2 December 14, 2016
Pointing to a
Bright Future?
Opinion
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Late into election night, the world received the news. “Donald Trump won the Presidency” echoed through every home and
every office. Half of the U.S. stood in shock, unable to process
what they had heard.
Hillary supporters constantly urged Trump supporters to
accept the results of the election before Nov. 8th. It became quite
ironic when the same people instantly ignited protests across the
country, with many chanting “Not Our President!” This has provoked Americans to ask a serious question. Should we become
comfortable with a person who acts instantly on outrageous
impulses holding the highest office in our country?
Hillary Clinton’s halo may have faded with her unacceptable
“basket of deplorables” comment, but she has at least recognized
her mistakes and apologized for them. Trump moves on from
each unbelievable comment to the next with barely any hesitation. Yet some still cling to the hope that the presidency will
instill a sense of dignity in Trump. But will it? Ten days after
election night, Vice president-elect Mike Pence watched the play
“Hamilton,” and received a heartfelt complaint about Trump’s
future administration from the cast at the end of the show. The
next morning, Trump demanded that they should “Apologize!”
“Because he will be filling the shoes of
Washington and Lincoln, Donald Trump
must learn to control himself.”
for what they said. Not only had he impulsively attacked free
speech, he also instantly crushed people’s dreams of a better
Trump.
Trump has now started a “thank you tour” to celebrate his
victory. In Ohio, he talked about bringing the country together
by “find[ing] common ground,” but he immediately followed
this with “we did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, right?” His
supporters chanted, “lock her up” as they did while he was campaigning. He talks about unifying the country, and immediately
works against that goal.
Because he will be filling the shoes of Washington and
Lincoln, Trump must learn to control himself. He must create
a filter between what he thinks and what he says. Once he does
this, perhaps he can begin to set an example for our country.
— Paige Snepp
Photo: Evan Grochola
The Town Crier asked Patriots how they feel Donald Trump could become a successful president. Below are some of their responses:
“Trump needs to pull himself
“Donald Trump needs to sup“I think that Trump can become
“Trump doesn’t need much help
together and act professional
port the needs of Republicans
a successful president if he
with his presidency. He is inteland formal as president. He
and Democrats. His comments
cools his temper and thinks raligent and knows his economics
is too casual when he gives
during the race made me doubttionally for a moment. Also, he
and businesswork. Our econospeeches and as president he
ful of that, but his acceptance
should treat women and people
my will grow and jobs will most
can’t be making jokes and bespeech gave me some hope. He
of other races better than he is
importantly will be restored.
having as he would with friends known to do, because it is imjust needs to be more respectful
The wall will become a historic
when addressing the nation and
portant for a president to respect and president-like, and profesmonument.”
the whole world.”
sional.
everyone in his country.”
— Siddhartha Shendrikar,
— Neyla Maher, 8th Grade
— Charlie Capp, 8th Grade
— Cole Herron, 7th Grade
8th Grade
THE TOWN CRIER
December 14, 2016
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 3
TALKING HEADS
Should the Electoral College
be abolished?
“The Preamble to the Constitution began with,’We
the people of the United States,’ so if our government is of the people, created by the people, for the
people, then the popular vote should decide who
should be president. The Electoral College is outdated and should be laid to rest.” –Mr. Hernandez
“Yes. The Electoral College was designed to be a
buffer between the common man and the selection
of president. Our Founding Fathers never intended
for the people to select their leader. They always
planned on the elite to select it.” –Mr. Iannucci
TOWN CRIER POLL
Is Donald Trump’s temperament
fit for the Presidency?
Yes
No
Undecided
10%
71%
19%
A poll of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade homerooms was conducted by
Dylan Tzung and Madison Liberman on Dec. 8, 2016.
VOLUME 61, ISSUE 2
Published by and for the students of
Paul ReveRe ChaRteR Middle
SChool and Magnet CenteR
1450 Allenford Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90049
Editors: Isabel Gill, Madison Liberman,
Dylan Tzung, Anouk Wijeratne
Member of the National
Scholastic Press Association
Faculty Advisor: Mr. Wechsler
(1) Felix and Avani debate on
Election Day. Photo: Evan Grochola
(2) Isaac reads a story to his new
book buddy. Photo: Tristan Larsson
(3) Students signed pledges in
College Week. Photo: Gunnar Greve
(4) Ella Donel lights her family’s
menorah. Photo: Donel Family
(5) Show Choir performs Jingle
Bell Rock. Photo: Evan Grochola
(6) A sixth grader performs in
Buddha Walks. Photo: Isaias Alegria
(7) English students in E-5 show
off their work. Photo: Mr. Wechsler
(8) Ethan Shamoeil gets a kick out
of karate. Photo: Shamoeil Family
“The Electoral College spares us the nightmare of
a 50-state recount of a virtually-tied popular vote.
Imagine Florida 2000 x 50. In a popular vote
system, the battleground expands from about 12
states to 50 states, and there’s no guarantee that
Clinton would have collected more votes against
an opponent who beat her in Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin and Michigan.” –Mr. Wechsler
“It needs to be updated to reflect an equal weight
between states (in regards to the ratio of electorate
votes to population). Right now, a single citizen
vote in North Dakota is worth more than one in
California. N.D. 246,000 votes = 1 elector,
C.A. 705,000 votes = 1 elector.” —Mr. Alpert
“The Electoral College should be modified to more
accurately represent the popular vote. To change it
would eliminate the ‘winner take all’ aspect and
instead, have the electors in any state be awarded
on a proportional basis. Small states would still get
the benefits of the Electoral College, but larger
states also get fairer representation.”
–Zenon Ulyate-Crow, 8th Grade
“It’s a flawed system, but the alternative is also
flawed. You either end up with tyrany of the majority with the popular vote, or tyrany of the minority
with the electoral vote. In the history of the U.S.,
the popular vote was won, but the presidency lost
five times. Not perfect, but not terrible. So to be
honest, I’m not sure where I stand” —Mr. Marino
“The Electoral College should be abolished. It was
established in the 1780’s because the Founding
Fathers didn’t trust the people’s decision making. If
we did away with the College, and put it all on the
people, more would show up to the polls and the
U.S. would be a true democracy. ” –Mr. Fulling
“The Electoral College should not be abolished,
since it ensures that the electors who decide who
leads our country are educated, tax paying, U.S.
citizens, elected by the people.”
—Nahmi Natan, 7th Grade
Interviews and layout by Ethan Hamid
4 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Electoral
Excitement
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Maya De Ganyar impersonates
Trump as Tierney Smith plays
Clinton during a passionate
election debate in S-5.
Photo: Aliya Govindraj
The 2016 election has students and faculty
pondering the future under a new President
By ALIYA GOVINDRAJ
As inauguration day nears,
Americans look back on the past
year and the broad spectrum
of political views it held. Last
April, former secretary of state,
Hillary Clinton, announced her
candidacy through a YouTube
video. She explained her excitement to be joining the race as a
possible Democratic nominee.
A few months later, American
businessman and TV personality Donald Trump revealed he
would also be joining the 2016
presidential primaries for the
Republican Party. Since then
the US has deemed this the most
historical election since John F.
Kennedy prevailed over Richard
Nixon.
History teachers all over Revere shared their Election Day
lesson plans and how it has affected their students. Mr. Alpert
an eighth grade history teacher
commented, “Eighth grade history class has counseled around
the topic of the election, with
students having the chance to
talk about their observations,
opinions, and questions.” Mr.
Alpert added that his classes
were a mixed bag, where there
were students with strong political views, and just as many that
would not talk about the election
at all.
Ms. Daley, who teaches
sixth grade English and history
shared her experience inside the
classroom. “I have not done any
lessons on the election. I have
been disturbed by some of the
verbiage of my sixth graders; if
the topic of the election comes
up it is as divisive as what
has been going on in our own
nation.”
Ms. Fowler, another sixth
grade history teacher, shared
her lesson plan during the presidential primaries. “Last year my
students participated in a hybrid
discussion about the primary
elections when there were several candidates for Democratic
and Republican parties.” She
also remarked on how opinionated her students are considering
their young age. “I think most of
my students are very interested
in the election and concerned
Dimitri (left), Alessio and Ben show their election attire. Photos: Izzy Gill
Local voters cast their ballots in the
Revere library. Photo: Aliya Govindraj
The Paul Revere marquee in the
horseshoe driveway flashes the
word ‘vote’ to inspire Brentwood
Photo: Eli Ghodooshim
residents.
Brentwood residents line up outside the Revere library and catch
up over coffee before heading to
Photo: David Orlinsky
the polls.
THE TOWN CRIER
December 14, 2016
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 5
Felix and his classmates in
S-5 took turns imitating the
candidates, mostly
Donald Trump,
during Election
Day debates.
Max
Mason
Ethan
Max
Ilan
Darius
about the outcome,” Ms. Martinez said “I think it is very important for students to understand
the democratic process, as well
as the platforms and issues of
the candidates, and how these
things can affect their lives.”
Most history teachers used the
election as a teaching tool and a
way to educate their pupils on
the history of the election process. It has been one of the most
controversial elections of all
time, from private server emails
to the degradation of women.
The morning of Nov. 8th the
Town Crier collected predictions for the 2016 election from
history teachers Revere. The
poll quizzed teachers on their
expectations for the number of
electoral votes and the percentage of popular votes each candidate would receive. Ms. Daley,
Mr. Alpert and Ms. Wright came
closest to predicting the popular vote results (Clinton 49%,
Trump 45%, Others 6%). Mr.
Marino was the only teacher to
predict that Trump would win
the popular vote (Clinton 48%,
Trump 49%, Others 3%). The
predictions for the Electoral
College are graphed below.
After a year and a half of
campaigning, it was up to the
people to decide whom the 45th
President of the United States
would be. And they did. At
around 11:45 p.m. the night of
Election Day the word was out,
Donald Trump had won. The
middle of country was ecstatic
while the coasts were devastated, but everyone could agree the
results were shocking.
The morning after Election
Day, gleeful Trump supporters
could be seen among the distraught crowds of liberals. Hill-
ary believers were confused,
furious, and most of all fearful
of what lay ahead. Meanwhile
Trump constituents looked at
the future and saw hope, change,
and a brighter future. However
Revere and the rest of the nation
could be sure of one thing: the
next four years would change
everything.
REVERE’S HISTORY TEACHERS PREDICT THE ELECTION RESULTS
Trump
Clinton
While all ten teachers predicted a Clinton victory in the Electoral College vote, Ms. Seeger came closest to the
final tally, with Mr. Marino coming close behind. Third party candidates are graphed in yellow. Chart: Aliya Govindraj
6 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Worries for the White House
Ms. Fowler’s students create persuasive letters about issues confronting the future president
By PAIGE SNEPP
The next president will have a plethora
of pressing issues that they must overcome.
Many challenges ranging from immigration
to gun control have triggered the thoughts and
emotions of people all over America. This is
precisely why in Ms. Fowler’s class, students
delved into a world of research and voiced their
own opinions on subjects of their choice.
Ms. Fowler’s English students were given
the assignment to choose an issue that was important to them, and research this topic on their
own to write an essay. Ms. Fowler began this
new writing project in September. “I learned
about this from letters2president.org from the
National Writing Project,” she said.
Students chose a topic that resonated with
them. “I wanted students to think about how to
solve issues and research a problem that really
bothered them,” Ms. Fowler comments. Many
students researched topics such as immigration, and climate change.
“No matter which candidate was elected,
they would want the president to try and fix
the problem.” After this, students shared their
ideas with their class, and they voted on their
favorite essays.
According to Ms. Fowler, the ultimate goal
was for students to think for themselves. “I am
showing them how to think through issues, not
what to think,” she said. She will publish a few
Rachel (left) and Caily show off their letters in the Literary Anthology, and may send some
Photo: Paige Snepp to the White House.
for the next president
Dear Next President,
We have a serious problem with over hunting animals. I thought
people in this world liked cheetahs, but I guess not. Many people are
over hunting cheetahs. Do you like to eat fish or shark? I hope not.
Cheetahs, many fish, and sharks are becoming endangered. Although
many people do, I believe that no one should eat endangered animals.
Don’t you want future generations to see amazing animals? Since
we all want to be able to live in a healthy environment, we need to help
animals by making laws that limit hunting when the population drops
by 80%. People should not be allowed to hunt that animal anymore
until they are no longer endangered. The article “Fastest Animal on
Earth, the Asiatic Cheetah, Racing Against Extinction” explains that
the female Asiatic cheetah is endangered. There are actually fewer than
40 in Iran. If you were living out in the wild, would you like it if your
family was killed and others were eating them?
