Issue 2 - Riverfield Country Day School

November 2015
TH AN K
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partici o everyone w
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Social ated in our fi ho
Event o
rs
n Oct. t
(Photo
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Inside this issue...
Your favorite core class
Basketball stars …
“Attack of the Pumpkins”
Owning your own business
Why “SportsCenter”?
We want free periods!
May “The Force” be with you
Mystery Person
What 6th graders think …
Fruity favorites
RCDS B-ball season starts
Erasers, sponges & charcoal
Pack your suitcase!
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Volume IX Number 2
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.
Inside the MS Student Council
By Nathan Morice Brubaker
6TH GRADE
H
ave you ever wondered what goes
on in Student
Council?
This Year’s Spring Trip
needs a lot of fundraising
because it will be an overnight trip to St. Louis,
which is very expensive.
According to Liv
Goettel, the Council’s head
of fundraising and VicePresident, the Fundraising
Committee is starting pizza sales soon to raise money for the St. Louis trip.
Pizza will be sold every
Friday starting soon. You
will be able to get it by
signing up ahead of time.
Or you can take your
chances and buy any leftovers at $1.50 a slice.
Another thing that happened recently was the
Halloween Social Event
which was held on Friday,
Oct. 23. It was planned by
the Council’s Social Committee. Because of weather,
the event was almost cancelled. But at the last minute they decided to have a
Haunted Walk outdoors in
the woods behind the Main
Building. After the Walk, a
dance was held.
If you missed this
event, don’t be too disappointed. There will be
more social events later in
the year.
According to Student
Council President Zoe Reed,
one of the current decisions
being made is whether to
allow students to wear beanies during the winter. (Mrs.
Goodenberger remains skeptical.) The Council will also
be working to organize more
community service projects,
according to Zoe.
This year’s Student
Council consists of President
Zoe Reed, Vice-President
and Fundraising Chair Liv
Goettel, Secretary Belle Maxey, Social Chair Robert Hale,
8th Grade Representative
Hannah Davis, 7th Grade
Representative Caleb Fuqua,
and 6th Grade Representatives Caden Kesselring and
Willow Lamkin. Mrs. Maxey
is their adviser.
—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
This year’s Middle School Student Council …
PHOTO BY NATHAN MORICE BRUBAKER
GRAPH BY SAM SIMMONS
You can jump really high and have lots of fun at Sky Zone.
PHOTO: PINTEREST.COM
Sky Zone or The Air Port:
Which trampoline
park is better?
H
ave you ever
been to the
trampoline park
in Tulsa called Sky Zone?
How about The Air Port?
I decided to ask some
Riverfield middle school
students which one they
like more.
Nathan Morice Brubaker said he likes Sky
Zone, but he hasn’t been
to The Air Port yet.
Caleb Corbin said
that he likes The Air Port
because it has newer
trampolines, better
dodgeball courts, and
you can jump a lot higher.
Frank Simmons said
he likes The Air Port because the dodgeballs are
better, and you can literally take off to the sky!
Harry Simmons said
he likes Sky Zone better
because their basketball
courts are bigger.
I prefer The Air Port
because it is newer, and it
has a few better features
than Sky Zone. (What are
those features?)
Try to visit these parks
soon. They are both really
fun!
Sky Zone is located at
8306 E. 61st St., near 61st
and Memorial. It is open
Monday through Thursday
12-8 p.m., Friday 12-11:30
p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.11:30 p.m., and Sunday 10
a.m.-9 p.m.
The Air Port is located
at 5315 E. 41st St., near
41st and Yale by TGI Friday’s. It is open Monday
through Thursday 10 a.m.7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m., and
Sunday 12-8 p.m.
Which is your
favorite core class?
By Sam Simmons
6TH GRADE
I
wanted to know which
core class is the favorite of Riverfield’s middle school students. So
some of the newspaper
staff members and I polled
them on Oct. 6 during our
lunch period. We got 93
responses.
I figured that either
Math or Social Studies
would win, and I was right.
