Stratford Schools

Jan/Feb

2017 School Scoop

From the Editor’s Corner….

As we all muddle through the frigid, sometimes cloudy days of winter, it is hard to touch base with our inner selves searching for the warm and fuzzy feelings that we all possess. The New Year is a time to reflect on our commitment to ourselves, others and those with whom we come in contact throughout each and every day. Love, kindness and commitment are three concepts that most people choose NOT to discuss with others. That plagues me as I can appreciate how important they are as we go about the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Perhaps the words of singer & song-writer, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, sum it up best. “What the world needs now is love sweet love.” Take some precious time in your life to let those you love know how important and valued they are. Need I say more?

Stay warm… Share a cup of hot cocoa with the one you love.

-Sandy Fusco

2

Samuel S. Yellin School 2nd Marking Period 2017

Superintendent’s List

GRADE 4

ABRAMS, PRIYA

BUDDEN, SAMANTHA

CAJIMAT, LEYNARD

CARMARDO, JASON

CAVANAUGH, KERRI

HAYLES, PARIS

KAY, IRELAND

McVEIGH, VAUAGHN

ORTIZ-TORRECILLA, ANTHONY

ROMANOWSKI, PAIGE

SIMPSON, ELYSE

TULLY, MICHAEL

WILSEY, AMBER

YOUNG, LEILA

GRADE 5

BAKER, JORDAN

BALOG, LILY

CHESTNUT, CHLOE

CONWAY, LAUREL

CORONEL, ERIC PAUL

DiGIACOMO, MICHAEL

DiGIACOMO, SOPHIA

HEALEY, BRIAN

HILGER, ISABELLE

JIANG, NICOLE

MARINUCCI, JULIA

MUDREY, ANTHONY

OSCIAK, GABRIELLE

SMITH, ANIYAH

SZAFRANSKI, DEVON

TOMKINSON, MICHAEL

VILAUBI, ISABELLA

WHITE, PAIGE

GRADE 6

MILLER, GRACE

STRADER, MARISSA

TULLY, CATHERINE

BLANCHARD, BRIANNA

GRADE 7

CARROLL, ERIN

GRECO, MIKAYLA

GREEN, PATRICK

HARBERT, ASHLEY

JANNATUL, SHAHELA

NGUYEN, LEYNA

NGUYEN, EMILY

REDFEARN, SYDNEY

SHEEHAN, KAILEY

WILSEY, TORI

GRADE 8

BALDINO, CASSANDRA

CONNEARNEY, ASHLEY

CORDON, RENEE-MARIE

DANIELS, EMILY

ENSIGN, CAITLYN

FEENEY, PAYTON

FILIPKOWSKI, JULIA

GIBSON, SAMANTHA

JANNATUL, SAMIA

KELLY, STEPHANIE

MERCADO, KAIYLAH

MILLER, MAKAYLA

NOLAN, LEAH

ORTIZ-TORRECILLA, KATHLEEN

PATIDAR, KRISHNA

PIGARO, SANTINO

PLEIS, ANGELINA

RITCHIE, ALYSSA

SIMS, KAILEY

WAER, AMANDA

Principal’s List GRADE 4

BEASLEY, JOHN

BRACH, STEPHEN

BURCH, LEIGHANN

CARROLL, PATRICK

