The Wildcat Roar
Volume 8
Number 3
Spring 2013
A Quarterly Publication of Rocky Hill Middle School
A Colossal Celebration of the Arts
Manav Mathur
Tech Editor
Anusha Chinthalapele
Staff Writer
Mr. Sprites, RHMS Art Teacher,
tends to some details at the Arts
Rotation Celebration.
On Thursday, March 14,
2013, at 4:30, Rocky Hill Middle
School launched its first Arts Rotation Celebration. People were entering the building for the celebration
and to see amazing sights and wonders. And amazing sights and wonders they saw. There were students
assisting those entering, students
taking photos, students making food
samples, students demonstrating
technology they created, and students treating the guests to wonderful music. “So many talented students! I attended the Arts Rotation
Celebration and was amazed to see
all [the] projects our students have
been creating. Pillows, granola bars,
strudel pastries, sculptures, computer
animation, self-portraits, solar powered cars, hieroglyphic symbols, and
more~ all while listening to the girls
of the concert orchestra…” said Mrs.
Benson, 7th grade English teacher at
the celebration. The students were
clearly the ones who had put in the
effort to give us a taste of what the
students do in the arts rotation
classes. But, one begins to wonder
how and why Mr. Sprites, Mr. Perrone, Mrs. Caviness, and others organized such a massive celebration?
Mr. Sprites said, “Mrs. Kukla and
Mrs. Ward wanted to showcase what
the kids were doing in the arts rotation classes.” That is a big motivation to organize such a celebration
for the purposes of enjoyment. The
celebration also serves as a sneak
peek at what the Arts Rotation students at Rocky Hill have been doing
for the past 7 months in their classes.
“It was so nice to see the students in
another light,” said Mrs. Benson.
The FACS students in eighth grade
made amazing strudel! The sixth and
seventh graders made scrumptious
parfaits and chicken nachos. But
how did they all do it? “They
worked hard and I am very proud of
them!” said Mrs. Caviness. Mr.
Sprites and Mr. Perrone put heaps of
effort into the Arts Rotation Celebration. “I'm excited to see the results
and creativity. But I really want
things to go well,” says Mr. Perrone,
before the celebration. “The Arts
Rotation Celebration showcases the
expertise and commitment of student's work ethic and risk taking
ability,” he expressed. The celebration was a great success and I can
guess that they'll do it again. “I think
there was a lot of work and effort
put forth. I know the parents, teachers and the students put a lot of time
and work into it. They've been working at a high school level and I'm
proud of them.” Mr. Lee stated.
So did the students feel the
same way that the teachers felt at the
celebration? Well, this is what some
students have to say about it. “There
[have] been lots of people; we’ve
made loads of nachos,” said 7th
grader Pranav Banerjee, who was at
the celebration. “Finally, the arts
[rotation] people can show off their
hard work…,” said 7th grader Ritvik
Jain. Both of them had work that
was displayed at the celebration. 6 th
grader Dileepa Manage said, “I feel
important and recognized.” Namely,
that was one of the most important
things that the teachers emphasized
during the celebration: that the students feel that they are recognized
by the guests who were coming in.
“It feels nice to be here and all…,”
said 7th grader Iyin Folarin. Moreover, the students felt important and
knew that they were there to show us
their potential. And they showed us
their absolute best when other guests
came to watch them.
tions, a musical ensemble, and a faculty [(staff)] art expo.” It was definitely close to what The Gazette had
to say, but it also provided a joyful
experience for all who went.
Rocky Hill’s concert orchestra
provided beautiful music.
The parents who arrived
with their children for the aesthetic
evening were also wonderfully
amazed at what the kids had to offer
to them. “It was great. They did a
fantastic job. We have a lot of artistic kids here at Rocky Hill,” said
parent Pat Weixel. Another parent
reported, “I think it’s really nice to
see kids’ artwork other than my
own.” Art is said to be more effective when it comes from the heart.
Parents really noticed that and saw
the art as a message. Another parent, Sherily Neidecker, said this: “It
was beautiful. It was nice to see so
many creative pieces.” The art that
was combined to carry out the celebration was a piece of art itself; a
collage of what both the students
and the teachers have worked on for
the past 7 months was a work of art
itself.
Many of the SSL workers
got a benefit out of the celebration
too. They were able to see everything and know about it and they
also were able to meet new people.
“I've been working on the sign-up
sheet which will go up in one of the
school hallways. The parents were
stunned by the ethics of the students.
Not only their child, but everyone
else's too,” says a sixth grade SSL
worker, Saniya Tiwari. “I was doing
the sign-in sheet, but by the looks of
the parents they look like they are
going to see amazing things. They
came in with big smiles,” Alexis
Lopez stated. “I think they were astonished to see how hard their child
has worked,” said sixth grade SSL
worker, Jade Porter. The SSL volunteers were amazing. They knew the
answer to every question and this
celebration was massively lifted to
great heights because of them.
The Arts Rotation Celebration was a success, appealing to the
parents and wowing the teachers,
and some students even learned a
little something about themselves.
Mr. Sprites, Mr. Perrone, Ms. Caviness and Mr. Callaway put a lot of
work into the celebration and tried to
make it the best. Along with the success, many students hope to see what
goes up on display next year.
Students share their culinary
talents with guests and fellow
students.
TNR 24 Table Of Contents
Visitors to the Arts Rotation enjoyed multiple types of art created
by RMHS students and staff.
Front Page:
 A Colossal Celebration of the Arts
Editorial Page:
 The Gun Debate
From what I’ve told you so
far, you must be thinking that the
celebration was entirely studentfocused, right? Wrong. The teachers
also shared what they do regarding
the arts. Mr. Perrone proudly displayed his collection of handmade
pottery which he had made last year,
dipped in glaze. Mrs. Benson
showed off her collection of handwoven quilts, while Mrs. Williams
had her white-water rafting picture
displayed. The Gazette said this
about the celebration: “A variety of
student artwork will be displayed,
including sketches, digital art, sculpture, robotics, woodworking, and
electric airplanes. The celebration
will also feature food demonstra-
Team Willpower Gets Ready
Ah-Mazing Teacher
RHMS Archery Hits the Mark
Editorial Page, Continued
 Such An Animal!
Sports Page:
 Most Memorable Wins and Losses
 Game Changer
Rocky Hill Page
 Celebrating Pride with Ms. Ayana
Gregory
Special Features:
 Nessie In Siberia
 Detention
Writer’s Corner:
 The Enchanted Lip Gloss
 Spring Story
Special Features (Continued):
 What Dreams are Made of
Book Reviews
 Amber House
 Between the Shades of Grey
 Number the Stars
 Dashing Through the Snow

Life On The Hill: (Continued)
1



Current Issues
 Crash and Burn
Technology:
 Technology Old vs. New
 The Danger of Social Media
Health:
 For All Vegetable Haters
 Break A Leg
Editorial Page
The Gun Debate
Neil Agrawal
Chief Editor
On December 14, 2012, a
gunman, Adam Lanza, went into
Sandy Hook Elementary school and
shot 20 young innocent children.
The attack seems to have revived
conversations about gun control and
unending debate between gun right
activists and victims of gun violence. This issue has led to the police crackdown on people who illegally have guns. Before, this issue
was merely regarded with a shrug of
the shoulders and a, “who cares,”
but now, these attacks have made us
wonder about the world we have
come to live in. A world where guns
are part of everyday lives, and every
day, people are being shot and killed
because of these mean killing machines. Shirley Chambers, was an
average middle class mother in Chicago who lost all her children due to
gun violence. “People of America
are guaranteed the right to bear
arms, after all The Second Amendment gives us the right to do so,”
says Mae McDermott, 7th grader.
“Having the right to protect ourselves and our families is an aspect
of our culture. But we cannot allow
it to BECOME our culture.” Can we
really do anything about gun control?
The Second Amendment to
our Constitution states, “A wellregulated militia being necessary to
the security of a free state, the right
of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed.” Some believe that Americans have the right
to own guns and to use them for
gaming and protecting their families.
Others believe that guns should be
kept by the military because they are
trained to handle them. When it
comes to gun ownership, background checks continue to be a contentious issue. To proponents of gun
control and, I dare to say, in the interest of common sense, it makes
sense to have stricter gun control
laws. Background checks make
sense. I am 13 years old, and I am
tall enough to reach the pedals of our
family car, but I am not allowed to
drive until I’m 16 years old. I have
to wait until I fulfill the requirements to do so. I will have to take a
is that people who own guns for
protection or for hunting have in
some cases become victims. The
Sandy Hook shooter did not own
the gun that he used to take the
lives of 20 innocent children. He
took the guns that his mother had.
There have been occasions where
children got found guns in their
homes and accidentally used them.