If I’d had to guess the No. 1
favorite, I would have
guessed Social Studies. But
Math overtook Social
Studies by nine votes. (Did
Mrs. Maxey use her evil
powers to help her win
2nd place?)
Afterward, I asked a few
of my fellow Ravin’ Times
staffers which core class was
their favorite.
Jack Bluhm said that
Math and German are his
two favorites, but he likes
German more.
My brother Frank said he
likes Social Studies best.
Like many others, Jon
Morley said that he likes
Math.
All in all, I can see how
Math and Social Studies
were the first and second
most popular core classes.
I like all my classes at
Riverfield Country Day
School though, and I like all
the teachers, too.
Math is the most popular core class in Riverfield’s Middle School!
PHOTO BY ASHLEY FARLEY
2
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
A college basketball preview …
By Ray Siegfried
7TH GRADE
C
ollege basketball
season has almost
started, and last
year’s National Champions, Wisconsin, will have
to rebound without stars
Frank Kaminsky and Sam
Dekker. The two are headed for the NBA.
The No. 1 recruit this
year was Ben Simmons out
of Montverde Academy.
He is going to Louisiana
State University (LSU).
Southern Methodist
University (SMU) will have
to wait to go to March
Madness until next season,
because they committed
academic fraud. In addition, their coach, Larry
Brown, will have to miss
their first nine games.
Kansas and Kentucky
and all of the teams that
usually do well are expected to do well again this
year. The first regular season games will be on Nov.
13. Right now, the players
are practicing and going to
school and preparing for
their first games, which
will most likely be exhibition games.
Notable games this
month will include:
Nov. 13 — Colorado vs.
Iowa State @ Sioux Falls,
SD, 4 p.m.
Temple vs. North Carolina @ Veterans Classic,
Annapolis, MD , 6 p.m.
Florida vs. Navy @ Veterans Classic, Annapolis,
MD, 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 14 — Washington
vs. Texas @ Shanghai,
China, 9 p.m.
Ben Simmons (center), this year’s No. 1 recruit, is an LSU Tiger.
PHOTO: CDN.BLOG.DICKSSPORTINGGOODS.COM
Interview with Tariq Bedri
T
ariq Bedri is a 7th
grader here at Riverfield. He is also on
our basketball team. Tariq
is funny and really, really
smart. If you don’t know
him, you should!
Tariq is someone you should get to know!
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
PHOTO BY RAY SIEGFRIED
Ray: How long have you
gone to Riverfield?
Tariq: Two years.
R: Which electives are you
taking now?
T: I’m in Industrial Arts,
and I do Yoga.
R: What are your hobbies?
T: Basketball, futbol
(soccer) and tennis.
R: Which of those is your
favorite sport, and why?
T: Basketball, because I
enjoy playing it.
R: Who is your favorite
athlete?
T: Rafael Nadal, because
he’s so good at tennis.
R: What is your favorite
professional sports team?
T: The OKC Thunder.
R: What is your favorite
place that you’ve been to?
T: San Diego, because it is
beautiful.
R: What is your favorite
candy?
T: Probably Snickers.
R: What is your favorite
movie?
T: “Mission: Impossible –
Rogue Nation.”
R: Do you like all of the Mission: Impossible movies?
T: Yes!
R: Thanks for your time,
Tariq.
T: Sure!
3
Original cartoons …
by Frank SIMMONS and Nathan MORICE BRUBAKER
4
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
Talking with a Riverfield ‘lifer’ ...
By Mason Malloy
7TH GRADE
R
Brenden’s favorite place on the
RCDS campus is the Blue Gym.
PHOTO BY MASON MALLOY
iverfield Country
Day School has
been around since
1984, and a lot of students
have come and gone since
then.
Some of our middle
school students have been
here since they were babies. I wonder which one
has been here the longest?
I decided to talk to 7th
grader Brenden Paul, one
of our “lifers.” I wanted to
find out what he thinks of
RCDS after all the years
he’s been here.
Mason: So Brenden, how
long have you been at
Riverfield?
