BAMS
Volume 6, Issue 7
April 2011
The Raider Review
Students Skype with Japan Quake
Survivors
like being in an earthquake
was limited food and water.
recently Skyped with teach-
The seventh grade
and tsunamis. It was a very
As time has gone on, however,
ers in Japan following the
interesting and humbling ex-
the area is slowly recovering.
earthquakes and tsunami last
perience for our students. .
Still, her friend, Paul, is living
month. The seventh grade
Jessica, and her
in a school, as he cannot re-
Inside this
issue:
School
News
2-7
Writer’s
Notebook
8
Comix
Corral
9-10
science geology curriculum
friends, Rachel, Paul, and Ed-
turn to his home. Paul was in
includes plate tectonics,
ward, are teachers near
Japan just two months before
earthquakes and tsuna-
Kasennuma, Japan. They are
the earthquake hit. Actually,
mis. Teachers used this
about 200 miles north of one
he was working on an island
background to give our stu-
of the nuclear plants that is
when the tsunami hit. He was
dents specific information
experiencing problems. Jes-
stranded there for five days
about the March 11th Japan
sica and her friends are Eng-
before he could leave.
events. Teachers had the
lish teachers. The Japanese
class watch a PowerPoint,
school year is different than
could not make contact with
read articles and discuss the
ours. Students go to school
her family. Obviously, phone
cause & effect of the earth-
year-round. They go from
lines, water, and electricity
Upcoming Events:
quake & tsunami. Mrs.
April to July, August to De-
lines were damaged. She
Besecker’s niece, Jessica, a
cember, and January to
compared the experience to a
teacher in Japan, had agreed
March. The earthquakes oc-
bad dream. Every day, she
to Skype with clas-
curred just as school was
thinks she’ll wake up, but re-
• The Chemistry Demo
show will be held on
Thursday, May 19th
at 7:30 P.M.
ses. Teachers gave each stu-
getting ready to begin again.
alizes it’s just another day in
dent an opportunity to come
The start of school in April
“TsunamiLand.”
up with a question to ask
has been delayed.
her. The Science teachers
Jessica began by
At first, Jessica
Everyone reported
that things are getting bet-
then picked 20 appropriate,
telling the students about the
ter. There is still a lot of
interesting and relevant ques-
earthquake. She said she has
cleanup to complete. Old
tions for the students to ask.
experienced quakes before,
baseball fields are even being
but this one lasted an ex-
used at temporary dump sites.
19th at 8:10 am the 7th grad-
On Tuesday April
traordinarily long time. She
Yet, Jessica reported that
ers went to the auditorium
showed us pictures of boats
she lives in a quiet, close-knit
where we made connection
washed ashore, cars on top of
town with friendly people who
with Jessica and three other
buildings, and other damage
are optimistic. She is consid-
American teachers in Ja-
from the tsunami. Even
ering staying in Japan if her
pan. The Skype had to take
though she is not on the
teaching contract allows her.
place early in the morning
coast, areas inland were af-
She even urged the students
because Japan is 13 hours
fected as the tsunami trav-
to become teachers and teach
ahead of us. Students spent
eled up rivers and streams.
English in Japan.
the next 1 ½ hours talking
After the initial
You can view pic-
with them about their experi-
earthquake, Jessica was not
tures of the event on Ms.
ence and learning from first
able to get to her home or to
Kelly’s website.
hand accounts about what its
her friends. She said there
• Fifth grade students
will make their annual visit to the Middle
School on May 18th,
19th, and 20th
• The 7th and 8th
grade Band, Chorus,
and Orchestra
concert will be held
on May 25th at 7:30
P.M.
• The 6th grade Band,
Chorus, and
Orchestra concert
will be held on May
18th at 7:30 P.M.