CIANO, JACK

COLLINS, DEAN

COPESTICK, ELENA

ELBAZ, YASSER

ENSIGN, KELSEY

FULTON, CONNOR

HERNANDEZ, BELLA

HERRERA, MADISON

HICKMAN, MADDISON

HOFFMAN, JOSHUA

HOLLOWAY, DAVID

HUTCHINSON, ANIYAH

HYCZKA, JEREMY

KUHN, ANGELINA

LeMASNEY, ERIN

LIN, ERICA

LOPEZ, DAMARIES

McFALLS, MATTHEW

MILLER, EVAN

MOYERS, MEGAN

MUADDI, JOSEPH

MURPHY, LOGAN

OHLINGER, AUTUMN

PALESE, ISABELLA

PERTSCHI, KAYLA

RICHWAY, MICHAEL

ROMANO, RYAN

ROSSANO, QUENTIN

SAGGIO, SOPHIA

STEVENSON, ELIZABETH

THOMAS, STEVEN

WARRINGTON, CONNOR

WASHINGTON, AIDEN

GRADE 5

AGUILAR, GENESIS

CLARK, JACOB

CURTISS, ANDREW

DAWSON, DAVID

DiBARTOLOMEO, MARC

EDDIS, TIMOTHY

FULLER, SAMANTHA

LASH, HOPE

LEWIS, PAIGE

MANGOLD, KATIE

MARTIN, VICTORIA

MARTIN, TAYLOR

MORGANDALE, GRACE

NATALE, JOSEPH

NICHOLAS, BENJAMIN

RAMIREZ, AALIYAH

REHMAN, BRANDON

REVAITIS, MACKENZIE

REYES, MAYNOR

SIMS, MORGAN

SNIVELY, DOMINIC

STAHL, ALYSSA

TAYLOR, NATHANIEL

TINDLEY, AROIN

VERA, JULIAN

YAGMURKAYA, ENSAR

GRADE 6

AGUINALDO, DYRA LYN

BROWN, ALYSSA

CAMARDO, JAKE

CARNEY, RYAN

CARUSO, VERA

COIGNE, BRADLEY

COLLINS, DAMON

COREA, DAVID

GREEN, ELAHNI

HUGHES, QUINN

MACK, NICHOLAS

MAENNER, KASSIDY

McCORMICK, BRENNA

McVEIGH, KATE

PAGLIONE, ALINA

PAPA, GIANNA

RALSTON, MARGARET

RAROHA, CHLOE

RICE, CHARLES

RODRIGUEZ, JUSTIN

ROSSANO, MICHAEL ANNE

SAGGIO, LOGAN

SHEEHAN, BRADEN

SNIVELY, MADISON

THATCHER , ANTHONY

WRIGHT, MATTHEW

GRADE 7

ADDEO, JOSEPH

BECKER, ALEXIA

BELL, RAINIE

CALTZALCO, ALAN

CARMODY, NATHAN

CESARANO, VIVIAN

DeANGELO, ISABELLA

GRANT, ASHLEY

HATFIELD, ALEXIS

HERNANDEZ, ANGELINA

KNIGHT, JOSHUA

KROMAH, ALICIA

LEWIS, EMILY

MATARAZZO, WILLIAM

MENNIG, SARAH

MILLER, CATHERINE

MILUTINOVIC, MICHELE

MUDREY, ALEXANDRA

NONG, ANTHONY

NOVOA, BRITNEY

NULUD, DAVID

OSSORIO, MICHAEL

PELCAK, RAYNA

PINE, TYLER

SAFFOLD-RANDOLPH, EZEARIA

SWALLOW, OLIVIA

TAYLOR, SARAYAH

TISERA, ROSE

WEST, DYLAN

YOUNG, DONOVAN

GRADE 8

AKHMEDOV, ISLAM

BERRIOS, KHYLA

BOCAJ, GABE

BRACH, CHARLIE

BROWN, ALEX

BROWN, CHRISTIAN

CHESTNUT, COLLIN

ERDMAN, GEORGIA

FLETCHER, JOSHUA

HOBBS, AYANNA

McCORMICK, ALLIE

MENTO, VANESSA

ROMANO, JOSEPH

SCHMIDT, ERIC

SHEILDS, JAKE

SHINKOWITZ, CAAMERON

SIERK, VICTORIA

TROILO, STEVEN

VITALE, JAKE

WALSH, GARRETT

WARRINGTON, NATALIE

Honor roll continued page 3….

