John T. Baker Middle School Student Newspaper
The Puppy Paw Prints
J ohn T . B ak er M id dle S c hool
254 00 Oak Driv e
Dam ascu s, Ma ry la nd 20 87 2
Inside this issue:

WN4K

Trout in the Classroom

Bell Times

Riddles

Famous Birthdays

Staff Birthdays

Basketball Scores

Reviews—Trivia
Crack

Reviews — Reflex Glasses; IPhone 6
2
Winter/Spring 2015
Volume 2 / Issue 3
SGA News by Olivia Jaramillo and Tre McNeill
We will be having a Positive Challenge in March to focus on
positive attitudes here at Baker. For the Positive Challenge,
each student will be given a positive postcard to decorate. We
would like to challenge each student to think of one positive
thing about themselves or someone else they can write on the
card. It can be something about yourself or something about a friend or a family
member. You can draw a picture, color, decorate, write positive quotes or just share
positive thoughts.
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4
5
Then on March 24 everyone can stay after school for the Positive Challenge. While
we are there, staff and students will be decorating a wall in the cafeteria with the
positive postcards. Our goal is to have at least one positive item from everyone.
We will also paint pictures, show positive acts, write positive thoughts and quotes,
and hang the positive postcards. We challenge every student at Baker to be positive
and join us for an afternoon of fun.
Also next month, the SGA will be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society through the Pennies for Patients Program. We will be collecting money
through the 1st period classes and we will provide an incentive for the top classes
with the highest percentage of donations. More details to come.
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Newspaper Staff
Zac Campbell
Imani Ibino
Taliha Peeples
Wyatt Trumbour
Baker MS Calendar for March & April
Friday, March 20 = Musical, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 21= Musical, 2:00
p.m.
Thursday, March 26 = Marking Period
3 Ends & School Spirit Celebration,
2:40-5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 01 = Lifetouch
Spring Portraits
Friday, April 03 – Friday, April 10 =
Holiday/Spring Break
Tuesday, April 14 = Report Card Distribution
Friday, March 27 = Professional Day
for Teachers
Monday, April 20 = MP3 All A & Honor Roll Parties
Monday, March 30 = Marking Period 4
Begins
Thursday, April 23 = Take Your Child
to Work Day & Staff Vs. Student
Soccer Game
Tuesday, March 31 = Lifetouch 8th
Grade Class Photo
Page 2
The Puppy Paw Prints — News
World News for Kids by Zac Campbell
WN4K
Boston Receives Tons of Snow
Boston, Massachusetts received huge amounts of snowfall; six
feet over the last month! (as of 2/10/15) The state received
so much snow, that Governor Charlie Baker declared a state
of emergency. Snow was 37 inches deep in Boston. That
was the most snow recorded since records began. NOAA’s
National Weather Service said that Boston received a total
of 100 inches of snow this winter, an absolutely astonishing
fact! Boston set a record for the most snow recorded in a 30day period, with 71.8 inches. This broke the record of 58.8
inches set in February 1978. More than 2,000 flights were
cancelled, causing trouble at airports. Governor Baker stated his anger towards the Boston Transit Co., explaining that it
is unacceptable for the transportation system to still be down.
Trout in the Classroom
by Zac Campbell
The trout are back at Baker Middle School for a second year! 6 th
graders will take care of the trout until they grow and are released
into Little Seneca Creek in Maryland. The 6th graders get to feed
the trout, clean the tank, and test the water to ensure it is safe. The
trout come from a hatchery in Hagerstown. The eggs are delivered
to schools by volunteers on “Trout Day”. The school receives 150
eggs. The trout will stay until the 1st week of May. These trout require special conditions, and if these conditions are not met, they
may die. The trout need to be kept in temperatures below 55 degrees. The trout also need a specific bacteria balance. Loss of
habitat is the main cause of trout endangerment, and there are only
2 streams in Maryland that provide suitable conditions for the trout.
Caring for the trout requires $2,000 worth of equipment! Fortunately, Mrs. Shipmon Friedli got a grant so the school did not have
to pay. The school must sign a legal contract stating that they will
follow all the rules, and a park ranger even oversees the release of
the trout. Any violation could result in a fine. Basically, John T.
Baker Middle School is an official trout raiser of Maryland. So far,
few of the 150 trout have died, and one has been named. That