It is time for Americans to face the
reality that guns have and will continue to take innocent lives if we
don’t enact stronger gun control
laws. At least fewer people would
own guns and hopefully there
would be fewer tragedies from gun
violence.
driving test and pass a road test in
order to get a license when I am 16.
My parents can drive cars, but they
are not licensed to drive big trucks.
People who drive those big trucks
are required to have a special license. When it comes to guns, it
seems that anybody who can pull a
trigger can use a gun anywhere, any
time. People of all ages are shot and
killed just about every day in big
and small cities across America, yet
our leaders are still debating the
idea of gun control.
There are people who believe that guns must be kept by the
military because they are trained to
use them to protect our country.
“Guns should be kept by both in
case our country is threatened,”
says Nina Agrawal. But you also
have to keep in mind that when The
Constitution was written, nobody
thought that our country would one
day have mass killing machines
such as the M16. The US News
and World Report cited the 2008
Supreme Court case, District of
Columbia v. Heller, where the court
ruled in favor of The Constitution
stating that “The Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a
gun for personal use.” Two years
later, in 2010, the Supreme Court
ruling made it clear that the right to
bear arms, according to the Second
Amendment, applies to the state
and local levels. Interestingly, the
ban lifted the old Chicago gun ban.
It is important to note that Chicago
had 500 homicides in 2012. As we
know, the National Riffle Association (NRA) continues to lobby for
gun rights citing the Second
Amendment. “The real challenge is
going to be getting law-abiding citizens access to it,” says NRA Vice
President Wayne LaPierre, following the Supreme Court Ruling.
As much as you think that
banning assault weapons or at least
having some kind common sense
laws to reduce gun violence is reasonable, gun control debates are not
that simple in Congress. Debates
are still going on about events that
happened last year! As a matter of
fact, on February 25, 2013, Congress was close to agreeing on a
deal that banned all military assault
rifles for possession of the ordinary
citizen. As much of a no-brainer as
this debate seems, some members
still do not agree. According to an
interview with Fox 5, Oklahoma
Senator Tom Coburn said, “If they
want to eliminate the benefits of
actually trying to prevent the sales
to people who are mentally ill and
to criminals, all they have to do is
to create a record-keeping. That
will kill this bill."
One part that is definitely
slowing things down in the debate
process is one thing that is inevitable. Republicans and Democrats do
not seem to agree with each other.
Most Republicans strongly believe
that guns should be owned by “law
abiding citizens.” However, Democrats think that guns should be
regulated by the military, and only
certain people can own them. Supposedly, if the Second Amendment
grants us the opportunity to own
arms, does this mean we can put
tanks in our backyard? The reality
Supervising Editor
Ms. Katie Odey
Chief Editor
Neil Agrawal
Assistant Chief Editor
Mae McDermott
Writers Corner Editor
Anita Tharmarajah
Special Features Editor
Rahul Shah
Rocky Hill Page Editor
Nina Agrawal
Sports Editor
Kristine Antanesian
Tech Editor
Manav Mathur
Staff Writers
Sooah Sohn
Indya Roberts
Anusha Chinthalapale
Ali Tyma
Linette Kingston
2
Editorial Page, Continued
Such An Animal!
Mae McDermott
Assistant Chief Editor
“Ugh! You are SUCH an
animal!”
For humans, this is meant to
be an insult… a way of comparing
the behavior of a superior, evolved
human being to that of a mere animal, a creature of sorts. Animals –
such a degrading, offensive term to
us humans! Over time, this phrase
has gained stinging tone to match
such biting words.
However, I question
whether this phrase is really an attack at all. So what if I am like an
animal? When you get down to the
rawhide facts, being compared to an
animal is not something to desperately avoid… the mindset and outlook of an animal is one that we
should all strive for and one that
could create the balanced society we
lack.
Human life is an evolutionary path, a journey in which we all
develop and adapt to survive in the
world we live in. We have certainly
reached a point far from where we
once were, but perhaps we are not
the “superior race” our mentality
suggests we are. After all, our brains
used to be as simple and our bodies
as primitive as those of our furry
friends.
While our intellectual abilities have grown considerably over
the course of millions of years, so
many of our animal instincts have
ebbed away, pushed up shore as the
waves of human dignity mercilessly
pound against them. Instincts telling
us to place family first, alerting us of
danger and helping us steer clear of
it, infusing us with loyalty, creating
a keen organism and natural order –
without these instincts, what are we?
Arguably the best example
of natural instinct lies with our very
own man’s best friend. A dog’s priorities are second to none… protecting family from dangers, being loyal
to those they love and those who
need them most. Even after millenniums of domestication and humans
softening their wild edge, canines
have not strayed from their foundation of love and loyalty. It will forever be a part of who they are and
how they live, a perpetual compass.
Humans tend to act on impulse and
put their loved ones at risk. Perhaps
our species has lost its compass?
After all, our instincts have waned to
the point where we cannot properly
recognize moral from immoral, important from worthless. We steal, we
kill, we lie, we cheat and there is no
indication that our emptyheadedness and inconsideration for
others will end any time soon. Animal instincts are instincts that we
cannot live peacefully without... do
we still have our own?
Amongst humans, it seems
that two aspects of life dominate our
minds… the tantalizing material
world with its luxurious items and
crisp green currency, and the emotional world with its sometimes
questionable actions to ensure self
preservation and happiness. Humans
can be a most selfish species, constantly seeking ways to satisfy ourselves... sometimes we may even
jeopardize others, tangled by a web
of wants that makes us blind to the
consequences of our actions. Our
desperation for useless things has
become a part of human culture, a
girder of every day life for us.
Animals, however, are not
concerned with these things… many
of them simply love to love and to
be loved, coveting their families and
nature. Their ideas of what is enjoyable, of what they need and want, is
gloriously basic; food, shelter, a bit
of fun. It is so simple, so ideal, that
we tend to dismiss it as unfathomable – being content with just the
“bear necessities.” The difference is
that they know what is important
and what is merely a fascinating
thingy to chew on.
If ever there was a time
when we needed “brotherhood of
man” it is now, but it appears unattainable through the fog of dishonesty and violence that looms over us.
There is an undeniable and unconquerable sense of togetherness in the
animal community that mankind
needs. Being hated or hating something can dominate one’s train of
thought completely, but “hatred” and
“persecution” does not exist
amongst animals. They do not hesitate to come to the aid of brethren in
need… quarrels and disagreements
dissolve and, in the end, they will
always be there for their own. Can
humans say the same? We are the
most distrustful and skeptical species the world has to offer, and the
concentration of senseless hatred we
hold for each other can be staggering. Whether it is race, religion,
background or belief that separates
us, we allow those boundaries to
grow more and more impossible to
cross, leaving the world scarred and
divided. Despite everything, animals
know that they are one with nature
and together until the end. As for
humans, our behavior towards each
other can be what causes the end to
draw near.
When challenged, humans
tend to resort to the phrase “It’s
complicated.” But animals’ simplemindedness and their ease through
life have proven that it doesn’t always have to be complicated... we
create challenging lives by overthinking everything.
We need animals in our
lives. They show us how simple and
fulfilling life can be, that boundless
loyalty and love is possible and joyful, that genuine happiness is easier
to come by than we believe.
And guess what? There is
nothing else to it.
Rocky Hill Page
Celebrating Pride Day with Ms. Ayana Gregory
Indya Roberts and
Anusha Chinthalapale
Staff Writers
Ms. Ayanna Gregory spoke
to over 300 6th sixth graders as part of
the 6th Grade PRIDE Day program on
Thursday, February 21 st. Her message
was strong and very inspirational. She
got the sixth graders motivated and
involved as she delivered a power
message about students believing in
themselves and aspiring to be what
they want to be. “You are smart. You
are beautiful. You are all these things,
but only if you believe it.” Ms. Gregory is an encouraging speaker with a
fascinating way of explaining the
hardships of African Americans during the Civil rights movement. Ms.
Gregory showed us the true meaning
of life.
Ms. Gregory is the daughter
of Dick Gregory, a Human Rights
Activist. While growing up with seven
sisters and three brothers, Ms. Gregory
had to watch her two older sisters get
thrown into jail because they were
standing up for their rights. Both her
mother and father were freedom fighters and vegetarians. They weren’t allowed to watch television nor were
they able to get their ears pierced but
that didn’t stop Ms. Gregory from
thinking outside the box. As Ms.
Gregory grew, she realized her powerful voice and started singing in
marches, rallies and anti-war demonstration. Ms. Gregory told us that “I
started performing after college, 1995,
I started out singing with a band.
And then I started doing motivational speaking 1998.” She debuted
her first CD, called “Beautiful
Flower”, in 1999 with a Grammy
nominated producer James McKinney.
In June 2007, Ms. Gregory
made and released her second album, “Ballad for my Father”. Her
latest CD, “I Dream a World”. Ms.
Gregory makes kids feel wanted.
3
“She touches the place that is the
deepest and clearest in my heart,” says
Stevie Wonder.