Now think of this: you are a cheetah out in the wild, and you are
hunting for deer and other prey. You think you are the predator, but are
you really? A man or woman comes and captures you. The food cycle
doesn’t work like that naturally. A wild animal is at the top of the food
chain, not a human. When an animal becomes extinct, what happens to
the animal that used to eat them? Oh, I know. They become extinct, too.
Especially if it is an animal at the bottom of the food chain like deer.
One whole food chain can become extinct just because people killed
too many cheetahs. If cheetahs become extinct, it affects the rest of the
food chain. There will be too
many deer and other prey
of that missing animal. All
those extra animals need food
right? So deer will eat too
much vegetation or other prey
will become overpopulated.
This cycle of over hunting leads to over growth in
vegetation and other animals,
which eventually leads back
to extinction. If this continues, more and more food
chains will become extinct.
Please, I beg you. Stop this
madness.All animals need our
help.
Ms. Fowler watches Rachel read her
Photo: David Tobin
work to the class.
Sincerely,
Rachel Sharaf
Dear Future President,
Some police officers have been abusing, threatening, and murdering many people for no reason at all. When we pass a police officer,
we should feel safe because they swear to protect us from harm. In my
case, I don’t feel safe because I am a young mixed girl who is half African American and half Hispanic. Officers are murdering many unarmed
people of my race.
According to Los Angeles Times, an African-American woman
named Marlene Pinnock who was homeless and schizophrenic ran
into one of these cases of police brutality. She was walking on the 10
freeway while Officer Daniel Andrew was on duty. When he saw her,
he got out of the car, started to beat her, and tased her ten times. When
the District Attorney wrote the 30 page report on the case, it stated that
he beat her because she refused to get off the freeway. The report also
explains that she was blocking the traffic, so it wasn’t safe for her to
be there. Pinnock felt like that was not the case, so she filed a lawsuit
against the officer, and she was awarded $1.5 million. She is no longer
homeless, but she claims she’ll never be the same. The officer was not
fired or punished in any way.
CBS News reported another case about seven-year-old Aiyana
Stanley Jones who was shot and killed while sleeping on the couch by
Officer Joseph Weekley in 2010 after raiding her grandmother’s apartment in Detroit. The SWAT team threw a grenade inside the home before they entered. Officer Weekley said he shot her by accident because
he claimed the grandmother attacked him, which none of the evidence
supported. He faced charges in court, but he was not convicted and still
works for the police department. The worst part of the case was the
SWAT team didn’t even raid the right apartment.
Every year many people are killed by law enforcement. In 2015,
49% were white, 2% Asian, 19% Hispanic, and 30% African Americans were killed. According to U.S. Census, African Americans make
up 13.3 %, whites are 61.6 %, and Latinos make up 17.6% of the total
United States population. African Americans are more likely to be
killed by officers.
To help this cause, I propose body cameras be worn by officers or
cameras on police cars. In addition, each police partnership should have
at least one trusted worker that has been on the job for over 6 years. If
we solve this problem, a lot more lives would be saved.
From now on, it should be declared that any police brutality will
not be tolerated. Abusive police should be sentenced to five years in
prison and never be allowed to work with the justice system ever again.
Sincerely,
Caily Galvez
December 14, 2016
Students aim at the target using
a bow and arrow. Photo: Mr. Koretz
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 7
Campers gather around in a circle to listen to the safety instructions
for the activities that they will later be doing at camp. Photo: Mr. Koretz
David Mack tries to balance on
the ropes course. Photo: Tala Maher
Revere Campers Explore the Pali Institute
By NEYLA MAHER
Pali Institute, located in the
San Bernardino Mountains, provided an outdoor learning experience for many 6th graders at
Revere. On Nov. 7th, sixth grade
Patriots from Ms. Garcia’s, Mr.
Springer’s, Ms. Jackson’s, and
Mr. Sanders’s classes arrived at
the Pali Institute. They quickly
started their learning experience
about the world around them
through many experiments and
hands-on lessons.
When Patriots reflected on
their time at camp, Georgie
Thomas said, “Pali Camp was
an incredible experience. The
counselors were amazing at
what they do- teaching campers about science outside of the
classroom, out in the woods, up
in the mountains. Being able
to visit the Pali Institute gave
me a chance to bond closely to
my peers in a way I never could
before.”
A new camper, Elysha Chae,
said, “the cabins were very nice
and clean. We woke up around
7:00 and went to bed at about
10:00. We ate breakfast, lunch,
and dinner with activities between them. We even had night
activities. It was a lot of fun,
even though we had a busy
schedule. We still had a rest
period were we could relax. I
loved it!”
At the Pali Institute Patriots
got to participate in activities
such as archery, a high ropes
course, a squid dissection lab,
learning outdoor skills, an energy dilemma class, an owl pellet
dissection lab, and a night hike.
Olivia Scriven said her favorite
activity at the camp was “the
night hike, because you can see
a mint glow in the dark. Also you
can see the stars and learn about
animals that see in light, dark,
dusk, and dawn.”
Elysha Chae also said her
favorite activity was the night
hike. She said, “first of all, we
did it with my amazing counselor, Laura. Secondly, we played
fun games such as bat and moth
(it is where the bat is blindfold-
ed and has to find the moth using echolocation). We also saw
beautiful stars and made mints
spark by biting it.”
Georgie Thomas said, “out
of all the fabulous activities we
encountered, my favorite activity was dissecting a squid. As
gross as I thought it would be,
dissecting it was really fun. I’ve
never really studied squids before, so learning about one by
actually touching one was surprisingly fun.”
Tala Maher said her favorite experience at the camp
was “when I was in the ropes
A sixth grader jumps off the pole trying to grab the bar. Photo: Tala Maher
A group of Patriots relax on the grass at Pali camp, while the Revere
staff gets ready to participate in the high ropes course. Photo: Mr. Koretz
course and decided to do one of
the obstacles where you would
have to climb a pole then walk
on a bridge of divided wooden
planks. At first when I saw it, I
thought it was going to be easy,
then I started climbing up and
got really scared, but then in the
end it was really fun!”
Georgie Thomas commented, “my most memorable experience at Pali Camp was jumping
off the power pole in the ropes
course. It was a wooden log
about 30-40 feet high, 1-2 feet
across. I was frightened, very
scared that I was going to fallbut I wasn’t. It was almost as if I
had conjured my biggest fear.”
Even though the trip cost
$395 per child, most Patriots
said the trip was worth it and
would recommend it to other
students. Olivia Scriven said,
“you will learn a lot, get intact
with nature, and you will get an
exercise.”
Tala Maher commented
that she would defiantly recommend this trip to other students
because “there is a lot of handson experiments and fun problem
solving activities.”
Overall, The Pali Institute
trip left many Patriots with wonderful memories and experiences, at the end of their three day
trip. Olivia Scriven said, “it was
a great experience at Pali, because if you’re not connected to
nature, you will be after this. It
also helps you learn more about
squids, owl pellets, and building
shelters.”
8 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Spreading Holiday Spirit
Patriots give back to their communities this holiday season by donating to many organizations
By HALSEY HULSE and
SASHA SCHOETTLER
All over Revere, students are
giving back to their communities. Patriots donated hundreds
of pounds of candy and thousands of pounds of food. In addition, an eighth grader named
Claudia Goore and seventh
graders named Emily Schwartz
and Morgan Hillenbrand have
done independent services to
help give back to their communities. Claudia Goore, a student
in Leadership, has started her
own organization called Beads4Books that donates money
to Milk and Bookies. Emily
Schwartz and her family have
“adopted” a family for Christmas to help provide them with
food and gifts for the holidays.
Morgan and her twin, Riley, collect dog toys to donate to a local
shelter.
The candy drive was held
by the Community Service Club
during the week of Halloween.
This year, candy was donated
from October 31st to November 4th. All week long, students brought their extra candy
from trick-or-treating to room
Dylan donates a can of green beans
to the can drive. Photo: Halsey Hulse
S1. Community Service Club
homeroom students measured
the candy in large cups, and then
rewarded the student that gave
the candy with one raffle ticket
per cup of candy. According to
Richard Roberts, “Normally
people brought about 1-5 cups.”
Community Service Club students then separated the candy
by chocolate and non-chocolate
and boxed the candy. Two parent volunteers came every day to
take the boxes of candy to Pacific Palisades Pediatric Dentistry,
where it was weighed and then
given to the Operation Gratitude
organization. Operation Gratitude took the candy and shipped
it overseas to military members
as a thank you for their service.
Samantha said, “I love that we
are donating something to the
armed forces who barely have
anything and risk their lives everyday.”
Mr. Valerio, the staff supervisor of the club, has been doing
the candy drive for 3 years. Mr.
Valerio says that the candy drive
is “bringing people together to
do something good for our service members. It’s also showing
our students that their time and
energy can make a difference in
other people’s lives.”
The Community Service
Club has also just finished another drive where they collected hygiene products and other
essentials for the homeless.
On December 13th they took
a field trip to Downtown Los
Angeles to deliver the supplies
to the Union Rescue Mission.
The Community Service Club
President, Michael Brent, says,
“The reason that I’m doing this
is because of how many people
are homeless. It’s great to help,
not because it’s a good thing
to do, but because it’s what all
Americans should do. I think it
is our job to end homelessness
for good.”
In a matter of only 15 days,
Claudia sells her hand made bracelets to support Milk and Bookies by
Photo: Halsey Hulse
donating 30% of her profit to the organization.
3,500 pounds of food was donated by Revere students to the
food drive. Mr. Slavin organized
the food drive with the help of
his council club homeroom and
lunch student members. Mr. Iannucci strongly supports the food
drive because he feels “Hunger
is such a silent issue in our community. . . providing those in
need, especially something to
eat, is a true gift.” Mr. Slavin
tells us the cans are donated to
the Los Angeles Regional Food
Bank and according to LARFB’s
website one billion meals have
been provided to people since
1973.
Mr. Slavin believes, “The
food drive gives students an
opportunity to give
back to people
in need and
to reflect on
the spirit
of giving
during
the holidays.”
Mr.
Slavin
was
influenced by
a group of
communityaware parents
that encouraged Revere to have
a food drive after news came out
that hunger had increased in the
Los Angeles area. This is now
his 6th year he has organized the
food drive. He strongly encourages students to donate to the
food drive by saying that “Revere CAN make a difference!”
Claudia Goore was inspired
to make her own business from
the Milk and Bookies cause.
Claudia hand makes bracelets
and necklaces that she sells and
then donates 30% of her profit
to Milk and Bookies. Last year,
Claudia participated in Milk and
Bookies’ annual Story Time
event where “celebrities come
and read stories to support the
cause.” Claudia also says
that there were “a
variety of arts and
crafts for kids as
well as other
activities.”
The Story
Time event
Twins,
Morgan and
Riley Hillenbrand, collect
dog toys with
their mom to
donate to the local
animal shelter.
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Community Service Club Members sort pieces of Halloween candy donated by Patriots into chocolate and non-chocolate boxes. Photo: Halsey Hulse
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 9
make a necklace. Not only has
Claudia already reached her goal
of donating 500 dollars to Milk
and Bookies, but she has made
a profit of 1,050 dollars. Claudia says, “I have learned that it
is hard work, but it does pay off.
Especially in this case, because
the money is going to an amazing cause.”
Emily Schwartz and her
family are “adopting” a family
for Christmas. They will provide the family with food over
the break and bring them gifts
on Christmas Day. Emily and
her family are emailing their
close friends and family asking
for donations of money or supplies so the family can have a
great Christmas. In addition, the
mother’s bed is broken so they
are also trying to raise money
to get her a new one. Once Emily’s family gets the money they
will start to buy gifts and wrap
them. On Christmas Day Emily
and her family are going to go to
the family’s house to deliver the
presents, as well as a Christmas
dinner.
In order to adopt a family,
Emily tells us that one can contact a homeless shelter or soup
kitchen. Emily says that “any
family who has the opportunity, should adopt a family for
the holidays because not only
does it make their holiday, but it
makes you understand the meaning of the holidays.” Emily says,
“This experience has made me
so humble and realize how lucky
I am.”
Twins Riley and Morgan
Hillenbrand collect goodies for
dogs in a local shelter by the
Emily wraps presents to give
to the family she and her family
“adopted” this Christmas.
name of Santa Paws. They go
around their neighborhood putting up flyers and then return
hours later for donations. “I enjoy doing this because I believe
animals should have equal rights
as humans and this way they get
to have happy holidays too!” explained Morgan. The twins have
been doing this since they were
young.
