Ponaganset Post



The PONAGANSET Post

Vol.   XXXVI                                                           No.  2                                        Winter 2019-20

A series special to The Post:

CASES OF TRIGGER -- Part 1

JOSHUA TUCKER

It was a day like any other day in the city. Busy, crowded and full of unanswered questions. Trigger’s the name, Calvin Trigger. I’m a private eye. And like any other detective I have to go around finding missing people, money and even missing buildings. But this case was more trouble than it seemed. 

As it always seems to start, a dame walked in. She started sobbing that her whole family was kidnapped. It came to me that this family was rich enough to make me a millionaire and still be 10x as wealthy.

All six other family members were gone from their mansion, her husband, son, daughter, brother, and two sisters. 

“They were all taken last night, the only thing I saw that night before the kidnapper ran was a tall man covered in black. Please… find them!” she cried.

Well, I had a fee, ‘bout $50 a case and an extra $70 per time I almost get killed. But she was willing, so I set off towards the Salemare Mansion.  However, after what seemed like hours of searching there was no sign of any clue. But it turned up. The smallest note I had ever found.

 On a piece of napkin it stated, “The family is safe with me as long as the fortune is in my possession within 7 days. Or else none of them will be coming back to you in one piece!” 

 Of course, it’s a guy who wants their money. That’s always the case! But there was a riddle right below it that said, “What has a head and a tail but no body?” Me, not exactly having that good of an intellect, had no clue so I had to go to my old partner, Ben Ricter. 

He quit but I never knew why. We were a great team, him the brains and me the brawn. When we were cornered, he’d find a way out while I gave him time and muscle.

We decided to talk at the Karibya, late at night. On my way, something caught my eye. Seemed I was being watched by some guys in an alley. This sparked my curiosity so much that I went over. But, as they say, curiosity killed the cat, and I was the cat. I turned around thinking about how much trouble I could get in. 

But it was too late. 

A big fella grabbed me and knocked me out. I woke up in a very unfamiliar place but to a far from unfamiliar voice.

To Be Continued... 

Sega Genesis Model #MK-1631 Review

A review by ANTHONY CAITO

I know what you’re going to say after looking at the title: “Anthony, didn’t the model #MK-1631 come out in 1994?  Isn’t it a little late to do a review on it?” Well, my answer to you is that in this world of next generation consoles, wouldn’t it be nice to go back in time, before the gaming competition was enormous, back to the consoles that our parents or aunts/uncles might have played? So here is my review. 

This system requires less power than the previous model, saving about 20 watts of power. If you compare graphics, the MK-1631 has better graphics than the MK-1601. In the MK-1631 the power on went from a switch to a button and the reset button was moved. As always with new improvements, some stuff was removed. The Headphone Jack and Volume Control were removed. Also, the RF output port and the Channel 3 and 4 switch needed for that port was removed as well. We are left with just 2 connections on the back: power and audio/video. The MK-1631 has only 2 controller plugs just like the last model. There was a wide selection of games, some popular and some not so popular. The graphics were 16 bits and usually ran smoothly. If I had to choose between the MK-1631 and previous models, I would go for the MK-1631. I recommend this system for people who want to play Sega games or for people who just want one in their collection of systems. 

In the end, I rate the MK-1631 a 8 out of 10.

The End of 1st Quarter and Beyond… Think and Learn

  LUKAS GOUIN

Ah yes, Halloween. Strange costumes, Unnecessary amounts of sugar, and staying up all night doing unfinished work. If you’re wondering where that last part came from, you most likely should start worrying. For some odd reason, they had the last day of the quarter on a holiday. So instead of people having fun, they were stressing over the mountain of work they owed. 

To avoid this happening again, I would recommend getting your work done on time. Smart, I know. If for some odd reason you can’t, try staying after with one of your teachers. Although this will probably go out after 1st quarter is over, these tips work any time. 

In conclusion, you should stay on top of your work and ask for help if necessary, because staying back is no fun!

PMS Thanks-for-Giving Food Drive

by Katherine Clifford

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” The PMS Student Council and the Feinstein Junior Scholars are held a Thanks-for-Giving food drive and are asked students and staff to give a little this Thanksgiving season. The drive ran from October 25 to November 15, with all donations going to the Foster and Glocester food banks. 

If you needed more incentive than the goodness of your own heart, this was also a competition between teams. Whoever collected the most food items by the end of the drive and built the tallest tower of food won a prize. Each team selected at least one student representative to tally up how many items were collected per day.  Great goods to brought in were tuna and canned meat, peanut butter, canned fruits, vegetables, and baked beans, mac and cheese, soups, pastas, and sauces. 

The 8th grade Red Team built the tallest tower.  They won 15 PMS dance tickets to be raffled off on the team.

When we give, we receive more than we started with. This fall we gave  food to our local community and received the knowledge that we have helped the needy!


Ghost Bus

Fiction by KATHERINE CLIFFORD

     

I dread the time each morning when my alarm clock lets out its angry, blaring tone. Unfortunately, I must respond to its call, lest I be late leaving the house. You see, I must be out the door and in the car before 6:30, or my mother and I get stuck behind the Ghost Bus. 

For the past two years, we have taken the same route to my school, and so does the Ghost bus. The first time we got stuck was the second day of sixth grade. I guess the day before had been more tiring than I thought, because I slept straight through my alarm, which was set for 5:30. When I finally woke up it, was 6:15! I fairly fell out the door at 6:35, but it was too late. We pulled out of the driveway and immediately got stuck behind a bus. A moment later the bus came to a halt, put out its stop sign, and opened its doors. Nobody came out of the house. The bus continued its route. 

No big deal, I thought. 

It happened again. The bus stopped, put out the sign, and no one got on. For the next 40 minutes, the bus stopped at each house and only invisible ghost children boarded. Needless to say, I was very, very late that morning. 

This happens every day, apparently, for anytime I get behind that bus, no one ever gets on… or off.

There have been many theories throughout the years, but I truly believe there are little ghost children on the bus. So far there is no concrete explanation. Either way, it is a puzzling phenomenon that may always be a mystery. What do you think?

SMITHFIELD’S 2nd  ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST

   Joshua Tucker


October has been known for lots of things. Halloween, hay rides, pumpkin patch shenanigans. In Germany they have an event called an Oktoberfest. Oktoberfests began whenon October 12, 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig.” It is a celebration to Germans’ culture in short. My dad has brought that idea to Smithfield to raise money for the firefighters union.

Last year’s Oktoberfest raised money for a firefighter who has cancer. My dad was talking with his coworker, Mr. Hopkins, about an event he could do. My dad thought of an Oktoberfest; it was the right season for it. Seeing the money went to supporting Craig, the firefighter, and his family, he called it Craigtoberfest.

This year, as I said, Smithfield’s Oktoberfest is for the firefighters union. They get asked to donate for many things. So, this will help them make more and better donations to those in need. 

It will be held at the Last Resort in Hawaii! Just kidding, it’s in Smithfield. It will be held on 10-19-19. The event will have food, a band, adult drinks, non-adult drinks, etc. 

So, that’s all about the Smithfield Oktoberfest. Attend, have fun, and help the firefighters!

READING IN STUDY?