Ms. Gregory spent her life as
the daughter of a freedom fighter.
“Because my father was a freedom
fighter, I decided to use my gifts to
empower other people. He taught me
to think outside the box and fulfill my
true purpose. Because of him I decided to make the planet better.” Ms.
Gregory says. She uses her arts to motivate young children to accept themselves as who they are. “I want young
people to tap into their own unique
gifts and to recognize how amazing
and powerful they are. I want them to
feel good about themselves, and know
that it’s impossible to fail.” She says.
Ms. Gregory was very self-motivated
as a child. She has full confidence in
what she does and is fully committed
to her hobby. Ms. Gregory was very
self-empowered and shared it among
the sixth graders assembled.
Ms. Ayanna Gregory continues to inspire kids and adults to be the
best that they can be.
Writer’s Corner
The Enchanted Lip Gloss
Ali Tyma
Staff Writer
PART ONE
“Lalalala,” sang 10 year old
Lucy Thomas as she walked home.
“Lucy! Hey Luce!” AnnaLouise Smith ran towards the girl.
“Hey there’s a whole family of ladybugs on my deck!”
“Really?!” Lucy produced a
small tube of lip gloss in a chic gold.
“Let’s try and get them on my lip
gloss!” The two girls took off for
Anna-Louise’s deck over-looking
the Outer Banks shoreline.
“Hey girls, how was
school?” Anna-Louise’s mom asked
them.
“Oh, Mother. You’re not
setting up for a séance, are you?”
Anna-Louise’s mom was one of the
best mediums in all of the Outer
Banks.
“Yes, the lady coming over
has been having nightmares about
her late husband visiting her with a
warning. She wants me to contact
him and figure out the warning. “
“Hey look, Anna! I got a
ladybug on my lip gloss! ”
“Look it’s almost as if she’s
shining” Anna-Louise pointed out.
“Make a wish Lucy. Ladybugs are supposed to have magical
Mrs. Smith laughed lightly and
grabbed a towel drying on the deck.
Anna-Louise looked into
the pug’s big eyes and started laughing.
“Oh you silly pug.” She
cried, doubling over with laughter.
Her laugh was contagious. Soon
everyone was laughing.
“Whoa, look at my lip
gloss.” Everyone turned and looked
at the lip gloss, now covered in ladybugs and sparkling.
“What on-?”
“Eh-hem.” Someone cleared
their throat. Quickly, Lucy grabbed
the lip gloss, scattering the ladybugs
everywhere.
“You must be Mrs. Johnson.” Mrs. Smith dusted her skirt,
and approached the woman.
“Welcome. You requested
an outside séance.”
“Yes, but I did not request
animals or children.” Mrs. Johnson
looked at Lucy and Anna-Louise
with an upturned nose.
powers.” Mrs. Smith started setting
up a dark purple tent, the one she
used for all her séances.
“Okay.” Lucy shut her eyes
and within a few seconds promptly
cried. “Done!”
“Great, now could you
girls go inside and get my crystal
ball please? Thanks. Whatever you
do don’t let Frank out!” Lucy set
her lip gloss on the railing where
the rest of the ladybugs were and
went to help Mrs. Smith.
“Here you go Mom.” Anna
-Louise and Lucy walked carefully
to the table and set the ball down.
Unfortunately, Frank got out.
“Oh no! Frank! I just gave
him a bath!”
Lucy and Anna-Louise
took off, chasing the fawn-colored
pug all the way to the water then
scooping the soggy puppy out and
back to the deck. “Well, if I would
have known that Frank was going
to take his own bath, then I would
have skipped the one I gave him.“
“Why don’t you girls take
Frank and play by the ocean.” Mrs.
Smith suggested. The girls ran down
the deck stairs and met the ocean as
it kissed the sand. The girls started
chasing Frank around.
“Hey Anna. I found a stick
that Frank can fetch!” Lucy picked
up a stick and tossed it for Frank to
fetch. Suddenly, Frank turned and
ran towards the ocean as if under a
spell. Frank then jumped into the
ocean, only to disappear into a unseen world.
“Frank!” The girls screamed
and ran towards the spot Frank disappeared.
Back at Mrs. Smith’s séance
something terrible was occurring.
Mrs. Johnson’s husband was trying
to send a warning. A warning that an
evil spirit would trap someone forever under the sea. “I sense a great
danger,” predicted Mrs. Smith.
Suddenly, Mrs. Smith’s
eyes rolled back into her head and
she collapsed, unable to complete
the message.
Spring Story
Rahul Shah
Special Features Editor
“Bzzzzz bzzzz bzzzzz bzzzzzz”
went the alarm clock. Bob woke up
groggily and checked his alarm clock.
“Why did it wake me up at 5:30?” he
said. “Oh, well, one more hour,” he
said as he set it to snooze and went
back to sleep. About an hour later he
woke up again. This time, however he
noticed that the time had changed.
“WHAT?!” he yelled as he got out of
bed. He rushed down the stairs and
grabbed a cold pizza and ran to the bus
stop. As soon as he got out of the house
he was attacked by a barge of bees. “I
HATE SPRING!” he exclaimed. Little
did he know that his hate for spring
was about to change. School went
pretty normal, except for the fact that
everybody was jumpy and hyper with
Spring Fever. Sally walked over to Bob
and said, “Hey Bob, are you going to
the spring party?” and of course our
Spring hating Bob said, “BAH HUMBUG!” and he stormed out of the classroom. Later that night while Bob was
getting ready for bed he heard a strange
noise. “WooooOOOooooOOohhh!”
went a mysterious voice. “W-what’s
that? Who’s there?” Bob asked in fear
when all of a sudden a large potted
plant poofed beside Bob’s bed.
“AHH!” screamed Bob. The potted
plant called to Bob in a ghostly voice,
or at least as ghostly a voice as a potted
plant can make, and said “I am the
Flower of Spriiiiiiiiing!
WoooOOOOoooo!” Bob looked con-
fused and scared. “Your hate for
spring has brought the wrath of the
spring spirits! You will be visited by 3
ghosts, and you will learn your lesson!” the plant yelled. In a whirl of
petals and smoke the plant disappeared. “Man, I need to lay off the
Nutella.” Bob said. Later that night a
bellowing howl perpetrated throughout the house. “Who’s there?” said
Bob shakily. All of a sudden a giant
seed came out of his bathroom.
“WHAT ARE YOU AND WHAT
ARE YOU DOING IN MY
HOUSE!?” yelled Bob. “Chill, dude,”
said the seed, “I’m the spirit of
spring’s past and I am here to show
you the error of your ways!”
The seed encased Bob inside
of him and crashed through the window. The seed took Bob to his old
house, which was now covered with
flowers. “Here was where you first
4
started hating spring. You didn’t like
all of the flowers because they would
make you sneeze,” the seed said.
“Oh, yeah. I hate this place. Take me
home now, I’m tired.” Bob said
yawning. The seed revealed a window into the past and looked through
it. It showed little Bob trying to smell
a flower when he sneezed. Pollen
went everywhere and Bob could
barely keep his eyes open while he
stumbled around, sneezing. Bob
tripped over a pot and fell off of the
patio and into a thick, pointy bush. “I
hate spring!” Bob yelled in the little
bush, crying. The real Bob was
laughing his head off the whole
while. “Haha! Look at that little guy!
He fell into a bush! LOL!” he said
laughing. Annoyed, the seed whisked
Bob back to his bed and threw him
into the room. Bob fell off and
knocked his head on his desk.
“Woops,” said the seed as he dissipated into a million tiny pieces and
flew away. Bob got up and rubbed
his head. “Ow. What a crazy
dream.” Bob said. Later, a giant
bee flew in and blew up half of the
wall. “HOLY CUPCAKES!” Bob
screamed.
The bee picked Bob up and
flew him out the giant hole in the
wall. “AAAH! LET ME GO!” Bob
yelled. “No,” the bee said, “I am
the spirit of Spring’s present,” the
bee buzzed. “Oh, I want a present!
What is it?” Bob said cheerfully.
“I’m going to ignore that. I am here
to show you that Spring is not that
bad.” The bee said. The bee flew
over to a flower and started rolling
around in the pollen. “A-a-a
CHOO! Ugh. How is this supposed
to help me?” Bob said sneezing. “I
don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fine, the bee said. Then the bee
went over to his giant hive. By the
time they came out Bob had been
spit on by a bee, shoved into a little
hexagonal cell, and almost turned
into honey. The bee dropped Bob
off back at his house. “That was
terrible! That did nothing to help
me with Spring?” Bob yelled. “I
don’t know, I’m a bee,” Said the
bee as he buzzed out the window.
And then through the night there
were no more noises and no last
ghost. And Bob hated spring forever. THE END. Just kidding. No,
really though, this is it. Stop reading. Stop, stop NOW!
