Winter "Our Voice" Issue 2016

Raynham Middle School Newspaper
January 2015
By: Daria Monkus
From left, Nolan Carfagna, Greg Melusky, Johnny McMasters, Caroline Jackson, and Ashley Lavoie
Photo courtesy of Caroline Jackson
By: Daria Monkus
Ski club has been a fixture at RMS for some
time. Open to grades five through eight, it allows students to head to ski slopes in three trips spread out
over the months of January, February, and March.
Mrs. Proule is the advisor of the club with
other teachers who chaperone every year.
Both experienced and inexperienced students
are able to join, as lessons are offered upon arrival at
the ski slopes (for an additional fee).
(Continued on page 2)
By: Shay Mitton
An event for the ages recently took place at
RMS. The student-faculty basketball game was held
prior to winter vacation when teachers faced their
very own students to see who would be victorious.
(Continued on page 2)
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The game ended where the kids were still
(Continued from page 1)
energized and the teachers needed water and to sit
Both teams prepped for this gigantic event.
The teachers were the guest team, stretching to make
down. The kids ended up winning 45-42. The teachsure they were warmed up. The students were the
ers caught up in the last quarter with better defense
home team, the favorite of the crowd.
and more shooting. However, they came up a few
Both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams
points too short to take the lead.
were shooting from the foul line in a large clump.
In the end, both teams did great and were
Some of the boys did layups and some were taking
great
sports.
Well, one can’t wait to see what the
three pointers, making most of them.
You can’t forget about the referees. Mr.
game will be like next year!
Schondek, and his daughter, looking identical with
whistles and red lan(Continued from
yards, walked in
page 1)
unison, back and forth
until the game started.
The trips have
Before the game
been popular among
started Mr. Florence
students since the
came out to make a
beginning of the prospeech and introduce
gram.
both teams. Then the
On Saturday
buzzer went off to start
mornings, students
the game.
arrive at the school at
The girls’ teams
approximately 5:15
played first. The stua.m. They then board
dents took the lead
a bus to their locaquick. Ms. Driscoll
tion, usually in New
blocked many points
Hampshire. People
with her defense. The
A group of fifth graders enjoying the student-faculty basketball game.
are allowed on all difficulty
Photo courtesy of Miss Phaneuf
teachers worked well tolevels of slopes, from bunny
gether to stop many passes.
to black diamond.
Mrs. Charrette was quick on her feet to stop
Students break for lunch in the lodge;
many passes and layups. Both teams made and
they can bring their own or buy what is offered. They
missed a good amount of their shots. The ten minute then usually
quarter ended, the buzzer went off. It’s a good thing ski for a couthat it did because even though the teachers were
ple more hours
subbed out every three minutes or so, they looked
before boardvery tired and exhausted.
ing the bus
Now the boys’ teams were on the court. The back to RMS.
kids quickly doubled the score so that it was 34-17
Students come
them. When the teams played there was so much ac- back to the
tion that you couldn’t keep track of it all.
school at apOnly Mr. Schondek’s daughter reffed during proximately 8
this time because Mr. Schondek was playing on the p.m.
boy’s team. Mr. Flannery and Mr. Youmans teamed
Hope
up on defense. The teachers played zone defense
you will conwhile the kids played man on man.
sider joining
The kids found gaps and shot many three
pointers. Mr. Leighton started out strong keeping up this awesome
with all of the children, the fastest of the teachers.
program next
Then after he tripped and did some somersaults,
school year!
along with more running, he quickly grew tired.
Photo courtesy of Troy Pimento
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MOVIE REVIEW
Movie Review………….……………..
Shanzai’s Top Ten……………………
Spotlight Group of the Quarter……...
Hot Topics……………………………
Food for Thought…………………….
Goodbye Gilrein……………………...
Sixth Graders Visit Hall at Patriots’
Place………………………………….
Sports Round-Up…………………….
Riddle Me This…...…………………..
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By: Abigail Damish
Do you ever feel like you can’t find a good
comic book movie? Or, that there are just too many
options? Well, for all super heroes/heroines, or even
for those who don’t like comics, “Captain America”
is a must see.
This exciting tale sends Cap’ on a quest, unearthing long-lost friends and enlisting the help of a
fellow “Avenger”, to find out who the “Winter Soldier”, really is.
As the struggle continues to find out who he
really is, and what his villainous plot is, friends new
and old are dragged into helping Captain America
out. But, the new soldier isn’t the only problem!
S.H.I.E.L.D (a spy company dedicated to saving the
world) has suddenly gone rogue!