Katherine Clifford


Reading is an essential part of life, be it an article about technology, a book about a fantastical world, or even a legal brief. In order to encourage a love of literature, Ponaganset Middle School has enforced students reading during study instead of using Chromebooks. It is a common misbelief that this practice was put in place because people were using their chromebooks improperly. However, this rumor was proved to be a myth after interviewing the principal, Mr. Porrazzo. Reading for pleasure has always been a fundamental piece of our middle school, but with the ushering in of new technology, in the form of our 1:1 chromebooks, it has dwindled considerably. 

Mr. Porrazzo stated that he remembered how different studies were a few years ago, before the Chromebooks. He recalls that when you walked into a study, you saw people doing work on paper or reading. Many teachers, as well as he, wanted to get back to this, but needed support to do so. Mr. Porrazzo said, “Teachers have always had the discretion to do what they want with their studies.” They just needed to organize their ideas and put them into action. When asked about students with many extracurriculars who use study to do homework, Mr. Porrazzo mentioned a paper that can be filled out and signed by a teacher, allowing a student to do work. Teachers know their students, and can tell if they really need to get their work done in study. 

Another question that came up was how to tell if students are actually reading and how to track success. The answer to the former was that teachers know when their pupils are actually reading and can appropriately encourage the students. The latter will be monitored through STAR scores, RICAS scores, ELA common tasks, and feedback from students. 

So now when you walk into study be sure to have a book, magazine, newspaper, or some type of reading material. Overall, this change is one that has been made to help inspire reading for fun, and make sure that everyone is comprehending what they read. 

START WITH HELLO!

    Madelyn Lapierre

The anti-bullying campaign “Start With Hello” was created by the Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that was started by people who lost family members and loved ones in the Sandy Hook School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. The organization began “Start with Hello” as a program in 2016.

This year PMS has chosen to to join with Sandy Hook Proimise’s campaign by the Principal’s Leadership Team and The Physical Education Leadership Team. PMS celebrated an entire spirit week based around the idea of Start with Hello.

I recently interviewed out new assistant principal, Mrs. Polacek, about our Start with Hello.  I asked her what her goal was for bringing “Start with Hello” to PMS. Mrs Polacek said, “My goal is for students to be more aware of not leaving anyone out. I want students to feel comfortable and to make friends.” 

Mrs. Polacek also said that she expects “Start with Hello” spirit week to succeed because staff and students seem to enjoy spirit weeks.  She also told me that she plans to have a spirit week for Start with Hello again next year, hopefully with a bigger kick off. This year PMS students and staff seemed to have fun with this spirit week and also to use the week to try to make new friends.  

Just because the spirit week is over, don’t forget the message it carried.  Keep making friends and don’t exclude anyone from your activities here at PMS.  If you see a fellow student who’s all alone, just start with hello and make a new friend. Let’s make PMS an inclusive community!


Avengers: Endgame

    Review by Joshua Tucker


We’re in the endgame now.” If you have not read the title, you might know that this is from Infinity War. But what I’ll be talking about is Endgame, one of the most anticipated movies of 2019. This movie earned $1,000,000,000 in 5 days, so you know the theaters were packed to see this movie when it came out. This is the biggest movie, with ticket sales just under those for  Avatar. 

This movie was great! This movie was filled with lots of drama and funny parts. And as a Marvel movie, there was tons of action! This also created some extremely  iconic lines. 

So if you haven’t seen it yet, well to be short, it is completely WORTH IT! 

Avengers fans  ASSEMBLE!


RAINBOW SIX

Review by Lukas Gouin




Tom Clancy is the outstanding author of the Jack Ryan books, including classics such as “The Hunt for Red October” and “Patriot Games.” He is the master of blending a painstakingly intense plot with real military tactics, which go hand in hand. The beauty of his literature is his ability to take a simple detail and make it Important to the plot, or vice versa. 

This very much comes to play in my favorite title in his extensive library of publications, “Rainbow Six.” This story follows John Clark, an ex Navy SEAL turned office worker, until NATO forces call on him to form a counter terroroism unit like the world has never seen.  The issue is that there is a terroristic threat on the rise, and they will not go down without a fight. Follow three different plots form and, ultimately, come crashing into each other as the new counter terrisom unit, “Rainbow,” gets a trial by fire and lead. 

I already told you about the first plot, so let's get to the second and third plot. In the first side plot is Dmitriy Popov, a former KGB (Soviet Russian secret service) operative, who is now funding terrorist operations. Why is he doing this? How does he get the money? These are some of the questions you might ask yourself about this strange communist character. Then there is the second side plot. Dr. Killgore is a strange man, to say the least. He is a cynical mad scientist testing a strange virus,”Shiva,” named after Hindu God of destruction. His goal is unknown, but regard for human life will not stop his cold-hearted ways and caustic personality from achieving it. 


A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

    Madelyn Lapierrre

Have you ever wondered how the spooky fun holiday, Halloween, came to be?

Halloween originated with the Ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Ireland. Samhain means the first day of November. The festival is celebrated from October 31st to November 1st. The festival would be welcomed “The dark half of the year.” People would light bonfires and dress up in costumes to scare any lurking ghosts away. The tradition was called All Hallows Eve, which was later named Halloween.

When American settlers established many colonies, the celebration of Halloween was limited to New England colonies because of their Protestant beliefs. American versions of Halloween started with “play parties.” In play parties, people celebrated the harvest, neighbors would share stories of the dead and ghosts, people would tell fortunes, sing, dance, and make mischief  in anyways possible. 

In the 19th century, the festivals were common in New England colonies but not everywhere in the United States. In the second half of the 19th century America thrived with new immigrants, millions being Irish running from the Irish Potato Famine. These Irish immigrants helped make the celebrations of Halloween popular everywhere in the US. Americans began to dress up and go house to house asking for food and/or money. (Which eventually became trick or treating). In the late 1800’s, Halloween parties for children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. 

Just think, without the Irish immigrants, we may not have Halloween as what we have it today. All that candy that you have to last until the New Year might not exist! 

Halloween is coming up, so get your costumes ready and have a great time!

THE HUSKY

Fiction by Anthony Caito

It was a normal day for Jim. He went to school, stayed late for the Book Club, everything was great. He was dropped off from the bus at the Family Dollar. Jim was walking through Chepachet when he decided to take a side street named Tanyard Lane because he wanted to enjoy his walk for as long as possible. He had an eerie feeling about it but he didn’t care. 

Suddenly the sky darkened; the wind was howling. Jim couldn’t see very far ahead of him. A lightning bolt struck and in the illuminated light, there was a young husky sitting in a “Take Me” box. Jim immediately felt bad for the husky and decided he would take it home. He scooped it up and walked home faster than before. 

When he got home he put the husky in the kitchen. Jim would be home alone for a few hours because his parents were at work. He started working on his homework, and he worked for about 15 minutes when he heard a crash. Jim rushed into the kitchen to see the husky, smiling at him, sitting next to a broken photo of Jim. He didn’t think much of it, so he put his Chromebook away and cleaned up the glass. 

Once he finished cleaning, he turned and the dog was gone. Jim shrugged and watched some television. A little while later he went into his room. He stood in utter shock. Inside his room there were words in a red ”substance written on the walls. It said, “you cannot escape.” He looked down and the dog was right there in front of him. He heard the locks in the house locking and became scared. He ran into the attic and hid there. 

Then Jim remembered something; his family used to have a husky, only a few months old, that they could not afford to take care of it so they left it outside with a “take me home” sign.  He also remembered that the dog had died from heat stroke. He knew what he had to do. He went back downstairs and the young husky was there at the first turn he took. Jim apologized to the dog and pet the dog. The husky seemed pleased, and then Jim woke up on the couch. 

