Author: Pereira, Susan

The Mirror
New Paltz Middle School Student Newspaper
Edition I Fall /winter 2013

School News

By Maya Greenfield and
Claudia Kaplan
Red Ribbon Week, or School Spirit Week, was a blast. Monday, the 28th of October, was Pick Your Decade Day. Kids and teachers dressed up as someone from their favorite decade, from the roaring 20s to the groovy 90s. Costumes like hippies from the eighties, flappers from the twenties and nerds from the nineties were all over the school.
Tuesday, October 29th, was Fictional Character Day. Everyone’s favorite fictional characters
came alive. There were characters from movies, books, games, and television shows.
Wednesday, October 30th was Twin Day. This was a day where kids and teachers could wear the same clothes and hairstyles, so they looked like twins.
Thursday, Halloween, was when people wore their costumes to school. It was quite a scary school day. Friday, November 1st, was School Colors Day. People dressed in maroon and white to show their school spirit. Red Ribbon Week was a fun experience, and students are excited for next year.

Photo: Maya Greenfield, Sebrena Brandt, Marta Pantowska,
Claudia Kaplan and kaitlyn Scialpi . oseessssssssssssssssssssssnside

Table of Contents
News p.1-6, 9
Reviews p.7-9
Fun Page p.10-11

Fun-tastic Rainbow Loom Bands
By Kaitlyn Scialpi
What are those bracelets
everyone is wearing? Art Club is selling Rainbow Loom bracelets to raise money for Student Council.
With just a toy loom, children and adults can turn colorful rubber bands into stretchy, fun jewelry. There are many designs you can make with these bands which include: Single, Fishtail, Triple -Single, Tulip Tower, Double X, Hexafish, Natique, Sweetheart, Starburst, and more. You can also make all sorts of pieces like necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets, and rings.
The inventor, Choon Ng (3rd from left in picture), didn’t even expect to be in the toy company. He created the Rainbow Loom as a project in his basement with his two daughters.
By Brett Longo
On Halloween, The Middle School students had an assembly by the “Don’t Be a Monster” organization. They told the students the story of Phoebe Prince’s suicide because of bullying, and it inspired several students.
Phoebe Prince was born in 1994 at Bedford, England. She moved to Ireland when she was two years old. She attended Villiers Secondary School there. In fall 2009, she and her family moved to South Hadley, Massachusetts.
She was bullied by several groups of students because she had a relationship with a senior football team player. She was harassed by bullies for several months, until a final incident happened on January 4, 2010. A boy threw a large soda can at her from a passing car while she was walking home from school. When Phoebe got home, she sadly ended her life by hanging herself with a scarf she got on Christmas above the stairs leading into the second floor of her house. Her 12 year old sister discovered Phoebe’s body, still dangling above the stairs. In addition, her bullies wrote “ACCOMPLISHED” on her Facebook memorial page. Six students were arrested, and one was charged with assault with a deadly weapon for throwing a soda can at Phoebe. The story appeared on the news shortly after.
The organization showed a film they made about Frank Shelley, a “ monster” who was bullied. People picked on him because he was different, but students stood up for him and helped him with the bullying problem. In the end, Frank overcomes his bullies.
At the end of the assembly, Frank himself gave out bracelets with the “Don’t Be a Monster” logo on it. It was a great assembly for students to learn about bullying.
Bassoon comes to
New Paltz Middle School
By Elizabeth Medrano
Luke Taylor is a new student at The Middle School. Luke is the first student in the school’s band to play a bassoon. The Mirror interviewed Luke about playing the bassoon.
Q: What is a bassoon?
A: The bassoon is a double reed instrument that is a base instrument (a low pitched instrument)
Q: Do you like the bassoon?
A: Yes. It’s a creative instrument that not many people play.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the Bassoon?
A: It is an interesting instrument.
Q: What is the most difficult thing about the bassoon?
A: It is very heavy so it is hard to pick up.
Q: How did you become a bassoon player?
A: My old band teacher at Bailey in Kingston recommended it to me.
Q: How do you like the school’s 7th grade band?
A: I like the band. The students work together well most of the time.
Q: Can you play any other instruments?
A: Yes, I have played the piano for almost 8 years.
The New Paltz Middle School’s Band is happy to have Luke and his bassoon in band.

