VOLUME VI, ISSUE 1
FALL 2015
THE SCOOP
Spring-Ford 7th Grade Center
Mr.
Cifelli
Wins
Spring-Ford Area School District
Turkiest
Teacher
Points of Interest:
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Team Reports
Interviews
School Events
Music Groups
Sports
Technology info
Photographs!
Comics
Students collected $872.76f or Project Outreach
an increase of more than $200 from last year!
Red Ribbon Week
By Bryn Borzillo
Inside this issue:
Team Reports
Interviews
4-8
9 & 17
Events
throughout
Music
10, 12-13
Reviews
12
Sports
16-17
Comics
18
At the end of October, we celebrated Red Ribbon Week, with the
school united to prevent drugs and promote school spirit.
The
students and teachers dressed to a theme each day that related to
being drug-free.
On Monday the school wore red because we are, “Proud To Be DrugFree.” On Tuesday the theme was, “Drugs And I Don’t Mix,”
and everyone wore crazy clashing clothes to represent the day. On
Wednesday students dressed in college logos for, “Smarties Don’t Do
Drugs,” day. On Thursday, the students and staff were, “Too Bright
To Do Drugs,” and wore bright colors. To finish off Red Ribbon Week,
the theme was, “Say Boo To Drugs,” and all were encouraged to wear
orange and black. During the week, we showed our school spirit and
helped to support drug prevention with Red Ribbon Week.
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SCOOP STAFF
Reporters & Cartoonists
Faculty Advisor—Mrs. Deanne Snelling
Samantha Acker
Bryn Borzillo
Andrew Coale
Ella Colarossi
Bella Folino
Aidan Gable
Chris Graham
Noah Kurian
Dasha Lagutkina
Drew Pusak
Bethany Ricco
Abigail Skelton
Ankush Somenhalli
Tori Stahl
Celcie Tetteh
Grace Toth
Want to join the newspaper?
Top Row - Chris Graham, Grace Toth
We need Reporters for:
2nd - Bella Folino, Celcie Tetteh, Bethany Ricco
Reviews - books, movies, tech
3rd - Drew Pusak, Dasha Lagutkina, Samantha
Acker
Cartoonists!
Sports
Bottom - Aiden Gable, Ella Colarossi, Bryn Borzillo,
Abby Skelton
Students are welcome to join at anytime Applications are outside of
Mrs. Snelling’s room—254. Or just come to a meeting!
Page 3
French Pen-Pal program
By Abigail Skelton
Madame Brown, our school French teacher, has arranged pen pals for
some willing French-taking students! The program began last October,
when students had the option of being able to write to real students
learning their third year of English in France. Participating students have currently received
their first letter from their matched pal. Letters often consist of getting to know your pen pal,
simple questions, and learning how children live in France!
Participants are able to write their letters by hand or are able to type them, using target time
and home hours to draft their letters. Letters are often a few good paragraphs long.
Participating students are urged to write as much French as they can, using only their notes
and of course the help of Madame Brown herself! Participants receive and send a total of four
letters.
The First World Language Club Meeting
By Noah Kurian
Our first world language club meeting was themed FOODS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. The
first thing that we did was to go around the room answering questions about different foods.
Then we all sat down and waited to be dismissed to go grab scrumptious food. All of the food
was delicious. It was basically an all-you-can-eat buffet. People would grab the food that they
wanted, sit down at their table, and socialize. I don’t think anyone went home hungry. It was a
great time to spend one hour of the afternoon. I can’t wait for the next meeting!
Interview with the Treasurer
By Drew Pusak
Q: What is the student council doing to change the school?
A: We as a group are still brainstorming ideas that will lead to a better
welfare for the school.
Q: Are you planning to run next year, if so which position will you be running for?
A:Yes I am and I would like to try to be reelected as treasurer.
Q: Why did you decide to run for student council?
A: I wanted to help people in the school community and running for student council seemed to
be the best way I could.
Q: What is it like to be the Treasurer, how does it feel to help out people?
A: It is a great experience and I am enjoying everything we are doing.
Special thanks to Jupjowt Singh.
Page 4
Egyptians team
By Bryn Borzillo
Algebra: The class has finished up chapters 1, 2
and 3 and nearly finished chapter 4. With Mrs.