The only bad part of this skillfully crafted
movie is that you really need to see the first “Captain
America” (The First Avenger) to understand the second! Also, it is a spec violent, so I would not recommend it for people under 13 (even though it says
PG13.) This spine tingling American-sensation will
keep you interested throughout the entire movie. It’s
definitely worth the money it costs in stores!!
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By: Amanda White
1. What ceases to exist after crying?
2. A box with no latch, lock, or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.
3. What splits itself before splitting something
else?
(Answers on page 7)
RMS students have reason to celebrate! We
earned an honor that only a few Massachusetts
schools achieved: LEVEL ONE status! That
means we’ve met, and even exceeded, many of
the achievement goals the state set out for us.
Students will be treated to a pep rally soon to
celebrate!
-‘Voice’ staff
From left, Connor Nydegger, Caroline Jackson,
Ashley Lavoie, and Nolan Carfagna. See pages 1
& 2 to read about the Ski Club.
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Climate Club meets in Mrs. Palmer’s room,
122, on Mondays until 3:30. Climate Club is still recruiting and would appreciate new members!
By: Mackenzie Pryor and Daria Monkus
We went around and asked 50 kids from different grades what their favorite type of candy was.
Here’s what we found out:
Snickers Bar: 15
Hershey’s Chocolate Bars: 13
Kit Kat: 11
Crunch Bar: 8
Three Musketeers Bar: 3
In conclusion, people in our school think Snickers
Bars are the best candy out there. The least desirable
candy at RMS turns
out to be Three Mus-
By: Mackenzie Pryor
The Bully Busters Climate Club, which recently underwent a name change in order to be more
recognizable at RMS for what it represents, is an anti
-bullying organization active district wide, run by
Mrs. Palmer. Its main goal is to improve the school
climate and eradicate all bullying and teasing.
“No school is bully free and we need help to
get rid of the rest,” said Shay Mitton, BBCC member
at RMS.
Since the club was formed last year, it has
grown in numbers and strength.
Meetings are
spent discussing and improving the school’s climate, and finding new
ways to bond students at
RMS in strong friendships.
In order to get the
student body more involved and active with
the club’s mission, the
BBCC is sponsoring a
Mrs. Palmer
school-wide poster contest.
It’s called “What is your Happy Place?” and it’s open
to students from each grade.
Students are being asked to design a poster of
their happy place, or place they feel the most comfortable and safe. The first prize is $20, second is
$10, and third is $5. Winning entries will be posted in
the school, and the hope is this contest will help
spread further awareness of the club’s mission.
By: Shanzai Ikhlas
These are 10 of my favorite movies that I hope you
will enjoy!
1. Avengers Age of Ultron
2. Planet of the Apes
3. The Host (is also a book and is my favorite book
and movie)
4. The Fifth Wave (also a book)
5. If I Stay (also a book, but a sad movie)
6. The Visit
7. Avatar
8. Men in Black
9. The Wizard of Oz
10. Finding Nemo (Hopefully you watched this one!)
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tume in the hallways. His impression on this school
also includes the Gilrein Gallop, a mile-long race that
the top five runners from every grade compete in
near the beginning of the school year.
Raynham Middle School said goodbye to Mr.
Gilrein in style. Students showed their appreciation
by participating in an acrosport performance on his
last day teaching gym, where they surprised him with
signs that said they would miss him, and expressing
thanks and good wishes. The night before, Mr. Gilrein had impressed the audience with his skills in a
student/faculty basketball game.
Mr. Gilrein will be sorely missed, but thank
you and good luck to one of Raynham Middle
School's most dedicated and spirited gym teachers.
By: Grace Gustafson
While I was looking through some cook
books I found a recipe I would like to share. The following recipe is Magic Bars:
The ingredients for the Magic Bars are:
 ½ cup butter
 1 ½ cups crushed graham
crackers
 1 can condensed milk

1 (16 oz.) pkg. of chocolate chips
 I pkg. shredded coconut
 1 cup nuts
Directions:
Melt the butter in a baking pan. Sprinkle the crushed
graham crackers on top. Pour condensed milk over
crumbs. Put chocolate chips on top and then add coconut and nuts. Press lightly on the mixture. Bake in
the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Recipe courtesy of: Joan Ciccarelli
Photo credit: allrecipes.com
By: Stephanie Damish
On Dec. 23, 2015, Mr. Gilrein prepared to say
goodbye to Raynham Middle School, where he had
taught physical education for many years. This last
day capped off a long and eventful career, and students and faculty alike will be sad to see him retire.