Patriots’ generous donations
to the food and candy drive,
plus Claudia’s donation to Milk
and Bookies and Emily’s help
to the family in need has made
a meaningful difference in people’s lives this holiday season;
so many lives were changed for
the better. Hopefully, the giving
spirit throughout Revere will
continue on to the spring season
with Revere’s continuous drives
and community service opportunities.
Jen (left) and Hailey pull the can drive donation boxes to S3 for the
food to be sorted, so it can get delivered to LARFB. Photo: Halsey Hulse
gave Claudia the idea “to combine two of my interests, reading
and making jewelry.”
Claudia’s small business
grew as weeks went by and her
jewelry sales increased. Therefore, she created a website
called beads4books.com where
her jewelry ships all across the
country. Claudia tells readers on
her website, “I have picked out
and purchased all of the beads
myself and designed all of the
Beads4Books bracelets that I
sell.” When her organization
was just starting out she named
her bracelets and necklaces after
the first people who purchased
them. Also, on her website the
bracelets are organized into different collections based on the
style and color of the bracelet.
There are Sun, Water, Lava, Star,
Fire, and Sand collections. Claudia spends 5-10 minutes to make
a bracelet and 20-30 minutes to
Nima (left) and Ethan collect numerous canned goods.
Photo: Halsey Hulse
10 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Mr. Valerio
(left) and
Mr. Springer
share a story.
Photo: Joey Chae
GREAT READS
Joe and his T.K. buddy read a
great book. Photo:Alexandra Schoettler
Jack and Jacie sort children’s
Photo: Alexandra Schoettler
stories.
Elyana unloads boxes at 112th
Street School. Photo: Tristan Larsson
Leadership shares books with young learners
By HALSEY HULSE
The students in Leadership
held a book drive which donated
to the nonprofit organization,
Milk and Bookies, which collects new and used books to donate to underprivileged schools
and homeless shelters. According to the Milk and Bookies’
website, the nonprofit’s main
goal is “spreading the love of
reading to those who can’t afford
books of their own.” Milk and
Bookies also believes that students who participate in philanthropy will learn how important
it is to give back and appreciate
what they have.
This was the 6th annual book
drive Leadership organized to
support Milk and Bookies, and
Revere students contributed
greatly to the cause by donating
5,400 books. Mr. Springer said,
“I am excited to participate in
a project that promotes literacy
and teaches organization.” He
also says that holding a book
drive at Revere is quite simple
and “to put the books into the
hands of students that may not
have easy access to them is incredible. This project makes a
difference.”
After collecting and sorting
all of the books donated by Patriots, Leadership students went
on a field trip on November 18
to deliver the books to 112th
Street Elementary School. One
grade was chosen for Leadership
students to read to that grade’s
classes. In addition, all of the
students, including other grades,
received one book. Jacie finds it
rewarding to “see the kids’ reaction” to getting new books because “a lot of kids are not fortunate enough to have books to
read at home or even at school.”
Natalia says, “It’s great to see
that what we’re doing has an
impact on people.” Isaac, a 7th
grader from Leadership, said,
“My favorite part of the field trip
was the kids’ smiles when we
read to them.”
Jack reads with his buddy on the
rainbow carpet. Photo: Josephine Chae
Jeremy reads a colorful book to
his buddy. Photo: Porter Comstock
Kids bust a move at the dance
party after reading. Photo: Joey Chae
Paul Revere’s Leadership and 112th Street School’s smiling students pose for a group shot after dancing and reading books. Photo: Nick Johansson
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 11
FACULTY FASCINATIONS
Teachers and staff share some of their favorite activities outside of school.
By MADELINE GLENN
MS. BARBIERI teaches sixthgraders English, History, and
Poetry, but one of her other
passions is playing ice hockey.
“I love [ice hockey] because of
the freedom that comes from
skating,” she says. She began
playing floor hockey when she
was in college, and then played
roller hockey after grad. school.
“This later evolved into ice
hockey where I have remained,”
Ms. Barbieri says. Ms. Barbieri
plays on the Los Angeles Lady
Kings hockey team for girls.
Though he doesn’t teach music, MR. HERNANDEZ has a passion for going to rock concerts.
“I’ve probably gone to over
300 [concerts] since 1969,”
he says. Some of his favorite
artists to see are The Rolling
Stones and Bruce Springsteen.
Seeing all of these musicians
and bands even inspired him
to play the guitar. “When I saw
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan
Show in 1964, they immedietely
sparked my interest, and curiosity about the guitar,” he says.
MS. MANES has always loved
playing tennis. Growing up, she
played tennis with her father
and played on the Girls’ Tennis
Team at Fairfax High School in
1985 and 1986. She also took
tennis classes at UCSB. She
stopped playing tennis for 30
years, but restarted again in May
of 2015, saying, “my muscle
memory was intact and I’ve reclaimed my game.” Whether
it’s tennis or a different passion,
Ms. Manes advises students to
“practice, practice, practice!”
MR. COS teaches science to
7th graders, but he has another
passion that came to him at
an early age. Mr. Cos got his
college degree in photography and does photo shoots of
people on a regular basis. His
style for taking photos is very
unique. “I love [photography]
because I get to meet interesting people and capture compelling portraits of them,” he says.
Mr. Cos loves taking pictures
of people, and his approach to
photography is extraordinary.
MR. SPRINGER likes to share
the love for his students with
all kinds of animals. He is on
the board of the non-profit Pug
Nation of Los Angeles and also
cares for six rescue pugs. “I grew
up with everything from dogs to
horses,” he says. Students might
also notice that he has a few animals in his classroom. “I believe
it is important for students to
learn how to be kind and care for
animals,” he says. “The empathy
and love I have for animals carries over into the classroom.”
Sometimes sports need a very
specific amount of practice to be
played. However, after people
learn the basics of how to play
an instrument, they can mess
around with it however they’d
like. MR. KIRBY spends most
of his time teaching P.E. here
at Revere, but when he got a
guitar in college, he accidently
fell in love with it. “I bought a
used guitar to play a romantic
song for my girlfriend at the
time,” he says. “From there
I fell in love with playing.”
While some teachers and staff
are rocking out at concerts or
playing sports, MS. KOBASHI
is helping out in service projects. “I love serving because
it’s a great feeling knowing you
can make other people’s lives
a little brighter,” she says. Ms.
Kobashi says she has always
loved being helpful in elementary school and was even voted
“Most Helpful” in high school.
Ms. Kobashi says, “This hobby
has been beneficial during my
entire career as an educator.”
Many students wonder what
keeps MR. IANNUCCI busy outside of school. Well, Mr. Iannucci loves swimming and listening
to the music of Frank Sinatra.
He grew up listening to this talented artist, and used swimming
as a “great way to relax and
exercise.” Mr. Iannucci would
sometimes play Frank Sinatra’s music before class started
to focus his students. But what
do these passions have to do
with anything? “I just love good
music and the water,” he says.
12 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Exploring Your Universe
8th graders experiment on UCLA campus
By ANOUK WIJERATNE
Sage Judge Holds
Court at Revere
By ALEXANDRA
SCHOETTLER
Order in the court! Judge
Arthur Gilbert, an appeal judge,
came to Revere as a “Roads to
Your Future” speaker on Nov. 2.
He told students about the importance of rules and the steps
to becoming a judge. He also answered many questions about his
job, life and opinions.
Kayla Tefilin: Do you ever
regret becoming a judge?
Judge G: Some days are tougher
than others, but I love it!
Annie Vinetz: Do you ever get
upset about publicized cases
with rulings you don’t agree
with?
Judge G: Yes. The stuff they
show on TV has added drama.
We don’t say many things like
“Order!” but we do sometimes
ask people to behave.
Luke Shuman: Do you agree
with having cameras in the
courtroom?
Judge G.: No. Not everything
we see on TV is true. A lot of
the actual stuff judges say and
do is edited out to create drama
and to make it more interesting.
Josh Bonrouhi: You’re a judge,
but is there anyone who ever
judges you?
Judge G: My wife! The supreme
court also. They appeal cases
to me.
Joshua Diaz: Have you ever
had self-doubt after you declined or appealed a case?
Judge G: You can only be as
sure as you can be. That is why
we have a higher court. . . the
world is not perfect.
Joey Chae: What inspired you
to become a judge?
Judge G: I saw injustice happening all the time and I wanted
to do something about it.
Science is all about discovering, exploring, and being curious about the way things work. At Revere, we have all kinds of
science projects and opportunities, from visiting zoos and going on whale watching trips to building wind-powered cars and
participating in science fairs. This year, Patriots had the chance
to have a hands-on experience with science on Nov. 6th at an
outreach program called “Exploring Your Universe.” Located
on the UCLA campus, the program is funded by donations and
put on solely by volunteers that set up booths all around the
campus and teach listeners about the different areas of science.
Revere students had a chance to learn about every kind of
science imaginable, among them astronomy, biochemistry, engineering, mathematics, physics, and psychology. Eighth grade
science teacher Ms. Banner even offered extra credit for students in her classes if they went to “Exploring Your Universe.”
Patriots explained what they participated in, observed, and learned
at “Exploring Your Universe”,
learning about all sorts of different
things, from brains and muscles to
rockets and comets.
“I made sticky putty and touched
human brains, saw a rocket launch,
and saw through glasses that imitated what a concussion is like,”
eighth grader Siddhartha Shendrikar commented.
Sidd (left) and Kourosh
“I learned all about psychology,
enjoy an experiment.
chemistry, and anatomy, as well as
DNA and RNA.” Kaitlyn Fanous said, “It was interesting and
to learn about brains, planets, photo cells, comets, and muscles.
I learned that we have over 200 muscles in our body and there
are three types of muscles, and brains have many different parts
which help make your body work in many ways.”
“I really enjoyed how many stands there were and how there
were no lines. It was a hands-on presentation. I visited many
exhibitions and had a great time; I learned various things. One
of them was that whenever you put colored water on a spring
cylinder, it would stay on the outside until you increased the
speed of the cylinder’s rotation,” said Michael Khojastegan.
“Exploring Your Universe” gave families, students, and
people of any age a chance to experience interactive science
activities firsthand. Patriots who went had the opportunity to
learn about science outside Revere. Michael added, “It was a
great experience and I learned a lot.”
Kaitlyn waits in line for a booth where she’ll make her own comet.
Dedicated Dentist
Tells Teeth Tales
By ALEXANDRA
SCHOETTLER
Brush. Floss. Smile. That
was the prescription Patriots
got from Dr. Lowen, a pediatric
dentist, on Dec. 7. She told them
about how she learned the drill of
dental school, and warned them
to be braced for lots of tests. Patriots brushed up on dentistry by
asking this “Roads to Your Future” speaker many questions.
Alexandra Schoettler: How did
your childhood affect your job
choice?
Dr. Lowen: Once, my sister
broke her arm. Because of her
arm, she couldn’t brush or floss.
I helped her, and that’s when I
knew I wanted to be a dentist
Eli Ghodooshim: What was the
hardest part of dental school?
Dr. Lowen: The first two years
was a lot of school work. The
last two years was a lot of clinical work.
Bear Brooks: Is Halloween
your favorite holiday?
Dr. Lowen: Yes it is. I do get a
handful more patients, but I especially love it because we get
to give a lot of the candy away
to the troops.
Christopher Clausen: Have you
noticed that the general condition of teeth is getting better
or worse?
Dr. Lowen: Better, but that is
my opinion.
Osher Nodel: Have you ever
thought about quitting your
job?
Dr. Lowen: No. I love my job
so much that sometimes I pinch
myself to make sure I’m not
dreaming.
Henry Mueller: Did you have
good teeth as a child?
Dr. Lowen: I did not. In fact, I
had a crown.
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 13
Mock Trial Appeals to Revere
By TESSA SMIGLA
From September to November, a group of 15 students met
up twice a week in the morning
for mock trial, a program where
students perform in a pretend
trial where they are given a hypothetical case. Every year the
mock trial case switches from a
murder case to a civil case. This
year’s case is a civil case about
human trafficking and false imprisonment. The students take
the roll as an attorney, witness,
clerk, or bailiff, and for the next
couple of months, they become
that person.