McCloskey we have been learning about graphs,
slope and linear equations in chapter 4. We have
been doing multiple fun projects to go along with
the chapter. When we finish, we are going to be
ready to move onto chapter 5.
Math: Students reviewed fractions. Also we learned
about positive and negative numbers. Mrs.
McCloskey had an joke about Red Robin to help her
students remember negatives. She also talked about her favorite food, PIZZA!
Social Studies: With Mrs. Custer we have finished up the Mesopotamia lesson and are moving
onto the Egyptians. We have spent a few class periods doing fun activities, that allow you to
get up and move around the classroom, that have to do with the Mesopotamia lesson. We have
also done a few projects to go along with the unit. Mrs. Custer is always ready to have fun.
Science: In the first marking period, we have done many science labs that have to do with
each lesson. Recently, we finished up macromolecule labs where we tested to see if certain
substances were present. We did an egg lab and we examined eggs in different liquids. Mr.
Kahler has kept us all entertained cracking jokes every chance he gets.
English: We have been writing a lot of essays and hand certain essays in for a large grade.
However the teachers prepare us for it so usually we know what we are writing about. In class
we write writing models, that is transcribing from another text.
Reading: In reading class we have been reading The Outsiders. We really enjoyed reading the
book and have started to watch the movie. After reading a couple chapters we filled out a
packet based on the book and eventually filled out a reading journal. We also wrote an essay
based on a certain skill we learned from the book.
Spring-Ford Seventh Grade First Dance
By Ella Colarossi and Abby Skelton
The Dance was on October 16, 2015 and started off with a bang at 7pm. The cafeteria and gym
were open, and a small portion of the hallway was set aside for free refreshments. You could
sample some Rita’s Water Ice, cookies, and soft pretzels. The hallway was flooded with sounds
of popular songs, blasting from the large cafeteria speakers. There were colorful strobe lights.
The gymnasium was open for all to play basketball and test their strength on the pull-up bar.
When you were at the dance, it was as if you weren't at school. The DJ took your song
requests, and as you were waiting them to play, you could dance freely with your friends. If you
weren’t into the dancing part or the gym, quaintly talking with your friends was perfectly
acceptable. The night was an overall success, we hope more fun dances like this happen again
in the future.
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Greeks
By Ella Colarossi, Chris Graham, Andrew Coale, and Noah Kurian
Math: Mr. Reagan (Algebra): We learned algebraic
equations, linear equations, and graphing different
coordinates on a coordinate grid.
Mrs. McCloskey, Mr. Reagan, and Mr. Marcellus
(Regular Math): We reviewed fractions in the first
marking period. We multiplied, divided, added and
subtracted the fractions. Mrs. McCloskey made the
fractions fun for the whole class. She talked about
fractions by talking about pizza. A lot.
Social Studies: Mrs. Gabel and Mr. Butterweck: We
learned about the Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, and Mesopotamia, plus a lot of its history. Then
we took 5 letters from the alphabet and picked words starting with those letters about
Mesopotamia. Then we drew pictures and wrote two sentences each about those words.
Reading: Mrs. Keyser, Mrs. Ward, and Mrs. Falllstich: We first read The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow. Then, we read The Outsiders, took some notes in the packets, and finally watched the
movie.
Science: Mrs. Glossner and Mrs. Cody: We learned about cells and microscopes. We did an
egg lab on how it changed in different substances. In class we learned about cladograms and
dichotomous keys.
English: Mrs. Plush, Mr. Ridgeway, Mrs. Exeter and Mrs. Shortall: We did our class essay
(teacher’s choice of song) and then we did Hall of Fame independently. Then we finally worked
on formal and informal language.
Ram Buddies
By Noah Kurian
Ram Buddies are students who help out during target time with Mrs.
Jeffers’s students. Her students sometimes learn a little bit differently.
These students enjoy studying for tests, playing games, and practicing
skills with peers. All of Mrs. Jeffers’s students are very fun. If you are a
Ram Buddy, then you hopefully already know that. They do special
projects that the rest of us don’t really get to do. For instance, they get
to take care of the courtyard with Ram Buddies and they get to create wood projects with the
help of Mr. Fickert, who graciously makes time for them. Did you ever wonder how the gym
pinnies get washed? Thanks to the help of Mrs. Jeffers’s students, they are washed weekly.
