Daybreak Duties - Paul Revere Charter Middle School

February 13, 2015
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Chocolate
Kisses and
Heartfelt
Wishes
Volume 59, Issue 3
Tablets
Finally
Go Home
COVER STORY
After long lock-up,
thousands of iPads are
now in the hands of
Patriot learners.
Excited students
cheerfully celebrate
Valentine’s Day.
By ZACHARY GARAI
By Sean Choi
Love is in the air today, on
the 13th of February as Patriots
all over Revere are commemorating an early Valentine’s Day.
“Love” letters are being passed,
and sweet treats are being given and received. Even with the
school’s rules in place, it is clear
that students are trying to have
as much fun as possible on what
is still typically a normal school
day.
The Leadership Club joined
the act by selling their annual
grams, which consist of a chocolate rose, and a personal note.
Each gram costs $1, while real
roses are also being offered for
$3. Along with the rose grams,
an exclusive “Stuck in the
Friend Zone” Valentine’s Day
dance was held at the Town Hall
during Thursday’s lunch. “We
designed it to have that sort of
not-that romantic air to it,” explained Student Council member
Marina Caro. In the days leading
up to yesterday’s dance, Ms.
Istrin said, “I’m excited about
the theme. Not everyone needs a
‘love’ interest to go to a dance.”
Each individual ticket was sold
at $2, but some Patriots paid an
extra dollar for a picture souvenir to take home. The profits
collected from the grams and the
dance go back to the school, the
community, and to charity.
“Our students are going to
vote on what charity we are going to donate the money to,” said
Ms. Robertson. For over a week,
she had been instructing her students on making the very same
candy grams that the Student
Council would be selling. Her
students (continued on page 3)
Roeltje Van Heijningen sets up for
the dance. PHOTO: Kian Mirshokri
Brilliant Brochures
2
Justice and Helena present their
history project for Mr. Fulling.
Daybreak Duties
Hana Romanik and Ariella McNulty work to keep Revere’s campus clean.
Photo: SARAH BENTLEY
Homerooms have evolved from silent reading zones into bustling workshops
By MELISSA BUNNAPRADIST
rooms are called ‘special’ homerooms. Out of all
68 homerooms in the school, only about 15% fall
into this category.
The 85% that are not special homerooms are
rooms known as Sustained Silent Reading homerooms, otherwise known as SSR rooms. Patriots
in these homerooms have no special obligations
to fulfill from their supervising teachers, instead
spending the eleven and thirty-five minute times
to read a book or, depending on the teacher, catch
up on homework. An average Patriot’s day in a silent reading homeroom consists of a teacher taking attendance, silent reading, and listening to the
announcements.
However, the 15% have very different agendas
from the typical SSR rooms. Scattered throughout
the campus, are three music homerooms, three
club homerooms, a journalism homeroom, and
student council (leadership) that make up the list
of eight special homerooms.
Music theory takes years to memorize and
(continued on page 4)
“Oh, I’ll just do it in homeroom.”
The phrase is widely used throughout the
school, whether ‘it’ refers to catching up on
homework or finally finishing a book. Flurries of fingers have turned pages and adjusted
pencil positions during the first few minutes of
the day—and those first few minutes are called
homeroom. A time for productivity and a time to
prepare for the impending day ahead, homeroom
is known to many as a time to get things done.
By 7:55 AM, phones have been turned off
and classroom doors closed; locker doors have
slammed shut and the hallways are mostly empty. The occasional scuttle of steps heard outside a
classroom represents somebody tardy running to
the attendance office. Teachers take attendance
and students step into their assigned seats. The
time for core classes or playing sports has not
come yet, but the time has come for students to
settle into school and wipe the sleep out of their
eyes. This time is homeroom.
Revere has a multitude of different classes
that a student could end up in, from various electives to contrasting math placements. In every
period of the day, Patriots are seen reading, writing, running around, or learning something new.
But the most overlooked of all of Revere’s time
periods seems to be homeroom, and yet in homeroom, all four of those things are happening. For
either eleven or thirty-five minutes on the typical weekday, most Patriots read silently at an
assigned seat. However, there are other kinds
of homerooms scattered throughout the campus
that don’t have their members silently read for
the first chunk of their school day. These home- Ms. Jacques’ violinists.
Honoring History
3
Mr. Hubbard shares facts about
African American History Month.
Winter Wonders
8–9
Leila Taghibagi and her cousin
go to Mexico over winter break.
PHOTO: MORGAN NOVAK
Seeing Stars
10
Patriots capture moments with
celebrities outside of campus.
Paul Revere is now, finally,
entering the stage of the 21st
century’s digital revolution.
For over 18 months, students,
teachers and administrators have
been frustrated with the $1.3 billion LAUSD technology project
that hoped to provide an iPad to
each student, teacher and administrator in the District.
Finally, after seemingly endless delays, the iPad carts at Revere were opened at last and students are now busily getting to
know what their tablets can do.
The final leg of the long
journey began on Dec. 16, when
students at last got their hands
on their iPads, at least briefly.
As hundreds of Patriots filed
into the darkened chamber of
the auditorium with newly received iPads in hand, details of
the tablet protocol for the next
month were explained. Once
students got back to their homerooms, the iPad Airs were placed
in their carts. That is where they
remained, under lock and key,
through winter break.
But once school started in
January, the long-awaited iPads
were still not handed out right
away. A series of delays by
LAUSD pushed them back from
one week to the next. “The District needed to handle some legal
issues before distribution took
place,” said Principal Perdigao.
“We are one of the first
schools to Pilot the iPad Program,” he added. “Therefore, we
are dealing with many issues that
have not yet been handled by
any other school in the District.”
The tablets that finally came
out of their carts on Feb. 2 are
loaded with a plethora of apps,
ranging from Keynote to SketchBook. They give students the
ability to research topics for essays and other projects assigned
to them.
“The iPad is an additional
tool for our teachers and students
to use to increase learning,” said
Mr. Perdigao. “Teachers have
the ability to present material
and assess learning in new and
exciting ways. Students have access to more information that is
(continued on page 3)
Serving Up Victory 13
Halsey Hulse takes a swing at a
tennis ball during a competition.
2 February 13, 2015
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
CULTURAL
COLLAB
Mr. Hamanishi tells
Ms. Kruger’s class
about his Japanese
family’s WWII
internment.
Photo: Oliver Spector
LOVE IS
AN OPEN DOOR
Students decorate
their classroom’s
entrances for the
2015 Kindness
Challenge.
Photo: simon goldsmith
MEDICINE
MAN
PLAYING
WITH PENNIES
Patriots test their
memories by trying
to draw a copy of
a penny.
Dr. Labrot breathes
new life into the world
of pulminary medicine
during his lunchtime
seminar.
Campus
News and Notes
Photo: Morgan novak
Photo: JOshua figueroa
by Will Elander and
Brittany Darrow
INDUSTRIAL
CHIC
Mr. Fulling’s students
present advertisements
for their revolutionary products.
MISSION
EGG-POSSIBLE
Ms. Combis’s 8th
graders participate
in an eggciting
eggsperiment.
Photo: Cherrie herrera
Photo: saba modaressi
A
PRINCIPEER
Sarah Hurty gets
a taste of authority as the Patriot’s
principal for
a day.
BAKING
FOR BROADWAY
Students sell baked
goodies to fund the
March production
of The Music
Man.
Photo: brittany darrow
Photo: Danielle York
February 13, 2015
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 3
Tablets Come
Out of Storage
(left) Isaiah Berry works on a pencil sketch in art class. (right) Mamadou Gueye sketched the “Underground Railroad.”
Honoring African-American Achievements
By SOPHIA ARVIN
During February, an abundance of activities to commemorate African American History
Month can be found at Revere,
including a “Moments in Black
History” assembly, a student
art contest, a narrative writing
contest, homeroom discussion
groups, and raffle questions.
An African-American historian named Carter Godwin Woodson is credited with
the creation of Black History
Month. Carter’s parents were
former slaves. In 1915, Dr.
Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History, now called the As-
sociation for the Study of African American Life and History.
Under Woodson’s leadership,
the Association created publication outlets for black scholars. In
1926, Dr. Woodson initiated the
celebration of African-American
History Week, and in 1976, this
event was expanded throughout
the entire month of February.
Students from Mr. Mercado’s
art class have been making artwork reflecting the people and
events that are important to African American History Month.
Artists will have their work
displayed in the library and the
display cases throughout the
campus. Students creating exceptional artwork will receive
prizes and acknowledgment during the announcements.
All students can participate
in writing about one of the historical events being commemorated during the month.
Every Wednesday, homerooms have the option to discuss
topics related to African-American history. On Feb. 4, Mrs.
Robertson’s homeroom was discussing issues regarding race.
Eighth grader Mira Polishook
shared this story during class:
“When I was in New Orleans,
I learned that policemen pulled
many black people over because
they suspect them of dealing
drugs. They wouldn’t do this to
a white person.”
PHOTOS: DANIELLE YORK
To cap off the month’s activities, an assembly will be held
on Feb. 27 during second and
fourth period. It will feature a
performance by the Theatricum
Botanicum in which historical
events are displayed through poetry, music and speeches.
Mr. Hubbard said, “It’s important for students of this generation to honor African American History Month because we
live in a very diverse society,
and the future is only going to be
more diverse. If we are going to
live as a community, we have to
get to know each other. It’s important to recognize all cultures
such as Latino history, Japanese
history, and countless others.”
(continued from page 1) presented differently and have the
ability to to show their learning
in new ways.”
On Feb. 2, students were
called up to the unlocked iPad
cart, one by one, to receive their
charging block, cable and tablet.
There are no earbuds yet, but
they are expected to arrive soon
so that students can listen to recording in class without disturbingt their neighbors.
Each of the 49 students who
chose to opt out of taking the
devices home were sent to the
counseling office, while those
with missing forms were not to
receive iPads at all, and will not
be given them until the required
forms are turned in. The Patriots
who opted in reviewed the rules
and took the iPads to their classes, and later home.
Ever since receiving the iPad
Airs, the students who received
them have been experimenting
with the devices. They have been
getting used to and gaining proficiency with apps they have used,
and some they haven’t. Teachers
are using them to help enforce
student’s knowledge of key concepts. Some will even be giving
tests on the technology.
At Revere, there is a whirlwind of commotion between
classrooms and J2, where broken
tablets or ones that do not work
are replaced.
“The goal is to prepare our
students for college and the
workforce,” explained Mr. Perdigao. “There are few jobs now
and will be even fewer in the
future that don’t require a base
knowledge of technology use.”
Dancing Away
Valentines Day
(continued from page 1) constructed the “roses” out of chocolate kisses, skewers, paper-mache, and red material.
“This started as an agriculture class project a few years
ago,” said Ms. Robertson.
“Then, we partnered with Leadership three years ago when Ms.
Walker was still the advisor, and
it was so successful that we have
been working with them every
year since.” Ms. Robertson also
believes that the activity also
benefits the students who are
making it. “It gives my classes
an opportunity to learn a little bit
about the floral design industry,
a part of agriculture, and to make
something fun.
Meanwhile, some of Revere’s teachers have added a
twist to normal classwork as their
way of recognizing the Day of
Love. Ms. Combis, an 8th grade
science teacher, has arranged an
activity for students called “The
Periodic Table of Emotions”,
Patriots boogie at the “Stuck in the Friendzone” dance in Town Hall.
in which students randomly
choose an element (in the Periodic Table of the Elements) and
come up with a creative statement that links their emotions to
that specific element. Students
then write a love poem to their
elements using the various characteristics of the atoms. “This is
an exciting idea because my students get to express themselves
Ms. Robertson’s students in X-17 make chocolate rose grams.
through an element’s characteristic. In the past, I have discovered so much about my students
because of this activity,” stated
Ms. Combis.