The 15 Patriots in mock
trial spent weeks studying and
analyzing the case, looking for
points that would help their side
prove guilty or not guilty. While
the attorneys worked on their
questions for the witnesses and
their opening and closing statements, the witnesses learned
their testimony by heart and began getting into character. The
bailiff who was also the clerk,
worked away, learning all the
rules of the Mock Trial Competition and learning how to time
the whole trial. While Ms. Jackson worked with the witnesses
on acting and becoming their
character, the coaches spent time
teaching the attorneys how to
object and respond to objects
and what questions you can ask
during for cross and direct examinations.
On November 3rd, the mock
trial team drove to the Los Angeles Superior Court house
to compete in the Mock Trial
Competition. During the trial,
both sides began with an opening statement that would support
their claim about human trafficking and false imprisonment. The
fiction character, Cameron Awbry, was the restaurant owner of
Taste of Tanterra before he was
convicted of false imprisonment
for imprisoning one of his workers. Lin Stark, the victim, was a
Tanterran immigrant who came
to the U.S. looking for a job so
he could send money to his fam-
ily back in Tanterra.
Lin Stark testified that Cameron Awbry refused to let him
go to Tanterra to visit his dying sister when he went into
his apartment, Awbry slammed
the automatic locking door to
his apartment located above the
restaurant and didn’t let him out
until the next morning.
According to Awbry, he
didn’t know why Stark wanted
to go to Tanterra and that he
accidentally slammed the door
From left, Arya, Ethan, Kimberly, Lily and two opponents from Benton.
The Revere mock trial team poses with the judge in the courtroom.
The bailiff swears in Becca Whitaker at the witness stand by the flag.
shut but didn’t realize Lin Stark
couldn’t get out until the next
morning.
Both sides fought very hard
and the prosecution was able to
prove Cameron Awbry guilty
of false imprisonment while the
defense team was able to prove
Awbry innocent for human trafficking. After the trials, eighth
grade attorney Rose Morris said,
“It was really nerve racking being in the courtroom, but I had
an awesome time.” Lily Gong,
defense attorney, said, “I really
enjoyed the actual competition.
It was really fun.”
Lisa Robins, the parent who
first started mock trial, said,
“Our prosecution team won a
conviction on the second count
of false imprisonment and our
defense team was also fiercely
competitive and they won an acquittal for the defendant on the
first count of the felony charges
of human trafficking. These students came to school super early
and worked very hard over the
course of many long weekend
practices. I couldn’t be prouder
of the effort that the students put
in and the way they preformed in
the competition.”
During the trials, three students who signed up to be courtroom journalists came to both
trials and wrote about what happened. Jasmine Matta, one of the
three courtroom journalists said,
“Mock trial was a wonderful
experience and made me more
passionate about it.” One of the
other journalists, Eva Sigismondi reflected, “My favorite part is
when we are in the courtroom.”
When asked about what they
enjoyed most about mock trial,
Sean Morris, one of the attorney
parent volunteers, said, “It is incredibly fun to watch students
really get into the facts of a case
and argue about whether the fictional person should be found
guilty or not. The students took
both parts very seriously, and
it is a joy to watch them grow.
They also have a competitive
fire to show their best at the actual competition.”
Lisa Robins shared her experience with mock trial, saying, “Being involved in the Paul
Revere Mock Trial team was
an incredibly rewarding experience. I have enjoyed seeing the
dedication that every student in
the program had. Since this is
our second year, we could really
see the growth that the students
have made during the competition from the first year to the
second year. They really challenged themselves intellectually
and made tremendous strides in
personal growth, critical thinking skills, and analytical skills
all while working as a team. I
can’t wait to see how the team
does next year!”
14 December 14, 2016
Students share the
stories behind their
casts and bandages
By DAVID TOBIN
All across campus, Patriots
are rushing to the ER and wobbling out with stories to tell.
(1) DYLAN WALSH: “I was
playing in a soccer game. The
ball was kicked high into the air,
so I tried a header. Unluckily, I
got tangled up with a defender.
The hit made me fall funny. I
felt a sharp pain run through my
ankle. My coach helped me off
the field. A teammate’s mom got
me an ice pack for the injury. My
dad raced me to urgent care to
get an x-ray. Turned out I broke
my tabula and fibula. At the
UCLA hospital in Santa Monica
I was put in a full-leg cast. I will
be out for 5-7 weeks.”
(2) A.J. ECONOMOU: “I was
at lacrosse, playing goalie in a
scrimmage. Before the scrimmage, I was worried about my
pads because they felt wrong.
So, I refixed them. In the scrimmage another player got the ball
really close to the goal I was in.
He shot the ball super hard. The
ball hit me exactly where there
was no padding. Luckily, I saved
it and kept playing. Then, 5 minutes later, I came off the field
due to pain. I went to urgent
care. I will be out for a month.”
(3) ZACK MARS: “I was at
football. A receiver caught the
ball so I ran down the field to
tackle him. I dove to tackle him
and missed. I landed on my arm.
Once I got up I walked to the
sideline. I couldn’t feel my arm
at all. The medic iced my arm
and gave me a sling. I went to
a doctor. As I was driving I felt
the pain. It was a hot, burning
pain and I could feel the blood
throbbing against my veins in
my arm.”
(4) JAXON MARSH: “I was
at soccer and my team was doing a scrimmage. My teammate
passed the ball to me and when I
kicked for the ball it hit a bump
so I missed. During the kick
instead of my leg coming back
down the right way it snapped
up and I heard it pop. After I fell
I had a really high, sharp pain as
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
I never experienced. It bruised
all around the knee. I had to bandage it. I was very lucky to avoid
surgery.”
(5) AARON BENYAMINI: “I
was at a basketball game, when
I got a steal and ran down the
court. I was fouled on a lay up
attempt. I fell on my wrist extremely hard and it swelled up an
insane amount. After a few days,
I was finally taken to the hospital for an X-ray. After the X-ray
I was told I had a broken wrist.
Then I was taken to a room to get
a cast. I will be out 6 weeks.”
(6) BAXTOR DAVIS: “I was
at the P.E. doing the obstacle
course, when I tripped over one
of the blue hurdles. In the air I
used my hand to brace for the
hit. I landed hard on my wrist
and felt it pop back. I was all of
a sudden very queasy and was
blinded by pain. I went to the
nurse’s office, then lunch. Finally, I got my cast at the hospital. I
will be out for 6 weeks.”
(7) JOBANI ORSORIO: “I was
running to class, when I fell to
the ground with a lot of force.
I landed on my hand. At first I
didn’t feel anything at all. It
started swelling up extremely
quickly, so I went to the nurse’s
office. I never thought that the
hand would be broken, but when
I got to the hospital they told me
otherwise. In fact, I had two broken fingers and a displaced pinkie finger.”
(8) CHELSEA TROTTI: “One
day in P.E. my class was doing
crab soccer. I was quickly moving towards the ball. I was making a true attempt to spike it,
but my wrist was pushed back
and to the right. I was instantly
sent to the nurse’s office. From
there I went to the emergency
room. The pain was terrible as it
was burning and I could feel the
blood throbbing. I am out of athletic activities for a while with
no set date.”
(9) WYLIE WALLIN: “I was
skating and my board flung out
from under me. It hit my thumb
with amazing force. I had no
idea that my thumb was broken for 2 long weeks. Then, my
thumb was bothering me so I
went to the doctor. They told me
that it was broken and gave me a
cast. It felt like pain and misery.”
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 15
Tyson
shows
Stanford
pride.
Photo:
Justin
Shafa
Ms. Esparza photo bombs as Eric drops in his activity sheet.
The “I’m going to college” pledge. Photos: Jaime Garcia
Patriots Show Off College Awareness
By ALEX DENHAM
This Halloween, instead of
coming to school in costumes,
Patriots kick-started College
Week by throwing on their favorite college gear to show off
their favorite universities. Each
day of the week, a new Revere
teacher spoke about their college
and past experiences. Students
also had a chance to participate
and sign the “I am going to college pledge” in the Quad or near
Town Hall.
On Monday, Mr. Fulling
made a shout out to his alma mater, Salve Regina University. Its
location pins down on Newport,
Rhode Island on the beautiful
eastern coast Atlantic Ocean. It
also happens to be surrounded
“Class sizes at Salve
Regina are small, faculty
is amazing, and the
location is unbeatable!”
—Mr. Fulling
by mansions. Salve even hosted
a Boston Celtics practice.
On Tuesday, Mr. Bilek talked about the University of California Santa Barbara, home of
the Gauchos. UCSB is is well
known as a research school with
famed professors and popular
majors. UCSB has many powerhouse sports, especially in baseball, basketball, and soccer. Mr.
Bilek spent many hours sailing
up and down the stunning coastline.
On Wednesday, Mr. Mercado represented University of
California Santa Cruz. UCSC
has the oldest organic farm,
garden project and pioneers in
Organic Horticulture. It ranks
fifth in California for music, history and literature. UCSC offers
many popular division sports.
“So if you spend your
day thinking of school
on the beach, UCSB is
the place for you!”
—Mr. Bilek
UC Santa Cruz also holds the
surf spot that Jack O’Neil once
called home.
On Thursday, Ms. Makhani
orated about University California Los Angeles established in
1919. UCLA has a total enrollment of 43,301 with a total of
29,585 undergraduates. Overtime, UCLA has won 113 NCAA
total team championships in
sports like baseball, basketball,
and gymnastics. “Who would
have thought I would be teaching four miles away from my
alma mater many years later?”
asked Ms. Makhani.
On Friday, Ms. Jackson
spoke about University of California Berkeley, located in the
Bay Area of northern California. “If you value learning that
challenges you and have a heart
“Santa Cruz is nestled
in the Redwood Forest
and has views of the
Pacific Ocean.”
—Mr. Mercado
for people and your community,
then UC Berkeley certainly has
a place for you,” exclaimed Ms.
Jackson.
Teachers weren’t the only
ones on campus to celebrate
College Awareness Week. Patriots competed in different activities, including word searches,
unscrambled words and crossword puzzles. As students completed each activity, they could
turn them in to enter a raffle to
win t-shirts, hats, notebooks and
other college gear.
“College Awareness Week
was a success,” announced Mr.
Iannucci proudly over the loudspeaker on Monday. “We were
so excited to see students participate in all the activities.” Next
year, College Week returns for
even more college awareness.
“UCLA has a great law
school, business school,
medical school, and
Teacher Education.”
—Ms. Makhani
“Cal is the number
one nationally ranked
public univerisity with
87 championships.”
—Ms. Jackson
16 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Breaking
Bridges
Showing
Gratitude
Patriots to part in Operation
Gratitude. Photo: Nicklas Johansson
Sadie watches nervously as her balsa wood bridge project is tested to see how much weight it is able to support. Photo: Dylan Tzung
Teaching
With Tech
Creative
Coloring
Community Service Club color their
kindness poster. Photo: Nicklas Johansson
Famous
Footballer
Eli poses with football player, Junior Bryant. Photo: Porter Comstock
Campus
News and Notes
Revere Patriots experiment on computers
during tech classes. Photo: Porter Comstock
Sailing to
an A
By Dylan Tzung
Goodnatured
Goats
Ms. Banner’s eighth grade science students watch, in town hall, as the Windy
500 cars are tested and anxiously await their turn. Photo: Aaron Yamin
Coins for
Candy
Canes
Yagi and Nibbles (front) received two new goat friends, named Sugar
and Oreo (back), for a total of four goats at the farm. Photo: Porter Comstock
Eighth grade leadership representatives, Atticus and Natalia, count money
as they sell Candy Cane Grams to Patriots, in the quad. Photo: Dylan Tzung
THE TOWN CRIER
December 14, 2016
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 17
Awarding
Ability
Magnetic
Art
Ms. Faraone (left), congratulates Ms. Stewart after she was nominated as a finalist for the Educator of the Year Award. Photo: Ms. Faraone
Magnet students, Malia, Lukas, and Nikita stand in front of the school
buses and show off their artwork from their field trip. Photo: Ms. Ernst
Mr. Hyman’s seventh graders learned about history
through acting it out in a play. Photo: Porter Comstock
Fresh
Faces at
Revere
Painful
History
Staging
Stories
Ms. Kobashi speaks about Japanese
internment camps. Photo: Tristan Larsson
Mr. Iannucci talks to incoming sixth grade
parents on Revere Night. Photo: Dylan Tzung
Creating
Coasters
Happy
Birthday
to You
Kat and Izzy design and construct their
roller coaster project. Photo: Dylan Tzun
Ms. Cronin’s Madrigals sang happy birthday to Mr.
Springer, in room L3, on his birthday. Photo: Dylan Tzung
3... 2... 1...