Some of you may not know them, but you may pass them in the halls, or are in some classes
with them, or some of you are even Ram Buddies with them!
To make their day, maybe sit with them on the bus, or say hello in the halls. Sometimes these
friends need a little confidence boost or some encouragement just like the rest of us do. If you
have at least one class with them, or have 3rd lunch, then I ask you to get to know at least one
of them, a little bit. If you have a question, ask Mrs. Jeffers, room E141.
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Inca Team
By Ankush Somenhalli and Grace Toth
Mr. Baldan; English - Mr. Baldan is a quite
entertaining teacher and tries to make English class
pleasant. In the first marking period, we had covered
several different genres of writing, and we wrote several
in-class essays to practice writing.
Mrs. Bower; Pre-Algebra/Algebra - Mrs. Bower is a
merry teacher who loves to teach. She never lets class
go below lively and makes learning enjoyable. In Prephoto credit clipart.mrdonn.org
Algebra we cruised through units with ease and are now learning
about unit prices. In Algebra, we learned content in units 1, 2, 3 and 4. We were very
productive in the first marking period.
Mrs. Fallstich/Mrs. Ward; Reading Co-teach - Mrs. Fallstich and Mrs. Ward are great
reading teachers who make every class interesting and fun. We have read the Outsiders and
are now getting into the background knowledge of Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Mrs. Rotondo; Reading - Mrs. Rotondo is a very lively teacher and is always looking ways to
make class pleasurable. In the first marking period we read The Outsiders. This book was filled
with suspense and was very entertaining. We also read several short stories by Roald Dahl.
Mrs. Croll; Science - Mrs. Croll is a very productive teacher who fills class with great
activities. In the first marking period we set the basics for life science. We also learned about
the cell.
Mr. D’Orazio; Social Studies -Mr. D’Orazio is a teacher who is hilarious. He came in second
place in the Turkiest Teacher competition. In the first marking period we learned all the basics
for social studies this year, as well as early human life.
Mr. Young; Social Studies - Mr. Young is a great social studies teacher and is the most
organized social studies teacher I have ever had. I have his class 7th period.
Mrs. Shortall/Mrs. Exeter; English Co-teach - English is one of the first classes I have in
the day. Mrs. Exeter and Mrs. Shortall are some of the best English teachers and try to make
learning about informal and formal language enjoyable.
Great Spanish And French App For
Students By Bethany Ricco
Do you take Spanish or French class? If you said yes, then you should do
yourself a favor and check out an amazing app called Duolingo. I tried this app on my iPhone
and love it! I have learned so many new words in Spanish using Duolingo. The app uses
pictures, written words, in both English and the language you choose, it also uses audio so you
can hear how to say the word. You can challenge yourself by matching the pictures with the
written word in the language of your choice. I highly recommend this app for anyone who wants
to learn another language. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
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Celts
By Samantha Acker and Aidan Gable
Miss Amersbach- Miss Amersbach teaches how to divide
decimals all the way to how to simplify algebraic expressions.
She teaches a wide variety of mathematics. Her students
definitely learn a lot from her.
Mr. Marcellus- Mr. Marcellus is currently teaching how to
solve proportions and equivalent ratios. He has been teaching
math in Spring-Ford for 12 years.
Mrs. Glossner- Mrs. Glossner teaches science. She has been teaching for 17 years. She also
likes to make her lessons fun by doing science labs.
Mr. Rendick- Mr. Rendick is not only a science teacher but he also coaches high school tennis.
A student teacher, Miss Mitchell, is currently taking Mr. Rendick’s place. Mr. Rendick also runs
the Ecology Club.
Mr. Young- Mr. Young has been teaching social studies for 16 years. He is also the Head
Varsity Boys Basketball coach at the high school. He is currently teaching his students about
Mesopotamia and the Sumerians that settled there to create the earliest civilization.
Mr. Hollingsworth- Mr. Hollingsworth has been using the book, The Outsiders, to teach his
students all about reading strategies and techniques. We are now watching the movie in
reading class, which is sure to be a great treat. He has 29 years of teaching experience.