Student Council Election Results
By Emily Barbato
Everyone in the school voted in the student council elections for these spots in student council: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The vote came out on Nov. 1st. Not all who tried won, but the winners will help the school a lot. The Mirror went to one of the student council meetings and got the following quotes from the winners .
The president- Grace Morrison
Quote: “As president, I will try my best to create a positive, inclusive, and creative school environment for all of our students. Comments and suggestions would be fantastic.”
The vice president- Mikayla Simmons
Quote: “Let’s all work together to make a difference in NPMS for 2014!”

The secretary- Andie Carroll
Quote: “As secretary, I plan to allow all students’ ideas to be heard. I hope to help make the students’ wishes a reality.”

The treasurer- Samantha Musso
Quote: “This year as treasurer, I will continue our fundraising efforts to make our school a fun place.”

The student council sponsors many events during the year, including the recent food drive and the co-recs. Join these officers and make our school a great place for all students.

*************Upcoming Event***************
The annual Geo Bee will be happening on January 9.
The winner of this competition will be eligible to compete in the NY State competition. The Geo Bee club meets on Thursdays with Ms. Naclerio in
room 1.

Ms. Hopper Returns
By Kristin Weed
Ms. Hopper is the new sixth grade teacher. She teaches reading, language arts, and social studies. She taught at the New Paltz Middle School a few years ago as a leave replacement. The Mirror interviewed Ms. Hopper to find out her thoughts about returning to the New Paltz Middle School.
Q. How is your year going so far?
A. I love it here at the New Paltz Middle School! It’s going great! It is a really nice community.
Q. What did you want to be when you were a child?
A. A pilot, but my vision is poor.
Q. How old were you when you realized, “I want to be a teacher!!”?
A. About 19
Q. Where did you go to school?
A. Buffalo State College for undergraduate and SUNY New Paltz for Masters.
Q. What made you want to be a teacher?
A. I love kids and knowing that I take a part in my students’ futures.
Q. How long have you been teaching?
A. 5 years
Q. Have you ever taught a different grade than the current grade that you are teaching?
A. Yes. I have spent most of my time teaching 5th and 6th grade, but I taught pre-school, and I taught in a high school.
Q. What’s your favorite subject to teach?
A. Reading and Language Arts because I love books.
Q. What do you like best about teaching?
A. I enjoy watching the students become successful.
Q. Do you have any hobbies or interests?
A. I love hiking and backpacking.
Q. Do you have any children of your own?
A. 2 step children: Bryce and Blake.
Q. Is there anything else that you would like the middle school students to know about yourself?
I’m always interested in trying new things.
Interview with Ms. Olsen
By Kristin Weed
Ms. Olsen is a new seventh grade teacher at The Middle School. The Mirror asked her some questions about her life and her thoughts on teaching.
Q. What grade do you teach?
A. I teach seventh grade.
Q. What’s your favorite subject to teach?
A. I teach English and language arts.
Q. How long have you taught?
A. I have taught for about four years.
Q. When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher?
A. Probably in my first year of college.
Q. Where did you go to college?
A. Marist College and New York Institute for my masters degree.
Q. What’s your favorite thing about teaching?
A. My favorite things about teaching are: the relationship I build with my students, having fun at work, and watching my students become individuals.
Q. What did you want to be when you were a child?
A. When I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher.
Q. Do you have any children?
A. No, I don’t have any children of my own.
Q. Do you have any hobbies or interests?
A. I love to go out to dinner and I spend a lot of time on the water and with friends and family.
Q. Is there anything else that you would like The Middle School to know about you?
A. I’m excited to become a part of the New Paltz community and our future.

My Trip to Europe
By Claudia Kaplan
Hello, or should I say bonjour. My name is Claudia and this summer I traveled to Europe with a program called People To People. People To People is a foundation started by Dwight Eisenhower to spread peace through the world. This program allows kids of all ages to travel all over the world for weeks at a time.
My trip was called the Tale of Two Cities. The Tale of Two Cities trip traveled to London, England and Paris, France. We even took a short stop in Wilshire, England to see Stonehenge. We got to see all the sites and we learned so much about these two cities’ government, culture, and so much more.
Although it was fun and exciting, this trip requires a lot of hard work. There is writing every night and there are required projects and online questionnaires. Honestly all my hard work paid off. I got to make new friends, have an amazing experience, and learn so many things that I could never learn here at home.
Some of the sites I saw included: the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge (which was the highlight of the trip), the Louvre, and many other museums. I also saw many famous places, buildings, and sculptures. I got to see the place where Harry Potter was filmed, where William Shakespeare grew up and his school, and the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa may sound amazing since it’s one of the most famous pieces of artwork in the world, but it was across from a huge wall-sized painting with lots of detail, and the Mona Lisa is only about a foot tall.
I love to be able to say “I’ve been there” while we are watching a movie with the Eiffel Tower in it or any other sight I have seen.
All the kids stayed in hotels with a partner. This was to teach me responsibility and maturity. It is also fun to bounce on the hotel’s French mattresses. I guess I didn’t get more mature. This trip was an amazing experience, and I would love to do it again.

