The Wildcat Roar
Volume 8
Number 1
Fall 2012
A Quarterly Publication of Rocky Hill Middle School
Welcome Mr. Edmundson
Neil Agrawal
Chief Editor
TNR 10 Picture title
Mr. Greg Edmundson
Principal of Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill gladly welcomed Mr. Gregory Edmundson on
July 1st, 2012 as the new principal of
Rocky Hill Middle School. After 17
years of serving the Rocky Hill
community, Mr. Steve Whiting left
“The Hill” on June 30th to accept a
promotion as the Director of Instruction of Middle Schools. After
serving as the principal at Great
Seneca Creek Elementary School,
Mr. Edmondson enthusiastically
accepted a job at Rocky Hill. “I love
it here, I was very excited when I
was appointed by the Board of Education,” says Mr. Edmundson. The
students are equally excited at the
arrival of the new principal. “I’m
looking forward to the new changes
he is going to make,” says Nina
Agrawal, 8th grader. Gradually, students at RHMS are beginning to
connect to our new principal. He
stands at the foyer each morning,
welcoming students as the walk into
the building at 7:30 AM. For the
Wildcats on “The Hill,” this school
year is the beginning of a new chapter with a new principal. “I think
that Mr. Edmundson has the very
best intentions for our school and
will be as good as Mr. Whiting,” say
Anita Tharmarajh, 7th grader. Although Mr. Edmundson is not Mr.
Whiting, he is definitely on the right
track to take our beloved school to
the next level.
Having observed students
and teachers in the classroom, Mr.
Edmundson seems extremely
pleased. He clearly expressed his
satisfaction with our school during
an interview. “I’m highly impressed,
I think the kids are extremely respectful, and the teachers are very
committed and skilled,” says Mr.
Edmundson. Coming to a new
school and learning its cultures is a
high priority for any administrator.
He is definitely adapting to the cli-
mate of RHMS and making effort to
connect with staff and students. The
PRIDE program is still in place, and
Mr. Edmundson reminds us each
morning to “stay engaged, the
Rocky Hill way.” The announcers
remind us each morning “to make it
a great day on purpose.” Although
he feels that the school doesn’t need
any significant changes, he is working with teachers and the other
school administrators to make some
slight changes to our routines. For
example during our fire drills, teachers have to be ready to handle emergencies. Our teachers now have a
red bag that contains information
about our school Crisis Plan in a
binder. They also have their class
lists and a small First Aid kit, just in
case there is a need for it while we
are outside the building.
After working in an elementary school, Mr. Edmundson
told us that he was always interested
in working at a middle school, and
when the opportunity presented itself, “seemed like a great match.”
Even though it is still his first year
at Rocky Hill, he has already started
to make a difference in the Rocky
Hill community. “Mr. Edmundson is
really focused on helping teachers
give quality instruction that engages
students,” said Mrs. Wilkerson, 7th
grade science teacher.
The fact that Mr. Edmundson wants to help improve the teaching and instruction means that he is
really very focused on trying to help
students succeed. Another way Mr.
Edmundson tries to make a difference is by making an appearance
during the “Morning Message.” His
signature quote is, “I challenge you
to stay engaged the Rocky Hill
way.” Many students feel motivated
by this quote. “I think it is so nice
that Mr. Edmundson makes the effort to be part of announcements
each morning in which he encourages the students and explains
things and why they need to be
done. I think it makes students play
an active part in the schools efforts
to constantly improve,” says Ms.
Boughan. Mr. Edmundson also motivates students with his 220% concept.
All students should show
110% effort and the teachers are
going to show 110% effort. “I think
that the 220% concept is perfect for
the mindset of our school. One aspect of PRIDE is put forth effective
effort, and if teachers and students
alike put forth 110%, then learning
will increase which will lead to our
students becoming productive members of society,” says Mrs. Rye, 6th
grade English teacher. We just had
Student Leadership, and the students
learned how to show PRIDE in multiple ways. With the 220% concept,
the students will now have the moti-
vation to apply that concept in their
school life. Aside from his job as a
school principal, Mr. Edmundson is
involved with many other activities
outside of Rocky Hill. He is a baseball coach and is highly involved
with the programs that his own children are involved in. He happens to
be a big Steelers’ fan, and that may
be a tough fact for the avid Redskins’ fans on the Hill to accept. Mr.
Edmundson had to admit that he
likes the Redskins too. “Well believe it or not, I am a Redskins’ fan
too.”
Mr. Edmundson has given
the PRIDE program a boost by recommending that teachers hand up
the PRIDE Matrix in their classrooms and in conspicuous areas
around the school. With this, the
students now have reminders on
how to show demonstrated appropriate behaviors. “I love our school
pride, the kids are very proud of our
school, and I want to see that continue,” says Mr. Edmundson.
Although teachers and other
staff members are not handing our
pride sticker or pride punches, there
are plans in the works to celebrate
our pride. Some teachers are still
finding ways to reward students for
demonstrating the appropriate behaviors.
Creating a positive environment at Rocky Hill and connecting
with students, teachers, staff and
parents are big items on Mr. Edmundson’s agenda. His approach to
addressing issues like safety, classroom instruction, and the good old
PRIDE program at RHMS may be
slightly different, but his commitment to a well-rounded approach is
apparent in almost all aspects of our
school. “I can be a positive influence
on kids, and parents,” says Mr. Edmundson. Some kids have had opportunities to meet with our principal.
“The principal is very caring and well
organized for each school day. He is
also prepared for what each day
brings, good or bad,” says Samantha
Piasecki. Some positive teaching
practices have been acknowledged
and shared with other teachers on
“The Hill” and beyond. Mr. Edmundson told us that he talked about his
commitment to the staff at Rocky
Hill. “I am here to serve the staff and
give them what they need to be
great,” says Mr. Edmundson.
For the Rocky Hill community, it is the dawn of a new day and a
new era filled with hope and optimism with a new administration. If
we adopt the 220% idea, our school
will be the best in the county, and
perhaps the best in Maryland.
Mr. Edmundson speaking to Rocky
Hill Staff about his goals for the
school year.
Table Of Contents
Front Page:
 Welcome Mr. Edmundson
Editorial Page:
 Never Forget
 What’s the Smart Choice?
Writer’s Corner:
 The Hunger Games
 Arthur The Movie
 Skinny Santa
 True or False?
 Life of Pi
Sports:
 Redskins Rookie Quarterback,
RGIII
 Is RGIII Measuring Up?
 Nationals Win or Lose
Sports:
 London 2012
 2012 NFL Overview
 The State of the Redskins
Rocky Hill Page:
 The Power of Sam
1
Rocky Hill Page:
 The Power of Sam (Continued)
Life on the Hill:
 Meet Our New Assistant Principals
 Ah-Mazing Teachers
Special Features:
 Holidays for What?
 The Bubonic Plague
 Fun Facts
Current Issues:
 The Reality of Movies
 Election Humor Rewind
Technology:
 Technology-and Stress
 Google's Latest Product
 5th Generation iPod Touch
Books:
 Antiques Behind A Cover
 Destiny Quest
Editorial Page
Never Forget
Mae McDermott
Assistant Chief Editor
September 11th, 2001 was a
beautiful day, with the kind of uninterrupted peace, beauty and uninhibited
splendor that used to be trustworthy.
After that day, such shining perfection
could no longer be trusted.
People often say that there's a
calm before the storm. A kind of silence and ease that, although peaceful,
has the ability to make one shiver.
Maybe this is because as years have
gone by and more threats and dangers
enter the world, people have grown
more vulnerable, and with vulnerability comes paranoia. When things seem
perfect, there must be something behind it, for perfection is an illusion!
It has been 11 years since
disaster struck the World Trade Center
and every soul trapped inside. I couldn’t help but notice that this year, most
major newspapers refrained from acknowledging this tragedy with the
shaken recollection of past years. I
contemplated what this could mean.
Are we moving on? If scars are healing and we are getting stronger, thank
goodness. But I couldn’t help but feel
as though we needed to acknowledge
this day. After all, one of the main
phrases derived from this tragedy was
“Never Forget”. I felt a need to stop
shimmying around this subject; to
bring it into the light a bit more.
I’ll refrain from going into the
deeply saddening details that create
the tangled web of unfairness, anger
and pain that surround what is
"September 11th".
It is impossible to
summarize all of
the powerful emotions of that day,
let alone the story.
But many lives
ended; all lives were changed.
Visiting the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, I
was unprepared for the fogginess in
my mind that inhibited any clear
flow of thought except for a dull,
aching pain that radiated inside of
me and, I believe, all of the other
visitors there. With my family I
slowly circled the two deep fountains where the towers once stood.
There was a thick silence; the only
voices heard were almost inaudible
whispers. I felt the weight of incredible grief and regret, a damaging
mix of emotion, because grief and
regret go against all human impulses
to have control. We have control
over so much in our lives – the
world is quite literally at our fingertips with a flick of a switch or the
simple push of a button. That is
what is so remarkable about humanity; when people see something
they’d like to modify or fix, they do
exactly that. We set out, resolute,
fixated on improvement, on the simple result of better. But standing at
the memorial in the face of something so enormously wrong and not
being able to do a thing about it was
unbearable. September 11, 2001
was the first time in many years that
we had absolutely no control. That
in itself, as a person in the modern
world, is daunting. Terrifying, even.
Blocks away from the Memorial on a tree-lined street with a
single engine firehouse anchoring
the neighborhood, a chain link fence
surrounded what seemed to be an
empty corner. As we walked closer,
we once again became lost in the
grief that was September 11th.
Hanging on the fence were dozens
of tiles, each one different, each one
made by someone who was touched
by the tragedy. The messages on the
tiles were real, they were from
someone to someone else-a husband
to a wife lost. Some were made by
children, some by family of those
taken. Some bore paintings of angels, prayers, and pictures of the
Twin Towers standing high above
New York. Several tiles contained
Beatles lyrics. Several shared the
phrase, “Never Forget”.
It was there, at that street
memorial, that I was truly moved. It
was at this memorial that I felt the
reaction, the emotion, of people
from all over the world speaking the
same language, with the same hopes
and prayers. People had come TOGETHER to honor those who had
been lost, here at this small street
corner with
these tiles
which, despite
their mere span
of a few inches
each, all had
meanings that
spanned an
What’s the Smart Choice?
Mae McDermott
Assistant Chief Editor
In this society, not many
statements can be made without objection. However, one statement is
inarguable – the power of technology is remarkable. Generations are
being born into an amazing technological world, our precious gadgets
accompanying us through the early
stages of childhood and beyond.
Technology has become an increasingly important part of our lives. We
depend on it every day.
For most students, there
have been times when they sigh and
roll their eyes during class thinking,
I could just look this up on my
phone! After all, the abilities one has
with a phone are limitless – you can
create a painting, write a poem, start
an organization or a movement, even
go to college. Our devices open up a
world of possibilities in which our
options are plentiful and the results
can be staggering.
