Issue 3 - Riverfield Country Day School

December 2015
It’s U
Wear y gly Sweater
W
o
esting ur ugliest, m eek!
holida
ost int
ery/win
to cele
brate t ter sweater
he sea
son!
Favorite things about the holidays
Inside this issue...
Outstanding poetry!
A gymnast you should know
I wish I was in movies …
Raven Word Search
Master Chief is back!
Let’s watch cartoons …
Pricey pizza, but it’s good
Mystery Person
Do you play fantasy sports?
Cowboys & Seahawks
Ssssssssnakes … yikes!!!
Search for the smiles
Ghastly travel stories …
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Volume IX Number 3
RAVIN’ TIMES is published six times
during the school year by the Middle
School Newspaper elective class at
Riverfield Country Day School
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This is a student-led publication. All
opinions expressed are those of the
individual writers and do not reflect
positions of the staff, advisers or
school administration.
We reserve the right to edit any
material submitted for publication.
Contact the Newspaper Adviser at
pdickey@riverfield.org.
By Brian McSweeney
8TH GRADE
W
inter Break is
upon us, and
everyone does
different things for the
holidays. Let’s see what
some people say is their
favorite thing about this
time of the year.
Jon Morley said, “No
school, because I get to
stay home and play
‘MLB.’” Ah, no school.
That is the beauty of Winter Break.
Brenden Paul said,
“Getting presents, because
it’s exciting to see what I
get.” That’s what I might
have said, too.
Jake O’Shaughnessy
said, “I really like to see my
family.” Family is definitely one of the most important things. Obviously,
presents are important,
too.
Abi Haldeman said,
“Giving gifts, because it’s
fun to pick out stuff.” Sharing is caring, right?
Mitchell Scott said,
“More sleep, because I’m
usually sleep deprived.”
Yes, Mitchell, I’m with you
there. Of course, I could
have predicted Mitchell
would say that. He always
says he’s tired.
And lastly, Hannah
Grenier said, “Going to my
dad’s ski resort, because I
can be with family and do
the activities that we do.” It
must be pretty fun at a ski
resort during the winter.
And there’s another person
who believes that family is a
great thing about the holidays. That’s my favorite
thing about the holidays,
because I don’t see some of
them that often.
Those are just a few of
the voices that I caught talking about their favorite
things about the holidays.
What’s yours?
—NEWSPAPER STAFF—
Jack Bluhm
Gabe Feather
Mason Malloy
Brian McSweeney
Nathan Morice Brubaker
Jon Morley
Jake O’Shaughnessy
Brenden Paul
Caleb Regan
Ray Siegfried
Frank Simmons
Harry Simmons
Sam Simmons
Advisers: Dickey/Goodenberger
Happy Holidays from the Ravin’ Times staff! We’ll see you next year!
PHOTO BY PATRICIA DICKEY
Interview with Mr. de Verges
By Sam Simmons
6TH GRADE
W
e have a big project coming up
in Art class, so I
thought I would ask Mr. de
Verges to explain a little bit
about it. I had a few more
questions for him, too.
PHOTO BY SAM SIMMONS
Sam: What is the Blue
Project, and why did you
decide to have our class do
this?
Mr. de Verges: It’s a project for the Riverfield
Country Day School com-
munity, to make a small
painting inspired by the
color blue. And I wanted to
show my students’ work.
S: Who is your favorite
artist?
Mr. D: I have dozens of
favorite artists, but my top
favorites are Francis Bacon, Francisco Goya and
Caravaggio.
S: What is your favorite
kind of art?
Mr. D: I like people that
make things. All kinds of
things … and art.
S: What is your favorite art
tool?
Poetic reflections
I have grown impatient,
Waiting to see the leaves fall,
I am out here waiting, to see at least one leaf
drop.
I listen to the wind,
All the leaves start to fall,
I take one off the ground,
I observe it while it’s in my palm,
I notice the distinctive brown patches,
It’s very unique.
Once I am through,
I say my goodbyes,
My hand makes a fist,
The leaf crumbles,
I release it into the air,
It is now gone,
Becoming another indication of fall.
—Sabrina Edwardes
2
These are just a selection
of poems written recently
by students in Ms. Watts’
7th grade English class.
Mr. D: Charcoal and pastels.
S: Which artists are you
most inspired by?
Mr. D: Contemporary artists who are pushing the
boundaries of their medium.
S: How long have you
taught Art?
Mr. D: 21 years. The last 10
of those have been at Riverfield.
S: If you had to teach a different class, what class
would you teach?
Mr. D: World Literature.
S: Thank you for your time,
Mr. D!
Bright Sunny Day
Dominating, and most remarkable,
The sun.
It’s spiritual
And unlike a mill that turns very slowly.
It’s spotless.
A delicate and concluding star.