WWII Survivor Comes to School
By Elizabeth Medrano
On Tuesday, November 12th, Mr. and Mrs. Becker came to The Middle School to talk to the 7th graders about Mr. Becker’s war experience.
Mr. Becker was in the Navy during WWII when his ship carrying supplies got torpedoed by a German submarine. He ended up on a raft with some other men and in the moment of terror they paddled away from the sinking boat and headed towards the open sea. Fortunately, a Norwegian Merchant Marine who knew a lot about the sea, was on the raft with them. He taught them how to hunt fish, collect sea water, and how to make a sail out of their clothing. They had to face the problems of finding food, water, and surviving sea storms day after day.
Mr. Becker and the other men spent a total of 46 days lost at sea until they finally got rescued by a British Destroyer. Seventh-grader, Emily Barbato thought that it was “extraordinary that he could come to our school and talk about his amazing but terrifying adventure.”
Poem for Mr. Becker
By Claudia Kaplan
Mr. Becker served and fought
He was on a life raft because his ship was shot
He had to eat so he caught fish
He prayed to God to fulfill his wish
He got home at sun rise
His mom was in for a great surprise
He was safe, he wasn’t dead
That’s not what his navy leader said.
That’s not what his navy leader said

Rocking Back in Time
By Emily Feshold
This year the 8th grade music class went on a field trip to Bethel Woods Museum planned by Ms. Harrison along with chaperones Ms. Hughes, Ms. Gruver-LaPolt, and Mr. Milici. The Museum at Bethel Woods is an enticing, interactive media museum, with film, interactive displays, text panels and amazing exhibits that present what happened at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. It teaches about the Woodstock Festival, and what it has done to impact the world and music today. Before going, all 8th grade music classes got a lesson on what was going on in the 1960’s , like the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and Woodstock. Once the music classes learned about the 60’s, students were equipped with the knowledge they needed to understand what was really going on and why the Woodstock Music Festival had to take place. Woodstock Music Festival was a three day festival at Bethel Woods. It took place in 1969. The 1960’s was a hard and crazy time: JFK assassination, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, and yes, hippies.
Photo: Matt Gose, Ray Prush, Julian Lewis, Thomas Bauer-Gluckmann and Michael Simpson pose in front of the hippie bus at Bethel Woods
Museum.
Bethel Woods museum was full of wonderful exhibits thoroughly explaining the truths about the 1960’s. You would never have known everything about what happened, so go to this museum for an hour or so, and be an expert on the 1960’s and the Woodstock Music Festival. You learn about
the music evolution from the 1960’s to now, and even the clothing evolution.
When the 8th grade went, we got a chance to go through the museum and see the exhibits. There were interactive exhibits where you can click on a place at Woodstock and learn what happened at that spot, with the background music from the festival.
There was also a short film about 20 minutes long that gave a shorter version of the festival and the songs, who performed, and why they were performing there, and all the difficulties faced at Woodstock.
We also got the chance to create our own songs to try and express what we thought about a current topic that also happened in the 60’s. For example, war, poverty, education and bullying.
Once our songs were written, we got to perform them in front of everyone. This museum was a fun experience, and a great way to learn about the 60’s. It was very insightful and enjoyable.

Photo: Kyle Macaluso, Brian Ackert, and Sean Boyle perform song lyrics they wrote at Bethel Woods.

