Spring 2016

T HE C OUGAR
Spring 2016
Ardsley Middle School • Ardsley, NY 10502
The AMS Play, Shrek: the Musical
by Justin Lu
Picture of “Shrek: the Musical” Junior Cast
Every year, a group of talented AMS actors join forces to produce a play and make an audience laugh, cry and enjoy the few
hours they are transported to another realm. This year’s show
was Shrek: The Musical Jr. with the main roles of Shrek and
Donkey played by 8th graders Santiago Adams and Matthew
Casey. Read on for an exclusive interview with Matthew Casey and his thoughts about his experience in the AMS cast.
6. Who does the set design?
Mr. Ponterio builds many props and sets for us. In addition,
we might buy or rent a couple of set pieces if necessary.
2. What has been your favorite production throughout the
years? Why?
My favorite play was Aladdin because I met new friends which
I had many enjoyable experiences with. In addition, I was
the Sultan, a fun and entertaining part to play.
8. How long does it take for you to memorize your lines?
It depends how many lines an actor has and his or her memorization skills, but everyone has them down in 1-2 months.
7. Describe the last week of rehearsal. What is it like?
The last week of rehearsal is extremely stressful, both for the
director and the actors. There are many last minute adjustments to the choreography or the acting in order for the play
1. How many years have you been in the play?
to run as smoothly as possible on opening night. In addition,
In 5th grade I was part of the AV club, the stage hands and the this is when the show is run through completely with every
production crew that help with the lighting, sound and other
component (props, misc., etc.). If it is a dress rehearsal, the
technological components of the play. From 6th grade on, I
play is run with costumes. In this period of time, there is no
became a part of the cast.
fooling around tolerated. It is very serious.
3. What is the hardest part of the play?
The hardest part of the play is memorizing the lines. This is
the first process of putting a performance together, and the
scenes can been slow without lines memorized.
4. Who is your favorite character to act? Why?
My favorite character that I have played is Donkey (in Shrek),
a quirky character that makes people laugh very easily. In
addition, I got to co-star with my friend, Santiago (playing
Shrek).
5. Is the choreography hard?
The choreography can be confusing, but after a few rehearsals
everyone gets the hang of the moves.
9. What has been one of your favorite songs to sing?
My all time favorite song ever is definitely “Agony” from Into
The Woods. This was the first solo/duet that I ever had, and it
was with my best friend Santiago. We had a lot of fun singing it, and we even had our own swooning girls to cheer us
on! A definite close runner up would be Travel Song from
Shrek, which I also sung with Santiago.
10. What is your advice for future actors in the play?
My advice for future actors would be to make friends, have
fun, and become your character. Most importantly, don't be
nervous. When the first show approaches, you will be very
nervous, but by the end you will be proud of yourself.
For anyone not sure if they should do the play or not, I would
say go for it, it's a really fun experience.
P AGE 2
T HE C OUGAR
When’s My Activity Night?
by Charlotte Koenig
Tweet! The whistle blows and kids scramble to the other side of the
gym. It’s time to play! Some people decide to play an intense game
of basketball, while others choose to play a round of dodge ball.
What is this, you ask?
This is an activity night in full swing. A night of fun and games what more could you ask for? All activity nights take place in the
Ardsley Middle School gymnasium or in the cafeteria (for dances).
On some rare occasions, the pool is opened up for those who want
to get the full experience! Admission costs five dollars, and extra
money is required to get snacks and drinks. So next time, head into AMS around 7 pm and let the fun begin!
Hi AMS,
The spring issue you have been waiting for is finally
here! As Editors in Chief, we strive to bring you the
best of Ardsley Middle School and its students. We
are always willing to take in new members, so if you
are interested, stop by our newsroom (room 309) after school on Fridays. This issue, our goal is to expand your knowledge, interest, and enthusiasm in our
school and our world. Read on for an intriguing
look at the environment around us.
From,
The Editors in Chief: Justin Lu and Elizabeth Chun
I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :
First Bloom of Spring
8th Grader Raises Over $300 for Charity! 3
Science Olympiad
4
Study Tips
4
National Teacher Appreciation Day
5
Newest Video Games!
5
What is Coding?