trout’s name is Speedy, because he often quickly swims from one
side of the tank to the other. Hopefully this new tradition will continue here at Baker!
Lee Anderson adds to his huge pile of snow.
www.usatoday.com
Page 3
Bell Times Changing for 2015-2016
School Year by Imani Ibino
I’m sure we’ve all heard bits and pieces about how
MCPS is going to change school starting and ending
times, and I’m here to clear it up for those who are
confused.
On February 10th, MCPS held a business meeting
where the Board of Education voted on changing
school times for next year’s bell schedule. It was
decided that middle and high school will start 20
minutes later, and elementary schools will start 10
minutes later and end 20 minutes later. They did
not change the order that the schools start (high
schools begin first, then middle schools, and elementary schools start last). The 10 extra minutes added
to the elementary school day will be a part of lunch
and recess.
MCPS will end up spending about 1.07 million dollars to fund 37.7 extra lunch aide jobs. This won’t
affect the district’s budget, in fact, starting later reduces the cost because it saves the district 1.3 million
dollars! It’s a Win-Win situation.
Just in case you don’t know the new school times,
here it is:
High School = 7:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Middle School = 8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Elementary School Tier #1 = 9:00 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.
Elementary School Tier #2 = 9:25 a.m. - 3:50 p.m.
In my opinion, I feel like the high school students deserve this extra time to sleep and get ready in the
morning. I think people would be more awake and
maybe even do better in classes. I feel like they
should’ve made elementary schools start earlier, only because they start so late in the day. How do
you feel about the time changes? Would you vote
for it or against it?
Artwork by Abigail Gamboa
Riddles by Imani Ibino
Riddle: You are awoken at 3 A.M. by a knock on your
door. Your parents call you to let you know that they
are there for breakfast. You are confused but quickly
think of what food you have. You have bread, jam,
butter, and eggs. What do you open first?
Answer: The door for your parents.
Riddle: How do you make the number one disappear
by adding to it?
Answer: Add the letter “G” and it's “Gone”.
Riddle: How can "L" be greater in size than "XL"?
Answer: Roman Numerals.
Riddle: What two letters can spell the word candy?
Answer: C and Y. If you take away the spaces, it will
become the word CandY.
Riddle: During what month do people sleep the least?
Answer: February, it's the shortest month after all.
Riddle: You are my brother, but I am not your brother.
Who am I?
Answer: I am your sister.
Source: www.goodriddlesnow.com
Page 4
Famous Birthdays By Imani Ibino
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And
then you have to play better than anyone else.”
Albert Einstein, Born March 14th, 1955
Many inspirational and history-changing people are
having birthdays. As a way to remember them and
say happy birthday, I put together some quotes by
them.
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing
when it is right.”
Rosa Parks, Born February 4th, 1913
“Get up, stand up! Stand up for your rights. Get up,
stand up! Don’t give up the fight.”
Bob Marley, Born February 6th, 1945
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Babe Ruth, Born February 6th, 1895
“ I am, you are, everyone on this planet has the
power to be extraordinary.”
Tyler Oakley, Born March 22nd , 1989
“It’s okay, you know? It’s okay to be you. It’s
okay to just not be okay. It’s okay to not be
okay.”
Kristen Stewart, Born April 9, 1991
“Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.”
Thomas Jefferson, Born April 13, 1743-1826
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one
day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln, Born February 12th, 1809
“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
Leonardo da Vinci, Born April 15, 1452-1519
“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
George Washington, Born February 22, 1732
“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is
no one alive who is you-er than you!”
Dr. Seuss , Born March 2nd , 1904
“At the end of the day nobody’s perfect and everybody’s weird whether they embrace it or not,”
Camila Cabello, Born march 3rd , 1997
“Nobody has it all, but for me to even come close
is amazing.”
Adam Levine, Born March 18th, 1979
“No one is immune to the trials and tribulations of
life.”
Martin Lawrence, Born April 16, 1966
“I'm thankful for weird people out there 'cause
they're some of the most creative people.”
Channing Tatum, Born April 26, 1981
Source: http://www.famousbirthdays.com;
www.brainyquotes.com