Smile
Saying
Farewell
A photographer instructs orchestra students about where to line up on the bleachers, positioned in the eighth grade quad, so he can take their group yearbook photo. Photo: Maddie Glenn
Mr. Olmedo will become Assistant Principal
at Central High School. Photo: Tristan Larsson
18 December 14, 2016
TREND TALK
Lifestyle
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Learning to
Like Lucifer?
By CHARLIE CAPP
The thought of an after
school Satan Club getting established at a
school like Paul Revere
sounds terrifying, but it
might not be as terrifying as one would think.
After School Satan is
an organization that is
spreading across the U.S, and has been
established in some LAUSD elementary
schools. Their ultimate goal, they say, “…
is to place an ASSC in every school where
the Good News Clubs, or other proselytizing religious groups, have established a
presence.” They claim that after school
Christian Evangelist Clubs are teaching
kids to feel shame, guilt, and to be afraid
of Hell. The real problem is the countless
number of parents against the club, and
that’s when it becomes a conflict.
First off, there are two types of Satanists. One is theistic Satanism, a religion
for those who worship Satan as a god. The
second one is called LaVeyan Satanism,
a fairly recent religious movement that
centers on the ideas of self-discovery and
the need to hold naturalistic worldviews.
People who practice LaVeyan Satanism
believe that we humans are essentially
“carnal beast[s], living in a cosmos that is
indifferent to our existence.” Intrinsically,
our existence is like a bunch of animals in
a zoo, according to them.
I think if they are really starting these
clubs around LAUSD, they should be
permitted to go ahead and expand it. Their
beliefs, expression and creativity aren’t
hateful or demonic, and if anything their
messages are productive. It’s not breaking
a law, and it’s not illegal, it’s just unnerving for religious families. And if Christians
get to have their own evangelist after
school programs, why can’t atheists do the
same? People in our country are completely allowed to believe whatever they want
to. Would I want to join this after school
program? No, it’s not quite my cup of tea.
But, there are probably people who are
really set on joining this club, so let’s give
them a chance to follow their instincts.
Sleepy Students
Students’ sleep schedules aren’t always reaching the recommended amount
By EMILY SCHWARTZ
Sleep is essential for a strong life, especially for children so that they can grow
and develop their minds in a healthy way.
According to American Academy of Sleep
Medicine, “Children six to 12 years of age
should sleep nine to 12 hours per 24 hours
on a regular basis” and “Teenagers 13-18
years of age should sleep eight to 10 hours
per 24 hours on a regular basis.” 12 year old
Patriot, Griffin Jones gets around 9 hours
of sleep every night (which is in the recommended amount of sleep), yet he still feels
tired in the morning. To fall asleep quick, he
will usually read before bed to tire his eyes.
There also are Patriots, like 13 year old Lily
Topputo, who do not reach the recommended amount of sleep per night. She gets about
6 hours and 30 minutes of sleep per night
which is one and a half hours shorter then
the lowest recommended amount of sleep
per night. Many students feel they need more
sleep every night, but actually they are in the
recommended amount of sleep per night.
Sleep can improve the chances of a better physical and mental health outcome. A
Pediatric Consensus Panel found that a sufficient lack of sleep can cause a higher risk of
having behavior and learning problems, accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and depression. The study also found
that “the benefits of healthy sleep require not
only adequate sleep duration, but also appropriate timing, daily regularity, and sleep
quality.” This means that just sleeping for 10
hours is not technically healthy sleep. You
also need to sleep deep for about the same
amount every night.
More than 1/3 of the U.S. population
isn’t getting enough sleep. “An insufficient
amount of sleep in teenagers is associated
December 14, 2016
with increased risk of self-harm, suicidal
thoughts, and suicide attempts.” According
to childmind.org, “Dr. Ryan C. Meldrum,
an assistant professor in the Department
of Criminal Justice at Florida International
University, found a link between short sleep
duration, late bedtimes, and poor overall
sleep quality and aggression, impulsivity,
and being short tempered.” Due to the fact
that so many bad side affects can come from
lack of sleep, it shows that sleep is necessary
for middle school kids.
11 year old Casper Turner “retire(s) for
the night at 9:00 sharp.” He “frequently
read(s) before bed,” but in his opinion this
“neither hinders nor aids” his sleep quality.
But according to Vanwinkles.com, a 2009
study that researchers at University of Sussex conducted showed that only six minutes
of reading will reduce the amount of stress
by 68 percent on the person reading. Reading a calm or boring book may help you fall
asleep quicker then a fast and action-based
story. This is because if you like the book,
your brain will try to read quicker so you can
find out more, which might make you feel
more awake. If you read a calm or boring
book, your brain will not try and keep reading because it is not interested in the topic.
Some kids aren’t able to come even close
to the recommended amounts of sleep per
night. For example, Alexandria Alberts gets
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 19
about 6 hours of sleep per night. The reason sleep disorders in the areas of obstructive
why she gets this little amount of sleep is be- and central sleep apnea, obesity hypoventicause she plays volleyball and always “has a lation syndrome, and home ventilator theraton of homework.” 13 year old Robert Shee- py.” Dr. LaBrot came during lunchtime and
han gets very different amounts of sleep per explained about his job and how he benight. He says that he “usually goes to bed came so successful. He started his success
at 10:30 but sometimes I feel like a rebel graduating from University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chiand go to sleep at midnight,”
cago, MD, in 1972. ConThis is considered unhealthy
tinuing on, he traveled
because he is not sleeping
from West Africa to India
the recommended amount of
and the jungles of Cambosleep every night.
dia, offering free medical
According to Medicalservices. Now he works at
newstoday.com, “Evidence
UCLA in the sleep departfrom laboratory studies indiment. Sleep is a necessary
cates that everyone dreams.
component to a thriving
Although a small percentage
may not remember dreamand fulfilling life style for
ing at all or claim that they
a middle school child.
do not, it is thought that most
Dr. LaBrot says that the
people dream between 3 to
key to one fixing their bad
6 times a night, with each
sleep habits is “good sleep
dream lasting between 5 to 20
hygiene. The room should
minutes.” Many people may
be dark, quiet, and not
wake up and are convinced Dr. LaBrot speaks in Town Hall. too hot or cold. The bed
they didn’t have a dream, but
should be comfortable
they most likely did, they just don’t remem- and you should not use any stimulants, esber it. Dreams can aslo help you decide what pecially caffeine, after noon. Daily exercise
to do if you went to bed with a question in helps to make you sleep, but it should be at
your head that you had not decided the an- least two hours before going to bed. Lastly,
swer to.
avoid electronics for one hour prior to bed.”
Sleep helps the brain grow and gives
Dr. LaBrot offers the following advice:
time for it to process the thoughts from the “Get out of bed at the same time each mornday. With school starting at 7:55 and many ing (including weekends and holidays)
students going to bed late, it is not giving and expose yourself to at least 15 min of
them enough time to sleep and get the rec- bright light. NEVER STARE AT A LIGHT
comended amount of sleep, which is mak- BULB, THOUGH. Light bulbs produce ining them tired in the morning. Dr. Nathaniel frared (heat) radiation as well as light rays.
Watson said, “Making sure there is ample The lens of you eye focuses those on your
time for sleep is one of the best ways to pro- retina (the back of your eyeball) and burns
mote a healthy lifestyle for a child.”
it, damaging your vision. Being exposed to
Dr. George LaBrot came to Paul Re- bright light sets you biologic clock for dayvere Middle School on October 3, 2016. time so that your body will know when it is
Dr. LaBrot is a medical director of sleep night and when it is day.”
at American Wellness and Imaging. This
Arianna Huffington’s “The Sleep
means he specializes in internal medicine Revolution” explains that due to the
and is certified in pulmonary medicine and world saying that they don’t need sleep, it
critical care. According to uclahealth.org, is causing people to die younger. Without
“Pulmonologists work with patients with sleep you may not have a strong,
healthy life full of energy and
excitement. For years people have
said that if you snooze you lose, but
these recent sleep studies actually
show that if you snooze you win.
Dreams can help you
decide what to do if
you went to bed with
a question in your
head that you had not
decided the answer to.
20 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Holidays Spur Joy Throughout Revere
There are some unique additions to the
usual holiday traditions for some Patriots
By AVA HURVITZ
A new feeling of holiday
spirit has entered the school,
from students coming to school
with hot drinks to the shift in
fashion from light jackets to
snug sweaters. But all Patriots
have different ways to celebrate
the holidays. Some people travel
around the globe, some embrace
the holiday weather and head
out to build snowmen or ski.
But there are always families
who have more unique ways of
celebrating, like having sushi on
Christmas, or giving out vegetables on Halloween.
Jocelyn Maldonaclo and
her family make their own ornaments during the Christmas
season. “My favorite part about
the holidays is all the lights and
the fact that everything is on
sale. Every Christmas, my family makes ornaments and we
watch Christmas movies,” she
says. “We also go caroling. I really love the feeling I get when
I hear my family singing. We’re
not even the best, but we have a
lot of fun doing it.”
Patriot Morgan Taylor plays
a game before it’s time to open
up the presents under the tree.
“We play this game on Christmas where my dad hides a
pickle ornament somewhere on
the tree and my brother and I try
to find it. The first one to find it
gets to open presents first,” Morgan says. She mentions that her
brother usually wins, but she
still has fun.
Other holidays are celebrated
by students and Revere staff.
During Chinese New Year, children usually get a red envelope
with money inside as a gift, but
Ananya Tan’s family does it a
little bit differently. “Well, my
Ella Plaskoff (left), Ella Hobert,
Josh Adefris and Michael Brent
show off their holiday spirit with
their festive Christmas sweaters.
Photo: Nicklas Johansson
family celebrates Chinese New
Year more than we do Christmas. We do this thing where we
get rare coins in a red envelope
instead of the regular tradition
where you just put money in it,”
she explains. This tradition puts
a twist on Chinese New Year.
Next is Rose Pertofsky. She
celebrates Hanukkah. Her favorite part about this time of year is
the long break and the weather.
One thing her family does for
Hanukkah is eat a lot of bread.
“I know it’s not really a tradition
but it’s just something we do.
We literally only eat bread and
nothing else!” They also invite
lots of family and friends over
to their house to enjoy the bread
feast and light the menorah.
Every Thanksgiving, Emma
Zuaiter goes all the way to
Denmark to see her family. She
enjoys seeing her cousins and
grandparents and this trip also
gives her the opportunity to connect with nature. She enjoys
spending time with the goats,
horses, pigs, sheep, and donkeys
on the farm. “The jet lag takes a
while to get used to but it’s all
Brendan Kraft and family gather around a table to light the menorah.
worth it when I see that sunset
peek from out of the clouds,”
she said. “Another really pretty
thing I see are the Christmas
decorations. Everywhere you go
you hear Christmas music this
time of year. Danish people really love Christmas. I also love
walking around a lot because
there are beautiful Christmas
lights and tall Christmas trees
that have been decorated with
nice ornaments.”
Some people enjoy giving
back when the holidays come,
whether it’s working in a soup
kitchen or donating winter coats.
Instead of receiving presents,
Ysabelle Sibley and her family
decide to donate all their Christmas money to charity. They also
worked at a soup kitchen and
help homeless people. Ysabelle
still receives presents from her
grandparents and other relatives,
but she says, “The most meaningful gift is the feeling that you
have helped someone.”
Charlie Capp also helps others on the holidays. Every year
THE TOWN CRIER
December 14, 2016
he helps out at the Door of Faith
Orphanage. They play with the
kids, help out the community
around them, and donate food
and gifts. Charlie’s favorite
thing to do is going to families
in need and making them breakfast. “One time we drove up to
the houses that looked like they
needed support and gave bags
of essential items to them. One
of the families told us that their
son had ran away and it has been
difficult to support their family,”
he says. This experience has not
only changed the lives of those
in need but it has also changed
Charlie. “This trip we take every
year has taught me to not take
things for granted, because some
kids don’t even have a mom or
dad.”
Now, here are some holiday
wishes from some of Revere’s
administration and staff. First
is Ms. Kobashi. Her holiday
wish to Revere is that “Everyone has a safe and happy winter
break.” Ms. Esparza said that
she “Hopes that everyone turns
their homework in.” Finally,
Mr. Iannucci’s holiday wish is
“I hope everyone has a joyful,
happy holiday.”
Winter
Holidays
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 21
Tree Trimming Traditions
Advent
November 27 - December 24
A Christian and Catholic tradition marking the start of the
Christmas season. Candles are
lit for each week of Advent.