6
Fantasy vs. Science Fiction
6
Book Reviews and Poems
7
Writers: Zachary Arce, Octavia Basco, Matthew Carrera, Milena Chan, Alicia
Chang, Alexander N. Cruz, Deanna Demopoulos, Luke Faberman, Emma Feldbaum,
Alexander Fu, Lavanya Garg, Emma Greenspan, Preity Gupta, Charlotte Koenig,
Yu-Chen Lung, Olympia Nassis, Clea Ndocaj, Nora Palkola, Rishi Raj, Sajal Ranjha,
Liam Tannian and Zilu Wang
Does School Start Too Early?
8
Why is our Spring Break Split?
8
School Uniforms: Opinion-Editorial
8
Editors: Milena Chan, Alexander N. Cruz, Olivia Edwards, Lily Faberman, Emma
Feldbaum,Quincey Leonard, Alex Malkin, Sajal Ranjha and Emma Sudo
How do most AMS students
9
THE COUGAR
Ardsley Middle School
700 Ashford Avenue
Ardsley, New York 10502
(914) 295-5600
Dr. JoAnne Januzzi, Principal
Mr. Stuart Horlacher, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Sabrina Rich & Mr. Doug Weitz, Advisors
Editors in Chief: Elizabeth Chun and Justin Lu
Layout/Visual Team: Matthew Carrera and Rishi Raj
THE COUGAR IS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF
THE ARDSLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
spend their free time?
Spirit of FLL
10
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
10
Do people even call on their Smartphone
anymore?
11
Sports & Puzzles
12
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 3
8th Grader Raises Over $300 for Charity!
by Justin Lu
As the dismissal bell rang on January
19th, the smell of fresh cookies wafted
up through the floors. Students of
every age rushing to their bus paused
by the bake sale near the main office,
run by 8th grader Lavanya Garg. The
bake sale was for a non-profit organization called “Part of the Solution” and
was a huge success. Read on to find
an interview with Lavanya and her
opinions on the Bake Sale.
Q. What inspired you to organize a
bake sale?
A. I was taking a seminar called Genius Hour (during FLIP), a class about
creating a project you wanted to do
that would help others. Ms. Perillo
(the teacher), showed us a video of
other kids’ Genius Hour projects, and
it motivated me to make positive
changes in our community.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted
to raise money for charity for my Genius Hour project. The easiest way is to
sell goods that people would buy. In
my opinion, AMS was the best place to
sell a product. I would be familiar with
all of my customers (compared to
starting an online campaign that
might not launch). I decided to do a
bake sale because a lot of people are
willing to pay for food. It’s inexpensive, tasty and a nice treat at the end of
the day.
A. I picked “Parts of the Solution”, a
non-profit institution that helps poorer citizens in the Bronx get the necessities they need to survive. They provide everything from food to heating
in a home. I wanted to make a positive change in someone’s life near me,
and “Part of the Solution” is always
ready to lend a hand to citizens near
Ardsley.
maining.
Q. It seems like the bake sale went
very smoothly after the first fifteen
minutes. Were there any memorable
moments during the bake sale?
A. Yes, there were! When I was at the
swim meet, I met Michael J. Fox. His
daughter attends Fieldston, the school
that was competing against Ardsley
during the meet. It was very funny because when I was selling the baked
Q. Every fundraising campaign has
goods to Michael J. Fox, I did not recsome challenges. What were some ob- ognize him. Only after my encounter
stacles you faced when planning this
did someone tell me that I was speakbake sale?
ing to Michael J. Fox.
A. One of the main challenges was
picking the date and location of the
bake sale. If I didn’t choose the right
place, there might not be many people
who showed up. In addition, I needed
to pick a place that did not conflict
with other activities going on around
the school. Finally, I had to get permission from the principal and my 9th
period teacher to allow me to set up
the bake sale at the end of the
day. There was a lot of work put into
planning this event, but I was able to
figure out everything in the end.
Q. After all of the planning and preparations, how much money were you
able to raise?
A. $322.45.
Q. That’s a lot of money! How did you
collect that much?
A. Like I mentioned before, there was
a lot of planning of the date and time
the bake sale would take place. This
paid off because the bake sale was extremely successful. On January 19th,
there was a swim meet and a basketball game, making this a great day for
the bake sale. In addition, I was able
to set up a table near the main office at
the end of ninth period, allowing me to
sell more items to everyone who was
in a hurry. These two factors played a
major role in how much money I was
Q. Even from the beginning, your idea
able to raise.
was well thought out. So what charity
did you choose to support? How did
Q. How did the bake sale go? Were
you choose the charity?
there any struggles during the process?