Mr. Ridgeway- Mr. Ridgeway teaches 7th grade English. He has amazed his students with his
power to disassemble his clock. He can also get rid of gravity. You never know what to expect
the next time you see him!
Senora Munoz- Senora Munoz teaches Spanish. She just got a cat named Ziggy. Senora
Munoz always makes her lessons fun and interesting. The review games are fun and
competitive.
Going to the YMCA? By Ella Colarossi
At the YMCA, there are tons of programs. If you like basketball, there is
something for you. If you like swimming, there is something for you too. In
7th grade you can get a free membership to the Spring-Valley Y. The best
part is 90% of all of the programs are free.
Achievers is a program for students. You don’t have to be a member to be a part of this. You
receive a membership from being a part in this. The group meets every other Thursday from
6:30-8:00 pm. You get a free dinner when you go to meetings. In this group, you learn
leadership skills and build a foundation to be motivated. Finally, it makes you feel good to help
people.
There is another group at the Y, it’s called Leaders. They hold these meetings a couple of times
a week. You wouldn’t get a free membership from being in this group. You learn how to help
others and yourself. The population from this group is typically older kids, from 9th-10th grade.
Page 8
Roman’s Team Teacher Review
By Dasha Lagutkina, Tori Stahl, and Abby Skelton
Mrs. Zimmerman (Math) - Mrs. Zimmerman is teaching us about pre-algebra. She does this
so interestingly, it captures the attention of our fellow students. Mrs. Zimmerman is a fan of
various kinds of patterns, that is shown all over her classroom. She is a great and helpful
teacher to have!
Mr. Rendick (Science) - Instead of showing us boring presentations, Mr. Rendick allows us to
perform experiments with each new lesson we learn. His classes have had a student teacher for
the past 3 weeks, who continues to teach the class independently. Mr. Rendick runs the
Ecology Club! Currently Mr. Rendick has been teaching his classes about life cells. He is a real
“bird-geek.”
Miss West (English) - Miss West has currently been teaching us about formal and informal
writing. She guides the students on their writing difficulties. She does it so well that in no time,
we will become skillful writers. Miss West is in charge of the Yearbook Club. She gives her
class a system of rewards by giving her students “Brooklyn Bucks” named after her (sadly)
deceased cat, Brooklyn.
Mrs. Fryer (Reading) - Mrs. Fryer is a very energetic teacher during her classes. She is so
optimistic that no student has fallen asleep during the class. Mrs. Fryer has a reward system
that consists of fake money, called “Bin Bucks.” Her classes have just finished reading The
Outsiders. Mrs. Fryer adopts children from China and Africa. She cares so much about her
students’ knowledge that before the unit test, she holds a before-school study session.
Miss Fallstich & Mrs. Ward (Reading) - Miss Fallstich and Mrs. Ward have great senses of
humor! Their students have recently finished the unit test for The Outsiders. They teach their
students amusing poetry lessons. Miss Fallstich is the “cat lady” of the school, owning multiple
cats! Mrs. Ward has recently adopted a new puppy.
Mr. D’Orazio (Social Studies) - Mr. D’Orazio was last year’s Turkiest Teacher winner! This
social studies teacher is always cheerful! His smile lights up the room! His students are
currently learning about Mesopotamia. Each test reluctantly includes an essay. Mr. D’Orazio
gives many students personal nicknames, such as “Dashy.” “Bronc” and “DaVinci.”
Mr. Young & Mrs. Collins (Social Studies) - This social-history duo is extremely helpful! Mr.
Young has a somewhat strict approach, only because he cares so much about his students and
wants them to succeed! Mrs. Collins could possibly be the most helpful teacher! She gives her
students a beneficial helping hand if they ever
have struggles! Mr. Young enjoys running before
school and has posters about it around his
classroom.
Mrs. Custer (Social Studies) - Mrs. Custer is
occasionally comical! Her students have recently
finished the Mesopotamia lessons and are starting
the Egyptian lessons. They do a lot of enjoyable
projects and activities that get them moving
around the room.
