September-October 2014 RAVIN` TIMES

’
n
i
v
Ra
it mes
Good
Cross C Luck to our
at the ountry runn
Vinita
ers
In
on Sat vitational
urday!
Students enjoy time camping out
Inside this issue...
On the Space Station!
2
Creepy crawlies …
3
Which way do you go?
4
Mystery Person
5
The ultimate computer!
6
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz …
7
Games, games, games!
8
The Sports Page
9
No votes for Rocky Road?
September-October 2014
O
n September 10-12,
students in Riverfield’s Middle
School enjoyed the annual
Fall Retreat at Camp Egan
near Tahlequah.
All 6th through 8th
graders attended, along
with many members of
their faculty. It was a time
to play together, eat together, run together, play
games together, canoe together, slide together, and
many other things.
Most of all, we made
memories together. Here are
just a few of those.
10
Volume VIII Number 1
RAVIN’ TIMES is published three
times each semester during the
school year by the Middle School
Newspaper elective class at
Riverfield Country Day School
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This is a student-led publication.
All opinions expressed are those of
the individual writers and do not
reflect positions of the staff, advisers
or school administration.
The staff reserves the right to edit
any material submitted for publication. Contact the Newspaper Adviser
at [email protected].
—NEWSPAPER STAFF—
Miles Capehart
Ryan Faubert
Gabe Feather
Hampton Gold
Robert Hale
Elias Lavanhar
Brian McSweeney
Brenden Paul
Bryan Tran
Mrs. Patricia Dickey, Adviser
PHOTOS BY FRED JONES, GRETCHEN PHILLIPS, and KIRSTEN REDMOND
Interview with
Mrs. Jackson
By Ryan Faubert
6TH GRADE
M
rs. Suzanne Jackson is a new teacher at Riverfield
this year. She is my awesome ALEKS teacher.
Ryan: What are your favorite classes to teach?
Mrs. Jackson: Chemistry,
Pre-AP Chemistry, Forensics, and Study Skills.
R: What is your favorite
food?
Mrs. J: Tortilla chips and
salsa.
R: What is your favorite
thing to do in your free
time?
Mrs. J: Read Chemistry
textbooks or watch the Military History channel.
R: How long have you been
teaching?
Mrs. J: Off and on (between babies) since 1994.
R: Where did you teach before you came to Riverfield?
Mrs. J: Booker T. Washington High School.
R: What do you like about
Riverfield so far?
Mrs. J: The manner in
which students are taught
to be responsible, educated, and global citizens.
R: How many children do
you have, and how old are
they?
Mrs. J: I have nine children. Ben is 38, Barrett is
36, Courtland is 34, Elisabeth is 32, Emerson is 30,
Mackenzie is 17, Mary is 15,
Katie is 14, and Jane Anne
is 9.
R: When you were in middle school, what was your
favorite subject?
Mrs. J: Cheerleading, aviation, and boys.
R: Are you married?
Mrs. J: Yes, to Dr. Conrad
Jackson. He is a retired
professor, and now he is
the Industrial Arts teacher
here at RCDS.
R: What did you do professionally before teaching?
Mrs. J: I was a NASA Researcher on the Space Station, responsible for the
water purification system
on board the station.
R: Wow … really?!
Mrs. J: Yes, really.
PHOTO: EASTBOUND88.COM
Peaches —
the fuzzy fruit!
T
he peach originated in China. Today
China is the largest
producer of peaches with
Italy coming in second.
Peaches are grown in
America in 28 states. The
top four peach-producing
states are California,
South Carolina, Georgia,
and New Jersey. Georgia
is known as “The Peach
State.”
The first peach orchard in the U.S. started
in Florida in 1565.
It takes three years
for the first peach to appear on a new peach tree.
Nectarines are just
peaches without the fuzz.
There are more than
700 different varieties of
peaches now. Some are
even flat like hockey pucks!
There are two main
groups: Clingstone (the
flesh of the peach is tightly
attached to the stone or
pit) and Freestone (the
flesh can be easily removed
from the stone or pit.)
A large peach has less
than 50 calories and three
grams of fiber. It is a good
source of Vitamins A, B,
and C. Peaches are also
good for digestion.
August is National
Peach Month. Did you eat
any peaches last month?