The fall foliage is also lovely.
Repeated.
But Stainless.
The Earth’s serpentine caves
and growing grapes encourage me
to write this poem.
It was
A very special year.
I am not a graceful person. I am not
a Sunday morning or Friday sunset.
I am a Tuesday 2am, I am gunshots
muffled by a few city blocks. I am a
broken window during February. My
bones crack on a nightly basis. I fall
from elegance with a dull thud, and I
apologize for my awkward sadness. I
sometimes believe that I don’t belong
around people, that I belong to all the
leap days that didn’t happen. The
way light and darkness mix under
my skin has become a storm. You don’t
see lightning, but you hear the
echoes.
—Maddy Edwards
—Bryan Tran
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
Interview with
Paige Williams
By Mason Malloy
7TH GRADE
P
aige Williams, a 7th
grader, has been at
RCDS for a long time,
and she is an amazing gymnast. Last month I interviewed her about her love
for gymnastics and what she
thinks about RCDS. Let’s see
what she said.
Mason: So, Paige how long
have you been at RCDS?
Paige: I’ve been here for
five years.
M: In all the years you have
been at Riverfield, what
would you say is your favorite memory?
P: Well, I really liked the 5th
grade campout. Mrs.
Strozier had us play fun
games.
M: What is your favorite
place on campus?
P: I really love the labyrinth across the bridge.
M: How long have you
been doing gymnastics?
P: For six years.
M: After all those years,
would you say you have
improved?
P: I guess so.
M: Is there anything else
you want to share?
P: Yes my favorite band is
twenty one pilots.
M: Thanks for your time.
P: Sure!
Paige really loves gymnastics, and she loves
Riverfield, too. She is really funny, and you should
get to know her.
This is one of the many things you can do in “Skate 3.”
PHOTO: PLAYSTATIONLIFE.COM
GAME REVIEW:
‘Skate 3’
T
his is one of the
most fun games
that I have ever
played.
“Skate 3” is a realistic
HD skating game for the
PlayStation 3 or the Xbox
360 that allows players
to perform tricks they
could never do in real
life. The game also allows
players to travel around a
realistic-looking city and
check out the scenery.
There are many places you can go in “Skate
3.” To get to these places,
you can use the teleport
tool in the menu. Or take
the longer way and travel
to the places you choose
on foot. Or you can skate
your way there with the
help of your navigator.
Not only is this game
fun to just mess around
with, it also has funny moments that you can replay
over and over again.
Use the replay tool to
watch something that happened and save it to your
Xbox drive. Or you can
send it to your email and
watch it on your phone or
computer.
All in all, this game is
super fun, so go check it
out. It has been out for a
while, so you can pick it up
at GameStop or go to amazon.com and order it for
$30. Have fun playing!
Rated T.
Paige Williams, a 7th grader, hangs out with some of her friends.
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM.COM
MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA PERFORMANCE ON THURSDAY!
The Drama students will present an adaptation of Shel Silverstein’s classic book, “LAFCADIO: THE LION WHO
SHOT BACK” on Thursday, Dec. 17. This performance will take place in the Green Gym at 1:30, and everyone is
invited! The students have been working all semester on this play, and Mrs. Long is very excited for them to present this piece. It will last approximately 40 minutes, and many of the classes will attend together. See you there!
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
3
The safest bicycle in the world
By Frank Simmons
6TH GRADE
“The Babel Bike puts
seatbelts and a roll cage
onto two wheels; would
you be willing to strap
yourself in?”
—CNET
T
he Babel Bike
claims to be the
world’s safest bicycle. It probably is.
The bike was designed
by Crispin Sinclair, who
was hit by a truck once
when he was cycling. Luckily, only his bike’s wheels
were crushed. But that
incident sparked the idea
of the Babel Bike.
Sinclair spent an estimated $74,000 on materials and technology to develop the bike. It is de-
signed with a roll cage, so if
you get hit by a vehicle, you
will be pushed away from
the vehicle or tumble over
it.
There is an automatic
alarm system that activates
if the bike is hit. Also, the
bike won’t crumble in an
accident, so it will stay
safe.
The bicycle also has
front and rear lights that
come on as soon as you
start pedaling. In addition,
it has rear view mirrors,
brake lights, and a horn as
loud as a car.
The Babel Bike will
come out in May 2016. It
won’t be the cheapest bike
in the store, but it will definitely be the safest.
Sinclair’s company,
which is based in London,
wants to see more bikers
The Babel Bike has many interesting safety features.
PHOTO: REALITYPOD.COM
on the streets instead of
cars, because that would
reduce the amount of air
pollution. They hope this
bike is able to satisfy those
cyclists who are afraid of
being hit by a distracted
driver.
Who would you like to be?
I
Two people chose Captain America (left) and Percy Jackson (right.)
