Spartan TimesWeber Middle School, Port Washington, New York

http/schools.portnet.k12.ny.us/~spartan_times/

Table of ContentsPage 2 and 3: Weber NewsPage 4: 6th and 7th Grade HappeningsPage 5: 8th Grade HappeningsPage 6: Opinions Movie and Book ReviewsPage 7: OpinionsPage 8: Drama ClubPage 9: Fun and GamesPage 10: Funny Fotos

Page 11-back cover: Spartan Sports

A Visit from a ChampionBy Brian Carden

Do you remember participating in the mile runin gym? Do you remember the satisfaction youfelt when you finished? Bernard Lagat’s satis-faction is probably the greatest in the world. Heis the fastest mile runner on Earth and he cameto visit Red 7 and 8 on January 30, 2007. Mr.Lagat is a personal friend of science teacher andtrack and field expert, Mr. Katz. Mr. Lagat camewith a positive attitude and explained his accom-plishments. These include:· Setting a new Millrose Games and Madison

Square Garden record of 3:52.87 in the meet’s Wanamaker Mile in2005 and won his fifth Wanamaker Mile in 2007,

· Winning the bronze for the 1,500 meters in the 2000 Olympics,· Winning the silver in for the 1,500 meters in the 2004 Olympics,· Winning the gold medal for 3,000 meters in the World Indoor / Out-

door Track,· And finally, winning two silver medals for 3,000 meters in the World

Indoor / Outdoor Track.Continued on page 5.

Constitutional Convention arrives at Weber!See page 5.

The Lion MysteryBy Kristen Henne

If you have ever been in Mrs. Rodahan’s office, you know that shehas lions everywhere. Have you ever wondered why Mrs. Rodahan likeslions so much? In order to solve this mystery, I interviewed her.

Continued on page 3

Move Over, Dorothy and Toto!The Weber Science Olympiads

Go To Kansas!Out of the 60 teams that went to Wichita, Kansas to partici-pate in the National Science Olypiad competition at Wichita

State University, theWeber ScienceOlympiad team camein 21st place and anumber of studentsalso won individualmedals. The open-ing ceremony was onFriday, May 18, butthe main event, thecompetition, oc-

curred on Saturday, May 19.Ms. Dodes, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Lindstadt, and Mr. Lehmanaccompanied the team. Congratulations to the Twenty We-ber Science Olympiad students who worked so hard andachieved so much: Rachel Cohen, Matthew Heiden, PaulHyman, Aditi Shroff, Jai Sajnani, Sahil Doshi, Elena Stabile,DaInn Woo, Leah Nash, Annabelle May, Clara Ahn, RyoheiOzaki, Elizabeth Corteselli, Christina Zhou, and Jillian Knoll.Alternates included Minah Kim, Jason Stewart, HannahBlumberg, Jason Lee, and Ethan Richards.

Weber Science Olympiad Team Finished 2nd in NewYork State Competition

By Mr. GrandeTyped by Robert Gray

On Saturday, April 21st, the Weber Science Olympiad team finished 2nd inthe New York State Science Olympiad competition held at SUNY NewPaltz. The team medaled in 12 out of a possible 25 events! This win se-cured their place as the representatives of New York State in the NationalScience Olympiad held in Kansas at Wichita State University on May 18th

and 19th.Continued on page 3

Author David Patersonvisits

Weber ELA Students!

See page 2

Spartan Times Staff:Spartan Times Staff:Spartan Times Staff:Spartan Times Staff:Spartan Times Staff:EditorEditorEditorEditorEditor: Brian Carden ReporReporReporReporReporterstersterstersters::::: Brian Carden, Annie Rubin, Grace Jung, John Meyer, Ryan Havens, Michael Schweitzer Fun Page:Fun Page:Fun Page:Fun Page:Fun Page: Seoyoon

Park, David Olsson, Victor Dos Santos, Ryan Havens ArArArArArtist:tist:tist:tist:tist: David Olsson Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers: Brina Wyss, Jacqueline Langro. FrFrFrFrFreelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Writersritersritersritersritersand Photographersand Photographersand Photographersand Photographersand Photographers::::: Sarah Choi, Jamie Greenberg, Annabelle May, Mrs. Dodes, Kristen Henne SporSporSporSporSports Reports Reports Reports Reports Reporterstersterstersters::::: Robert Weinstein, Ethan

Berkowitz, Ms. Vogeley WWWWWeb Masterseb Masterseb Masterseb Masterseb Masters::::: Robert Gray, Luke O’Connell, Benny Scheckner TTTTTypistsypistsypistsypistsypists: : : : : Seoyoon Park, Annie Rubin, Bianca Luparilo,Gina D’Angelo, Ariana DiPreta, David Chang, Robert Weinstein, Ryan Havens, Brian Carden, Luke O’Connell, Robert Gray AdvisorsAdvisorsAdvisorsAdvisorsAdvisors::::: Mrs. Denise

Fish, Mrs. Susan McAuliffe

Page 2

Weber News.......................CongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulations

T T T T To the Winners of theo the Winners of theo the Winners of theo the Winners of theo the Winners of theNNNNNew York Math League!ew York Math League!ew York Math League!ew York Math League!ew York Math League!

By Luke O’Connell Green 6 “CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!” These were the words spoken tofive special people, Jason Lee, Krishin Shivdasani, Mayu Hemmi,Dan Kim, and Jesse Weil. These five kids had the top five scores on theNYML, New York Math League, in all of Weber! On Feb 28, 2007 thesekids and many others participated in the NYML, but these kids scores willbe submitted to compete with other schools around the county! These kidsare geniuses and I am glad that they are able to compete with the otherschools.