And yet, since the dawn of
modern technology, a student’s access to their mobile keys to the universe have been prohibited during
class. For some students, these restraints have been frustrating, and to
some, even illogical. However, this
soon may change.
The Bring Your Own Device Movement (BYOD) was recently introduced in the Hooksett School
District in New Hampshire. Students
are allowed to access their devices
(laptops, phones, etc.) during the
school day. The program, in place
for just over one school year, was
introduced in an attempt to expand
the students’ educational horizons
and bring “21st Century instruction…
for 21st Century learning.” says the
Hooksett BYOD Report. “With digital learning, every student can access
high quality and rigorous instruction
in every subject, thereby, maximizing their opportunity for success in
school and beyond.” The BYOD is
not a free-for-all; students who participate must use a guest network
and are encouraged to use only educational resources. Recent District
surveys have shown that several students haven’t complied.
Although I agree that technology is a great advantage in the
educational world, as a student looking at how this will affect the future
of my education, I believe that the
benefits of BYOD are outweighed
by the loss of too many facets of a
well-rounded education.
There are countless times
we’ve witnessed someone using
their apps, Google or a Nook to sate
their need for knowledge. Here is the
dilemma. When the answers are this
easy to summon, it eliminates conversation and understanding.
One doesn’t usually think
about the actual process of looking
something up on a device. Consider
this: what thought did the searcher
or search engine put IN to find the
answer that came OUT? If granted
the BYOD freedom, a student could
immediately “Google” a question to
find their answer. Search engines
provide simple, easy paths to information based on the words searched.
You see the answer on the screen
and it’s in your head. The entire process includes little thought and no
insight. However, it’s quick and
easy; if allowed to, the students will
most likely choose this route rather
than the tried and true art of talking
and listening. Can one become a
better student from this thirteen second experience? Yes, they have
their answer and are no longer
stumped on that paper they have to
complete, but do they have what is
truly needed in order to grow?
For centuries, discussion
and the use of one’s brain has led to
the trading of ideas, understandings,
inventions and more. Human interaction is a thing like no other – when
we discuss, we build our own insights and opinions by utilizing others as the building blocks of our
foundations. We must keep the dying art of discussion alive. We must
maintain the human factor, however
small that may be now. In whatever
way the world of technology is enhanced and life may be altered, we
must maintain the difference between man and machine.
Your smart phone is a machine… it may be “smart”, but it’s
no supplement to audible contemplation and consideration.
2
entire world. Never had a simple
Beatles lyric meant so much; and
united so many. That is perhaps the
one positive outcome of that terrible
disaster. Unity.
When those two planes
crashed into the towers, everyone
experienced the same shock.. Everyone was numb with fright and stupefied by the horrific events of September 11. Not just your family,
your town, your nation. Every race,
every religious sect, every political
group, people who have gone to
WAR with each other, was affected
in one way or another. We shared
unfamiliar and complicated emotions, none of us understanding what
this meant for our lives. That September 11th, no one knew their future. And in that state of helplessness, when we were the weakest, the
most confused and the most lost we
had ever been, we were also the
strongest. We were truly united as
we were forced to face an uncertain
future while looking at the past for
inspiration to forge ahead. We were
all lost-together. That is what that
fenced memorial represented. The
Unity of The World.
The phrase “Never Forget”
is what stays with me. I will never
forget the tragedy, and I will never
forget the way September 11th
brought the world together. As time
crawls on and our histories become
more like distant stories, let us Never Forget that we are one people.
Supervising Editor
Ms. Katie Odey
Chief Editor
Neil Agrawal
Assistant Chief Editor
Mae McDermott
Editors
Anita Tharmarajah
Kristine Antanesian
Rahul Shah
Manav Mathur
Nina Agrawal
Staff Writers
Indya Roberts
Sooah Sohn
Ali Tyma
Anusha Chinthalapale
Maisah Sessay- Dixon
Linette Kingston
Kai Hu
Writer’s Corner
Arthur The Movie
The Hunger Games
Reviewed by Mia Melendez
6th Grade Student
I got a chance to catch up
with two girls that read the complete
Hunger Games series. I asked them a
few questions each. Their names
were Sam Piasecki and Courtney
Mortan, two 6th graders. One of the
questions I asked was, “What were
you thinking when you picked up the
first book in the?” Courtney Mortan
said that she had thought, “I wonder
what this will be about!” Sam Piasecki said, “When I first looked at the
cover it looked somewhat different.”
I proceeded to ask them what they
thought when they started reading the
book and started getting in to it.
Courtney said, “At first, I thought it
was just CRAZY!” Both of the girls
thought that this book was kind of
weird but when I asked them if they
would read the books again, after
they read all of them, they responded, “yes,” most opportunistically.
They then started to talk about the
new movie “Catching Fire,” which
is coming out in the near future. I
asked them they were looking forward to seeing the new movie and of
course they both said, “Yes.” Most
people say that the books are nothing like the movies and there are
some people who say the complete
opposite. So I asked the girls their
opinions and Courtney said “No,”
while Sam said, “Yes!” I can’t wait
to see the new movie... I mean, who
can?
Kai Hu
Staff Writer
Last spring, Russell Brand
starred in the hilarious movie Arthur
(2011). This version is not to be confused with the 1981 version. Equally
as funny, 2011 gifted us with what
one could call the funniest movie of
all time. The only difference is that
now it has different characters and
it’s filmed in the age of New York
City-back then it was filmed in the
The Skinny Santa
Kai Hu
Staff Writer
It was the day before Christmas
Eve. Santa had a terrible belly ache.
The reason he had the belly ache was
because for the past 24 days he has
been eating so much Halloween candy that almost all the parents in the
world were out of candy. So Santa
had to find a replacement Santa for
the sleigh ride to give out presents
that year, on the day before Christmas Eve! So he searched and he
searched on his special laptop, which
contains every person’s I.D and information in the world. So he found this
person, and he scheduled a meeting
with the replacement. The replacements name was Chad Dylan Cooper.
Chad had the “ho ho ho” down right.
He was very kind to all the elves. But
there was just one little problem, HE
WAS SKINNY!
I mean I’m not trying to offend
Santa or anything, it's just he’s gained
dome pounds over the years of mil-
True or False?
lions of cookies! So where was I, oh
yeah he was skinny! Santa didn't
have time to find a new replacement
so he had to figure out how to get a
skinny person a little (lot) fatter before Christmas Eve which was Tomorrow! So Santa was pacing in his
room, but all of a sudden an elf
named Lanowyn Woodsong came in
and said “Santa couldn’t you just put
a lot of clothes into Chad’s outfit so
he’ll look fat. Oh and I noticed that
Chad over there didn’t have a white
beard, so you can put a fake beard
on his face as well” So right after
she talked she did a curtsies and
skipped away. “Wow - I can’t believe that Lanowyn,” said Santa.
“Yeah, she’s really bright,” said
Chad.
So a day finally passed; it was
Christmas Eve and Chad was all set
and looked almost exactly like Santa. So Chad got into the sleigh, he
saw that he forgot to button his coat
so he did. But the bad news was that
he got fatter, so the button popped
right off! Well the show must go on
so he got a new coat, and he was
ready to go. Chad was off - he finished with a very good record he
made only one mistake because he
gave a teddy bear to a 20 year old
and a “Call Of Duty Black Ops 2” to
a three year old. Chad lived happily
ever after as the worlds first human
helping Santa out as a replacement.
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
What’s your thought on 2012?
Well the Aztecs made a calendar
that was really like ours. Surprisingly they wrote it all the way up to
2012 December 21st. Well then
people thought oh we're going to
die. So then I did some research. 2012 Natural Disaster #1Super Volcanoes, 2012 Natural
Disaster #2 - Earthquakes, 2012
Natural Disaster #3 - Tsunamis
and Large Tidal Waves. These are
just a few of the "predictions” we
have about natural disasters leading
on to "the end of the world as we
know it". Okay the first one is super
volcanoes. The big one everyone is
talking about is the volcano under
yellow rock national park. I found
this part of an article written by
Jennifer l. Andrews. She said "The
most talked about super volcano
that will erupt when 2012 approaches, is the giant one sitting underneath Yellow Stone National Park
in Wyoming, USA. They also talk
about earthquakes. This article was
written by e-zine articles. They
wrote "Part of the fear of 2012 is
that major earthquakes will occur.
Volcanoes, landslides and fault lines
in the earth can all set off earthquakes. The effects of an earthquake include fire, shaking and
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Reviewed by Denis Litvak
6th Grade Student
I have read a story called
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. This story is about a boy who is the son of a
zookeeper and who is devoted to
God. When Pi Patel turned 16, his
family and their animals emigrate
from India to North America aboard
a Japanese cargo ship. During their
journey the ship was flooded with
water and Pi was set adrift on a lifeboat as well and a zebra and a hyena.
old style of people who lived in New
York City.
This movie is about-well I should
say these movies-are about a 20-30
year old man who has not yet fallen in
love. He is the heir of Bach Inc. and
his mother is explaining to him that if
he wants to inherit this heir, he would
have to marry this other fancy, snobby, rich girl. The problem is that he
hates her. But he really wants to inherit the heir, so he goes with it. One day
in New York City’s time square. He
finds this girl and that moment was
love at first sight for Arthur. So then
when Arthur starts talking to her he
immediately gets embarrassed when
the girl finds out that he has a nanny!
So now the movie gets interesting. He
starts dating the girl and found out
she’s poor. But he doesn’t care. But
the girl then finds out that, Arthur’s
really already engaged to the snobby
girl. So she dumps him.
He knew that he would never see his
family again. Pi and the animals
were joined by a tiger and the animals ate each other. Soon, only the
tiger and Pi were left. Pi survived off
fish for a few weeks.
Pi thought it was a mirage,
so he wasn`t surprised. Then when
he touched the land and trees, he
found out that this isn`t a mirage, but
real land! Pi got some tools and got
food in trees. Minutes later, a
strange animal came close to Pi. Pi
figured out that the animal was a
meerkat. Pi explained the story of
his adventure, and the sinking of the
Tsimtsum. Pi took food from the
trees and played with the tiger and a
meek rat every day. Pi slept on the
boat every night as did the tiger.
Eventually people came and
found Pi and took him to a big city.
When the people came the tiger hid
on the island and was never seen
again.
3
splitting of the earth, landslides,
avalanches, floods, tsunamis and of
course, death". And finally they
wrote about tsunamis. This was also
written by e-zine articles they wrote
"As mentioned earthquakes can
cause tsunamis and major tidal
waves. Asia in most recent years
has been heavily affected by major
tidal waves." we'll there is one thing
in particular that I am fascinated
about. It's ironically appears that
2012 is the year with most draughts
that's really ironic. So well since
people said the world was going to
end there were more draughts and
natural disasters. But really let's get
series our earth is in trouble due to
the fact that every single day millions and millions of cars are destroying the atmosphere. So if we
don't want our earth to die then we
should stop being couch potatoes
and start saving our planet. Every
single person can make a difference. If we don't start saving our
planet we're all going to be gone.