Celebrated Worldwide
Las Posadas
December 16 - December 24
A Hispanic Christian holiday
where participants walk through
the streets of their
neighborhood. Celebrated in
Mexico, Guatemala and South
Western U.S.
Winter Solstice
December 21, 2016
A date that marks the shortest day in winter. Celebrated
worldwide.
Hanukkah/Chanukah
December 24 - January 1, 2017
Hanukkah, an eight day Jewish
holiday, celebrated by lighting the Menorah for each day
leading up to the last candle.
Celebrated worldwide.
Christmas
December 25th
A Christian and Catholic
holiday celebrating the birth
of Jesus Christ. Presents are
exchanged and homes are
brightly decorated. Celebrated
worldwide.
“My mom and I went after school one day to Home Depot to
go get our tree. We always wanted a small tree because we
don’t have room for a big one. To get the tree home, we put
down the seats in the back of the car and carefully placed it
in the car. Once we got home, we placed the tree in the living
room and almost instantly the house started to smell of pine
needles and a forest.”
—Mateo Mazariego
Kwanzaa
Every year on Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Years,
my family and I go to a Jewish
diner called Bagel Nosh. My
family is Jewish, however, we
celebrate Christmas because my
mom was raised Christian. We
like to go out for breakfast on
these holidays, but there are not
many places open. Conveniently, Bagel Nosh is always open
and we really like it. No matter
how crowded or busy Bagel
Nosh is, it will still be a family
tradition.”
—Max Rodman
December 26 - January 1, 2017
An African Christian holiday
where candles are lit, leading
up to a day of feast. Celebrated
in U.S., Canada, and West
Africa.
Epiphany
January 6, 2017
A Christian holiday where
people go from door to door
singing and giving gifts. A large
feast is held at the end. Celebrated worldwide.
Chinese New Year
January 28, 2017
A festive Buddhist holiday
about luck. Celebrated in
China and parts of U.S.
“The tree is artificial. You can shape it in any direction and it
can hold very heavy ornaments. Out family normally decorates between December 1st and December 20th. We always
have Christmas in the living room. On December 24th, we
put up a train that goes in a circle around the tree and sometimes carries presents. My mom likes to record our Christmas
so she always likes to set up the camera before we come in
the living room to open presents. We always make Christmas
sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles.” —Bram Eisner
22 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
WHAT’S HOT
WHAT’S NOT
CHIPOTLE isn’t just hot right now, it’s on fire. A few months
ago, after the health scare, business was slow.
Obviously, that’s no longer an issue. Chipotle
lines are long and parking lots are buzzing.
Chipotle serves the same great food, at a
great price too. No other Mexican restaurant
can compete with Chipotle’s great tasting
healthy meals. CEO Steve Ellis is committed
to providing people with healthy, non-GMO
foods, and has done just that. This year, Chipotle
has brought in revenue of 4.5 billion dollars and has helped employ over 45,000 people internationally. So the next time you see a
Chipotle, you can’t go wrong by going in. –David Orlinsky
Sometimes, I wonder why SUBWAY is still in business. Does
anyone even go there anymore? From the saggy bread to the brown
avocado, why would anyone want to go there anymore? We now
have options such as Chipotle
and Jimmy John’s for quick
healthy meals. When I went
to Subway recently, I ordered
a simple sandwich. The sandwich included white bread, lettuce, turkey, and some other stuff.
I also bought a cookie. Well, let me just tell you that the cookies
suck. My sandwich was not very good as they completely over
toasted it. Come on Subway, you’re better than that… or are you?
–Wyatt Standish
ADIDAS is a superior brand in many ways. For one, Adidas is
popular worldwide in its design collaboration with Kanye West’s
eminent Yeezy collection and is successful in selling athletic gear
(shoes, clothes, socks, etc.) designed by
famous athletes and sold to the public.
Two of Adidas’ biggest sponsors are soccer star Lionel Messi and NBA player
Derrick Rose, and they design their
own line of clothes and shoes made by
Adidas. Recently, the brand has been
excelling in sales for the “Tyro” sweat
pants collection and original throwback shoes (Stan Smith and
Superstars). As well as selling shoes, Adidas has a wide variety of
clothes such as pants, shirts and jackets. These are very popular
and have a big contribution to Adidas’s sales.
–Ethan Hamid
SKECHERS are bad because they are overrated and have very
bad designs. One of the most annoying designs that distracts me
from the rest of the world is the light up feature. This is when the
shoe lights up when your feet hit the floor. Many people actually do wear Skechers because they are cheap. Most people think
Skechers only have
kid shoes, but they
have adult shoes
too. Sadly, their
adult shoes also
look like kids shoes and do not get many sales. On top of that,
their shoes do not provide good quality support, which could make
it dangerous to use while playing sports. Nevertheless, they are
cheap because Skecher’s lose a lot of money so the quality and the
price of the shoe drop. Therefore, Skechers are the worst shoes you
–Cheyanne Shariat
could ever get.
The GOOGLE PIXEL is the true epitome of the future. All the
features are so complex, yet so easy that it is the perfect phone for
anybody. With an astounding 5-inch screen and 26-hour battery
life, this phone is perfect for any millennial looking for a new phone. With
this brand new phone (released on Oct.
20 2016) we will be able to access
more elements of the technological
world and have the greatest camera
on a phone equivalent to professional Nikon or Canon. I am truly very
impressed! Google has really pulled
the rabbit out of the hat with this one.
–Jack Grazer
Whenever a new iPhone is released, people all over the world get
excited. The commercials, billboards, and advertisements spread
the word everywhere, but some people don’t realize that the new
IPHONE 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not
as great as they sound. Unfortunately,
the 7’s do not carry a headphone jack
anymore, so you will have to choose
between charging it or listening to music. Though the 7’s camera is slightly
better than the other iPhones, you can’t
see a big difference. The 7 is over $100
more than a 6s, so save your money
and don’t upgrade! –Maddie Glenn
Most people have heard about SNAPCHAT, most enjoy the app,
but others question it. Social media apps, like Snapchat, have
become a part of every day life. One of the
reasons Snapchat has capitalized is because
it is a convenient way to communicate and
express yourself using words and pictures,
and the catch is that the things you post
will disappear within 24 hours. Another
great feature is the filters, where you can
change what you and your surroundings
look like. Snapchat is very unique app,
and will probably stick around for a while,
so, if you haven’t already, download it and give it a try.
–Nova Akhavan
VINE has been a very popular social media platform since it
opened in 2013. It had tons of people join when released, even
celebrities! But recently, it has died down.
Vine isn’t trending for another reason. It
has a ton of competition like Instagram,
Snapchat, and YouTube. These have
pulled away Vine users, causing Vine to
lose popularity. The platforms have many
cooler features compared to Vine. Snapchat has cool filters, Instagram has stories,
and YouTube has tons of great videos.
Maybe Vine will suddenly pop out again
with a brand new idea, we never know. But it’s as boring as ever.
–Adam Cohen
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 23
24 December 14, 2016
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Entertainment
Revere’s Chamber performs
Fiddle Like the Dickens!
Jazz Band plays Frankenstein.
Photo: Sydney Goodman
Photo: Sydney Goodman
Show Choir dances and sings along to
Jingle Bell Rock.
Photo: Gina Levin
SONGS OF THE SEASON
By TESSA SMIGLA
Revere’s winter concerts
ring in the holiday season! This
holiday musical event features
Revere’s Band, Chorus, and Orchestra ensembles in a varied
program of classical and contemporary works. As a preview,
the Winter Concert started with
an all school assembly the Monday before the evening concerts.
During the Monday assembly,
all the musical classes selected
one of the songs they’re playing
for the Winter Concert and performed it for all the Revere students. The Jazz Band, Chamber,
and Madrigals all got together
during the school assembly and
performed Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer along with several teachers who joined them
onstage.
Ms. Jacques talked about the
assembly, saying, “I love seeing
the students dressed up and on
stage, all focused on the common goal of creating exciting
music.” Mr. Tautkus had this to
say: “Getting ready is a multifaceted process. Individual preparation, group work ethic and attention to detail all play a part.”
Ms. Cronin added, “Revere
music students perform at an
unusually high level for Middle
School. It’s gratifying and makes
it fun to teach at Revere!”
For the evening concert, Revere’s chorus is performing “A
diverse combination of Winter
songs, Christmas songs, Hanukkah songs, Spirituals, and an African song.” The Revere Singers
will sing holiday favorites like:
Happy Chanukah!, Let Us Sing
with Glee, Jingle Bell Rock,
Winter Light, and Madrigals
will be singing Hanukkah, Oh
Hanukkah, All the choirs will
come together to sing a rendition of A Heart Song Blessing.
Ms. Cronin says her favorite is
the African song Chapua Kali
Desemba because “we’ve added
soloists and lots of cool African percussion instruments, all
Ms. Cronin and the Revere Singers
take a final bow. Photo: Gina Levin
6th graders announce the songs
they’re playing. Photo: Gina Levin
The teachers and the Grinch join the
students to sing along to Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer. Photo: Sydney Goodman
played by students!”
Mr. Tautkus says, “The favorites seem to be Castles and
Dragons for Intro band, Aliens
Landing (in your back yard)
for Patriot Band, Guardians
of the Galaxy for Senior band,
Frankenstein for Jazz and Pixar
Medley for Advanced. They will
mostly all be played at both the
assemblies and concert.”
Ms. Jacques said that her
favorite part about prepping for
the Orchestral Winter Concert is
“Remembering what we sounded like when school started in
August and hearing tremendous improvement.” Among
other songs, the orchestras will
be performing Night Rider,
Hotaka Sunset, Jingle Bells,
Keemo Kymo, and Fiddle Like
the Dickens! Revere’s Chamber
Orchestra is playing Swan Lake.
Ms. Jacques says, “The students
become more focused as they
get closer to the performance.
Knowing they will be on stage
in front of their peers is a big
motivator!”
All of this took lots of time
to prepare. “Starting in midNovember we enter production mode where the students
have to step up their level of
professionalism to prepare for
public concert presentations.
It’s intense!” Ms. Cronin adds,
“Like most performers I enjoy
the audience response and appreciation. Applause, Applause,
Applause!”
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 25
Gavin Eddy
recites a verse
to the crowd.
‘Buddha Walks’
Takes Off Running
Photo: Cole Herron
The Middle Way
arrives at Revere
Middle School
Photo: David Orlinsky
By COLE HERRON
A new sense of enlightenment has drifted into Paul Revere Middle School. Spirit
Series has come once again in
order to bring sixth grade Patriots knowledge and inner peace
in the form of a script. They
do multiple plays for different
classes, but this semester, the
play was Buddha Walks. It is the
story of how Prince Siddhartha
became the great Buddha, who
inspired millions to find inner
peace for themselves.
This year the plays were
Suren speaks rhymes
to the audience.
Photo: David Tobin
staged in Town Hall and the
school auditorium on Nov.
17-18. In this play, Prince Siddhartha lives in a great palace.
Inside the walls, Siddhartha’s
father, the king, has set up a
world without suffering because a great prophet foretold
that when Siddhartha grew
up, he would become either a
magnificent king or a legendary
Buddha. His father, naturally
wanting his son to rule, blocked
out all the suffering from the
world in an attempt to keep
Siddhartha from leaving. However, as Siddhartha gets older, he
gets more curious about the outside world.
One day he and his charioteer escape, and Siddhartha
sees the three forms of suffering:
old age, sickness, and death, for
the very first time. He is then inspired to find a way to enlightenment. He goes on many journeys
and struggles with temptation
and the three forms of suffering.
Overcoming great odds, he manages to become the Buddha, and
he still inspires people up to the
present day.
Bianca Cherry, from Mr.
Hernandez’s homeroom, played
the Buddha in her class’s performance. “I was not that scared
on the stage,” she said. “It was
really fun. I feel like I learned
how to work with a team as
well as more about Buddha and
his religion. I learned that when
you criticize someone else, you
are criticizing yourself. Buddha
wanted to teach others to think
compassionately.”
Spirit Series will come again
in the second semester, but instead of the enlightenment of
Buddha, it will bring the wisdom
of a great Athenian philosopher
in the play Seeking Socrates.
A young Buddhist sits meditating,
deep in thought. Photo: David Orlinsky
Maxwell
Maxwell (Channa)
(Channa)
brings
brings Taylor
Taylor
(Siddhartha)
(Siddhartha) to
to see
see
suffering
suffering for
for the
the
first
first time.
time.