Music Man, Jr. A Singing Success
On April 15 & 16, months of
hard work culminated in the BAMS
Drama Club production of “The Music
Man Junior.” For more than half of
the cast, this
was their very
first involvement in a theatrical production! Students
auditioned for
the show back
in December
after attending workshops
to prepare for
the audiKilburn and Dori Puzycki tions. Our
as “Marian Paroo” in the
first readMusic Man, Jr.
through of the
script was in
January, which was followed by several rehearsals where we learned the
many familiar songs of “The Music
Man.” After that, the blocking
(positioning the actors on the stage)
as well as learning the choreography
(dance moves) took many weeks to
perfect. Tech Week rehearsals were
held the Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday before opening night –
that’s when we put together everything with costumes, hair, make-up,
microphones, and lighting.
We were excited to be able to do two
in-school preview performances
this year. On April 14, the day
before our official opening
night, we performed for the 4th
and 5th grade students from all
four elementary schools. Then,
after a short break and a quick
lunch, we did it again for the
6th and 7th graders at our afternoon preview.
The production involved 59
middle school students onstage
with another 20 helping out backstage
on stage crew, lighting crew, hair/
make-up/costume crew, and paint
crew. The adult production crew consisted of Lino Toyos, scenic designer;
Lynn Pensak, assistant director and
costumer; Mary Miltenberger, backstage assistant; and Meredith LeRoy,
director. Over 800 tickets were sold
to family, friends, classmates, teachers, and community members who
came out to see the show!
Andrew Kilburn as “Harold Hill.”
Seventh Grade Book Club Sees Novel Come to Life
A select group of seventh
graders were able to have a variety of
experiences as a part of a book club.
Students got to meet seeing-eye dogs,
explore the school from another point
of view, and read a great book.
The group agreed to read
Where the Red Fern Grows. Students
read a chapter a day and met during I &
E twice a cycle to discuss the book. In
addition to discussing the book, the
students were able to participate in
some neat activities.
First, Nora Smith and her
mother brought in her dog, Jimi. Jimi is
being trained by the Smiths as a seeingeye dog. The Smiths train the dog basic
commands and get the dog used to being
in noisy places. After about a year, the
dog returns to a training center in New
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Jersey for formal seeing-eye training.
Students learned about how the Smiths
take Jimi to restaurants, shopping malls,
and basically, every place they go. The
students learned about the tremendous
amount of work and money that goes
into training these dogs. It is estimated
that each seeing-eye dog has about
$50,000 invested in it. Also, School
Board President, Mrs. Rock and her
daughter, Hannah, train seeing-eye dogs.
They also stopped by to tell the students more information about the program. Both Nora and Hannah are training the dogs as part of their 4-H project.
Students were also able to go
on a raccoon hunt, sort of. In the book,
the main character trains hunting dogs
to tree raccoons. Students worked in
pairs to place paper raccoon tracks
throughout the building. The next day,
another pair of students had to attempt
to follow the tracks and write a story
about where the raccoon traveled.
Lastly, students were able to
earn Reading Counts points for the book.
As a treat, they were also able to watch
the movie version of the novel.
If you have never read Where
the Red Fern Grows, I’m sure any of the
book club members would recommend it.
It is a classic story that will take you on
a rollercoaster ride of emotions. For
anyone who likes to explore, hunt, or
loves dogs, this book is for you. Pick up
a copy of Wilson Rawls’ book
and discover Where the Red
Fern Grows.
The Raider Review
Community Members, Athletes Read to Students
On March 2nd, community
members and Penn State athletes
came to BAMS to read to students as
part of Read Across America Day.
The day promotes reading across the
country and is in honor of the late Dr.
Seuss’ birthday. Celebrities and political leaders from Michelle Obama to
Justin Beiber read to audiences
across the country. The program
strives to motivate students, parents,
and teachers to read every day.
At BAMS, we had visitors
such as Jon Eich, County Commissioner, read to several classes. Mr. Eich
also spoke about the things he has to
read as a politician. He said those
things are not nearly as interesting as
Dr. Seuss. Mr. Eich also discussed
the places he has been in his life, as
this year’s book selection was Oh, the
Places You’ll Go. Not only has he visited parts of our country, but spoke
about the many wonderful places in
Centre County.