PHOTOS: THEMARYSUE.COM and FILHOS-DO-OLIMPO.BLOGSPOT.COM
4
f you could be a character from
any movie, who would you be?
I would be Kit Fisto from
“Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.”
Harry Simmons would be Plo
Koon from the same series.
Sam Simmons would be Percy
Jackson.
Brenden Paul would be Gerry
Bertier from “Remember the Titans.”
Bryan McSweeney would be
Chris Ryan from “When the Game
Stands Tall.”
Price Smolen would be James
Bond, Agent 007.
Caden Kesselring would be Captain America from “The Avengers.”
Hayden Grenier would be Iron
Man, also from “The Avengers.”
Nathan Morice Brubaker said, “I
honestly can’t decide. I have too
many favorites.”
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
Raven Word Search
S
ee if you can find all 20 of these words or phrases that
are common to Riverfield in the puzzle. The answers
may be forward, backward, up, down or diagonal.
ACADEMICBOWL
ART
BAND
BASKETBALL
BIGBLUE
CHICKENS
GERMAN
GREENANDBLUE
GRIFFIN
GYM
HENRY
PEACOCKS
RAVINTIMES
RCDS
RIVERFIELD
SOCCER
SPANISH
SPEECHANDDEBATE
THEBARNYARD
THECOMMONS
Did you find them all? Check the bulletin board next to
the LAC Computer Lab tomorrow for the answers!
PUZZLE CREATED ON DISCOVERYEDUCATION.COM BY RAY SIEGFRIED
College football bowl games
By Ray Siegfried
7TH GRADE
T
he college football
season has gone by
fast, and it is finally
bowl season.
There are 80 teams that
qualified for a bowl. A team
has to win at least six
games to be eligible to play
in a bowl game. The University of Tulsa, Oklahoma
State University, and the
University of Oklahoma are
all in bowls this year — a
first since 2012.
This year, the bowls
start on Dec. 19 with the
Celebration Bowl and end
with the National Championship on Jan. 11.
On New Year’s Eve and
New Year’s Day, the big
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
“New Year’s Six” will take
place. These games consist
of the Cotton Bowl, the
Fiesta Bowl, the Orange
Bowl, the Peach Bowl, the
Rose Bowl, and the Sugar
Bowl. In addition, the National Championship will
be played on Jan. 1.
Here’s who will play:
The playoff bracket for the championship.
PHOTO: SIKIDS.COM
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — All broadcasts on ESPN
COTTON BOWL — (2) Alabama vs. (3) Michigan State in Arlington, TX (7pm CST 12/31)
FIESTA BOWL — (7) Ohio State vs. (8) Notre Dame in Glendale, AZ (Noon CST 1/1)
ORANGE BOWL — (1) Clemson vs. (4) Oklahoma in Miami, FL (3pm CST 12/31)
PEACH BOWL — (9) Florida State vs. (18) Houston in Atlanta, GA (11am CST 12/31)
ROSE BOWL — (5) Iowa vs. (6) Stanford in Pasadena, CA (4pm CST 1/1)
SUGAR BOWL — (12) Ole Miss vs. (16) Oklahoma St. in New Orleans, LA (7:30pm CST 1/1)
NAT’L CHAMPIONSHIP — Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner in Glendale, AZ
(7:30pm CST 1/1)
5
GAME REVIEW:
‘Halo 5’
“H
Riverfield 5th-6th grade basketball team in 2012-13.
FILE PHOTO
What’s your favorite
Riverfield sport?
By Caleb Regan
8TH GRADE
R
iverfield offers a variety of sports for
students to choose
from. We have cross country, volleyball, soccer, basketball, tennis and golf.
Which sport is your favorite?
This was the question we
asked Riverfield Middle
School students at lunch on
Thursday, Nov. 7. We got 82
responses.
Chase Denney, an 8th
alo 5” was
released in
late October,
and it has been a total
phenomenon.
The game was created
by 343 Industries and
published by Microsoft
Studios for the Xbox
One. The last “Halo” was
released in 2012, so it’s a
big deal that the next one
is finally out.
The “Halo” series has
contained some of the
top first-person shooter
games in the world. Fans
everywhere have been
waiting for this game, eagerly anticipating another
adventure with the main
character, Master Chief.
“I was constantly trying
to fit three or four really
cool weapons into my two
slots,” said one fan.
Overall, “Halo 5” looks
like it will be yet another
viral hit by 343.
Rated T.
grader, said his favorite
sport is soccer. Shelby
Peck, also in 8th, said her
favorite is basketball. Sam
Simmons, a 6th grader,
also likes basketball best.
Riverfield has so many
sports to choose from that
some students had a hard
time choosing only one.
In the end, there was
one clear favorite, but the
other five were very close
in votes.
Which sport did you
think would win the poll?
Here are the results.