Brenden: I have been
here for 12 years.
M: Through all those
years, what has been your
favorite memory of the
school?
B: That would probably be
the Independence Day
campout when I was in 1st
grade. It was so much fun!
M: Who has been your
favorite teacher so far?
B: Mrs. Korte. She taught
the 2nd and 3rd grade Forest class.
M: Would you say the
school has gotten better
during the years you’ve been
here?
B: Yes, because they’ve added the Green Gym and the
new Upper School Building.
M: In all those years, which
barnyard animal has been
your favorite?
B: Henry the Goose, because he often gets out of
the fence and runs in the
street and people honk at
him. It’s pretty great.
M: Is there anything you
can think of that would
make RCDS even better?
B: We need a football team
back!
M: Thank you, Brenden.
B: No problem!
If you could own a business,
what kind would you like to have?
B
usiness success is
something everyone
wants in life, but
the question is: What kind
of business would you
want?
I went around Riverfield’s Middle School last
month asking students this
question. I asked a girl and
a boy from each of the
three grades, and here is
what they said.
Aubrey Simons, 6th
grader, said, “I would have
an animal rescue business
because I love helping animals … especially dogs.”
Caleb Corbin, also in
6th, said, “I would have a
Nike shoe store, because
Nike is my favorite shoe
brand, and I would have
really comfortable shoes.”
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
Sabrina Edwards, a 7th
grader, said, “I would have
a bookstore because I like
quietness and reading
books.”
Gabe Feather, also in
7th, said, “Well, I would
have an ice cream truck
because I would get to
cruise around in my truck
and make good money.
Plus, I like ice cream.”
Shelby Peck, an 8th
grader, said, “I would have
a dental office, because I
would make really good
money. Plus, I really like
teeth.”
And Jake O’Shaughnessy, also in 8th, said, “I
would be an app maker
because I really like tech
and video games.”
So, there you have it.
Those are a few people’s
opinions on businesses. If I
had asked you, what would
you have said?
Owning a Cold Stone Creamery would be a dream come true for
Gabe Feather.
PHOTOS BY MASON MALLOY and TRICIASFRUGALFINDS.COM
5
Top soccer players
of 2014-2015
By Jack Bluhm
7TH GRADE
T
Riverfield’s Drumline performed at the Powder Puff games in
September. Did you see them?
PHOTO BY PAUL KNIGHT
What is it like to be
in the Drumline?
B
renden Paul is one
of the members of
the Raven Drumline. He is also in Rock
Band with Mr. Knight
and Mr. Jones.
You may have seen
the Drumline play at
Riverfield’s Powder Puff
football game, where
they put on a good performance.
I decided to ask
Brenden a few questions.
Jack: Is this the first
year for Middle School
Drumline?
Brenden: No, there
have been many others.
J: How are your practic-
es going?
B: Good. Right now, we
are figuring out what song
we will be doing.
J: What do you do in your
practices?
B: We work on old songs
and new songs.
J: When will your next
performance be?
B: At the next pep rally,
whenever that will be.
J: I see that the Drumline
has T-shirts that have
names on the back. What
does yours say?
B: It says “SportsCenter.”
J: Have you messed up in
Drumline?
B: I have messed up more
than one time!
VISITING DAY is coming up on Nov. 20, less than
three weeks away! This is the day parents, relatives
and friends can visit Riverfield and see what we do
here. Each family will get three invitations to share.
Ask someone today!
6
he players listed
below are the best
soccer players in the
world right now, according
to tiptoptens.com.
Some of your favorites
might not have made the
list because they didn’t
score enough or make
enough assists.
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovich — Since playing for
PSG, he has scored more
than 40 goals this season.
He also has many assists,
because he plays very well as
an attacker.
4. Luis Suarez — Suarez is part of the “Three
Amigos” along with Messi
and Neymar. Suarez scored
19 goals in 12 games at Liverpool, his former team. He
has scored 40 goals with
Barcelona.