Some PSU athletes also came
to read to students. Again, the players read and talked about the places
they have been. Students at BAMS
were very interested to learn about
the demands of a student-athelete’s
time. Not only do they get to play
sports, but have to meet academic
requirements similar to the ones at
BAMS.
Overall, everyone enjoyed
hearing the Dr. Seuss story and learning more about the places others have
been and wondering about the places
we may all go, someday.
PSU football player, K.K.,
reads to 7th graders.
Bugs, Lizards, and Gators, Oh My!
The 7th grade science classes
had Mr. Witman and many of his critters visit us on Tuesday April 26th. Mr.
Witman is a retired teacher from Lan-
have for survival. The critters he
discussed included the following Invertebrates (walking sticks, scorpion,
tarantula) and Vertebrates (tree
frog, toad, black snake, Pueblan milk
snake, Iguana, blue tongue skink,
monitor lizard, American alligator,
box turtle, snapping turtle, African
sulcata tortoise, and painted turtle). The 7th grade students overwhelmingly enjoyed the presentation
and the opportunity to see & interact
with animals up-close and personal.
Mr. Witman shows the students an
American alligator.
A monitor lizard eats an egg.
caster County who is currently working
as an educator for the Philadelphia Zoo
and Reading museum. He brought many
animals to show the student. He also
discussed their impact and status on
their environment and adaptations they
Page 3
Mr. Witman
shows how stick
bugs blend into
their
surroundings.
The Raider Review
Students Win Awards at Kent’s Fest
On April 8th Ms. Laubscher and
Mr. Rager’s classes joined together to
participated in the 10th Annual Kent’s
Fest musical festival and talent competition for individuals with disabilities.
Kent’s Fest is sponsored by Recreation
for Exceptional Citizens of Clinton County and Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. This years theme was “Going
Places” The Class won “Best Over All”
and EMCEE favorite award.
There were 24 acts performed
by 16 different classes from 5
different school districts.
The BAMS Life Skill
class performed the Musical
“Under the Sea” .
The participation were
Trevor Barton, Miranda Fleck,
Tristan Whitehead, Christina
Wetzel, Jacey Stoner, Molly
Decker, Brady Meckley, and Eli Byler.
Miranda Fleck and Trevor Barton
present at Kent’s Fest.
The Hunt for the Great Easter Egg
Miss Shrubb’s 7th grade star
cluster and Mr. Rager’s life skills classes participated in two Easter events
together. We painted and decorated
eggs together. It was fun helping
decide which colors should be mixed
with what. Our star cluster then hid
those eggs along with our plastic eggs
filled with candy outside the
school. Although it was a chilly morning, finding the eggs with our new
friends was exciting. There were
plenty of eggs to go around and we
helped the students empty and count
all of their eggs. What a great way to Conner and Trevor prepare the eggs.
start off the Easter weekend!
Jordan and Brady count eggs together.
Spanish Class Dances with Students in
Spain
Miss Shrubb’s 6th grade Exploratory
Spanish class decided to videotape themselves
doing the Waka Waka dance by Shakira after
videoconferencing with a class in Barcelona,
Spain. Since everyone there knew the lyrics
and dance, they also wanted to showcase their
talent.
Students perform the Waka Waka dance at BAMS.
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The Raider Review
Students Say, “Let’s Move!”
In conjunction with First Lady
Students at Bellefonte Area
Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign Middle School have been learning the
to curb childhood obesity, on May 3rd at dance to participate in this nationwide
1:42 midevent, and a Majic 99
dle
personality joined us to
schools
lead a 10 to 15 minute
across
assembly on the obesity
the counissue, and then led the
try will
kids in what was a fun
particiexercise to encourage
pate in a
an active and healthy
four milifestyle. WTAJ-TV in
nute
Altoona has also been
flash
contacted to help generworkout
ate buzz about this
set to a
cause.
Beyonce
song.
Mrs. Miltenberger shows off her moves
during the dance.