Master Chief returns in “Halo 5.”
PHOTO: KOTAKU.COM
GRAPH BY CALEB REGAN
6
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
These are your elective choices
H
ave you ever wondered about the different electives at
Riverfield’s Middle School?
Here is a list of the classes
you can choose from. Some
meet Tuesday-Thursday,
some meet WednesdayFriday, and some are offered
at both times.
AES: This is a big study hall,
and it meets on both elective
times.
Art: Paint pictures and learn
new art techniques. This
class meets both elective
times.
Drama: Practice improv and
perform in plays! This class
meets both elective times.
Home Economics: Learn
to make different dishes and
eat the food you make. You
can even prepare food that
Riverfield grows! This elective meets on Tuesdays
and Thursdays.
Industrial Arts: Build
things and make 3D printed objects. This elective
meets on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Intro to Coding: (2nd
semester only) Make different games on the computer using codes. This
class meets on Tuesdays
and Thursdays
Newspaper: Write articles on topics you choose,
and design your own pages
for “Ravin’ Times.” This
class meets on Tuesdays
and Thursdays.
Photoshop: (1st semester
FILE ARTWORK
only) Create different art
pieces from pictures you
take. This elective meets
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Rock Band: Make music
and practice for performances at Cain’s Ballroom
and Llamapalooza. This
class meets both elective
times.
Roots & Shoots: Take care
of animals while you build
and help the Riverfield community. This class meets on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Speech & Debate: Act in
class, and memorize your
scripts for plays that are
performed in class. This
elective meets on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Yearbook: The group gets
together to create the annual
yearbook, which is distributed at the end of the year.
This class meets on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Yoga: Do stretches and go
outside. Sometimes this
class plays basketball in the
gym. Class meets on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
POLL: Favorite kids’ TV channels
By Jack Bluhm
7TH GRADE
W
CHART BY JACK BLUHM
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
hen you’re sitting on your
couch at home
and you want to watch TV,
which channel do you usually choose?
A couple of my fellow
Ravin’ Times staffers and I
took a poll on Nov.12. We
each took one grade, and
the polling went very
smoothly.
We asked all the Riverfield Middle School students at lunch that day to
tell us which of these three
channels they like best:
Cartoon Network, the Disney Channel, or Nickelodeon.
We got 86 responses,
and as you can see, the
answer was clear at the
end.
Cartoon Network received 38 votes. The Disney Channel got 25 votes,
and Nickelodeon got 23
votes.
Eighth grader Caleb
Regan chose the Disney
Channel. He said his favorite show is “Wizards of
Waverly Place.”
Brinley Lasiter, 7th
grade, chose Nickelodeon,
and her favorite show is
“Kenan & Kel.” It comes on
late.
The last person I asked
was Jon Morley, a 6th
grader. Jon said his favorite channel was Cartoon
Network, and his favorite
show is “Regular Show.”
Did your favorite channel win our poll?
7
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Russo’s Italian Kitchen
gar for dipping. Jon
thought the bread was OK,
7TH GRADE
saying it was flavorful but
didn’t taste much different
usso’s Coal-Fired
than normal bread. I
Italian Kitchen was
thought it had a lot of garfounded in 1992 by a
lic flavor and tasted really
man named Anthony Russo
fresh.
in Houston, Texas. Now
After this appetizer, we
Russo’s has locations in Tenordered our main dishes.
nessee, Florida, Hawaii, TexJon commented that his
as (including more than 30
cheese pizza was brought
stores) and one in Oklahoto him hot and fresh, and
ma. The only one in this
it had a lot of cheese on it.
state is right here in Tulsa at
Overall, he thought it was
91st and Yale!
a very good dish.
My family and I invited
My pepperoni pizza
Jon Morley and his family to
was also delivered hot and
go with us on Nov. 8 to refresh in a short time. It
view this restaurant.
tasted very cheesy, and it
Before our meal, I asked
had a floury crust and a
our waitress a little bit about
tasty sauce. I also tried
the Tulsa restaurant. She
some of my mom’s dish,
said it opened on Labor Day
which was Gnocchi (a poin 2013, and she also said
tato dumpling.) I didn’t
that 95% of their ingredients
particularly like this, beare homemade. The only
cause it was very bland. I
things that aren’t made inalso tried my dad’s Fettuchouse are the stuffed foods
cini Alfredo, and it was
and the raviolis.
very good and creamy.
This franchise has won
After we finished our
many awards for its pizza
entrees, Jon and I decided
and its atmosphere. I agree,
to try the Oreo Cheesecake
the atmosphere is very comfor dessert. Jon thought it
fortable, but the food is the
tasted like a cold version
most important.
of a normal cake mix, and
As a starter, the restauhe was glad it had a lot of
rant always gives guests a
Oreos on it. I thought it
basket of bread with differwas very creamy, and the
ent seasonings, along with
Oreos added flavor.
olive oil and balsamic vineIf you
want to try
Russo’s,
bring lots of
money because it’s
pretty
pricey. But
the food is
good, so it’s
worth the
cost. I
would rate
Russo’s 4
out
of 5
Jon and I enjoyed our pizzas at Russo’s.