Mr. Carnine is having his 6th
graders read a book about Eros,
the god of love in ancient Greek
mythology. “I always save this
particular story for Valentine’s
Day,” Mr. Carnine said. “It has
to do with the subject, and it
gives my students something to
look forward to.”
Ms. Palmer, an 8th grade
algebra and geometry teacher,
came up with a project for her
geometry students. “Students
will create an ‘acute’ Valentine,”
she said. “They will write a poem
using geometry vocabulary and
shapes.” When asked why she
thought the poems were a good
idea, she replied, “It gives students a chance to review geometry in a creative way.”
In the weeks leading up to
Valentine’s Day, students and
staff alike took part in the Great
Kindness Challenge, a school
week in which participants per-
Elan admires Ms. Palmer’s “acute” poems.
form all the kind acts listed on
the checklists they received in
their homeroom. Besides completing the checklist, special
activities were held every day.
On Monday, Patriots gathered
at the Town Hall to make cards
for children suffering from cancer. Students decorated a paper
hand during homeroom at Tuesday, and returned to the Town
Hall at lunch to get their pictures
taken. A bake sale was then held
afterschool to raise money for
Operation Smile, a non-profit
organization that provides medical service to children around the
world. On Wednesday, students
participated in the Cutest Pet
Contest, where they brought in a
picture of their pets. The theme
for Thursday was peace. Students wore clothes or accessories emblazoned with the peace
symbol, and a Popsicle sale was
held in the Town Hall and the
Auditorium. The proceeds collected from the sale went to Kids
for Peace, an organization that
came up with the Great Kindness
Challenge. The school week of
Photo: Will Elander
good works then ended on Friday, where a door-decorating
contest occurred. The theme was
love, and the doors were judged
during homeroom.
For Adrian Maximo, tomorrow will not just be the most
romantic day of the year. It will
also be his birthday. This year,
he will be commemorating his
14th on the 14th. That’s enough
to make Cupid smile.
Lily and Leila
make rose grams in
Mrs. Robertson’s class.
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
4 February 13, 2015
Busy Sights at First Light
COVER STORY
(continued from page 1) many more to apply to
technique successfully. To advanced music students
at Revere, these years are already under their belt and
seemingly well applied to their studies. Though there
are classes offered to musicians just starting out, those
who are more advanced can get into a ‘special’ music
homeroom.
When walking into H1, H3, or J5 before 8:30, the
melodious sound of harmonious music loudly fills up
the ears of the passersby. A teacher may be in the center
front conducting the group of thirty musicians, give or
take a few. This is the normal scene of either a choir,
orchestra, or band class. Students in these homerooms
are in mixed grades—seventh, eighth, and occasionally
sixth. All of these prestigious homerooms require invitations to join and advanced musical knowledge.
In H1, choir teacher Mrs. Cronin is in charge of the
Madrigals homeroom, a group of seventh and eighth
graders who show superiority in singing. In their homeroom every day, students sing and rehearse their repertoire for upcoming concerts and events. This homeroom
requires students to try out, but does not promise a likelihood of getting onto the class list the next year. For the
2014-2015 school year, 73 applicants applied for only 23
positions, making a rejection rate of over 2:1 and making the acceptance percentage for the 2014-2015 year
approximately 32%. Though Madrigals is a completely
different group, the singers perform with Concert Choir
and are involved in all of their activities.
Mrs. Cronin believes that the homeroom is crucial to
their success.
“Madrigals only meets during homeroom,” says
Mrs. Cronin. “This is the only chance we get to practice, and we only practice for five minutes on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, and for 15-20 minutes on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. That’s why my students have
to be sight reading musicians (able to read notes), and
extremely well-behaved and responsible.”
Cole Suarez, president of the Madrigals group, also
agrees that the homeroom is very important to their success.
“Without the homeroom, Madrigals would not exist,” he states. “And we wouldn’t be able to learn our
repertoire in time for the concert.”
In room H3, band teacher Mr. Miyoshi spends most
of his allotted thirty-five minutes teaching his advanced
musicians new songs for their next performance. From the
first minute to the last, Mr. Miyoshi is busy conducting
and advising his students on how to improve their playing.
Though there are many band classes offered to Patriots,
Mr. Miyoshi’s homeroom is strictly for the jazz band. Each
student auditions at the end of the second semester for the
following school year.
Every day of the week, band members go into H3 to
collect their instruments. On shorter homeroom days such
as Tuesdays and Thursdays, Patriots refrain from practicing
for the reason of there being a lack of time. Instead, they
either read or talk to fill up the eleven minutes. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, band members collect their
instruments prior to entering H3 to practice their songs for
upcoming concerts. Mr. Miyoshi states that his students
practice the various pieces he hands out.
“The students who audition for the jazz band are incredible players,” Mr. Miyoshi remarks. “I think the extra time
Out of all of the homerooms in Paul Revere, 85% of them
are normal homerooms where students quietly read (SSR)
or do homework. The 6% are service homerooms that are
busy on special projects. The 9% are music homerooms in
which Patriots practice and rehearse their musical pieces.
on their instruments help them a lot. I just want the
students to enjoy various styles of music.”
J5 holds one of the largest musical ensembles
in Revere—the symphony orchestra homeroom,
run by orchestra teacher Ms. Jacques. It is also
the only musical homeroom that doesn’t require a
separate tryout. Ms. Jacques invites her symphony
students to participate in her homeroom “based on
their auditions and their performances during the
previous year.”
Orchestra’s repertoire can range from classical
to contemporary—in other words, the symphony
homeroom practices the works of many different
composers from many different historical eras.
They spend their thirty-five or eleven minutes refining skills necessary to efficiently play chamber
music, such as reading body language and playing
with a skillful musical expression.
Ms. Jacques’s goal for her homeroom is for her
students to be able to run a rehearsal on their own,
and be able to work together independently to learn
a piece of music.
“The goal is for them to become independent
chamber musicians,” adds Ms. Jacques. She also
says that the homeroom is ‘absolutely’ helpful
to her class. “Practice time is the most important
thing when it comes to improvement. Practice does
not make perfect, but it does make better!”
While the students occupying the H building
practice and attempt to perfect their music, Ms.
Chen’s students on the other end of the school are
doing something entirely different. Ms. Chen’s students have one primary objective—making people
more aware of the earth and what they can do to
help it. Lend a listening ear to the morning announcements every Tuesday, and hear the people
giving their tips on how to conserve energy and
help the earth. Those three people are representatives from the Eco Homeroom, an organization
that happens to be a club as well as a homeroom.
The Eco Homeroom meets in X14 and spends most
of their days contemplating ways to make the Earth
a cleaner place.
“The homeroom and the [Go Green] club can support each other with different environmental initiatives,” says Ms. Chen. “I came up with the idea of the
Mr. Valerio’s Community Service club homeroom is
all smiles as they wear their club t-shirts.
Mr. Slavin:
Council Club
Consultant
The Town Crier: How did the idea for
Council Club come up? If you weren’t
the first to host the club, who was?
Mr. Slavin: There was no Council Club
before the one that I love started. Before
the first Club Day, we were asked if we had
any good activities that we could make into
clubs. I thought Council would be an activity that people around the Revere community would want to take advantage of.
What are you most looking forward to in
the future for you homeroom?
I am most looking forward for my students
to learn how to do Council and to be able
to lead it in school along with outside of it.
What, in your opinion, is the greatest
achievement that your homerom has
done this year?
Definitely the greatest achievement this
year is the holiday can food drive. It was
a big success and we collected thousands
of canned foods for hungry people. I am
really proud of my students.
The Town Crier interviewed Mr. Slavin
about advising the council homeroom.
How do the activities in your homeroom
compare and contrast to what you do in
your lunchtime club?
We do the same activities in both, but have I’d like to encourage them to develop
more council time in the homeroom as the a Council practice of their own and
bring Council into their own comclub only meets once a week.
munities. I think it’s good for the
How many people are in this homeroom, community because Council takes
patience and listening, and the world
and how do you select people for it?
could use a lot more of that.
There are 21 people in the homeroom.
Some of the students in my homeroom
have been in Council Club since sixth
grade, and others were identified from their
teachers for their leadership quality.
When was the homeroom created?
Council Club was founded in 2010, and it
was made a homeroom the second year.
Is running a special homeroom particularly different from a regular one? If so,
how?
Running a special homeroom is very different because on Mon/Wed/Fri. homerooms
we do Council, and before the Council
homeroom I had SSR. So instead of sitting
quietly and reading, we sit around a circle
The very first “Staff Superstar”
and tell stories.
Award is presented to Mr. Slavin
by Principal Perdigao during the
Do you have any special goals for this
faculty meeting in January.
homeroom?
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 5
February 13, 2015
The Madrigal Choir homeroom
warms up their voices as they
practice for the Spring Concert.
homeroom to recycle consistently. The students I select
for this homeroom must have good grades overall. Some
have shown consistent attendance at Go Green Club and
other environmental activities, and others proved to be
reliable with recycling.”
Eighth grader Leah Radow gives a run through of the
Eco Homeroom’s schedule.
“On most days, the homeroom holds discussions
about the environment,” summarizes Leah. “And sometimes we plan events that link in with the club’s activities. On Wednesday, different groups split up to go to the
Quad and to the cafeteria, to throw out recyclables from
the blue bin. On Friday, we go to homerooms to collect
their weekly recycling. If we didn’t have a homeroom, it
would be harder for the staff to keep the campus as clean
as it is now.”
Most students have been asked by their teachers before to sit in a large circle with a table filled with objects
in the middle. Once they do, they have been asked to
share some story about him or herself or a personal belief that relates to the pertaining subject. This is known
as “Council,” and there is a homeroom centered on this
activity. Run by eighth grade English teacher Mr. Slavin,
the Council homeroom meets in S3.
Mr. Slavin states that the homeroom “does not have
a direct impact on the club.”
“The Council Club came first,” says Mr. Slavin.
“And the Council homeroom originated as a place where
we could practice council on a more regular basis than
once a week.”
The club itself meets every Thursday during lunch,
but the homeroom meets every day to participate in the
activity of council. However, there are different people
in the homeroom and club even though they do the same
activities.
“Having council in homeroom gives us a chance to
start the day in a reflective and connecting way,” adds
Mr. Slavin. “I think it sets a tone and purpose for the day
ahead.”
To anybody who walks into E5 during homeroom,
the hustle and bustle of a working newspaper staff is
the first thing that hits their eyes. Supervised by seventh
grade English teacher Mr. Wechsler, students in this
class use the extra time to perfect the newspaper and
take advantage of photography opportunities they would
not have otherwise.
Over the past few years Journalism has prospered a
lot and takes lots of pride in winning the “Newspaper
Pacemaker Finalist Award” three years in a row from the
National Scholastic Press Association.
“Having a homeroom gives us, the journalism staff,
Seventh graders, Marina and Maya decorate posters for the Student Council homeroom.
more time to work on making the newspaper look better,” says eighth grader Gabi Feingold.
A day for a student in this homeroom can consist of
many different things, but even on short days homeroom
members use every last minute to work on their obligations and meet the newspaper deadline.
Journalism teacher Mr. Wechsler says, “We try to
simulate a real life newsroom where each staff member
is busily completing his or her key part of the puzzle.”
Everybody in the Revere community knows that announcements almost always start with somebody leading
the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. This leading
person normally comes from the Student Council, also
known as Revere’s Leadership. Led by sixth grade math
and science teacher Ms. Istrin, this homeroom is almost
always very busy.
Ms. Istrin says that before the class was handed over
to her, Ms. Walker was the faculty leader and that the
class has existed at Revere for a while.