He ran and checked his room and everything was normal. His parents came home, and everything was great again. The next day he saw the dog again in his room, and it cuddled up to him. To this day, Jim sleeps with the dog, and his parents let him keep it.


Soldier

fiction special to The Post

​by KATHERINE CLIFFORD

She touched the photo and ran her fingers through the thick layer of dust that had settled on the surface. Memories flashed through her head. An old helmet, army fatigues, an old pack of cigarettes, and letters yellowed with age spilled out of the box pulled from the back of the closet. Each item increased the pulsing pain. It was a dull ache that never seemed to disappear. One that hadn’t disappeared for nearly 50 years.

In the beginning it was pure agony. A constant burning sensation that started with stabbing knives in her heart and spread outward until she felt paralyzed. Stuck. Just like he would be stuck at 18 forever. The room was unchanged. It spoke of decades passed and it remained untouched by time.

The handmade quilt on the bed was slightly mussed, just the way it was the day he left. She had said goodbye at the train station along with all the other sweethearts and wives and mothers and sisters. He had given her that big grin he always did. His white teeth were perfectly straight and shone against the sea of green and brown. He looked so young, polished, and proud. She had kissed him, handed him his lunch, and sent him off with an, “I love you! Be careful.”

But there was no careful in war. He had hung out the window waving at her until he was a distant speck. She hung the Blue Star Flag in front of the house. He sent her letters from the military base where he was sent for basic training. The letters slowly became less frequent. Then, one of his last letters told her he was going to Vietnam. Sometimes, she wouldn’t hear from him for months. Her worry would grow, until, finally a note in the mail came.  One day, a different letter came.

When she opened it she would fall to the ground sobbing. Her heart would shatter. The blue star on the flag outside would turn gold. She wandered through each day numbly. Some days it felt impossible to drag herself out of bed when he wasn’t there next to her. The ring she had worn so proudly on her left ring finger was put back in the box and shoved in the back of the closet, along with the terrible letter, his notes to her, and his clothes. When she felt really lonely, she would sit among his things and breathe him in. Eventually the smell faded and was replaced by must but she could never bring herself to get rid of the old things. The tears were endless.

Gradually, the hole in her heart began to heal. There would always be a scar, but she wore it with pride. It was a way to remember him forever, and to show that he had been there. She met someone else and they had kids. Her life was filled with joy. Yet, he always had a place in her heart. A part of her would always be with him, frozen in time. She would take her kids to the fields where he and she used to lie and talk about a future they never had together. To the farm he grew up on, and the little cafe where they went on their first date together. Looking in the mirror over the dresser, she traced wrinkles accumulated over time. The relics of him didn’t hurt so much anymore. The pain faded, as all pain eventually does. She smiled and imagined him next to her. She swore she could almost feel the ghost of his arms.


The Cosmic Question

What if the world lost oxygen for 5 SECONDS?

THOMAS JAQUES

Factually, oxygen is not the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, yet it appears to be one of the most essential. It’s what people usually tell you: you need oxygen to breathe, your bloodstream needs oxygen...however, can you imagine what would happen if the entirety of the Earth was deprived of its oxygen supply for simply 5 seconds?

Try holding your breath for 5 seconds...not that hard, right?

But in reality, if the world lost oxygen for 5 seconds, catastrophe would occur. For starters, everyone at the beach would get 15,000,000℉ sunburns. The ozone is essentially oxygen molecules that obstructs most of the ultraviolet rays of light from the Sun. The human race would disintegrate to crisp from EXTREME hyperthermia!

Eternal darkness would become reality! With lack of gas particles in the atmosphere to develop blue light, the sky would gradually become sustainably “blacker”.

Engines of all types would be unable to function. Any airplane on a runaway preparing for liftoff would crash to the ground, but if at a suitable altitude, it could glide for sometime before it abruptly descended.

Everyone’s ear drum and anvils would explode. In 5 seconds, an anticipated 21 percent of optimal air pressure would be obliterated, which is the equivalent of instant teleportation from sea level to 2,000 meters above.

City building and sidewalks constructed of hard concrete would instantly erode into dust. The oxygen in the air is an imperative binding material for concrete structures, and without it, the extra carbon binding would not hold its rigidity.

Every biotic and cell would evaporate into hydrogen gas. Water is 33% oxygen; without it, the hydrogen reverts to its gaseous state and expands in volume with the newly imported ultraviolet rays from the sun. And with tha, the entire ocean would evaporate and bleed into deep space.

With the same logic, hydrogen gas, the lightest element in the synthetic universe, would ascend to the upper troposphere and disperse gradually into space through “Atmospheric escape”.

And lastly, every object and organism above ground level would instantly drop. Oxygen constructs 45% of Earth’s crust, and there is suddenly a lot less matter to keep you on your feet.

All in all, if the world lost oxygen for five seconds, consider Earth official doomed! With one of the most essential Earth elements in the clutch of its atmosphere, there is no imagining these disasters that would inevitably occur!




Works Cited

Contributor, Quora. “What Would Happen If Oxygen Were to Disappear for Five Seconds?” Slate Magazine, Slate, 19 Mar. 2013, slate.com/human-interest/2013/03/what-would-happen-if-oxygen-were-to-disappear-for-5-seconds .

Daftardar, Ishan. “What Would Happen If We Lost Oxygen For 5 Seconds?” Science ABC, Science ABC, 22 Sept. 2017, www.scienceabc.com/nature/oxygen-effect-life-earth-survival-man-structures.html .


BATTLE OF THE TEAMS SPIRIT WEEK !

                                                                      KELCY CONROY

It’s time to show your spirit! (again). On Friday, April 5, Battle of the Teams is taking place. The week leading up to this day is yet another spirit week. The lineup of days starting Monday is:

Monday- Decade Day (6th grade 60s, 7th grade 70s, 8th grade 80s)

Tuesday- Snapchat Filter/App Day

Wednesday- Game day

Thursday- Twin/Squad Day

Friday- Team Color Day

This spirit week is from April 1 to April 5. Hopefully, you will dress up and show your spirit for all 5 days!


IT’S TIME TO VOTE !

The 2019 RI Middle School Book Awards Are Here!

CARLENA SMITH

Calling all students in grades 6 through 8! This year’s book nominees are fantastic books with powerful messages. If you have read read a minimum of 3 of the following titles, you are in fact qualified to vote to support your favorite.

Here they are:

  1. Armstrong & Charlie.  Steven Frank

  2. Beautiful Blue World. Suzanne LaFleur

  3. Click Here To Start. Denis Markell

  4. The Evil Wizard Smallbone. Delia Sherman

  5. Family Game NIght And Other Catastrophes. Mary E. Lambert

  6. Fuzzy. Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger

  7. Garvey’s Choice. Nikki Grimes

  8. Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands. Susan Goldman Rubin

  9. The Nameless City. Faith Erin Hicks

  10. Once Was a Time. Leila Sales

  11. One Half from the East. Nadia Hashimi  

  12. The Pants Project. Cat Clarke

  13. Refugee. Alan Gratz

  14. Restart. Gordon Korman

     (A REALLY GREAT BOOK)

  1. Scar Island. Dan Gemeinhart

  2. The Skeleton Tree. Iain Lawrence

  3. Spirit Hunters. Ellen Oh

  4. Top Prospect. Paul Volponi

  5. Train I Ride. Paul Mosier

(MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!!!)