Page 9
Our star student, Becky Valente
By Abby Skelton
Being star student is a real honor, and September star student, Becky Valente embraces that
part of her life. Read this article to hear her thoughts on teachers, making your day count, and
how you could be a star student yourself! Take a look!
Thank you for being here and answering some questions for us today!
Becky : Thanks for having me!
So as we know, you are student of the month for the month of September, and what
does being a star student mean to you, personally?
Becky: Well… It means that I did a good job that month, and I got good grades, and I know
that I was doing well. I guess, it’s like a pat on the back.
What are some easy ways that you put kindness into your everyday life? Obviously
one of the components to being a student of the month is that you are a very kind
person.
Becky: Um… Well, when somebody needs my help I guess I just, give them help (laughs) but I
like making jokes to cheer people up, and a month ago in math class a few other students and I
got called down to Mrs. Bower’s room and we were chosen as math peer tutors and I knew that
being a tutor, I could help people that way.
What does kindness mean to you?
Becky: It means being nice to people and helping others with things they do not understand,
like little acts of goodness.
I know Becky well and I know that she is a generally positive person. How do you
stay so positive in your everyday life?
Becky: Oh Gosh! (laughs) Well, I just think on the positive side of things really. If I get down
on myself, I know that I can do better, so I just say to myself “You know you can do better, you
are able to do better, and you will be better” that way I know I will do better.
We know that student of the month nominations are not only based on your attitude
towards students, but your attitude towards teachers. How do you show teachers
good respect and show them that they are appreciated? What are some ways
students can do this often?
Becky: I show respect towards my teachers by being very… polite. It’s a lot of using your
manners. If I need to go somewhere or do something during their class period, I ask very nicely
because then I know they will be okay with it. Or if I have to make up some work, I ask them
at a convenient time for them. I try to keep it easy for them because they do a lot for us. Ways
students can do this often is saying “Thanks!” all the time, don’t let them see that you may not
like that class, just don't have a bad attitude. They do so much for you, they really do work
hard.
Being a student of the month also has to do with your grades and performance in
school, but Becky is a very committed and talented softball player. What are some
Continued on Page 8
Page 10
Gold-and-Blues
By Ella Colarossi
The Gold-and-Blues is a select chorus
group. You have to audition to get in;
only 18 students got in for the first half
of the year. You can audition to get in
again
in
January.
They
rehearse
Thursday and Friday mornings from 7:00
-7:45.
Mr. Cifelli, the 7th grade music teacher is looking for students with nice sounding voices. They
also have to be dedicated to the group and confident. You have to be in regular chorus to be in
this group. When you are in this group you have to know what is going on in the song since it is
such a small group.
The winter songs are difficult. One of the songs is acapella. That means no music, just the
singers. There is also a song in a Russian-like language, Mr. Cifelli chooses songs that are more
difficult because he knows the singers can handle more challenging songs.
If you want to see this group perform, come to the high school on December 8 at 7:00 p.m.
You can see all of the musical groups perform.
Star Student continued
ways you balance the demands of your team and still get good grades at school and
your homework done accurately?
Becky: Well I know that I have to manage my time wisely, so when I have practice, which I
have two days a week and tournaments on the weekends, I try stay on a schedule and fit all of
my work in. Schedules help me get good grades because that way I am actually doing my
homework and really concentrating. I also make sure I fit studying into my schedule. You have
to balance work and fun equally.
If someone wanted to be more like a student of the month or even be a student of the
month, what are some simple criteria they could follow to be more like you?
Becky: Oh Boy! (laughs) Well, I think that you should be kind to your teachers, show them
respect, do your homework, study a lot, be kind to your peers… Ask your teachers for help also
and your peers too! Peers and teachers are really helpful at school. I’d say just balance your
time equally and really understand what you are learning. Try and add some meaning to your
day! Make it worth something more than just going to school. Look on the positive side, you
have to put a smile on your face, and try not to be like “Ugh, I have to go to school today, I
wonder what essays my teacher will throw at me..”. Never be unpositive if that’s even a word!
(laughs) Think of school as an opportunity to learn when other less fortunate people don’t have
the opportunity to in other countries. Be thankful for school! Don’t be grumpy about it, it really
is a good thing!
