The Mattlin PRIDE

MATTLIN MATTERS Cinderella PRIDE Approach Word Search Text Language POB’s Hackathon WHAT IN THE WORLD? Everyday Drones Star Wars Review Hoverboards Money Facts SPORTS Chess? Yes! Rays go to Cuba Video Games: No! Video Games: Yes! Hawks Basketball THE LAST WORD Student Council Corner Newspaper Club Little Drs. Blood Drive

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Winter 2014-15

Amplified Learning

Mattlin’s Musical for 2016

The most enchanting fairytale, Cinderella, is Mattlin’s musical this year. The story is about a beautiful girl named Cinderella who wants to embark on her dream to find her true love and all “The Sweetest Sounds” she can find. Unfortunately, all of her dreams and wishes are being thwarted by her mean stepmother and her nasty stepsisters, Grace and Joy. Then one day, Lionel, the prince’s royal steward, announces, “The Prince Is Giving a Ball.”

Christopher, the prince, hears about the ball and rushes home to tell his parents, King Maximillian and Queen Constantina. They tell him to go along with the festivities.

The King and Queen say that all “Boys and Girls Like You and Me” are not the same. When Cinderella’s stepfamily hears about the ball, they enthusiastically prepare for it. However, they don’t allow Cinderella to go because, in her eyes, she is just an ugly, ragged, servant girl. The night of the ball, after the stepfamily has left the house, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appears and tells her that nothing is “Impossible.” Things are happening every day, and “It’s Possible” for a pumpkin to become a golden carriage, and four white mice can easily be turned into horses. She gives Cinderella a beautiful ballgown and wonderful glass slippers. But Fairy Godmother warns Cinderella that she must be out of the ball and in the carriage by midnight. When Cinderella arrives at the ball, everyone stares at

this mysterious beauty, including Prince Christopher. She and the prince start to dance all around the ballroom floor as everyone stares at the two of them. The prince says he can’t believe he met her just “Ten Minutes Ago,” and now he feels like she’s the one. Grace and Joy fight over why the prince sure seemed to go for this beautiful “stranger” in a “Stepsisters’ Lament.” The prince starts singing “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” as he realizes that he and this lovely girl have much in common. As they fall deeply in love,

they share true love’s first kiss. But as the story goes, the clock strikes midnight and Cinderella

rushes out, leaving behind one glass slipper. Back at home just in time, Cinderella listens to her stepmother and stepsisters talk about the ball. Meanwhile, Lionel and Prince Christopher are going everywhere in search of the maiden who fits the glass slipper. When they get to Cinderella’s house, Joy and Grace try it on, but it doesn’t fit because Joy and Grace are faking that it is theirs. When Cinderella tries it on… it fits! The prince has found his true love. Now, Cinderella realizes that everything is possible and that “There’s Music in You!” -Monty Boxer

Spring 2016

IN THIS ISSUE:

You can see the talented Mattlin Drama Cadets and hear them sing these amazing songs and more,

May 5th at 4:30 and May 6th & 7th at 7:30.

Pick up an order form at the front desk in A-House. Fill out the form and return it to the front desk with

your payment of $9 per seat. Your tickets will be ready the next day and can be

picked up at the front desk. All seats are reserved.

If you want to sit with your friends, put all names on one form.

Don’t miss it!

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PRIDE Approach

Mattlin Pride Approach Club has a goal: bringing our school together, making it a priority to stop all forms of bullying, creating strong powerful friendships, helping kids help kids, and keeping PRIDE alive, all while improving school climate. Actually, Mattlin Pride Approach Club has lots of goals, so we are going to need a lot of help to get the job done. Becoming a member means accomplishing these goals and contributing to your school and the climate, characteristics, and quality of school life. If you want more people showing their Personal Best, Respect, Impulse Control, Decision Making, and Empathy, we want YOU!

Why is school climate even important? Think about this: Pretend you are a new student in our

district. In fact, let’s go into the mind of a new student at Mattlin. Welcome to the mind of Alice Newgirl. Let’s observe Alice and let her take the driver’s seat.