Book Reviews
Amber House
by Kelly Moore,
Tucker Reed,
Larkin Reed
Ali Tyma
Staff Writer
Sarah Parsons has never
seen the Amber House, the grand
Maryland Estate that has been in her
family for generation after generation. She has never wandered its
hedge maze, nor searched for the
famed diamonds, supposed to be
hidden in the house’s mysterious
walls.
Until the day her grandmother dies.
Sarah teams up with her
friend Jackson to find the diamonds
and discovers that she has been left a
haunting gift. Sarah can see into the
past simply by touching an object.
Along the way, Sarah befriends the
young and rich Richard Hathaway,
whose family history is more involved with Sarah’s than Sarah
knows. But soon the vision into the
past becomes more harmful than
good, and Sarah soon finds herself
fighting for the ones she loves.
Between the
Shades of
Grey
Number the
Stars
by Lois Lowry
by Ruta Sepetys
Dashing
Through the
Snow
by Carole Higgins Clarks
Julie Luong
Grade Student
Vanessa Rivera
Grade Student
What would you do if you
were taken from your home and
sent away to work in place where
daylight is replaced with artic
winds?
Well, for fifteen year old
Lina, her chances of art school, love
life and summer days in her home
of Lithuania are taken away when
Soviet police arrest her entire family and are put aboard a crowded
cattle car to be sent away to prison
camps all across Russia’s artic terrain. Soon Lina and her little
brother Jonas discover the people
are just regular people like them,
but what they did do wrong to offend the Soviets?
Along the ride in the cattle
car, Lina finds out the hard way of
surviving the journey as she witness
the death of a young newborn baby
who has been suffering from starvation, and its grieving mother as she
gets shot for losing control of herself. But, her chances are lifted
when she meet Andrius, another
captive of the cart helps her and her
family survive on their deadly journey though Russia. Then, all of a
sudden all the cattle carts are put to
a sudden stop and Lina along with
the other passengers are at their first
destination: the prison camp of
Omosk, Siberia.
Want to know what happens to Lina as she journeys
through the rural prison camps
across Europe, will she live to see
the light of day or perish along the
way? Then, read Between the
Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys.
Imagine finding out that
your friends won the lottery and
then your financial advisor used
your lottery numbers and won it
too. Well in Dashing Through the
Snow by Carol Higgins Clarks this
happens. In the beginning of the
story it was the holidays in
Branscombe and the co-workers
Glenda, Tommy, Ralph, Marion,
and Duncan were working like
crazy at the market helping customers with their holiday shopping.
Then after closing, Duncan went to
his boss to ask for a raise but the
only person there was the boss’s
mean wife. All the workers called
her the skunk. He asked the skunk
for the raise and the skunk said no.
So Duncan went to his house and
found some old friends. They
wanted to help him with his money
problem .In the middle of the book
his friends go to a bar and look at
the lottery on TV and then buy a
ticket using numbers Duncan
chooses and found out that the winning ticket was theirs. After that
they did what any other person who
won the lottery would do. Call family/friends and then party! Find out
what happens next in Dashing
Through the Snow.
Alexandra Gramatges
Imagine yourself as a
Jewish child when Hitler was
around and soldiers were looking
for you and your family. Would
you rather run and hide or sacrifice your life? In Number the
Stars, Ellen was separated from
her parents because they had to
hide when the soldiers starting
killing Jews from Denmark. Ellen
went with her friend, Annemarie,
but she didn’t know where her
parents were and this concerned
her. Where were her parents?
Were they okay? Would she ever
see them again? A month later, in
the middle of the night, there was
a knock at the door. The soldiers
walked in and asked about Ellen’s
family. When the soldiers asked
the girls their names, Ellen said
she was Lise, Annemarie’s older
sister, who had died while trying
to fight for the rights of the Denmark Jews. The soldiers are suspicious and so Ellen and Annemarie’s family go to a relative’s
house to hide. Peter, who was
part of the resistance, led Jewish
families to safety. Was Ellen ever
reunited with her family? Was
Peter able to lead Ellen’s family
to safety? Read the book, Number
the Stars, to find out.
Rahul Shah
Special Features Editor
5
Life on the Hill
Ah-Mazing Teachers
Team Willpower
Gets Ready
Newspaper Club
The “Willpower” Basketball game will be held on Friday,
May 10th this year! This is the 12th
year of our Rocky Hill tradition and
we are all very excited.
What started out at the old
building as a small basketball game
against police officers to raise
money for our colleagues doing the
Susan G. Komen walk has turned
into a fundraising machine for cancer awareness. In the past ,we
played Baker Middle School staff
for several years before turning the
tradition to our parents. In that time,
we have raised over $85,000!!!
Along the way, we added
PanCAN (the Pancreatic Cancer
Action Network) to our cause after
we lost Captain Will Seng, a RH
parent, and where “Willpower”
came from, a beloved teacher,
Margie Holmberg. Unfortunately,
we lost Mrs. Bev Kerns, our greatest supporter, two years ago to
breast cancer. Bev spoke at all but
one of our evenings. Her initials are
on our staff shirts.
This year, we would like to
add the Childhood Brain Tumor
Foundation as a third charity to
honor the students who have fought
this disease or passed from it. Some
of our former students have battled
this disease and I have been thinking about them a lot: Faith Jackson,
Arash Cheraghi, and Sam Moore.
Adding the Childhood Brain Tumor
Foundation to our list of charities is
in their honor. The Willpower
Committee unanimously approved
I feel appreciated.
this action.
As usual, we will have a
scrumptious dinner (made by Chef
Susan Ault), which starts at 5pm, a
Silent Auction also starting at 5pm,
and the Dunk Tank which also
opens at 5pm. If you are interested
in taking a turn in the dunk tank,
please get in touch with Ms. Terri
Tippett. Our Vice Principals, Ms.
Janeen Stewart and Mr. Jae Lee, are
first up in the tank!
The highlight of the evening, The Game, begins at 7pm
sharp. At half-time, Mr. Edmundson will be making his debut of
some sort of embarrassing situation
if we raise $5,000 (or maybe Mr.
Lee dances Gangnam style if we
peer pressure him enough).
As usual, we would love to
have as many staff members and
parents as possible participating in
the game. It is always a fun night,
and worth all the aches and pains
because of why we are playing.
This year, we will be honoring our friends and loved ones
who are fighting or have lost the
battle to cancer by having a slide
show. If you would like to honor or
remember someone, please send a
copy of your photo to Ms. Tippett.
We’ve raised so much
money, and awareness, but we can
do so much more. Please join us in
our commitment to fight back!
Q: What makes you special?
A: I’m special because I have a lot
of experience with kids from Elementary to Middle School. Younger
kids love you, and the older kids
you can talk and relate to.
Q: What would you like your students to know about you?
Mr. Sweeney, World History
Teacher
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
Mr. Sweeney has been working at
Rocky Hill for about 17 years. He is
a spontaneous, and our ah-mazing
teacher of the month. He loves what
he does every day and has that kind
of connection with children.
Q: How do you feel about being
nominated as teacher of the month?
A: I feel honored and humble, and
A: I am a big time movie buff, and
I love music of all kinds. My favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption.
Q: What is one lesson that you
learned throughout your career?
A: My job is never the same from
day to day, you should always expect anything.
Q: Why did you become a teacher?
A: I knew I could relate to kids and
I was somebody with good ideas.
RHMS Archery Hits the Mark
Mr. Leck checks the target at
practice.
Twenty-two students represented RHMS in the First Annual,
Maryland State Archery Tournament.
The students competed
against other middle schools and
earned a third place finish. All of our
students shot well and were excellent
representatives of RHMS and Montgomery County.
This was the first, state-level
archery tournament held in Maryland, and thanks to support of our
PTA, local and national archery organizations and our staff, we will be
competing in future tournaments as
well.
Our top shooter for the day
was sixth grader Eli Marshall. He
was followed closely behind, by
just ONE point, by Pauline
Deutchev. Our seventh and eighth
graders also had good showings.
Rocky Hill is a first year school
competing against schools with
more experience, and we held our
own in doing so. The future looks
bright for the Wildcat Archers.”
A huge congratulations go
to Eli and Pauline for qualifying for
the NASP, the National Archery
Tournament!! The tournament will
be held in May of this year in Louisville, Kentucky. Although it is not
certain that they will be able to
travel there to shoot, they shot well
enough in the State tournament to
qualify, and that is quite an accomplishment for first-year archers. If
they keep improving the way they
did throughout the intramural season, they should do well in the national competition.
Please congratulate Pauline
and Eli. We will keep you informed
if either or both are able to attend
the tournament. Hopefully they will
able to compete, but if not, our
Rocky Hill pride is showing!
Mrs. Paul, Eight Grade English Teacher
Neil Agrawal
Chief Editor
TWR: How do you feel to be
nominated as teacher of the
month?