3. Frank Ribery — The
French winger was a helping
hand in lifting the UEFA cup
last year, and he is helping
Bayern Munich this year.
2. Lionel Messi – The
Argentinian forward for Barcelona has been able to score
more than 400 goals in his
career, and he has also been
a good passer, assisting on
more than 100 goals.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
– This Spanish player for
Real Madrid has scored
more than 500 goals and
assisted on more than 150
goals in his career.
10. Xavi — This Spanish player was the central
midfielder for Barcelona,
but just recently transferred to Al Sadd. He
scored six goals in the past
season.
9. Mesut Ozil — This
German soccer player
scored five goals in the
past season and had one of
the highest assists in the
German league (26.)
8. Neymar — The
Brazilian midfielder and
attacker is part of the
“Three Amigos” with Suarez and Messi. Neymar has
six goals in 12 games.
7. Sergio Aguero —
The Manchester City star is
on the list for
his amazing
ability to get
behind defenses and score 30
goals already.
6. Gareth
Bale — This
Real Madrid
player has
scored seven
goals and has
played in the
last 10 games
with Madrid
after switching
from TottenA Barcelona soccer ball …
ham.
PHOTO: PITTSBURGHSOCCER.COM
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
Make a stop at QuikTrip today!
By Jon Morley
6TH GRADE
H
ow much do you
know about QuikTrip? Everybody
stops there for gasoline,
but this convenience store
is so much more than just
a gas station.
QT is a great place to
stop after sports. They
have drinks, chips,
milkshakes, lattes, donuts,
and all kinds of snacks.
The stores have added
a new feature recently
called the QT Kitchen.
Now they have pizza, ice
cream, and even meals. I
want to try the toasted
sandwiches and the kolaches (breakfast sandwiches.)
I love their pretzels.
They are warm and fresh,
and the butter and salt
make them taste great.
If I had to pick a dessert, I would take a QT
Twister. They are chocolate
or vanilla ice cream with
candy or a flavoring mixed
in.
QuikTrip was founded
in Tulsa in 1958. It is now
an $11+ billion company
with more than 700 locations in 11 states. They donate 5% of their profits to
charitable organizations.
The company has more
than 11,000 employees! Do
you want a job some day?
You could work in one of
their stores, their bakery,
or their corporate office. Or
maybe you could have a
Have you been to QuikTrip since they added the QT Kitchen?
PHOTO: TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM
maintenance job or a commissary job where you deliver food to the stores.
QuikTrip even has its
own prepaid cards now.
They are good for gas,
food, or anything the
stores sell. A QT gift card
would be great for anyone!
How do RCDS high schoolers
spend their free periods?
H
10th grader James Morley spends his free time at home the same way
he spends free periods at school.
PHOTO BY JON MORLEY
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
ave you ever wondered what the
Upper School students do during their free
periods? I know I have.
So I emailed a few high
schoolers and asked them.
I got responses from James
Hale and James Morley.
James Hale, an 11th
grader, said he does homework and socializes with
friends. But if he has a free
period at the end of the
day, he will just relax and
mess around on the web,
looking at the news and
whatever else interests
him.
James Morley, who is a
10th grader and my older
brother, said he tries to get
all of his homework finished
that is due that day. But then
he admitted that what actually ends up happening is
that he goes to the Blue Gym
and plays basketball.
Then I asked another
couple of high school students.
Noah Laubach, another
10th grader, said he goes to
the gym to play basketball,
too.
Tater Pugh, an 11th grader, said he listens to music.
As we all know, middle
school students don’t get
free periods. But if we did,
how do you think you would
spend yours?
7
Who is your favorite Star Wars character?
By Gabe Feather
7TH GRADE
W
The official movie poster …
PHOTO: BLOG.SCREENWEEK.IT
ith the new Star
Wars movie
coming out
soon, I thought I would ask
people which character in
the series is their favorite. I
included characters in the
original series and the expanded series.
“Yoda is my favorite
Star Wars character because he has a green
lightsaber, and he’s a good
leader,” says Brenden Paul.