And the end of the world will come.
So the world is not going to end
because a magical curse or something but that’s not true, we are the
ones that’s destroy the world so we
have to use our power to save it.
Thank you.
I really liked this book because it`s so interesting and surprising at the same time. There were also
interesting moments that I didn`t put
up here because I challenge you to
read this book before the movie
comes out in November 21.
Sports
Redskins Rookie Quarterback, RGIII
RGIII dives for his team. One of
many glories to come.
Kristine Antanesian
Editor
“The Redskins win!” Now
that is something that hasn’t been said
in a LONG time. All thanks to Robert
Griffin III, better known as RG III.
The day was victorious for thousands
of Redskins fans. RG III was born on
Okinawa, a Japanese island; I bet most
people did not expect this. A 7th grader
says, “It never occurred to me that a
player for the Skins could ever live or
be born in Japan.” But both of his par-
out now! Yes that was quite a lot to
say in one sentence but it is all true.
When he was recruited, pursuers had
to consider the fact that he had been
ranked the fourth-best dual-threat
quarterback in the nation and the
42nd-best player in Texas in the high
school prospect class of 2008, having
to take this into consideration, RG III
was accepted by Stanford, Tennessee,
Kansas, Nebraska, Houston, Tulsa,
Illinois, Washington State, and Oregon. Griffin initially committed to
play for Houston under head coach
Art Briles.
Robert Griffin III was and is
not just any athlete. He graduated a
semester early, after serving as class
president. He was only 17 when he
attended Baylor University and attended the U.S. Olympic Trials, making it to the semi-finals. He graduated
in three years with a degree in political science and a grade point average
(GPA) of 3.67. He has won twenty
total awards, eleven of which are for
football. With all of these about RG
III I’m sure that quite a few people
have their hopes up for his new career. I know I did. Then just as people
like me got Skins’ fans hopes up
high, RG III suffered a traumatic in-
ents were U.S. army sergeants. When
asked about this a Rocky Hill parent
said, “This isn’t very surprising but
for some reason a lot of successors
who end up big started small with
tough lives, and it’s maybe because
of their will to find and work for a
better life.” This intrigued me quite a
bit. It has always occurred to me that
a good chunk of the celebrities in the
world started off very small. This
quote has definitely amped up my
wonders of the fact that maybe people who start off small strive to make
it big. Either way his family moved
twice after that and finally settled in
Copperas Cove, Texas. Here he was a
“triple-threat,” as I like to call it, because he was a star in basketball,
football and track.
Eventually, as we all know,
football was the victor in the three,
carrying him up from a typical Texan
to an all-star NFL player. Some of
you might be asking how he was recognized which is always a good question, and it’s because in his junior
year, which was his most impressive,
he passed for 2,001 yards and 25
touchdowns with two interceptions,
while compiling 876 rushing yards
for 8 touchdowns. You can breathe
Wow! We have all been extremely impressed with RG3 (Robert
Griffin III) when he came into the
NFL. The question I keep hearing is,
is he standing up to the expectations
that everyone has of him.
Well, first off we need to
know some stats: Height: 6’2”;
Weight: 217 lb.; Age: 22 years old;
Birthplace: Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. So he was born in Japan!
Back to the subject. RGIII
only has 4 touchdowns (eh asi asi) in
the 3 weeks he’s been a Redskin, so
not too bad. But he has thrown for
747 yards, which is pretty good. But
the best thing or stat about RGIII is
his 10.35 rating. The highest rating of
any NFL player so far this season in
157.9.
Personally, I think RGIII is
definitely living up to the ridiculously
high expectations that this city put on
him. RGIII seems to have it all. He is
in commercials more than any old
player or people in other sports. He is
athletic, he’s a great person, and he
has a great look, so he’s great for
media and helps bring publicity. He’s
helping the Redskins win what else
Another dodge made by Robert
Griffin III. Yet again pleasing his
many devoted fans.
Nationals Win or Lose
Is RGIII Measuring Up?
Kai Hu
Staff Writer
jury to the head leading to a concussion. He literally dove with the ball in
his hands, that’s how committed he is!
That tells a lot of people that we can
rely on RG III, but perhaps the team
relies on him too much. They were
winning for the beginning of that
game, up until RG III came out of the
game. After that they took a slow and
treacherous fall back to the bottom. I
don’t know if he motivates them or if
he is just simply a nice presence to
have around, but something about him
brings the team up and launches them
to the sky. Robert Griffin III is “on a
roll” and will hopefully keep on rolling his way to the Superbowl.
can people want from a man. Plus
he doesn’t smoke or drink.
Most people around here
would agree that RGIII is quickly
becoming a sensation in the DC
metro area and beyond. The presidential candidates have also taken
notice. “He’s a great young man,
and a heck of a lot of fun to watch,”
Obama said on Fox’s weekly NFL
pregame show. “And I wish him all
the luck in the world, except when
he plays the Bears.” Governor
Romney also commented on the
Rookie QB. “RGIII hasn’t been in
Washington very long, but he’s
already created change,” says Romney.
People are expecting too
much out of him they want him to
be the best football player that has
ever lived. That’s not possible. And
people have to hand it to him, he
has so much stress because a lot of
redskin fans since he’s new if they
lose its all his fault and because
he’s the quarterback. Well that’s
my perspective I don’t know about
you guys. But I will say it again he
is a wonderful person. I do think he
has lived up to his expectations but
not only that I think he has broken
it and has made a lot of people in
the world think way better of him. I
believe one day he will become a
very successful and great quarterback and football player. But if you
have any more information or idea
please post at the RHMS’s blog or
just talk to me in person!
Kai Hu
Staff Writer
Everybody has been talking
about if the Washington nationals
will win this season. Well it can go
both ways. First off the nationals’
new pitcher Gio Gonzalez has already won 20 games for the Nationals. The Nationals hasn’t got that
much wins in a row since 1953.
With their pitcher Bob Porterfield
which had a record of 22 games.
And also he has an average of 6.3
runs per game. So he’s an epic pitch-
er and a great runner/hitter. Also on
9/20/12 the N.A.T.S beat dodgers 4
to 1. But then there’s also that they
lost to Milwaukee Brewers and also
lost to the dodgers 3 times in a row
Sep 14, Sep 15, and Sep 16. But if
you count every single game in the
season the tallied up scores are.
The nationals have 90 wins
in the whole season so far and 59
lost. So if you want to use statistics
they probably have a better chance
of winning the World Series trophy.
But if you look in their history they
might not win because they haven’t
won the world series since never.
The Nationals have never won the
“World Series”. But this season they
are in the playoffs today is 9/24/12
and the Nationals V.S. Brewers are
on right now and the score is 9-1. So
their chances for World Series Trophy can go either way. Anybody
who read this please either post on
the “The Hills” Blog or you could
just talk about this to me face to
face.
It is not too late to join the Rocky Hill PTA!
Get involved and connect with other parents and teachers.
Find the PTA membership form on the school’s website.
Hope to see you at our next meeting.
4
Sports
Reliving The Opening of the Olympics
Anita Tharmarajah
Editor
For the one million people
who were lucky enough to get to
watch the Olympics sitting in the stadium and the one billion sitting in
their living rooms in front of the TV
the night of July 27 would have been
the greatest night of their lives. The
same goes for the people that were in
this spectacular show. The show cost
27 million Euros and had about 15,000
performers.
The artistic director of the
show was Danny Boyle. The show
was designed by the director of the
film Slum Dog Millionaire. The show
began with a short video of London,
following the river Thames until they
reached the Olympic stadium. Then
the countdown began. Brittan’s first
winner of the Tour de France rang a
bell.
In the stadium there was a
green hill with a path wrapped around
it and a large tree with long roots in
the middle and people who looked like
farmers, miners and many more tough
occupations emerged from the tree.
They started to work/dance as smokestacks rise from the ground. There
were protests and women suffrage
movements.
A fiery shaped like a ring
with two lines coming out of it appeared and completed the map of London that the workers made while
work/dancing. The fiery shape is the
river Thames. The smokestacks started
to fade and for other rings seem to
float in from all corners. The ring on
the ground rose easily, and all the
rings came together to form the
Olympic rings. Lights that look like
fireworks come down from the
rings.
The Queen made a grand
entrance by bungee jumping from a
helicopter with James Bonds. Well
at least her stunt double did. Many
spectators were delighted to see the
humorous side of the queen. Members of the British army navy and air
force carry the flag to the top of the
hill while a children’s choir from a
school for the blind and the deaf sing
the national anthem.
Then the light shone on the
National Health Service. They
spelled out the word GOSH and roll
out cots with children on them
pushed by nurses and doctors. The
children jump on the bed and the
doctors are all laughing as the kids
have their fun. Then they put all the
kids to sleep. J.K. Rowling describes
the series of the children’s dreams.
Villains from British stories appear.
The queen of hearts, captain hook,
cruella de vil and a 100 foot tall
Voldemort. Then 30 Mary Poppins
fall gracefully from the sky and the
monsters all run away. All the children play with the Mary Poppins and
the nurses.
The orchestra wowed the
crowd with a rendition of chariots of
fire. And who else played one of the
keyboards than Mr. Bean? He
dreamt that he was running on the
beach and competing with other
men. As he started to fall behind he
got an idea. While the other men
were running he found himself in a
cab heading towards the front. He
got out and ran in front of the other
me, and when he woke up he found
out that he had won the race. The
rest of the orchestra finished playing
and starred at him as he flipped a
book and gave it to at him he flips a
book in front of him and gives a fine
finale to the piece. The next part
went into the digital age. Teenagers
ran around and party. Slowly it progressed to the 70’s and the 80’s and
ends with a kiss. After that there
were people dressed as birds on bicycles running around the stadium.
The next thing was the parade of nations in which Greece
came first since the Olympics originated from there. After that the
2012 NFL Overview
Kai Hu
Staff Writer
First off for all of you that
are reading today is 9/24/12. So if
you’re like that guy so wrong it’s
been a long time. Well the newspaper
comes out later so don’t go out and
start hating me. Okay where were we,
oh yeah. This year’s NFL season is
going to be epic. So first off for all
you. So were getting off at a bad
start. So Week 1: lost to broncos,
Week 2: Won against Jets, Week 3:
Lost to Raiders. So that’s it but we
need to stand up. Then there Red
skins same here not doing so well. So
Week 1: Beat Saints, Week 2: Lost to
Rams, and Week 3: Lost to Bengals.
And so now I’m going to tell you
scores for 1.Ravens, 2.Cowboys,
3.Saints, 4. Patriots and, 5. Giants.
Even though hate ravens they’re doing pretty good so far. Ravens: Week
1 beat the Bengals, Week 2 lost to the
Eagles, Week 3 beat the Patriots. Not
bad huh? And again I don’t hate the
Cowboys because I like AFC but I
don’t like them but they still did pret-
countries all gathered in alphabetical
order. There were about 205 countries
in the Olympics. Great Brittan came
last because it was the host country.