Well thank you so much for being here! I am so happy I could interview you!
Becky : You're so welcome!
Page 11
Explo
By Bella Folino
This summer I went to a camp called Explo. It was at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and I
was there for two weeks. It was an amazing experience. Everyone was so nice and friendly. You
could say “hi” to someone and you make a new friend. There were people from all around the
world. I made friends from Kentucky, Florida, Puerto Rico, and New York.
There are many programs at the camp. I was in the emergency medicine program. We went to
so many places and learned so much. My favorite place was STRATUS. STRATUS is in Boston at
the Brigham Women’s hospital. It is a simulation hospital. While we were there we learned how
to make casts, put in IVs, and learned how to do an ultrasound. We also learned how to use
laparoscopy tools (used in certain surgeries to create less scars).
I also learned how to perform CPR and basic first aid. Two people from Red Cross came in with
mannequins and we had the chance to practice on them. They taught us how to do CPR on
babies, kids, and adults. We also learned what to do in emergency situations.
We also got to learn all about the heart. We played a game where you had a balloon and you
would walk around a big model of a heart. When you reached the part of the heart where the
blood gets oxygen you switched from a blue balloon to a red balloon. The same day we also got
to dissect a sheep’s heart. Although I learned a lot, it was so much fun at the same time.
Later, we went to Boston Med Flight. It is a place where they send off medical planes and
helicopters. While we were there we had the chance to see a medical helicopter take off. We
were given a tour of the area and saw how they set everything up. We also learned how to use
a laryngoscope (used to insert a breathing tube) while we were there.
Even though our program was specialized, we did many things the other programs did. For
example, on the weekends they go on trips. We were given many choices for what to do and I
got to go rock climbing and go to a trapeze school. On Wednesdays in the afternoon we also
got to go with the rest of the camp on small trips. The first Wednesday we went bowling and
the second Wednesday we went to see a movie.
I would definitely recommend this camp to anyone. For 7th graders there are a bunch of
classes you can take. The regular camp is 3 weeks long. The focus groups for 7th graders are
for Orthopedics, Cooking, and Entrepreneurship. The focus groups are 2 weeks long. Although
the regular program is longer, you learn a lot quicker and more intense in the focus groups.
Explo is my favorite camp and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun camp.
Anyone else have a great camp recommendation?
Write an article about it for the newspaper!
See Mrs. Snelling if interested!
Page 12
It Built Up With a Crescendo
By Celcie Tetteh
During the first marking period, the 7/8 grade orchestra improved tremendously. The seventh
graders, in lessons, learned a new skill called syncopation, or playing off the beat. We received
our pieces for the winter concert for the first time this marking period. The pieces include:
“Waltz of the Flowers,” a piece from the famous ballet, The Nutcracker; “Holiday Hoedown,”
a piece that combines several favorite Christmas tunes and switches back and forth between
them about 15 times; “Eagle’s Pride,” a slower song with a darker feel; and last, but not least,
“North Country Legend.” We practiced these songs Monday and
Friday mornings during Target Time, Thursday evenings, and during
lessons, progressing most effectively in bits and pieces. One practice
technique used was to learn to play a portion of a piece on Monday,
and then on Thursday, battle against the eighth graders on the same
portion to see who improved more, the winners getting a prize. While
at first, the pieces seemed daunting and complex, after much
practice, we are getting the hang of things and sounding much
better. Overall, I’d say that we are playing 8 out of 10 right now, (1
being the worst and 10 being the best). This means, for the time
being, we are playing excellently, but there’s still room for
improvement.
Concert Band: Christmas session
By Noah Kurian
Our first half of concert band started the first week of November. This was a bumpy road but
we got through it. We started off with two songs, “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas” and
“Patapan.” Our first song was nothing that we couldn’t handle, but “Patapan” on the other
hand, was one that we could not master in one month. Two weeks into concert band, we got a
new song, “Celtic Bell Carol.” Miss Jennings added this new easy song to incorporate more
percussion. That same band rehearsal she took out “Patapan” because we (as a band) were
not even close to mastering that song. Later, students came up to her asking if we could do
“Patapan” in the spring. Of course, she said yes. Come out and see the concert, where we will
be performing, “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas” and “Celtic Bell Carol.”