A. The beginning of the bake sale was
chaos. Everyone was buying food and
it needed to be distributed quickly in
order for everyone to get to the bus on
time. For a few minutes, I could only
see a bunch of hands holding paper
bills! That’s how many people were
surrounding the table. Luckily, I had a
bunch of friends who helped me, making sure that no one took a baked good
without paying for it. After the first
fifteen minutes, most of the food was
gone. My friends and I made one big
trip to the swim meet and basketball
game, selling all of the pastries re-
Q. Wow! You even got to meet a movie
star! Are there any people you’d like to
thank?
A. Yes, there are. I would like to thank
the Youth-to-Youth club and Mrs.
Mastrogiacomo for being a major contributor to the bake sale. I’d also like
to thank Amber Arif, Julia Bollengier,
Julia Gilinsky, Elisa Shah and Yaman
Tembulkar for helping me during the
bake sale. Thanks to Ms. Perillo who
inspired me to start this project and
continue with it until the very
end. And a shout out to Dr. Januzzi
for donating 20 dollars and supporting
the bake sale.
Q. In the end, what was the most important message you took from this
experience?
A. What I learned is that no matter
how big or small, anyone can make a
positive change. If we put effort into
helping others, our impact can go
much farther than the imaginable.
To watch a video about the bake sale,
go to the following link: http://
youtu.be/RTr-Tdc5qps
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 4
Science
Olympiad
by Emma Greenspan
Science Olympiad. What is that? When your science teacher
mentions it and the time to sign up arrives, you’ll probably
pass, thinking that it’s just for science lovers. True? Maybe a
little, but the real truth is that nothing compares to the feeling of satisfaction that you get when something you built is
brought to competition to represent your school. “What does
that even mean?” you may wonder. Well, after working really
hard to study a topic that you are interested in or after
months of designing a machine that finally works, the Science Olympiad team packs up and goes to the Regionals contest to show just how awesome Ardsley is! If the team aces
the Regionals, then they advance to Syracuse for States competition.
But Science Olympiad isn’t just about winning prizes
and beating other schools. It’s about doing what you love,
meeting new peers, and so much more! The possibilities in
this club are endless. While science plays a huge role, students that enjoy technology, engineering, building, and being creative will also have fun. And what kid doesn’t like be-
ing hands on and building something amazing that has the
power to impress people from your school as well as your
state?
This February, the 2015-16 Science Olympiad team
will be going off to Regionals at Scarsdale Middle School. If
successful, they will move towards the States competition. Next year, a new team of scientists and engineers will
have the chance to join the team! If you think this is the
place for you, then don’t forget to sign up next year!
Study Tips
by Emma Sudo
Have you ever wanted to have a much easier time studying? Here are 4 scientifically proven ways to improve your studying. They reduce your time studying, but are more productive as well.
1. Study right before bed.
The science behind it: when your body is getting ready to sleep, your brain will take all your memories from that day from
your short term memory and will start to move it to your long term memory, a more permanent place to put them.
2. Say the information out loud.
Why does this work? When you say something out loud, your body will save it, just like how you save things on a computer. When you just read it, your body will only remember it if it remembers what it looks like. This can be good but, when
you really need to remember something you should say it out loud because then your body will save it by seeing and hearing it, so you will have two ways to remember it.
3. Give yourself a reward at the end of the study session.
How does this help? Not much to say here! When you have a reward, of course you are going to study harder!
4. Experiment with what time and place is best for you.
The science behind it: Maybe you like quiet places or dim lighting. Or maybe you like bright and spacious places. This
could help you feel comfortable and motivated. Find someplace that works for you - it can improve your results dramatically.
These are four scientifically backed tips for studying. The next time you have a big test coming up, try them out!
Source: http://greatist.com/happiness/better-study-tips-test
P AGE 5
T HE C OUGAR
National Teacher Appreciation Day
by Elizabeth Chun
Who is helpful, smart, and hardworking everyday? Your
teacher, of course!
Teachers’ Day (or better known as National Teacher Appreciation Day in the U.S.) is coming up on May 3rd. This “holiday” was
developed by a Wisconsin teacher named Ryan Krug, who came up
with the idea in 1944. He contacted Eleanor Roosevelt, who then
persuaded Congress to establish Teacher’s Day as an official holiday
(it became official in 1953).