Helping Each OtherHelping Each OtherHelping Each OtherHelping Each OtherHelping Each OtherC l u bC l u bC l u bC l u bC l u bBy Mrs. Mesa

Typed by Robert Gray

The Helping Each Other Club is comprised of 6th, 7th, and 8th gradersthat meet twice a week either during lunch or after school. The program coor-dinator is Mrs. Mesa, a social worker. Members discuss different topics, suchas Weber community issues and upcoming events. They also discuss their as-piring goals, accomplishments, strengths, and difficulties in a supportive envi-ronment. Mentors from Schreiber High School assist members with home-work, transition to high school, and help increase awareness about risky teen-age behavior. The program also promotes involvement in the community, stu-dents’ interests/talents, and sports. Students have organized parties and cel-ebrations. They have also attended two workshops at Long Island University’sC.W. Post Campus.

The Club participants met at the Port Washington Library at an eveningceremony on Wednesday, June 13, to celebrate the culmination of a wonderfulexperience. Weber students and their Schreiber mentors shared personal ex-periences as their proud families looked on. A light dinner was provided, thanksto the generosity of the participants parents and family members. All in all, theclub members

On March 28, ELA studentshad the pleasure of meeting lo-cal author and film producerDavid Paterson. With the as-sistance of Barnes and Noblerepresentative Theresa Reid,A.I.S. teacher Mrs. McAuliffearranged the special visitationto be held in the Weber All-Pur-pose Room. Mr. Patersonshared his insights and thoughtsabout producing the film ver-sion of his mother KatherinePaterson’s famous novel,

Bridge To Terabithia.Present at Mr. Paterson’s visit were sixth grade students of Mr. Smith andMs. Angel. Also present to meet the Author were sixth, seventh, and eighthgrade students of Mrs. McAuliffe, Mrs. Peraza, Ms. Duffy, and Mrs. Gnezda.Attending students were famialiar with the literary subject matter as manyhad read the book (it is a sixth grade sixth grade summer reading list choice)and many had viewed the movie at the Main Steet Theatre. Mr. Patersonmade all feel at home with his open and personal style of conversation. Herelated his personal experience of loss as a child, his relationship with hismother, and his need to be sure the movie version of the book was closelyrelated to the original literary work. Students were enthralled by his movieset anecdotes and difficulties related to producing a movie. Mr. Patersonanswered questions from students honestly and eagerly; he was as impressedwith the students as they were with him. Many students had never met anauthor and/or a producer before and commented that it was a thrill to hearabout his escapades as a middle schooler.Afterwards, his recently published Bridge To Terabithia: Movie Compan-ion Book, was available for students to view and purchase. Students aswell as teacherspurchased copiesof his CompanionBook and hesigned each pur-chased Compan-ion Book with per-sonal messagesand his signature.We look forwardto inviting Mr.Paterson back toshare future expe-riences with ourmiddle schoolers!

Pictured: Topleft: Mr. Patersonsigns copies of the Movie Companion Book for students Bottom right: Mr. Paterson signs Mrs. McAuliffe’s and Ms.Duffy’s book copies.

Summer Reading RequirementsStudents entering grades 6, 7, and 8 as well as 9th graders entering Schreiber inthe Fall are required to choose and read a book from a grade level list generatedby district teachers. Everyone loves summer, but taking a “break” from schooldoesn’t mean your brain has to take a break from learning. Visit an aquarium, amuseum, a zoo, or go on a learning adventure with your family. Read the news-paper everyday. Whether you have a paper copy in your hand or you read theinternet version, you would be surprised how many new vocabulary words youwill learn! Try crossword puzzles or introduce yourself to Sudoku! By the endof the summer, you will be a whiz at words and numbers! Whatever you do, beobservant and learn!Reading lists were distributed by English Teachers and a copy will be includedin your report card mailing. Students can also view the lists at the Portnet website.Our local library, Dolphin Bookstore, and Barnes and Noble have been given acopy of the list so that students can obtain and list and make a thoughtful decisionabout the book that will interest them. Nevertheless, students in grades 6-9 willbe expected to write a plot summary of the book that was read. Have a greatsummer and enjoy your free time...don’t forget to be observant and learn!

Author-Producer David PatersonAuthor-Producer David PatersonAuthor-Producer David PatersonAuthor-Producer David PatersonAuthor-Producer David PatersonVisits WeberVisits WeberVisits WeberVisits WeberVisits Weber

Page 3

FFFFForeign Language Woreign Language Woreign Language Woreign Language Woreign Language WeekeekeekeekeekSemaine de Langue ÉtrangèreSemana del Idioma Extranjero

Fremdsprache-WocheSettimana di Lingua Straniera

Semana da Língua ExtrangeiraBuitenlandse Taal Week

FremmedspråkUke

By Mrs. Roberts, Department Chairperson

During the week of March 5-9, the World Language Department celebratedForeign Language Week. Flags from around the world were hung through-out the school. Every morning, music from various countries was playedover the P.A. system and a different Weber student recited the pledge in aforeign language each day, French, Italian, Latin, Spanish and Greek re-spectively. In the World Language classes a plethra of activities occurred.Eigth grade Spanish students presented ‘cultural boxes’ teaching their fel-low students about their heritage. In 6th grade Italian classes, students sangsongs and decorated for ‘Carnivale’. High school French students visitedthe 6th, 7th, and 8th grade French classes. Teachers and students’ parentsand relatives made presentations throughout the week. Thank you, WorldLanguage Teachers and students, for a fantastic week!

Science Olympiads: continued from front page

The team is coached by Weber teachers Jack Grande and Cheryl Dodes.Team members include: Rachel Cohen, Matthew Heiden, Paul Hyman, AditiShroff, Jai Sajnani, Sahil Doshi, Elena Stabile, DaInn Woo, Leah Nash,Annabelle May, Clara Ahn, Ryohei Ozaki, Elizabeth Corteselli, Christina Zhou,and Jillian Knoll. Alternates include Minah Kim, Jason Stewart, HannahBlumberg, Jason Lee, and Ethan Richards.Mr. Grande attributes the success to the team’s dedication and hard work putin over the last five months. By practicing 4-5 times a week, coming in everySaturday since January, and over the vacation periods, the Weber team hasachieved a success that is almost unprecedented.Congratulations to our fantastic Science Olympiad Team!