Speak with your ELA teacher today, to cast your vote!!!


SHARDS

A short story by  KATHERINE CLIFFORD

She wanted so bad to want herself. To like who she was and to believe she was enough. But she couldn’t, and it shattered her into a million pieces. She gathered the fragments of her heart and locked them in an iron cage.  She wallowed in the darkness, hating herself. She wasn’t beautiful enough, wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t funny enough, wasn’t good enough. She thought she was a problem that needed to be fixed.

She stopped believing in herself. She stopped eating. She wasted into a ghost of who she used to be. If only she could be thinner, maybe she could like herself. She saw models and famous actresses in magazines and billboards. If only I could look like them, I would like me, she said. It became an obsession, a need. She threw up after meals, and exercised excessively. She lost herself. She couldn’t find the light in the hole she had fallen into.

Then, her parents found out. They found help.

Suddenly, there was a glimmer of light in the darkness. A sliver of hope. A hand reached out. At first she was afraid. What if she made herself vulnerable, and fell again? “Then I will catch you,” said the voice.

“Okay,” she replied, and timidly grabbed the rope they had thrown.

Slowly, slowly, she pulled herself up and out. It was hard. It took months. Each time she tripped, the hand caught her, just as the voice had promised. When she finally clambered out, the hope and the possibilities were blinding. It was as if the world was suddenly in color. She felt the hate, the fear, the sadness, slip away, for now.

It was still there, and the hole would always follow her. Now, though, she knew she could find her way out, and there would be someone to catch her. She realized something incredible. She was good enough, and in fact, better than she ever thought. She had given into the darkness, let it swallow her. But she surfaced. She walked away. She wasn’t unscathed. The scars would always be there. She would use them as a reminder. A reminder she had walked through the fire and come back reborn. She was a phoenix. She was beautiful, mended shards and all.

The Best Week of the Year Has Arrived!

Spirit Week Is Here!!

                                                                        by    CARLENA SMITH

Put on by our very own Student Council, this year's Spirit Week is sure to be a blast! During this years Spirit Week, students have the opportunity to express their Ponaganset Pride by participating in these wacky school-wide activities.

Here's the lineup:

Monday- February 25, 2019:  SPORTS DAY!

Tuesday- February 26, 2019: Holidays Day!

Wednesday- February 27, 2019:  Marvel vs DC Day!

Thursday- February 28, 2019:   Dress to Impress Day!

Friday- March 1, 2019:  Flannel Day!


What better way to express your Ponaganset Pride than to participate in Spirit Week? Help boost your schoo’ls morale by participating in it this year!  Keep in mind, all school rules apply!

Cyberbullying Suicide

A short story by KATHERINE CLIFFORD


“13-Year-Old Girl Commits Suicide Because of Cyberbullying,” the headline reads.

Your eyes briefly flick across the page before moving on to the next problem in the world. Just another name. Another face. You finish your coffee and recycle the newspaper. The girl’s face drifts to the bottom of the bin. Just another tragedy.

You go for a run, watching the autumn leaves swirl in the cool October breeze. That 13-year-old girl is the farthest thing from your mind. You head home and when you step in the door you are greeted by your two children. He’s ten; she’s thirteen. You smile, kiss them on the head and firmly tell them to go brush their teeth.

Most days, you think nothing of the little routine, but today, something sparks in the back of your mind. You frown, and ignore it. You go through your day as usual, but something is nagging at you. You kiss your children good night and tuck them in, safe and snug in their beds. When you start to leave her room something stops you and you hover just over the threshold. You turn back and see she’s breathing peacefully. For a while, you just watch her breathe.

As you lie in your bed that night, it hits you. It could’ve been her. That girl in the newspaper was the same age as your little girl. She was just a regular girl. She went to school. She had a mother, a father, a sister, a brother. She had cousins and aunts and grandparents. You wonder if she liked cheese pizza, or went shopping with her mother, or if her favorite color was blue. You think about what her favorite movie was, if she had a pet, if her mouth curled up in the same way your baby’s does when she laughed.

You feel your heart begin to crack when you try to imagine the anguish her mother felt. You know that her mother’s heart is broken, and it will never be the same, if it ever heals. You see her father. He’s a strong man, a police officer, good at turning off his feelings. But when he hears about his precious angel, the beautiful light of his life, he falls to pieces. He sobs openly, the first time he’s cried since he was ten. Her little sister doesn’t know what’s going on. She asks people on the street, “Can you help me find my sister?” At four she doesn’t know that because of other people’s cruelty, her sister is dead. Her protective, loving older brother is furious. He cuts class, unable to face those who killed his sister. The rage melts into his core, filling his nights with violent fights, and clouding his days with an impenetrable cloud of sorrow.

Suddenly, you can’t stand to be still one moment longer. You walk to the kitchen and dig frantically through the recycling bin until you find her. She stares back at you happily, eyes crinkling, mouth turned up in a friendly smile. It’s a picture from before. Before the whispers in the halls, the cruel laughter ringing mercilessly in her ears at school. Before the ugly, nasty words that screamed she was hated. Before the comments calling her horrible swears. Before the threats. Before the messages telling her she was better off dead. Before she believed the lies that told her she was nothing, she was worthless, she didn’t mean anything to anyone. That she was alone. The hatred burrowed its way into her heart, her mind. It twisted around her and squeezed out her life until there was nothing left.

It’s then that you finally understand, lying on the cold kitchen tiles. It could be anyone. The hatred of other people is wide and deep and completely unpredictable. It swallows you up. Maybe it’s just news. Just some random person who you never knew. But one day it could be your sister, your brother, your best friend. It could be you. Next time you see a hateful message or comment, next time you see that sad boy sitting in the corner crying, what will you do? Will you ignore them, pretend they don’t exist? Will you add to the hateful comments? Or will you show compassion, be a light in the unending darkness for someone else? It’s up to you to be the person who shows empathy and love… or not to be.

The Mad Hatter

Everything One Would Need to Know About Wonderland’s Unbirthday King

                                                                     THOMAS JAQUES


This year has blessed us with another astounding opportunity for students at PMS: the PMS drama club,  activated by Chorus Teacher/Director Ms. Hurley! The wave of talent is pure, and the cast of this year’s production (“Alice in Wonderland”) lights up the stage in a way so authentic, that from a theatrical perspective, is an astonishing wonder.  (As a lead role in the production, this has been quite an enjoyable experience and an amusing time to spend with fellow schoolmates. If you plan to attend to show, look forward to seeing me as the Mad Hatter.)

The iconic character, the Mad Hatter, voiced by Ed Wynn in the 1951 adaptation of Lewis Carroll's “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, and portrayed twice by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s live action films “Alice in Wonderland (2010)” and “Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass (2016)”, is the host of the Wonderland Mad Tea Party! Along with his partner in crime, the hyperactive March Hare, they turn their formal festivities into a celebration! Theatrical as he is, he has a very brief attention span, which makes him the perfect distraction! Maybe you issue the contradictory rule of being addressed before taking your seat; maybe you praise the outcasted damsel to cheat at a round of musical chairs behind the scenes simultaneously. Or maybe you just want to praise your narcissistic Queen to intimidate that same damsel during a court scene after an equally narcissistic incident. The possibilities are limitless! But the most important notion of all: you have fun while causing all the mischief!