Today, 21 countries around the world celebrate this day, and
the U.S. is one of them. To most people, National Teacher Appreciation Day is just a regular day, a day that people forget about very
soon. But this should be different! All students are influenced in
positive ways by their teachers. No students could be where we are
today without the help of our teachers! So, I believe that this is your
opportunity to tell your teachers your gratitude for everything
they’ve done.
In Ukraine, concerts/gatherings are held on Teacher Appreciation
Day (the first Sunday of October for them), and kids present their
teachers with small goodies. In Vietnam (November 20 for them),
kids begin preparing food and flowers for parties a week in advance. In Singapore (the first Friday of September for them), this
day is even an official school holiday! This is the year AMS should
join in. You don’t need to do much, but I think teachers should
know they rock at their jobs. In other countries, kids will often write cards to their teachers or give them small gifts. If you do
something -- no matter how large or small, you can make your teacher’s day! And if everyone could take a moment to appreciate their teacher, our school can embody a new level of appreciation and respect for our staff at AMS.
Newest Video
Games!
by Gabriel Brea
If you're a video gamer you're probably wondering, what are
the best games of 2016 going to be? Well I can answer that
question with three amazing video games being released in
2016.
Legends of Zelda
First of all, it's going to be a Wii U exclusive, so make sure you
get a Wii U before getting the game itself. The new Legends of
Zelda is supposed to bring new stuff to the series - things that
have never been shown to the public ever before! Probably
one of the biggest changes that's going to happen is that the
game will grant the player freedom to participate in whatever
activity he/she wants to do - the possibilities will truly be limitless!
Star Fox
Have you ever heard the phrase “Do a barrel roll’’? Well, that
came from this video game series. This series is an actionadventure game where you get a chance to dogfight on an incredible ship. This Star Fox game will bring the leg walker
from the cancelled Star Fox 2. This game will take the Wii U
gamepad and make it so that you can have two views of the
game arena: one is the traditional view that many games follow (called “tv gameplay”), and the other is the new cockpit
view which you use on the Wii u gamepad. By April, you will
be able to play this thrilling game! (Wii U exclusive-get the
Wii U before buying this game)
Metroid Prime Federation Force
Nintendo brought back a series that not a lot of people were
expecting! In this game you are not playing as Samus Aran there are more options that have been added! You can also
play with four other players. You can fight against space pirates as well as friends, and that’s cool because it’s what
makes this game unique! This game is, as you may have
guessed, an action and exploration game. Sadly, if you don't
own a 3DS then you can't play it.
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 6
What is Coding?
by Alexander Fu
What is coding? It’s a pretty simple concept, but it goes much
more in depth than that Hour of Code program you’ve most
likely heard of in which you drag and drop blocks into a blank
space to make your Minecraft character walk or do something.
In reality, coding is the same concept: run a series of commands to perform different actions. The only difference is that
coding is much harder than it seems. To put it into perspective,
a game like Minecraft has over a million lines of code, placed in
a perfect order to make sure the game runs properly.
There are many different programming languages. A programming language is a language that programmers use to perform
an action or command. If you’ve played Minecraft before, it’s
like running a bunch of Minecraft commands at the same time
using a program. Different programming languages are used
for different things. For example, HTML, CSS, and Python are
used for websites. Java is used to code mobile applications.
There are languages for every platform you use. Even your old
Nintendo DS was made using programming languages.
The cool thing with coding is that the most basic algorithms
are very similar with most languages so, if you already know
one, it’s easy to learn another one. This allows developers to
know multiple languages at the same time.
If you want to get started on coding, it’s easy. Find a decent site
such as www.codecademy.com and start learning from their
tutorials. Looking on forums like stackoverflow.com is also
very helpful. Learning a new language will always be stressful
in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, a lot can be
done from what you learned.
Fantasy vs. Science Fiction:
What’s the Difference?
By Deborah Suarez
Magic powers. Mystical realms. Unreal creatures. Cool machines. Advanced technology. Parallel universes. To many
people, Fantasy and Science Fiction are only variations of the
same thing. And you can’t blame these people. Without close
observation, all the genres can easily get confused into one big
jumble of prose. But whether you know it or not, all the genres are extremely different. The most confused pairing of all
these genres are Fantasy and Science Fiction. Both these genres share some amazing qualities, but that doesn’t mean
they’re the same. Let’s see how they differ and how they make
us light up with imagination and hope!