Like most homerooms, Tuesdays and Thursdays are
recognized in Student Council as short homerooms and
because of that, not very eventful. Long homerooms,
however, consist of different activities. Mondays can be
spent either on Council or on weekly items; the thirtyfive minute period on Wednesday is carried out meeting
about upcoming events, and Friday is spent with the Student Council representatives going from classroom door
to classroom door collecting the school’s recycling.
When asked if the extra time helps the class succeed,
Ms. Istrin says, “Yes! Homeroom is when we make deliveries and announcements about grams and upcoming
school events. We have partners and teams to get things
done and help each other out to make sure we succeed!
All of my students are willing to go the extra mile for
each other and for me!”
Leadership may be in charge of quite a few events at
school, but in S2 minds are running and contemplating
more ideas for events involving the Revere community.
Started by seventh grade counselor Mr. Valerio last year,
he decided that spending only thirty-five minutes a week
on the club wasn’t enough.
The 2014-2015 school year is the first to host a Community Service club homeroom. Only members of the
club occupy S2 in the first part of the day, and spend their
time in the homeroom discussing their club activities,
as well as further planning and organizing. Unlike the
Council homeroom and club, the Community Service
club is directly affiliated with the homeroom.
The Community Service club is in charge of many
different events, many of them true to their name—community service. The club runs the bagel handout next
door to their meeting room, hold popsicle sales, sched-
Abigail Mendoza from the
Community Service club
homeroom is decorating the
boxes for the Spy Drive, a project
where students from Revere can
donate their clothes into the box
and it is given to the poor.
Photo: Cherrie herrera
ules raffles, and constantly thinks of ways to further aid
the school and its community. Recently, the club hosted
‘The Great Kindness Challenge,’ a week themed on benevolent acts.
Mr. Valerio states that the homeroom is ‘absolutely’
helpful to their club, and also says that not all of their
work happens within the campus.
“Some students volunteer outside of school with Pug
Nation,” says faculty supervisor Mr. Valerio. Pug Nation
is an organization in Los Angeles that works to rescue
abandoned and abused pugs.
“We also participated in an AIDS Walk, and sold
Peace Grams to promote the International Day of Peace.
The goal of our club is to teach our students to become
leaders, and help them think of ways to make the school
and world a better place.”
It’s either 8:06 or 8:30 a.m., and the sound of the bell
resonates again throughout the large campus. But this
time, the bell is not an informative sound representing
the beginning of a school day. This time, it represents the
time to pick up a backpack and move on to first period.
But the first few minutes of the school day to most people
were not spent in naught.
“Homeroom is a big help when it comes to waking up
my brain, especially since [homeroom] doesn’t count for
anything,” says 8th grader Dean Thordarson. “I use it to
make up assignments or finish homework if I have any.
Otherwise I just read. Homeroom has been a great help
to me in the past years and I hope it will continue to be in
the months ahead.”
6 February 13, 2015
Trend TALK
Combating
the Worst
Brings Out
Our Best
By CHERRIE HERRERA
For 7th grader
Benjamin
Nackman, having diabetes is
nothing to be
ashamed of.
Throughout his
life, he has gotten used to the difficulties that
accompany his disease, and is
equally comfortable talking
about it as well. “I’m definitely proud, happy, and confident
to spread my story,” he says.
“I don’t like pricking myself
with a needle every two hours,
but it’s cool to be different.”
Ben has had this disease
when he was three years old.
Over the next nine years, he
says he has learned an important lesson: ”Even though I
have a weird tube stuck to me
I am just like everybody else.”
He has also gotten stronger
over time, overcoming most of
his fears. “My fear is dying of
low or high blood sugar. But,
it can be prevented if I take
good care of myself. The only
problem I have is when my
pump doesn’t work and I need
to sit down or get a shot.”
Because of his small size
and the disease he carries with
him, Ben has been picked on
and made fun of all his life.
How does he handle it? ”I ask
the bully calmly why they are
bullying others and me,” he
says. He gains his confidence
confronting these bullies by
the support of the people he
knows well. “When I don’t
feel well I know my friends
and family are there for me.”
Placing myself in Ben’s
situation, I would definitely
feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the multiple needles pinching me, and afraid
of the possible high increase
or decrease of my blood sugar
level. That’s why I am so
impressed with Ben’s ability
to cope with his diabetic life
and to publicly speak about
it, something that I might not
have the patience to do.
If Ben can cope with this
life-long problem, why can’t
all of us follow his example
when facing troubles that we
come across as well, in sickness and especially in health?
Ben has shown it is, indeed,
true that what doesn’t kill us
makes us stronger, and that
the impediments we surpass,
big or small, help to define
us. Sure, we all have a different tolerance level for the
problems we face. Some of us
are dealing with a life crisis,
while others are just trying to
get over typical middle school
drama. But all of us Patriots
can be our own heroes and
strongly confront anything
that comes our way.
“The only difference
between you and me,” Ben
reminds us, “is the machine
that helps me live.”
Lifestyle
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Travails of Tired Teens
Patriots of all ages wake up early on school days. The alarm clocks of (left to right) Mr. Wechsler, Ava Kerkorian, and Judy Zhang are shown.
Experts stress the importance of sleep and how it can affect a student’s academic performance
By ZACHARY GARAI
For decades, scientists, journalists and educators have been
conducting studies on student
sleep habits and the effects of
sleep deprivation. These studies
have all had one finding in common— kids need sleep. Without
eight or nine hours of sleep, students are more prone to depression, their grades plummet, they
are more moody and reactive,
and are always fatigued.
Sleep has an enormous effect
on academic performance, as is
illustrated in a New York Times
article by Jessica Lahey. “When
Edina, Minnesota, shifted its
high school start time from 7:25
a.m. to 8:30, the district reported
that students were getting more
sleep with fewer sleep disturbances, they reported fewer
episodes of depressive feelings,
and on the whole received better grades. Most shockingly, the
SAT scores of Edina’s top students rose from a pre-time shift
average of 683 math/605 verbal
to 739 math/761 verbal one year
later.”
The SAT scores increased by
eight percent for math and by 26
percent for the verbal section of
the test. A score increase of this
magnitude suggests the necessity of sleep for students.
Washington Post reporter Valerie
Strauss wrote about the effect
sleep has on students’ emotional
well-being.
“If it was just a matter of
early-morning fogginess this
wouldn’t be a big deal, but sleep
deprivation in teens has been
linked to lower levels of human growth hormone, which is
integral to a teenager’s physical growth, brain development,
and maturation of their immune
system, as well as higher rates
of anxiety disorders and depression. A 2010 study in the journal
Sleep found that teenagers who
go to bed after midnight are 24
percent more likely to suffer
from depression and 20 percent
more likely to consider harming
themselves than those who go to
bed before 10 p.m.”
Sleep is of great importance
to the emotional state of students
and is directly related to depression, along with other social and
emotional issues. If a student
sleeps more, not only will they
perform at a higher level academically, but they will also be
happier people in general.
An online article from Stanford
University talks about how a
chronic lack of sleep affects students far beyond their middle
school years.
“Each of us has a specific
daily sleep requirement. The average sleep requirement for college students is well over eight
hours, and the majority of students would fall within the range
of this value plus or minus one
hour. If this amount is not obtained, a sleep debt is created.
All lost sleep accumulates progressively as a larger and larger
sleep indebtedness. Furthermore, your sleep debt does not
go away or spontaneously decrease. The only way to reduce
your individual sleep debt is by
obtaining extra sleep over and
above your daily requirement.”
As time goes by, the sleep debt
piles up, taking a larger toll with
each passing day. When a student does not change their sleep
habits, the sleep deprivation and
debt cyc¬le continues at an exponential rate.
Sleep may even be more important then for previous generations. Hundreds of articles from
dozens of publications have described just how critical a good
night’s sleep is to success.
According to a study by the
University of Michigan, “The
amount of sleep that a college
student gets is one of the strongest predictors of academic
success. Sleep plays a key role
in helping students fix and consolidate memories, plus prevent
decay of memories. Without
sleep, people work harder and
but don’t do as well. “
Even the US government has
attempted to take action on this
growing problem. In September of 2014, Representative Zoe
Lofgren of San Jose’s proposed
bill that would have helped students across the nation get the
What Time Do
Patriots Wake Up?
Based on a survey of 211 students. Graph and Survey: Zacharay Garai
sleep they needed in Congress.
Representative Lofgren’s House
website mentions and explains
the proposed bill. “Research
has increasingly shown that the
natural biological sleep pattern
of many adolescents is to go to
sleep and wake up at later times.
However, many of these students
must wake up well before the sun
rises to get ready for school, as
many high schools in the United States start before 7:30 am.
Lofgren has long supported and
advocated for a later school start
time, first introducing the Zzz’s
to A’s Act in 1998, with subsequent versions throughout the
past decade and a half. The latest Zzz’s to A’s Act (H.R. 5678),
supported by the National Sleep
Foundation (NSF), directs the
Secretary of Education to study
get a higher score on that exam.
In a study by the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
of high school student found
data that explains the importance
of rest. According to their findings, 28 percent of participating
students fall asleep in class at
least once a week, and one fifth
fell asleep while doing homework. The study also found that
more sleep means higher grades,
lower dropout rates, and higher
attendance for students.
A survey of over two hundred
Paul Revere students representing eight classes found that 40
percent of Patriots fall asleep
between 9 and 10 p.m. at night.
In the morning, 45 percent of
surveyed Patriots reported waking up between 6 and 7 a.m. In
total, 60 percent of participants
What Time Do Patriots Go to Sleep?
Based on a homeroom survey of 204 students conducted by Zachary Garai in September and December. Graph: Zachary garai and Casey Ehrlich
the effects of later start times on
secondary school students and
submit findings and recommendations to Congress.
“’Students across the United
States are not getting enough
sleep at night – this affects not
just their academic performance,
but their health, safety, and wellbeing,’ said Lofgren. ‘We know
that as kids become teens their
biology keeps them from getting
to sleep early, makes it harder
for them to wake up early in
the morning, and necessitates
additional sleep at night. As I
have long advocated, and as the
American Academy of Pediatrics
recently confirmed, adjusting
school start times can be an important tool to improve students’
health and performance. This
study will help local school districts recognize and use new information about the importance
of sufficient sleep and the impact
that school start times can have
on adolescent well-being.’”
Chronic lack of sleep lowers
cognitive abilities, and does so
quickly with each hour of sleep
lost. Although staying up late
to study for a test the next day
might make you think you know
the material better, if you go to
bed instead you will most likely
sleep for seven to nine hours per
night— the amount of sleep recommended by most studies. This
contradicts the national average
of one in ten teenagers getting
that much sleep per night.
Despite the amount of sleep
Patriots get, many still feel as
if they need more. According
to a recent poll, two thirds of
participating students would
want school to start and end 40
minutes later. One 8th grader,
Camryn Van Horn, feels that
”kids need more sleep so when
they wake up they are happy and
ready to learn. It’s hard for us to
go to sleep at an early time.”
Students surveyed nearly
unanimously felt that sleep is
directly related to academic
performance. Seventh grader
David Tabzadeh said, “I believe
sleep has a huge effect [on academic performance] because if I
am tired during class, it is a lot
harder for me to concentrate in
school.” However, there were a
few Patriots that felt otherwise.
Another seventh grader, Alyssa
Hachmann, thinks that “sleep is
important, but if you focus on
what you are doing it doesn’t
matter how much sleep you got.”
Students also reported sleep
(continued on page 7)
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 7
February 13, 2015
Do the ZZZ’s Affect the A’s?
(continued from page 6) as having an effect on their mood.
Eighth grader Moses Billings
says that, “When I don’t get
enough sleep, I am very angry
and my day is all messed up. If
I get good sleep I wake up happy and I’m not mad at anyone.”