Book review The House of Hades
By Emily Barbato
If you are a Percy Jackson fan and you need more to read, the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan is for you. The newest book that is in this series is The House of Hades. Eight demigods, Hazel, Leo, Jason, Piper, Frank, Nico, Percy and Annabeth, are on a dangerous mission. Six are on their way to the house of Hades on the Argo 2, (a ship that can fly and sail). The two that are not on their ship, Annabeth and Percy, are stuck in Tartarus, a deep living pit in the Underworld, where Greek monsters regain their bodies. They are trying to survive. Both of the groups meet old and new friends on their journey to stop Gaea, Mother Earth.
The story has adventure, mystery, romance, suspense, and more. But if you have not read the Percy Jackson series, I would suggest you read that first. So if you want to find out what happens to the eight demigods, grab this book and read.
Video Game Terraria
By Cristian Pannuto
Terraria is an action/adventure game available for PC, Xbox, PS3, iOS and Android devices. The game starts out with a character customization where you can change what your avatar looks like. You can make multiple worlds that are always randomly generated. Your character’s inventory will always be the same, no matter what world you are in. When making your first world, your character will automatically start out with a bronze sword, bronze pickaxe, and a bronze axe.
The first thing you should do is get resources for your shelter. Throughout the game you will encounter different characters that will help you. In order to get one of these helpful characters, you must give them a shelter and you must do something special. This will change depending on which helper you want. For example, to get a demolitionist, you must obtain at least 3 bombs.
Terraria also includes many bosses which when defeated, will get you rare items depending on what boss you fought. Eye Of Cthulu is the easiest boss, and the Wall Of Flesh is the hardest. Every boss needs to be summoned in a certain way, mostly through items that can be found in dungeons or that can be made.
This game is never ending and there’s always something to be done, which is what makes it so good. Terraria is definitely a 10/10 game.
Minecraft Pocket Edition Review (App Store)
By Brett Longo
Minecraft Pocket Edition is a 3-D game where you spawn in a randomly generated world, with loads of trees, hills, and sometimes ocean around you. Your basic goal is whatever you want. If you want to build a huge town, go ahead. If you want to make a castle, feel free. The adventure is up to you.
In survival mode, you must survive by collecting wood and building tools. At night, the monsters come out, so make sure you build a shelter before that happens. You can do many things in the world, upgrade your house, build tools, or hunt some monsters. Over time, your world might get filled with buildings and structures. There is also creative mode which is a fun little distraction if you are bored from the original game.
In creative mode, you have every block in the game and you can fly. It is good for building whatever your imagination desires. The controls are great; there is a keypad on the screen that makes it easy to move in any direction. You can always start a brand new world, so the replay ability is very high.
Minecraft Pocket Edition is a fun little adventure game on the IPhone, IPad, or IPod Touch, and for $6.99 you will definitely get your money’s worth, so Minecraft Pocket Edition is 100% worth a buy.

Backflip Madness
By Cristian Pannuto
Backflip Madness is a game where you have to do lots of backflips. The main goal is to do a backflip into a landing area. There are 9 levels and each level consists of approximately 8 challenges. The game is very simple and almost anyone can play it without needing any mastery, although it is kind of hard.
The controls are extremely basic and easy. There’s one button that you need. Press the button once to charge your jump. Press it again to jump. Press it again to do a backflip. Then press it once more to land. Every time you do a successful backflip, you gain EXP, which will level you up. Every time you level up, you get a new backflip. You can change what backflip you want to do by pressing the backflip button. The backflip you do can be changed anytime you want.
This is a very addictive game with a basic concept, and it’s only 0.99. Backflip Madness is definitely a 10/10 experience!

SEEKERS: THE QUEST BEGINS BY ERIN HUNTER
By Samantha Vos
Book 1:
Kallik, a polar bear cub, lost her mother, Nisa, to an orca whale while swimming from one ice float to another. She also lost her brother, Taqqiq, not to the whales, but he was on a different float. Later in the book, Kallik is adopted by Nanuk, an older polar bear who lost all her cubs. Sadly, as they fly toward the ice in a plane, something in the plane goes wrong and it falls out of the sky! Kallik is fine with only a few scratches and bruises, but Nanuk dies. Kallik loses another mother!
Lusa, a black bear cub, leaves her beloved home, the Bear Bowl, to go out and find a grizzly bear cub, named Toklo. Although she’s never been in the wild before, her father, king, said that if she did go into the wild, she must never encounter grizzlies, for they could kill you with their ferocious behavior. Lusa knows that she must find Toklo to tell him that his mother, Oka, loved him even though he abandons him.
Toklo, a grizzly bear cub, has a little sickly brother named Tobi, who eventually died of sickness. His mother, Oka, thought that Toklo was going to die too and she didn’t want to see that happen, so she abandon him. Ujurak, a shape – shifting grizzly bear cub, tags on with Toklo, and eventually they find Lusa and she tags along as well.
Keep reading “The Mirror” to find out about the next book of SEEKERS BY ERIN HUNTER.