Mrs. Paul: I was actually a little
surprised…it is always a welcomed surprise.
TWR: How long have you been
teaching?
Mrs. Paul: This is my 11th year
and my 5th year at Rocky Hill.
TWR: Have you taught anywhere else?
Mrs. Paul: Just one other one,
Redland Middle School.
TWR: What or who inspired
you to teach?
Mrs. Paul: Ooh, that’s a tough
one, my 8th grade teacher, truly.
6
TWR: What is your favorite
part about the job?
Mrs. Paul: My students as they
get older, they come back and
visit me and thank me for what
they learned.
TWR: If you could create a
combination of two animals,
which ones would you pick?
Mrs. Paul: I like small animals…I probably would take a
kitten and a piglet.
TWR: What is your favorite
color?
Mrs. Paul: My favorite color is
blue.
Sports
Most Memorable Wins and Losses
only full of thrillers, but it can be
proven to be the best Bulls game
ever. In Game 3 the Bulls won 9654, the biggest rout in Finals history.
Sports are something that
people all over the world watch and
play, but what’s a sport when there’s
no winning? Those finals championships are what really make a sport, a
sport! Whether your favorite team
wins or loses it’s worth the while,
just to sit around the TV and watch
some on and off the court action
Kristine Antanesian
Sports Editor
Sports have been a part of
this world for a very long time.
There have been many wins and
many losses in football, soccer,
basketball, and other sports. When
we look back at the old Super
Bowls and the old World Cups we
probably remember the teams that
were heading in to these amazing
sports events, and heading out as
losers.
Super Bowl XXXVII
(2004) was one of the best Super
Bowls that we’ve seen. It was the
Patriots and the Panthers going
head to head, an insane 37 points
were scored in the fourth quarter
and the game ended in the 41 yard
field goal, by Adam Vinatieri, and
an overall win for the Patriots. In
2009 the Steelers and the Cardinals had a close race, but the
Steelers came out on top with a 27
to 23 win. The 2010 Super Bowl
was an emotional one, where the
Saints beat the Colts 31-17. Four
years earlier hurricane Katrina
devastated New Orleans, LA. The
win was a tremendous lift to spirits all over Louisiana and all over
The Redskins beat the Cowboys on December 30th 2012 less than a month after
the Thanksgiving win.
Photo from Amanda Kondolojy’s article on ZAP
to win that game and the seventh
game, which gave them the championship 3-4. One of the most
watched NBA games were the 1998
championship games, with the Utah
Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. This
series had one of the most memorable shots in NBA history. It included Michael Jordan dribbling to
the right, pushing Bryon Russell
away with his off arm, and hitting a
series-clinching jumper while basically waving goodbye. It was something to see! This game was not
the world.
Now the NBA is a whole
other story. It’s said that one of the
greatest NBA finals was in 1984,
the Lakers and the Celtics. This
game was a really long time ago but
this game was said to have “shaped”
the NBA, fueling the Bird-Magic
and Boston-L.A. rivalries. The 1984
finals were particularly interesting
having a “heat game” where the air
conditioning at Boston Garden was
broken so the teams were forced to
play in 97 degrees! Boston went on
The Wizards continue to plow
through an touch season , winning
just about thirty percent of theirgames this season.
.
Game Changer
Kristine Antanesian
Sports Editor
Being a part of a team is
one of those things that can’t be explained. You have to get out there
and experience it. Having said that,
being the “star” player is just an
added bonus. Many people watch
the game as a whole, or so they
think. Usually when you watch a
game, your eye is naturally attracted
to the player who brings it the most
and just plays their heart out. This
person is usually also the main
scorer.
In the NFL, as I have written about many a time, the Redskins
star QB Robert Griffin III was an
extraordinary help to the Redskins.
Most people would agree with that.
Seventh grader Tim Lehr says,
“Without RGIII, the Redskins definitely wouldn’t have made the playoffs.” When asked her opinion,
Dr.Wirth said, “Although I do believe it was a combined effort from
RGIII and several other teammates, I
believe he brought a new excitement, leadership, and inspiration to
the team that they haven’t had in a
while.” Another member of the
RHMS staff disagreed with the notion that RGIII dramatically changed
the team’s performance.
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
Every professional person
that has served as a reliable source
on the Redskins has said the same
thing; without Robert Griffin III, the
RGIII gives Redskins fans a reason to be hopeful
months, the Wizards’ wins have
been significant. Five of their
eleven wins have come from returning point-guard John Wall. Even
though Wall was injured and did
not play for the first thirty-three
games of the season, he has made
an amazing comeback. An anonymous source reveals that, “Wall is a
good ball handler, passer, and
shooter, but he needs to focus on
staying healthy.” That seems pretty
reasonable to me. I mean if he is
able to play all the time and plays
this well, the Wizards would definitely be a better team as a whole.
Look at the facts! Wall has
averaged a remarkable 14.1 points
and 6.7 assists in 25 minutes of action. The Wizards are an entirely
different team with the return of
John Wall. His abilities on offense,
along with his impressive passing
Redskins, along with their fans,
would have expected the team’s
“usual” performance.
RGIII is one of those diamonds in the rough; when you find
one, it just doesn’t seem to stop
shining.
Speaking of star players,
Washington’s basketball team, the
Washington Wizards, have definitely improved ever since John
Wall returned to the lineup. It is
said that if the Wizards had started
their season on January 7th, they’d
be the talking point of the NBA.
Even though their 11-32 record
leaves them nowhere near the top of
their league, the Wizards have gone
6-4 in their past ten games.
During the last few
7
instincts, make him one of the most
dangerous slashing guards in the
league.
The Wizards have gone
from 30th to 11th in the points per
game category just in the last 10
games. Wall has definitely shown
the NBA and basketball fans that an
injury is hardly an obstacle to overcome. He’s an inspiration and a role
model to many people out there.
When we talk about a
“game change,” we really mean a
jump start that gets a team back on
their feet and back in the race, in
basketball, football, soccer, and any
other sport or team effort. People
like John Wall and Robert Griffin
III are everywhere around us, we
just have to open our eyes and
watch them. That’s when we really
understand what a difference they
make in the lives of their teammates
and the lives of everyone who looks
up to them as leaders or role models
in and out of games.
John Wall makes a difference for
the Wizards.
Special Features
Nessie in Siberia?
Linette Kingston
Staff Writer
No, no, no. Nessie is not in
Siberia. But did you know that Siberia supposedly has its own Lock
Ness Monster called the “Devil?”
Lake Labynkyr in Russia has been
said to be home to this elusive creature. But the lake is more of a mystery. There isn’t any plant life in the
lake, even though about 13 species
of fish thrive there. During winter,
although the temperature goes down
way below zero degrees Celsius, the
lake doesn’t freeze at all. “It is only
around 60 kilometers (about 37
miles) from the settlement of Oymyakon - the coldest inhabited place on
Earth - yet, astonishingly, the lake
does not freeze over completely in
winter, in contrast to virtually all
lakes in the region. The ice that does
form, unusually, can be too thin to
walk on.” it said in the Siberian
Times. Some believe that the underwater trench, which goes down
about 262 feet, must contribute to
the unusual temperature of the lake.
Another theory is that since the rock
is volcanic, it is warmed by a crevice
in the earth’s crust.
One day, a group of researchers sent a dive team to examine the bottom of the lake to test a so
-called saying that there was a mon-
The supposed Loch Ness Monster
ster lurking in the depths of the lake.
They were sent to go and collect
samples of plants, animals, and water from the bottom of the lake. After scanning the bottom of the lake
with a sonar device, the team of divers found something incredible.
The jaws and skeleton of an
animal!
Right now, many people are
unsure whether this skeleton is actually the Devil. Since there has been
no photography or video evidence
that the monster exists, many people
aren’t sure if there is even a creature
that exists in the lake. "There have
been all sorts of hypotheses about
what kind of creature it could be: a
giant pike, a … reptile or an amphibian," said Viktor Tverdokhlebov- a research team geologist who
first led an expedition to Lake Vorota in 1953-as quoted in the Siberian Times. Since there have been
reports of a monster in Lake Vorota,
it is possible that Lake Vorota is
connected to Lake Labynkyr in
some sort of underwater channel.
Others believe that the monster is a
prehistoric marine reptile, probably
a plesiosaur or an ichthyosaur. Another theory is that a few killer
whales during the Ice Age got
stranded in the lake as glaciers re-
Detention
treated. "We didn't manage to prove
or to disprove these versions …If
we trust the stories about this
'Devil…' the length of its body must
be about 7 to 8 meters [23 to 26
feet],” Gerasimov of the Institute of
Freshwater Biology at the Russian
Academy of Sciences told the Siberia Times. It is believed that this
animal must be a pike. However,
“pike do not live so long in order to
reach such a big size,” says Gerasimov, “So, in my opinion, the view
about a huge pike is a fantastic
one,” Gerasimov claims.