Yet, there’s more to portraying this deuteragonist than just a big hat and some charisma! You also have to perfect the exterior. If you have the courage to step up to the plate and play this fellow in the Drama Club, you must give the proper presentation. Height, being the least significant factor, makes the character a stubby bundle of excitement, and in the 1951 animation, it’s a comedic visual. But in the live action films, he’s the biggest human being at the event. When the protagonist, Alice, is shortly admired, but later under the subtle impression of insult, this makes the Hatter’s height just that more uncomforting (Mad-Hatter style, if you will). Another is the voice; the impression seems easy to replicate, but when you attempt to portray the Mad Hatter, no normal voice can accompany it. Since the Mad Hatter is generally a unisex role, there is a major latitude of how it is interpreted. As a portrayer of the Mad Hatter myself, I generally view the male complexion as a deep voice gradually varying in pitch, with a subtle lisp to slightly affix to the finesse. The female portrayer may aspire for a thinner vocal, that still commends the personality with a spice of elation. These are just a select number of suggestions that are normally applied for many attempting to fill the Mad Hatter’s awkwardly-fitting shoes. Lastly, in terms of movement; choreography isn’t a colossal factor, either. Yet, the strides and steps of the Mad Hatter are abundantly theatrical, as the body flexes in a “forward-backward-inward-outward” swaying gesticulation. The normal Mad Hatter walk looks like a confused marching from the eyes of the audience. And that’s the goal: walking in dramatization is atypical for the daily individual, but to the Hatter, he thinks YOU walk funny!

Although originally given a different name, the inspiration for the Mad Hatter didn’t come from a peckish party animal that some might figure mistakes straight Chlorine for tea, it was actually an old British lifestyle regarding hats. The headwarmers that distract the crowd from the zany face were historically known for containing the hazardous element Mercury. The chemicals in the Mercury would eventually become so dense, that over time, is was able to pass through the other semi-permeable materials that the headwear was composed of. After an extended period of time, the Mercury would seep in the cranium and into the brain, causing a minor infection causing symptoms of dementia. Dementia is essentially a group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning, but the connotation that Lewis Carroll had intended on presenting to his readers with his novels was that the behavior caused by such infections would entail becoming abnormally hyperactive, and borderline irrational and/or crazy! Another anecdote to consider: this concept is where the phrase “mad as a hatter” originated from, because being “mad with dementia” was so common in that period of history.

Now, the main reason the Mad Hatter hosts a tea party celebrating “a very merry unbirthday to you” was because Carroll had experienced something similar in his day. Evidently, there were no dancing teapots or jumping plates or any abnormal silverware craze. But Lewis Carroll attended a tea party at some point in his life, and the host was acting extremely unstable. This was because he wore a large top hat made with 30% Mercury, and it entered his brain. Before the party began, a man stood to announce his birthday! The host, who Caroll predicts had legitimate dementia, wanted to tell him, “A very happy birthday to you!”, but slurred his words in such unpleasing legato that is sounded a lot the iconic one-liner, “A very merry unbirthday to you…”.

And thus, the Mad Hatter was born!

As previously mentioned, the Mad Hatter, in the 1951 animation, and from that installment onward, celebrated alongside his sidekick, the March Hare! The rabbit that is imagined in the film has more of a solo and significance than he did in the novels. Carroll depicted the March Hare as a brown rabbit sitting solitarily, as merely a guest to the Hatter’s affair! But in the animation, the March Hare was promoted to associate host of the Mad Tea Party! The inspiration for the promotion was derived from a discovery in an alternate phrase of “mad as a hatter”, simply “mad as a March hare”, which still holds the same definition.

When you take the imaginative mind of Lewis Carroll into account, who knows why he promoted the Hare, but the iconic combo is still a staple in the Alice in Wonderland novels and films.

All in all, being full of crazy creatures and perilous people, is a remarkable place in itself, the Mad Hatter surely stands as a balanced representative of Wonderland. Blending the theatrical nature with a bit of short-lived solemnity, it is truly undoubtful that the Mad Hatter is a marvelous character!


The Ponaganset Middle School Drama Club performs Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland at Ponaganset High School on February 8th and 9th. Tickets are on sale now! If you would like to purchase your own, visit the provided link below! But in the meantime, have a very merry unbirthday, and we’ll see you at the show!

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/stores/catalog/getproduct?requestAction=&clientKey=ZZHBGNHABF02PBS&productGroupKey=&view=&productKey=ZZJQF7UVS10QZVL


THE MOVEMENT TO BAN PLASTIC STRAWS IS GROWING,

BUT ELIMINATING THEM IS TRICKIER THAN IT SEEMS

CARLENA SMITH

You may not know it, but the world is going through a plastic waste crisis. The US alone wastes millions of plastic straws every day! Believe it or not, not all this waste goes to the dump properly. Simply put: we have a plastic problem!

According to a 2017 report published in Science Advances, more than 79% of all plastic waste ends up in landfills, or in the wild, even if you recycle. Another 12% gets burned in incinerators, adding to pollution. Unfortunately, only a remaining 9% is actually eventually recycled. Because of the way our new plastics are heated and burned, they can never truly be recycled.This results in most of the plastic ending up in our oceans essentially affecting wildlife. Scientists even discovered that the ocean has places where it is only a pit of watery litter and trash, trapped in the oceans currents. Most of it is plastic straws. The worst part is, plastic nowadays takes 500 years to decompose. After learning this, scientists knew something had to be done to prevent landfills from floating into our oceans.

Texas graduate, Christine Figgener, is believed to have started the anti-straw movement when she  posted a video of a male turtle with a plastic straw encrusted in its nostril. When the video became viral in 2015, the movement became more and more popular as people learned that these poor animals are at the mercy of our trash.

Even though you may think you do not have much of an impact on the environment because you are only one person, if we all work together we can make a difference. In fact, just recently, Seattle became the first major US city to ban plastic straws entirely. Maybe you can even encourage family and friends to reduce the use of one-time-use plastics as a New Year’s resolution.

Here are some ways you can contribute to the cause this 2019:

  • Use any type of reusable, non-plastic straw

    • stainless steel straws

    • bamboo straws

      • These even come with a handy cleaning brush!

  • Use paper straws (These take less time to decompose)

  • Use no straw at all

  • Planning a party? Why not go plastic free?

    • Instead of balloons use paper decorations!

  • Avoid snacks wrapped in plastic

This is healthier for you and your planet!


Red Carpet Dance!

KELCY CONROY

On May 18, Student Council sponsored the last schoolwide dance of this school year, The Red Carpet Dance! The actual last dance of the year, the 8th grade dance, is on June 8.  It was very exciting because either I did not go to a lot of the dances this year or the dances I would have gone to were cancelled due to weather.

At the dance, there was a lot of fun stuff to do. One was that everybody got to wear a dress or fancy outfit. Most of the compliments given to Student Council were that a lot of people were dressed nicely.

Another fun sight was of course the red carpet! Everybody was able walk it before going into the room where the actual dance was held, in the cafeteria.

Student Council brought back their $1 cotton candy! There were two flavors, pink and blue. The cotton candy was so good that I bought three of them!

There were other fun things at the dance like the photo booth and tattoos! Personally, I think that the dance was a blast! It was one of my favorite dances yet, and a good way to wrap up the 2017-18 school year!