The Lion MysteryThe Lion MysteryThe Lion MysteryThe Lion MysteryThe Lion MysteryBy Kristen HenneBy Kristen HenneBy Kristen HenneBy Kristen HenneBy Kristen Henne

If you have ever been in Mrs.Rodahan’s office, you would know that shehas lions everywhere. Have you ever won-dered why Mrs. Rodahan likes lions somuch? In order to solve this mystery, I in-terviewed her.Kristen: “Why do you like lions?”Mrs. Rodahan: “When I was a little girl Isaw the Wizard of Oz and I fell in love withthe cowardly lion. He didn’t know that hehad courage and didn’t know that he wasbrave. Once, he was faced with a challengeand had the strength to be brave.”Kristen: “Which gender of lion do you likebetter? Male or female?”Mrs. Rodahan: “I love male lions becauseof their mane. It’s so beautiful. But, I know that the female lions do all of thework.”K: “Does your house have a lot of lions in it like your office?”Mrs. R.: “All over the place, even in my bathroom! They’re everywhere.”K: “Did you ever pet a lion in a zoo? If so, was it amazing for you?”Mrs. R.: “I never petted a lion, but I once held a lion cub.”That last question brings me to a story. The picture below shows Mrs. Rodahanholding a lion cub. Once, Mrs. Rodahan went to Africa with her husband. Theyfound someone who owned a lion cub. Since it is illegal to keep a lion cub as apet, Mrs. Rodahan contacted someone at the A.S.P.C.A. who rescued the cuband sent it to a safe place. The people at this location knew how much Mrs.

Rodahan loved lions, and they let Mrs.Rodahan hold the cub. This was an amazingday for Mrs. Rodahan. She had her picturetaken with the cub and, as you can see, sheenjoyed it very much

Mangia! Mangia!Mangia! Mangia!Mangia! Mangia!Mangia! Mangia!Mangia! Mangia!BBBBBy Mrs. McAuliffey Mrs. McAuliffey Mrs. McAuliffey Mrs. McAuliffey Mrs. McAuliffe

On Friday, March 9, I had the pleasure of sharing my Italianheritage with Mrs. Morra’s period 1 seventh graders. I wanted to sharemy family’s favorite recipe, zeppole. Zeppole are fried, doughy, doused

in confectionary sugardelights that are placedsix to a brown paperbag. The problem isthat you have to waitfor that carnival orstreet fair to come, butnot my son’s class.

With my dough(purchased at Frank’sPizzeria), woodenspoons, brown paperbags, bottle of veg-etable oil, and my little

fryer, I readied the class for my cooking demonstration. Once the kidsrealized what we were about to make, a hush come over the room aswe dropped little ripped pieces of dough (never shape them!) into thefryer. As we watched them turn golden brown, a collective excitementgrew as we realized we were about to taste one of the most famoustreats of the summer! Each student took turns making their ownzeppole, place them in a brown bag, add powdered sugar, and shakethe bag until all of the browned zeppole were covered in white sugar.Hands and faces of students were quickly covered in white as thestudents ate their zeppole.It was such a treat to visit this period oneclass. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Pictured:Mrs. Morra’s

period one studentsenjoying powderedsugar zeppole!

H.A.G.S.!Have a great summer!

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Good Luck!Good Luck!Good Luck!Good Luck!Good Luck!Congratulations are in order for four Weber staff memberson their retirements.Physical Education Teacher RickBuonpane, Science Department Chairperson CherylDodes (8 Blue), and Library Secretary Mary McLean willbe missed.We wish them all a happy and healthy retirement!Congratulations are also in order for P.E.P. teacher Taryn

Johnson, who will be leaving Weber to assume the Assistant Principal positionof Oyster Bay High School. Students and staff will miss Ms. Johnson, but weknow she will make a fantastic Assistant Principal! Good luck, to all, and pleasecome back and visit!

Page 4

SixtSixtSixtSixtSixth Grh Grh Grh Grh Grade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happenings

7t7t7t7t7th Grh Grh Grh Grh Grade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happeningsade Happenings

Sixth Grade Pep News- Sixth Grade Pep News- Sixth Grade Pep News- Sixth Grade Pep News- Sixth Grade Pep News-Trivia Challenge ’06-‘07Trivia Challenge ’06-‘07Trivia Challenge ’06-‘07Trivia Challenge ’06-‘07Trivia Challenge ’06-‘07

By Robert Gray and Mrs. Elena GnezdaBy Robert Gray and Mrs. Elena GnezdaBy Robert Gray and Mrs. Elena GnezdaBy Robert Gray and Mrs. Elena GnezdaBy Robert Gray and Mrs. Elena Gnezda

Congratulations to Conor Boyle, Joey Featherston, Elana Galassi, and Michael Kuan (pictured). They partici-pated in the UCPN’s annual Trivia Challenge competition. They came in second place amongst 10 other schools inNassau County. Students asked people to sponsor them and collected $400.00 in donations. These contributions willaid in providing equipment for students with cerebral palsy. The students had a fun and memorable experience and lookforward to participating next year!

Athens vs.Athens vs.Athens vs.Athens vs.Athens vs.SpartaSpartaSpartaSpartaSparta

By Ryan Havens

On March 26th, the 6-Green Frank/Cavallo team had a debate aboutancient Greece. The debate centered on which ancient Greek city-state isbetter, Sparta or Athens. I represent the government on Sparta, along withthe opening argument. The debate was very dramatic.