“Hello, does anyone know where A-house--“ “Move it, girl, you are getting in everyone's way.” “I didn’t mean to; I just want to--” “If I had the time, I would give you an insult.” These people are so rude. Why did we have to move? Everything was fine back home in Florida, where it was always so warm and sunny.

Okay, that is enough! I can't bear to see Alice get bullied the first couple of minutes of her new school life, and no one even stands up for her! Cut the tape! This is not the way the real Mattlin operates. This is not how we welcome our new students. That bully has lost all meaning of PRIDE. Oh wait, look! Here comes another girl; let’s continue our fantasy:

“Hi, sorry to bother you, but I heard you needed help.” “Oh, that is very kind of you.” “By the way, my name is Sunny. Sunny Kind. Come on, we will go to A-house and then we can sit at lunch together.” ”Thank you. I would like that very much.” Who knew… maybe not everyone is cruel and cold. I think I am going to like it here!

Now that reminds me of Mattlin Middle School, and that girl exudes PRIDE. A lot has happened in 2.8 minutes! Then again this is just a fantasy. Let’s get back to the point!

Alice is coming off the bus at home. “So Sweetie, how was your day?” “Well, it may not be as warm and sunny as it is in Florida, but the people and hearts here are quite

sunny!” Now this is what Mattlin is about: making others feel welcome and safe, learning how to adjust and

be flexible, having empathy for each other, being kind, and having respect. The list goes on and on, but you can sum up this long list into a single, powerful word: PRIDE. This, fellow students, is just one example of school climate’s importance and what we do here at Mattlin Pride Approach Club. Interested in becoming a member? I hope so! After the fantasy and the little speech at the end, you must, right? We currently meet once a month on a Monday, in room B27, so come check out the club calendar for our next meeting. Hope to see you there! -Jessica Knaster

Mattlin PRIDE

Page 3 Mattlin PRIDE

Mattlin Pride - Word Search -Jaclyn Printz

L H A T S M J S R F E X T K G

O B X D U P Z U I P H D L N D

R S E N R M X I R F O E I U B

T T R R K L X P N G G K S R I

N R X E C M Y E V J A U O M P

O S G S P Z U R R M D N Q A C

C G L P X N U S N W E M X T V

E M E E V O Y O D M E S B T Y

S C Y C I I I N P S D M A L T

L Z D T F S E A R O O C N I O

U A F X I G T L T R W O S N M

P K X C E H Z B T C B G V J M

M H E Z Y N C E O C L K K S D

I D B M V J W S O C F Y H Y J

Z D P C S W B T O O B U H X T

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

MATTLIN PRIDE PERSONAL BEST RESPECT IMPULSE CONTROL DECISION MAKING EMPATHY

lol laughing out loud

L8r later imo in my opinion

ttyl talk to you later

ur your/you are pos parent over shoulder

brb be right back

smh shaking my head myob mind your own business

omg oh my god asap as soon as possi-ble

k / kk okay

ly love you gtg got to go qt cutie

lysm love you so much

thx thanks nc no comment

2 to/too ty thank you np no problem

4 for plz please ru are you

B be w with tmi too much info

C see wo without Gr8 great

R are f2f face to face btw by the way

U you irl In real life diy do it yourself

Y why imho in my humble/honest opinion

htp hope this helps

bf boyfriend jk just kidding otoh on the other hand

gf girlfriend ikr I know, right? rotfl rolling on the floor laughing

otp one true pair idk I don’t know tbh to be honest

bff best friends forever

idc I don’t care omw On my way

bae before any-one else

nvm never mind fyi for your information

Text Language A typical text message

nowadays is made up of text abbreviations, a couple

of emoji-ideograms, and just regular words. Emoji

expressions tend to be pretty obvious. Internet

acronyms, however, may not be as easily under-

stood. Well, finally, you can look them up here. Next time you get a text

message saying, “gtg ttyl” you can decipher it quickly and you won’t have to ask

your friend to translate. This developed because of how SMS originally allowed

only 160 characters in a typical text message.

People developed shortcuts in internet chat

rooms, and soon they were in text messages, too.