US athletes came in with a glamorous
outfit with red white and blue. Every
country had their own special outfit to
represent their country. When great
Brittan came in, and may I say, rocking the white and gold, confetti rained
down on the stadium and created a
sparkly night in the stadium. All the
flag bearers placed the flags in their
place on the hill. Many swimmers
were not marching in the parade due
to the fact that the swimming competition began soon after the ceremony.
Seven British teenagers are given the
honor of lighting copper petals to form
a cauldron. The stadium explodes with
light and the people of London witness a magnificent show of fireworks.
Manav Mathur a seventh
grader at rocky hill said “My favorite
part was the parade of Nations” Neil
Agrawal said “The coolest part was
when the queen jumped out of the
helicopter even though it was totally
fake.” Mrs. Caviness said “I liked the
parts when there were doves on the
bikes.
So there you have it. This
year every country had at least one
female athlete and on Team USA
there were more female athletes than
male athletes. I’m not sure how the
producers in Rio De Janeiro are going
to top this, but we will have to wait
and see.
The State of The Redskins
ty good. So Cowboys: Week 1 beat
the Giants; Week 2 lost to the Seahawks, Week3 beat the Buccaneers.
Whoa they’re really not doing good
Saints: Week 1 lost to the Redskins,
Week 2 lost to the Panthers, Week
3 lost to the Chiefs. I feel bad for
Saint’s fans. Well I mean there not
as bad as Saints but they are still
pretty bad. Patriots: Week 1 beat
the Titans, Week 2 lost to the Cardinals, and Week3 lost to the Ravens. Wow Giants aren’t that bad
right now. Giants: Week 1 lost to
the Cowboys, Week 2 beat the Buccaneers, and Week3 beat the Panthers. So it is going to be a great
season because the biggest rivalry
in my eyes in the AFC is Steelers vs
Ravens and they are going to be
playing each other twice.
Wait but that’s just the
scheduled ones. They could beat
other teams and verse again nobody
knows. And things are looking terrible for the Saints so far every
game, 3 games so far all loses. But
the preseason games for Steelers are
great 3 wins 1 loss. But this season
all the matches that are chosen so
far are a lot of rivalries that have
been for a long time. Also a lot of
equal teams are playing this season!
So we don’t know much yet because its just the third week so
watch NFL and find out yourself.
Ms. Katie Odey
Supervising Editor
RGIII makes his mark
The Redskins started the
2012 season started with very high
hopes. The reason for the hype?
Robert Griffin III, the rookie quarterback! The preseason games were
filled with excitement, and avid
Redskins fans expressed their satisfaction with the rookie quarterback.
The most recent loss to the Pittsburg
Steelers was disappointing. It made
it the 2nd straight road game loss and
the 5th in the first 8 weeks of the season for the Redskins. As Stephen
Whyno writes in The Washington
Times, “The reason for the Washington Redskins' struggles in their
loss to the Steelers and throughout
this year isn’t as simple as being
banged up on both sides of the ball.
But it’s obvious that injuries to difference-makers are taking their toll.”
RGIII continues to be a fan favorite
perceived as the tool for the redemption of the Redskins franchise.
In his article in Cold Hard
Football Facts, Kerry J. Byrne comments on the Rookie QB. “Robert
Griffin III's rookie season ranks right
5
up there with the best QBs of alltime,” says Byrne. The question and
perhaps a big concern is the impact
the Redskins would have on his career. “Mike Shanahan's team is about
to waste the most brilliant rookie season in history by pairing RGIII with
one of the worst pass defenses football
has ever seen,” says Byrne. In fairness
to the Skins, the loss to the Pittsburg
Steelers could be attributed to the loss
of key players. The Skins played without Brian Orakpo and defensive end,
Adam Carriker who are out for the
season due to injuries.
The optimism that took over
the Skins fans earlier in the season is
gradually diminishing, as the hopes
for a superbowl fades, but how about
the playoffs? According to Gary Davenport in his article “Why Playoffs for
Robert Griffin and Redskins in Rookie
Season Is Ridiculous” in bleacherreport.com, “Even though Washington
has a good shot at getting better in
2012, it may be another year or two
before Griffin and the Redskins are
dishing out more of those NFC East
beatings than they receive.”
The latest 21-13 disappointing loss to
the Carolina Panthers has dropped the
Skins to 3-6, crushing any hopes of
making a playoff this season.
One thing is true of diehard
Redskins fans: they will continue to
sing their “Hail to the Redskins” song
and remain loyal to their team no matter what.
Rocky Hill Page
The Power Of Sam
Mae McDermott
Assistant Chief Editor
When I think about Sam, I think about
the inquisitive person that he was. Sam
was not perfect, after all, he was a boy!
As a science teacher, I appreciated his
curiosity about almost everything. After
we learned he had cancer, I was impressed with his strength and perseverance. As I remember Sam, I will also
remember Sam the Eagle Scout, loving
family member, and fighter. My own son
received his Eagle Scout last year, and
for Sam to reach that milestone is just so
impressive. (Mr. Leck)
I had the pleasure of starting my day
with Sam for the entire time he attended
Rocky Hill. His giving spirit was remarkable. Sam arrived early everyday to
volunteer in the cafeteria. Although he
had all his SSL hours, he still came in
simply because he knew I needed help.
Sam was always smiling and sharing a
story about Boy Scouts, the Caps or his
latest Rubik’s cube adventure. We even
spoke about the Eagle Scout project he
was planning. Naturally he wanted to
incorporate finding a cure for cancer.
That was Sam, always thinking about
others. His family went on a cruise sponsored by The Make a Wish Foundation
and Sam made it a point to choose some
activities that would be fun for Mom,
Dad and Carly because in his words
“they have been going through a lot
too”. What an incredible family to raise
such a thoughtful and caring young man.
Thank You Moore Family for sharing
The Gift Of Sam with us. Sam, you will
live forever in our hearts. (Mrs. Ault)
As middle school educators, we don’t
always know the impact we have on students until later in their life. What I do
know is the impact students have on us
as educators. I don’t think students understand the positive impact they have
on the adults that work with them. I hope
that all students realize the positive power they bring to our schools.
(Mr.
Whiting)
Sam was always smiling ear to ear. He
gave his best every day. If he didn’t “get
it”, he was in for help the next day without fail. Nothing was too difficult, time
consuming or strange. Sam would stay
in the room until everything was cleaned
up. If someone needed assistance, he
was the first one in line. He was truly a
gift to all of us. (Ms. Kamuf)
Sam Moore gave us all a gift in the way
he lived his life. He was the epitome of
“Willpower”. To face such a scary and
debilitating disease at such a young age,
with the dignity and maturity of a person
well beyond his years is beyond my comprehension. He is the definition of a hero
and will forever be mine. He never let
cancer “own” him or define him. He
lived his life his way, fully and completely. We will celebrate his life with the first
annual “Gift of Sam” Blood and Toy
Drive to benefit Children’s Hospital on
December 15th. It is the day after his
birthday and the day of his wonderful
sister, Carly’s, birthday. It will be a perfect way to celebrate his life and his gift.
(Ms. Tippett)
was an amazing thing to be able to
do because when you’re in school,
you have so much pressure from
your peers, and he didn’t care about
that.
Mr. Moore: He was always able to
bring people together. He wasn’t
actively trying to do it, it was just his
way. He was very generous with his
heart.
In this world, we are given
many gifts. There are many beautiful
and powerful forces surrounding us;
forces that have the ability to touch
countless people and connect us all.
Though we don’t always notice these
gifts, they are perpetually there for
us; there for strength and assistance,
the arms that undoubtedly will catch
us if and when we fall.
Fifteen years ago, we were
all gifted with Samuel Sheedy
Moore, known to most as Sam, a
vibrant young boy who had many
aspirations in life and boundless love
for his family and friends. A former
Rocky Hill student, Sam was a force
that not only brought out people’s
best qualities, but also drew people
together.
Sam passed away in August
2012 after a long, hard battle with
brain cancer. The following is the
story of undying love told by the
Moore family: Carol (Sam’s mom),
John (Sam’s dad), and Carly (Sam’s
sister). Although the earth lacks
Sam’s physical presence, everyone
who knew him, and likely all who
hear his story, feel his presence, for
The Power of Sam will never die.
You posted updates throughout
Sam’s journey on CaringBridge.org. How did peoples’ comments to you impact your family?
Mr. Moore: They were uplifting
and sometimes just completely inspiring and humbling. Sam took
them in doses when he needed them,
and he would be so amazed by everyone’s generosity and caring. He
said “I can’t believe there’s a little
grandmother from the United Kingdom writing to me”. I have no idea
how she found out about Sam. There
were a lot of people thinking about
us and praying for us.
Mrs. Moore: It made me feel better
about humanity. That so many
strangers and people that heard a
story could reach out and want to
make contact and have such big
hearts in a world where there is so
much bad news. The world felt
smaller and more loving during that
time.
What should we know about Sam?
Mrs. Moore: Sam had a very gentle
heart and was a sweet and caring
person. He was very loyal to the people he loved in his life; his friends
and his family meant the world to
him. Sam had a lot of interests and
many things he still wanted to do
with his life. He was a Boy Scout; he
loved ice hockey and karate and always wanted to go for his black belt.
Sam loved playing the electric guitar, the electric bass and the upright
bass. He working to create a band
with some boys from RH (their name
is Prestigious Visionary). Sam was a
budding chef and he translated his
knowledge into the kitchen and the
Boy Scout arena. They named their
Iron Chef competition after Sam; the
Sam Moore Iron Chef Cookout.
The Moore Family Declaration
said: “The War We Fight, One
day at a time, One battle at a time,
Complacency is our Enemy. Cancer will not define who we are! We
are in Control…and we are in
God Hands…NEVER STOP
FIGHTING. Where did the declaration come from?
Mr. Moore: It evolved over time as
a result of little things that were happening throughout Sam’s journey.
Sam and I would talk and say “One
day at a time”. Things would get too
routine and then something would
happen and we’d say, “we can’t lose
our edge,”, so complacency became
be our enemy, and we’d add it to the
declaration. We had bracelets made
and had 3 words we could put down.
We asked Sam what he wanted them
to say and he said, “Well it’s pretty
obvious. ‘Never Stop Fighting’.”
Mr. Moore: Sam personified courage. For him, it wasn’t jumping in
front of bullets, it was that he was
courageous about things he had to
face, and he was courageous for us
and protected us. He had many
things he had to face internally and
he would often share with us, but not
so much that we would have to worry because he was given the grace to
protect us.
Mrs. Moore: Sam said Never Stop
Fighting the battle against his cancer, but he wanted the fight to continue so other kids didn’t have to go
through what he went through. He
wasn’t concerned just about kids
with brain tumors, he was concerned
for anybody with cancer. He felt that
we had to keep fighting, people
should continue to work to find
cures and do what they could.