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Yellin Parkview

Grade 4

Brianna White

Joseph Thatcher

Kindergarten

Emelyn Copestick

Jacob Houliaras

Grade 5

Brian Healey

Morgan Sims

Grade 1

Evelyn Greco

Dominic Langello

Grade 6

Marissa Strader

Matthew Wright

Grade 2

Lucas Baez

Samantha Cullinan

Grade 7

Christopher Simpson

Alexia Becker

Grade 3

Brianna Langello

Austin Ackley

Grade 8

Kailey Sims

Eric Schmidt

Yellin Parkview

Grade 4

Bryan Hernandez

Kelsey Ensign

Kindergarten

Rose Balog

Carter Hall

Grade 5

Ensar Yagmurkaya

Isabella Vilaubi

Grade 1

Margot Grace

Chris Ward

Grade 6

Elahni Green

David Corea

Grade 2

Allison Brown

Colin Rupp

Grade 7

Aiden Gray

Vivian Cesarano

Grade 3

Madison Sims

Matthew Natale

Grade 8

Mason McFalls

Cassie Baldino

Honor Roll

GRADE 4

CALTZALCO, NICHOLAS

CHESTNUT, CARA

DUCKETT, KHALIAH

FRAND, VINCENT

KOZENIEWSKI, CASEY

MARYASZ, VINCENZO

MOODY, ANASTASIA

NELSON, JONATHAN

REID, RYAN

REID, RYLIE

SIMMONS, PAUL

STRADER, MATTHEW

GRADE 5

CANLAS, JAYWELLE

GALLAGHER, KEVIN

HOULIARAS, NICHOLAS

MARTIN, KAITLYN

SCHWARTZ, BRIANA

WILSON, JADEN

GRADE 6

AVALOS-ANALCO, ARIEL

CARLIN, BRAD

CAVANAUGH, SHAWN

HUGHES,

IGLESIAS-DeLosSANTOS, JANICE

LUCIER, HALEY

REVAITIS, ETHAN

VERA, WILLIAM

GRADE 7

BAUGHER, RACHEL

BOCAJ, JULIA

CAPOZZOLI, NICHOLAS

COSTELLO, KATHERINE

DAVID, MICHAEL

GIORDANO, JULIANNA

HAZELEY, ALICIA

JAUME, MATTHEW

MADRID-FLORES, IRIDIAN

MILUTINOVIC, MELODY

REARDON, CASEY

REVAITIS, GABRIELLE

SCHWARATZ, SARA

SOWDEN, MADISON

ZINGARO, JAMES

GRADE 8

ALBRIGHT, MORGAN

BARRIOS, SAMARAH

CAMPBELL, CHRISTOPHER

CANLAS, RYNELLE

DIZZLEY, JAYDA

GRASSI, ANDREW

KERN, HENRY

KOZENIEWSKI, SEAN

McBRIDE, ETHAN

McFALLS, MASON

SANISLO-THOMAS, SARAH

SPITZNAS, SAVANNAH

2016-2017

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Parkview held its annual “Souper Bowl” luncheon in conjunction with the NFL Super Bowl to kick-off Math-A-

Thon, a fundraising event for the children of St. Jude. This year, Parkview held their Math-A-Thon “Souper Bowl” on Tuesday, February 7th. Much like the epic, unbelievable and

astounding Super Bowl 51, Parkview’s “Souper Bowl” 2017 featured both returning champions (Mrs. Taylor’s Seafood Chowder, Mrs. J. Stewart’s Chicken Chili, Mr. Edelmayer’s

Sausage and Potato Soup) as well as newcomers (Ms. Ro-driguez’s LaEsperanza’s Sopa de Pollo, Mrs. Alexander’s Chicken Orzo Soup and Mrs. Long's Pasta Fagioli). Much

like Tom Brady leading the Patriots to their historic come-back win, Parkview teachers came back for many delicious desserts as well. By making

a donation of $6 per person to sample the many soups and desserts, our Parkview family was able to make a heartfelt and

meaningful donation to the Righter family to help with their expenses. Get ready for Math

-A-Thon, which is scheduled to kick off on Monday, March 13th. It is sure to be another epic event!