—Michael Khalfin

Page 4 Mattlin PRIDE

POB Hosts Its 1st Annual Middle School Hackathon

Have you ever wanted to enter a website competition? On Saturday, April 2, the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District hosted its first annual middle school “Hackathon.” Between both middle schools, 125 students participated. Our Hackathon was a team website-building competition. Each team picked a social issue and learned how to build a website to educate the public about the social problem that they chose. Then teams presented their ideas to the judges. It was really cool because no other school district had ever had a middle school Hackathon. It was an all-day event and going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect or how the day was going to end. I was open

minded to a new experience, and it was great. After registration, which was open to all POB middle school students, we were randomly put into groups of four. It was exciting to meet new people from different middle school grades throughout our district. To get to know each other, we played an icebreaker game which helped us better introduce ourselves to one another. They called this the “mind mapping” activity. We also participated in a fun “team building activity,” in which we had to build a tower using only toothpicks, raw spaghetti, and marshmallows. It was pretty cool to see what you can build with only those three materials! Next, we took a short break during which my group and I discussed our topic and ideas to support it. That was followed by a tutorial on how to create a website. At this time, we also reviewed the project rubric.

During lunch, we sat with our teammates so that we could get to know each other better and we could further outline our website ideas for our global challenge. My team and I then had two hours to work on our project. Two hours later, we presented our website to all the other teams. My team’s theme was to bring awareness about “Poverty in Third World Countries.” Our website gave statistics and had a link to where donations can be collected. Three top finalists were selected, each representing a different theme. They presented their website creations to an audience of parents and judges. Then the judges selected the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place overall winners based on the following criteria: Appropriateness to Theme, User Experience & Functionality, Originality & Creativity, and Technical Difficulty. First, second, and third place winners won various prizes. Overall, I had an awesome experience. It was a fun day of technology education. Mentored by the “We Connect the Dots” company and helped by POBJFK student volunteers, we learned how to build a website and how to collaborate with a new team to try to solve a global challenge. All the middle school participants went home with important 21st century workforce skills that we can use later in life! It was great that we had the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) all in one day! Thank you to Mr. Donarummo, who volunteered his time on a Saturday, and to the POB administration and PTA for their support with this useful event! I can’t wait until next year to participate again. Long term, I look forward to volunteering when I am a POBJFK student! Here is the link to my team’s website:

danny-rubin-zdc4.squarespace.com -James Protonentis

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Everyday Drones Drones have many uses. Although some people think they may be used to spy on innocent citizens or track celebrities, they can also be used to spot terrorists and save lives. According to the website Ready Quadcopters, these are the top 10 everyday uses for drones: 1: To deliver items from companies like Amazon

2: To play games

3: To monitor crops better than farmers can on the ground

4: To capture unique footage of sporting events, like aerial shots

5: To serve food and drinks at restaurants, as they do in Singapore

6: To produce accurate 3-D mapping

7: To monitor and protect wildlife and endangered species

8: To aid Search and Rescue teams

9: To take photographs from interesting perspectives

10: To make ads more original and help them stand out

- Noah Zeidman

Movie Review (Spoiler-free!) Star Wars: the Force Awakens Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a continuation of the classic Star Wars saga. It has already grossed over $2.011 billion dollars just from ticket sales between December 17, 2015 and January 31, 2016. Included in the film are appearances by Mark Hamill, who played Luke in the first three movies, Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, and Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo. Newcomers include Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Here is a quick spoiler-free summary of the plot. Thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi, a new empire has risen to finish what the old empire started. Now it is up to Rey and Finn, along with Han Solo and Chewbacca, to stop Kylo Ren’s new

empire and bring peace to the galaxy. With the help of the galactic senate and the old rebel alliance, will they succeed? J.J. Abrams also directed Star Trek into Darkness. Hopes were high for The Force Awakens, and sure enough, the movie lived up to the expectations of most fans. I will not spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, but let’s just say it was amazing. Star Wars: Episode 8 will be directed by Rian Johnson, as J.J. Abrams decided to stop working on Star Wars after The Force Awakens. -Aiden Davis

Page 6 Mattlin PRIDE

Hoverboards

Many people talk about hoverboards and think they’re fun. Do you have one? If not, don’t worry, because you’re not missing out on anything. Hoverboards have burned many houses down and have the potential to get people killed. People have been at the hospital in critical condition due to hoverboards. Hoverboards are dangerous and should be banned.