  Movie Review :

Love, Simon directed by Greg Berlanti

        MAKAYLA ANDERSON & DANIELA HARKNESS


“Love, Simon” is a movie about a senior in high school who has a happy, healthy life with good family and friends.  In fear of destroying this nearly perfect life he has known, he has been keeping what he describes as a “huge ass,” secret for the past four years.   

The main character, Simon, played by Nick Robinson, goes onto a website after his friend Leah tells him about a student who has just posted that he is gay, anonymously.  Simon reaches out via email to the boy who calls himself “Blue.” Simon, hiding his identity under the name “Jacques,” begins to chat back and forth with “Blue” and ends up falling in love with him.   Not knowing who he is actually writing to, Simon, throughout the movie, comes up a with a theory of three different people who could possibly be “Blue”. Martin, another student, uncovers the emails and the fact that Simon is gay.  He uses this information to bully Simon into playing matchmaker between him and one of Simon’s best friends. Later on in the story, Simon fails his task. People then begin to cyber-bully Martin. Martin then becomes upset and exposes Simon’s love story with the boy named “Blue”.  

This movie helped the viewer understand the real life challenges that some people have to face when dealing with the pain of being bullied, the effects of cyber-bullying and the struggles of being accepted for who you are. We like the fact that the movie included so many real life details, and so many great actors.  The movie portrayed important themes that people who haven’t faced, need to sooner or later by watching this movie.

We did not like how the friends betrayed Simon when they found out he was gay.   We understand that they were mad at him for other reasons, for example, for lying, but they should have stood by him during this tough and emotional time.  We feel his friends were being stubborn and should have put his feelings first in this specific situation. His friends knew that Martin outed Simon out of hate.  They should have been more understanding and supportive.

The film shows the effects of bullying realistically. Also, it sensitively portrays a situation that may be happening somewhere every day.  Although the movie is rated PG13, it is worth seeing.

                                                                                            


YES, THAT DAY HAS ALREADY ARRIVED...

Housekeeping robots are in the near future!

                                                                                     CARLENA SMITH  


         With so much technology nowadays, cutting-edge discoveries are right at our fingertips. Now, word on the street says that Amazon is working to create a housekeeping robot.  

So first there was the Amazon Kindle, a convenient digital book. Next, there was  “Alexa,” a virtual assistant. More improvements have been made, and now we are already starting on the “Alexa Smart-Home,” where the digital creation will be able to run your home when your away through use of your smart-phone. The possibilities are endless.

           According to a stunning report from Bloomberg, these new smart robots are said to wash dishes and vacuum. Imagine that! You will never again have to be nagged by parents to “clean up after yourself.”  Instead you’ll simply say, “Alexa, vacuum,” and your job is complete. Easy as pie, which Alexa will also clean up. However we are years-- maybe even decades from rediscovering “Rosie” from the 1960’s and 1980’s show “The Jetson’s,” about a family living in the future.

 However, there are issues with inventing a domestic robot. Siddhartha S. Srinivasa is a professor of robotics at the University of Washington. For example, Srinivasa wants the robot to actively engage with humans in the home, like the recently featured “Alexa” does. This means scientists will have to adjust the social norms. Such a robot would have to learn how household behaviors differ from house to house., so it can be customized to the way you want things done in your house.

Also, Amazon may have trouble with privacy questions. Upon entering the owner’s home, information that may be private or that owners want to be kept may be learned by the robot. Since data from the robot will be read by Amazon, an owner’s personal data may be placed at risk.  Therefore, Amazon is still struggling to protect their user data from companies like Facebook, which is currently under fire because they did not protect their user information.

But not to worry, Srinivasa is still hopeful and certain that someday, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday, “Rosie” will claim her fame not just as a cartoon character but as a real-life household helper!

Related image The History of Guinea Pigs

                                                                      with Taryn Cabral  

                                                           

Hello, and welcome to Taryn’s history class.Today we will be discussing the history of the guinea pig.

The guinea pig was first domesticated for food as early as 5000 B.C. They were used for food by tribes in the Andean region of South America.

A guinea pig is not in the guinea family nor is it in the pig family. The rodents actually got their names possibly from sailors when they were first brought these creatures from South America and later sold them for a guinea . A guinea is a term for an old English coin that was equal to about a pound in British money.

The majestic guinea pig is not a pig as the name indicates.  It is actually a rodent.

That my friends is the history of the glorious guinea pig. Today you have learned how they got their name, that they are not from Guinea or members of  the pig family, as well as where they did first originate. Class dismissed!

Battle of the Teams!

                                                                                      CARLENA SMITH

Battle of the Teams is a nail-biting competition between the six teams in the middle school. Orange, Yellow, Purple, Red, Blue and Green. With a scavenger hunt, and spirit week leading up to it, Battle of the Teams is by far the most action-packed event of the year. On the big day of the battle, students will wear their teams colors to support their team. For example, orange team would wear their orange shirts. Students from each team will compete in fun activities against other teams.

The second annual evening of Battle of the Teams will be hosted on April 27, 2018. Taking place from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. But, the gymnasium will be open at 6:00 P.M, allowing students to decorate their team area in the gym. With a 10.00 admission fee, the cost includes a tee shirt with your teams color on it, along with two tickets. By putting your tickets in certain bins, you will have a chance to participate in the fun games. But note that each student will not participate in each game. Battle of the Teams is a good opportunity to take pride in your school and team. Hope to see you there!    May the Best Team Win!
​

SPIRIT WEEK !

                                    ðŸ˜Ž

                            (For the second time)

                                            TARYN CABRAL


Starting on Monday, April 23, through Friday, April 27, is PMS Spirit Week, for the second time.  Monday is “character day.” You can dress as a character from a book, movie, TV show, etc. Tuesday is “sports jersey day. It’s self- explanatory so I don't feel like explaining. Wednesday is “pajama day” (for the second time) and is also self explanatory. Thursday is “team wars.” Your team picks a theme and dresses as that theme. Friday is team color day, which is also self explanatory.  So show your PMS PRIDE, participate, and have fun!

By the way, this is leading up to “Battle of the Teams”!


Gypsy Moth Caterpillars
                  
      TARYN CABRAL

I am sure that everyone recognizes the caterpillar from the image above. A Gypsy Moth Caterpillar is an invasive species. For the past few years we have been experiencing big problems in with Gypsy Moth Caterpillars, and then when that's cleared up we need to deal with all the moths, and then worrying about touching one of the eggs every time you pick up a stick.

There is practically nothing good about these little caterpillars. They eat all the leaves on the tree until there is practically nothing there, and then they even start eating pine needles! What's just as bad is when the furs on them touch your skin.  It gives you a you have a rash that causes bad itching. I find it difficult to go outside with all the caterpillars around. Something else that's bad about Gypsy Moth Caterpillars is that their infestation even causes problems when you want to ride your bike. As you all know if you have experienced problems with the small creatures, sometimes they dangle on a long strand of silk that they are spinning. While riding, it's hard to dodge all the caterpillars, and, the next thing you know, they are in your hair, on your shirt, and on your face.