Don’t forget to say Happy Birthday to the following
Baker Staff Members:
March 4
March 5
Mr. Bozicevich
Mrs. Habib
March 5
March 5
Mrs. Norton
Mrs. Schwaderer
March 21
Mr. Realpe
March 22
March 23
Mrs. Leister
Mrs. Murray
April 3
April 5
Mr. Lloyd
Mr. Niswander
April 7
April 12
Mrs. Haren
Mrs. Parker
April 14
Mrs. Ehrlich
April 16
Mrs. Peters
April 18
April 21
Mrs. Lee
Mrs. DiMisa
April 30
Mrs. Calvert
Page 5
The Puppy Paw Prints — Sports/Reviews
Baker Basketball
Clemente:
Boys = 36-25 (W)
Kingsview MS: Boys = 40-30 (W)
Girls = 32-12 (W)
rocky hill:
Boys =26-30 (L)
Girls = 33-15 (W)
Poole MS:
Girls = 22-32 (L)
King MS:
Boys = 29-45 (L)
Girls = 49–8 (W)
Boys =36-23 (W)
Neelsville MS: Boys = 37-35 (W)
Girls = 20-22 (L)
Girls = 44-12 (W)
Last quarter 8th graders had to write a product review in their English classes. The reviews were
then posted on a blog. Here are a few examples of the great reviews you can find at
www.thetruthfulreview.blogspot.com Check it out when you have a chance.
Trivia Crack by Tikristi (TD)
Do you like Wheel of Fortune? Heck, do you like trivia? Well there’s a game perfect for you on the Apple App
Store as well as the Google Play Store. This game is called Trivia Crack. This game is played online with people
that you friend. This is a free app.
In this game there are six categories: Science, Art, Entertainment, Sports, History, and Geography. There is
also a seventh “category”, which is the crown which helps you get the character matched with the category.
There are 25 rounds for each game and the goal is to get all six characters before the game officially ends
when the 25 rounds are done. You can still win the games by ending up with more characters than your opponent. The game asks various questions related to the subject. These questions are submitted by other people.
With Trivia Crack you can interact with all your friends and get weekly rankings. Your wins and losses as well as how well y ou are doing on
each category. A percentage is given to you as well as notifications about your worst category. If you decide to play someone multiple times it
keeps track of how many times you have played them and how many times you have won and how many times you have lost too. This game is
extremely competitive as well as addicting. Personally I love the game Trivia Crack because I do well and I win a lot. The more friends you
have the more types of playing styles. I know a young lad named Mohammed who is very bad at the game. So I constantly play him because
he doesn’t know how bad he is. Even though I’ve told him he’s inferior.
If you like Wheel of Fortune I am sure you are going to love this game. Like Wheel of Fortune this game has a wheel. You sp in this wheel and
the category comes up. You have the option to re-spin but it costs your coins. You can gain coins but leveling up, gaining ach ievements. Once
the category has been selected you have four options as your answer. If you answer it correct you get another chance to answ er. Once you
have answered three questions in a row, you get the crown category which allows you to choose the subject that you want in order to get the
character paired with it. If you and your opponent each have at least one character you can challenge them for their characters. This best
works when your opponent has a character from a subject that you aren’t very good at. Once you have challenge someone you bo th have the
same six questions from all six categories. The one with the most correct wins the challenge and gets the character. Oh and by the way you all
have to choose a character that you lose if you get it wrong.
Different types of apps come out every day and it’s very hard to say that you have a favorite one because there are so many. Honestly I believe that I can say that trivia crack is my absolute favorite game if not app. That along with Instagram and Kik, trivia crack is one of, if not my
favorite app. It can become yours too if you give it a try.
Page 6
Reflex Glasses by Noah Sim
Iphone 6 Max M.
There are many different types of
glasses frames out there, small
ones, big ones, and unique ones.
The glasses frame that I’m going to talk about are extravagant. The reflex
glasses can bend a full 180 degrees on the ends of the frame. There are
three types of Reflex glasses. The first one bends on the ends of the
frame allowing you to bend the entire frame. The second one bend on the
creases of the lens which allows people to bend the connectors of the
frame to bend a full 180 degrees. The third are simple glasses that do not
bend and are not that different from regular brands of glasses.
Go buy yourself an iphone 6 right now!
The Iphone 6 is an all around great
phone. It’s a great starter phone too.