The teams were well-balanced on both sides. The judge of the com-petition was the one and only Goddess Athena (Mrs. Frank). The competi-tion was fierce, the opening and closing strong, the points made were goodand provoked thought, and the rebuttal questions (two sides arguing at thesame time) were on-topic and hitting the weaknesses well. The rebuttal waseasily the most heated part of the debate. In the end, the Spartans were thewinners. The downfall of the Athenian team was the fact that some peoplelost control on their team. They started yelling, screaming, and calling out(teacher’s no-no). So let’s give three cheers to the winning team:

SPARTA, SPARTA, GOOOOOO SPARTA!!!!!!

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONBy Paul Descartes*

On March 1st and 2nd, 2007, the 7th grade Red Team did a reenactment of the1776 Constitutional Convention. The classes are split into four groups; A, B, C, and D.Groups A and B worked together, while groups C and D also worked together. The teach-ers responsible for this production were Mrs. Dena Bocchino, and Mrs. Laura Staib.

The presentation started with a speech by the group’s narrator. This speech gavethe setting of the Convention, as well as some insider details the audience, which consistedof the 8th grade Red House, and the performers’ parents. This was followed by a speech,given by each groups’ “George Washington”. The rest of the format consisted of individualstudents going up to the podium at which speeches were given. These children were playingactual delegates from the Constitutional Convention, such as James Madison or GeorgePickney. Each “presenting delegate” was then subject to pre-prepared questions, given tothem by fellow students, who played “attending delegates”.

The weeks preceding the reenactment, the students were prepped by an actornamed Jens Krummel. He taught them how to project their voices, pronounce their wordscorrectly, and use non-verbal communication to get a point acro biography or a bio of JensKrummel’s past experience, please visit <http://home.earthlink.net/~jensmk/>. Mr. Krummelwas an invaluable resource to this production.

The students combined their experiences from reading, the internet, people, andother first-hand experiences totie up this performance to be oneof the most memorable for ev-eryone involved.

*Pseudonym for Red7 student.

A Visit from a Champion(Continued from front page)

Running is a ma-jor activity in Kenya,so that is what Mr.Lagat did to entertainhimself. In addition,he was inspired by hissister, Mary, who wasthe first person in hisfamily to leaveKenya. “My sisterinspired me. Sheshowed me a photoof herself with a Japa-

nese runner and she told me I could be a good athlete. I wanted tobe the best in the world because my sister told me I could be thebest,” said Mr. Lagat. It’s interesting that as a child, Mr. Lagat wantedto become a Catholic priest and now he is the fastest man in theworld! When asked how it felt winning the Millrose games, Mr.Lagat replied, “I thought I was dreaming.”

Mr. Lagat is not only serious about running, but also a goodeducation. “Education is important! It gives you something to fallback on, especially in this competitive world. My parents alwaystold me to study hard – you cannot be sure you will stay in the lime-light,” he said. Mr. Lagat has set up an organization in Africa to helpintelligent students, who are in need of money, to get into college.

At the end of the event, he gave away autographed photo-graphs of himself while Mr. Katz gave away actual pieces of theMadison Square Garden track. Now after winning the WanamakerMile for the fifth time, he will try to break the record of WanamakerMile wins and go down in history as the greatest runner ever.

Photos from www.usatf.org and www. dyestat.com

Mrs. McAuliffe’s 6th grade ELA studentsMrs. McAuliffe’s 6th grade ELA studentsMrs. McAuliffe’s 6th grade ELA studentsMrs. McAuliffe’s 6th grade ELA studentsMrs. McAuliffe’s 6th grade ELA studentsshare their original creations.....share their original creations.....share their original creations.....share their original creations.....share their original creations.....

“Moonlight”“Moonlight”“Moonlight”“Moonlight”“Moonlight”Michele LauterbachMichele LauterbachMichele LauterbachMichele LauterbachMichele Lauterbach

Moonlighta delight to watch

beautiful sunset tonightI love the moonlight

RainRainRainRainRain

by Lizzie Meyerby Lizzie Meyerby Lizzie Meyerby Lizzie Meyerby Lizzie MeyerRain

hard, lightfast, slow, wet

makes things grow rapidlywater

Page 5

8th grade happenings.....

Book ReviewBook ReviewBook ReviewBook ReviewBook Review SSSSSaving Francescaaving Francescaaving Francescaaving Francescaaving Francesca

Author: Melina MarchettaAuthor: Melina MarchettaAuthor: Melina MarchettaAuthor: Melina MarchettaAuthor: Melina Marchetta

It Wasn’t Impossible…for Francesca to discover the truth about none other than herself.By Dorothy Kim, Yellow 8

“But this morning there is no song. There is no advice on how to make friends with the bold and the interesting. No twelve-point plan on the best way to makea name for myself in a hostile environment. No motivational messages stuck on my mirror urging me to do something that scares me every day.

There’s just silence.And for the first time all year, I go to school and my only agenda is to get to 3:15.”

And that’s what scares Francesca the most. Francesca had been living a “normal life”; she was an average student, had friends, had a loving family,and she often had tried to avoid her mother’s daily pep talks in the mornings. Days were all routine and planned until one day, her usually vivacious, out-going, and outspoken mother, Mia, doesn’t get out of bed for the whole day, which is very unusual for her. When Francesca finds out her mother hadsuddenly been stricken with acute depression, she and her family start to fall apart. Because Mia had always been the one to tell Francesca who she was andwho she should become, when she doesn’t get up out of bed day after day, Francesca is left alone, lost, and without a clue of who she really is. It is now upto Francesca and only Francesca to unravel herself to discover the truth inside.

This book is a realistic fiction book, and is about a sixteen-year-old girl who learns to live with a severely depressed mother at a time when she needs her most.This book is extremely well-written and the author, Melina Marchetta, creates and develops a believable story and authentic true-to-heart characters throughoutthe whole book. This book really captures the essence of a story of a girl living with a depressed mother and learning how to survive. It kept me on my toes andheld my interest the whole way through because it was so up-beat and the plot was very well written to shock and surprise even the most clever readers.