When eighth grader Charlotte
Bota doesn’t get enough sleep,
she says that she sees herself
“becoming very irritable and
easily set off, so I become sort of
like a ticking time bomb.”
Another New York Times
article, by Tara Parker-Pope,
discounts a traditional method
of night-before studying, supplanting it with a more long-term
review of the material. “Repeating the information over a longer interval— say a few days or
states that facts from subjects
such as science and history are
best reviewed at night, while
math and physics are best left
for the morning to maximize the
retainment of information and
concepts.
In one survey, it was found
that most would rather sleep
a little more than stretch their
brains and study late into the
night. In fact, two thirds of students prefer sleep to study. An
anonymous seventh grader says,
“When you are tired and trying
to learn things it goes through
one ear and out the other one.”
However, not all Revere students feel this way. Some feel
that the age-old, tried-and-true,
study methods work well too.
Seventh grader Savannah Gar-
How Many Hours
of Sleep Do
Patriots Get?
Based on a survey
of 202 students.
Less than 5
5—6
6—7
7—8
weeks later, rather than in rapid
succession, sends a stronger signal to the brain that it needs to
retain the information. “ In order to further aid the memorization process, Parker-Pope says
“the first half of the sleep cycle
is most important for retaining
facts; the second half is important for math skills.” The article
8—9
9—10
More than 10
Graph and Survey: Zachary Garai
bringer feels that “you should
be responsible enough to study
every night and manage your
time wisely so you don’t have to
‘cram’ extra study time in.”
Despite the fact that Patriots sleep a lot (relative to peers
across the nation), some find it
easier than others. “Sometimes
you just can’t sleep much be-
cause you get home late from
extracurriculars and then need
to do homework,” says eighth
grader Eloisa Huggins. Hundreds of Patriots are participating in extracurricular programs
that eat up hours out of their
day. After that, teachers tack on
a couple hours of homework, reports, and projects. Eighth grader Nina Cawley says “there’s just
not enough time in the day.”
Students aren’t the only ones
who suffer from a lack of sleep.
Many students feel as if teachers,
like students themselves, need
time to rest every night. Sixth
grader Yman Kamgaing has observed the effects of a lack of
sleep in teachers. “I think it has a
small effect on teachers because
I notice they drink coffee and
don’t even say a word in homeroom.” During the schoolday’s
early hours, teachers across the
campus suffer from a caffeine
epidemic, as they try to wake
themselves up from the morning
grogginess all people undergo.
Like students, teachers suffer from a lack of sleep for many
reasons. Long commutes, early
mornings, lesson planning, and
hundreds of papers to grade
and record certainly don’t make
it any easier to get the recommended amount of sleep. Some
teachers fall asleep early in order
to get a good night’s rest.
For some teachers, coffee not
only makes a good start to a long
day, but it can often help teachers perform at their best despite a
lack of sleep and early mornings.
“Most teachers love their coffee
in the morning. It’s warm and a
sense of comfort in the morning. Also, it definitely keeps us
alert,” says sixth grade Math
and Science teacher Ms. Zuckerbraun. “One way to deal with
early mornings is to start with
a nice, hot cup of coffee and to
be.”
Even Principal Perdigao
needs rest. “I personally need at
least eight hours of sleep to feel
completely recharged. Unfortunately, our busy lives get in the
way. Therefore, I try to get at
least six hours of sleep a night.”
Everyone at Revere has felt the
occasionally delicate touch of
Teenagers are often
the victims of sleep
deprivation, and many
experts believe this
common issue can lead
to plunging grades.
fatigue, but Patriots still sleep a
great deal more than peers across
the nation. Two surveys representing over 200 Patriots showed
that 60 percent of surveyed Patriots get the recommended seven
to nine hours of sleep per school
night. However, there are things
Patriots can do to improve their
quality of sleep.
An article from the Los Angeles Times, by Geoffery Mohan, speaks to the effects of using light-emitting electronics
before falling asleep.
“Reading from a light emitting device (such as a tablet or
smartphone) before your bedtime can shift your body’s natural clock and delay the onset and
characteristics of sleep. That can
leave you groggy in the morning.”
The article also cited a study
done by the National Academy
of Scientists. “The study subjects using e-readers also took
ten minutes longer to fall asleep
and had nearly 12 minutes less
rapid-eye movement (REM)
sleep, a stage that has been
linked to memory consolidation,
the study found.”
The previously mentioned
article by the Los Angeles Times
says that, “Previous studies have
shown that exposure to such
wavelengths [short wavelength]
strongly affects the body’s circadian clock, compared with exposure to light of longer wavelengths.”
Students can also choose to
study throughout the week of an
exam, which has been proven to
improve memory. By studying a
little bit every day, students can
substitute unnecessary stress for
rest.
Caffeine also affects students
and makes it difficult to sleep.
According to coffeeandhealth.
com, “The most marked effects
of caffeine on sleep, even at
levels equivalent to those of a
single cup of coffee, have been
well documented. They consist
principally of prolonged sleep
latency, shorter total sleep time,
increases in light sleep and shortening of deep sleep time, as well
as more frequent awakenings.”
In addition, a six-ounce cup of
coffee has as much caffeine as
ice cream or gum. By limiting
caffeine intake, students can improve the quantity and quality of
sleep.
Principal Perdigao compared
sleep to a battery. “Like a charging battery on an electric car,
sleep recharges our body. There
are studies that show teenagers
need more sleep than the average
adult.”
“There is nothing better than
waking up in the morning, without the help of an alarm, feeling
rested and ready for the day.”
Taking a Shot at the Flu
The effects of the flu vaccination create controversy among the public
By SIMON GOLDSMITH
Every year around flu season, the public receives the same
warning: “Everyone six months
of age or older should get the
annual flu vaccine.” According
to a Center for Disease Control
(CDC) study in the LA Times,
the flu shot can reduce the risk of
Patriots can receive their flu
shots at minute clinics such as
this Rite Aid in Santa Monica.
getting the flu by 23%, but many
experts disagree. Some believe
that flu shots are not helpful to
the most vulnerable groups of
people, such as the elderly and
disabled. Some have told horror
stories of terrible allergic reac-
tions and side effects. Others believe that the flu vaccine is just a
big placebo with no real effect.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other important
health organizations strongly
suggest that everyone get a flu
shot, and have made efforts to
make flu shots more accessible.
“During the 2010-2011 influenza
season, about half of all children
and 41 percent of American
adults received flu shots,” said
Pamela Weintraub in Experience Life magazine. She added,
“Health officials and organizations are pushing for more.”
Despite the endorsement
of these trusted organizations,
many scientists and citizens still
question the safety of the flu vaccine. According to flu.gov, mild
side effects of the shot include
swelling around the injection
site, fainting, headaches, fever
and nausea. Flu shots can be
dangerous to some people with
specific allergies or medical restrictions, such as people with
egg allergies. Allergic reactions
the vaccine can cause include
hives, swelling, dizziness and
trouble breathing, but these reactions are extremely rare.
Many people believe that
these side effects are a small
price to pay in order to protect
themselves during the flu season,
including Revere’s school nurse,
Ms. Goldman. She says that she
has gotten the flu shot every
year, and has had very little trouble with the flu. Seventh grader
Sanjana Zalawadia, for instance,
said, “I personally feel flu shots
are very helpful, because they
keep most people healthy.”
Yet many parents do not
believe in giving the flu shot to
their children. Some of these
parents believe that the vaccination weakens a child’s immune
system, making them more
prone to viruses like the flu.
Another seventh grader, Koa
Viecco, said, “I don’t really like
them [flu shots] because I usually get sick after.”
Despite Koa’s opinion, according to flu.gov and Mrs.
Goldman, “No, you cannot get
the flu from the flu shot…the flu
shot contains inactivated (killed)
flu viruses that cannot cause ill-
The nurse, Ms. Goldman, sits at her desk.
Photo: Will Elander
ness.”
everyone. People can receive a
Some people have reported flu shot at their doctor’s office,
receiving the flu shot before the pharmacy, or even a grocery
season, but still getting the flu store. For example, at Rite Aid
later in the year. As Ms. Gold- in Santa Monica, Patriots can reman points out, “You might get ceive the vaccination for $31.99
the flu even with the vaccination, without a health insurance plan.
but the symptoms will be weaker The CVS in the Palisades can
and your sickness will not last as provide flu shots for $36.99. Just
long.”
down the block from Revere, at
Flu shots have become very Brentwood Pharmacy, you can
accessible and affordable for receive a flu shot for $35.00.
When Do Patriots Get the Flu Shot?
How Often Do Patriots Get the Flu?
Based on a homeroom survey of 105 students conducted by Simon Goldsmith in December.
Graph: Simon Goldsmith
8 Febraury 13, 2015
Worldwide Winter Wanderings
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Patriots traveled all
around the globe for
their three weeks of
winter vacation.
1
By GABI FEINGOLD
Over the course of the three
week winter break, Revere students visited many different countries. They relaxed, skiied, and
ziplined across the world. These
students shared their vacations
with Revere.
1) Elena Kilkowski spent her
winter break on the island of Hawaii, where she went “zip lining
over the beautiful mountains.”
She drove up high into the mountains, she explained. Elena said
that she felt a little bit nervous
about going. When no one else
would take his or her turn to go on
the zip line, Elena had to step up.
“They (the instructors) told me to
run off the platform. I ran off. I
felt like I could fly. I could see the
beaches and the trees and it was
amazing.”
2) Seventh grader Maya Dautwyler spent a week of her winter
break in Oahu, Hawaii with her
mom and dad. “I went surfing in
Waikiki with my dad.” Maya’s
week in Oahu was not the first
time she had been there. “We go
to Oahu every winter break because we have a time share on the
west side of the island in Ko Olina.” She claims that her favorite
part would be “surfing or going to
Pipeline to see the waves.”
3) Eighth grade Patriot Simon Goldsmith was in Cozumel,
Mexico for 5 days for his winter
break. “I was there with my mom
and my little sister.” In the photo,
he is kayaking in the “clear blue
water,” which he says was his favorite part about his vacation. He
said that his vacation was very relaxing and he enjoyed the beach.
4) One seventh grader used
part of her vacation time in Europe. Sarah Bentley spent 10 days
snowboarding in Courmayeur,
Italy, which is a town on the tallest peak of the Alps, Mont. Blanc.
“I went without my family, with
my family friends that invited me
to come along.” She snowboarded
every day when she was in Italy.
“My favorite part of the vacation
was definitely building a snowman in front of our hotel. We used
peanuts as buttons, sticks as arms,
and a carrot for the nose, and it
stayed up for a few days.”
5) Karishma Desai spent a ma-
jority of her winter break in Kerala, India. In southern India, she described it as “very lush with such a
beautiful environment.” Karishma
took her trip to the other side of
the globe with her parents and
sister. With her family, she got to
visit multiple tea gardens, “where
most of the different types of tea
come from.” The eighth grader
also got the chance to ride, bathe
and feed an elephant.
6) Seventh grader Carol Araujo-Nobili spent her winter break in
Rio de Janeiro, where at this time
of year, it’s summer. Carol came
to Paul Revere to improve her
English, and despite the fact that
she is only staying for a month,
she has enjoyed the company of
the Patriots. In this photo, she is
walking in Jardim Botanico, also
known as the Botanic Garden.
7) Eighth grader Alyssa Wallin
traveled to Marakesh, Morocco
with her dad for a week during
winter vacation. She went mule
riding in the High Atlas Mountains, on mules belonging to the
man seen in the corner of the picture. “He was taking my dad and
I up to his village, where he made
us lunch and tea. The village was
400 years old, and the houses were
made out of mud and had little
electricity, but the views from the
top were amazing,” says Alyssa.