-Special thanks to Mrs. Brown and all Parkview Staff for participating

After a fun filled holiday season, our beautiful, festive

holiday cards often find themselves trashed or recy-

cled. This year, the Mini Bridge Club at Yellin collected

old Christmas cards to be donated to St. Jude’s Ranch

for Children in Nevada. St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

is an organization that helps abused and at-risk

children get through tough times.

The Mini Bridge Club, led by Yellin’s Mrs. Boyle and

Parkview’s Mrs. Alexander, headed up this Christmas

card collection. During the months of January and

February, they collected old Christmas cards from

student and staff at both Yellin and Parkview Schools.

Once the Mini Bridge Club had all of the cards, they

cut off the fronts and mailed them to St. Jude’s. St.

Jude’s will reuse the cards and turn them into new

holiday cards to sell and raise money for the ranch.

We are happy to report that our two schools collected

close to 200 Christmas cards to donate to St. Jude’s!

Next holiday season, keep this wonderful opportunity

to donate your old Christmas cards in mind instead of

putting them in the recycle can!

-By Jeremey Clark, Brianna Gilligan, Katelyn Stevenson

5

Night of the Arts Night of The Arts

2017 Warhol’s World

Once again, under the leadership of Mrs. Mary McTague, the Stratford School District hosted the fifth annual Night of The Arts. This year’s featured artist was Andy Warhol. Teachers and their students delved into the creative past of the 1960’s artist, Andy Warhol. Fourth and eighth graders researched his personal and professional life, the tumultuous time period, and many other intriguing aspects surrounding this amazing artist’s creations. This year’s display included an increased number of digital projects, demonstrating the talent and ingenuity of our students. The well-known Camp-bell Soup can that Warhol is known for was metic-ulously replicated by Mrs. McTague’s classes. As in previous years, a packed house attended this classy event; parents, friends and guests departed very proudly as they were in awe of the hard work put forth by our students. A huge shout-out is extended to Mrs. McTague for the planning and coordination of this fun-filled evening!

Mrs. Taylor’s Digital Class Project

Green Team Robot

By Mrs. Barbara Carlson and the Green Team

6

2017 Pep Rally In retrospect, our Yellin athletes had another phenomenal season!

In fact, this year’s winter pep-rally hosted our Yellin School sports’ ath-

letes, those from Sterling High School ’s Eighth Grade Sports Program, as

well as athletes from our “town” teams, the SAO, Stratford Athletic Organi-

zation. In typical fine Yellin Style, cheering and skill-oriented activities

helped to get as many students and teachers energized and involved as

possible. A memorable sight was watching Yellin School’s Principal, Mr.

David Ricci and teacher, Mr. Michael Lucchesi, show off their fancy foot-

work as they adeptly attempted foul shots. As the buzzard sounded, a tie

was called as both Mr. Ricci and Mr. Lucchesi scored three points.

All in all, this annual event commenced a fun-filled week of excit-

ing games and memories for all. We wish all our teams the best of luck as

they conclude this 2016-17 season. Cherish the moments!

The Super Dance: A Sports Themed Dance

On January 28th, Renaissance sponsored the Super Dance for 7th and 8th graders at the YMCA. Attendees stated that it was fun and enjoyable with many activities available such as swimming, dodgeball, baseball, basketball, and more! Like at most dances, there was candy and chips for sale, but they also had pizza to buy as a super treat. This, along with many other fundraisers, enables the students at Yellin to participate in a plethora of fun activities throughout the school year. That is why it is always a fabulous idea to attend as many school functions as possible; supporting our school helps our community in numerous ways.

By Raine Bell

Cheering for Charity

Sunday February 19th, the Yellin Squire Cheerlead-ers competed at the University of Delaware in a Cheer for Charity competition. Our group of talented girls performed well and received numerous recog-nitions!

Our squad placed 2nd in the Junior division which had three teams. Also, Breanna Loper, Alina Paglio-ne and Amanda Waer participated in tumble stars and each received a participation award. Alina Pa-glione also received first place out of ten girls in the 10, 11, 12 year old division and Amanda Waer received second place out of four girls in the 13, 14, 15 year old division. Congrats to everyone for their hard work all season and at competition!