Fantasy: This genre can bring you into a different world
where anything can happen! The magical creatures you always
dream about, the dragons that haunt your wildest visions. The
beautiful - sometimes hideous - settings are so spine-chilling
that if you saw them you’d pinch yourself! One example is
J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Wouldn’t you love if
you could take a private tour of that world? How about J.K
Rowling’s Harry Potter series? Who doesn’t want to go to
Hogwarts and spend the day learning an assortment of spells
and charms? Since description plays a huge role in Fantasy,
you can’t help but allow the vines of the book wrap around
you and take you into that world.
Sci-Fi: This genre can bring you to a bright, sometimes dark,
future, often with time machines, teleporters, and actual hover
boards! Any machine you can imagine can be created in Sci-fi
and be used to affect the book in magical ways that often cause
it to be confused with Fantasy. The setting can be a spaceship
or even take place in the future. Okay, any book can be exciting and thrilling to read, but sci-fi books have something special to them. Have you read Suzanne Collins’ Hunger
Games series? Exploring worlds like this one can make you
think about how the future actually could look. Cinder by
Marissa Meyer - don't you kind of want to take a quick look
at this world and see the futuristic items and settings it
holds?
Both genres (science fiction and fantasy) are amazing and
beautiful, and both can bring you into a state of happiness as
you dream of these worlds. But just because both genres are
fascinating does not mean they are the same! What compels
you to read more? What fills your pages with color and vivid
shades? It’s your mind, it’s your imagination, it’s your genre.
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 7
B OOK R ECOMMENDATIONS
T HE C HRONICLES
OF
N ARNIA
by Kohko Kamimura
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of books by C.S. Lewis in
which anything beyond your wildest dreams can happen. With
the fourth and latest movie “Silver Chair” anticipated to be released in theaters within the next year or two, this series is
something that everyone should experience. If you dare to try
one of the books, you will soon find yourself anxious to read
further and further, waiting to see what great surprises await
you. The books are full of captivating adventures and magical ble series. As a child he had always loved fantasy literature
wonders...
and was influenced by a book named Phantastes, which combined to create the Chronicles of Narnia. He was friends with
In the second book of the series, The Lion, The Witch And The J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, which is anWardrobe, siblings Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan are all
other epic series that I love. He was a professor of english litsent to an old professor’s grand mansion in the countryerature, and was chair of medieval and renaissance literature
side. On the second day after they arrive, they pass by a room at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The order of the
that contains just one wooden wardrobe. Lucy, the youngest of Narnia books were planned in the order of the timeline in Narthe four, stays behind to explore the wardrobe for she feels
nia, not of the order in which he wrote them. Originally, the
there is something magical about it. When she finds that there characters of Narnia were named Ann, Martin, Rose, and Peis no back to the wardrobe, she curiously steps out and finds
ter, but were then changed to Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Peherself in the magical world called Narnia. There, she meets a ter.
centaur named Mr. Tumnus, who she grows to like very
much.
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is my favorite book in
When she returns to the mansion, her siblings do not
the entire series because there is a grand battle that involves
believe Lucy. However, they soon find themselves in Narnia as fascinating, mythological creatures. Also, Susan (the eldest
well, and the four of them spend more time in Narnia each
sister) shows great leadership which I admire. It introduces
day. But soon, problems start to arise. For one, they discover some characters that are in later books; Prince Caspian, for inthat a horrible white witch, the queen of Narnia, wants to find stance, is introduced in this book but is also in Voyage of the
the “daughters of eve” and “sons of Adam”. Will they escape to Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair.
safety and defeat the wicked white witch or fall to her comIf you like magic, fantasy, suspense and adventure, this
mand?
is the series for you!
British writer C.S. Lewis is the author of this remarka-
Wonder
Spring
by Liam Tannian
by Octavia Basco
I can feel her coming
Her breath touches my face like a feather
I can feel her lifting my soul high into the sky
Higher and higher and higher.
The book Wonder by Raquel J. Palacio has been read and loved by
many people. It is about a boy named August Pullman, also known as
Auggie. He has a damaged face, has had multiple surgeries, and is just
starting school in 5th grade.