Carly: He was more worried about
other people than himself. When he
first got sick he was comforting me.
It was always that kind of thing. He
was so accepting of everyone. If
someone didn’t fit in, he’d be their
friend and didn’t care what anyone
else thought of them. He didn’t let
the opinions of others influence how
he saw anyone. I always thought that
6
Mr. Moore:
It was the way we
tried to deal with it. We didn’t want
cancer to define us or define our every
day life and what we were doing. We
decided we were going to live life.
Sam never let it define him at all.
Mrs. Moore: He was very good at
deciding how he was going to fill his
days and do things that made him happy. We tried hard to have some normalcy.
Carly: He never let himself mope. I
can’t imagine that. I was always really
impressed by his strength.
Mr. Moore: We really draw a lot
from Sam. All the things that he represented, the grace, strength, courage,
the fortitude and humility that he
demonstrated – it was The Power of
Sam. He didn’t want any attention in
any of this. Sam was just a humble,
quiet guy. Just knowing how he handled himself through all of this and
seeing the outpouring of love, and everyone there for us who loved our boy
so much, that gave us that strength.
That’s The Power of Sam.
We all face many challenges and
obstacles that we have to deal with.
Does the fact that Sam went through
life and overcame these obstacles
but also kept thriving despite his
ailment stick out more in your
minds, or is it all the good things he
left behind and the impacts he had
on others that seems more important to you?
Mrs. Moore: Some people seem to
have so many bad things happen to
them. Sam had one trial after another
throughout his life. I believe that in his
journey, those things were preparing
him for this ultimate thing that was
going to happen. In many ways it prepared him emotionally, but it also prepared the kind of loving person that he
was. When I think back on those
things, I get it now. When I was in it,
watching him and these things unfold,
I just wanted to protect him. I believe
all these experiences we have in our
life are meant to teach us something.
We can hold on to that little piece of
wisdom and think what am I supposed
to learn from this experience? What is
it bringing to me as a person, what can
I do with it as I go on. People want to
leave their mark on the world or make
a difference. Not everyone gets to
make the big difference. But there are
people you touch along your journey.
You are making a difference from the
day you are born. You don’t have to
prove something in some big way.
Maybe there are things you don’t even
see; you touched a life and didn’t even
know it; something happened because
you did something nice for somebody;
maybe you got in an argument, somebody talked about it and something
profound happened to them. You don’t
get to know everything. The journey is
really important. We shouldn’t try to
be in too much control. I know everybody has different beliefs about that,
but I no longer feel pressure to be in
total control with everything I do.
There’s more peace in that.
Mr. Moore: It’s not what you do.
Carly: It’s how you do it.
Rocky Hill Page
The Power Of Sam (Continued)
As parents, and
maybe as an
older sister, you
think of Sam as
a child. Sam
had to grow a
lot during his journey. Mentally he
probably transformed quite a lot.
Do you now see Sam as your child
or do you see him more as an adult?
Mrs. Moore: I know we both have
pretty big thoughts about that. We
were very lucky to get to see the man
that Sam was going to be. He gained a
lot of wisdom during his illness and he
was really a fine man. I always called
him my angel boy because he was
always so sweet. It was wonderful that
we got to see him grow but terrible
that he had to go through such difficult things to get there. But he was
always teaching us something, always
departing his wisdom.
Mr. Moore: Sam was 12 and up until
then he was just Sam, a kid having
fun. The innocence of childhood was
still his and he was still our little boy,
but he was emerging as a young
preteen. When we found out that Samuel had a brain tumor, he had an
amazing sense of calm. He was nervous and worried much like we were,
but there was this grace that fell upon
him at that point, and it was a single
moment where I watched him become
a man. The journey became even more
robust and I saw more and more of
this strong, patient, tender, courageous
man.
Carly: I think about the role reversal
that happened. As an older sibling,
you’re brought up to take care of your
little brother or sister, look out for
them, be the one who is setting an
example and protect them. When he
got sick, it was always him comforting
me. I don’t know that I feel I knew the
man he would become, but I know the
person he truly was. I’m glad that I
got to see the person that he truly was,
but I will always grieve the person
that he would have become.
What thoughts do you have about
Sam’s experience at Rocky Hill?
Mrs. Moore: I was thinking about
that. I think of the elementary school
kid that used to wait at Carly’s drama
rehearsals while I was always working
on the sets. Sam would spend long
hours playing his Game Boy underneath the table while he waited. Finally he got to Rocky Hill. I think of all
the teachers he loved -Mr. Leck, Mrs.
Kamuf, Ms. Triau, and he worked
with Miss Susan in the cafeteria. I
think he earned 250 hours working
with Miss Susan every single morning
before school.
Carly: He didn’t work there to earn
service hours. He loved helping and
he loved Miss Susan. He was really
upset if he missed it. He would say,
“She really needs help today and I
really want to be there.” He was so
worried and really wanted to make
sure she had someone to help her.
Mrs. Moore: I remember what it was
like for him to be a 6th grader, the bullying. He had always been one of
those kids who was a target for bullying because he was so sweet. They
always go after the gentle, tender
hearts. He made some good friends
and was really happy and felt he
really belonged. When he got sick in
7th grade and missed most of the
year, Sam received an outpouring
from all the kids and teachers, and
received great support from the administration. Sam got to return to
Rocky Hill in the 8th grade. Everybody let him come back and be normal. He didn’t want to be the
“cancer kid”. It was a great year for
him. Rocky Hill was his last great
influence. He really missed the close
friends he made in middle school.
Mrs. Moore: It’s the peace in
knowing that I don’t have to try and
be in control of everything in life
anymore. It’s ok to let life happen. I
feel a little easier, a little more at
peace. It’s an unusual feeling. You’d
think I would be furious. I imagine
that’s some kind of grace to help me
get through.
Carly: I see people squandering
their opportunities. Sam would have
taken advantage of every opportunity given to him. There’s so much I
have the ability to control and so
much that I can do. I’m going to take
it head on and do the most I can and
live my life to the fullest. I feel like
I’ve been gifted more time than Sam
had and I’m going to try and use it
the best I can.
Mr. Moore: When he returned in
8th grade, Sam became that person
to help other kids who were being
bullied. I can’t tell you how many
kids he took under his wing, or protected in gym class from some kid
who decided to give them a hard
time—Sam didn’t care, he was so
brave.
In what way do you wish others
remember Sam?
Mrs. Moore: His courage in the
face of adversity and be courageous
themselves.
Carly: I hope that kids will remember that you never know what’s going on in someone’s life, you never
really know the path they’ve walked.
You may know facts, but you just
don’t know someone’s story, and it’s
really important to not judge someone at face value, not make decisions about people based on what
you think they must be like because
of this or that. Let’s just try to be
more accepting, try to be more like
how Sam was.
Carly: I hope people will remember he was a really good boy, and
that everyone has the power within
themselves to do whatever they want
to and to handle whatever is given to
them, just like Sam did. Sam really
believed that.
Mrs. Moore: When you think of that
idea “It takes a village to raise a
child,” Sam belongs to many other
people in ways that I don’t understand because they’re part of his village. I think he touched our community in a way that has stirred us in
some way. Something bigger than
Sam brought us closer together. I
hope it doesn’t fade.
Mrs. Moore:
Middle school is a
hard age. Kids are going through a
lot of changes. Many kids don’t try
things because they feel like they’re
not good at it and they just sort of sit
in the shadows and then middle
school becomes this really difficult
place to be. Do those things you
dream about because you never
know about life. Just do it. Who
cares if you’re not the best. If it
makes you happy, just go for it. But
sometimes I do wish they would be
kinder and gentler with one another.
Carly: I hope that people will look
at how Sam rose to meet his challenges and handled things with
grace, and how he was able to still
function and live his life. I hope they
will take that into their everyday life,
because it has helped me in mine.
You don’t have to fear the worst, but
what you do have control over is
how you handle it yourself.
Mrs. Moore: When Sam had to
hear that the cancer was back, he
would say “Ok, what are we going
to do?” And that’s a good way to
think about life in general. If you
have a problem and want to resolve
it, the first thing you think of is
“What can I do?” Sometimes there is
not always an answer to that, but
often there is. What can you do to
overcome the obstacles that life can
put in your way? Sometimes it trips
you up a little bit, but you have to
climb over those obstacles, and
sometimes we can’t do it alone. I
know Sam really valued when his
friends, they often would come over
and just sit on the couch and play
video games for hours when he
couldn’t do much. If you have a
friend in need, be there for them.
Sam valued that so much.
Mr. Moore: Just be involved in
good groups and your community.
That little investment of time we put
in and the return we got, all the love,
care and support from everybody,
was profound.
What is the key thing you took
from Sam’s journey and what has
it meant to you?
Mr. Moore: There are many things
I believed in my life about how you
do things, how you handle things,
my outlook on life, things that I’d
impart to friends, and my children.
You say things that you think are
important and reflect on how you
think you should live. I will say it
validated the things I believe because when ultimately tested in the
worst possible way, I think I did ok.
I think I held to those things I believed in, those principles, so it was
a validation.
Mr. Moore: Live every day of your
life like it’s your last. It’s not that
you dwell on it, you seize it, enjoy it
and use that as a foil to push back
when stupid things happen. Don’t
dwell on those things or let them
7
consume
you. Then
you appreciate and enjoy
things so
much more,
and it helps
you live a better life.
Do you think there was any particular way Sam wanted to be remembered?
Mr. Moore: Sam wanted his cancer
to mean something. I know for a fact
that he’s happy that there are so many
things in the wake of this. People are
doing it on their own and that’s the
greatest testament to him. It was the
day Sam died we learned of the blood
drive that Rocky Hill is going to do on
his birthday from here on out. I told
Sam about it and talked about what
they were planning to do. He just kind
of opened his eyes a little bit, and
there was a nice, kind, soft smile, and
I’m sure he heard me. Those are the
things that made him smile and say,
“good”. I’d love to see more of that.
That’s The Power of Sam.
Carly: What he was concerned about
was, “I don’t want to go through all of
this and then have nothing come of it
and someone else have to experience
the same thing. I don’t want this to be
a chain. What I want is to help break
the chain.” He wanted to make a difference.
Mrs. Moore: He didn’t want others
to suffer, whether it be from bullying,
cancer or any other adversity. The
only thing he ever hoped for himself
was that he could have done some of
the things he dreamed about. So in
that same vain I’d say that if there’s
ever something you really want to do,
you should try it and just do it. Sam
was a very humble guy. He didn’t really talk about his needs or desires
very often. He talked more about
things that were a little unfinished that
he wanted to do. One was a service
project for scouts, Scouting for a Cure,
where scouts would have a box, like
the UNICEF collection boxes they
used to have when I was a kid. On
Halloween, you would get your candy
and people would put change in your
box and we’d give it to feed hungry
kids. Sam wanted to collect money
and have it benefit childhood cancers.