I recommend this book for the more advanced readers of 8th grade and up because of some hard vocabulary and it is hard to keep track of all thecharacters involved in the story. The story takes place in Australia, which also adds some culture and variety to it, although this also means that some of thecharacters’ dialogues have different expressions, slang, and sayings. Saving Francesca is a great read for people who are seeking a very realistic and different yetenjoyable book.

Eighth Graders Have the Blues!Eighth Graders Have the Blues!Eighth Graders Have the Blues!Eighth Graders Have the Blues!Eighth Graders Have the Blues!Spring is that crazy time of year when you feel like singing instead of sitting, and if you are an eighth grade studentthat’s exactly what you did in April and May. Little Toby Walker worked his special blues magic in the classroomand students started writing and singing their own special brand of blues music. You might have “felt their pain”when you heard them singing about their “Homework Blues” or their “Big Backpack Blues” as you walked in thehallway.

If you feel like you’ve missed out, don’t worry. Someday you’ll be an eighth grader and then you’ll have thechance to sing the blues with Toby, thanks to the continued financial support of the Port Washington EducationalFoundation and our own school district.

Pictured Right: Toby Walker leads a group of students as they sing the “Blues.”

Weber Middle School 8th Graders Relive the 20’s

By Linda Sims

You would have thought you had entered a Gatsby era party if you walked into the 8th grade classrooms in the Yellow House at Weber Middle School in PortWashington today. Students were transformed into the many characters from the 1920’s, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday. Many said they never hadso much fun (in school, that is).

Though it may have looked like a party scene, students spent a long time doing serious research and rehearsing their lines in order to create an authenticdialogue mirroring the people who left their mark on American history and culture in the 20’s. Each student was assigned a 20’s character and a group towork with as they wrote a script that would educated their peers but appear like party conversation. There were ten groups in all, covering sports stars,Hollywood stars, millionaires, Harlem Renaissance writers and performers, speakeasy owners, flappers, and women’s rights activists. Wouldn’t it have beenamazing if we actually could have gotten all these famous people in one room and eavesdropped on their conversations?

As part of a grant with the American Ballet Theatre, students worked for two days with a drama coach, Mr. Jens Krummel. They were taught how to infuseposture, voice, and diction into their individual roles. A dancer from Martha Graham also worked with the students on the waltz and the Charleston so thatthey could truly “party” when the music was turned up and the sparkling cider was pouring.

Mrs. Sims (English teacher) and Mrs. Manzo (social studies teacher) believe that education is about more than reading in the texts and taking tests.History and culture have to be experienced, and what better way to experience life in the 1920’s than to relive it as the people who so influenced ournation during those years of affluence, materialism, profound artistic expression, racism, and protest. One thing is sure, these 8th graders will never forget

Page 6

MOVIE, BOOK AND GAME REVIEWS

EPIC MOVIE REVIEWRated: PG-13

By Victor Dos Santos

Epic Movie is a film about four orphans, one who was raised by MexicanLibras. Another was a victim of snakes on her plane. The third a student of amutant “X” academy. The last a girl raised by a curator at a Louvre. Theyeach win a golden ticket to go to a chocolate factory, where they find outWilly Wonka wants to kill them in order to make more chocolate. They all tryand escape and find a room which led to the weird world of Gnarnia, wherethey meet Mr.Tumus who tells each of them that they are destined to fulfill theprophecy to rule Gnarnia.What Victor Says- I honestly thought that it was the funniest movie I haveever seen. I really enjoyed how they made fun of so many movies and most ofthem were appropriate for our age so I knew what they were making fun of.Image courtesy www.movies.yahoo.com

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRIN-CESS REVIEW

By Caleb Van Loon

I have been reading some reviews on numerous gaming websites,such as IGN, and Gamespot. Those websites have given the game, a10 the best score. To be honest, I agree. I have the game on the Wiirather then playing it on the GameCube, which it was originally madefor. I like to call this Zelda game “A mind twister.”

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess starts off in a rather mellowway. You are a farm boy named Link, who lives in the ancient and ficti-tious world of Hyrule. It is a diverse kingdom which includes beautifullandscapes of dense forest, dry deserts, mountains, rivers, and lakes.The Zora River is an incredibly powerful and wild river with wild andrough cascades. (Don’t worry. It does not exist in reality.) Honestly, thisgame is extremely fun and challenging! I hope you enjoy it!

The Who’s The Who’s The Who’s The Who’s The Who’s Endless WireEndless WireEndless WireEndless WireEndless WireBy Benny S.By Benny S.By Benny S.By Benny S.By Benny S.

The Who’s Endless Wire is a new album by the classic rock band, TheWho. You might know some of their older songs such as My Generation,I’m Free, or Pinball Wizard. There are many new songs such as Frag-ments and Endless Wire. It’s a very interesting album. It can be very calm attimes, but really intense at others. The album comes with a DVD featuringThe Who playing some of their classic songs and the newer ones live at oneof their recent concerts. Overall, The Who’s Endless Wire is a great album,available in CD stores for about $15 and on iTunes for about $10.00.

OpinionsThe opinions stated here are those of the authors and not of the Weber student body, staff, or administration.

Snapple $1.25!?!?! WhatGives?

By Ryan Havens

A while ago, the price of a Snapple beverage was changed from theprice of $1.00 to $1.25. People say, “Oh, it’s just twenty five cents,”

but no! Twenty five cents is the same as 25%!!! Yeah, that’s right.When you change the price by twenty five cents, and that may not

sound like much, but what if you drink it everyday? I go into school with$3.00 (enough for lunch, fries, and Snapple), and I find that Snapple is

(oh my gosh!!) $1.25. It turns out that I have to get boring old water formy lunch. Deprived of my lovely Snapple, I am hungry for revenge.