Ms. Baird dances on
Tuesday during the
“Let’s Move” campaign.
Jazz Band Rocks Jazz Night at BHS
The BAMS Jazz Band performed at Jazz Night on Monday,
April 25 in the BHS auditorium,
along with the elementary and
high school jazz bands. BAMS
jazz band has students from all
three grade levels, and is made of
saxophones, trumpets, trombones,
and a rhythm section of piano,
bass, and drumset, along with other percussion instruments.
The band has been prac-
Page 5
ticing Thursdays after school
since January, working on a variety of musical styles and pieces. As
a member of the jazz band, each
student gets the opportunity to
practicing improvisation, which is
the art of soloing and creating
music as you play. Improv is very
challenging, but also fun, being
able to create melodies to match
the style of the music while
demonstrating your interpretation
of the song. Soloists at Monday’s
concert included Mitchell Pensak,
Zack Mothersbaugh, Jane Li,
Alyssa McGraw, Sara Lucas,
Chance Blakeslee, Daniel Zimmerman, and Gehrig Schuster.
The jazz band will be giving some performances at our elementary schools sometime before
the end of the year, as well as
participating in the upcoming
BAMS music concerts. The 6th
grade band, choir, and orchestra
concert is Wednesday, May 18th,
and the 7th/8th grade concert is
Wednesday, May 25th. These concerts begin a 7:30 P.M. and are
held in the auditorium. All of these ensembles have been working
diligently to prepare for the performances, so please come support
your friends and classmates in all
the musical groups here at
BAMS.
The Raider Review
Student Teachers: Ms. Ellis
Miss Ellis is working with
Mrs. Besecker as a mathematics student teacher. Ms. Ellis already has a
degree in Science from Penn State,
but is working on her Secondary Math
degree. She decided to become a
teacher after her high school teachers inspired her. She loves doing
math and wants to make a great impact on her students.
Miss Ellis is from Scott Center, PA. She went to a small school
named Preston Area from grades K-8.
She then attended high school at Deposit Central HS in Deposit, NY. Miss
Ellis also enjoys being outside and has
a huge heart for animals.
Currently, Ms. Elllis is persuing her teaching degree and is also a
student manager at PSU. She worked
as a substitute teacher in New York
for seven years, prior to that.
Ms. Ellis has found BAMS to
be a good placement for her. She
likes the high expectation and standards for the students. She is hoping
to get to know the students and encourage them to learn.
Ms. Ellis is student teaching with
Mrs. Besecker.
Student Teachers: Ms. Ruth
Miss Ruth is student teaching
with Mrs. Kalbach in seventh grade.
Ms. Ruth is a student at Lock Haven
University. She always liked math and
understood it well. She would usually
help her friends with their math
homework, so she decided to become
a math teacher.
Miss Ruth is from Reading,
PA. Her first student teaching placement was at Williamsport HS. After
finishing her time at BAMS, she will
graduate in May. Ms. Ruth thinks
BAMS is a great place and has really
enjoyed her time here.
Ms. Ruth is student teaching
with Mrs. Kalbach.
Shoot for the Moon News
Throughout the year, businesses around the area have been contributing
to the Shoot for the Moon program. Recently, Maurices at the Nittany Mall had a
great idea. Maurices held a school-supply drive at their store. If a customer donated a school supply, he or she would receive a 20% off coupon good for any regularly priced item.
The drive turned out to be a great success. Maurices was so thrilled that
they plan to hold a similar drive in the fall. We hope to have even more success
since parents and students will be shopping for school supplies and clothes.
In addition, BAMS is planning on having some great end-of-the-year activities to wrap up the program. Students can also start using moons and privilege
Maurices manager Michele Flannery
passes to eat or go outside at lunch. Be on the lookout for more exciting events from
and sales associate Kristen Kidd
Shoot for the Moon. Remember to earn those moons and turn them in for prizes!
participated in the Supplies Drive.