4
“My favorite part was when we
went paragliding in the mountains. We jumped off a cliff and
paraglided in the mountains. We
jumped off a cliff and parachuted
down, and it was scary, but it was
really fun.”
8) Ilana Seibel, a seventh grader, went to Cairns, Australia for
her winter break. She and her family went snorkeling in the Great
Barrier Reef and visited a tropical
wildlife retreat. “At the Great Barrier Reef, we sailed on a large catamaran to a small deserted island.
Because it was jellyfish season in
Australia, we had to wear lycra
suits to avoid being stung.” While
snorkeling, she saw reef sharks,
colorful fish, and large sea turtles.
When she went to the wildlife retreat, she got to feed kangaroos
and hold a koala. “The koala was
a lot heavier than I imagined. Although the koala’s fur was soft, its
nails were quite sharp.”
9) Mia Taheri, a seventh grade
Patriot, visited the southeastern
part of the globe this December.
She stayed in Australia for 11 days
and New Zealand for six. After
seeing the cities of Sydney, Auckland, Rotona, and the Gold Coast,
Mia says her favorite part was
“seeing my family that I haven’t
seen in five years. I got food poisoning twice.”
2
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February 13, 2015
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Paul Revere Charter Middle School 9
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10 February 13, 2015
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Entertainment
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Iconic
Internet
Idols?
Ariana and Hunter
By JUDY ZHANG
From beauty
gurus to superior gamers,
the world of
YouTube has
inspired people
at Revere and
all around
the world. The 21st century technology has provided
people with so many areas of
entertainment such as Netflix,
Minecraft, and now YouTube,
an online website where people
are able to share videos. And
now, YouTubers are becoming
more and more popular due
to the overall success of their
videos.
Since YouTubers share
their personal lives with tons
of people throughout the
Internet, should their online
fame make them deserve the
title of celebrities? People can
easily communicate with them
through YouTube comments,
Twitter, Facebook, or any other
form of social media. The main
reason why I would call them
celebrities is because they
seem so much more real to
people. They don’t seeem fake
at all. Sometimes, our society
forgets that celebrities are real
people too, and they almost
appear like a fictional character
in a fantasy book.
Recently, President Barack
Obama invited three YouTubers who are GloZell Green,
Bethany Mota, and Hank
Green, to continue his mission
on connecting to a younger
audience. This just shows the
power that YouTubers have
on people across the nation.
Like regular stars, YouTubers
are paid for what they “do.”
The amount of ads that their
viewers watch before their
videos earns them money. As
I would say, YouTube is like
an online library where there
are “genres.” Just like there are
different categories of famous
celebrities (ex: celebrities
known for their music), each
YouTuber’s content is different; there are comedians,
who put on a funny show, or
bloggers who document their
lives every single day, or even
collaboration channels where
multiple people come together
to form a single channel.
Personally, I love watching
comedians who always find a
way to make me laugh.
YouTube can also be therapeutic; I have seen numerous
comments on YouTuber’s
videos about how someone’s
day was horrible and watching
a YouTube video immediately
cheered them up. You see,
because a YouTuber is more
direct when entertaining people, they seem more relatable
to people, even though we’re
watching through a screen.
They even initiate meetups so
people can know them better.
If you think about it, almost
anyone can be a celebrity, so
why shouldn’t YouTubers be?
Janel with Nikki
and Nellie
Celebrity Snapshots
When famous faces
appear, Patriot cameras
come out of hiding to
capture the moment.
Cameron and Morgan
By CLAIRE
PRALL-FREEDMAN
People travel the globe to see
the bright lights and crowded
shops that are Los Angeles. People of all ages come from far and
wide to visit the pumping heart
of the film industry. Though we
live only miles from the faces
we see on TV, and the magnetic voices we hear on the radio,
many Patriots are obsessed with
celebrities just as much as any
tourist. To see these icons would
fulfill many Revere students’
deepest desires. These Patriots
got the chance to meet celebrities, but some meetings did not
work out as they were expected
to.
1) Eighth grade twins Nikki
and Nellie Kolahi were given
this opportunity when they met
“Pretty Little Liars” Janel Parish by chance, while shopping in
Beverly Hills. Nikki said, “I was
walking by this restaurant and I
looked over and saw her, Janel
Parish, just sitting and eating
lunch with her friend. I didn’t
want to be intrusive or anything,
but I’m a huge fan of Pretty Little Liars and I love the character Mona, who she plays. I had
to ask for a picture!” Nikki said
that Janel was really nice about
it, even asking their mom to take
another picture in case the first
one didn’t work.
2) Hunter Barnett met Ariana Grande at a meet and greet
in San Francisco for a software
company called VM Ware. The
esteemed singer was “45 minutes
late to the meet and greet and
was wearing very little clothing
(just a little bodysuit) when she
did arrive.” Hunter then went on
to say she found her to be quite
a diva, and that the experience in
general was somewhat of a disapoinment.
Emma and Charlie
3) Next up, Morgan Novak
met Cameron Dallas at a Jingle
Ball Gifting Suite. For those
who don’t know, Jingle Ball is a
huge KIIS Concert where many
popular artists preform. “Cameron Dallas was there with his
friend Nash Grier, and I walked
up to him and asked him for a
picture. Nash was, surprisingly,
really rude, but Cameron was
super nice. It was a really quick
photo, but only because he was
in a hurry to get somewhere.”
4) Compared to previous encounters, Charlie Andrews’s was
a little more low key, but by no
means less exciting. Charlie was
eating lunch with her family in
a restaurant called Campo in
the Mammoth Village when she
spotted movie star Emma Roberts, only a table away. “I was a
little nervous about it, but when I
asked (for a photo) she immediately got up and said, ‘Sure.’ Afterwards she said, ‘Thanks guys,
have a happy new year!’”
5) Next up, with the Kardashians all the rage these days,
Miros Valipour must have been
pretty excited to meet one of
Kylie and Miros
her most revered luminaries at
the Malibu Chili Cook-off Fair.
Kylie Jenner, famous for starring
in her families own hit TV show,
“Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” was just hanging out and
having fun with some of her
closest friends. Miros, thrilled
with the prospect of meeting the
esteemed actress, asked for a
picture with Kylie to commemorate the moment. “It seemed like
she was going to say no! She
wouldn’t really let anyone take a
picture with her, but since I was
one of the first people to ask, she
said yes.”
6) In another coincidence,
while walking past the Palisades
football field, Laurel Weitz happened to see Eric Stonestreet,
(Cameron from Modern Family), in the middle of filming an
episode. “They were on their
lunch break and the cast director said to wait until after they
finished filming to meet him. After 45 minutes we got a picture
with him!” When asked how he
reacted, she said he was a little
annoyed, and when somebody
asked if they wanted a group
Eric and Laurel
photo, he said no really fast.
7) In contrast to Laurel’s
experience, one icon continues
to live up to the fun, entertaining vision the public has of her.
Eighth grader Kaley Banayan
felt lucky to meet Madison Beer,
a singer made famous by her
Vines that showcased her talent.
When Kaley won a contest to
go shopping with Madison, she
couldn’t contain her excitement,
and they ended up taking several
pictures together at Brandy Melville, a popular clothing store.
“She was really comfortable
telling me some personal things,
and right away, I could tell I was
going to have fun. Madison was
sweet, funny, and outgoing, all
of the things I had hoped she
would be.”
Seven celebrity sightings,
with seven separate stories behind them, but through the blinding lights and perfect makeup,
the lush fabrics and striking faces, the luminaries that are held in
such high esteem are really just
regular people. They go through
the same problems, only all of it
is caught on camera.
Madison and Kaley
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 11
February 13, 2015
With a library of over 15 million songs
and an interface based upon its user’s interests, Spotify is a blend of all of today’s
music streaming services. Spotify offers
users three tiers of services, two paid
versions and one entry-level free version.
Since its U.S. launch in 2011, the app has
grown at a rapid pace and it’s showing no
sign of slowing down. —Casey Ehrlich
With millions of stations bursting with the
best music, Pandora has tunes that will
change any bad day to the best day of my
life. From Christmas music to the latest
pop hits, Pandora has the perfect music for
everybody and can be listened to anywhere, in the car or jamming at a party. I
know I’m not the only one who feels this
way about Pandora. —Sarah Bentley
The Walking Dead is better than American Horror Story (AHS) in so many different ways. To start off, The Walking Dead
has an amazing story that AMC continues
every season whereas in AHS, they have a
new story every time the show comes back
on for their next season. After watching
the Walking Dead, people will be killing
for more. —Oliver Spector
A show full of twists and turns, blood and
murder, and mystery and surprise makes
American Horror Story a hit among
a variety of audiences. Once you start
watching this show, you’re eyes will be
glued to the screen and your life will revolve around this eerie program. All in all,
American Horror Story is a one of a kind
masterpiece. —Rivata Dutta
A man with looks, lyrics and an amazing
voice, Ed Sheeran is sweeping the nation.
Unlike Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran has won
over seven Grammy’s and has written and
sang songs on the soundtracks of movies
and television shows, such as “The Fault
in Our Stars” and “Glee.” Overall, Sam
Smith is nothing compared to the A Team
artist, Ed Sheeran. —Gabby Weiner
Melting our hearts and rising into fame,
it’s the one and only Sam Smith. He has
stayed with me since the first time I heard
him on the radio. Adding to his fame, he’s
international and is very well known for
his music from the U.K. across to the U.S.
He is one of the most outstanding artists
of 2014 and I can’t wait for more amazing
music to come this year. —Marcos Reyes
Jimmy Kimmel Live is the funniest local
late night show in the world. This man
has been entertaining us with his Emmy
winning show since 2003, with every one
of his episodes, making us laugh and have
a good time. Jimmy Fallon has done pretty
well so far, but can he do it for as long as
Kimmel has? Maybe, but he’ll never be as
cool as the L.A. host. —Muhammed Aly
The Lord of the Rings is an adventure all
over its world, never missing a chance to
twist or turn. You never stay in one place,
and you just can’t set the book down. It’s
exciting, lively, and never stops. Harry
Potter doesn’t compare to the excitement
of Middle Earth that has a surprise around
every corner. – Zachary Garai
The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon is possibly the greatest show ever created. The host is hilarious and never fails
to make me smile. While he mainly films
his show in New York, Jimmy Fallon also
travels around the country to different studios so everyone can enjoy his infectious
personality. No one will ever be able to
top the amazing Fallon. —Gabi Feingold
Harry Potter has shaped our generation.
Harry, the starring character, wipes the
charts with his fierce and gallant outlook
as “The Chosen One.” The moral complexity present in J.K. Rowling’s writings
makes the books unrivaled in that they are
thought provoking and mouth-wateringly
addictive. —Claire Prall-Freedman
Oscar-Nominated Films Get High Marks
With the Academy Awards coming up on Feb. 22, Town Crier movie critics review five popular nominees for Oscar honors
American Sniper
A+
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A
Unbroken
B+
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NEW REGENCY PICTURES
Birdman
A+
Boyhood
A
Director Clint Eastwood took a
shot at creating a film about the
life of Chris Kyle, a legendary
American sniper. Based on a
true story, American Sniper is
an action/drama that will keep
viewers on their seat for the
entirety of the film. I personally thought that the film clearly
depicted the hardships of war
and how Americans living on
the countryside lived their daily
lives, oblivious that a war is
occurring. Even though the film
uses expletives in almost every
sentence, American Sniper
teaches viewers about the
arduous adventures of war. The
film shows the hardships in the
life of a soldier, and has been
nominated for six Academy
Awards, such as best film and
best lead actor. I would recommend this movie to Patriots who
enjoy realistic action films. This
movie inspired me to have more
respect for veterans. Played by
Bradley Cooper, Chris Kyle is a
sniper whose biggest challenge
is to mend the bond with his
family that the war destroyed.