Here are some things you can do to avoid this new fee:

1. Buy water or other drinks (boycott!).2. Get water from the water fountain and don’t buy a drink at all. (Blech!)3. Get Arizona Iced Tea from the vending machine for only $1.00!4. Bring lunch. (simple, yet effective)

The increase in price gets even uglier when you do the math. Thinkabout it; buy a Snapple every day for the wholeschool year under theoriginal price, and it would cost $180.00. Now, set it at the new priceand it would cost $225.00!!!!!! That is an increase of 25% (or$45.00!)!!! Now do you see what this means for your wallet? What willthey do next, raise the price of French fries (another popular product)to $2.00!?!?! They are capitalizing on the fact that we prefer certainfoods and brands. Now do you see what these costs actually mean?That’s why you should do the math!

Just in! The Snapple poll re-sults Are here!By Ryan Havens

Recently we have polled* sixth-graders during lunch period. I waslooking to see how they felt aboutthe Snapple price change. For ex-ample, Jonathan A. said, “I don’tthink [the prices] are fair. . . it’s anoutrage! ”Here are the results of thepoll on the acceptance of theSnapple change in price:

Outraged:__33___Annoyed:__16___Care:______1____Notice it:___2_____

Don’t care:_1_____Like it:____0_____

*More than 60% were outraged! A total of 53 students were polled.

Page 7

Opinions

One Journalist’s StoryBy Brian Carden

Have you ever thought about what you want to be when you growup? Craig S. Smith is a family friend and a European Correspondent (over-seas reporter) for the NY Times. Since I am lucky enough to know him, Iasked him questions about his life and profession and I’d like to share withyou some of our discussion.

When Craig was in high school, he wrote a lot and dreamt of be-coming a novelist. He went to college to study writing, but never reallyconsidered journalism until he graduated. At first, he tried to get a job as areporter, but no one would hire him so he ended up going to China to workin a trading company. There, Craig met a NY Times correspondent andthought his life was amazing. One day, he asked himself, “If I could beanything I wanted to be, what would it be?” The answer popped immedi-ately into his head: “a New York Times correspondent in China.” So he wentto work trying to become a journalist. It was painful and slow but he even-tually got his chance.

Craig says, “Don’t be afraid to follow a dream, even if it seems outof reach.”

Craig’s lived as a reporter in New York, Honk Kong, Shanghai andParis. But he’s worked in more than 40 countries. He recalled that he reallyenjoyed reporting a story on the North Sea coast, meeting the fishermen andlearning a lot about the environment. He thinks his most important work wasdone on China’s use of the death penalty and its practice of taking the kid-neys from executed prisoners for transplant in people who need them.

I asked Craig if he had ever been scared when he was working.“Yes, many times,” he said. In Afghanistan, he traveled with a lot of heavilyarmed guards but still there were moments of fear. The scariest times were inIraq. He traveled through the war zone, attacked by mobs on a couple ofoccasions and caught in firefights and mortar attacks a few other times.

In Craig’s words, “In situations like that you are completely focusedon your work and are livingthrough dramatic, tense events – often horrifying events, often intensely sadevents. Managing logistics, understanding what’s going on, talking to people,writing and sending (we call it filing) stories, takes up all of your time andenergy. There were no gas stations operating in Iraq in the wake of theinvasion, nor was there enough clean drinking water for the domestic popu-lation – let alone for roaming journalists. There were no stores open in whichto buy food. No one knew what currency was worth anyway. And to filestories you need to keep your laptop and your satellite phone charged, whichis not easy when the only electricity available is from the cigarette lighter inyour vehicle. A lot of time and energy is spent taking care of those things.The intensity is draining but you feel, more than most times in your life, thatevery moment counts.

“Of course, not all of journalism can be like that. There are storiesthat I have to write that are a lot of work and don’t interest me that much.That’s like a big homework assignment to me. But I get to travel and meetinteresting people and see interesting things, so, yes, I love my job.”

If you know somebody who inspired you, ask them a lot of ques-tions. Maybe it will change your life.

Do you see those Earth shirts?By Robert Gray 6 Green

AndLuke O’Connell 6 Green

In honor of Earth Day, the Grande-Robles 6th grade Green Houseteam made Earth Day T-shirts and handed out fliers. The purpose of thisactivity was to raise awareness about our environment and global warming.According to many leading scientists, and Al Gore, the Earth is heating upfast, and much damage has been done. The polar ice caps are melting, and ifthey melt fully, the sea level of the Earth will rise dramatically. It is not all badnews. There are many things we can do to stop global warming: using energyefficient light bulbs, drive fuel efficient cars, and recycle. If you would like tolearn more, you can contact one of the Earth Day Ambassadors (the peoplein the Grande-Robles team), and they may give you a flier.

Can We Just Get Some Sleep!?!By Ryan Havens

As I write this article, I get the feeling everybody should agree withme. Standardized time is B-A-D. As I came into school this Monday morn-ing of March 12th, coming off the end of Daylight Savings time, everybodywas sleepy. I don’t understand why we have to wake up an hour early;therefore going to school an hour earlier. All we need is some sleep!

In my second period class everybody had their head down. I could’vesworn that I heard a snore. Then in the afternoon during ninth period (Orwas it eighth? Darn. I forgot again) I was still feeling lazy and my pen wasshaking. As I typed I made a mistake a second. It was just a completelydrowsy day. I have a suggestion for the State Board of Education:

How about we make this time a vacation?!? We could have a niceweek off to adjust to this early-bird special. We could also have an adjust-ment on the start of school; maybe a 2-hour delay or so. Maybe you go toschool but you are allowed to fall asleep in class.

Uugh . . . I’m falling asleep. How about I end this article now beforeI . . . zzzzzzzzzz. . .

Photo from www.jossip.com

The opinions stated here are those of the authors and not of the Weber student body, staff, or administration.