Music review Royals
By Lily Sackett
“Royals” is the new hit song by Lorde, whose real name is Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor, a 17-year-old singer-songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand. Ella has claimed to have started writing songs on her guitar around age 13. She even won her middle school talent show which led her to being discovered by many talent scouts and eventually being signed to the renowned Windish agency.
Royals debuted on Lorde’s first LP, the Love Club, quickly reached New Zealand’s top 40 and remained there for three weeks. The 17 year old star also topped the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Alternative and Rock charts. Now Royals can be heard on almost any radio station filling the air with Lorde’s stylish mix of electro-pop and alternative. The lyrical meaning of “Royals” has sparked an intense debate because of lines like:
“But everybody's like Crystal,
Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair”
Many people interpret this as Lorde singing about rejecting consumer culture and how “every song” these days is about gold teeth and luxury cars. Others found it offensive or pretentious and thought of it as an attack towards hip-hop and other types of music where these elements are common. Despite the drama “Royals” has received an overall high rating. Though I am a huge fan of Lorde and all of her music, Royals is definitely not one of my favorites. I think her true musical ability is better shown in her more obscure and unknown songs such as “White Teeth Teens,” “Buzz cut Season,” and “Glory and Gore.” I would rate Royals a 7 out of 10.

http://www.ibclouisville.org

Thanksgiving Food – Drive!!!
By Samantha Vos
You all know about the Thanksgiving Food-Drive, at least I hope you do. I talked with Mrs. Sturgis about the whole thing:
“The Food-Drive was for New Paltz Middle School families and our amazing student council organized the drive.” Ms. Sturgis was in charge of the whole thing. She feels really proud of the students and staff for the food they provided. All of the homerooms participated. “The food drive was able to feed 30 families and there was food left over so it was donated to other New Paltz families in need. This Food-Drive will let these families know that other people care about them,” she said.
Student, Elizabeth Medrano commented, “I am happy that the food that I donate will provide food for a family in need.” Keep reading The Mirror for more info about amazing school events!

Peter Pan is Coming to the Middle School This Spring
The drama club has begun practicing for the new school play, Peter Pan. The performance will be on March 7-9, 2014. Students waited anxiously for the results of the auditions. Ms. Holmes said, “This is the worst part of this job, choosing the parts. We have so many talented students in our school.”
The following students were given the lead parts:
Peter Pan Leads
Tinkerbell- Tuli Marshall
Peter Pan- Kelly McElroy
Iridessa- Megan Geher
Silvermist- Rachael Stanley
Rosetta- Tahlia Quintero
Fawn- Hannah Goichman
Lyria- Athina Giogakis
Vidia- Marta Panowski & Julia Eisenberg
Wendy- Allie DeFoe
The play is a major event and everyone is looking forward to seeing it.

School Spirit Week
Pictures by Claudia Kaplan
Decade Day
Attiyah Dewitt Lily Jones-Guida Ms. Sturgis and Ms. Conrad Olivia Benedict
Favorite Character Day
Anika Friedman Jessie Bongiorno Azaela Rusillon
Noa Franco, Ms. Harrison, and Owen Lewars

Knee Slappers
By Elizabeth Medrano
Q: "What's the difference between a guitar and a fish?"
A: "You can't
tuna fish."
Q: Did you hear about the race between the lettuce and the tomato?
A: The lettuce was a "head" and the tomato was trying to "ketchup"!
Q: What do you get from a pampered cow?
A: Spoiled milk.
Q: What do lawyers wear to court?
A: Lawsuits!
Q: Why did the picture go to jail?
A: Because it was framed.
Q: What do you get when you cross fish and an elephant?
A: Swimming trunks.
http://www.jokes4us.com/miscellaneousjokes/schooljokes/kidjokes.html

Cartoon submitted by Ms. Holmes
A Poem about a Poem
By Kaitlyn Scialpi
Poems are writing pieces that are very fine
They are filled with emotions in every single line
They are made to fill everyone with joy
There is at least one for every girl and boy

To everyone in the
New Paltz Middle School,
From,
The Mirror Staff
From the Mirror Staff to everyone in the Middle School

The Mirror
Staff
Emily Barbato, Jesse Bongiorno, Emily Feshold,
Claudia Kaplan, Maya Greenfield, Brett Longo,
Elizabeth Medrano, Cristian Pannuto, Lily Sackett, Kaitlyn Scialpi, Kazu Shimada, Samantha Vos,
Kristin Weed, Chloe Wilson
Advisor
Susan Pereira
A special thanks to Karen Heaning
for all of her help and
Jeff Lipton for his editing expertise .
Meetings for The Mirror are held once a week in room 3. Think about joining us.
Thanks for reading The Mirror!
Look for our next edition
Check out The Mirror online at:
http://www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=3563

*Important: If your club, organization or sports team is having an upcoming event, please let a Mirror staff member know so that he or she can cover the event.

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