—Brett Anwar
Directed by film master, Wes
Anderson, and starring an allstar cast like Ralph Fiennes, F.
Murray Abraham, and Adrian
Brody, The Grand Budapest
Hotel lives up to the standards
that are set immediately with
Wes Anderson. This movie
takes us on a fun adventure full
of comedy and mystery. In a
short run time that takes less
than ninety minutes, it is able to
give us a plot that excites and
entertains us. Its combination
of keeping us on our seats and
making us laugh is absolutely
extraordinary. The movie’s
cinematography is stellar and
individual. The movie surprises
us with a unique style of filmmaking and it leaves audiences
craving more. This movie sets
high standards for films to come
with its originality and plot,
and a spectacular script to let us
laugh. With nine Oscar nominations, including best director,
best picture, cinematography,
costume design and five others,
it’s a movie that was made to
amaze.
—Muhammed Aly
When it comes to the movie
and book, Unbroken, it’s no
light fictional fairytale we’re
talking about. No, this is the
unbelievable true story of Louis
Zamperini’s time in World
War II based on the book by
Laura Hillenbrand, and the
story that got nominated for
three Academy Awards—
cinematography, sound editing,
and sound mixing. The movie
opens up with a plane crash that
leaves Louis and two others
stranded in the middle of the
ocean. Louis eventually finds
himself in a Japanese prisoner
of war camp, and that’s only the
beginning of his extraordinary
tale. The movie’s logo states
how it is a story of “Survival,
Resilience, and Redemption.”
However, so much of the story
focuses on Louis’s abuse that I
almost feel it is more a story of
agony and suffering. Unbroken
was a spectacular, captivating
movie but I respect it more than
adore it. Overall, Unbroken
shows that if you can take it,
you can make it.
—Ava Kerkorian
Though nobody thought it
would be good when it first
came out, Birdman is sure
to amaze you. Even by earning seven Oscar nominations,
including best director, best
picture, and best actor, the
movie will still go beyond what
you expect. With a unique style
of filming and plot devices,
the movie will surprise you in
every way. The conflicts are
enticing and intriguing, and
will leave you on your seat
with every single scene, around
every corner. The performance
by lead actor Michael Keaton
is amazing, definitely the best
this year by a leading actor. A
former movie star who played a
superhero is now trying to make
a comeback. His last big success
was when he played Batman,
who is just like the character he
played in Birdman. He portrays
it perfectly, and there were also
great performances from supporting actors Emma Stone and
Edward Norton. All in all, audiences were given an amazing
film with and original script.
—Muhammed Aly
Director Richard Linklater has
created an amazing one of a
kind movie that follows a boy
named Mason throughout elementary and high school life. It
shows many events that are believable in a real child’s life and
all of the different stages that
he goes through in each year.
His life is hardly paradise since
there are many dramatic parts
like when his mom marries men
that aren’t suitable to be parents.
Other than those few downs, he
eventually became interested in
photography and started looking at thing in a different way
than he normally would. His
life becomes even more of an
amazing story everyday as he
founds out what he is going do
that will forever change his life.
Boyhood is up for six academy
awards including best picture.
Boyhood made the story even
more believable by playing music that was popular in the year
that it was filmed. On top of all
the amazing aspects of Boyhood, I loved how they kept the
story extremely believable.
—Oliver Spector
WARNER BROS.
FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
IFC FILMS
12 February 13, 2015
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Sports
ABOUT ATHLETICS
Have We
Lost All
The Fun?
By MUHAMMED ALY
Throughout
time, sports
have evolved
from a fun,
happy time
with friends to
a competitive,
cutthroat battle
between opponents. Most
sports are no longer played for
the fun, but for defeating the
rival on the other side. This
isn’t always bad, for a really
competitive spirit will win you
games, matches, meets, and
respect, but sports have gone
too far away from what people
love: the fun. When we were little
kids, sports were never that
serious, but now as we grow
up and mature, the sports get
more and more competitive.
Now most of the fun comes
from winning, which only one
team can do, unlike when fun
came from running around
and exhausting ourselves. This
spike of competitive spirit ages
with us. Sometimes, people take
winning way too seriously to
the point where they cheat,
forgetting to respect the game
itself. Cheating is absolutely
unacceptable in any sport, yet
players get so caught up in
winning that sometimes they
forget that sports can still be
fun without cheating. We can
name too many athletes who
have cheated their way to the
top. Barry Bonds, for example,
cheated his way to 762
homeruns by using steroids
for a significant part of his
career. Since he was willing to
disrespect the game, we should
disrespect him.
Other sorry examples
include the Patriots (the ones
from New England). During
this year’s AFC Championship,
the Patriots used deflated balls
during the game against the
Indianpolis Colts. Deflated
balls make it easier to grab
the ball, especially in the rain.
They won 45-7, but people are
still wondering if they would
have won without cheating.
Even at Revere, students
are willingly cheating. For
instance, Patriots have found
ways to abuse mile system.
Some people cut the course,
while others subtract seconds
off their time to get a better
grade.
Professor Stephen Mosher
from Ithaca College told the
New York Times, “This kind
of gamesmanship goes on all
the time. It’s certainly accepted
as part of the culture that you
game the system as much
as you possibly can, and if
you don’t get caught, it ain’t
cheating.”
Sports are meant to be
enjoyed by smiling, sweating
people exhausting themselves
for pure entertainment, not for
the win. I understand that the
competitive spirit is a part of
the game, but in my opinion it
has been taken too far.
Soccer Teams Get Their Kicks
(left) Isabella Montoya takes a throw-in for the girls’ team. (right) Jayson Antonio takes a free kick while playing midfield for the boys’ team.
Boys and girls reach
semi-finals, but fall
short of the big prize.
By AVA KERKORIAN
The Revere girls’ and boys’
soccer teams seem to have
“scored” this year with squads
full of ability and skill. All of
Revere’s boy and girl soccer
players attended the two weeks
of tryouts, but only a select few
made the teams. Tryouts started
with a challenge to test endurance: the task of running two
miles in under 20 minutes. The
next three rounds of tryouts evaluated contenders based on their
skills alone. After analyzing
each and every player, the Revere girls and boys soccer teams
were made.
The boys started out their
season on Dec. 1 against Brentwood School. According to the
morning annnouncements, they
were still “finding their footing”
and lost the game to Brentwood
3-1 with the only goal for Revere
from eigth grader Jayson Antonio. After another loss for the
team on Dec. 9 to Crossroads,
4-0, the boys began winning
games.
The male Riders “kicked”
their doubts aside and won their
next five games. On December 15, Revere returned back to
their home field to face Harvard
Westlake. The boys were determined to come out on top, and
beat them 2-0. Alfie Jones and
Cameron Kashani had one goal
apiece while goalkeeper Tommy
Meek had the first shutout of the
season. Only two days later, the
team had another game at Revere, this one against Campbell
Hall. Revere beat their opponents 5-0, with Justin Howard,
Gabe Palomares, and Cameron
Kashani each scoring one goal
and Jayson Antonio scoring
two. Revere’s next game was after winter break on January 13.
They took on Oaks Christian and
triumphed over them 4-2. Justin
Howard, Cameron Kashani and
Alfie Jones scored for Revere
with the help of an assist to Alfie
from Liam Conrad. Gabe Palomares also scored in that game
by curving the ball into the goal
Jones, Gabe Palomares, Taylor
Strijdveen, Colton Peffer, Jayson
Antonio and Cameron Kashani
all scored.
The very next day, Revere
took on a tough Oaks Christian
team for their last game of the
regular season. The game was
close but Revere ended up tying
2-2 with goals from Gabe Palomares and Rolan Panza.
The tie earned the boys a
chance to defeat Crossroads in
the semifinals on February 4.
Crossroads proved to be a hard
school to overcome and Revere
lost 9-0.
Jordan Darrow runs to the ball on a free-kick.
on his corner kick. On January
15, the boy’s team tried to keep
the winning streak going. They
traveled to take on Chaminade
and beat them 5-0. The scorers in that game were Liam
Conrad, Archie Gray and Alfie
Jones with one goal each and
two goals from Jayson Antonio.
The team played again on January 26 against Sierra Canyon
and beat them 9-0, securing their
spot in the Delphic League playoffs. The team had outstanding
defense and Rolan Panza, Alfie
Photo: Brittany Darrow
While the Revere boys team
was taking on Brentwood, the
Revere girls were “kicking off”
their season against Marlborough. They came out strong and
won the game 5-2. 8th graders
Jordan Darrow, Daniella Flores,
and Frankie Van Norden scored
for Revere, Jordan with one goal
Daniella with two, and Frankie
with two. In Revere’s next game
against Winward on Dec. 10, the
girls played hard, but ended up
losing 1-0. Hoping to move on
from the loss, the team faced
Harvard Westlake on Dec. 17
and scored four goals, winning
the game 4-1. Jordan Darrow
scored two, while Georgia Calvert and Ava Kerkorian scored
one apiece, both off of third year
player Frankie Van Norden’s
corner kicks. Goalkeeper Lisa
Emmanuel kept Revere in the
game, only letting in one goal.
After winter break, the girls
played Harvard Westlake. The
fact that the team wasn’t on their
home field didn’t seem to affect
them at all. Revere beat Harvard
Westlake for the second time in a
row, this time winning 5-3. Daniella Flores had a season high
of four goals and Frankie Van
Nordon scored one. Later on, the
team fell into a rough patch with
various players nursing injuries
and lost their next three games.
First to Chaminade 1-0 on Jan.
16, then to Oaks Christian 3-1
on Jan. 22 with Revere’s only
goal scored by Jordan Darrow,
and then again to Chaminade on
Jan. 26. Revere clinched a spot
in the playoffs from their win
over Marlborough on January
29 winning 4-0. Jordan Darrow,
back from an injury, scored all
of Revere’s goals, one off of an
assist from Margot Reemtsen.
Revere’s next game was in the
semifinals against Oaks Christian on Feb. 3. The girls played
hard and the score was 1-1 at
halftime, Revere’s goal scored
by Jordan Darrow. Near the end
of the game, Oaks scored two
back-to-back goals to prevent
Revere from going to the finals.
Even though the team lost, they
were the first girl’s soccer team
in Revere history to make it to
the Delphic League semifinals.
Pigskin Predictions
Faculty football fans guessed the winners
of the final 12 games of the NFL season.
Records from Sep. 4 to Dec. 7
Dec. 14
Denver 22 vs. San Diego 10
Dec. 14
SF 49ers 7 vs. Seattle 17
Dec. 14
Dec. 20
Dallas 38 vs. Philadelphia 27
San Diego 38 vs San Francisco 35
Amos
Foxson
13-16
16-13
Seattle
SF 49ers
Dallas
Dallas
Denver
San Diego
Denver
SF 49ers
Fulling
Hernandez
Koretz
Lafolette
Denver
Denver
Denver
Denver
San Diego
SF 49ers
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Dallas
Dallas
Philadelphia
Dallas
San Diego
SF 49ers
San Diego
SF 49ers
19-10
Seattle
12-17
Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia
San Diego
SF 49ers
Dec. 21
Atlanta 30 vs. New Orleans 14
Atlanta
Dec. 21
Dec. 28
Detroit 20 vs. Chicago 14
Carolina 34 vs. Atlanta 3
Detroit 20 vs. Green Bay 30
Detroit
Detroit
Atlanta
Carolina
Atlanta
Atlanta
Green Bay
Green Bay
Green Bay
Dec. 28
Dec. 28
San Diego 7 vs. Kansas City 19
Jan. 18
Indianapolis 7 vs New England 45
Jan. 18
Green Bay 22 vs. Seattle 28
Super Bowl
New England 28 vs. Seattle 24
As the NFL season ends, Mr. Lafolette is
crowned 2015’s Pigskin Prediction king.