Although the monster may
never be found, more trips to this
lake may perhaps prove this theory
wrong. As we wait to find out
whether the bones are part of some
mythical monster, what do you
think? Is there something lurking in
the lake? If you want to find out
yourself, travel companies are now
offering private trips for people
who want to do their own monster
hunts. So….Happy hunting!!
Why MCPS Has a Great Reputation
Mae McDermott
Assistant Editor
Nina Agrawal
Rocky Hill Page Editor
Young Tillie Jan was an angel at heart;
pure and polite, right from the start.
Doctors said she was born and sunlight rained in
and she smiled a smile that was destined to win.
But everyone knows that you’re only cool
if you get in trouble each day during school.
So Tillie Jan desperately tried to do bad,
but this poor girl’s performance was simply sad.
Tillie gulped as she realized what she had to do;
she had to consult the Detention Guru.
Josie Van Hult was the plague of the school;
with the charm and splendor of a spitting ghoul.
She tripped nine teachers, and 22 teachers’ pets,
she’d wreak havoc in every class she was in, you could bet.
So Tillie Jan wrapped her fear up and pushed it away
and entered Josie’s private room (a room bitter as tooth decay).
Josie Van Hult spun around in her chair:
“I heard that you want to be one WILD hair.”
Tillie Jan nodded, and recoiled at the boom
of Josie’s maniacal laughter, one that spelled “DOOM”.
“I feel bad for you,” she scoffed, “I pity you, RUNT.
So yeah, I’ll guide you on your great detention hunt.
You need to do something that will catch people’s attention;
then, only then, are you sure to get detention.”
So Tillie Jan mocked her teachers, and soaked students with a super soak,
but they all up and laughed at this mockery, this joke.
So Tillie Jan cried and stomped her foot.
“Was that you? Quiet. Detention,” droned Mr. Soot.
Tillie Jan lit up and skipped away
ready to burst with excitement for the end of the day.
When the bell tolled 3 and Jan ran to Soot’s
he said, “Siddown. Read. Over there I have books.”
So Tillie Jan sat, exasperated, and read
and learned that detention was something to dread.
So next time you try to be slick, or be cool,
know detention is boring, not rewarding,
you fool.
Montgomery County Public Schools is regarded as one of
the best school district in the country. Wikipedia reports that students get the highest scores in the
country on AP exams. A newspaper, Education Week said that it
had the highest rate of graduation.
NIST reported that the average
SAT score was 1653, higher than
the national average of 1500!
Crazy, right! So why does Montgomery County have such a great
reputation?
This may sound cliché but
one of the reasons why MCPS is
doing so well is because it has
highly qualified teachers! Statistics
show that 96.9% of the teachers in
this county have advanced degrees.
Ms. Mahoney, 7th and 8th grade
English , says “I think that we
work together on different levels to
8
make sure students get an equal
education. We have highly qualified teachers… that make sure students are putting in the effort that
they need to succeed.” Ms. Scharf,
staff development, says “We understand that it’s all about continuing and improving and working to
be a good teacher.” So basically,
most of the teachers have higher
degrees. MCPS also has a giant
focus on preparing kids for college
and a job. Remember those 7 keys
to College Readiness posters we
got in elementary school? Finally,
we’ve tried to lower class sizes and
we’ve done a good job. The average student to teacher ratio is 11:5!
As crazy as this sounds,
MCPS might have some weak
spots if you looked a little deeper.
“I wish they had more magnet programs… and I wish the curriculum
and type of teaching in magnet
programs was taught in regular
schools so that everyone gets the
same education,” says a Rocky
Hill parent. A special education
teacher noted that the county didn’t have enough resources for special needs students because of
budget cuts.
So overall, we’re probably
one of the best counties in the
state. If we just worked on our
weaknesses, we could be the best
in America, maybe the best in the
world!
Special Features, Continued
What Dreams Are Made Of
wanted me to go down the GIANT slide, but I was too scared.
Then the evil magician got mad at
me and turned into Abraham Lincoln, and cut off my head with a
knife (the kind for eating), and my
head landed on a purple satin pillow. I think it means that I may be
in danger wile in a humongous
place.” said Abigail Syvosky. To
be in a bad party actually means
that you are unsure of your social
skills.
As you can see dreams
can mean many things. But lots
of times dreams don’t stay with
us. This is mostly due to chemicals that are in the brain at the
Anita Tharmarajah
Writers Corner Editor
We all have dreams. How
could we not. But have you ever
thought of what your dreams
mean? Why you are being chased
by a 10 foot high tall dragon or are
falling down Niagara Falls? Many
different dreams have many different meanings mainly depending on
you and what is going on in your
life. Let’s find out what happens
after you fall asleep.
Sleep actually has a process that involves many stages. First
there is the begging of sleep in
which you are still relatively
awake. The brain begins to slow
down and relax. Stage 1 is the beginning of the sleep cycle. In stage
one you are in a light sleep. It is
considered to be transitional between awake and asleep. This
stage usually lasts about 5-10 minutes. Stage 2 lasts about 20 minutes. In stage 2 your body temperature starts to decrease and your
heart rate slows down. Stage 3 progresses the brain from a light sleep
to a deep sleep. Stage 4 is a deep
sleep that lasts for around 30 minutes. Stage 5 or (REM) rapid eye
movement sleep is when you
dream. Your muscles start to relax
and the brain or other body systems become more active which is
the reason for dreams.
Some common dreams are
being chased of flying or falling.
Many dream of failing at tests and
losing competitions. Some dream
of being swept down a river or being under a tsunami. Other times
they could be your crush. Either
way dreams can have impact on
your life especially if they are
nightmares. When, in a dream, you
are in a talent show it may mean
that you are becoming more aware
of yourself and your talents. If you
dream of magic it may mean you
are good at tricking other people.
Dreaming of a volcano erupting
may represent your insecurity. And
everybody dreams that they are
falling until they suddenly land on
their bed. This is a way that the
unconscious part of your brain
give you’re a message. It simply
means that something in either
your mental or physical life needs
to be changed.
Many strange dreams can
mean simple things. According to
dreammoods.com,a hairdryer
means you need to clear your
thoughts and get a new perspective on things. When you see a
ham it means that you need to
preserve your energy. A sled signifies childness. When you drink
a smoothie it means your life is on
a smooth path ahead. To see a
quarter means you are not feeling
whole. One really strange one is
dreaming that you are at a water
park. It simply means that you are
at an emotional high point and are
at peace.
I asked a few people
about their dreams and what they
thought it meant. “I once had a
dream that there were two cobras.
One was completely black and
one was completely yellow.” said
Kristine “The two snakes were
fighting and then the yellow one
bit me and the black one tried to
save me. I think that the two
snakes were two of my friend and
the yellow snake is a friend that
I’m not friends with anymore.”
Actually to see or to have been
bitten by a snake in a dream represents hidden fears and worries that
are threatening you. “One of the
parties I went to last year was at a
mansion (according to my dream).
In the party mansion, there was a
giant slide room, and everyone
was sliding down the giant slide
inside the room.
An evil magician, who was disguised as a caterer for the party,
deep sleep stage of sleep. In general, humans tend to forget things
that are not essential to life. Most
thoughts even when not dreaming
are lost. We mostly recall things
that have an emotional significance
to us or things that we think about
often. Dreams are important to us
and they will never stop coming.
Fun Facts
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Squirrels are able to purr like a cat.
UPS drivers aren’t allowed to have
beards.
Babies always are born with blue eyes.
A group of jellyfish is called a smack.
Lying makes the tip of your nose warmer.
In Japan they have square watermelons.
A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4ft tall child inside.
A giraffe can clean its ear with its 21 inch long tongue.
If you lick someone on their elbow, while they are not paying attention they
will not feel it.
Anatidaephobia is a fear that somewhere in the world you think a duck is
watching you.
Spongebob has been working at the Krusty Krab for 31 years
One chocolate chip, can give a person enough energy to walk 150 feet.
Indya Roberts
Staff Writer
Would You Choose
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Toaster Strudels VS. Pop Tarts
Coke VS. Pespi
Fruity Pepples VS Fruit Loops
Burger King VS McDonalds
Pretty Little Liars VS. The Lying Game
Baby Lips VS. EOS
Toms VS Bobs
Hunger Games VS Twilight
Dogs VS Cats
Pegasus VS Unicorn
Cookie Monster VS Elmo
Kindle VS Nook
iPad VS iPad Mini
Current Issues
Crash and Burn
Mae McDermott
Assistant Editor
“How is this one going to
crash and burn?”
It seems as though more and
more can ask this question when a
new superstar pops up. When a new
media king or queen rises, we can
only expect for them to fall, right?
There are so many examples…
Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and
now, Oscar Pistorius.