Game Review: Super Mario Galaxy
By Andrew Coale
Hello, Spring Ford students! Today I am reviewing an out of this world game
for the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy! In the outset of this game, Mario is invited to
the castle by Princess Peach, on the night of the Star Festival. On his way
there, Bowser arrives with a fleet of ships full of enemies! He uses a giant
UFO to freeze Toads in crystals, and lifts Peach’s castle into space! He then
has Kamek blast Mario out of the castle, and into the infinite void of space.
On a small planet, far out in the universe, he meets a mystical lady and a small being named
Rosalina and Luma. Rosalina grants Mario the ability to spin, by giving him a Luma of his own.
Now Mario must travel to different galaxies, solve challenging puzzles, fight powerful enemies,
and collect Power Stars (and the occasional Grand Star) to gain power for Rosalina’s starship.
Then he’ll be able to fly to the center of the universe, where Princess Peach is being held.
Continued on Page 13
Page 13
Jazz Band: Christmas session
By Noah Kurian
The jazz band songs were fun and easy to play. The songs consists of “Holiday Jam,” “You’re A
Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “Up On The Housetop.” There are 2-3 soloists per song. The Jazz
band consists of trumpets, saxophones (all types), a drumset, a piano, xylophones, bass
guitars, double bass, flutes, and trombones. This is a smaller, more skilled ensemble. If you
thought only the band was good, take a closer look.
Summary of Spring-Ford’s Middle School Marching
Band By Noah Kurian
Marching band started its season on August 3rd. During the
month of August we practiced on Monday and Wednesday
nights until school started. We practiced long and hard
learning how to play Con Slancio and Zumba, plus both
their drill designs. Our band director, Miss Jennings, did a
magnificent job directing us and coordinating our drill. But,
our season hasn’t ended yet! Once school started, we
practiced Saturday mornings. September morning practices
prepared us for October. Now we have learned our other two songs, Novus and Galeon, and
their drill designs. On the first Saturday in October we had our normal Saturday practice, but
that night, we went to O & J Roberts for our first competition. We did so well, that we won our
division, however we were the only ones in our division. In my opinion, we need to congratulate
Matt Hanson (lead 8th grade trumpet soloist) who soloed in 3 out of the 4 songs that we
played. The following weekend we had our second show, our home show. We were the only
ones in our division again, but did a lot better this time, and again got 1st place.
Two weeks after our home show we went to homecoming! We were part of the homecoming
parade and had a lot of fun. We were in the stands with the high school band for the football
game. We (Spring-Ford high and middle school bands) were battling against the away band.
They turned their backs on us and we turned our backs on them. The final score at the end of
the day was 34-0 Spring-Ford!
The following Monday, we performed in the Royersford Halloween parade. The sidewalks were
lined with people waiting for candy from the fire trucks which came later in the parade. The
next night was the Spring City parade. It wasn’t as long as the Royersford parade but Miss
Jennings said, “That was the best performance that the middle school has performed in YEARS!”
That may have been our last performance, but the show is not over yet...
Super Mario Galaxy continued
This is a really fun game overall, and there is only one complaint I
could give about it. In the Battlerock and Dreadnought galaxies,
there are the Battlerock and Dreadnought “garbage dumps” which
are actually ammo depots. The owners have plenty of bombs, and ask you to use them to clean
up trash. This will earn you a power star, and it wouldn’t be too hard, except they only give
you 30 seconds, and every time you fail to clean up all the trash within the time limit, the
owner puts back the trash! Still, even with that, I’d still give this game 5/5 stars!