PHOTO BY NATHAN PAUL
stars.
By Brenden Paul
R
8
Jon Morley is wishing and waiting to receive “MLB 16: The Show.”
PHOTO BY BRENDEN PAUL
Christmas gifts
S
ince the holiday
season is here, I
decided to ask
some of Riverfield’s middle school students and a
few teachers what they
want for Christmas. It
turns out that some of
the people in our Newspaper class want really
expensive Christmas
gifts.
Ray Siegfried said, “I
want either tickets to a
Seattle Seahawks game
or a Dallas Cowboys
game.”
Jon Morley said he
wants “MLB 16: The
Show” for the
PlayStation 3 or a brand
new PlayStation 4.
Mason Malloy said, “I
want a brand new MacBook Air and ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops III’ for the
Xbox 360.”
Brian McSweeney
said, “’Madden 16’ or
‘NBA 2K16’ for the
PlayStation 4.”
Caleb Regan wants
“just more video games
in general!”
Jack Bluhm said he
wants a football kickoff
tee, “so I can kick field
goals on a practice field or
in my backyard.”
Frank Simmons said he
wants “an Air Hogs XWing Fighter Jet.”
Mrs. Dickey said, “I
just want some peace and
quiet this Christmas.”
Mrs. Goodenberger
said, “I want a mini screwdriver set, because you
never know when you
might need to remove a
tiny screw.”
Hannah Davis said, “I
want a band member.” I
don’t quite know why she
wants a band member.
And finally, Sabrina
Edwardes said, “I want a
longboard.”
So there you have it.
Many of the people I asked
want video games. For
most, Christmas is their
favorite holiday.
I chose this question
because parents always ask
their kids this question. If
I didn’t ask you, I am asking you now: What do you
want for Christmas this
year?
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
Riverfield
Winter
Crossword
Do you know who this is?
PHOTO BY JAKE O’SHAUGHNESSY
Mystery Person
By Jake O’Shaughnessy
8TH GRADE
I
have selected a mystery person for you all
to guess in this issue.
Use all of the clues in
this interview to figure it
out.
Jake: What do you like to
do in your free time?
Mystery Person: I like to
play video games and notformal football. And make
YouTube videos.
J: What is your favorite
sport?
?: Soccer.
J: What is your favorite
soccer team?
?: I don’t really watch the
World Cup.
J: What was your favorite
TV show when you were a
kid?
?: “Dog with a Blog.”
J: What did you like about
that show?
?: It was kind of funny,
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
and I felt like I was involved with the characters.
J: What is your favorite
video game?
?: My favorite game is
“Call of Duty.” All of
them.
J: What is your favorite
flavor of ice cream?
?: Vanilla.
J: How much do you like
school?
?: Quite a bit. A lot more
than when I was in public
school.
J: How long have you
been at Riverfield?
?: Four years now.
J: What do you like most
about this school?
?: I like how the teachers
get you involved, and not
just to have you pass the
test.
Can you guess who
this is? Find out if you
are right by checking the
answer on the back page.
Across
Down
1. Something you give
6. Winter holiday celebrated by Christians.
7. Temperature during the
winter
8. Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days
10. Last month of the year
12. What you wear on
your body to keep warm
13. The start of a ___
____
14. Fluffy white stuff from
the sky.
15. You put it around your
neck to keep warm
2. Activity that has blades on
the bottom of the shoe
3. Hot drink that kids drink
when it’s cold
4. Creature you make out of
snow
5. Point of ice hanging form
the ceiling
9. Winter holiday that started in Africa
11. Put them on your feet to
keep the snow off them
Puzzle created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker
Answers will be posted on the bulletin board
near the LAC Computer Lab tomorrow!
9
Original Artwork
T
his outstanding anime-style drawing by Finn Murdock shows
the character Goku from the Japanese series “Dragon Ball Z.”
Goku is a superhero and the main protagonist of the series.
“I came all the way from Earth for the sole purpose
of beating you. I am the warrior you’ve heard of in
the legends, pure of heart and awakened by fury,
that’s what I am. I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN! SON
GOKU!"
— Goku toward Frieza in “Dragon Ball Z Kai”
Dragonball.wikia.com describes the character this way. “Cheerful, courageous and also a bit naive, Goku is … originally sent to
Earth as an infant with the mission to destroy it. However, an accident alters his memory, causing him to grow up pure-hearted and
later become Earth's greatest defender.”