Special thanks to Ms. Jamison

7

Lady Squires Finished Strong

The Lady Basketball Squires had a phenomenal season this year! Captains Kailey Sims and Grace Michielli led their team to playoffs with extreme confidence, making their school, family and friends immensely proud.

Although the girls did not make it to cham-pionships, they consistently worked their hardest and adeptly proved their skills to other schools. In fact, at the Winter Sports pep rally, the girls per-formed a full court weave leaving the student body awestruck by their talent. Perhaps their most admi-rable quality was their daily sense of “team playing” during every practice as well as game. As we close this incredible season, we wish the very best of luck to the Lady Squires Basketball Team and the departing players.

Thanks for the memories!

Outstanding Season for the Squires The boys’ basketball team has done

an outstanding job this season. The team earned 23-0 during the regular season and proceeded to the playoffs. They have blown out many other teams by almost 50 points.

On the evening of February 28th, the Squires faced off against Somerdale for what would be their last playoff game and secured the win! Our boys won the playoffs with a final score of 62-47 and won the championship! It was an unforget-table evening which culminated all of their hard work and dedication this season. We look forward to what success we will have next season, but until then, rest up and be proud of the ultimate win.

Go Squires! Thanks for making us proud!

By Eric Schmidt

8

Community Counts: A study of Historical Stratford

Last month, Ms. Law’s third grade class studied historical Stratford. Students in Ms. Law’s class worked in teams to research, write a short speech, draw an illustration and create a 3D model of each historic landmark they studied. For example, Alyssa Papa and Emily Wright researched the Charles King’s house, while Noah Weitzel and Alexis Kuhn presented our early transportation system which includes the old yellow trolley line. Students researched and presented other historic landmarks of our town such as Haggerty Field, the fire sta-tion, the police department, library, Miss Stratford Pageant, the postal department and Tomlinson Manson. We worked together to design a large 3D model of Stratford. After we completed our project, we were in for a sweet surprise.

On February 6th, we were so lucky to have a special guest: Stratford’s

very own Mayor Keenan, visit our class and view our presentations! He shared with us a bit about Stratford back then compared to what it is like now. Mayor Keenan spoke to us about his responsibilities as our town mayor. He encouraged us to be good citizens by doing things like not polluting and always paying your taxes. He also encouraged us to become involved and volunteer in our com-munity when we get older.

The special visit from Mayor Keenan was a great way to wrap up our unit of study on the local government, communities working together, and the history of Stratford. We learned a great deal about our home community and now have a new view and sense of pride as we drive through our very own town of Stratford, New Jersey.

By Alexis Kuhn and Emily Wright

The Diary of Anne Frank: A Poignant Example of Hope For the fifth consecutive year, Samuel S. Yellin School’s eighth grade students were afforded the opportunity

to be a part of the student audience during the Camden County College performance of The Diary of Anne

Frank. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman, this phenomenal production meticulously elaborated on the life of Anne

Frank, a young adolescent who lived in hiding with family and acquaintances during the Holocaust. As a result

of leaving her diary behind, Anne’s heartwarming story of hope and perseverance aptly describes the daily raw

events of the last years of her brief but rich young life.

Unlike previous years, The Mainstage Center at Camden County College also hosted a Holocaust survivor

who personally shared his amazing story of persistence and hopefulness.

In his closing words, Charles, the eighty-five year old speaker, emphasized how HATE is the culprit as it

relates to the Holocaust and crimes of today. Students were asked to ponder their behaviors and how their

impact is much significant than even they can imagine.

9

Drama News Yellin’s Spring Musical

Mulan, the 1998 American musical action-drama, was produced by the

one and only, Walt Disney. Based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, this

animated production features Eddie Murphy as Ming-Na and Jackie Chan as

the voice necessary for the Chinese dubbing. The film’s plot takes place during Han Dynasty where Fa Mulan

impersonates a man in order to take her father’s place while serving in the military.