Hoverboards can catch fire while they are charging, and even when they’re not charging. Hoverboards have Lithium ion batteries, which are highly flammable if liquids are around. Hoverboards can also catch fire if you shake them too much, because that can move a defective battery. That defective battery has a sharp metal particle inside that could puncture the separator all on its own. When that happens, especially when the battery is charged, a lot of heat could be generated inside the cell which leads to electrolyte boiling, the rupture of the cell. (Hern, 2015) Some stores stopped selling hoverboards because they did not want to get blamed or sued if a house caught on fire from their product. Physical harm can result from hoverboards as well. During the holiday season last December, hoverboards were the most requested present. Soon after, there were 70 reports of emergency room visits due to hoverboards, for both children and adults. These injuries were caused mostly from falls and collisions. One teenager in Australia

was knocked unconscious after falling off of his hoverboard. Paramedics came and had to take him to the hospital for tests. To add insult to actual injuries, many falls have been shared on social media. For instance, baseball player Dan Uggla fell off of his hoverboard while listening to music, and his wife posted the embarrassing fall on Instagram. (Kelly, 2015) Hoverboards also discourage kids from exercising. The boards make kids and adults lazy. They also can cause obesity if you’re in your house all day playing with it instead of exercising or playing sports. People think it just makes life easier to not walk, but they’re wrong. The average person walks approximately 2,000 steps per day. However, when they ride on a hoverboard, they take only 1,000 steps, which is half of what an average person walks per day. They’re missing out on all the health benefits of walking. Although hoverboards seem like a fun and cool use of technology for kids and adults, it’s not fun or cool to see that your house is on fire due to your

hoverboard. In fact, kids even admit that it’s not really safe for them physically and socially. Interestingly, although hoverboards can cost up to $500, the inventor said that he’s made no money from them. This may be because of people returning them to stores and him being sued. Don’t let the potential for fun outweigh all of the risks: houses catching on fire, decreased physical health, an explosive battery inside, and many more. It’s clear that hoverboards should be banned and stores should stop selling them for people’s safety. Before you think about buying something everyone else seems to have, do your research to make sure it’s safe. Don’t buy it just because “everyone” has it.

- Athena Protonentis

The Mattlin

Mattlin PRIDE

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20 Amazing Facts About Money 1. We’ve all heard the saying “Money doesn’t grow on trees!” Well, money is actually made up of 25% cotton

and 75% linen, both of which are derived from plants. 2. Need help memorizing the 50 states? All you need is a magnifying glass and a five-dollar bill. All of the U.S.

states are listed on top of the Lincoln Memorial! 3. There are more credit cards in the U.S. than people! There are

318 million people in the U.S., but 1.59 billion credit cards. 4. Yearly there is more Monopoly money printed than actual

money. The U.S. prints about 974 million dollars every year, but Monopoly prints 30 billion in Monopoly money.

5. The average life span of money varies according to its value. A one dollar bill has the shortest life span, eighteen months, while five, ten, twenty, and fifty-dollar bills last from two to nine years. Bills that get worn out from everyday use are taken out of circulation and replaced.

6. Replacing the old green dollar bills with coins can save the U.S. about 5.5 billion dollars over the span of thirty years.

7. It costs more to make a penny than it is actually worth! The cost to manufacture one penny is 2.41 cents. 8. About 5% of lottery ticket buyers purchase 51% of all the lottery tickets. 9. Livestock is the oldest form of money! In some parts of the African continent, cattle were used just like money

today. This ended only in the mid-20th century. 10. It takes twelve to fifteen years to get a job as an engraver, the person who draws the designs on the coins.