Here’s a great peach
recipe for you to try. It’s
really easy to make.
PEACH MELBA SMOOTHIE
1 cup peaches
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup raspberries
Save a few raspberries to put on top of the
smoothies, then put everything else into a blender
and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!
Mrs. Jackson tests a lab experiment in her Chemistry classroom.
PHOTO BY RYAN FAUBERT
2
RAVIN’ TIMES
September-October 2014
My top five favorite Marvel films
By Robert Hale
6TH GRADE
M
arvel has been very
popular lately,
with the release of
“The Avengers,” “X-men,”
and the upcoming “Fantastic
Four” film. I decided to
make a list of my all-time
favorite Marvel films.
5. “The Amazing
Spider-Man” — No. 5 is
our favorite web-slinging
hero. Yes, I’m talking about
Spider-Man! This 2012 film
featured one of Spidey’s
most infamous villains, The
Lizard.
4. “Captain America:
The Winter Soldier” —
The thrilling sequel to 2011’s
memorable film contained a
suspenseful plot and NSA
undertones, making it a
great movie altogether.
3. “The Avengers”
— It was pretty obvious
this one would make the
list. “The Avengers” is
Marvel’s most iconic film
yet. I even had trouble
getting tickets for the
show! Iron Man, Captain
America, Thor, Hulk,
Black Widow, and Hawkeye must team up to prevent Loki from taking over
Earth.
2. “Guardians of the
Galaxy” — One of Sony’s
most successful films, this
was a thrilling actionadventure story based on a
comic book nobody had
heard of. Surprisingly, it
succeeded at the box office.
And my very favorite?
1. “X-men: Days of
Future Past” — No. 1 is
… X-men? Why? Because
this is the movie we’ve
been waiting for! Based on
the “Days of Future Past”
storyline, this film contains
the X-men’s worst nightmare — the sentinels.
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
has to go back in time to
prevent the sentinels from
being mass-produced.
Cover art for the first issue of X-men’s “Days of Future Past” storyline.
ARTWORK: CINEMABLEND.COM
Which is scarier:
spiders or snakes?
O
ut of curiosity, I asked 40 Riverfield
Middle School students their opinion of which they thought was scarier: spiders or snakes.
And the scores were … Spiders 20,
Snakes 20! A tie!
For a tie-breaker, I asked Mrs. Dickey
for her opinion. And her answer was …
snakes! Snakes win!
PHOTOS: VEGHEAD.COM and WIKIPEDIA.ORG
September-October 2014
RAVIN’ TIMES
3
Digital or Analog?
By Miles Capehart
6TH GRADE
W
hich type of clock or watch do
you prefer?
After asking many of the
Middle School students here at Riverfield, I found that about 90% of us own
a watch, although many of us don’t
wear them every day. Around 80-90%
of those are digital watches.
Nine out of ten people I asked said
they like digital clocks better.
Those who prefer digital think they
are easier to read. Those who prefer
analog say they are better because they
are more efficient users of energy.
I think both statements are true.
ARTWORK: ENGLISH-JOKES.NET
Students use different pathways
T
here are so many
pathways around our
campus. You know
which ones you take, but
how about the other ones?
Here is an inside view.
When going from the Upper
School Building to the
L.A.C. Building, most stu-
dents go through the Middle School (Rogers Building) commons. That route
provides the most inside
time whenever it is hot or
rainy.
Going out the back
door of the Upper School
building and straight down
Brendan Paul and Ryan Johnson try to decide which pathways they
will take.
PHOTO BY MILES CAPEHART
4
the hill is the shortest way,
but it is just not used as
much.
What factors into the
decision of which pathway
is chosen?
First, it depends on
where one wants to go and
why one wants to go there.
Most likely one is going to
a class, but someone might
want to take an excursion.
It also depends on what
time of day it is. It is usually hotter in the afternoons.
It can depend on who
is taking the pathway. If
one is going to lunch with
a friend who is a slow
walker, they might choose
to walk along the deck beside the L.A.C. Building to
slow themselves down. It
also may depend on which
pathway their friend wants
to take.
Are you taking anything with you along the
pathway? What do you
want to accomplish once
you get where you’re going?