They first originated in Europe and Asia, and have lived there for thousands of years. They were introduced to North America in 1868 or 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot. He had hoped that he would be able to use the caterpillars to make a silk industry in the United States.  I don’t think his plan worked! Fortunately, there is only one g


Rhode Island Middle School Book Awards

KELCY CONROY

This March, it’s time to vote for Ponaganset Middle School’s favorite book!  The books are the Rhode Island Middle School Book Award nominees. To vote, you must have read 3 of the books.  Here are the nominees you can choose from:

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Beneath by Roland Smith

Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Drowned City by Don Brown

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick

Firefly Code by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey

Scourge by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin


# Respect

      

CARLENA SMITH

Last Friday, in all advisories, we pledged to end the use of hurtful words, as we watched a video put together by the Unified basketball/ Cheer teams. Last Monday, we all signed a banner with “#RESPECT” written on it.   By signing this, we pledged to spread the word, to end the disrespectful word. We are showing respect to others by using kind words about others instead of hurtful ones.

You may also spot another banner with the word “UNITY” located near the stairs. This banner has the handprints of the team printed around the perimeter. It symbolizes how we should all come together, as one, and support each other. Unified Basketball/Cheer wants to show us that we should put aside our differences, and act as one. We should be kind and support each other. So let’s all come together and end the use of hurtful words. Go Unified!  

 

Can Slime Be Dangerous?

HUNTER DIONNE

Slime is one of the strange fads of this year and last year. However, slime isn't always the playful slime you play with. The slime you know is a substance made usually with glue, shaving cream, tide (or borax) and that is similar to oobleck(A substance that acts as a solid when impacted with something and acts as a liquid when in impact with something slow).

Most people play with their slime on their dinner table, yes, tide or borax, on your hands, on your dinner table, sounds safe? First of all, that slime could get in your food, and then guess what, that could lead to death. Well, if you eat enough at least. I’ll put it this way, don't eat tide or borax! Also, kids have burned, yes burned, their hands because of allergies to tide or borax. “Hey, let's go play with some slime! Ah! My hand is turning red! My skin! Help!” Wonder what would happen if someone ate it.

An 11-year-old girl once got severe burns from the borax in slime, but what happens if you eat it? Ingesting a lot of slime will lead to an experience of toxic reaction, mainly because of the borax. Sound fun? Slime seems pretty dangerous. However, there are slimes that are not dangerous and can even be edible.        

All that was a type of slime, what if slime can be more dangerous, kill people. In fact, what if slime was a mold? Guess what, it is! Slime mold is a name given to several kinds of unrelated eukaryotic organisms that can be single cells or can aggregate together to make a multicellular reproductive structures. I know, I know, I'm a geek. There are over 900 species of this “slime” in the world. These organisms feed off of microorganisms on dead plants, and some bacteria. These “slimes”  are usually found in soil, lawns, and forest floor.

So, what did we learn today? We learned that slime can burn your hands, and there is other types of slime that eat and kill bacteria. So, slime sounds like a extremely safe and fun thing *wink* *wink*.

     

Works Cited

Snopes (https://www.snopes.com/slime-health-risks/) and Introduction to the “Slime

           Molds” (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/slimemolds.html)


This issue of the POST is edited by:  THOMAS JAQUES

Bullying

  TARYN CABRAL

Almost every child has experienced bullying before in there life. Most bullies are people who have low self-esteem. Self-esteem is the amount of confidence that someone has for themselves. If someone has low self-esteem they may start picking on somebody else. The reason that they do this is because they try to make someone else feel worse than they themselves feel and make the bully feel better about themselves.

There are several non-violent ways that you can approach a bully that can make them stop. By using these methods, it would then get the bully to back off. The reason it would is it would then make it so there is no point in them picking on you anymore, because a bully would most likely go for someone who is shy or quiet.

One way you can stop them is by just ignoring them. If you have no response, then they would see no point in picking on you anymore and they would stop after a bit. Another way to stop the issue is to try and be a little stern, and to show more confidence. With this the bully may feel small, and leave you alone. Another approach is to just pretend it was nothing for example when they tell you something mean, just say something like, “Thats nice”, in a kind tone of voice, and they will find that it is no fun to bully you, and stop. If someone ever physically hurts you, I recommend you go to a teacher or any other trusted adult immediately.

A New Art: Olympic Style-Speed Tears up the Rink

THOMAS JAQUES


Image 1: Thomas Hong (right) gets low to the ice for his short-track event last month at the Olympic trials. He also sports a suit that aims to help Hong go faster by reducing resistance, known as drag, from the air. Photo from: U.S. Speedskating


When you tune into the 2018 Winter Olympics in the next week or 2, you'll see plenty of painstakingly picked pieces of clothing. In some cases, the outfits do more than just make competitors look snazzy: They can actually help them go faster.                                                                                                                Photo from: U.S. Speedskating

You'll notice such high-tech duds during speed-skating events, where athletes zip around ice rinks. It takes a lot of coordination to pick up speed while balancing on a blade — especially in short-track events, where skaters race all at once in a pack that is prone to painful pileups. So every sliver-of-a-second counts.

But how can a suit speed you up?

Wave your hand around. You might feel some air blowing past you, but you probably don't feel that it's slowing you down. Imagine doing the same thing in a pool. You would feel resistance from the water. That's called drag. Air drags on you less than water, but drag it does.

Unfortunately for speed skaters, the human body isn't especially aerodynamic, which means we're not good at moving through air without encountering drag. Even strands of hair can catch air and slow us down. That's why swimmers often shave their bodies. It makes them better at slipping through water.

A skater's suit covers the body so that lumpy, bumpy skin isn't getting dragged through the air. Smooth surfaces such as nylon and spandex make the body sleeker, which makes it more aerodynamic.

Many countries, including the United States, take that idea even further.

When designers at Under Armour crafted the U.S. suits for 2014, they spent more than two years testing more than 100 kinds of fabric in about 250 combinations. Using different materials meant designers had to be strategic about sewing them together. They did not want any bulging seams to increase a skater's drag. They also wanted to minimize friction, or the force of two surfaces rubbing against each other. That way, skaters lost less speed as their thighs moved past each other and when their arms rubbed against their bodies.

Designers at Under Armour also added tiny bumps to their speed-skating suits. That sounds like it would increase drag, but those ridges keep skaters speedy for the same reason that golf balls whiz through the sky: The air above each dimple forms a little whirlpool, spinning quickly. That makes the surface move through the air as if it is on ball bearings! This adds a tiny lick of speed.

Despite all that work, Under Armour's 2014 speed-skating suits didn't get much praise. In fact, the designs received some of the blame when U.S. skaters performed poorly. Most experts say the outfits weren't responsible for those lagging times. Still, athletes were so worried about it that the team switched to old suits for the rest of their events.

That just goes to show how important comfort and confidence are to performance. Norway's team recently announced that its members would be wearing blue suits because they skated faster in them than red ones. Unless they're bluffing, the only explanation for that improvement is that they simply feel faster in blue — which could make them skate faster.

So when you watch your favorite winter event, take a moment to appreciate the gold medalist's fashion choices. They’re probably the result of years of research.

Groundhog Day: True or false?

TARYN CABRAL

February second was Groundhog Day. Everyone knows that if the groundhog sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter. But is the really true?

The answer is no. The true first day of spring is always March 20th, also known as the vernal equinox. Groundhog Day is more of a superstition and is very inaccurate. The groundhog is only correct 39 percent of the time.

When I was little, I used to think that it was true that if the groundhog saw his shadow, we would get six more weeks of winter. Then I realized one day that that can't be possible and doesn't make much sense. What do you think about Groundhog Day?