It was something Sam really wanted to
do for his Eagle Scout project. He got
his Eagle Scout award but that’s not
what mattered to him. He really wanted the project to happen. That was the
most important part.
Mr. Moore: They looked at his body
of work and hands down he was an
Eagle Scout. But he wanted to deliver
on that project.
Carly: Sam lived an Eagle Scout
project.
Sam will forever be our portrait of how to live a life to the fullest,
how to find inner peace and carry
yourself with grace even in the face of
adversity, and how to love with all
your heart. On behalf of all the hearts
you’ve touched, thank you – our
mentor, our dear friend, and our hero Sam.
Life On the Hill
Meet Our New Assistant Principals
Anita Tharmarajah
Editor
Ms. Annemarie Smith
Assistant Principal
As you most probably know this year we have two new
assistant principals. One of them is
Ms. Smith. She is the 6th grade administrator. Most of the students on
“The Hill” are getting to know Ms.
Smith as a caring person with wonderful qualities. We asked her a few
questions about herself and Rocky
Hill. We asked her to tell us her first
impression of our school. “When I
walked in I thought it was so beautiful and all the teachers were so nice
and when the students came back to
school I thought they were very respectful and nice too,” says Ms.
Smith. It is very common to have
goals especially when you are in a
new situation. When asked about the
goals that she may have for Rocky
Hill, she took time to explain what
the liked about our school. “First and
foremost I would like rocky hill to
continue to keep the reputation of
having great teachers and staff,” says
Ms. Smith. She showed that she has
very high expectations. “On a second
note I hope to increase student preparation to graduate high school by
decreasing the ineligibility rate.”
This basically means by setting a
high standard and giving students
opportunities to succeed more students will be successful.
Our third question focused
on her career as a school administrator. We asked her when she first realized that she wanted to be a school
administrator. We asked her when
she first realized that she wanted to
work as a school administrator. She
started as a teacher and later realized
that she could make real impact on
students and staff. “About 6 years
ago when I was a team leader, I realized the positive impact of school
administrators on the students and
staff,” says Ms. Smith. As an administrator, Ms. Smith tries to make a
difference. We had to ask her what
would have happened if she had not
been become an administrator. “I
would have continued to become a
teacher because I love teaching but
my long term goal is to become a
college professor and train administrators,” says Ms. Smith. We look
forward to many successful years
together with Ms. Smith as one of
our assistant principals.
Middle school years are
special for so many reasons. For one
thing, it is a transition between being
a child in elementary school and
becoming a teenager ready for high
school. We asked Ms. Smith about
her best memory in middle school.
Mrs. Smith had the opportunity to
attend school in a different country.
“I went to a school in England and I
really liked the elective classes and
the day trips we took to France,”
says Ms. Smith. It is fascinating that
she experienced a different culture,
and there is no doubt that she would
have a better understanding of students who have come here from a
different country. Mrs. Smith’s experience and training will help will
help to inspire us and make Rocky
Hill a better place.
We had a similar interview
with Ms. Stewart, the new 8th grade
administrator. One of the first things
you would notice about her is her
sense of humor. Commenting on her
impression of our school Ms. Stewart said, “I was impressed by the
amount of school spirit.” We have
had a student leadership program
during which we learned to commutate better and to avoid all kinds of
bulling. The goal is to have a safe
school where everyone has a sense
of belonging. It is nice to know our
new administrators notice our
school spirit and want to work here.
“The teachers love working here
and you have blood drives and the
basketball games and there is a lot
of community service and activities
and it’s just a great community. I’m
excited to work with our administrative team and all the great teachers,”
says Ms. Stewart. She went on to
tell that she loves “working on a
beautiful campus.”
Ms, Steward’s goals are
very clear. She wants to be a team
player! She told us that she would
like “to continue to be working with
the staff and increasing student
learning.” Our school strives to be
the best and we have adapted the
PRIDE program to help us achieve
this. Ms. Steward told us that her
goal is also to help the students be
more involved with the community.
She hopes that students are “highly
engaged and are good citizens as
well as well-rounded students.”
Mrs. Stewart realized that she wanted to be an administrator “after a
few years of teaching and working
under a principal who helped the
students indirectly by helping the
teachers.”
When we asked Ms. Stewart
what she would have become if she
hadn’t become a school administrator, her response was fascinating. “A
model- America’s next top model, or
a lawyer because I like to talk.” She
told us that she would have been a
scientist. “I find myself being a scientist every day because I am always
solving problems.” It is not surprising since she started as a science
teacher. Her memory of middle
school was “probably the field trips.
And all the fun I had with my
friends.” She liked the school plays
and being in the band. We warmly
welcome our new assistant principals and hope that their work on
“The Hill” will be filled with fun
memories.
Ms. Jeanine Stewart
Assistant Principal
Ah-Mazing Teachers
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
Mr. Grimes
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Mr. Grimes is an eighth
grade social studies teacher at
Rocky Hill. He has been working
here for sixteen and a half years.
Mr. Grimes was honored to be
teacher of the month. In a way it
was sort of like his crown. He thinks
highly of other teachers, and was
rather flattered to be “crowned”
teacher of the month. Mr. Grimes
clearly enjoys teaching. He wakes
up every morning looking forward
to see us rotten kids, “You know…
how sometimes people fantasize
about winning the lottery, and they
would quit their job, well I wouldn’t…” says Mr. Grimes. He connects very well with his students
and he has a special relationship
with his students. Although Mr.
Grimes is a history teacher, he enjoys other subjects such as, math,
and science.
Anusha Chinthalapale
Staff Writer
Mr. Grimes coordinates the
Geography Bee at Rocky Hill and
takes pride in the academic progress
of his students. Outside of Rocky
Hill, Mr. Grimes enjoys sports such
as, soccer, basketball, and he even
used to do a little weight lifting! He
has had a the great experience
teaching here at Rocky Hill! He has
not only shared his experience with
us, but with others as well. A life
lesson well learned is to never underestimate anyone, and I take that
quote and I think about it, because
those are words of wisdom!
Mrs. Arnaiz
6th Grade English Teacher
Ms. Arnaiz is a sixth grade
English teacher at Rocky Hill. She
has been teaching for twenty years.
Through these years of teaching
Mrs. Arnaiz has learned to set high
expectations for her students as well
herself. “I want my students to
know that I will go out of my way to
help them,” she says.
The things that make her
special are her sense of humor and
8
her ability to empathize with staff,
students and other people. You might
be surprised to know that she was
very sporty and planned on being an
actress someday after she studied
theater. That all changed in fourth
grade. “In fourth grade I had a teacher who was really mean. And I
thought that there should be less
mean teachers than nice ones,” she
says. When Mrs. Arnaiz learnt that
she was nominated, she was surprised. “WOW! I think that’s a
pleasant surprise to be honored, to be
chosen by kids.” She declares. Before she taught at RHMS, she taught
at Lakewood Elementary School,
Rosemont Elementary School, Rock
Creek Forest Elementary School and
Rachel Carson Elementary School.
She does pace her teaching
so she can teach more effectively but
she has a secret behind it. “I plan
with the other English teachers and
I’m constantly changing to meet my
students’ needs,” she states. Another
one of her many teaching methods is
to think about her grandmother who
is her inspiration. Mrs. Arnaiz is like
a normal sixth grade teacher but she
can bond with her students as well..
Special Features
Holidays for What?
Anusha Chinthalapale
Staff Writer
Over the course of many,
many years, the most favorable holidays have lost its purpose. Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving
are the kid’s favorite holidays. Halloween gives us candy and a reason
to dress up. During Thanksgiving we
have a feast and look forward to the
apple pie and the roast turkey. On
Christmas kids thank ‘Santa’ for
their presents. Other than this, what
do these holidays really signify?
Early people from Ireland,
also known as Celtics, occupied the
land from the British Isles to Gallatia. These people made a holiday
called All Hallows Eve, better
known as Halloween. “Hallo” meaning saints and “-een” (originally
e’en) means evening. This is why it
is named Halloween. October 31 is
All Hallows’ Eve whereas November 1 was All Hallows’ Day. We
dress-up to honor the Celtics, who
would wear frightening masks to
scare away bad spirits and prevent
demons from identifying them as
humans. We bob for apples, simply
to respect a fruit god that the Celtics
honored. Trick-or-treating was and
still is a very popular activity to pursue, back then and now. The Celtics
did this because they said that it represents the spirits who visited the
Celtics’ homes, disguised as people
in hopes of claiming a new soul. The
treat was a big feast after the fun and
fiasco was over. The commercialization of Halloween originated in
North America. This means that
North America took Halloween and
turned it into one of candy and costumes. Halloween is truly a very
enjoyable holidays.
It’s Thanksgiving! When
you think about that, the words you
think about are appreciation and
love. This holiday is not just for the
turkey and that delicious apple pie
your mother is baking. This holiday
is also the special day to celebrate
harvest. For the past six thousand
years, ever since humanity discovered agriculture, human society has
celebrated the harvest. Ever since
the industrial society started getting
stronger, one has become less dependent on our seasonal harvest,
yet, we still depend on the earth to
provide our food. In 1621, the first
Thanksgiving feast was thrown by
the pilgrims.
Many people think that
after 1621 the pilgrims kept celebrating this holiday every year, and
eventually, it became a holiday.
That is not true. It took a long time
for Thanksgiving to develop as a
national holiday. President Abraham
Lincoln was the person who declared Thanksgiving as a national
holiday. President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided that the fourth Thursday in November would be the official date of the holiday. The term
Thanksgiving” is from the English
translation of the Bible where it
means “Giving thanks to God.”
Thanksgiving is celebrated everywhere in different types of ways. In
North America we are a hybrid of
European and the Native tradition.
When Europeans first came to
America, they brought all their harvest festival traditions from Europe
to celebrate safe voyage, peace and
good harvest. Ms. Rye says, “I like
Thanksgiving. It’s a time when my
family comes from all over Maryland and we spend quality time with
each other. We usually play backyard football and have a pie festival.” Ms. Heald says, “I like
Thanksgiving as well. It’s a time to
be grateful for what I have. My
whole family gets together and we
have a big turkey dinner. The best
part is that we have three November
birthdays so we celebrate them all
on Thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving
brings families and friends together
to celebrate the gift of one another.
Christmas is not all about
getting presents or having a lavish
feast. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate love. Christians
prefer to celebrate this holiday on
behalf of the Birth of Christ. This is
the most common predilection in
America where kindness and love
Fun Facts
The Bubonic Plague
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
Linette Kingston
Staff Writer
Who knew a deadly plague
that struck fear into the hearts of
millions of Europeans, a few centuries ago could still have the same
effect on some today? Well, that was
what happened as 7-year-old Sierra
Downing from Colorado, contracted
a deadly disease known as the Bubonic Plague.