Facts about Fantasy Sports
By Brian McSweeney
8TH GRADE
M
any people enjoy
sports and follow
their favorite
teams and players. I’m one
of them, and I also enjoy the
fun of playing Fantasy
Sports online.
In Fantasy Sports, you
form your own dream team
by drafting real-life players.
Then you get points based
on their real-life performance.
For example, in Fantasy
Football, let’s say you’ve
chosen Tom Brady, a quarterback for the New England
Patriots, and Lamar Miller,
a running back for the Miami Dolphins. Say Tom
Brady gets you 17 points,
and Lamar Miller gets you
11. That’s 28 points right
there.
In Fantasy Football, you
face off against someone in
your league for a week,
which is also how the NFL
10
season runs. The one with
the most points at the end
of the week wins, and you
build a win-loss record.
However, the Fantasy
Football season is only 14
weeks long instead of the
NFL’s 16 weeks, because
not every team in the NFL
makes the playoffs.
In Fantasy Basketball,
the duration of the season
is 82 games, and you get
points based on your players’ stats instead.
There are also different
ways of scoring in Fantasy
Basketball. Standard Scoring is free and prizeeligible. The most common
type of this scoring is
“Rotisserie” or “Roto.”
In this format, teams
are ranked from first to
last in each statistical category. Points are awarded
according to the rank in
each category, and then
totaled to determine an
overall score and league
rank.
There is also “Head to
Head,” which resembles
Fantasy Football where you
face off against someone,
but the stats determine if
you win.
In addition to Standard
Scoring, there is Custom
League where more scoring
formats are available.
“Roto” plays the same role
as in Standard, and there is
also “Point-Based,” where
stats of real-life players get
you points.
Then there are three
different types of “Head to
Head” scoring.
“Head to Head: Points”
is very similar to Fantasy
Football and the “PointBased” category.
In “Head to Head: Each
Category,” teams play oneon-one on a rotating schedule throughout the season,
which is a lot like Major
League Baseball.
The third option is
“Head to Head: Most Categories,” where you try to
get higher stats than your
opponent. At the end of the
scoring period, the one who
wins the most categories
wins.
Football and Basketball
are not the only two fantasy
sports available. Baseball
and Hockey are also popular.
Just recently, New York’s
Attorney General called the
two main fantasy sports
websites, DraftKings and
FanDuel, illegal gambling
sites. Sorry, Shashu Singh
and Caleb Regan, two of the
students here at Riverfield
who play FanDuel, your site
is now considered an illegal
gambling site in New York.
Daily fantasy sports
where money is involved are
banned in several states -Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana,
Montana, Nevada, New York
and Washington. More
states are considering restrictions.
Those are the things you
need to know about Fantasy
Sports as a whole.
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
GAME REVIEW:
‘Star Wars
Battlefront’
By Gabe Feather
7TH GRADE
O
n Nov. 17, a new
game came out.
That’s right, a Star
Wars game was released just
in time to cash in on all the
publicity of the movie, “Star
Wars: The Force Awakens,”
which will be released to
theaters on Dec. 18. And just
in time for Christmas!
“Star Wars Battlefront”
has top notch graphics. According to Wikipedia, “the
game is a reboot of the series, focusing on capturing
the look of the films.” It does
look very realistic. “The
game lets players choose to
control either a Rebel Alliance soldier or an Imperial
Stormtrooper.”
Other playable characters include the heroes Luke,
Leia and Han Solo as well as
villains Darth Vader, Boba
Fett and Emperor Palpatine.
According to giantbomb.com, Darth Maul and IGG-8
may also be included.
A new heroes and villains
mode has been added. They
also have some downloadable content, and you
may be able to play as a
Ewok, according to primagames.com.
So far, the game has
gotten insane reviews. I
haven’t played it yet, but I
am really looking forward
to trying out the actual
combat system. I thought
it was just going to be a
“Star Wars Battlefield”
reskin, because the same
developers who made
“Battlefield” (DICE) also
made “Battlefront.” It’s
different because the
graphics are better ,and I
watched gameplay and it
looks pretty cool.
I have looked forward
to this game since it was
announced. From the footage I’ve seen, this game
looks like it will rate an
easy 10 out of 10. Besides
“Fallout 4,” I believe this
will be the best game of
the year. When you play it,
tell me what you think.
May the Force be with
you.
Rated T.
Luke and Darth Vader fight on Hoth in the Walker Assault game mode.
ARTWORK: FANPOP.COM and SPORTS-LOGOS-SCREENSAVERS.COM
MS BOYS POLL:
Favorite NFL Team
W
ith the NFL
season going
right now, I
decided to do a poll to
find out which professional football team is
the favorite of Riverfield’s Middle School.
Several of my fellow
Ravin’ Times staffers and
I asked all the boys in 6th
through 8th grades during lunch on Thursday,
Nov. 12, and we got almost everyone’s response.
