer Middle school is taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Mr. Knoderer, our volleyball team and various other students and teachers have done the Ice Bucket Challenge. Because of social media--Twitter, Instagram, etc--the Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral. People all over the country are all doing the Ice Bucket ChalBy Jaela Melton. “I’ve been nominated for the ALS ice water challenge…” Bruins everywhere have heard this phrase before--even the school staff and athletes have participated in it. But what goes beyond the phrase? While this social media wildfire fad has successfully spread, did its popularity help the cause at all? Sometimes the awareness videos simply stop after the nominee experiences the thrill of having ice water poured over the top of his head. While everyone seems to finally know about ALS, do they know what ALS is? This project was started to raise awareness about Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; this project was started to find a hope where there is none. ALS isn’t the only nickname for this disease; it is also referred to as its scientific is given through the Division of Student Financial Aid. They fund tuition for independent, public, and proprietary schools. Students with financial problems and students currently eligible for free or reduced-cost lunches will most likely qualify for the 3 program. Seventh and eighth grad ers must apply before leaving middle school. Students can apply online at http://www.in.gov/sfa/. The deadline for applying is June 30th of students’ eighth grade year. Don’t wait. There is no time like the present to apply for free money! lenge. Belzer, however, wants to do more beyond just dumping a bucket of ice water on our heads. BMS is collecting money during lunches. All the money we collect is going to be donated to the ALS Foundation to be used towards research to find a cure for ALS. The Foundation’s challenge has made 50 million dollars so far. Here at Belzer, Mr. Knoderer passed the chal- lenge on to all the other secondary principals. A video of the challenge can be found on youtube at: https:// www.youtube.com/watch? v=iujxKxH27Gw needs to be money. This is where the ice bucket challenge comes in. Participants are nominated to name Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou do this challenge, and the catch is you Gehrig’s disease. This is named after the fa- donate money. Not to mention, your get mous baseball player that got the disease. the chance to challenge your friends to No matter what it is called, the description dump ice water over their heads. From of it remains intact. Lou Gehrig’s disease your everyday family to school teams to affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal professional athletes, people have parcords, targeting the ones that control muscle ticipated in this. The problem is, some movement. Victims of ALS ultimately lose people are skipping out on donating the ability to move any money and actually helppart of their body, and ing. Mr. Knoderer has set the use of their vocal up a table in the cafeteria chords. Once you are for fundraising, and in addiagnosed with this disdition to that you can go ease, you know you will to ALS.org. You can doultimately die. This is nate here and also find why there needs to be a more information on ALS. cure, therefore there Give to the cause. PAGE 4 Lazarus: Grand Champion Stallion By Bryce Alpers. Every year the Clydesdale horse breeders from across the country attend a national show. This year, it was at our State Fair. The show was in the new coliseum and was also shared with the national Perchron show. This year the fair runners added a little treat to the fair beside the national show. Perchron Thunder performed a Roman Riding show which is what they are known for where a man takes a team of horses and rides on the backs of two horses while controlling the rest of the team. The grand champion Clydesdale gelding was Lord Jake owned by Birky’s Pride Clydesdales. The grand champion stallion was Lord Lazarus owned by Greenwood Farms. The Supreme Champion Clydesdale was Mistress Carla also owned by Greenwood Farms. The damage that the quake caused was moderate to severe damage. The damage is estimated between $500,000 to $1,000,000. The quake caused fires to the homes, water line breakage in various locations, and broken windows, and interior damage to buildings. The governor of California declared a state of emergency. Seventy buildings were red tagged spot of where the earthquake had struck. Cleaning up is still under way for the area. By Natalie Taylor. On August 24, 2014 The USGS seismologists warned resiat 3:20am, a strong shake caused the dents of aftershocks that occurred in residents of Napa, California to awake the days following the main ripple. The same spot with a magnitude of 2.8. due to a 6.1 magnitude earthquake. back to back aftershocks happened on These earthquake caused injuries to This is the strongest quake in twenAugust 26, 2014 and were located at over 200 people. tyfive years for California residents. The Northern California, just south of Napa USGS believes the earthquake had near American Canyon. The first afterstruck on the West Napa Fault, and the schock registered a magnitude of 3.9. epicenter was between Napa and Two minutes later, a second 2.7 quake American Canyon. occurred. A third aftershock was at the From: http://www.prongo.com/ Question... 