Mr. Gilrein didn't start by teaching physical
education. He originally just liked teaching, and he
spent 19 years doing this before he settled on gym.
Currently, his favorite game to play with students is
ghostball, though he enjoys many others.
Although Mr. Gilrein may be leaving, his legacy will stay at RMS for many years. It will be a
while before anyone can forget the Tigger costume
Mr. Gilrein wore on half days and spirit weeks, and it
will be strange to no longer see the bright orange cos-
Mr. Gilrein and Ms. Brault
Photo credit: Mrs. Gibbs
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Sixth Graders Visit Hall at
Patriot Place
By: Maia Savas
Sixth grade students haven’t had a field trip in
a while, but on Nov. 17th and 18th, the Stars and Explorers teams went to The Hall at Patriot Place. The
Hall is a museum dedicated to the Patriots. Two
groups alternatively did an experiment and toured the
museum, with lunch in between.
The experiment we conducted was about concussion prevention. It involved either making padding for a “helmet” (styrofoam bowl), or reinforcing
the outside of the helmet. To protect a player’s brain,
the insulation on the inside of the helmet has to prevent any gel from coming out of straws strapped to
the bowl when a ball is dropped on it. To protect the
player’s head, the reinforcement on the outside of the
helmet has to withstand a ball being dropped on it
without being crushed.
In the museum, there was a place where visitors could try on helmets and other football gear.
Nearby, you could view different plays with explanations from Head Coach Bill Belichick. The players
moved on the screen so you wouldn’t miss a bit. You
could measure your vertical jump, see how many
kids it took to equal different weights of famous
players, see if you could score a touchdown (on a
screen), and test your knowledge of Patriots history
with a trivia quiz.
After that, we could sit wherever we wanted
at different lunch booths. Personally, we thought the
most unexpected thing was that there were TVs at
every booth!
Students could also bring money to buy exclusive Patriot-related items at the gift shop.
Girls’ basketball team members cheer during the studentfaculty basketball game.
By: Shanzai Ikhlas
The Boys’ and Girls’ basketball teams were
strong this year.
The coaches, Mr. Schondek (for the girls) and
Mr. Glaser (for the boys), had to choose wisely to
pick the perfect team.
The Boys’ Basketball team included Quentin
Waring, Isaiah Bird, Colby King, Anthony Buttafoco,
Barry Bourassa, Richie Amirault, Ryan Goonan,
Mitchel Wray, Josh Ferraira, Chris McCoy, and
Brandon Kenneally.
The Girls’ Basketball team included
Anooshey Ikhlas, Mia Lane, Alexa Kemmitt, Payton
Doherty, Megan Feeney, Jasmine Merritt, Sarah Corey, Abby Szumita, Olivia Falvey, Morgan Darrer,
Cam Bourassa, Julia Newcomb, Rebecca Rycroft,
Lauren Turner, Julia Shearstone, Mia Hart, and Adriana Annello.
As of Jan. 27, the girls’ record was 3-7. The
team has had games this year about twice a week.
Many come to watch including parents, students, and
even teachers. Mr. Schondek holds practices almost
every day after school. The practices run from about
2:45 to 5:30.
(Continued on page 7)
Love is in the Air!
The 5th and 6th grade socials will be
held on Thursday, Feb. 11 after school
until 5 p.m.
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Winter Sports Wrap-Up
From left, Sarah Corey, Olivia Falvey,
Morgan Darrer, Abby Szumnita, Julia
Shearstone, and Anooshey Ikhlas.
Look for a story on the
Lip Sync Battle in our
next edition!
(Continued from page 6)
The boys’ had an excellent season as of Jan.
27, with 8 wins and 2 losses. Congrats to them!
Just like the girls, the team practiced every
day. Mr. Glaser held his practices from 2:45-4:15
on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
and on Thursday they had late practice from 3:305:30. During practice they mostly scrimmaged
each other, practiced shooting, did drills, and sometimes scrimmaged the girls.
All in all, both teams worked hard this season,
and tried hard to win games. Being on the school’s
basketball team is a big commitment. Half of the
players’ free time was spent at practices, and the other half was spent at the games.
One must learn to be a team player, and all of
the members of each team are!
Abby Damish
Shay Mitton
Grace Gustafson Daria Monkus
Riddle Answers:
1. Clouds
2. An egg
3. Lightning
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Shanzai Ikhlas
Mackenzie Pryor
Grace Rogatch
Maia Savas
Julia Mitton
Amanda White