Remember the ancient lord
of choices, Janus (a minor
Roman god of pathways,
doors, beginnings, and endings,) and look both ways.
This is a good way to stop
indecision.
So which way will you
choose? Do you have a special way to remember?
Choose wisely.
The Roman god Janus had two
faces and represented time.
Time is a good thing to keep in
mind when choosing a pathway.
ARTWORK: HWSANDS.COM
RAVIN’ TIMES
September-October 2014
Mystery Person
By Elias Lavanhar
8TH GRADE
A
lmost every issue of
Ravin’ Times has a
Mystery Person.
Can you figure out who the
first one of this year is?
Elias: What grade are you
in?
Mystery Person: 6th
grade.
E: Do you play video
games? If yes, which is
your favorite?
?: Yes, Terraria, because it
allows me to do what I
want to.
E: What electives are you
taking?
?: Newspaper and Speech.
E: Coke or Pepsi?
?: I don’t drink pop.
E: How was your first week
of school?
?: Different, because I just
came from summer, and
now I have homework.
E: What do you like to
do after school?
?: I like to organize my
decks and cards.
E: What type of cards do
you play?
?: Pokémon is my favorite card game.
E: What extracurricular
activities do you take
part in?
?: Boy Scouts, MMA,
piano lessons, and soccer.
E: Who is your favorite
superhero or villain?
?: Dr. Octopus, ‘cause he
can flail his arms around.
E: What is your favorite
thing about Riverfield
Country Day School?
?: I like German, but
school is kind of confusing.
E: Thank you for the
interview.
?: No problem.
PHOTO: NIKE.COM
What is your
favorite brand
of shoes?
W
hether it’s Nike,
Crocs, or even
Tevas, everyone
wears shoes.
So I decided to go
around in the lunch room
one day and ask the middle school students which
mainstream shoe brand is
their favorite and why.
Miles Capehart, a 6th
grader, says, “Shoes protect your feet unless you’re
a Hobbit.”
Robert Foster, also an
8th grader, likes Vans
“because they are sick.”
Carrie Lee, another 8th
grader, thinks “DC shoes
have the best patterns.”
Caleb Beasley, in the 7th
grade, likes Nikes. “They are
the most comfortable
shoes,” he says.
Personally, I like Nike
and Vans. I think they are
the best shoes for skating,
and they look good.
L
Think you know who it is? Check your guess by looking for the
answer on the back page.
PHOTO BY ELIAS LAVANHAR
April
2014
RAVIN’
September-October
2014TIMESRAVIN’ TIMES
ast Sunday, September 21, Riverfield Country Day
School was celebrated along with the International
Day of Peace at Tulsa's
downtown Guthrie Green.
With many RCDS families
attending, cooperative
weather, musical performances by students of various ages, and a wonderful parade of
peace doves, Riverfield Day
at the Guthrie Green was a
great success. Thanks to all
who came out to support this
exceptional event!
5
Interview with Herr Clark
I
recently interviewed
one of our German
teachers, Herr Tom
Clark. Here are a few
things he had to say.
Gabe: How many times
have you been to Germany?
Herr Clark: Well, about
eight times.
G: What is your favorite
German food?
HC: Bratwurst with
Kartoffelpuffer (sausages
with potato pancakes.)
G: Which do you think is
better: German food or
American food?
HC: German food.
G: How do you say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” in German?
HC: Superkalifragiliztikechspeiahlidoschus.
Now you know a little
bit more about German
teacher Herr Clark!
PHOTOS BY GABE FEATHER
The Dream Machine
— the ultimate PC
By Gabe Feather
6TH GRADE
E
very year, MaximumPC magazine outdoes itself by building the
“ultimate” computer. The magazine prides itself on focusing on
cutting-edge PC hardware.
As announced in its September issue, the 2014 Dream Machine is a
giant. Its CPU has better graphics than other computers, and it also has
better hardware like a rainbow keyboard and a desk with a giant motherboard inside it. It features seven monitors and really good cooling systems made by Gigabyte.
It is currently being built by seven of the magazine’s editors: Alex
Castle, Nathan Edwards, Gordon Mah Ung, Markkus Rovito, Katherine
Stevenson, Amber Bouman, and Jon Phillips.