1: Why are ghost such bad liars? 2: What dog can jump higher than a building? 3: How do you make a fruit punch? 4: What lies on the bottom of the seas and shakes? 5: What do you call a sheep that is covered in chocolate? 6: What has four legs but can’t walk? 7: What did the math book say to the other math book? 8: What kind of trick can a bunny do on a BMX bike? 9:Why did the grasshopper go to the doctor? 10: Where does a rabbit learn how to fly? ANSWERS ON PG. 12. The athletic department purchased new fence tubing to protect athletes who use the track and football fields. It looks great! PAGE By Shelby Wheeler. Fall 2014 brought not only cooler weather, but the winds of change as well to Belzer Middle School. Modifications such as new school uniforms, new electives and courses, new clubs, and renovations to the building have been implemented for the 2014-2015 school year. This makes for an exciting first year for seventh graders, and a refreshing experience for eighth graders. New Looks As seen on the new spirit wear, Belzer Middle School adopted new school colors last year. Our old red and white were replaced by the different hues of maroon and gray. The decision to switch colors was brought about by the number of other schools sporting red and white. It was also to align our fans with LC’s fans and school colors. Our new soccer team is wearing uniforms with our colors, and our wrestling team will be wearing our maroon and gray this year. New Courses/Electives New electives were added to accommodate seventh and eighth graders, including poetry slam, soccer, show choir, and more. Poetry Slam is a riveting class where students study, compose and recite poetry for a grade. New to our health and P.E. department is soccer, basketball, and conditioning classes. In conditioning, students use weights along with other activities to tone their bodies New choirs were added to the performing arts program. Two of these are show choir and gospel choir. They are expected to be very popular among students who enjoy singing combined with choreographed dancing. Advanced choirs were also added for students who have experience singing. A percussion class was added as well. By Breana Rickmon and Sarah Swank. Some of our teaching staff were asked the following questions: What do you think of the students this year, and why do you want to teach? Here are their responses: Mrs. Heck “I am impressed with their responsibility. I like being around people and problem solving, like seeing kids learn to problem solve and think for themselves.” Mr. Daniels “I think that they are really good workers and that they are really well behaved; I like working with them. I love teaching. It feels great to see kids learn to think for themselves.” Mr. King “They are wonderful, motivated young adults. I enjoy teaching, coaching, and working with young adults.” Mrs. Hurley “They are very focused, and I see a lot of artistic ability this year. I have always liked kids and art.” Mrs. Noens “The students this year are very kind-I have heard more pleases and thank yous this year. I enjoy being with kids and learning from them.” 5 PAGE 6 By Matt Kovacs. Amazon is not the only one that wants to someday mail packages by drone. Last Thursday Google said it’s working on a secret project wing to make a selfflying delivery drone. The company said it built a drone and has been doing test flights on it in Queens- land, Australia where they delivered a first aid kit, dog treats, candy bars, and water to a couple of farmers and one very happy puppy during the test flight. They have done 30 test flights earlier this month after working on this project for 2 years. By Haley Ragonesi. Indiana schools are banning junk foods. That’s why there is no longer junk food in the vending machine. Officials are trying to have kids eat healthy. USDA’s Smart Snacks had the idea to By Taylor Soares. A woman at a Starbucks in Florida started an act of kindness chain that lasted for nearly 11 hours. The woman was at a drive-thru and paid for the person behind her. She ordered an ice coffee early in the morning and asked to pay for the drink(s) behind her. The person behind her paid for the person behind her, this chain went on for hours. Another example of paying it forward: “A complete stranger paid $10,000 so that one lady could have a liver operation that she otherwise could not have afforded. She still does not know who it was who ‘paid it forward’ on the day, but she is forever grateful.” Acts of kindness don’t have to be so big, but they are still very much appreciated and make the world a better place. “If you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart.” Anonymous ask the parents their thoughts. They are 100 percent on board, but students were not. The kids hate the healthy foods and want some good food with junk in it. They are trying to have all schools get into this program. By Nikolaus McCraig. Hot temperatures, mosquito bites, buckets of sweat, and money spent on electricity to keep all the air conditioners and fans going makes people ready for a new season to come and cool down the temperature outside. But they don’t realize what’s coming to them this year. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that this year the weather will be even worse than last years winter: colder and deeper. In the Northern part of the United States the countries are predicted to get heavy loads of snow and temperatures dropping below freezing. For Indianapolis, the weather will be on the scale of normal to below normal weather. As for our snowfall amount, it is predicted to be at a scale above normal. This forecast comes from The Old Farmer’s Almanac which has been predicting the weather for over 22 decades, and their predictions for the weather have been 80% accurate. Although some scientists believe the almanac has it wrong this year, information on their forecast predictions can be found at: http://www.almanac.com/ PAGE By: Dalycia Satterfield and Donya Simmons. Belzer Middle School is doing a fundraiser to raise money for the school. Of the various items being sold, cookie dough is at the top of the list. We are selling the best cookie dough made by the Otis Spunkmeyer Company. Although other cookie dough is thought to be good, Otis Spunkmeyer is the best cookie -dough you could ever taste proved by the fact that it is a 4 million dollar company. Belzer is trying to raise money so 7 students can participate in activities throughout the school year that teachers would like to incorporate into their lessons. Students are asked to sell as much as possible. The Belzer Blog challenges you to sell 12 or more. If you do sell at least 12 total items, you will win a chocolate candy bar with money under it. This sale ends September 12, 2014. So please help out your school AND get some cash and delicious cookies in the process! Don’t forget clubs and after school tutoring start next Monday! By: Sydney Stauffer. This year Belzer’s yearbook class is putting together an amazing technology-driven yearbook! The yearbook will have a feature where you can hold a smartphone over a picture and a highlight of the year will show up such as athletic highlights or clips from a concert. Also a feature that the yearbook is hoping to have is where people can buy an individual QR code to share with friends so they can hold their smartphone over the QR code to play a video created by making a selfie-style video. Of course the yearbook will have tons of photos and fun facts about the school year that you can refer to for years to come. Yearbooks are 30 dollars each. You can find the yearbook order forms in the main office, the student services center, or you can stop by room C110 for a form. Orders are being taking NOW for this year’s book! Yearbook orders should be turned in by the end of the first semester due to the ordering process--you cannot wait. So Bruins it sounds like we are going to have an amazing yearbook this year! By Storm Torence and Isaiah Henderson. Canvas update: There is now an All School Canvas page where you will find a variety resources and helpful information including a copy of the reading log, the Belzer Blog, and all-school calendar. Until the page is fully loaded, here are some dates of up-coming events: Sept. 8 = Picture Day--be sure to dress for your yearbook photo Sept. 12 = Fall fundraiser orders due back--work hard to meet your goal Sept. 22-26 = College Go week--start looking for college gear to wear Various dates in Sept = athletic events after school--come support our teams Keep an eye out for All School information on our Canvas page. PAGE 8 By Yhaniya Bynum, Matthew Anderson, and Katie Allen. In December of 2013, a huge outbreak of Ebola began in West Africa, the virus was not detected until March of 2014 and had already affected four countries in the area including Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. This is the largest Ebola outbreak ever to occur since the discovery of the disease in 1976. All four of the African countries are quarantined, allowing no one to travel into or out of them. Symptoms of this virus can be fever, muscle pains, weakness, lack of appetite, vomiting and severe headache. If you have these symptoms 8-10 days then that means you have caught the Ebola virus. Anyone who catches this disease, no worries. Ebola does in deed have a cure for it. However people who do die,did not have a response to the virus at the time. Ebola typically kills 90% of those infected, but the death rate in this outbreak has dropped to roughly 60% because of early treatment. Where did it come from? Well locals think that it came from West Africa. The disease itself is linked to fruit bats and primates. Scientist are saying that the reason this outbreak has been so large is because of the densely populated