But the book is not only about Auggie’s life. It also shows the life of Via
(Auggie’s sister) and Jack Will, (Auggie’s friend).
Wonder got many great reviews. It won many awards and recognition. I happen to love the book myself ever since I chose it from the English classroom library. My favorite part in the book has to be the story
about how Auggie was born. That was also the funniest part. Some
parts in the book are also kind of sad, like when the family’s dog, Daisy,
died. Still, it’s an amazing book.
So if you want a good book, then choose Wonder. It will blow your
mind before you know it.
I look down and gasp
Everything is alive
Like she put a spell on every creature
Not forgetting a single individual.
Colors dance
Flowers bloom
As spring envelops her
Smiling.
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 8
Does School Start Too Early? Why is our Spring
by Elizabeth Chun
Break Split?
Interview with Dr.Allan
By Milena Chan And Kohko Kamimura
Many kids say that they have trouble waking up early in the mornings in
order to get to school. They have to drag themselves out of bed and often
find themselves lazy and late for school. In fact, Janet Croft, co-author of
several science papers, says, “Schools start at such an early time that
most teens are essentially brain dead when they go to these early classes.” Furthermore, only 17.7 percent of public schools in America start
school at 8:30 a.m. or later!
But there are other things to take into consideration. If schools start too
late, then they will have to go on later as well. If this happens, kids may
not have as much time to contribute to other after-school, extracurricular activities that they enjoy. Waking up early also gets kids on a
daily schedule so that they can go to sleep earlier.
This debate still lingers in the air, and no one knows how long it will go
on. What´s your side of the issue?
Write us an email at:
[email protected] or [email protected].
School Uniforms
Opinion-Editorial
by Octavia Basco
Every morning kids wake up in front of the mirror getting ready for
school. Should I wear my black or pink shirt? Many people miss the
bus and end up late for school because they spend too much time focused on their appearance. Also, clothing can be a distraction. This
can be a big problem for the school and also for the students’ educations.
You may think there aren’t many people late for school. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case; there are 940-1880 people late every
school year (188 days). Many teachers think detention will stop students from being late for school, but everyday the same kids end up in
the detention room during lunch. Missing time outside on a bright
sunny day might affect someone’s health, so is detention really the solution? Does being locked up in a room help get rid of the problem? I
don’t think so, because students are still late. If there are school uniforms then everyone won’t have to wake up each morning in front of
the mirror everyday before school.
Many students can’t concentrate during school because of the
distractions. Everybody loves sparkles and bright colors, but maybe
they take away from the school experience. Many children’s eyes catch
the colorful clothing and forget the lesson completely or start a conversation like, “I love your shirt!” They may miss something important
the teacher just said.
There are scenarios where people judge
others by their clothing, as well. Often times,
bullying occurs. Honestly, does it matter if
you have different clothing from others? It
does matter to many, but that is wrong. If
there were school uniforms this would not
occur and people would not get left out or
judged This would help students focus on
school and not any problems with feelings.
Our spring break is unusual this year with a 2-part
break: a short break in March and a short break in
April. In past years, Ardsley students have had a
whole week off for spring break.
How and why did this happen this year? Is
there anything that happened last year
which made the break become split?
Yes. Our spring break usually coincides with the
celebration of two important religious holidays:
Easter and Passover. These holidays fell weeks
apart this year, Easter on March 25th - 27th and
Passover April 22nd -25th. Schools need to be
closed for the observance of these holidays on
March 25th and April 22nd. In addition, NYS testing for grades 3-8 take place the weeks of April
4th and 11th so we could not close schools those
weeks. The best solution was to have these two
long weekends and an extra day for Memorial
Day. That adds up to the 5 days we usually have
in a row during spring break.
Who was part of the decision process? Was
there a committee involved?
The Board of Education, the teachers and me.
Have families shared their thoughts and
feelings with you about the two-part spring
break? If so, can you share some of the
feedback?
They understood the unique issues with this year’s
calendar and supported the decision. We really
had no complaints at all.
Do you think we will have a two-part spring
break next year, too?
No. We will have a full week next spring.
When will next year’s calendar be decided?
It will be approved by the Board of Education on
Tuesday, February 2nd.
Are other schools having a two-part spring
break as well this year? For instance, the
New York City school district has the entire
week of the 25th to the 29th off.