This may sound easy, but they have to draw the designs backwards! 11. Due to poverty, about two million Americans live on only two dollars per day. 12. Money is actually dirtier than a toilet seat! 13. The highest value U.S. bill ever in circulation was a $10,000 bill. Only 336 of these were known to survive. 14. The phrase “In God we Trust” first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin. Since 1955, all U.S. coins and currency have carried this motto. 15. The Lincoln penny is the only coin in which the figure faces right. 16. Most countries try to limit their inflation rate to about 2%, but

Zimbabwe experienced the biggest inflation ever known: 500,000,000,000%. 17. The Romans were the first to print a living human’s face on a coin. 18. The Hungarian government printed a denomination worth $100,000,000,000,000,000,000, otherwise known

as 100 quintillion pengoes! 19. All the gold in the world would fit in a cube measuring 68 feet on

each side. Alternatively, picture a tennis court filled with gold over thirty feet high.

20. The one hundred dollar bill is a world record holder! It’s the bill that gets counterfeited the most!

-Daniel Shemetov

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What is it you think of when you think of the game chess? Do you think of a sport, a board game, an activity, or do you think of something completely different? It’s certainly not just pieces and squares. If you’ve never played chess, then you should know that it’s a very complex game that has roots reaching back to over one thousand years ago. It involves many combinations and strategies, and it offers never-ending possibilities for improve-ment and to win the game that takes you into the very depths of your brain. There are chess tournaments and competitions all over the world, and most of them—the classic 4-game tournaments—take over five hours. See, lots of countries understand how special chess is, so there’s no doubt that chess is popular and is played by people all over the world. There’s also no doubt that chess is quite a fascinating and amazing game — for your enjoyment, for your brain, and for even health and athleticism. This might surprise you, but even though the actual game of chess does not seem to require much physical activity, it’s most definitely a sport.

First off, chess actually does require athletic prowess, especially if you want to be good. Although actually moving the pieces doesn’t require much athleticism, the game of chess definitely does. Chess masters and world competitors have health mentors such as nutritionists and fitness coaches. Without these people, world champions probably never would have won their tournaments; in other words they would never have been world champions. Chess requires lots of stamina and body endurance. Games can go on for over five hours, and players who are healthier do better in the endgame. Chess is draining, and you need to have good health to be thinking at your best. And in chess, you need to be thinking at your best because if you have one slip-up, it can and probably will all be over. Another reason that chess requires athletic prowess is that exercise is the most effective way to improve

memory and attention, which are both vital in chess. See, brain cells are born all the time. They will die if they aren’t challenged, but they’ll also die if you don’t exercise. However, if you do exercise, they become permanent, and your brain only grows. It’s amazing how physical activity drives the game of chess forward. Players are even known to lose weight during a particularly intense chess match. In fact, players have lost 2-5 pounds after

one unbelievable game! If you classify chess as a board game, then it’s by far the healthiest board game out there! Secondly, just like other sports, chess has a series of numerous health benefits that have proven themselves over time. Look back at the broad idea of a sport; this is where athletic

prowess comes in, and especially health benefits, too. All sports offer some type of health benefit, and chess has many of these benefits to offer. First of all, chess requires a high level of concentration, which develops your brain. It’s a very hard game because there are just so many different possibilities. There are six different types of pieces and you get sixteen pieces in all; you also have 64 different squares to travel on, and the games are really long. Learning different types of skills, strategies, combinations, and other chess philosophy, and then applying it to the game, really works your memory, mental stamina, reflexes, and more. There’s no question how well chess trains your brain.

(continued on Page 9)

Chess—Unquestionably a Sport!

(Chess — continued from Page 8) However, the biggest reason why chess is a sport is the level of competition that chess generates. If you

again look back to the broad idea of “sport,” all sports should be competitive: all sports require the high level of ruling and sportsmanship, and that outrageous “force” that drives you forward—the “force” that could make you act like an animal, and makes you absolutely insane. This is probably why governing bodies and confederations such as the International Olympic Committee regard it as a sport. One chess pro-fessional said, “…you got to play hard from first move to last move. If you consider chess a race, you got to run hard until you cross the finish line because if you let out before the finish line because you’re tired, the other team can catch up, and what looks like a good move may be bad…” Another example of competition is the plen-tiful rules in chess: players are penalized for poor sportsmanship before, during, and after the game; players have to shake hands before starting the game, and they’re told to wish each other good luck. Potential cheating is taken very serious-ly. There’s a huge rule book that’s updated frequently and taken into account dur-ing a tournament. The competitive side of chess is infinite and obviously highly stressed.