This plague also known as
the “Black Death,” swept throughout
Europe around the 14 century. It
killed about 25 million people,
which is about 30- 60% of Europe’s
population. Without treatment, the
plague kills about two thirds of the
human body within 4 days. The infection is usually a result from the
bite of an infected rat flea, is commonly found on rodents such as rats
and mice. Recently, Sierra had come
into contact with a dead squirrel,
which she had wanted to bury. She
was rushed to the hospital after having a fever of 107 degrees. Sierra
had a high heart rate and was having
seizures. After a few tests, the doctors began to suspect that Sierra had
a very rare disease. "I didn't know
what was going on. I just reacted,"
says Sean Downing. “I had never
seen it," Dr. Snow told 9News. "You
prevails. The decision to celebrate
this holiday on December 25 was
made in the fourth century by church
bishops in Rome. Having turned
long ago from worshipping the one
true God and creator of all things,
many early cultures in the Roman
empire had fallen into sun worship.
They held feasts around the winter
solstice in December, when the days
are shortest. When it came apparent
that the days were getting longer,
they all rejoiced. The church leaders
in Rome decided to celebrate
Christ’s Birth on the winter solstice.
Some people think that Christmas
time is a time of sorrow. These people didn’t have that much money to
buy presents for their friends and
family. For them, a nice get-together
with a plentiful feast is just a dream.
Most people, though, enjoy
Christmas time and think that it is a
time of happiness. It is a time of God
showing great love for us. Look at
Christmas in a new way this year.
Some people aren’t getting presents
this year. Mrs. Spear says, “I like
Christmas. It is a religious holiday
that brings back fond memories of
my childhood. On Christmas day,
we have a big family dinner, lots of
special treats and candy. It’s fun to
celebrate with family on these special occasions as well as reflect on
your religion.” This holiday is celebrated for the religious reasons and
the fun ones as well.
These Holidays aren’t just
about entertaining you. It’s about
thinking about others or the people
who invented this holiday. This is
the reason for the Holidays. Rejoice!





Sierra Downing



learn about it in medical school during microbiology, but I had never
seen a case of it before. If she had
stayed home, she could've easily
died within 24 to 48 hours from the
shock of infection"
The doctors picked up on
the symptoms and quickly started
giving her antibiotics which led to
her recovery. “If not treated, bubonic
plague can progress quickly to shock
and then cause organs to fail,” Dr.
Drummond told the Denver Post.
Five days later, Sierra came out of
the intensive care unit and is smiling
once more. Even though this disease
is rare, it is enough for people to be
scared for their lives. When it comes
to diseases dating back to the Middle
Ages, doctors have your back. We
are all glad that Sierra is alright, but
the bubonic plague is one disease
that you don’t want to get.
Ice Cream is classified as Chinese food!
There is a Hello-Kitty themed hospital in Taiwan
Over 1,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.
More than ten people a year are killed by vending machines.
Each year, there are more 40,000 toilet related injuries in the United
States.
Elvis had a twin.
Oprah Winfrey makes 10$ a second.
There is a Pokémon themed airport in Japan
Would You Rather…?









Would you rather get attacked by a 50 duck-sized horses or one horse
sized duck?
Would you rather have a pause or rewind button in your life?
Would you rather be half your weight or double your weight?
Would you rather win the lottery or live twice as long?
Would you rather eat moldy food or mice?
Would you rather go surfing on the ocean or on the internet all day?
Would you rather be a kid forever or an adult forever?
Would you rather be able to control your dreams, or be able to watch
them on video next day?
Would you rather be a ninja or a pirate?
These fun facts were obtained from funfactz.com and rrrather.com
9
Current Issues
The Reality of Movies
Rahul Shah
Editor
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY HAVE IDEAS THAT
MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL.
There have been many,
many movies that show different cultures. Mission Impossible 4: Ghost
Protocol, Avengers, The Dictator,
Eat Pray Love, and many other movies have shown places around the
world and the people that live there.
A lot of them poke some humor and
develop a story line with the different
places. But where is the point where
you cross the line? When an entire
ethnicity, an entire country, comes to
riot?
Recently a movie was made
that greatly insulted the people of the
Islam faith. The movie portrayed the
people as a violent, ruthless race.
This caused many riots and other acts
of violence. Countless riots with an
incalculable number of people killed.
Everyone, even the prime minister,
was angry. An assassination bounty
was put up for the man who produced
the movie. The bounty was for
$100,000 and even Al Qaeda and the
Taliban were involved for the assault.
Eventually, the bounty was taken
down. On September 21st a riot took
place in Bangladesh, with over 20
deaths reported this issue is escalating fast.
This issue has gone beyond
the riots and physical attacks, and has
entered the digital world. Many posts
on the internet have been made insulting Muslims for participating in
acts of violence just as they were in
the movie. So many threats and
security issues have happened that
the internet and media were shut
down in certain countries. Facebook, Twitter, and many other sites
where public posts are show have
restricted these discussions and are
on a watch for activity that could
cause uprisings. Ideas spread very
fast nowadays all because of social
media. The thought of a movie being offensive got around so fast that
the governments of Pakistan and
other countries didn’t even realize
the effects of this movie.
Advocates in the Pakistan
communities have spoken up
against the riots and the assassinations, saying “We believe in nonviolence. How could we make such
announcements? Our party has been
fighting against militancy and extremism for years. How could we
invite Taliban and al Qaeda to kill
someone? [They] are our enemies
who have killed our loved ones”
says Senator Zahid Khan, a spokesperson for a political party running
for office. The simple perspectives
of some people have brought out
the worst in others.
Many people want this
movie taken down. Not counting
every person in Pakistan, there are
many people in the U.S. and even
that played a part in the movie
agree to take this down. Cindy Lee
Garcia was tricked into playing a
character in the movie. “I was confused,” she said. “There were other
words that were put in my mouth. I
was devastated.” Upon looking into
the trailer for the movie anybody
could see that a lot of the people
were dubbed and had another person’s words. This wasn’t bad audio
or production. Cindy Garcia and
many of the other actors were
tricked into saying one thing and
then had someone say terrible
things over their voices. In more
ways than one the production of
this movie violates many laws and
overall social acceptability.
Some people believe that
the producer and director of the
movie are protected by the Constitution and that they shouldn’t be on
trial. One person said, “The video
was bad but the guy who made it has
the freedom of speech so they can't
arrest him.” Many people thought
this. But actually the Constitution
goes against those statements. The
Constitution says, word for word,
“The free communication of ideas
and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every
citizen may, accordingly, speak,
write, and print with freedom, but
shall be responsible for such abuses
of this freedom as shall be defined
by law” This basically y means that
a person can make a form of media
or speech or anything they want to
without being in trouble. However,
if you abuse your freedom, and use
it to harm or insult others, you must
face the consequences of arrest or
court justice and get your freedom
taken away.
Ever since we were in 1st
grade we were taught by parents and
teachers that if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it.
The prejudiced views of a group of
people shouldn’t affect the world so
greatly that people lose their lives.
“With great power comes great responsibility” is a famous quote and
it clearly portrays this situation. The
freedom of speech that we have is a
great power, and we should use it
carefully.
Election Humor Rewind
Ms. Katie Odey
Supervising Editor
There is a good chance that
you will be reading this article after
the 2012 presidential election. We
finally got a big break from the barrage of political ads that bombarded
our airways. Some of the ads were
so negative and in my opinion, so
tasteless that I wondered if people
were actually swayed to vote for a
certain candidate just by watching
and listening to those ads. Some of
my students had an opportunity to
read and respond to an article in the
KidsPost that compared those negative ads to toy or cereal commercials. Sadly, very few people noticed
the irony of spending money lavishly on political ads while promising
to make things better for people.
Imagine spending half of that money
on scholarships for students who are
struggling, or helping our war veterans who need a little boost to help
them cope or get jobs. What made
this season even more memorable
was the mention of Big Bird during
the first debate between President
Obama and Governor Romney.
This election season with all
the promises for a better future has
finally come to an end, and we now
wait and see if our elected officials
will keep their promises. There were
some humorous moments from this
election season that will be with us
forever. Saturday Night Live replicated the debates the way only SNL
would, exaggerating memorable
points during the debates. There
were those memorable gaffes from
both candidates that gave comedians materials to make us laugh. I
stumbled onto a web kangaroo post
on www.squido.com, titled, Best
Jokes of the 2012 Election Season.
With all the terrible things
happening around the world, and an
election season marked by some
incendiary comments and memorable gaffes, comedians like Jay Leno, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel
and Conan O’Brien found ways to
make us laugh. Most of the jokes
about Romney focused on his
wealth.
"This artificial hamburger technology is not perfected. To make a complete patty, scientists say it will cost
$400,000 per hamburger. The first
10 have already been ordered by
Mitt Romney." - Craig Ferguson
"It's been reported that Mitt Romney's campaign is spending cash
twice as fast as they're earning it.
Hey, it turns out he is just like us
after all." - Conan O'Brien
"Happy Presidents Day. We have a
lot of President’s Day sales. Mitt
Romney got a little confused. He
thought the presidency was for
sale." - Jay Leno
"Today Mitt Romney visited a firehouse here in New York City. Of
course, he was disappointed when
he learned that the firehouse is not
where you get to fire people." Jimmy Fallon
President Obama was criticized for our weak economy and a
low job rate. There is, of course,
that question that Donald Trump
raised about his birthplace.
10
Jay Leno to Obama: "What's this
thing with Trump and you? It's like
me and Letterman. I don't get it."
Obama: "This all dates back to when
we were growing up together in
Kenya."
"President Obama is coming under
criticism now for not meeting with
his jobs council. He hasn't met with
his jobs council in over six months.
You know the reason Obama hasn't
met with his job council in six
months? They're all out looking for
jobs." - Jay Leno
"Due to the rising price of oil and
gas, the Obama administration announced today they are considering
dipping into our national strategic reelection reserves. I mean, I'm sorry strategic oil reserves." - Jay Leno
"President Obama's approval rating
is up to 50 percent. Only half the
country dislikes him. Apparently his
strategy of not being like any of the
Republican candidates is paying
off." - Jimmy Kimmel
"You can tell gas prices are going up
in California. Prius owners are getting that smug look again." - Jay
Leno
Let’s face it; we all need a
good laugh every now and then. Although most of us would like to forget some of the contentious moments
during the campaigns, we will not
soon forget the comic relief we enjoyed. Some of them will hopefully
last until the midterm elections in
two years.
Today’s Technology
Technology-and Stress?
Manav Mathur
Editor
You, a troubled middle
school student, wake up at 6:30, not
so ready to spend 6⅔ hours in
school. You pick up your brand new
IPhone 4S on your bedside table and
ask Siri, “How can I relax today?”
Siri answers, “I’m really sorry
about this, but I can’t take any
requests right now. Please try
again in a little while.” You become furious at Siri and then madly
throw your IPhone across your bedroom. Nothing seems to work today.
If you are that kind of person then
this article may calm you down.