area where it initially occurred. With houses and people within close proximities of each other, the disease can spread from coming into contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or by eating an animal infected with ebola. Recently, a 33 year old Born: July 21, 1951 Died: August 11, 2014 former Indianapolis resident named Kent Brantley, had been treating patients with Ebola in Monrovia and eventually started feeling sick. Once he started to notice the symptoms of Ebola just last week, Kent quickly isolated himself. An average of more than 25 people died each day and has almost doubled since July, when the rate was 13 people dying every day. As of August 20th, 2014 the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control had reported a total of 2,615 suspected cases and 1,427 deaths. Robin starred in movies such as Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Good Morning Vietnam, and TV shows such as Mork and Mindy (where he got his start,) and The Crazy Ones which aired last fall. By Natalie Taylor. The comedian and actor loved by many the world over, took his own life on August 11 in Tiburon, California. Williams battled depression through most of his adult life and was recently diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Robin Williams had won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He was not only famous for his many roles in both comedy and drama, but was also loved for the service work he did for children and for our military overseas. Robin Williams death had saddened people around San Francisco, the US and the entire globe. People had honored Robin Williams as the great actor, an Emmy Award winner, and the comedian of the world. As Robin Williams lays to rest, his family members and the town mourns for the actor. Robin Williams asked that his ashes be scattered in the San Francisco Bay. We all will never forget the loss of this great comedian, an actor and humanitarian. Robin Williams had died at the age of 63. PAGE By Gabrielle Anderson. Belzer’s 8th grade football team is full of talented athletes ready to dominate this season; some are returning and others are new to our Belzer teams. Stated below are 3 returning athletes and Coach Miller. Stenaylean Allen, one of our inside and outside linebackers, has been playing for 3 years. Allen decided to continue playing because it’s fun and is a big part of his life. He, like most of the team, is hoping that they come back better than last year. Jalen Benjamin is another one of our linebackers who has also played for 3 years. Benjamin decided to play this year because he likes the contest, and he wants to win a championship and improve their record. Jacob Coleman is an 8-year defensive tackle and right guard. Coleman like to play football because he enjoys bonding with his “brothers” and improving his football skills. Coach Miller is our 8th grade head coach. This is his 22nd year coaching football. He decided to continue on coaching because he not only likes football but he also likes teaching the 9 fundamentals of football. This year he hopes for his players to mature, learn to work together, learn to take responsibility, and last but not least, learn to have fun on the field. By Tyra Schaffer and Annaya Shelton. This year Belzer has created a new plan for student athletes.This plan insures a healthy snack before games. Mr.Connors, our Athletic Director, has had issues in the past with parents who brought in pizza and chips as the snack. He does not think athletes should be indulging in just any food before games. The coaches pick up the brown bag meals up in the cafeteria and take them to a designated location where students eat and also do homework because the meal plan requires a short study session. Mr.Connors said, “It’s a good thing to provide healthy meals before all game nights, and it will not be the same food everyday.” 8th grade volleyball player Haley Ragonesi did not personally enjoy the meal, but she agrees that it is a great idea. Her bag included a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple juice,and carrots. The 8th grade volleyball coach, Mr. Raymond said, “It makes it easier for the parents who used to bring in snacks, and gives the athletes something to eat.” He also included, “It will tie them over until the game is over.” The meal plan is a great way to give energy to our athletes on the field. PAGE 10 By: Jaden Hasse. Eragon is the book series of a lifetime and was written by Christopher Paloni. The series has captivated millions with its amazing story and characters. Eragon is the main character who has many encounters as he travels with his dragon. The expansive world created by this author is sure to captivate readers to the very end. Once you finish you will be sure to checkout the sequels. By Jalyn Chaffin. My Everything is the title of Ariana Grande’s newest album (released August 25). Ariana’s former album Yours Truly came out early September 2013, and Arianators were going crazy when she announced that she was working on her second album already. My Everything