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The Raider Review
Cinco de Mayo More than Just the Fifth of May
Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) is
fast approaching. With the continued
growth of the Spanish-speaking ELL
population, questions continue to surface about the origins and customs of
this occasion. Below is an overview to
help you plan ahead:
Patrias, which occurred on September
16, 1810.
Why is Cinco de Mayo important to
the Hispanic community?
The Battle of Puebla was, in essence,
What is Cinco de Mayo?
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the
victory of the Mexican Army over the
French at the Battle of Puebla in
1862. The holiday has its roots in the
French occupation of Mexico. The
Mexican Army was greatly outnumbered by the French forces of Napoleon III, who wanted to install a European monarch as the emperor of Mexico. In 1863 the French ultimately
defeated the Mexican Army. People
sometimes confuse Cinco de Mayo
with Mexican Independence Day,
a separate holiday, known as Fiestas
unity and patriotism and is a great
source of pride in the Mexican
American community.
How is it celebrated?
While it is scarcely celebrated
in Mexico except in the area of
Puebla, over the years, Cinco de
Mayo has become more widely
celebrated in the US than in
Mexico. People come together for parades, mariachi music,
ballet folklórico, food and festivities. Some school districts,
especially in highly Spanishspeaking populations, even recognize Cinco de Mayo and do not
hold classes on that day.
a victory of the underdog. The Mexican Army was smaller and more poorly
equipped than the French army,
whose forces were considered at the
time the best in the world. This battle
victory came to represent Mexican
Fly High with Books
The Library is sponsoring its final Big Moon Drawing for the school year! The gift basket will include a
parafoil kite, a $20.00 Barnes and Noble gift card, food coupons, and school supplies! Drop off your moons in the Library
between May 10 and May 19. The winner will be selected and announced on May 20th.
Good luck, everyone!
Student Achievers Recognized
The following students were recognized as Students of the 3rd Marking Period. These students were selected by their teachers for their academic achievement, positive attitude, and strong work ethic.
Mekenzie Catalano 6th Dream Catchers
Summer Shirey 6th Dream Catchers
Nick Miller 6th Destiny’s Dreamers
Latasha Gilligan 6th Library Skills
Connor Rigg 7th White Team
Julia Stone 7th Red Team
Trent Fye 8th Red Team
Shannon Rose 8th White Team
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Taylor Bitner 6th Wisdom Keepers
Kendra Wakefield 6th Wisdom Keepers
Ashlyn Lockett 6th Health
Madison Marucci 6th Library Skills
Annie Lucas 7th White Team
Rebeccah Harter 7th Reading Strgs.
Morgan Taylor 8th Red Team
Ashley Morris 8th P.E.
Tyler Kreger 6th Library Skills
Nick Jabco 7th Red Team
Lea McCartney 7th P.E.
The Raider Review
Writer’s Notebook
The Raider Review is proud to bring you short stories written by BAMS students. Some
may appear in one issue, while other stories may have several editions continuing across
several, consecutive issues. Enjoy the craft of writing presented by your fellow authors.
“Sussex, the Arizona Stallion”
By: Emily Trigg
This story is the sixth installment of
stories which have appeared in the
previous months’ editions.
It was hot in the holding
pen. I was up next for the bronco
challenge. So far only two people
have succeeded in riding
me. I was a six year old
quarter horse. I was black
and white with a cream
colored mane and tail. I
waited as they saddled me
up They tied a thick knot
in the girth belt and knotted it close to my skin.
This is how they got us to
buck. It drove us crazy so
we tried to buck them
off.
They rammed the
bit in my mouth and then came the
man. I was hot and sweat beaded
across my coat. The man climbed
on. Between the shouts of the
crowd and the knot it was more
than I could stand. I grew more
impatient as I rammed the side of
the metal grate, digging my
hooves into the hot desert sand.
The cowboys were just done dragging the last bronco into the paddock. At last I heard the loud
speaker announcer’s gruff voice
shout, ”Ladies and gentlemen,
next we have Mike Sarcowac riding Sussex, one of the friskiest
broncos here.”