Obviously, chess is a sport. It requires athletic prowess as well as an unimaginable level of competition. It offers a series of health benefits that are proven on a regular basis. If you still don’t think chess is a sport, you should consider all of these possibilities. The reasons why it’s a sport by far outweigh the reasons why it would not be considered a sport. National governing bodies such as the International Olympic Committee have good rea-son to think chess is a sport. And we should absolutely think it’s a sport, too.

-Michael Khalfin

Speaking of Sports... Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays traveled 268 miles from Port Charlotte, Florida to Estadio

Latinoamericano, in Havana, Cuba, where the Rays got to play the Cuban national team. The Rays were chosen through a lottery that included all 30 MLB teams. They landed on Monday, March 21, and played the Cuban national team on March 28, winning 3-2. This is the first time since 1999 that an MLB team has traveled to Cuba, when the Baltimore Orioles did so. President Obama became the first United States president in 88 years to visit Cuba, when he and his family touched down on Sunday, March 20. The Obamas were on hand for the baseball game along with Cuban ruler Fidel Castro. Although the Rays’ flight home was delayed 7 hours, the trip made history, and Rays pitcher Chris Archer made a new friend.

-Seth Schlank

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Mattlin PRIDEPage 10

Should Video Games be Considered a Sport?

Video games are not a sport!

A heated debate has been going on since the creation of the first video game console. Are video games a sport? This dramatic debate has two sides: parents and kids. Of course kids find video games fun, yet parents want their kids to go out and play physical sports.

Definition

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a sport is “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other.” Physical means actually moving and burning calories. The closest that a video game has come to being a sport is the Wii. The Wii requires little movement, but at least it’s not just flicking your thumbs! Here is a list showing the amount of calories that the Wii burns compared to actual sports.

Wii bowling: 3.9 calories/minute Real bowling: 7.2 calories/minute Wii baseball: 4.5 calories/minute Real baseball: 7.3 calories/minute Wii tennis: 5.3 calories/minute Real tennis: 8.1 calories/minute Wii boxing: 7.2 calories/minute Real boxing: 10.2 calories/minute

Save Our Resources! Playing video games uses so much electricity that a typical gamer wastes between $200 and $500 per

year just to run an average computer. That electricity has to be made with fossil fuels. As you know we have a very limited amount of these resources. There might not be enough fossil fuel for our lifetime even without this so-called “sport,” but with it, we will definitely run out.

Your Health is In Danger!

Although people will say, “Oh, technology keeps advancing, they are going to invent something.” To those people, what if technology stops progressing? It can be just like a writer’s block, just can’t advance. But even if technology does advance, by playing these games you are doing lots more harm than good. One example is that you can develop bad muscle pain. When you play with a controller then you tend to sit in an unhealthy position. This will cause tightening in the shoulders mostly. Also another common problem with video games is that it can cause seizures. Many people with epilepsy suffer video game-induced seizures. Next in line is a lack of Vitamin D. Studies show that seven out of ten children suffer from a deficit of Vitamin D. Unfortunately sitting in front of a screen all day will not help with that problem. A good and efficient way to help that problem is to go outside every so often and breathe fresh air. Another problem is that gamers exhibit more aggressive behavior. Experts say that people who see violent actions in games are going to be more accepting of violence, which can hurt communities on a large scale. Also this “sport” can interfere with sleeping. Doctors say that you should play no more than an hour a day, but most people go way beyond that and can play up to 4 hours a day! Many people think, “Well, I can sacrifice an hour of sleep. It won’t make a difference.” But it does matter. Reduced sleep can lead to poor grades, which have been shown by hard core gamers. And finally one of the biggest problems in America: obesity. About one third of America’s people are obese. This is often blamed on gaming. Video games are a major cause of obesity because they cause a decrease in exercise and an increase in consumption of convenient junk foods.