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Students of the Month for September
Liam Baker
Quinn
Bennett
Cydney
Brown
Cole
Casamento
Ryan Kielty
Kaitlyn
Leister
Abigail
Shelton
Becky
Valente
Madison
Walsh
Brian Zisk
Students of the Month for October
Jada Baker
Jason Borzillo
Jake Corropolese
Nick Eickhoff
Corrine Ferko
Angelina Jones
Declan Kennedy
Jalilah Hood
Steven
McCormick
Sam Pavlicka
Elizabeth Smith
Maggie Zasowski
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Fall Play
Cast
Gracyn Marchesani
Stage Crew
Alexis Beauchamp
Kayla Marshall
Allyson Frey
Juliana Christie
Emerson Muller
Matt Kain
Lindsey Edwards
Kaitlyn Myers
Bret Guldin
Braidyn Palan
Alexis Henegan
Carlos Paredes
Josh Kubinsky
Julianna Perri
Brie Lattanzi
Devon Pytel
McKinley Linn
Sam Szymaniak
Madie Mitchell
Rachel Murphy
Savannah O’Connor
M.E. Schulze
Page 16
Off and Running
By Abby Skelton, Bryn Borzillo, and Celcie Tetteh
Cross Country ended last month ( November 1st) after a
successful season with many wins for both the 7th and
8th boys and girls. Lead by Coach Racich, Coach
Caldwell, Coach Jarema and Coach Amersbach, we met
four (4) days a week (Monday through Thursday) at the
Eighth Grade Center. There, we gathered in the gym for
a few short stretches led by the 8th graders to loosen up a bit before running. At practices we
did sprint workouts, step exercises, ran the home course, SPURT ( a combination between
running and jogging) and campus runs. We ran anywhere from 1-2 miles depending on when
we had our next meet, or when it was time to push even harder.
The most fun, but also nerve-racking part of cross country were the meets. They often caused
us to get out of school early to get on a silent bus on our way to meet several different schools
such as Arcola, PV West, OJR and many others. At the PAC-10s, an important race with several
teams where they split up varsity (top 7 runners) and junior varsity (everyone else), at
Pottsgrove, we came in 1st place for Girls and 2nd place for Boys. Some of the top 7th grade
runners included: Susanna Soderman, Maeve Kalady, Lauren Birch, Brooke Donahue, Bella
Frassenei, Johnny Zawislak, Andrew Horwatt, Frankie McHugh and Daniel Kelly.
And, of course, to show our Spring-Ford spirit we had uniforms. The girls’ uniforms included: a
ladies’ fit tank top, which was navy blue with a white strip on the chest/stomach that was
labeled Spring-Ford in gold, with navy blue athletic shorts. The boys’ uniforms were very
similar. They had a men's fit tank top which also had the white strip across the chest/stomach,
except theirs was labeled Rams in gold, with navy blue athletic shorts. We wore them on meet
days. The season ran from early September to early November, consisting of about 8 meets. All
in all, after the season was over, I think it’s safe to say that we all improved tremendously.
Cross Country is a great sport that you should consider for our next season. My friends and I
can’t wait for next season!!
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7th Grade Girls’ Soccer By Ankush Somenhalli
Most of the girls who are members of the 7th grade girls’ soccer team
would say that they have had a good experience. Some of their opinions
could be unveiled through interviews with them. I interviewed 7th Graders,
Katie, Molly and Kendall.
AS: How was your experience in the girls soccer team?
Interviewees: Interesting… it helped us learn as a team and we had fun.
AS: What did your experiences teach you?
Interviewees: To work together, understand other's strengths and places they may
struggle.
AS: Was your experience enjoyable? Explain?
Interviewees: Yes, soccer is my favorite sport, and many friends were seen that usually weren't
seen.
AS: Would you go through this experience again? Why?
Interviewees: Yes, I enjoyed my time and many new friends were made.
The Volleyball Team
By Samantha Acker
This year’s girls volleyball team was a fun experience for all of the
players. The 16 team mates (listed at end of article) had volleyball
practice every day after school.
As a player myself, I can assure you that Coach Bower and Coach
Lemuell worked us hard! The 7th and 8th grade team practiced vigorously and played with all of
our effort. The team had phenomenal setters, liberos, and servers. The Spring-Ford Volleyball
team ended the season with 6 wins and only 3 losses.
Great job to all of the players, we had a great season!
Samantha Acker
Allyson Bolonski
Cydney Brown
Francesca DeMito
Maddison Fuller
Aleena Ghanta
Abigail Gubanich
Abigail Jahn
Madison Lebiedzinski
Anushka Matta
Brooke MeGettigan
Anoushka Patel
Ashley Person
Noelle Reid
Gabby Studevan
Ella Witmer
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