includes her hit songs Problem featuring Iggy Azalea and Big Sean, Bang Bang featuring Jessie J. and Nicki Minaj, and Break Free featuring Zedd! Just when you thought this album couldn’t get any better, the one and only Harry Styles of One Direction wrote a song for the album that made Ariana cry! “Just a Little Bit Of Your Heart” is the 11th track on My Everything and it was written in one day! I’m sure Arianators and Directioners are very happy to have the words of Harry and vocals of Ariana collide together on this album. By: Kelsie Hardy, and Jaden Hasse The Hunger Games is a very interesting book! If you're into violence and action, then this is the book for you! You can find this book in our school library, along with the next two books. The Hunger Games is a fantastic book! The creator of The Hunger Games is Suzanne Collins. Altogether there are three books, The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Hunger Games: Mocking jay. The first two books have been turned into movies while the last one is in the process of being made but, its separated into two parts. This book and series has reached the hearts of millions. The series alone has THE BELZER BLOG By Kenneth King. At De La Salle High School, a coach leads the school football team to a 12-year winning streak. But when the team loses a game and loses one of their players, they spin out of control. Inspired by an extraordinary true story, one team faces their fears and stands against the odds. Released August 22, 2014, the team realizes that it’s not about winning a game, it’s about growing up— about brotherhood, commitment and forgiveness. grossed over 1 million dollars! This trilogy is a must read for anyone and everyone. Join an interesting cast of characters and see them through thick and thin. This story will be a memorable adventure and a great science fiction read. PAGE By Jolie Leonard. “The Pretty Little Liars” season 5 summer finale was definitely fatal, and we aren’t just talking about Mona Vanderwaal’s untimely death. The series killed it in the ratings this week, bringing in major numbers. The series brought in a whopping 2.3 million viewers, helping By Addison Hoppes. One of the world’s most cherished movies, “The Wizard of Oz,” is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary. At the time of its original release, “The Wizard of Oz” became most known for the stunning makeup, the excellent actors, and the magnificent scenes. A 11 it top the Tuesday night’s cable chart. They have already confirmed that Mona will be back in flashbacks and told Wetpaint Entertainment that Mona left clues behind for the liars. Even from beyond the grave, Mona is still very much a presence in Rosewood. fun fact about “The Wizard of Oz” is that Toto, the beloved terrier, was actually paid $125 a week. Also, there are 5 pairs of sparkly red shoes Dorothy wore which are all worth over $1.5 million today. By Charity McDowell. Toby is just a canine, but he’s pretty close to a doggie celebrity. This dog has 32,000 followers on Instagram which is more than most people have. Females on the site post “too cute” in response to Toby’s submissions. He is always with his little buddy Carter. They started the Instagram for family and friends, but it has grown to much more than that. You can follow Toby and Carter at http:// instagram.com/carterandtoby. By Addison Hoppes. One of the most beloved television shows of all time may be coming back. CBS Studios is trying to reboot the 1980 sitcom “Full House”. After the revising of “Boy Meets World”, television producers are thinking about making a sequel to “Full House”. The TV Guide stated that most of the cast members will be in the sequel. PAGE 12 Follow us on Twitter @BMSBruins, @BelzerPA, @BelzerAthletics Answers from pg. 4... 1: You can see right through them 2: Any dog, buildings can’t jump! 3: You give it boxing lessons 4: A nervous shipwreck! 5: A Hershey Baaaaaaar 6: A chair! 7: Boy, do I have problems. 8: A bunny hop! 9: He felt jumpy! 10: In the Hare Force. By: Charlie Nelson And Jasmyn Songer 1. All About That Bass- Meghan Trainor 2. Stay With Me- Sam Smith 3. Rude- MAGIC! 4. Bang Bang- Jessie J. , Ariana Grande , Nicki Minaj 5. Am I Wrong- Nico And Vinz 6. Chandelier- Sia 7. Break Free- Ariana Grande, Zedd 8. Stolen Dance- Milky UR Chance R YO ORDE OK TO 9. Problem- Ariana O B R YEA s in Grande, Iggy Azalea Form ! Y A D 110! 10. Maps- Maroon 5 om C ro Editors-in-Chief: Vasean Daniels, Sarah Swank. Newspaper Staff and contributing writers: Katie Allen, Bryce Alpers, Dejuan Anderson, Gabbie Anderson, Matthew Anderson, Yhaniya Bynum, Jalyn Chaffin, Kelsie Hardy, Jaden Hasse, Isaiah Henderson, Addison Hoppes, Kenneth King, Matt Kovacs, Jolie Leonard, Nikolaus McCraig, Charity McDowell, Jaela Melton, Kaiden Moore, Charlie Nelson, Jalen Pannell, Haley Ragonesi, Brianna Rickmon, Dalycia Satterfield, Tyra Schaffer, Annaya Shelton, Donya Simmons, Taylor Soares, Jasmyn Songer, Sydney Stauffer, Christina Strader, Natalie Taylor, Storme Torrence, Shelby Wheeler
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