A 26-year-old South African paralympic runner, Oscar Pistorious cleared the way for future
paralympic athletes and adopted an
astronomic status when he competed
in the 2012 London Olympics. Commonly referred to as “The Blade
Runner,” he was showered with unabashed admiration from millions.
He seemed unstoppable until February 14th, 2013, when he was arrested
for the murder of his 29-year-old
model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
The Pistorius/Steenkamp case has
unfolded as a case of premeditated
murder and Pistorius’ agent has
continually expressed that her
client rebuffs the murder allegation
“in the strongest terms,” insisting
that he thought Steenkamp to be an
intruder. Pistorius’ bail has been
posted, but many questions have
risen as the public continues to
speculate what is to become of him
after his trial.
Why is it that when a career
is at its peak, it must collapse? Why
must there be an inevitable “rise and
fall” of people as great as Pistorius?
This seems to have become a recurring pattern in the world of public
figures, a poison spreading rampantly and reaching successful public figures from all extents of
fame’s spectrum.
The Pistorius/Steenkamp
case has provoked mixed reactions
from the public. Many firmly believe that Pistorius should be found
guilty despite his status. After all,
with the growing amount of opportunities to excel provided to people
in modern times, the law certainly
should not be one of them. There
are many examples of celebrities
who have been granted an easy exit
from conflicts they’ve created…
Paris Hilton, accused time and time
again of drug and alcohol abuse as
well as illegal driving, has gotten
away with it each time with a mere
“Bad, Paris!” for her misbehavior
before her crimes are paid off. Why
do celebrities tend to walk… do
they have immunity just because
they are special? Many see the Pistorius case as yet another act of violence against women, a crime that
shan’t go unnoticed and unfulfilled.
Though World Studies teacher Mr.
Grimes has sympathy for Pistorius
being judged before his trial, he
admits, “If[the murder was] a premeditated crime than I have no
sympathy for him.”
Others, however, believe
that Pistorius’ positive presence
prior to this ordeal was far too great
to dismiss. Cynthia Falardeau,
mother of a ten-year-old amputee,
was inspired by Pistorius and recently wrote for CNN, “Too often
in life, we put people on pedestals.
We set them up to fail. The reality
is that, despite their seemingly superhuman performances, they are
just people with their own sets of
challenges.” Falardeau represents
many who sympathize with Pistorius. He made a positive impact on
people’s lives, showing that hard
work enables countless opportunities; now he is being pounded by
the media for something he may not
be guilty of. It may also be a bit
unfair that a single mistake has ruined his reputation, something he
has taken his entire life to build. Is
it possible that we are, in fact, putting too much pressure on our public figures to be perfect? “Society
puts public figures on pedestals so
high, there is nowhere… to go but
down,” Ms. Tippett explains.
“Many crash hard.” Mr. Marvel
believes that celebrities are fueled
by an “unrealistic drive for perfection.” When a public figure is emulated by millions, each decision
they make weighs in on their career,
a tentative foot on shifty ground.
Perhaps this is why the slightest
mishap on the star’s part creates
what seems to be such a drastic fall.
There are others who think
that these “pedestals” are not what
weaken or endanger careers… it is
the feelings of entitlement and invincibility created by the fame. “It
seems that when some people reach
a certain level of success, they begin to feel invincible,” says Ms.
Tippett. “No one is immune. No
one is bigger than anyone else [or]
the law. Some people don’t learn
that the easy way.” Consider Tiger
Woods and Lance Armstrong…
these are men who created enormously successful careers and fanbases for themselves, adored by
millions (and earning twice that)
with every endorsement they
gained. They were both among the
most powerful men in their fields,
with bountiful awards, unconquerable stats and beautiful families.
Yet Woods’ career collapsed in
2009, when it was uncovered that
he had had over a dozen extramarital affairs. “I thought I could get
away with whatever I wanted to,”
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Woods apologized in early 2010. “I
felt I was entitled.” Armstrong was
stripped of all his titles in 2012 after
he was found guilty of performanceenhancing drug use throughout his
career. Earlier this year he admitted
to “doping” thus proving that years
of adamantly denying these allegations were years if lies. Despite their
apologies, these men will probably
never restore the previous splendor
of their careers. “Often times it’s not
the crime, but the cover-up that
really angers people,” states Mr.
Grimes. Is Reeva Steenkamp dead
because her boyfriend thought that
nothing could ruin him? Is a
woman’s family devastated due to
one man’s ignorance? “Regardless
of whether or not the shooting was
intentional,” English teacher Ms.
Mahoney points out, “Pistorius has
blood on his hands… that is something he is going to have to live
with.”
At this point anything seems
possible. As we await the trial of
Oscar Pistorius, we are left to ponder
how such an inspiring hero could
become a killer within a moment’s
time, and we mourn the loss of a
beloved young woman. Will we ever
see a day when public figures remain respectable and reliable role
models… or must self-serving behavior and blatant lies always lead to
their ruination?
Today’s Technology
Technology Old Vs. New
Manav Mathur
Tech Editor
You may have seen new,
avant-garde technology around your
house or with other people. You may
have seen their (your) cellphones,
laptops, TVs, and so on and so forth.
Well, imagine that you have a random time warp and you end up in
the 1980’s and 90’s. If you looked
around, you definitely would not see
smartphones or laptops or flat-screen
TVs. Luckily for the modern world,
their “ancient” (as described by
some) technology has evolved and
met the needs of a growing society.
Almost all of you own or
have seen a computer in your surroundings recently. But in the days
of old, you have no chance of seeing
a computer of anything of the sort
during the time period. However,
you would see people clacking away
on typewriters to write letters and
official documents. If you were
stuck between these two devices to
type something, you would probably
choose the computer due to the fact
that that it was much more efficient,
and you did not have to start over if
you made a mistake. “But it does
have some drawbacks, most notable
its noise. Typewriters can be extremely noisy as a person pecks
away on the keyboard. While the
newer models of typewriters are not
as loud as their older counterparts,
they do still make a lot more noise
than a computer,” says Faizah Imani,
eHow contributor. Typewriters also
have positive advancements, such as
the fact that you can’t hack a typewriter.
It’s not just typewriters and
computers that are debatable over
which to use. There also the world
of video games that has changed
over the years. You might have or
know someone who has a Wii, DS,
PS3, Xbox, etc. But, in the olden
days, there were no Wiis, DSs, etc.
You had gaming devices such as
the Nintendo Entertainment System
and SEGA Genesis, which consisted of a huge box (console) and a
controller. But, these systems have
evolved over the years, and have
eventually branched out to the Wiis
and DSs you see today. “There’s
just so much more to do on a Wii
these days!!” says Ben Carson, software engineer. With the technological advancements we are having,
will we just become zombies at the
mercy of our phones and computers? Well, there is the fact that
barely any of us would choose the
SEGA Genesis compared to the
PS3 and the Xbox.
What about when you lose
your way? Your parents or you
would probably flip out a GPS or
their phones and get directions.
They wouldn’t use a giant road map
that could pose as potential driving
hazard by blocking your view of the
road. Road maps would take hours
to use and read, while a voice assisted GPS is hands-free and requires barely any intuitive skill to
use. “Even phone books are on
line. People find their way around
using new GPS technology. Maps
are old,” says Jaipi Sixbear. Eventually, all that is considered “old” in
our society will just be obsolete and
a thing of the past. GPS seems to
win here, but there is the fact that a
GPS may not work when you’re in
the woods.
The new technology we
have has found its way into the
classroom as well. When you walk
into class, the first thing you may
see is the Promethean board, where
teachers can teach you a whole
chapter with only an interactive pen
and 1 hour. However, in the 1980’s,
teachers relied on blackboards and
overhead projectors to teach a single lesson. This same lesson could
go on for days and days! But, the
Promethean board has made things
easier for teachers. “The overhead
projectors are just a way to project
the image from the computer to the
screen/wall. Interactive whiteboards, in particular the ActivBoard
[Promethean board] uses a projector
to transmit an image from a computer to the board and also allows
you to use a pen to be the mouse
with the image on the board. The
overhead projector doesn't allow
you to do anything to it unless
you're at the computer controlling
the mouse,” says Stephanie Briggs,
teacher. Basically, it’s a whole day
of class on the computer, ready to
zip through the class with.
And, finally, we come to
phones and landlines. The biggest
battle between old and new technology is somewhat of a landslide, but
there is still a scuffle between these
two. These days, you can do everything on a mobile phone—call, text,
check email, get on Facebook, and
so much more. On a landline: not so
much. Simply for the purpose of
calling and maybe to get people’s
names (if they call you), but that’s
about it. Phones are the source of
entertainment and “coolness”,
whereas you wouldn’t be cool if you
went to a friends’ with a landline
stuck to your ear. “People who
have made the switch cite several
benefits. Wireless communication
saves money on local and longdistance phone charges, frees people
up from their desks and prevents
having to lay new cables. Laymen
Global, the New Jersey company,
saved $4,600 on its phone bill by
forgoing landlines,” says Jennifer
Horton, tech expert. The payphone
has become obsolete in the US, only
found in remote areas such as the
desert or old towns that refuse to
change what they have used for so
many years. But the landline has
some advantages. For example, using a cell phone or VoIP (Voice over
Internet protocol) can become a
monetary drain, taking thousands of
dollars out of your pocket each year.