Green Bay
20-9
SF 49ers
22-7
Perdigao
17-12
Walker
Zuckerbraun
Denver
Denver
15-14
13-16
New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans
Atlanta
Detroit
Detroit
Detroit
Chicago
Detroit
Atlanta
Carolina
Atlanta
Atlanta
Carolina
Green Bay
Green Bay
Kansas City San Diego
Detroit
Kansas City San Diego
Detroit
Green Bay
New Orleans New Orleans
Green Bay Green Bay
Kansas City Kansas City Kansas City Kansas City Kansas City
Indianapolis New England New England New England New England New England New England New England New England
Green Bay
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
New England
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
New England
Seattle
Seattle
Seattle
21-20 23-18 28-13 17-24 27-14
33-8
25-16 22-19 22-19
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 13
February 13, 2015
A Fun, But Mixed, Season
By WILL ELANDER and
ZACHARY GARAI
Some of Revere’s most anticipated after-school teams are the
basketball teams. After tryouts,
Patriots bonded with one another all while competing against
several schools in the Delphic
League.
Even though the Riders have
only competed in the Delphic
League twice, it did not seem
to hinder their performances in
games.
The Youth Service boys basketball team beat both Webster
Middle School and Cochman to
advance to the semifinals. “Samuel Ingram and Frank Staine
combined averaged 35 points per
game,” helping to bring the team
to the semifinals
The girls Youth Services
team played three “back-to-back
games defeating Orville Wright,
Mark Twain, and Emerson Middle School. The girls scored a
combined total of 118 points
while only letting their opponents score 21 points.”
These Paul Revere Youth
Service victories from both
teams were matched by success
from both the JV and Varsity
teams for both boys and girls.
The JV boys won many
games. They defeated Brentwood School 47 to 40, “sweeping the season series and improving their record to 4 and 2
overall.”
The boy’s Varsity success
story continued when they “defeated Harvard Westlake 55-49
securing their spot in the Delphic
League Playoffs!”
The Varsity team went on to
play Viewpoint in the quarterfinals. However, the Riders lost
and did not advance to the semifinals.
As the season’s end drew
near, the JV girls and Varsity
teams played two close games.
The JV Girls lost 24-23, but as
the tension built, the Varsity girls
team scored a last-minute threepoint shot and won the game 33
to 32.
The girl’s varsity team had
a game against Oaks Christian,
ending with a final score of 45
to 23. The team, at the time, had
a record of 4-1.They had another success in the Rider Dome
against the visiting Marlborough
School. The Revere girls won
37 to 31. Despite the eventually conclusive finish, most of
the game the teams were evenly
matched. Luke Hansen pins down a rival from Chaminade.
Wrestling to Success
By WILL ELANDER and
ZACHARY GARAI
Frank Staine jumps to shoot the ball as Sam Ingram prepares for a rebound.
Photo: kayla Rafie
After practicing for two PEP
sessions, Revere’s wrestling
team finally got a chance to
compete against other schools.
They had a “…phenomenal performance against Harvard Westlake,” according to the school
announcements. In that match,
75% of the team won at least two
matches, the most notable being
Max Palees, even though he lost
in overtime 9-8.
This season, each member
won matches, and when playing against Harvard Westlake,
all eight players won at least
one match. Other games provided a challenge to the team.
The matches against Chaminade
proved to be difficult, but rewarding.
Max Palees said, “The highlight of my season was my pin
against Chaminade as I pulled
off my John Smith, then pulling
him in a bow and arrow cradle
pinning him with his feet in the
air. At first I had butterflies in my
stomach because this kid looked
like he could bench me but I
overcame him.”
Cameron Zoller happily re-
Tennis Players Cause a Racket
By SARAH BENTLEY
This
year,
individual
tennis skills seem to have been
unearthed throughout Paul
Revere. This was the first year
that a girl’s tennis team was
organized at Paul Revere, and
many Patriots decided to join.
“When tryouts came along,
I couldn’t believe the talent
level,” said Grant Friedman,
who coached the tennis team.
By the time the tryouts were
over, Grant knew that the team
would be, “very promising for
the future.” These girls met
his expectations. Their team
Sixth grader
Claudia Goore
prepares to hit
the ball in a
tennis match.
made it to the semifinals of the
post-season Delphic League
tournament. They fought to
the end, eventually losing
to Marlborough’s team and
placing in third. Moreover, in
the Westside Delphic League’s
regular season, they placed
second. Finally, Revere had two
separate teams in the semifinals
of the individual doubles
championships as well. Each
time they won, the audience
made a huge “racket” cheering
for Paul Revere’s tennis team.
“Our players fought valiantly in
their pursuit for the league title
and improved as the season went
along,” Grant commented.
Not only did the team do
well together, but also one
member of the team, Caroline
Goldberg, continued to pursue
a win in the individual singles
championships. She won all of
her matches against Harvard
Westlake and Marlborough,
which hosted some of the best
players in the Delphic League.
Caroline made it all the way
to the finals before losing to
Dominique Stone from Campbell
Hall. As a result of her placing,
Caroline Goldberg earned a spot
on the All-Delphic League team.
Overall, the members of Paul
Revere’s tennis team aimed to
Photo: Mr. Galef
called, “My most rewarding moment was my match against a
wrestler from Chaminade. I won
by just one point, taking him
down with 30 seconds left to win
the match.”
The Riders’ last match resulted
in yet another trophy in Revere’s
display case. Max Palees, Cameron Zoller, Alvar Granja, and
Pedram Zamanpour all snatched
second place. Aaron Galef, Luke
Hansen, Jackson Jones, and Nick
Carpenter all won first place.
Each wrestlers’ success lead to a
second place finish for Revere.
Along with their successes,
Revere’s wrestling team members agree that they have created
“a brotherly bond.”
For the Revere team, the sport
has seemed to have brought
more than just victory and skill
development. Max said, “Wrestling has devoleped a brotherhood between all of us. We all
have overcome challenges. We
share memories in carpool.”
Cameron agreed, “Wrestling has
taught me more than just singles,
doubles, and trips. Wrestling has
taught me mental toughness.
Based on the team’s results, it
seems like that toughness paid
off.”
PEP Session 3
Classes are now forming for
the Spring PEP session that
runs March 2—May 1.
Mon. & Wed. 3:15–4:15
Sixth grader Noe Winter sprints to the ball.
get the tennis ball over the net
and ended up serving an ace.
Caroline said, “I think our team
did great considering it was
Revere’s inaugural year in the
league and we were the only
public school in the league.”
However, that is not the
only talent that can be seen on
the tennis court. Some of Paul
Revere’s very own Patriots,
including Noe Winter, Atticus
Parker, Halsey Hulse, and
Claudia Goore, are part of the
Palisades Tennis Center’s Gold
Juniors squad. Thanks to these
Photo: Bruce Hulse
Paul Revere Patriots, their team
remained undefeated for the
whole season and was even
featured in the Palisades Post.
In elementary school, four of the
members of that team— Noe,
Atticus, Halsey and Claudia,
who all attend Revere, won the
Pacific Palisades Elementary
School Tennis League three
times in four seasons. In the
end, each and every member of
Revere’s girl’s tennis team and
the Patriots in Palisades Gold
fought hard till the end and were
met with the reward of success.
Boys Volleyball
Boys Tennis
Lacrosse
Track and Field
Tennis (Co-ed)
IM Flag Football
Story World
Ping Pong
LAX Practice Team
Tue. & Thurs. 2:15–3:15
Paper Art
Thursday 2:15–3:15
IM Girls Volleyball
Yoga
Claymation with iPods
TGA Golf
www.reverepep.org
14 February 13, 2015
Opinion
What’s the Big Deal
About Small Classes?
Imagine being a sixth grader and walking
into a class on the first day of school to find the
classroom brimming with students, sometimes
even more than forty. To Patriots that came from
small elementary schools, this may seem like a
surprise. And some studies suggest that large class
sizes can be harmful for a student’s learning.
But Revere has survived just fine, hasn’t
it? Many students from Revere have been
successful, varying from lawyers to doctors,
professors to scientists. According to the Center
for Public Education, “Reducing class size will
have little effect without enough classrooms and
well qualified teachers.” At Revere, I think that
teachers are capable of using effective methods
to make sure that each student learns at their full
extent, regardless of the class size. The New York
Times also covers how reducing a class size could
be costly, since new teachers have to be hired,
new classrooms built, and other logistics figured
out. If reducing class sizes won’t guarantee better
results, then is the high cost really worth it?
The bigger classes at Revere may seem
intimidating, but once a student adjusts to
the new environment, the bigger classes give
children advantages. Students can become
more independent learners and gain confidence,
especially when it comes to being around large
crowds of people. Also, being in a large class
can help students work better with their peers,
while offering a little glimpse into the future when
students will be college students, walking into an
even larger classes full of unfamiliar faces.
Isn’t the main idea of middle school to not
only academically learn, but to prepare students
for the real world? Sure, teachers would like to
give more one-on-one attention to students in
small classes. But in this “real world,” crowds
filled with people are abundant. In companies
and businesses, the boss is not going to babysit
each of the workers. The workers will have to
be independent and solve their own problems.
Revere prepares students for the “real world”
by pushing Patriots to show a little more
independence. In the end, I have no doubt that
students coming from Revere will appreciate the
large classes that will give them an advantage for
the rest of their lives. —Sarah Bentley
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Should Fun Be
Forbidden?
CLAIRE PRALL-FREEDMAN
Even as the holiday season comes to an end, Patriots’ spirits
remain higher than ever. With a spring in their step and a smile
on their faces, students have returned to school enthusiastic for
the start of the spring semester. However, with the end of winter
break comes the sudden onset of rules and regulations—one of
which Patriots are starting to resent.
Spirit Week recently reinforced the objection many students
have with the restriction on celebrating through clothes, cosmetics
and various other possessions that could, hypothetically, be
considered distracting. Even after the conclusion of the holidays,
students continue to resist the prohibition on dressing up and
showing off their winter-themed style.
Personally, I feel that Revere’s constraint is a little extreme
when it comes to students’ desire to display school spirit in their
own way. In my opinion, a little face paint or some sequins aren’t
so bad in the grand scheme of things.
However, some would argue that that isn’t even the worst of
it. Many students are most upset about the ban on decorating their
friends’ lockers, and I share their frustration. It is practically a
tradition for students to honor their friends on their birthdays by
surprising them with streamers and candy, presents and pictures.
Before this privilege was taken away, birthdays were a cause for
celebration here at Revere. Kids with summer birthdays craved
the attention and affection others received when arriving at school
on their special day. Now, that feeling has been taken away,
replaced with the monotonous routine schedule of a normal day.
And birthdays are only a symptom of the bigger problem at
hand. All holidays, and even regular school days, will become an
endless blur of monotony if students aren’t allowed to express
their individuality through a relatively safe and harmless outlet.
However, if I’m being honest, I see where the school is
coming from. School is supposed to be about learning—you
know, math, science, English and history. School is not supposed
to be about socializing. But if Revere wants us to enjoy school
experiences, would it be so awful to let us have some of our own?
Without the splashes of color that the authorities find distracting
and disruptive, birthdays and other holidays will lose their draw,
their importance, and worst of all, the memories they create.
Pollution Is Driving
Into Our Lives
AVA KERKORIAN
We asked Patriots of all grades about their opinion on class sizes. Below are some of their responses.
“I think smaller class sizes are
beneficial, since each student
can work and communicate
more with their teachers. They
can learn in a less chaotic environment. They can also cover
more material without wasting
time trying to control a large
class of 40 students.”