Photo:
Photo: Madeline
Madeline Glenn
Glenn
26 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
TREND TALK
Reddy’s Songs
Ready for 2016
By JOEY CHAE
Many songs written
years ago apply to
people today. Helen
Reddy, one of the top
artists of all time, and a
former Revere parent,
wrote songs 40 years
ago that still relate to
today. “Think I’ll Write
a Song,” for example, is a song inspired
by the distractions that any given morning can provide. Reddy, distracted by the
telephone and friends, thought that she
wouldn’t have time to write her song.
People are always distracted by what’s
happening on their screens. In my life,
I have my cellphone, my laptop, and of
course Netflix. I guess our modern distractions are not so different from distractions
Helen was facing 40 years ago.
The superstar was a leader in the
women’s rights movement, hence her song
“I Am Woman.” In the 1970s, she helped
raise millions of dollars for Democrat
political candidates. There’s no doubt she
was looking forward to Hillary Clinton’s presidency, but now with Donald
Trump as our 45th commander-in-chief,
we have gone over 200 years without
having a female lead the country. As she
declares in her song, we still have “a long,
long way to go, until I make my brother
understand.” But as Helen sings in her
song, each setback “only serves to make
me more determined to achieve my final
goal.”
Nobody is perfect, but we have to
accept ourselves for who we are. That is
what the song “Best Friend” tries to convey using repetition and other literary devices. This message is important especially now with bullies in kids’ lives who try
to knock them down just because they’re
insecure about themselves. People keep
beating themselves up for small mistakes
that they’ve made but they forget “who is
on your side when others are unfair”
Songs like these have powerful messages which would help us if we would
take the time to stop and listen. But with
so many distractions and so many setbacks, it can be hard to follow them. Yet
these songs remind us that we are “strong”
and we are “invincible” and we just have
to remember how much we can really do.
7th graders in E-5 display their masterful letters to songwriter Helen Reddy. Photo: Mr. Wechsler
One Woman’s Words of Wisdom
By JOEY CHAE
In 1966, an Australian singer and her
young daughter arrived in New York with
big dreams but little money. Only 8 years
later, Helen Reddy secured her legacy with
a string of hits and a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Around this time, her daughter became a student at Paul Revere.
Now, many years later, Helen Reddy is
an influence to the students at Revere with
her songs full of literary devices and themes.
The students in E-5 showed their appreciation for these songs by writing letters to Reddy describing the powerful messages and
literary techniques in her song lyrics. They
arranged them in a binder and sent them to
her just in time for her 75th birthday.
Students analyzed three of the inspiring
songs she wrote: I Am Woman, Think I’ll
Write a Song and Best Friend. Gabriel Volvovic pointed out how the message in Best
Friend inspired him to not be so harsh on
himself. Gabriel is a baseball player and if he
made a mistake, he would get down on himself. “You are your worst enemy and your
Helen Reddy sings “You and Me Against the
World” on Oct. 1 at the Motion Picture and
Television Fund’s celebration. Photo: MPTF
Helen’s 1972
Platinum Album
best friend at the same time.” He says after
reading Best Friend he’ll be easier on himself. Julia Abbott adds, “If everyone listened
to this song, maybe it would lessen people’s
hatred of themselves.”
Joe Fisher summarizes the theme in
Think I’ll Write a Song by saying, “There are
times when you can push tasks aside to do a
more personal thing, and then there are times
when you can’t.”
After receiving the package of compositions, Helen’s personal assistant called Revere to thank the students for their letters and
to share how much Helen enjoyed reading so
many different observations about her lyrics.
Helen Reddy is a very influential person,
both her songs and her character. She supported the women’s rights movement with
her song “I Am Woman” and invigorated
girls and boys all around the world. Her
songs include many literary devices which
help students realize the power of her messages. They will live on to enjoy a better
lifestyle where they come back from all their
setbacks and are their own best friend.
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 27
Fantasizing About Films
Patriots prepare their films for Revere’s Film Festival
By JOSHUA DIAZ
Lights, camera, action! With
this year’s annual Film Festival
coming up you can be an actor,
a director, or a producer of your
very own movie production. If
you want to make a better LEGO
movie, go for it. You can make
an animation or claymation
movie, but there are time guidelines you must follow.
The categories available are
animaton/claymation (5 min),
live action short film (6 min),
music video (2-4 min), documentary (6 min), public service
announcement (30 sec-1.5 min),
or a commercial (30 sec-1 min).
If you want to make a public service announcement or a documentary, the content has to be
factual.
The content of the movies
also have rules to be followed.
The movie’s content has to fit the
theme, be appropriate to the age
group, and comply with LAUSD
guidelines. There can’t be inappropriate language or offensive
text. There can’t be gang logos
or symbols, weapons or portrayal of violence. There can be no
drug use, or drinking (alcoholic).
However, if asked, anyone who
has made one will most-likely
say, it was one of the best experiences of their life.
Past Patriot JJ. Abrams is a
famous movie director. He has
directed Star Wars: the Force
Awakens, a few of the Star Trek
movies, and so much more. If
he had the privelege of Revere’s
Film Festival, maybe he would
have found his passion sooner.
So, people that think they might
be the next JJ. Abrams or the
next Brad Pitt, or want to create
their own legacy are encouraged
to enter this year’s Film Festival.
Patriots that are intersted can
go to S1 at lunch and talk to Mr.
Dwight. In the meetings they talk
about film topics, storyboarding,
materials that people will need to
make their film, and production
all together.
Students are urged to get to
work on a film festival entry.
Submissions are due by March
24, 2017. Cut!
Mr. Strasser and son (Levi) present past storyboards. Photo: Joshua Diaz
Mr. Dwight explains the Film
Festival to students at a lunch
Photo: Joshua Diaz
meeting.
Film
submissions
are due by
March 24,
2017.
Revere Lends Its Home
To ‘Home Again’ Crew
Revere is used as a camp for the movie “Home Again”
By JACK GRAZER
Extras work on the wall mural for a scene at Revere. Photo: Evan Grochola
“Home Again” turns Revere’s campus into their own. Photo: Tate Foxson
Revere has officially been
star struck. Paul Revere Middle
was being used as a temporary
location for the upcoming film,
“Home Again.” They used the
Revere canpus from October
24th to December 11th.
Kirkside School was the
temporary name of our Paul
Revere Middle School campus.
There were an infinite amount
of trucks and trailers on the upper field. Many P.E. classes had
to adapt to running new mile
courses inorder to avoid being
in contact with the film equipment. Students, wide-eyed and
curious, wander the school with
open hearts for the industry of
film!
The movie is about a single
mother who takes in 3 men while
her life is changing for the worst.
With an excellent cast consisting of: Michael Sheen, Candice Bergen, Reid Scott and
Reese Witherspoon, a lot of
positivity about film is spewing
around the school. Both such incredible actors, Witherspoon and
Sheen have been seen in many
movies such as: “Frost / Nixon,”
“This Means War,” “Nocturnal
Animals,” “Wild,” “Midnight In
Paris” and “The Queen.” With
an astounding cast like that, it’s
an honor to have them using our
very own Revere campus.
Our Revere campus has their
very own star on the Hollywood
Walk Of Fame, or at least in our
hearts.
28 December 14, 2016
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Sports
Diego Bararona takes a free kick.
Malcolm Hobert takes a free throw shot.
The girls tennis team with the trophy.
Photo: Bruce Hulse
Photo: Csaba Lucas
Photo: Logan Downer
Porter Comstock
Patriots Practice With P.E.P.
Basketball, soccer,
tennis and more keep
kids busy after school
By TRISTAN LUCAS
Many Patriots have signed up
for P.E.P. to get some exercise,
but some have signed up for
competition. The boys and girls
varsity teams compete in the
Delphic League against very
strong private schools such as
Harvard-Westlake, Brentwood,
and Campbell Hall. Patriots
compete in sports like basketball, tennis, lacrosse, and soccer.
The basketball tryouts started November seventh and went
through November ninth. It was
very difficult for Mr. Amos to
pick the final varsity team, but
the girls who made it are Sydney Meskins, Samantha Arnold,
Jenna Chudacoff, Sofia Canter,
Diletta Diora-Carter, Sofia Grissom, Rose Morris, Kira Prudente, Alexis Pettis, Taylor Arnold,
Elise Arnold, Jailah Donald, and
Diara McBroom.
The boys varsity basketball team is very strong in the
Delphic League. The guys who
made it are Amiri Falls, Kyle
Lee, Ethan Hamid, Robert Sheehan, Grant Wilson, Gabriel Hekmatniaz, Forrest Brock, Asher
Saven, Sammy Dohad, Nicklas
Johannson, Parker Jones, Grant
Foster, and David Mack. They
have practice on Tuesday’s and
Thursday’s from 2:15- 3:15 at
the Rider Dome. The boys first
game was December first against
Brentwood, but they sadly lost.
Nicklas Johannson says, “When
I score a two pointer I feel like
the weight is off my shoulders
and that I can play without worrying.”
Soccer is a very popular sport
at Revere. Mr. Lafolette says,
“It’s so hard to pick eighteen
players at the tryouts because
there are so many talented players who are also great students.”
The boys who made the final cut
for this season are Tristan Lucas, Josh Davood, Kyle Roberts,
Marco Rodriguez, Angel Reed,
Jack Soller, Cesar Aubour, Diego Bararona, Noah Badener,
Cannan Ferguson, Todd Volkov,
Anthony Graeber, Eric Palermo, Nick Collins, Jaxon Marsh,
Coleman Severs, and Pasha
Zar. The boys team has training
Tuesday’s and Thursday’s on the
upper field from 2:30 to 4:00.
The coach, Kelly Parker is
a Canadian former soccer midfielder who last played for Atlanta Beat in Women’s Professional
Soccer. She was also a member
of the Canadian national team
from 2003 to 2012.
The morning announcements on December eighth said,
“Our boys soccer team had a
very impressive performance at
the season opener on Tuesday.
The boys beat Harvard-Westlake; the Delphic League powerhouse 3-0. The teams goal keepers Eric Palermo and Antoney
Graeber didn’t allow a single
goal. Pasha Zar, Kyle Roberts,
and Diego Bararona put the ball
into the net. Go Revere!”
The girls varsity soccer team
is a very strong team with Miranda Schriver, True Panza, Riley
Guthiem, Teah Jackson, Sophie
Gowen, Kayden Grave, shea
Mcnulty, Sienna Ozar, Ivy Justice, Jen Gibson, Jordyn Nadely,
Mollie Essner, Dylan Tzung,
Isabel Gill, Kristen Green, Mady
Barnet, Ashley Sloan and Madelyn Kelly. Mele French who
is an American soccer forward
who played for the NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC and W-League’s
Seattle Sounders Women in
2015. Mele French was named
the W-League’s Most Valuable
Player for the 2014 season.
The tennis team came
out victorious in the Delphic
League, winning the championship two times in a row. The
girls who made this happen are
Iris Berman, Halsey Hulse, Noe
Winter, Sarah Slavkin, Claudia
Goore, Fritze Mayer, Sophia
Klotz, Sofie Brazier, Maddy,
Mollie Essner, Aniyah, Devina
and the coach, Grant Friedman.
Halsey says, “Playing on the
tennis team this year was a great
experience because everyone on
the team supported each other,
win or lose.”
The coed wrestling team is
doing really good in the Delphic League. They wrestlers are
Asher Goldy, Ben Frizzell, Tate
Foxson, Joaquin Leitz, Jacob
Accardo, Ari Billoshmi, Charlie Addis, Kaleb Jones, Auggie
The JV Boys Basketball Team
and Village Christan Boys get
ready for a rebound.
Photo: Logan Downer
Todd Valkov and a Harvard-Westlake player fight for the ball. Photo: Csaba Lucas
December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 29
ABOUT ATHLETICS
The Revere soccer team huddles before a game.
Extending Equity
Across Athletics
Photo: Csaba Lucas
Rose, Ricardo Abrego, Lilly Toupputo, David Leitz, Darian Thomas, Sean Botansky,
Kieren Bryant, Johny Harvey, Xander Krakovich, Shahin Magloubi, Chris Petit and
Richie Rosen. The team has won the Delphic League in 2015 and got second in 2016.
Mr. Foxson says, “It’s always nice to
win, but actually what I feel is more
important is the sportsmanship!”
Ricardo Abrego, who is on the
wrestling team says “When you
win a match, you feel like you
actually did something. Last
year I got second, this year I am
going to try for first.” He also
said that his hardest opponent
was, “John Cranshaw from Chaminade.” The wrestling team plays
Thursday, December 15th and Thursday,
January 12th.