As in previous years, Mrs. Mary McTague is the director while Mrs. Loretta Kozieja is the vocal coach, and

Mrs. Tracy Taylor is our tech guru while guiding the sound department. In addition to the integral staff, there

are also a sharp group of talented students who are heavily involved in the set design and coordination nec-

essary in the planning of this popular production.

Please support this year’s cast and crew as the TWO shows are scheduled for May 4 and 5.

Each show begins at 7:30, and tickets are $5.00 for students and seniors and $7.00 dollars for adults.

We hope to see you there!

Assistant Director, Mrs. Loretta Kozieja

Actress Krishna Patidar before practice

10

Be sure to check out your local library over winter

break for many more

favorites!

The Luckiest Girl By: Beverly Clearly

-Recommended by Mrs. Tomar for 4th-6th graders

By Your Side By: Kasie West

-Recommended by Mrs. Tomar for 7th-8th graders

Frog and Toad are Friends by: Arnold Lobel

-Recommended by Mrs. Boyle

Stratford Library

303 Union Ave.

Stratford, N.J., 08084

856-783-0602

stratfordlibrarynj.org

Camden County Library

M Allan Vogelson Branch

203 Laurel Rd.

Voorhees, NJ, 08043

856-772-1636

camdencountylibrary.org

After a disagreement with her mother, Shelley is

given permission to spend the next school year

with her mother’s friend in California. Shelley

fits in immediately and even catches the atten-

tion of two of the most popular boys in school.

As it turns out, Shelley was invited to California

to be a role model for her mother’s friend’s

daughter, Katie. Can Shelley manage to date,

do well in school, and help guide Katie through

her adolescent rough patch? What will happen

when she goes back home at the end of the

year? Also, how did people even date before cell

phones existed?

Autumn is popular, nice, and about five minutes

away from going out with her long-time

crush. Autumn is also keeping a big secret from

nearly everyone she knows. When she accidental-

ly gets locked in a public library with the mysteri-

ous guy from school, can she continue to protect

her secret? Can she, and her social status, sur-

vive three whole days with someone she may

actually like more than her crush? Though you

may guess the ending of this book, the twists and

turns that get you there are what make By Your

Side such a delightful read!

This is a favorite series with our Parkview students. It is

about two friends, Frog and Toad, who go on many adven-

tures together. Whether they are swimming, eating ice

cream, or just having fun, they are al-

ways there to help each other. Frog and

Toad are loveable characters who are

sure to make you laugh!

11

Creative corner is a space for students to express their creativity through art and writing.

Students can submit work to Mrs. Fusco at Yellin and Mrs. Richards to Parkview for con-

sideration to be published in the next issue of School Scoop!

Congrats to the “Writers of the Month” from Yellin School. Islam Akhmedov is

recognized for her literary analysis.

Literary Analysis By Islam Akhmedov Throughout the year, we have ana-

lyzed many articles, songs , and novels. One of my favorite books was S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.This novel is filled with many intriguing themes.

I think one of the most prevalent themes of the novel is searching for one's identity. Many of the characters are bom-barded with countless life experiences forc-ing them to think on their feet ; they, as a result, form a stronger , mature “self” as they enter their adulthood. When Ponyboy and Johnny ran away to the park and the drunken Socs pulled up to them, they chased them to the water foun-tain and started to drown Ponyboy. Johnny had to stand up to defend Pony because they were like brothers, so he stabbed Bob, the handsome Soc. “ I killed him,” Johnny said slowly, ‘‘ I killed that boy.’’ Johnny who is known as the gang's pet and wouldn't hurt a living thing, had just killed somebody. This was shocking because it revealed Johnny’s identity that he could be the gang’s pet; however, when he had to stand up for his gang he would go ballistic, and ‘‘take care of business.’’ This behavior reveals a stronger more “together” Johnny.

Continued on page 10...