­—Ella Kim, 6th Grade
“I don’t think that smaller class
sizes are that great because a
lot of jobs in the future contain
group work. Therefore, bigger
classes are better.”
­­—Brett Abrams, 6th Grade
“I think smaller class sizes
mean more to the teachers
because one-on-one time is very
important to students who need
help understanding the subject.
I think there will be more of this
with smaller classes.”
—David Orlinsky, 6th grade
“I don’t think smaller class sizes
are beneficial because you want
to learn how to interact with
peers and to work in groups.”
—Talia Ehsanipoor, 6th Grade
“I think smaller class sizes are
beneficial because teachers
could focus on more people
individually and the class would
be more quiet and easier for the
teachers to handle.”
—Ethan Hamid, 6th Grade
“I think that a little less students
bring more teaching to a classroom, but having lots of kids in
a class gives you the opportunity to make new friends.”
—Sidney Shear, 6th Grade
“Smaller class sizes would help
struggling students a lot, so if
they are not doing well they
can be helped instead of falling
through the cracks.”
—Sophie Green, 8th Grade
“I think if there are smaller class
sizes, the teacher will be able to
get to know the students better.
The students might be able to
focus better, too. Then again,
having larger classes helps you
interact with more kids.”
—Nellie Kolahi, 8th Grade
“Smaller classes give teachers
more time to work with each
student and help them get a better understanding of the material
they are learning, and thus will
get a better grade.”
—Dean Thordarson, 8th Grade
“Smaller classes would be better
because there would be fewer
people to serve as distractions.”
—Danielle York, 8th Grade
“Smaller classes are beneficial
because it gives students a better
chance to participate.”
—Mia Capanna, 8th Grade
“Smaller class sizes will only
be beneficial if it is greatly
reduced, such as from 40 to
30. One or two students won’t
make a difference. There will
always be that one student who
gets called on a lot and that one
student who is struggling.”
—Hannah Perlstein, 8th Grade
“I feel that it is easier to learn
with smaller classes because
you get more one-on-one time
with your teacher. I also enjoy
theses classes more and find
them way more fun.”
—Caroline Bremner, 7th Grade
“I think children get the same
experience however small or big
the class is because the amount
of people doesn’t matter. If a
student wants to learn, they will
learn or vice versa.”
—Elizabeth Aguirre, 7th Grade
“I think smaller class sizes are
beneficial because if you are
struggling with a lesson, the
teacher can help you more in
depth. Another reason is that
there will be less people and
less distractions.”
—Gabriel Hay, 7th Grade
“I think students get the same
experience regardless of the
number of students. It’s how the
teacher teaches that matters.”
—Shantel Rojas, 7th Grade
Cars honk, the drivers frustrated with the heavy traffic
surrounding Paul Revere. Pedestrians walk on the sidewalks,
making their way to the entrance. Buses filled with a crowd of
students weave into the school. With over 2,100 kids and over
100 staff members attending Paul Revere and only two entrances
for the student’s cars to pull into the school, people would expect
a bit of congestion in front of our school. But instead, we have
a flood of cars every morning trying to cram their way onto our
campus.
The other morning, traffic was a nightmare when a delivery
truck got turned around in traffic right before school started. And
next week, when hundreds of golf fans will park on our campus
for the Northern Trust Open, things are only going to get worse.
The obstacle of waking up early and trying to get to school
on time is arduous enough without the annoyance of traffic
surrounding the school. I believe that students can help decrease
the amount of traffic by carpooling, taking the bus, walking or
biking. Personally, I can’t walk or ride my bike to school because
I live too far away, so I carpool instead. Even taking the city
bus to school is as good as carpooling. Doing all of these things
would help reduce the amount of cars on the road coming to
school, and would therefore reduce the amount of traffic.
Think about all the different ways that carpooling, taking the
bus, and walking can help. First off, fewer kids would be tardy
since they wouldn’t have to sit in the morning traffic bordering
Revere. I for one have to leave earlier because of this traffic,
and that means waking up earlier too. I, along with many other
students, wouldn’t have to wake up as early because there
wouldn’t be as much traffic. Without this time consumer in the
morning, it would take me half as long as it does right now to get
to school. Alternative forms of getting around would not only
decrease the mass of traffic but are also really important for the
environment. Cars and buses pollute the air, so with less of them
comes less air pollution.
All these pollution machines have contaminated the once
clean air with their venomous gas. Thanks to all of these smog
contraptions, Los Angeles now has some of the dirtiest air in
the country.With mountains keeping the smog inside, the city
is practically a pollution trap. To be honest, I’m not the most
environmentally aware person myself—I don’t always walk,
I don’t always recycle, but by carpooling, I am helping the
environment.
In general, having fewer cars on the road is better—better for
the environment, better for traffic, better for students, and better
for Paul Revere. It’s a win-win situation.
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 15
February 13, 2015
TALKING HEADS
TOWN CRIER POLL
You Win It,
You Wear It!
Week after week, various Patriots try as hard as they can in P.E. to
win a Revere renowned achievement shirt. However, some people
think that the shirts only honor running. Here are some ideas that
Patriots thought of for new achievement shirts.
“Alongside running and climbing poles,
is baseball, a competitive sport. If we
have baseball backstops here at Revere,
then why not a challenge? We can have
a competitive homerun derby. We could
also do one for softball players so the
shirt can be for both girls and boys.”
—Marcos Reyes, 8th Grade
“I think that there should be a shirt for a
half mile under 2:40 because that is an
event that students can partake in during high school in track and field. The
challenge would be less than a mile but
harder than a sprint. I think that many
people, including myself, would try for
this shirt.” —Dylan Tzung, 6th Grade
Love for
Valentine’s Day?
“I think there should be a running shirt for
running 3 miles in under 20 minutes. There
is already a shirt for one mile in under 6
minutes and for running 5 miles in under
40 minutes and I feel that there should be
a shirt for running not as far as 5 miles and
not as little as one mile. This would be a
good challenge for long distance runners.”
—Akseli Kangaslahti, 6th Grade
Every year, millions of dollars are spent on red roses, chocolates and stuffed animals,
while desperate people wait anxiously for their romantic gifts. However, some Patriots
don’t even enjoy Valentine’s Day. The Town Crier conducted a survey regarding
student’s opinions on the day of love. Here are their responses.
“An achievement shirt that I would
create would be Elastic Girl for
someone who could do fifty or more
leg-lifts in under two minutes. This
would test core strength.”
—Mia Capanna, 8th Grade
“I would create a shirt called King Kong
for anyone who can climb the poles using
two poles and one hand per pole (no feet).
I remember this from junior high school,
and it was extremely difficult.”
—Mr. Mercado
“My idea for a new Revere shirt is one for
the long jump called Revere Leap. I think
this is a great idea because the requirement
in order to pass the unit is at least 9 feet.
For Revere Leap, it would be 15 feet.
This is an interesting challenge because
you have to be fit, focused and have the
correct form.”—Isaiah Berry, 7th Grade
Based on a homeroom survey of 104 students conducted by Gabby Weiner and Danielle York.
Graph: Casey Ehrlich
TOPICAL TEE
“As a black youth,
I feel it’s important
that I stand in support of
Black Lives Matter and the
civil rights movement of my
generation. I want to pick up
the baton and fight against
over policing and criminalization of the black community.
Erick Garner and many others
deserved to be heard in the
court of law and not have their
lives taken on the street. The
police motto ‘to protect and
serve’ should extend to all
members of our community.”
—Robert Peters
8th Grade
“I would make a shirt in which students
were required to just run the entire P.E.
period, regardless of the distance run.
The only restriction would be that the
students would not be allowed to stop
or walk at any point during the run.
This would test a student’s stamina.”
—Anna Christie, 7th Grade
Interviews by Gabby Weiner and Danielle York
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3
Editor-in-Chief:
Brittany Darrow
Managing Editors:
Gabi Feingold
Shelby Tzung
Reporters:
Muhammed Aly
Brett Anwar
Sophia Arvin
Sarah Bentley
Melissa Bunnapradist
Sean Choi
Rivata Dutta
Casey Ehrlich
Will Elander
Zachary Garai
Simon Goldsmith
Cherrie Herrera
Ava Kerkorian
Claire
Prall-Freedman
Marcos Reyes
Oliver Spector
Gabby Weiner
Danielle York
Judy Zhang
Contributors:
Mr. Galef
Bruce Hulse
Phillipe Konis
Jamie Mazur
Morgan Novak
Julian Pentchev
Robert Peters
Kayla Rafie
Brent Smith
Hannah Yick
__________
Faculty Advisor:
Mr. Wechsler
Member of the National Scholastic
Press Association
Published by and for the students of
Paul Revere Charter Middle
School and Magnet Center
1450 Allenford Avenue,
Los Angeles, California
16 February 13, 2015
Spot the Differences
Below, a picture of Patriots in Town Hall has been Photoshopped
with eight differences. See if you can find them all.
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Name That
Love Song
Word Search
See if you can find all 11 endearing geometric terms below.
“Take me into your loving arms,
kiss me under the light of a
thousand stars.”
__________________________
__________________________
“This ain’t love, it’s clear to see,
but darling, stay with me.”
__________________________
__________________________
“The bed’s getting cold and
you’re not here, the future that
we hold is so unclear.”
__________________________
__________________________
“Hey, I just met you, and this is
crazy, but here’s my number, so
call me maybe.”
__________________________
__________________________
“Cause it’s a beautiful night,
we’re looking for something
dumb to do.”
__________________________
__________________________
“Nothing can come between you
and I, not even the gods above
can separate the two of us.”
__________________________
__________________________
january first
ornament
jingle
menorah
Proof
Complementary
Corresponding
Value
potato pancake
presents
Parallel
Congruent
Linear Pair
Angle
Why Aren’t You Laughing?
pumpkin
thankful
Adjacent Acts
Concentric
Value
By Jamie Mazur
“But she wears short skirts, I
wear T-shirts, she’s Cheer Captain and I’m on the bleachers.”
__________________________
__________________________
“I’m not gonna write you a love
song, ‘cause you asked for it,
‘cause you need one.”
__________________________
__________________________
“I need your love, I need your
time, when everything’s wrong,
you make it right.”
__________________________
__________________________
The Adventures of Paula Revere
By Rivata Dutta
Valentine’s Day
Word Search & Trivia
1. Who was the original Valentine? _________________________
2. What is the name of the blond, curly haired baby angel who
supposedly shoots arrows of love ? ______________
3. When was the first Valentine’s Day celebrated? _____________
4. What gifts were traditionally given before chocolate and flowers?
___________________
5. Who is the Greek goddess of love? _______________________
6. Red flowers represent love. What color flowers represent
friendship? __________________
7. Who is the Roman love angel? ___________________________
8. What is the most common Valentine’s Day treat? ____________
9. In what country did Valentine’s Day originate? _____________
10. In 2014, what was the most common way women celebrated
Valentine’s Day? _______________
11. What percentage of U.S. women send themselves flowers on
Valentine’s Day? ______
12. How many countries celebrate Valentine’s Day? ___________
Trivia Answers: 1. a Saint, 2. Cupid, 3. 5th century, 4. hair accessories, 5. Aphrodite, 6. white, 7. cards, 8. Eros, 9. chocolate
covered strawberries, 10. Ancient Rome, 11. 15%, 12. 5—US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia
Spot the Differences Answers: “NEW YORK” is now green, marker cap is green, there is a banana on the water bottle, a girl’s
face has been replaced with a baby’s, the star is gold, the nike logo is now adidas, crack in the door is gone, girl’s hair is short
Name That Lyric Answers: Thinking Out Loud, Stay With Me, Heart Wants What it Wants, Call Me Maybe, Marry You, You &
I, You Belong with Me, Love Song, I Need Your Love