It’s Your Choice

Your position on video games is your decision. You can choose if you want less sleep. It is your choice to lose Vitamin D. And it is your choice if you want to hurt your overall health.

-Daniel Shemetov

The Mattlin

Mattlin PRIDE

Page 11

Players stay fit, even while training Players, despite practicing most of the day, also work out. The wealthier players buy houses that include fully functional gyms and eat foods that increase electrolytes, protein, and many vitamins. They usually work out twice a week after training sessions, so pro gamers aren’t the stereotypical overweight gamer sitting on the couch. These gamers earn millions of dollars a year, some of which they donate. Gamers are normal people

These gamers are just normal people. Athletes go to tournaments to compete in sports, and gamers go to video game tournaments to play what they love and earn money. They are just normal people like you and me, and they do what they love. -Aiden Davis

Should Video Games be Considered a Sport?

While video games may not fit the traditional definition of a sport, professional video games share many qualities with actual sports. There are a lot more similarities than you might think.

Players can earn millions a year Some video game players earn millions of dollars a year. Players like Peter Dager make over two million dollars every year from playing video games like DOTA 2 in a competitive format. Prize money from winning tournaments is split among team members, usually 5 or 6, and ticket revenue partially goes to the teams. Still, Peter makes more than some professional football players!

Tournaments are broadcast worldwide Video game tournaments are broadcast worldwide. In places like South Korea, entire channels are dedicated to a video game called StarCraft. The video game is so popular and well-funded that the tournaments have full time announcers and host tournaments weekly. You would be surprised that channels like ESPN broadcast games like DOTA 2 and StarCraft. Channels like ESPN 2 and 3 still broadcast these tournaments occasionally.

These Hawks Got Net! JFK High School was the host recently for a very exciting evening of basketball, when the JFK Hawks played the Mineola Mustangs. The Challenger

Basketball Program of Long Island provides students with special needs the opportunity to learn teamwork, improve social skills, and increase confidence. At the same time, it provides students on the other school teams the chance to see that students with different abilities or special needs enjoy being part of a team just as much as they do. The Hawks not only showed off their skills on the court, but were interviewed and featured on FiOS1 News! The March 23 game ended in a 50-50 tie, and lots of smiles. Assistant Coach Mr. Broad said the team had a great season.

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Mattlin PRIDEThe Last Word

Come to the Fourth Annual Little Doctors Blood Drive! Save lives while supporting our 5th Graders!

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

3:30 - 9:30 PM @ the POB Middle School Cafeteria

Fifth graders chosen as “Little Doctors” will greet donors, serve them refreshments,

and thank them for their life-saving gift. For every pint donated, up to 3 lives can be saved!

All it takes is 45 minutes of your time. Free babysitting is provided. Thank you for giving the gift of life!

Questions?

Call Colleen at 433-1587or Julie at 349-7620 or Beverly at 367-4445 or email us at: pobblooddrive@gmail.com

WALK INS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!

Attention: Are you a writer? Illustrator? Artist?

Then, Newspaper Club is for you! Check the club calendar

for details.

Did you know that you can now access the

full color edition of The Mattlin PRIDE

on the pobschools.org website?

Look for the link on the H.B. Mattlin Middle

School page!

KEEP

CALM

and

WRITE

ON!

Student Council Corner

Student Council has been busy! To start off, our first “Stay-cation” game night was a huge success. This fun-filled event featured complimentary pizza, life sized board games, and the highlight of the evening: a live game show chock full of mental and physical challenges. Attendance soared, with over 120 students. Student council has also been “packing the pantry” at the Mid-Island Y. Nonperishable donations were collected through April 22. Student Council has even more fun activities for the remaining months. Looking ahead, our annual Carnival for a Cure is scheduled for June 3. If you are interested in joining, Student Council is held on the first two Wednesdays of each month, during zero

period, in Mrs. S. Epstein’s room. New members are always welcome. -Christian Lamantia