Congrats to the “Writers of the Month” from Yellin School. Khyla Berrios of 8th grade was selected as January's “Writer of the Month” for her open

ended writing selection. Islam Akhmedov of 8th grade is recognized as February’s “Writer of the Month” for her literary analysis piece.

The Missing Part

By Khyla Berrios

When my enrichment teacher gave my class the assignment to write

about something that inspires us, the first thing I thought of was

Anime. Watching Anime and reading Manga is one of my favorite

things to do. They’re different things but the same. I know, it sounds

weird right? By definition, Mangas are Japanese comic books, and they

have a wide range of genres, and Anime is the animated version of

Mangas. Also Anime doesn’t have to be based off of a Manga, it can

just be another great animation; Anime is Japanese but can be

“dubbed”, or re-voiced over into English for viewers who prefer not to

read the subtitles.

The first time I watched anime was roughly around third or fourth

grade, I believe. My sister’s friend, who was also our neighbor, used to

come over a lot. One time we had Netflix on our TV and our neighbor,

whose name is Frankie, introduced me to this show named “Fairy Tail”.

The show is an Anime created from the original Manga, which is ongo-

ing to this day, and when we watched the first episode together, I real-

ized what I’ve been missing in my life. After “Fairy Tail”, it went on from

there; I was watching Anime all day long. There was no stopping my “all

-nighters” to finish a season of my new favorite show; my grades in

school didn’t suffer, even though I was watching anime all week, but I

did get in trouble for not going to bed on time.

To continue, I started to read Manga about three or four

years ago and, just like anime, it has a lot of genres. Manga is usually

in black and white but can also come in color, and each Manga has a

different art style. The authors, or Manga artists as they are called,

have a different way or style of drawing. After I had read Manga for

some time, I became interested in how to draw manga characters and

anime characters. It wasn’t easy in the beginning; drawing Manga and

characters requires patience as well as skill; and I still haven’t been

able to draw well. Thus far, I’ve only learned how to draw the face,

head, hair, and eyes, but I haven’t perfected it so I still have a hard

time drawing the eyes and hair. Drawing Manga style or Anime style is

something I really enjoy, and my next step is to draw a full body. Print-

ing drawing templates is something that will help me start and guide

me.

Continued on page 10….

12

….Literary Analysis continued Another example of the identity issue is when Darry is standing at the hospital looking at Ponyboy after

he was taken by ambulance. Darry was crying after seeing his brother hurt like this. He hadn't even cried when his parents died at the auto-wreck. This means that even though he is tough and strong, he loves and cares for his brothers. “I hadn’t seen him cry in years, not even when Mom and Dad had been killed.” “Suddenly I realized, horrified, that Darry was crying.” This reveals Darry’s true identity because even though he is tough on the out-side, he is soft like a marshmallow on the inside.

All in all, as in any piece of literature, the reader can delve for and find many themes. Since Hinton’s novel was written for young teens, this idea of seeking one’s identity was relatable and interesting , enabling most typical teenagers to walk away with a better understanding of how we journey through the peaks and valleys of our lives, creating a self-identity that we can all appreciate .

...The Missing Part continued

All in all, I hope to be a really good drawer by next year, but I’m only going to keep

practicing because I know I can become even better. Drawing just a face used to take me an

hour or more; now it’s a solid thirty minutes. I’m a perfectionist so on most nights when I’m

drawing, I usually don’t end up going to bed until one in the morning. Once I finish drawing, I’ll

usually just take a picture of it and then put my stuff away, but I just started coloring my draw-

ings, so I’m working on that too.