There are 32 teams in
the NFL, so our results
were quite varied.
The Dallas Cowboys
and the Seattle Seahawks
tied for first place with 8
votes each.
The Carolina Panthers, the Cincinnati
Bengals, the Cleveland
Browns, and the Denver
Broncos tied for last place.
Each of these teams received only one vote.
My favorite NFL team
is the Dallas Cowboys, but
a long time ago I used to
like the Green Bay Packers
best.
Which is your favorite
team? Did it get any votes?
The Super Bowl is coming up on Feb. 7. The Denver Broncos have won
twice, in 1997 and again in
1998. The Dallas Cowboys
have won five times, in
1971, 1977, 1992, 1993 and
1995.
Which of the teams do
you think will win this
time? Until the big game is
played, we will never
know.
ATTENTION READERS!
What poll should we do next?
Should it be about sports or something else?
We’re looking for ideas. If you have one,
just tell any of us on the newspaper staff.
ARTWORK: VG247.COM
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
11
Academic Bowl
teams win 1st place
By Nathan Morice Brubaker
6TH GRADE
Five people show off a python they caught in the Everglades.
PHOTO: ABCNEWS.COM
Invasive snakes in
the Everglades
B
urmese pythons
are taking over
the Florida Everglades.
The pythons are not a
natural species in North
America but were introduced to this area fairly
recently. One theory
about how they came
here is that somebody
may have had some as
pets but didn’t know how
hard it would be to keep
them, so they let them
loose and they reproduced in the wild.
Now there a lot of
them, and they are disturbing the ecosystem by
eating small and medium
sized animals that larger
wildlife depend on for
food. Sometimes they
even prey on the larger
wildlife such as alligators.
Since they have no
natural predators, they
have spread very quickly.
The pythons can travel
across 20 miles in a
month, so they could
make it to California by
2020. Much of Oklahoma and the rest of the
southern United States
could be a habitat if the
snakes make their way
there.
Because of global
12
warming, the number of
areas where they can establish themselves will
increase. If they begin
moving westward, they
will probably spread
quickly and easily. And
there will likely be just as
much opposition as there
is in the Everglades.
Burmese pythons grow
to be very large. The
snakes can grow as long as
23 ft. long and weigh about
200 pounds. Some have
been spotted in Florida
that are 17 ft. long.
In 2010, Burmese pythons were banned as pets
in Florida, but since there
is a huge population of the
snakes, they will not be
going away for a while.
Now the importation and
interstate trade of Burmese pythons has been
banned by the United
States government.
Florida has been giving
cash prizes for killing the
pythons: $1,500 to the
person who kills the most
snakes, and $1,000 to
whoever kills the longest
snake. The contest has a
$25 entry fee, and an
online course is required.
Hopefully with the government taking action, the
situation will improve over
time.
O
n Oct. 20, the Middle School Academic Bowl teams
(6th-7th grade, 7th-8th
grade, and 8th-9th grade)
played at a singleelimination tournament at
Jennings Public School.
Their opponents were
Jennings, Pretty Water,
and Oak Grove. Each
Riverfield team won first
place for its grade level.
This is the first time this
has ever happened.
Another thing is new
for Academic Bowl this
year. Now you have to pay
to be on the team.
In years past, the
school did not officially
consider Academic Bowl a
sport, and there was no
cost. But now that there is
a fee, the teams each will
have their own T-shirts.
Over the summer, the
middle school teams that
qualified in regionals went
to the Oklahoma Junior Academic Bowl Association
(OJABA) double-elimination
state tournament.
All our teams scored
well, and one team took first
place in their division: the
5th-6th grade team (which is
now in 6th-7th grades) won
the state championship in
Division C.
Many teams participated
in the tournament including
the Oklahoma Bible Academy. OBA has a reputation
among the teams for being
hard to beat. Despite this,
Riverfield’s 5th-6th grade
team defeated them in the
final round of the tournament.
If you would like to join
the Academic Bowl team
next year, please talk to Herr
Clark, who is one of the
coaches.
Four members of this Academic Bowl team show off the trophy they
won in Jennings.
PHOTO BY KIMBERLY PAUL
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015
My OKC Thunder prediction
By Jon Morley
6TH GRADE
I
think the Oklahoma
City Thunder will have a
good year and wind up
in first place in the conference.
But right now, they are
first in their Division. In the
conference, the Thunder are
in 3 place, so maybe they
can turn it around and have
a good season if the players
stay healthy.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the
Thunder beat the Washington Wizards 125-101. That
was a good game.
Their next game is on
Dec. 16 at 7 pm. in Oklaho-
ma City. Two tickets for
row A-u are 191$, or you
can get 2 tickets on row N
for $169.