The Weber Cafeteria goes Hi-Tech!The Weber Cafeteria goes Hi-Tech!The Weber Cafeteria goes Hi-Tech!The Weber Cafeteria goes Hi-Tech!The Weber Cafeteria goes Hi-Tech!By Ryan Havens

On May 17th, the Weber cafeteriagot an upgrade. They introduced the POSsystem. New cash registers were installedand they designated to read your ID cards.You need your ID cards because the IDcards are replacing the yellow lunch cardswe used to have. You put money on yourcard just like the lunch cards, and the reg-isters scan your cards and take the moneyneeded. This may sound good, but there

are many flaws.One flaw is that you can only pay for hot lunch. That means you

have to pay in cash for everything else, such as drinks and snacks. Anotherflaw is that most of the lunch staff didn’t have enough training with the newsystem, and do not know how to work the system. Also, the line for buyinglunch has not been getting shorter. Recently, I viewed the lunch line not onlygoing out the door, but the wait is increased. The longer the wait is, the lesstime there is to eat lunch. That is a major problem for lunchtime. Here are thecomments from two Weber students regarding the new lunch system:

“I think [the system] is outrageous and the [lunch] lines are muchlonger.”– Luke O’Connell

“If [the system] is not making the lines go any faster, then this meanswe wasted a chunk of money.” – Robert Gray

The system is a great hi-tech upgrade, but I feel that we don’t needany more problems to add to lunch line congestion.

Outrageous!!Outrageous!!Outrageous!!Outrageous!!Outrageous!!By Luke O’Connell, Green 6By Luke O’Connell, Green 6By Luke O’Connell, Green 6By Luke O’Connell, Green 6By Luke O’Connell, Green 6

Recently I learned something from my math teacher, Mrs. Cavallo,which enraged me. She told my class that the rulers on the protractors thechildren used during the State Math exam were incorrect!!! The ruler on theprotractor was off by a few sixteenths of an inch. I believe that if the statemakes us take a stressful test that measures our mathematical skills, theyshould at least give us reliable tools. Here are some comments on the sub-ject:“I am furious, not at the people who made the protractors, but I amangry at the state for buying unreliable tools for the Math State Test!!!”–Ryan, 6 Green“I am mad that we took this long state test and while taking it, knewthat the tools were not reliable and incorrect.” -Kristen, Green 6“I am very disappointed at the state; I think that we can no longer relyon them for the materials used for our state test” -Anonymous

Page 8

could swallow and c

Despite frigid temperatures and the impending Superbowl, the Weber Drama Club pressed on toput on an amazing show, Bye Bye Birdie on Friday, February 2, and continued through Sunday,February 4. The show proved to be a hit and everyone loved it.Bye Bye Birdie is set in the ‘60’s, and starts off with a terrible predicament. Albert Peterson,played by Andy Lieberman, owns his own music company, but his biggest success, Conrad Birdie,played by Jesse Weil, has now been drafted into the Army. Not only this, but Albert has a hugedebt to pay, and without Conrad, he’ll have to work the rest of his life to pay it off. But Albert’sgirlfriend, Rosie, played by Molly Ronis, wants him to dissolve his company and go back to collegeso he can become an English teacher. So, to pay off Albert’s debt, Rosie comes up with the ideathat Conrad will kiss one of his fans, Kim MacAfee, played by Bridgette McDermott, before hegoes into the Army. The whole show tells of how Rosie’s plan unfolds, and most of all, what goeswrong. Many laughs are brought to the stage by Mrs. Peterson, Albert’s mother, played by HilaryMogul, who interferes throughout the entire show. This show was complemented by songs such asPut on a Happy Face, One Last Kiss, and Kids. The show ends off with the famous song, Rosie,starring Andy Lieberman and Molly Ronis.We had much help from some returning 9th graders Jonny Schechner, Solomon Hoffman, andJessie Zeidman helping with music and David Rosenblatt, Matt Gray, Ali Schenkler, Nick Gardella,and Pablo Fumes, who helped with crew and the show overall. But most thanks go to our direc-tors, Cam Gelb and Lauren Foster, who helped us pull the show together just in time.

DRAMA CLUB NEWSDRAMA CLUB NEWSDRAMA CLUB NEWSDRAMA CLUB NEWSDRAMA CLUB NEWS“Bye Bye Birdie”“Bye Bye Birdie”“Bye Bye Birdie”“Bye Bye Birdie”“Bye Bye Birdie”By Annabelle MayBy Annabelle MayBy Annabelle MayBy Annabelle MayBy Annabelle May

Weber’s Fantastic Drama Club!Weber’s Fantastic Drama Club!Weber’s Fantastic Drama Club!Weber’s Fantastic Drama Club!Weber’s Fantastic Drama Club!

Page 9

Fun and Games

ANSWERS TO FUN AND GAMESANSWERS TO FUN AND GAMESANSWERS TO FUN AND GAMESANSWERS TO FUN AND GAMESANSWERS TO FUN AND GAMES

choke/poison them.

A- A- A- A- A-MS. BARNETT MS. BARNETT MS. BARNETT MS. BARNETT MS. BARNETT

B- B- B- B- B-MR. HAGEL MR. HAGEL MR. HAGEL MR. HAGEL MR. HAGEL

C- C- C- C- C-MR. SHACKEL MR. SHACKEL MR. SHACKEL MR. SHACKEL MR. SHACKEL

D- D- D- D- D-MS. DUBIE MS. DUBIE MS. DUBIE MS. DUBIE MS. DUBIE

E- E- E- E- E-MR. JOSEPH MR. JOSEPH MR. JOSEPH MR. JOSEPH MR. JOSEPH

“““““A School Quote”A School Quote”A School Quote”A School Quote”A School Quote”Directions: Do you know what a cryptoquote is? This puzzle is a cryptoquote, which means that you have to figure out what lettersof the alphabet belong on the blank numbered lines. When you finish, you will see a famous quote about education. There are someclue letters; don’t use those letters again. The missing letters are the remaining letters of the alphabet. For example, if you think theletter S belongs on line 4, put a S on every line with a 4 under it. Use the word/number box below to help you keep track of theletters you use. Remember, some letters are more common than others. R, S, L, T, N are more common than Q, X, or Z.GOOD LUCK!