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Then, as the excitement
gathered I leapt forward as soon
as the clicking gate was swung
open. I bucked for several minutes
then it happened. The heat was
finally too much. I collapsed in a
panting heap. It was hard to take
breaths due to the ropes tied
across my chest. The cowboys ran
into the ring and untied the ropes.
Then slowly a cowboy led me to a
stall.
When I fell I sprained my
leg. Limping, the cowboy yelled for
a vet to look at my leg. The cowboy that rode me broke his arm.
They said I would be out the rest
of the year. Then, surprisingly,
the rider decided to buy me.
As the rider was sent to
the hospital, I was hauled in a
trailer out to his farm. His eldest
daughter, Shiana, fed me and
cared for me until her father was
home. There were six other horse,
30 cattle, ten hogs, and a herd of
sheep and goats. And as I was
slowly lead to my stall I noticed a
small German shepherd guarding
me, three llamas, and two barn
cats.
Four days passed before
my new owner came home. When
he came to my stall, he realized I
wasn’t as mean as they made me
seam. I was actually a very gentle
horse. I still had two weeks of
recovery. I seemed bored but it
wouldn’t last long. I watched
around me and got used to my
new home. Two weeks passed by
fast, and after I got healed, I
seemed much happier.
Mike finally led me to the
paddock where his daughter was
waiting with a saddle. I was held
in one spot while I was saddled.
Mike saw my skin tense as the
saddle was laid on my back and he
stroked my nose to comfort me.
After I was saddled, Shiana
mounted me. Mike led me around
the ring and stopped. He let go of
the rope and let Shiana trot me
around the ring. Weeks passed
and those weeks turned into
months and after that training of
skill was done, I turned into a
great cross country horse.
Then came the day when
Mike introduced me to Cobbler,
his mare, and I decided to love
her and we had many foals. All in
all, I turned out to be a great
horse.
The Raider Review
Comix Corral
1st
Caption Contest
After seeing that drill, I don’t know what’s worse,
the brown stains on my teeth or the ones...
~Jordan Corman
3rd
Caption Contest
2nd
Caption Contest
“Come on, Black Beard. Open Up.”
“No! I already have a hook and a peg leg. I don’t even know
what that is.”
~ Emily Trigg
Medieval Mondays
Open up and say, “Argh!”
~Mrs. VanBuskirk
Page 9
The Raider Review
Fun Facts
◊
90 percent of women who walk into a department store immediately turn to the right.
◊
According to legend, there is a Superman in every episode of Seinfeld.
◊
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch procejt at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosnt mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod
are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid
deos not raed ervey lteter b
◊
Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
◊
Approximately one-third of the population can't snap their fingers!
◊
In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals!
◊
Redheads require more anesthesia to 'go under' than other hair colors do.
◊
More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world!
◊
On average, the life span of an American dollar bill is eighteen months.
◊
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
◊
The IRS employees tax manual has instructions for collecting taxes after a nuclear war.
◊
The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to
take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That...
• Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
• Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
• A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color
is the bear? Why? (similar to the Bear riddle in the section Einstein's Riddles)
• If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
• How far can a dog run into the woods?
• One big hockey fan claimed to be able to say the score before any game. How did he do it?
• You can start a fire if you have alcohol, petrol, kerosene, paper, candle, coke, a full matchbox and a piece of
cotton wool. What is the first thing you light?
• Why do Chinese men eat more rice than Japanese men?
• What word describes a woman who does not have all her fingers on one hand?
The Short Ones - solutions
• Why should a living man be buried?
• No, it is not legal to get married if you are dead.
• The bear is white since the house is built on the North Pole.
• If you take 2 apples, than you have of course 2.
• The dog can run into the woods only to the half of the wood – than it would run out of the woods.
• The score before any hockey game should be 0:0, shouldn’t it?
• A match, of course.
• There are more Chinese men than Japanese men.
• Normal – I wouldn’t be very happy if I had all my fingers (10) on one hand.
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The Raider Review