According to Senior Editor Ung, “The Dream Machine is simply the
celebration of Pure PC Power. It’s about wanting the best, the fastest
and the dreamiest PC possible.”
6
COVER ART: EBAY.COM
RAVIN’ TIMES
September-October 2014
Not getting enough sleep?
By Bryan Tran
6TH GRADE
A
re you getting
enough sleep? If
not, you should
probably follow the 90minute sleep cycle.
Let me explain.
During sleep, your
brain goes through four
cycles: light sleep, deep
sleep, dream sleep, and
back-to-light sleep.
Each cycle takes about
90 minutes, so the full
cycle is six hours.
If you want to wake up
fully refreshed, you should
wake up at the end of a full
6-hour cycle.
But don’t forget the
time it takes you to fall
asleep. So when you set
your alarm, you should add
the time it takes you to fall
asleep to the six hours.
I learned this from a
video on YouTube by
“in59seconds,” a reputed
psychologist.
You can also consider
other things that might
help you sleep, such as
wearing socks and sleeping
on your right side.
ARTWORK: YOUTUBE.COM and NPS.ORG.AU
RUN FOR RIVERFIELD is coming up very soon! Every student will participate
in the Jog-a-thon on October 10 between 9:30 and 11 a.m.
The deadline for Fun Run entries for T-shirts and prizes is TOMORROW —
Friday, September 26. Remember to turn in your entry form!
Why do people play video games?
I
asked some Middle
School students a few
weeks ago if they play
video games and why they
play them.
I came up mostly with
answers like “because
they’re fun.” But here are
some of the more interesting quotes I got from asking people.
ARTWORK: CLKER.COM
September-October 2014
RAVIN’ TIMES
“I play video games to
kill some time,” Robert Hale
said.
Gabe Feather said, “I
play video games because
they’re fun and violent.”
“I play video games because they’re fun,” said Brian McSweeney.
“I only play on the weekends,” said Hampton Gold.
Why does Ryan Faubert
play video games? “’Cuz
they’re fun, and they make
you mad!”
These were just a few of
the quotes I got from some
6th and 7th graders. At least,
that’s why some people in
Riverfield’s Middle School
play video games. Why do
you like them?
7
Game Review: ‘Mario Kart 8’
By Hampton Gold
6TH GRADE
M
ario Kart 8 is the
newest installment
to the Nintendo
franchise for the Wii U.
The new game was released at the end of May, and
it includes flying, diving, and
going upside down!
There are several new
characters and pick up items
along with all the previous
ones. The new items are the
Boomerang Flower, the Cra-
zy Eight, the Super Horn,
and the Piranha Plant.
For all you blue Spiny
Shell haters out there, this
tip is for you. Simply use
the new Super Horn at the
right time to destroy the
blue shell, and keep that
first place rolling!
But the player who is
slow gets the new Crazy
Eight, which will give that
player eight different items
all at the same time.
I give this game a 9
rating out of 10.
ARTWORK: NERDGLAZE.COM
Students enjoyed playing a variety of games at Game Night on September 5.
PHOTOS COURTESY YEARBOOK STAFF
Super Game Night 2014
G
ame Night was a
fun social event
hosted by Riverfield for 6th through 12th
grade students on Friday
night, September 5. It was
held at the school.
Many people came to
play games, and some
people who signed up
were allowed to bring their
8
own game consoles.
Some of the consoles
available for students were
the PlayStation 4, the
PlayStation 3, the Xbox
One, the Xbox 360, the Wii
and the Wii U.
Many people brought
multiplayer games and
controllers, so people didn’t just play the game
alone, they got to play with
their friends. That made it
a lot more fun.
When people weren’t
playing video games, some
enjoyed playing other
games in the Cafeteria.
These included ping pong,
air hockey, and basketball
hoops. That is why this
year’s event was called
“Super Game Night.”
Food and drink was
available for sale in the
Cafeteria during the event
— pizza, chips, candy, and
drinks like Dr Pepper,
Coke, and Mountain Dew.
Super Game Night was
so much fun that I can’t
wait for it to come back
next year!
RAVIN’ TIMES
September-October 2014
Who is Mr. Bogle?
By Brian McSweeney
6TH GRADE
I
’ve always wondered
how and where Mr. Bogle got his sports-like
spirit.