There is a couple reasons why you should
get this phone. First of all, it has a screen that is made of a new type of
glass called sapphire glass that is more durable. Another great feature
about this phone is that apple has modified the camera, and the front camera as well, with better quality. They also improved the front camera. The
iphone 6 is also a lot bigger than the iphone 5s and the rest of the past
phones. It’s a serious change. It is also more waterproof than past
phones. Another big improvement for the iphone 6 is that they have
moved the power button to the side of the phone where it is more convenient. The power button used to be on the top of the phone. The graphics of
the phone are also a lot better. Some people think that the iphone 6 bends
very easily but that is not true.
The glasses that I have recently used are the ones that bend on the connectors of the frame. This bending on the frame increases your glasses
durability. It’s also really cool. The reflex glasses can bend 180 degrees
before stopping and if you continue after stopping point the frame will
break. The glasses can extend on the joints of the frame. This will allow
you to adjust glasses without having to go through the trouble of going to
a store or risk doing it yourself. There are many other upgrades, like
transitions, glare, and lens protector. Transitions are the most commonly
bought upgrade. An upgrade might cost from around 50-100 dollars. The
price might be a little high, but it is really worth it. The transitions will
allow your glasses to turn from shades into clear lens. The change will not
affect your vision. The shades will help you focus more on what you’re
doing then letting the light glare in your eyes and bother you a lot.
In my experience this glasses work great. I have bought all the upgrades
to help improve the effects of my glasses. The transition was a major help
in my glasses. The sun used to glare and reflect onto the glasses lens and
into my eyes. It was really annoying and bothered me from my work.
The downsides of these glasses are of course the price. Some people
might say that these glasses are not really worth 850 dollars with all the
upgrades, but in my personal opinion I think otherwise. The money might
be an issue with some people, but remember you don’t always have to get
all the upgrade. Sure there might be some cons to these glasses but overall I really love theses glasses and recommend you to get this brand of
glasses.
Reflex glasses are very effective and durable glasses for everyone. Reflex glasses are known for the amazing bending of the frame. I believe
everyone should buy the Reflex glasses and should buy all upgrades to
increase the effectiveness of the glasses.
The new glass used for the iphone 6, sapphire glass, is way more durable
than the actual glass that was used in past phones. Sapphire glass is a
little like plexiglass and the durability is very similar. Since all the old
iphones were made of glass a lot of them were cracking all the time, apple
decided to change the glass so people would have a harder time cracking it.
Another great feature about the iphone 6 is the new camera. Apple has
improved the front and back cameras. A great thing about it is that if you
are shaking the camera and you can't keep it still, the camera automatically steadies itself to take the photo. It really helps the picture turn out very
nicely and the quality is a lot better.
One of the biggest improvements to the iphone was the power button being
moved to the side of the phone instead of the top. It’s a big improvement
because the button being on the side is more convenient. Usually when
you are holding your phone, your thumb is on the side right where they
have moved the button. You don’t have to move your hand at all, but when
the power button was on the top, you would have to constantly move your
hand to the top of the phone.
Some people think that the iphone 6 bends very easily. This is not true. I
have an iphone 6 and I have tried to bend it and it would not move at all. It
is true that it bends more easily than other phones, but it is still very hard
to bend. It takes up to seventy pounds to bend the iphone 6. The only way
you're going to bend it is if you use a machine or if you put it in your back
pocket and you sit on it. But you still have to have a lot of force to bend it.
I also think that most people are smart enough to not sit on their phone.
Those are the major things that have been updated or added to the iphone.
One small thing that has changed about it is that they have improved the
screen resolution and graphics on the phone. Overall I think that the iphone 6 is a great phone and I think there is no problems with it. That is why
you should buy the iphone 6.