Pinterest, a social media option, is where I also find a lot of inspiration for drawing,

and then I get an idea and start drawing for hours, erasing over and over until I like what I have

drawn. Since I’ve been drawing, I have also picked up on other forms of art, such as oil painting

and acrylic painting. My mom has been very supportive of my drawing and painting; last year

she gave me a bunch of acrylic paint brushes and an oil painting kit. The kit included a brush

set, oil paint, a texture palette, pencil and an eraser, and paint palette. I also have about five

sketchbooks, and I have used each one for something different. Since I always end up where I

started, watching Anime, my inspiration never runs out. All of my hobbies are connected to

Japan, so I have even started studying the language, as I have “picked up” on certain phrases

and words, for example , how to say “Hello”, “Sorry”, and “Thank you.” Japanese is considered

one of the hardest languages to learn, but I’ve been learning it for about three years now and

personally, it’s really easy. I do regret that I took a really long break from the language, when I

first started, and only remembered a few things that were in my long-term memory, but I’m

back on my feet and enjoying it. Learning Japanese wasn’t done all by myself; I actually use a

free app called “Memrise” that offers hundreds of language courses and helps you learn things

progressively. The app uses stages such as “Learn new words”, “Classic Review”, “Speed

Review”, and even though the app is free, there are stages you can use if you buy a subscrip-

tion for the Pro option of learning.

Currently, I am doing a bit of free writing; this is something I want to get better at

because my dream is to study ELA in college so that I can teach English in Japan at primary

schools, high schools, and possibly colleges. This is my dream because I’ve always wanted to

go to Japan and since I love writing and language arts, I figured that I could make a job out of

the two; and I’m working towards it.

Ever since I realized this career goal , I’ve been learning Japanese more seriously;

I also have a notebook, that my mom bought me in which I write all the words and phrases that

I’ve learned from Anime and Memrise. Watching Japanese shows, not just Anime but dramas,

also helps with learning Japanese because you can see how people usually interact with each

other and when they use certain words or gestures in specific situations. One thing I’ve noticed

while learning Japanese and watching these shows is that they really relate to different places.

For example, first it was Anime and Japanese dramas, and now it’s K-dramas, which are Kore-

an dramas.

To add to the above, the next Olympics, in 2020, are going to be held in Tokyo,

Japan and I’m excited because my grandmother told me that there is a chance that we can go

to Japan and see the Olympics! It’s not set in stone but if things work out well I’ll be able to go

with my grandma and go on an airplane for the first time. This is a great opportunity to maybe

use some of the Japanese I have learned and to see more of Japan before I go there to, hope-

fully, work my dream job!

Now, I really don’t want to because I can talk for hours about Japan, but to wrap

up, I overall really think that after the years I’ve been working and studying the language, I’m

more into it than I thought I would be when I started. I’m very surprised at how far I’ve come,

and I am only going to go further, no matter what! (Please check out some of the Japanese I

have learned.)

Watashi no namae wa Khyla desu

わたしのなまえわKhylaです

My name is Khyla.

わたしのきじをよんでいただき

ありがとうございます。

Thank you for reading my article.

Sketch of Anime character: Kodomi-san by By Khyla Berrios

13

School Scoop Staff 2016-17

Editors:

Mrs. Fusco

Mrs. Richards

Student Staff:

Kathleen Ortiz-Torrecilla

Samia Jannatul

Eric Schmidt

Julia Filipkowski

Ranie Bell

Jeff Ziegler……………………………….…….Board President

Sue Bove……………………………..….……..Board Vice President

Bruce Thompson

Brian Sime

Steve Troilo

Harry Moffett

Michael Redfearn

Nancy Scully

Dawn Martin

Rich St. Maur

Thomas Attanasi…………………………….Superintendent

Denise Di Giandomenico………………….Business Administrator

As we welcome in 2017, we also bid a warm farewell to some former board members and welcome in new. Please note the changes on

the Stratford Board of Education.

We sincerely thank Mr. D’Angelo and Mrs. Lomanno for their service

to our community .

Stratford School District

Board of Education

Dates to Remember…

March 17

No School for Students….Staff In-Service

April 14-21

School Closed….Spring Recess

April 25 & 26

Early Dismissal for Students….Conferences

May 26

No School for Students….Staff In-Service

May 29

School Closed….Memorial Day

Parkview Students Math-A-Thon:

March 13th-April 10th

During the month of March,

Sterling High School

will be scheduling classes for

incoming 9th graders for the

2017/2018 School Year at

Yellin!

Check your mail.