So, I wanted to ask him
what he has planned for
Riverfield sports this year. I
was also curious to know
what he did before he came
to Riverfield.
Brian: How long have you
been here at Riverfield?
Mr. Bogle: This is my 10th
year.
B: What other jobs have you
had before coming here?
Mr. B: I have been the
general manager of some
minor league baseball
teams, and I was the director of marketing for the
University of Tulsa’s athletic department. I’ve been
really lucky to be involved
in sports.
B: Is Riverfield going to
have football this year?
Mr. B: No. We don’t have
enough students who want
to play. Once we do, we
could have a conversation
about having football
again.
B: What college did you go
to?
Mr. B: OSU in Stillwater
for my Bachelor’s degree,
then I went to Texas Tech
for my Master’s degree.
B: Do you think that our
boys or girls basketball
team or both will win conference again?
Mr. B: Both teams have a
very good chance to win it
again, but both teams have
lost four out of five starters. It would be great if the
boys could win conference
again because that would
be three times in a row for
them.
B: Thank you for your
time, Coach Bogle.
Mr. B: You’re welcome,
Brian!
Coach Bogle has always been
involved with sports.
PHOTO BY BRIAN McSWEENEY
NFL season now in Week 4
M
any sports get a
good welcoming
when their season starts, but one sport
that gets a very good one
every year is football.
This is especially true
for the National Football
League (NFL.)
Thurs. Sept. 25
Sun., Sept. 28
Mon., Sept. 29
Richard Sherman intercepts
the ball to score another Seattle Seahawk touchdown.
PHOTO: SEATTLETIMES.COM
September-October 2014
RAVIN’ TIMES
In the NFL season, each
team plays 16 games, one
game a week. In addition
to those 16 weeks, every
team has one “bye” week
when they don’t play. So if
you’re smart, you’ll realize
that means there are 17
weeks in a season.
8:25 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
4:05 pm
4:25 pm
4:25 pm
8:30 pm
8:30 pm
There are 32 teams in
the NFL. Not every team
makes the NFL playoffs,
but they all try.
So far, we’ve enjoyed
watching three weeks of
the NFL season.
Here’s what is scheduled for Week 4:
New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins
Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans
Carolina Panthers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Diego Chargers
Atlanta Falcons vs. Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys
New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs
*This game will be played in London, England.
BYES: Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Seattle, St. Louis
INFORMATION FROM PRINTYOURBRACKETS.COM
9
Game Review: ‘NBA 2K14’
By Brenden Paul
6TH GRADE
N
BA 2K14 is a basketball video game that
was released by 2K
Sports in 2013. It is one of
the best basketball games
that I have ever played. The
gameplay is really good, and
the graphics are even better.
This game was released
for PlayStation 3 and 4, and
Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
The game has a lot of positive aspects, and the choice
of accessories is one of my
favorite features.
The choices of shoes and
other features are more
than I expected. The game
allows you to buy real life
players’ shoes, customize
real shoes, and make your
own basketball shoes. You
can do tons of things with
the accessories in NBA
2K14, and you will be very
pleased when you see the
choices.
Overall, I think this
game is fantastic. I recommend it to all people who
love to play basketball in
their free time. If you like
the NBA, you should try
2K Sports’ new game, NBA
2K14.
These are just two of your choices of shoes in the game …
PHOTOS: NBA2K4LIFE.COM and NBALIVE.COM
MYSTERY PERSON: Miles Capehart. Did you guess correctly?
POLL: What is your favorite
flavor of ice cream?
D
CHART BY BRENDEN PAUL
10
uring the second
week of school, I
went around the
Middle School and asked
44 6th and 7th graders,
“What is your favorite ice
cream flavor?”
I was very surprised
that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough got 14 votes and
that Vanilla only got three
votes. Surprisingly, Rocky
Road didn’t get any votes!
I asked a few people
which was their favorite
flavor and why.
Bryan Tran said, “I
chose ‘Other,’ because I
like Peanut Butter with
Snickers.”
Brian McSweeney
said, “I picked Chocolate
Chip Cookie Dough because it has cookie dough,
and cookie dough is awesome!”
Which flavor is your
favorite? I hope you enjoyed this poll.
RAVIN’ TIMES
September-October 2014