Some do, some don’t. Our calendar is never the
same as NY City schools. I believe Dobbs Ferry,
Hastings, and Rye Neck, to name a few, share our
calendar this year.
We hope you enjoy your spring break! Now you
know why it’s shorter this year compared to last
year.
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 9
How do most AMS students spend
their free time?
by Samantha Leone, Sofia Delgado and Nico Leone
How do most students in our school spend their free time?
According to my research, 12.1% of middle school students
read on their free time, 23.3% of middle schoolers play video
games, 17.2% watch television, 10.3% text, and 37.1% do other
extra-curricular activities. A lot of kids also do other activities
that aren’t listed. What do you do in your free time?
only speak about some. Some of the most common are trains.
Muggle Society
To get back and forth from Hogwarts school, students take a
very special train called the Hogwarts Express. These are very
vs.
efficient as long as you can get onto platform 9 ¾! You just
a ticket and walk through the wall between platforms 9
Wizarding Community buy
and 10!
by Emma Sudo
Are you a fan of J.K. Rowling’s amazing
Harry Potter series? Do you want to learn about it? Then
this is the article for you! To find out the difference between
Harry’s magical world and our world, read on…
The Muggle Society (the world without magic in which the
non-wizarding population live) can be similar and quite different from the wizarding community. Wizards are forbidden
by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy to reveal
any type of magic to Muggles.
Part 1) Government
Other wizards use more sophisticated types of transportation. They have the Floo network which is a system of
fireplaces connected together. You use Floo powder and pronounce the name of the place you are going and magically you
appear there as you step into the fireplace. Also pretty painless, but a little time consuming to learn and you also are at
risk of ending up at a completely different place if your pronunciation is misunderstood. Wait! This doesn’t mean that
Muggle transportation is better. Like I said, wizards also have
many different types of transportation. There are also brooms
which you can learn at a young age. They are very efficient
and a little difficult but can be used if preferred.
The Muggle and wizarding communities are very different. Which would YOU rather live in?
The Wizarding Community is somewhat more “binded togeth- Send us an email at [email protected].
er” than the Muggle World. This is possibly because they try to
work together to protect themselves from Muggles. But Muggles have the United Nations, the organization used to unite
and bring peace to the whole world.
The Muggle Society and the Wizarding Community are the
same in that they have countries and/or states that govern
themselves and will meet if there ever is a very big emergency.
Part 2) Education
Muggle schools are very different in the sense that they teach
different things than the subjects taught at wizarding schools.
Although, wizarding schools and Muggle schools don’t teach
the same things in every school, they both have a general
standard for what to teach. For example, Muggle schools
teach academics such as math, ELA (English Language Arts),
science, world language, and social studies. Wizarding schools
such as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry teach
herbology, charms, transfiguration, D.A.D.A (Defense Against
the Dark Arts), potions, astronomy, and divination.
Part 3) Transportation
Muggles have many different types of transportation, so I will
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 10
Spirit of FLL
perform missions, there’s a time limit of 2.5 minutes. Seems
impossible, right?
by Neha Goel
The next equally interesting part of the FLL experience is the
FLL? FIRST Lego League. Kids enthusiastic about STEM are research project. Teams have to research a topic related to the
participating in this global event. Ever since last summer, kids theme, identify a problem, and come up with an innovative soall around the globe have spent countless hours over months to lution to solve this problem. Teams will have to share their
ideas with professionals and their community. Currently, our
research and program. But what is FLL?
team wants to increase the reuse of plastic packaging. At the
There are three main parts of FLL. Each team must have a bal- competition, teams will have to creatively present their ideas to
a panel of judges, and based on certain criance of all three aspects in order to do well, and all are equally
teria, judges will assess each team and give
interesting and fun. These parts include the robot design/
them a score.
game, project research and, most importantly, core values!