Tech experts say this about losing
your landline: “Security is another
factor for people to consider before
letting go of their landlines. It's
much easier for hackers to gain access to conversations on a cell phone
or through VoIP than it is on a traditional phone line. Some people on
the front lines of communications
technology think that security concerns could prevent many companies
from turning entirely away from
landlines.”
So, now you have learned a
little bit about old technology from
the ‘olden days’. You have taken a
look at the technology your parents
may have used when they were kids.
You have seen the many tech battles
that take place on the turf that is our
world. So after this, what’s old?
The Danger of Social Media
Ali Tyma
Staff Writer
As you flip through an old
yearbook, you come across a picture
of a smiling boy, now suffering from
depression. You pause and wonder
how could someone go from happy
to sad in just a few years? You wonder, could I have influenced his depression? Maybe, just maybe if I
hadn’t posted those mean comments
he would still be happy.
About 4.7% of adolescents
suffer from depression, mostly influenced by social media. Although this
number seems small, depression is
actually pretty common in middle
and high school and is probably happening in your school right now.
gers of social media known by producing a original movie called Cyber
-bully, starring Emily Osment.
Based on a true story, Cyber-bully
was a way to encourage depressed
teens to reach out for help.
Kids are always on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and
typically will do anything from posting a mean comment to posting an
even meaner video just to impress
their peers and/or bring someone
down. The only thing kids know is
that they’re hurting someone. What
they don’t know is that they’re permanently hurting someone. Or they
don’t know that they’re hurting
someone. At this age, kids don’t
think before they act. And although
you may regret hurting someone,
once you post something on the
internet, there is no way to remove
it.
Depression is a serious
thing and once you hurt someone,
it’s hard to fix the break. Kids need
to learn to be more respectful, and
understand the dangers of social media. Social media can be fun, yet
dangerous. If not handled properly,
social media abuse can lead to depression, and in some cases, death.
ABC Family helped make the dan
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Depression is a serious, and
sometimes fatal, condition. If you
know anyone who suffers from depression, encourage them to reach
out for help, and if they already are,
help them. Next time you want to
hurt someone or impress a peer on
social media, think twice.
Health
For All Vegetable Haters
Sooah Sohn
Staff Writer
“Eat your vegetables!” The
call from mothers’ mouths resounds
across the country. The fact that is
drilled inside our heads from the
moment we’re born is: vegetables
are extremely healthy and ALL
must be eaten!!! The connotation of
vegetables is a universally known
opinion that everyone knows and is
familiar with. Kids know that they
are expected eat their gooey peas,
bringing disgust and hatred toward
the semi- innocent vegetables. The
truth is, vegetables can be a bit
overrated. The adults of the world
must recoil when they hear this; it’s
that unknown. The vegetables that
they show on advertisements, “full
of nutrients and essential for life,”
can be a lot less healthy and nutritious than you would think.
Now, I’m not saying that
vegetables aren’t healthy at allvegetarians have proved that- but
the huge imprint on every person’s
mind is that vegetables are essential
for a healthy lifestyle.
This might be true and
might not- depending on where
you’re living, your views on life,
and some other factors. Vilhjalmur
Stefansson was a Canadian Arctic
explorer and ethnologist. He and his
associate “ate nothing but meat for
two years as an experiment under
the supervision of a New York City
hospital. They experienced no nutritional deficiencies. Stefansson said
that his health had never been better.
He considered organ meat and regular walking essential. He also valued
fat over protein.” Vegetables are
nutritious, but this study raises the
question – are they truly essential?
Corn, although not a vegeta-
ble, is a grain that many people
mentally group with vegetables.
“Although considered a great
source of vitamins B1 (thiamin) and
B5 (pantothenic acid), folate, vitamin C, phosphorous and manganese, just one medium ear of corn
can pack as much as 15 grams of
sugar!” says Mark’s Daily Apple.
Because corn is a grain and can be
high in calories, it should be taken
as lightly as any other grain.
There are also other foods
whose names make them seem a
little more nutritional than they are,
like carrot cake, salad dressings,
fried vegetables, and a number of
others. Salad vegetables are now
basically drenched in a sea of dressing, making it salty, large in calories, and basically unhealthy. Fried
vegetables are very small in nutrition. Iceberg lettuce itself has very
little nutrition, too. All those
greasy French fries should catch
your attention when you go to restaurants- or even the school cafeteria!! Not much nutritional value
there!
Now that you’ve heard
about the carnivore’s side of it…
the overrating of healthy vegetables
may make sense to you. However,
mothers will always be shoving
veggies down kids’ throats, and
truthfully, that is the right thing to
do. Vegetables are healthy as long
as they are prepared the right way
so that they offer the most benefit.
However, the fallacies of “all vegetables are good for you” may help
you to make excuses the next time
your parents go on about how
healthy and essential vegetables
are—tell them about overrated
vegetables.
Break A Leg
Ali Tyma and
Anusha Chinthalapale
Staff Writers
Over the years, Rocky Hill
has been involved in some of the most
classic and memorable drama productions. This year’s Cinderella was no
exception. The cast of characters,
known as the Rocky Hill Headliners,
goes through a rigorous period of
auditions and put long hours of rehearsals to produce a school play. For
the actors, when you join a long term
project, where one will most likely
form relationships with new people,
saying goodbye is always the hardest
part. This is obvious with the cast of
Rocky Hill’s production Cinderella.
Although it was painful for the cast to
say goodbye, each person can happily
recall favored memories of their cast
mates.
One of the Cinderella cast
members reflected on the part that she
had played. “I think the hardest part
was memorizing, says Michelle GreyTheriot, who played the role of Stepmother. “Also, staying in character is
hard.” Clearly there is a lot of work
that goes into the production of a
school play. Mrs. Nacht and the other
teachers involved carefully select the
characters and put them in roles that
fit their personalities. For the young
actors, it is an experience of a life
time. “Overcoming stage fright was
the hardest part in my opinion, says
Olivia Luzquinos, who played the
Godmother. “It's easy singing and
acting, but it's scary when you think
ing my lines, learning the songs, blocking out scenes and learning the lines that
went with the songs was probably the
hardest part.”
Obviously family members were extremely proud. “This play didn't take up
much time because I knew that she
really wanted it, and she proved it by
practicing over and over again,” says
Olivia Luzquinos's younger sister,
Elaina. “The effort was just unbelievable. She really did her best!” Ryan
Crosby's younger sister, Hannah told us
how Ryan prepared for his role. “He
sang a lot,” says Hannah, “He's been
practicing and his songs were good because he put a lot of effort.”
Mrs. Nacht was VERY proud
of her students. “I think the play has
been amazingly successful,” says Mrs.
The cast of Cinderella on stage
Nacht. “The cast was in order from the
very beginning. I thought that this was
an amazing cast. I'm so proud of my
you're messing up.” For some kids,
Herald. All in all it must have been
you may conclude that they were
tough, transforming into someone else cast, I've never been this proud. I
thought the commodity was flawless.”
born to act because acting almost
but the cast seemed to have nailed it
Most of the people who came to watch
comes naturally. Others have to put
and stole the show completely!
the performance would agree that Mrs.
in extra effort. “The hardest part was
As tough as it was for the
staying in character. It's a different
characters, you can imagine how much Nacht is a great director. Mrs. Obendorfer and some former students worked
person in a different time period. So
tougher it was for the lead actors. “I
it's pretty hectic,” says Isabella Cadijust thought to myself, do my best and hard to make Cinderella a great success.
I think I speak for most of Rocky Hill
rola, part of the Ensemble.
try not to mess up and if I do, try not
when I say, “Well done star pupils!”
Heba,Shazeb pointed out one of the
to make it noticeable,” says Hanna
major challenges of putting on a
Arze, who played the leading role of
show like Cinderella. “Definitely the
Cinderella. “Having confidence in
costume changing and facing your
myself and knowing that I was going
fear of doing a solo,” says Hebah
to be okay was the hardest part.” Since
Shazeb. Proud parents and teachers
the story revolves around the main
who watched Cinderella were quick
characters, it puts an enormous
to notice how different the kids
amount of pressure on the actors who
looked on stage! “When it was the
take on the lead roles. “I practiced at
first show it was completely nerve
home, during rehearsals.” says the
wracking, but once I got out there, it
Prince, Ryan Crosby. “I think of my
was amazing!” says Daniel Ward,
friends and do my best. But memoriz-
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