The Boys JV Basketball Team has many
great youth players who are Cole Bailey,
Jacob Eddy-Watkins, Ahmir Brown, Zach
Haas, Cody Micheals, Owen Loncar, Hunt-
Kyle Roberts beats a Harvard-Westlake
defender. Photo: Csaba Lucas
er Martinez, Matthew Gorden, Avery Lee,
Morgan Rudolf, Aaron Eweh, Alex Ioos,
Malcom Holbert, Austin Arias and Taylor
Isom.
Also, the Girls JV Basketball Team has
many great players such as Demonnie Lagway, Sofia Farhangnia, Julia Hartwell,
Rowan Gianotti, Brooke Shibata,
Julia Ariel, Nicole Mansouri,
Kayla Tefilin, Jada Asgar, Abigail Sheridan, Shirel Farasatpour, Lydia Sutton and Scarlett
Jones. These girls are ready for
there season in January. Their
coach is Coach K.
P.E.P. is a time to show your passion to the school. Playing for the
school basketball team or wrestling
team. Beating the Oaks Christan in soccer
or winning the Delphic League in tennis.
Paul Revere is the only public school in the
Delphic League and still we beat the private
schools. In the next session lots of other
sports and activities will be taking place.
Alex Ioos and Amir Brown warm up for the
game. Photo: Logan Downer
By IRIS BERMAN
For many years, women in
sports have been advocating for equal pay. Although these attempts have
made the pay gaps smaller
than they used to be, men
are still paid a notable
amount more than women.
This is not fair for women. The U.S.
women’s soccer team earned two million
dollars for winning the world cup, and the
men earned nine million for losing in the
round of 16. Unfortunately, this pay gap appears in every sport. Even in tennis, where
the pay is mostly equal, men still make
37,000 dollars more per win than women.
There’s a pay gap because people think
men’s sports are more interesting, so more
people watch them. I believe the games
aren’t more interesting based on who’s
playing in them; they’re more interesting because of the competitiveness (and
women’s sports can be just as competitive
as men’s.) Women’s sporting events aren’t
given as much coverage as men’s sports
either. I have hardly ever seen a woman
on the front cover of the L.A. Times sports
page, or a women’s game on television. If
more people believed women’s sports could
be as interesting as men’s, women would
get the coverage and money they deserve.
It’s also unfair that women have to
fight for equal opportunities and pay. Hope
Solo and many other women are fighting
for equal pay and equipment. Women are
forced to use their extra time and effort,
on fighting for equality. Equal pay should
be given to women without a fight because
they work as hard as the men, and equal
work deserves equal pay.
The only way female athletes can make
up for this pay gap is by getting sponsorships. Women in soccer can only make a
half million of their salary playing soccer,
and the rest is made up for with sponsorships. Men in soccer can make 50 million
from playing. Getting sponsorships is easy
for women because people believe women
are better advertisements than men. Women
should be able to get equal pay off of their
playing rather than their body image.
Women shouldn’t have to become
advertisements in order to make as much
money as men. They deserve equal pay
for their hard work, and dedication to their
sports, even while fighting through the pay
gap.
30 December 14, 2016
THE TOWN CRIER
Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Black Belts Belt Up
Three Patriots get a
big kick out of their
martial arts activities
A black belt is the highest ranking in martial arts. The
standard belt system is white,
yellow, gold, orange, green,
blue, purple, brown, red, and
black. You have to earn the first
nine belts in order to receive
the black belt, and there are
ten degrees of a black belt. The
first degree is Shodan, then Nidan, then Sandan, then Yondan,
Godan, Rokudan, Shichidan,
Hachidan, Kudan, Jūdan is the
last degree black belt in the dan
system.
Each belt has to do with
a seed and growing up to be a
plant, and growing closer to the
Sun. The white belt signifies
birth, or beginning. The yellow
belt signifies the first beams of
sunlight given to the seed giving it strength and rebirth. The
orange belt shows the power
of the sun warming up for
spring.
The green belt shows the
seed growing into a plant rising from the earth. The blue belt
signifies the plant approaching
the blue sky. The purple belt signifies the transition from night
to the first bits of sunrise. The
brown belt signifies the seed
ripening. the last belt before the
black belt is the red belt, which
shows the scorching heat of the
sun and the plant reaching it.
The final belt, the black belt signifies outer space past the sun.
ELYSHA CHAE is in sixth
grade and recieved a black belt
in Taekwondo. She recieved her
black belt on May 15, 2016.
She has been doing Taekwondo for about three years.
She plays two to three times
a week at the Tae Ryong Taekwondo studio. The Tae Ryong
Taekwondo studio not only
helps her skills, but helps her
in other aspects of life. She can
break boards and take down opponents, but she also got student
of the quarter which is a trophy
for the student who tries their
best and shows the most commitment. You can be awarded
a higher color for belt testing if
you get student of the quarter.
She won it when testing to recieve her second green belt, that
was the fifth out of tenth color
belt you can get. “If you try your
best and don’t give up, anything
is possible.”
ETHAN SHAMOEIL is a seventh grader who has a black
belt in karate. He recieved his
black belt on June 16, 2016. He
has been doing karate for seven
years at Keith Cooke’s Champions Martial Arts. He goes two
times a week. He is one of the
youngest players in the class. He
feels confident because of karate. If anyone threatens me, I will
be prepared.
When he was younger,
he played in tournaments and
matches. He says, “They are
very intense and was also nervous for his turn. People who
were watching, were people of
higher belts than his, and they
were going to judge his performance.”
He says, “It’s been very
tough, putting a lot of time and
effort. Especially when training
for my black belt test. Waking up
at six in the morning every Saturday for three months training
to recieve his belt.”
Ethan also said, “It’s a very
fun experience, your going to
have tough times, but it’s worth
it. Being up there in front of hundreds of people is a one in a life
time chance and feels like a big
accomplishment in life.”
He is now using swords, in
various forms for offense and
defense. He uses a staff, a long
wooden stick to practice his
strikes and for defense.
He says, “Karate is a very
fun martial art to do and I insist
for many other individuals out
there to try it. It can be helpful
in many ways. It boosts your
confidence, teaches discipline,
and helps you in times when self
defense is needed. If you start
something, finish it.”
SKYLAR SALTZMAN is in
eighth grade and recieved a
black belt in yoshukai karate,
which translates to Training
Elysha at the Tae Ryong Taekwondo Studio.
Ethan in his black belt test at
Keith Cooke’s Martial Arts.
Skylar practices at Gerry
Blanck’s Martial Arts Center.
Hall of Continued Improvement. Yoshukai is a branch of
discipline in karate. She recieved a black belt in this at ten
years old. She is now a second
degree black belt and has started to teach karate. She’s been
training for eight years. She
trains one time a week, but on
the second week of each month,
she trains twice in that week for
the black belt class. She trains
at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts
Center.
Yoshukai karate has helped
her socially, because people
don’t want to argue with her, because they know she is a black
belt.
She is starting to do tournaments. The tournaments include
either sparring, the judges can
judge you on weapons or forms,
or you can do a choreographed
form to music.
She dislikes sparring, so she
uses weapons or chor eographed
forms in tournaments.
She uses a sai, nunchuks, a
bo, and a tonfa. A sai is a mini
pitchfork, nunchucks are two
mini sticks connected by a
chain, a bo is a long staff, and a
tonfa is similar to a billy club.
When you have these belts,
you receive stripes on your belt
to define your rank before you
reach the next color. When you
reach black, there are different
degrees. There is first degree,
second degree, third degree, the
highest rank is 10th degree, but
nobody can reach that because
it is reserved for our Grand
Master, the founder of Yoshukai
Karate. The belts don’t change
very much until you reach 6th
or 7th degree, when they turn
red and white. The learning officially stops when you reach
6th degree.
Karate is a life long process,
so that’s why when you become
a black belt, you have to give
back and teach. Karate is not
something you can do in one
year and quit. “A black belt is a
white belt that never quits.”
By SIDDHARTHA
SHENDRIKAR
December 14, 2016
By JOE TAYLOR
Here at Revere, there are
plenty of devoted athletes trying
to be the best they can be. They
are drivin by the need to succeed
at whatever they’re doing—hitting, throwing, running, jumping, anything.
DIMITRI LUPESCU is an avid
water polo player. He has been
playing for the past four years.
His dad, Apollo Lupescu, has
been playing water polo for
around 25 years. He played in
the Olympics for Romania and is
currently playing for the Men’s
Masters team here in America.
Dimitri’s first club was at Santa
Monica High School when he
was nine years old, and he now
plays for three different water
polo clubs—a team at UCLA,
another called L.A Premiere
(this team won the Junior Olympics last year in the 14U Platinum Division) and the South
Bay United from Long Beach.
During this season, Dimitri will
play on the USA national team.
He loves water polo for “the
contact element of it.” Dimitri plays the position of center,
which he says is the “hardest
and most violent position.” He
claims the sport has bettered him
in daily life by helping him to
“stay in shape and build muscle.
And on top of that, it looks really
good on school applications.”
A teammate of Dimitri’s
on the UCLA team is DMITRY
GOROZHANKIN. He’s the goalie
THE TOWN CRIER
on the team, and has been playing for one year. He says, “It’s
a very physical sport— you
have to be in very good shape
to play.” To train, Dmitry has
to carry heavy objects while in
the water such as a metal chair,
a weight belt, or a weighted ball.
Goalies are required to do this to
build strength.
IRIS BERMAN is the third
ranked tennis player in Southern
California. Iris has been playing
Tennis since she was six.
What is her favorite part of
the sport? She says “You have
to figure things out, Tennis is a
like a puzzle, and you have to
be able to adjust your strategy.”
Iris competes at a high level in
United States Tennis Association
tournaments, or USTA for short.
She is ranked 41st in the country with an overall record of 57
wins and 21 losses. She says that
these tournaments help her skills
by putting her in “situations
where I have to figure out a new
strategy.” They also teach her a
lot about being “mentally tough
and dealing with the pressure.”
This sport helps Iris throughout
her life. She says it “teaches me
to not get frustrated in tough
situations, and figure things out
when the going gets tough.”
JACK GUREVITCH is a very
serious baseball player. Jack has
been playing baseball since he
was six for the Pacific Palisades
Baseball Academy, or PPBA for
short. He says his current coach,
P.C. Shaw, is “The best around,
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 31
so it really helps my skills.” Jack
recently won a championship
ring in a tournament with PBA.
He practices 3 times a week.
His favorite part of baseball is
the hitting aspect of it. He says
baseball helps him in daily life
by developing his “Hand-eye
coordination.” He plays the position of first-base, and to play
that position you must keep your
foot on the first base, and catch
your teammates throw to get the
batter out. In the fall, Jack plays
for Pacific Baseball Academy, or
PBA. In the spring, he plays for
PPBA. Last season, during the
summer, Jack played for a 12U
PONY baseball team called the
Pali Waves. PONY stands for
Protect our Nation’s Youth, and
unlike Little League, it has all
the same rules as the M.L.B. This
team played in an all-star tournament taking place in California.
The Waves were one of the top 2
teams in California, so they were
selected to move on in the tournament. They continued to win,
and were a couple games away
from the national championship
when they were finally eliminated. The Waves were placed as
the fifth best 12U PONY baseball team in the country when all
was said and done.
CODY ELKINS is one the top
ranked racquet ballers in the
world. He started playing raquet
ball when he was two years-old.
His favorite part of raquet ball is
seeing friends he’s made from all
over the country when he plays
in tournaments. He loves to see
his doubles partner (two on two
matches) for the Junior Olympics. His partner is from Missouri. He also loves to “play in
Championships, and occasionally win.” Cody has occasionally
won, winning gold medals and a
national championship in one of
raquet ball’s “Majors”, the National Singles Championship in
Fullerton, California. He and his
brother, Dane Elkins, combined
for four gold medals. His brother
has earned a spot on the national
team, and Cody is on the Junior
Olympic team. In 2015, Cody
was ranked 2nd in the country
for boys 10 and under. Cody
says his sport helps him in other
aspects of life as well. “My sport
helps me in several areas, including embracing diversity, dealing
with adversity, seeing different
personalities, building up confidence, and strengthening athletic
reflexes.”Racquet ball is mainly
an individual sport, but when he
plays doubles, he plays on the
right side of the court—otherwise known as Forehand. Cody
is sponsored by a clothing company called Splathead, and is
also sponsored by a major sports
brand—Wilson. He says “This is
incredible because I get the top
equipment which
helps my game.”
These players are always
striving to be the best they can
be and to make it to the top. And
judging by the way they play,
they may be on their way there.