Scientific advances in neurology (brain study) have said that
your phone could be the ultimate
key to calming you down. “Over the
past few years, we have gotten very
good at measuring and tracking our
stress," said Dr. Eric Topol, director
and chief academic officer at the
Scripps Translational Science Institute. The very phone you threw
across the room in the morning
could have resulted in a better day
for you! There are some apps on any
phone that allow you to relax by
having you breathe deeply, or show-
ing you relaxing pictures. Other apps
will tell you the facts: your heart
rate, how you sound, and many
more. “I can listen to music that
helps me feel relaxed,” says
Prashant Mathur, a software engineer. Music is usually a systematic
way to make you completely forget
about your stress.
Unfortunately, not all people see technology as an interesting
way to relax. Authors Michelle
Weil and Larry Rosen explain our
inability to cope with everyday technology in a book called
"TechnoStress: Coping with Technology." The term “technostress” is
often used to explain our reaction to
technology and how we are changing because of its influence.
“Technology has become an integral
part of our everyday lives. Especially now that wireless Internet is so
prevalent in phones and laptops,
5th Generation iPod Touch
Google’s Latest Product
Ali Tyma
Staff Writer
What’s slim, lightweight,
portable and loaded with all sorts of
apps and games just for your purpose and joy? That’s right, you
guessed it. The new Nexus 7 tablet,
exclusively from Google. Jampacked into just seven inches of
screen space are apps that Google
designed especially for the Nexus 7.
From classic Google apps, such as
YouTube, GooglePlus, GooglePlay,
to thousands of other apps such as
live weather and traffic updates,
eBooks and thousands more, this
tablet has been designed with the
wants of our ever-changing society
in mind. The features of the Nexus 7
are built in so when you buy your
tablet for only $199.00, it is a much
better deal than the Apple IPad.
IPads generally list at $300.00 to
$400.00.
With the less expensive
Nexus tablet, you’re fully loaded
with some of the best technology,
right at your fingertips. Now, ask
yourself: do you really want to pay
more for the same apps and features
or less? That’s exactly what the Nex-
we’re often expected to answer emails within minutes of getting
them, we’re criticized when we
don’t respond to Facebook wall
posts within a 24-hour time span,
and leaving our mobile phones at
home for the day is an activity of the
past,” says Alison Wesley, a member of Intel’s official blog. The
whole reason people drawl on and
on about technology not meeting
their standards is because the experience of waiting destroys their patience. “Technology brings my office home through my smartphone,
so I am unable to find time to relax,”
says Alankrita Mathur, a QA analyst
at Marriott. Most people find the
working environment uninteresting,
so phones bring that uninteresting
environment to the home, which
causes technostress.
Most people would take
nothing away from this article and
go about their hi-tech daily lives.
But, as it is, it is important to remember that technology may be a
turning point in our civilization.
“My IPhone helps keep me organized and focused,” says Mrs. Murphy, a teacher at Rocky Hill. Above
all, technology is designed to help
you in a positive way.
us 7 is! These days, the wants and
needs of our society are so high
that only some of the new technology meets those expectations. Only
the Nexus 7 has something for everyone. The bookworms have thousands of eBooks to choose from.
Movie lovers have the just released
movie right at their fingertips.
Writers and journalists enjoy the
easy typing and the ability to easily
update their blogs, news-post, etc.
With all of its features, the Nexus
7 is making headlines everywhere.
David Pogue, a New York Times
reporter thinks the Nexus 7 is
"sleek and beautiful” And that
“...you’ll be thrilled by the Nexus
7” .But the Nexus 7 is not only
making headlines in the newspapers, but headlines in the technology world. Computerworld says,
that the "Nexus 7: Small price, big
deal." The Nexus 7 allows everyone to express themselves in
whichever way they prefer. This
new piece of technology perfectly
meets our society’s needs while
offering an affordable balance of
form and function!
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
“Mom, I need a new iPod
Touch.”
“What’s wrong with your
old one?”
“It’s not the 5th Generation...Mom, keep up, there’s Siri, an
AWESOME aluminum colored
background and…”…and this child
goes on for about another hour. The
new iPod Touch has features like,
FaceTime, iMessage, Safari, mail
and notes, and so much more! First
of all there’s Siri; she’s your best
friend, or perhaps your soul-mate.
This brand new app talks back and
she has emotion! See, I’m already
talking about her as if she’s real!
“The new iPod touch is colorful,
light, and beautiful!” says Anita
Tharmarajah, 7th grader. One could
play games, watch Netflix and do all
the ordinary on an extraordinary
device! The iPod Touch’s Retina
Display is 4 inches large! “I find this
new design interesting and sleek!”
exclaims Manav Mathur, 7th grader.
Not only the 5th Generation, but all
of iPods and iPads, is promoting
11
(PRODUCT) Red, a global fund
foundation that gives money to people who have AIDS in Africa. “I
think it’s wonderful that they have
raised awareness for AIDS in Africa.” says Neil Agrawal, 8th grader
There’s this amazing aluminum
background the colors come in;
pink, blue, (PRODUCT) Red, lime
green, white, and dark gray - sort of
like this rainbow of electronics! Buy
it and see for yourself! “I think that
this new design is definitely going to
be a workout for your thumb.” Indya
Roberts, 7th grader says jubilantly.
This new product is $299, but I think
it’s worth it! It’s kind of like you
stepped into the world of AWESOMENESS that you can’t get out
of because you’re hooked! “I think
that it’s wonderful that they made an
efficient generation, and to give customers easier access,” says another
extremely excited 6th grader. The 5th
Generation iPod Touch does not
only care for us and our money but
for the world!
Books
Antiques Behind a Cover
Sooah Sohn
Staff Writer
What do you think when
you hear the word “classic”? Is it
“boring,” “too hard,” or “for
adults”? Maybe it’s all of these.
You don’t think of classics as your
typical Hunger Games or Percy
Jackson, because, even though
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”
is a common proverb, people do,
quite literally, judge classics by
their first impression, or their cover. Just because the first paragraph
doesn’t start with “I woke up in a
dark room…” or something like
that doesn’t mean the book isn’t
for you, or that it’s 500 pages of
blah, blah blah, blah blah. It’s
filled with endless lengths of beauty, pointing out the most seemingly obvious points that most of the
human kind has been ignorantly
oblivious to.
Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Oliver Twist, Sherlock Holmes
- these are only a few of the ancient jewels of literature that we
are lucky enough to have today.
Many people have jumped out of
their seats for the suspense in one
of Holmes’s chases, and I, personally, threw a tantrum and cried my
eyes out when Beth died in Little
Women. If you think about it, the
wording is complicated, but if you
take out that factor, classics are
chock full of the characteristics that
the best-selling books today have,
and more. “Literary classics are
vital to literary development, for
they lead writers and readers alike
to the roots of literature itself,” says
Mae McDermott. You can certainly prove this true, comparing your
favorite modern book to any classic. “When you reread a classic,
you do not see more in the book
than you did before; you see more
in you than there was before,” says
Cliff Fadiman. This is certainly
true. You may look back on Tom
Sawyer when you’re graduating
from high school and- surprise!!understand all of the jokes and
points Mark Twain has made. You
may also notice that much of your
life has covered these
common areas of humanity. You
may also recall the feelings you had
as a child Tom’s age.
“A classic is a book that
has never finished saying what it
has to say,” says Italo Calvino, author of The Literature Machine.
Indeed, that is why classics are literary antiques; artifacts from the
past that are studded with gems of
virtue, never making their point
fragilely. “Lessons from classical
novels are ageless! Even though my
mother read me the story of Cinderella and her glass slippers when I
was very young, the story and its
lessons are still valid. Many little
girls still dream of dancing with a
handsome prince someday,” says
Ms. Odey.
Admit it, girls, you did- or
still do. In fact, many Disney movies are from classics, aren’t they?
Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast,
Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, the Princess and the Frog,
even the Hunchback of Notre Dame
are timeless classics handed down
from generation to generation.
You can trace them back to
a story ingenious minds molded
from their out-of-the-world ideas.
“Classics are forever a part of our
lives- things from the past that have
forever made their mark, surviving
far into the future,” says Mae
McDermott. According to Andrew
Kern in his article, Teaching Classical Literature Classically,
“Classical literature exposes the
student to models of virtue. It also
places demands on his intellect,
thus developing his intellectual virtues.”
Truly, classics are amazing artifacts
born from deep in the minds of talented authors. They are modern
day’s antiques… behind a cover.
Destiny Quest
certain age group to sign on. Destiny
Quest is open to everyone! Also, it
belongs to the school website, so no
one can invade your personal privacy. Although Destiny Quest is more
secured, it is in many ways just like
most popular social websites. Like
Facebook, Destiny Quest lets you
chat with friends and recommend
books to them!
As you can see Destiny
Quest is a great program to encourage kids to read while doing the
things that they seem to love… using
technology.
Anita Tharmarajaha, and
Maisah Sessay- Dixon
Editor and Staff Writer
This year the Rocky Hill
students got introduced to a new
program called Destiny Quest, a patrons catalog adopted by MCPS.
Density is almost like Facebook,
except its really about books. You
can make friends recommend books
to them and see their updates. You
can also see what books are in and
out of the library and see how others
liked them. Destiny Quest is available in school and at home, straight
from the Rocky Hill website.
When you first log on, you
would see all the updates and recommendations that your friends have
made. If you want to friend somebody you can look them up by typing in their first or last name. For
you personally you can put books in
three different shelves. If you read a
book then you put it in the “have
read shelf.” If you are currently
reading something then you can put
it in the reading shelf. If you find a
book that looks interesting, you
could put it in the “want to read.”
Once you put it in the want to read
you can see if the book is in the library or if it is checked out. On your
screen you can also change the background to whatever you want that
they have. The themes range from
deep under the sea to outer space!
On the quest home page
they have a list of the top ten books
and15 latest arrivals and resource list
in which books are categorized into
by Mrs. Gramatges. Wherever you
are on the site you can see how
many books you have in each shelf. .
The resource lists are basically categories of books that are
dived by themes. There are three
different historical fiction sections.
There is a part for girls, a part for
boys and a part for people who like a
certain series. “Destiny Quest is so
much fun! I hope that everyone at
RHMS ‘friends’ me. I may not read
as many books as Ms. Gramatges
but I DO read too!” says Mrs. Heidary
It seems that people have
very different views on Destiny. “It
is cool, fun, and everyone should go
on it,” says Mia Melendez. Indya
Roberts says “Destiny Quest is helpful but can be improved it make it
more interesting.” Kristine Antanesian says “I do not like the new Destiny Quest and I don’t think that any-
one will use it,” says a student. “I
think Destiny Quest is awesome and
it is like a Facebook for kids.” Looks
like Destiny Quest will get popular
with time.
One thing that makes Destiny Quest a perfect website is that it
is completely safe. Unlike websites
like Facebook and Twitter, Destiny
Quest does not require you to be a
12