Every year, there is a different theme, and this year it’s Trash
Another big part of FLL is Core ValTrek. In the robot game part of the competition, teams have to
ues. Core Values is all about your team’s
morals and how well you honor the spirit
of friendly competition. They include Gracious Professionalism, Cooperation, Discovery, Integration,
and Inclusion. Teams have to show how they respect their
coaches, mentors, judges, and fellow teammates. Core Values
involves how to work together with your teammates and listen
to everybody’s ideas. Being friendly and helpful to your competition is also very important. FLL Teams will have to give another presentation to the Core Values judges. Then, based on
how well you cooperate and work together, your team gets a
final score in the Core Values part of FLL.
build and design a strong, sturdy, simple robot. After designing and building the robot, teams will have to program their
robot to perform assigned missions on a given mat. Now, let’s
get to the robot game. The robot will have to perform the assigned missions relating to trash on a given mat during the
competition. (These missions have already been preprogrammed.) Some of these missions
include putting trash into landfills, composting, sorting out recyclables and,
lastly, taking out the plastic bags from
the ocean to ensure a safe environment
for the animals. The people running the
robot can only touch it in a certain area
of the mat (known as base) without a
penalty. Not only does the robot have to
Overall, FLL is a really cool, awesome learning experience for
all kids ages 9 through 14. Winning awards is not what’s important in FLL. What is important is working together to accomplish a common goal and learning life skills along the
way.
Fun - want to form a team? Go to http://
www.firstlegoleague.org/ to find out more.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
by Matthew Carrera
The number one trend of the year is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We all know this billion dollar franchise as the galaxy,
fighting with flashy things (lightsabers) and the word ‘Jedi’. This is the number one movie of the year, and the number one
game of the year, as well! Star Wars has made an epic comeback.
EA or (Electronic Arts) and Dice both developed Star Wars Battlefront. The Star Wars Battlefront can be played in first
person shooter and third person shooter. It is one of the top games of the year.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the biggest movie releases ever. The J.J. Abrams film was almost universally praised
ahead of its Dec. 18 release where it went on to shatter domestic and global records including the biggest opening weekend of
all time and the first film to ever gross $100 million in a single day. The Star Wars franchise is HUGE, and it may get even bigger!
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 11
Do people even call on their
Smartphone anymore?
by Alexander Fu
As smartphone technology grows and we see innovative new
devices every year, we forget to ask ourselves this question:
what is the main purpose of the smartphone? Smartphones
are what their name suggests: smart phones. Their main purpose is to make phone calls smarter. But has this definition
As smartphones evolve, users are starting to forget their main
purpose as smartphone functions branch out and free messaging services are replacing texting and calling altogether.
Eventually, smartphones might need to be renamed because
so many people aren’t using them for what they were invented
for.
This chart illustrates how often the 15 people I surveyed use
their phone to make phone calls.
shifted towards something else lately?
Back in 2007, when the iPhone 3G was launched, people
thought of it as a revolutionized phone with extra functions
like an internet browser, camera, and email. It was so popular
that developers started taking advantage of the app store platform by coding new apps and services. Eventually, most people started using these apps more often than the phone.
There’s a lot of evidence to back this claim, even if you can’t
see the proof in your usual smartphone behavior. A study
made by Ipsos Mori in September 2015 showed that 25% of
smartphone users in the United Kingdom do not use their
smartphones to make calls. This number rose significantly,
with only 4% of smartphone users not making calls just three
years ago.
Spring Crossword Puzzle
by Milena Chan
Spring is here! We can say goodbye to snow, freezing mornings, and big, padded coats. Try to figure out the
crossword puzzle below!
T HE C OUGAR
P AGE 12
Spring Modified Sports
by Elizabeth Chun
Are you a seventh or eighth
grader who loves playing
sports with your friends
while making new ones as
well? If so, then spring modified sports are the thing for
you! Every spring, AMS offers the upper grades the opportunity to participate in an
amazing after-school privilege - modified sports. There
are three seasons of modified
sports in the entire year: Fall,
Winter, and Spring.
Soon, the 2016 Spring Modified Sports Season will be
here! The sports offered for the spring are Track & Field (coed,
requiring no try-out), Girls Lacrosse (requiring try-out), Boys
Lacrosse (requiring try-out), Girls Softball (requiring try-out),
and more!
So if you’re interested in a fun, healthy workout this spring,
speak to the coach of the sport that best interests you or check
in with your physical education teacher. There’s something for
everyone!
Spring’s Here
Word Search Created by Quincey Leonard
The birds are chirping, the snow is melting, and the sun is shining. The
best time of the year is finally here! What spring words can you find?
Spring
Blossoms
by Charlotte Koenig
Red, blue, yellow, gold
They never
ever
get old
Purple, orange, green, pink
They grow
grow
In a blink
The flowers
They bloom
All afternoon
Their round petals fold
the long stems
You hold
Red, blue, yellow, gold
They never
ever
get old