Power of Love Studios presents:  Fluffy Cloud Sparkle

                         by JACK ROCKWELL & PETER PELLEGRINO

In Super Bowl ads, a play for values and a contentious MLK message

THOMAS JAQUESIn this image from PepsiCo, Morgan Freeman stars in a Mountain Dew ad for the 2018 Super Bowl. Photo by PepsiCo via AP

Advertisers tried to play up American values and not fumble the ball during Sunday's Super Bowl, yet one waded into controversy by using the voice of Martin Luther King Jr.

In the biggest U.S. television advertising event of the year, most spots featured humor, celebrities and a feel-good message, steering clear of a politically divisive environment.

A surprise came with the words of slain civil rights leader King in an ad for Dodge Ram, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, where he is heard saying, "We recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be the servant."

The "Built to Serve" ad drawing on a sermon by King sought to highlight community service but it sparked an outcry over the use of King's legacy.

There was an abundance of angrily-disagreeing opinions posted on twitter and from historians and professors of some of the USA’s biggest universities.

The King Center, which maintains archives of the civil rights leader, said in a tweet that neither the center nor King's daughter Bernice had approved the use of the sermon for commercial purposes.

Many of the Super Bowl ads sought to focus on social themes without being political.

Budweiser promoted its canned water for disaster relief, Toyota showcased the Paralympics and T-Mobile showed babies of various races in a message about equality.

Marketing professors estimate nearly one in four ads mentioned a unifying social theme, a far higher percentage than in the past.

Toyota was a clear winner with its ads focused on unity and social values by telling the story of Paralympic medalist Lauren Woolstencroft, who was born without legs below the knee.

On the humorous side, the "fire and ice" spot with Morgan Freeman and "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage for Mountain Dew and Doritos also appeared to score well.

Everyone seemed to love that.

Funny ads were plentiful: Actor Danny DeVito sprung to life as an M&M, and NFL stars Eli Manning and Odell Beckham gave an awkward reprise of a scene from the film "Dirty Dancing" in a promotion for the sport.

But marketers appeared to steer clear of politics or overt suggestive material, given a divisive atmosphere in politics and the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

Amazon's ad, "Alexa Loses Her Voice," featuring CEO Jeff Bezos and celebrities Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Hopkins, Cardi B and Rebel Wilson replacing the voice of the digital assistant, appeared to be a hit.

Amazon used celebrities to drive home the message of what Alexa does.

Super Bowl ads cost an estimated $5 million for 30 seconds but the event is likely the only one with an audience of more than 100 million people.

For advertisers, a Super Bowl ad is absolutely worth it. It can boost brand equity and possibly sales ... but it has to be a good ad.


Works Cited

Newsela | Super Bowl Ads Entertain - and Offend - Viewers, newsela.com/read/superbowl-ads-  show-family-values/id/40209/ .

Pointless Movies 🎥

                                           TARYN CABRAL

 

The first movie is “The Emoji Movie.” I have not seen the movie, and don’t plan to. I think that it is odd that they did a movie about emojis. I think that they’re cute and all, but they didn’t need to make a movie about it. I think it is just another animated kids’ movie that lacks a point.

The next movie on the list is “Trolls.” I literally watched 5 minutes of this movie and turned it off. The movie was kind of weird, and the 1 song I was there for was awful. I turned it off about halfway through the first song. Plus, “Trolls” was made by Dreamworks and, in my opinion, they aren’t as good as Disney. There are only about 2 Dreamworks movies that I enjoyed.

The next movie is “Storks.” This one I have seen before, and it wasn't very good. It is probably the first and last time I will see it. That is all the pointless movies for now.  If you do like these movies, it’s ok and I respect that!😀


The Chronicles of Ambrosia Ellington #2

                                               KATHERINE CLIFFORD


“Ames, time for dinner. Did you put on your dress?” my mom called up the stairs.

I sighed and walked over to my dress, which was carelessly slung over my rolling chair. The dress was maroon, slightly a-line, and had a couple of sparkly hearts on it. The material was really soft. I threw it on with a pair of black leggings and ran down the stairs.

My mom smiled at me. “I’m glad you decided to go. It’ll be fun and you have a gorgeous voice.”

“Thanks,” I replied through a forced smile.

Mom didn’t notice and turned back to the stove, where she was assembling the pasta, marinara sauce, and meatballs. We ate dinner and half and hour later Iwas standing in front of the school.

Maddie and Jess ran towards me. Jess’s eyes shined with excitement. “You came!” she exclaimed happily.

“Yeah,” I mumbled unenthusiastically. This doesn’t waver her joy, though, and she ignored my tone of voice. We walked into the auditeria, which had a disco ball hanging from the ceiling and a microphone in the center of the stage. Everyone was talking and laughing. My stomach clenched.

“C’mon,” Maddie said. “Let’s sign up to sing.”

My heart  started to pound, but I was paralyzed and there was nothing keeping Maddie from yanking my arm toward the sign up sheet. I wrote my name shakily while thinking, What am I doing?

A couple of minutes later they started calling out the names of the people who signed up. Before I knew it, it was my turn. “Amy Ellington,” the announcer boomed. It’s easier to use “Amy” rather than explain my weird name.  

“Here you go,” Mr. Tallis whispered, handing me the microphone.

My hands were clammy, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I was sweating like crazy.

“What song?” Mrs. Leone asks.

“‘I’m Not That Girl,’ from Wicked,” I said, my voice quivering. I took a deep breath and stepped into the lights. All eyes were on me. The music started. I opened my mouth…


Find out what Ambrosia does as her adventure continues...


The Chronicles of Ambrosia Ellington #2

                                               KATHERINE CLIFFORD


“Ames, time for dinner. Did you put on your dress?” my mom called up the stairs.

I sighed and walked over to my dress, which was carelessly slung over my rolling chair. The dress was maroon, slightly a-line, and had a couple of sparkly hearts on it. The material was really soft. I threw it on with a pair of black leggings and ran down the stairs.

My mom smiled at me. “I’m glad you decided to go. It’ll be fun and you have a gorgeous voice.”

“Thanks,” I replied through a forced smile.

Mom didn’t notice and turned back to the stove, where she was assembling the pasta, marinara sauce, and meatballs. We ate dinner and half and hour later Iwas standing in front of the school.

Maddie and Jess ran towards me. Jess’s eyes shined with excitement. “You came!” she exclaimed happily.

“Yeah,” I mumbled unenthusiastically. This doesn’t waver her joy, though, and she ignored my tone of voice. We walked into the auditeria, which had a disco ball hanging from the ceiling and a microphone in the center of the stage. Everyone was talking and laughing. My stomach clenched.

“C’mon,” Maddie said. “Let’s sign up to sing.”

My heart  started to pound, but I was paralyzed and there was nothing keeping Maddie from yanking my arm toward the sign up sheet. I wrote my name shakily while thinking, What am I doing?

A couple of minutes later they started calling out the names of the people who signed up. Before I knew it, it was my turn. “Amy Ellington,” the announcer boomed. It’s easier to use “Amy” rather than explain my weird name.  

“Here you go,” Mr. Tallis whispered, handing me the microphone.

My hands were clammy, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I was sweating like crazy.

“What song?” Mrs. Leone asks.

“‘I’m Not That Girl,’ from Wicked,” I said, my voice quivering. I took a deep breath and stepped into the lights. All eyes were on me. The music started. I opened my mouth…


Find out what Ambrosia does as her adventure continues...


 A Timeline of the Heavenly Pair:

 Valentine’s Day and Chocolate

                                                   &n