Billy Donovan is beginning his first season as
head coach of the Thunder
after joining the organization on April 30 this year.
Donovan is the third head
coach in the Thunder’s
history. He had an incredibly successful college
coaching career that
spanned more than two
decades.
Assistant coach Monty
Williams is also beginning
his first season with the
Thunder after serving as
head coach of the New
Orleans Pelicans from
2010 to
2015.
Maurice
Cheeks, another assistant coach,
is starting
his second
stint on
Oklahoma
City’s staff
and brings
30 years of
NBA experiKevin Durant, #35, of the OKC Thunder …
PHOTO: FORBES.COM
ence to the
Thunder
bench. Cheeks also spent
I think the Thunder will
four seasons on the Thunturn out great and have a
der staff from 2009-13.
good season this year.
Ravin’ Times IMAGE SEARCH !
IMAGE 1 — NAME:
Riverfield’s Middle School is full of smiles! Last
week, I captured a few of them in photos. Do you
know whose smiles these are? If you think you do,
write their names in the blanks under the photos.
The answers will be posted on the bulletin board
near the LAC Computer Lab tomorrow.
—JM
IMAGE 2 — NAME:
PHOTOS BY JON MORLEY
IMAGE 3 — NAME:
IMAGE 4 — NAME:
IMAGE 5 — NAME:
IMAGE 6 — NAME:
IMAGE 7 — NAME:
IMAGE 8 — NAME:
IMAGE 9 — NAME:
IMAGE 10 — NAME:
December 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
13
Blue Bell Creameries back in business
E
verybody loves ice
cream, and now Blue
Bell Creameries is
back in business after half a
year’s absence. Blue Bell ice
cream has been gone from
grocery stores for a while
because some of it was found
to contain a deadly bacteria called listeria.
Three people in Kansas
died after eating some of
the contaminated ice
cream. Blue Bell shut down
production on its ice
creams, sherbets, frozen
These are the flavors of Blue Bell ice cream now in stores.
PHOTO: LOSANGELES.GRUBSTREET.COM
yogurts and frozen snacks
because of this outbreak.
What is listeria?
Listeria is a hardy bacteria mostly found in water
and soil, and it can be carried by animals. It is also
found in processed meat,
unpasteurized cheese and
unpasteurized milk. On
April 20 this year, Blue
Bell ice cream recalled all
of its products after two
samples of their Chocolate
Chip Cookie Dough ice
cream tested positive for
listeria.
That followed more
limited recalls of Blue Bell
products made on production lines in Texas and Oklahoma after the company’s ice cream was linked
to eight illnesses in Texas
and Kansas, including the
three deaths mentioned
above.
Now they are reloading
the frozen sections of grocery stores with their famous ice cream. Right now,
they are only selling certain
flavors like Butter Pecan,
Dutch Chocolate, The Great
Divide, Cookies ‘n Cream
and Homemade Vanilla.
A couple of weeks ago,
my family got Blue Bell ice
cream that we used to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
None of us were sick the
next morning, so Blue Bell is
safe to eat.
Since Blue Bell is back,
everyone is happy and enjoying their ice cream again.
MYSTERY PERSON: Collin Marsh. Did you guess correctly?
Riverfield students’ worst travels
By Harry Simmons
6TH GRADE
L
ast month, I went
around Riverfield’s
Middle School asking students for their worst
travel stories. I wanted to
ask them where they were
and what happened.
Here are three of my
favorite tales.
Gabe Feather (7th
grade) was on his way back
from Dallas when his flight
to Tulsa was delayed until
5 p.m. Then, after a second
delay until 5:30, they
moved the flight to a different gate. But that gate
didn’t work. They tried a
third gate, but then the
plane wasn’t working. Finally, Gabe’s family just
decided to wait until tomorrow. A working plane
14
was found the next day,
and they flew home.
Nathan Morice Brubaker (6th grade) and his
family were taking a car
trip to Stockton Lake in
Missouri. They had their
dogs with them, and one of
the dogs had an accident in
the back of the car. To
make matters worse, it
tracked the mess all the
way to the front seat. Nathan and his family had to
continue driving for 10
minutes until they could
find a rest stop and clean
out the car.
Brian McSweeney (8th
grade) went to a football
game between the LSU
Tigers and the Wisconsin
Badgers. He and his family
arrived at the game around
7 p.m. It started at 8:30
and ended around 11, but
Gabe, Nathan and Brian remember their awful experiences. (Mrs.
Maxey photobombs.)
PHOTO BY HARRY SIMMONS
Brian’s family had to wait
in the taxi line until 2
o’clock in the morning.
They didn’t get back to
their hotel until 2:15 a.m.
What is the worst thing
that has happened to you
while traveling? I hope
nothing like any of these
stories happens to you
during Winter Break.
Good luck!
RAVIN’ TIMES
December 2015