“A School Quote”

The direction in which education starts a man willdetermine his future life. - Plato

Page 10

Photo A

Clues to photo A:

1) I teach the most delicious course in theschool.

2) I have made a “career” out of teaching.3) I like to tell stories to my classes.4) My rooms are on the second floor of

the red house but I teach students in allfour houses.

5) I like to read, cook, sew, and teach.6) I say “Holy Moly.”

Photo D

1) I work in the Red House and Blue House.2) I always say: “Where are my ……..?”3) I love to exercise4) I give anybody that I work with or meet food.

Clues to photo D:

Photo B

1) I am a technology teacher of 6 and 8th

grade.2) My sayings: “Look up,” and “Catch,throw, hit.”

Clues to photo B:

Photo C

1) I am a 7th grade English teacher.2) My sayings: “Go with the flow,” and“No excuses. Get it done!”

Clues to photo C:

Photo E

1) I am an English teacher.2) My saying: “Be Good.”3) I do 6th grade recess.

Clues to photo E:

Funny FotosBy Brina Wyss and Jacqueline LangroBy Brina Wyss and Jacqueline LangroBy Brina Wyss and Jacqueline LangroBy Brina Wyss and Jacqueline LangroBy Brina Wyss and Jacqueline Langro

Directions:Brina and Jackie took photos of fiveWeber staff members and asked eachstaff member to provide some cluesabout themselves. Using PhotoshopElements, they “erased” eachteacher’s face so that you, the reader,would not recognize the Weber staffmember. Do you think you knowwho each staff member is? Perhapsyou may need to read the clues beloweach photo. If you need more help,take a look at the answers, which arelisted on the bottom of page 9. Goodluck!

Start here...Start here...Start here...Start here...Start here...

Page 11

WEBER SPORTS

Congratulations!

We are proud of our Weberathletes!

PORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTPORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTPORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTPORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTPORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTBOARD OF EDUCATION 2006-2007BOARD OF EDUCATION 2006-2007BOARD OF EDUCATION 2006-2007BOARD OF EDUCATION 2006-2007BOARD OF EDUCATION 2006-2007

Robert Seiden, PresidentMark Marcellus, Vice President

Nancy V. Cowles, Lawrence Greenstein,Pat Foye, Dr. Roy Nelson, Jean-Marie Posner

Geoffrey N. Gordon, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, Edward F. Sallie, Asst. Supt. for Human Resources and General Administration, Dr. Charles Piemonte,Interim Asst. Supt. for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Mary M. Callahan, Asst. Supt. for Business

Spartan Sports

An UNDEFEATEDWrestling Season!

Typed by Brian Carden

The Weber boys’ wrestling team finished their season UNDEFEATED at8 wins:0 losses. They defeated both North Shore and Thompson at theirfinal match on Monday, March 19 with 19 wins, 8 losses and 2 ties.Congratulations to team membersMike, Jake, Peter, Chris, Ari, John,Timo, Jordan, John, Matt, Nick, Max, Ben, Boris, Leo, Tom, Noah, Lev,Evan, Rob, Brian, Eric, Josh, Jon, Rob, Harry, and Ben. Coach Enrightand Coach Baudo are proud of the effort the boys put into the undefeatedseason. The boys celebrated the season with a pizza party on Friday,March 23.

Girls’ 8Girls’ 8Girls’ 8Girls’ 8Girls’ 8ththththth grade grade grade grade gradeBasketballBasketballBasketballBasketballBasketball

The girls’ basketball team had a great season. Congratula-tions to all 8th grade girls. Team members included AlannaBethon, Emily Browning, Lauren Goldstein, Sarah Greene,

Rachel Lazar, Julia Marsigliano, Julianne McManus,Samantha Milhaven, Cori Nelson, Athena Papaporfinou,Carly Rosenberg, Rebecca Simoni, Amy Stern, and Cara

Tortoriello. Congratulations, girls!

Congratulations to all Weber teams on a great year of sportsmanship and success! Weber is proud of you!

BoBoBoBoBoyyyyysssss’ 8’ 8’ 8’ 8’ 8ttttthhhhh Gr Gr Gr Gr Grade Boade Boade Boade Boade Boyyyyys Basks Basks Basks Basks Baskeeeeetballtballtballtballtball

The boys’ 8th grade basketball team finished a very successful season with an impressive 10-1 record. They defeated powerhouses Garden City, Manhasset and Great Neck South in anexciting fashion. The boys worked hard throughout the season and played well as a team.The future of the Port Washington basketball program is bright as these players move on tothe high school.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Good News From Coach EnrightThe results are in! Mr. Enright is proud to announce that each one of his teams went UNDEFEATED this year! Congratulations are in order for the followingteams: 7th grade girls’ soccer team consisting of team players Paige, Shannon, Liz, Kaitlyn, Amanda, Elyse, Stephanie, Taylor, Amanda, Jessie, Sarah, Melissa,Amanda, and Iris. 7th and 8th grade wrestling team (see article, above), and the 8th grade boys’ lacrosse team consisting of team players Eric, Jon, Pat,Kyle, Mike, Jake, Breig, Mike, Spencer, Boris, Leo, Rob, Jon, Brian, Louis, Brad, Ben, and Hunter. It is a spectacular feat and we are proud of Mr. Enright andhis players.Of course, it must also be noted that retiring Coach Buonpane is one of the winningest coaches at Weber. In over 30 years at Weber, he has coached over 120teams with 119 wins under his belt! That is something to be proud of! Best of luck to you, Mr. Buonpane!