(Sorry Brenden, Yoda will
not be in “The Force Awakens.” )
Ray Siegfried likes
Darth Vader, especially
when Vader says “Luke, I
am your father.”
“I like Boba Fett because he is an assassin, and
he’s green. Green is my
favorite color,” Mason
Malloy says.
Mrs. Goodenberger
likes “R2-D2, because of
the way he communicates.
He can’t speak, but he still
talks.”
Andrew Jordan likes
Captain Rex from “The
Clone Wars” because he is
inspirational.
“I like Jango Fett because he flies around in his
jetpack,” Brian McSweeney
says.
“I like Qui-Gon Jinn,
the Jedi Master, mostly
because he’s played by Liam
Neeson, one of my favorite
actors,” Mrs. Dickey says.
So the results are mixed,
but that doesn’t mean characters are cool or not cool.
Everyone has their favorite,
and the combination of
characters is one of the main
things that has made Star
Wars so popular.
So on Dec. 18 we will see
what will go down. Will the
First Order destroy the rebels, or will the rebels defeat
them? We will find out next
month. Until then, we will
just have to hope — just like
we did in “A New Hope.”
Personally, I want the
First Order to win in “Star
Wars VII.”
‘The Force’ to hit theaters next month
O
n Dec. 18, The
Force awakens.
In case you
don’t already know, a new
Star Wars movie will be
released. This seventh film
in the series will be set
about 30 years after the
Battle of Endor in “Return
of the Jedi.”
This story is going to be
about the First Order
(formerly the Galactic Empire) and some heroic rebels trying to overthrow
the evil Order.
Unfortunately, the rebels have a new villain
named Kylo Ren blocking
their way. Ren is the Sith
who appeared in the first
trailer with the cross guard
lightsaber.
But it’s not all new
characters in this movie.
Many actors from the older
films are returning to their
8
roles, such as Mark Hamill
(Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Leia), Peter
Mayhew (Chewbacca),
Kenny Baker (R2-D2), and
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO.)
They were given a
budget of $200 million,
but that doesn’t even include marketing costs or
home videos. So there is no
telling how much more
they have spent.
The director is J. J.
Abrams. He has done many
movies including Armageddon (1998), several
Mission Impossible films,
the two latest Star Trek
films, and many others.
So far, the movie
sounds like it will be a winner. I think it will be good
even with Disney producing it since Lucasfilm is
supervising.
In my opinion, this
movie could rate 10 out of
10, but we just have to wait
and see. We will find out
on Dec. 18. For now, may
The Force be with you.
Finn is one of the new characters in “Star Wars: Episode VII — The
Force Awakens.”
PHOTO: FLICKERINGMYTH.COM
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
Game Review: ‘NHL 16’
By Brenden Paul
7TH GRADE
T
here are many new
features in this
year’s edition of the
EA hockey franchise. First
of all, there is a new season
of EASHL (EA Sports
Hockey League), which is
basically the online season
for hockey.
There are many new
modes including Be a GM
mode, where you can be a
General Manager for a
team. You can even relocate the team if they start
doing terrible.
There is also Be a Pro
mode, where you start in
the minor leagues. As you
get better, you work your
way up to the majors.
Ultimate Team is a
popular mode where you
get real-life players’ cards
and try to create the best
hockey lineup ever. This
year’s Ultimate Team includes single player seasons, so you don’t have to
play online in season mode
anymore. You are able to
switch and play any position on the ice. Instead of
just being on the ice as a
skater, you can hold down
the crease as a goaltender.
There are other new
features that include more
detailed graphics for the
players.
Another thing that is
very cool is that in the
playoffs, all the players
grow really long beards. I
don’t really know why, but
the game has made graphic
improvements to just the
Look at these graphics! It looks just like real life!
PHOTO: OPERATIONSPORTS.COM
sons on Ultimate Team.
This 25th installment
of the series was released
on Sept. 15 for XBOX 360,
XBOX One, PS3 and PS4.
Rated E10+.
beards!
I have not yet played
“NHL 16,” but I cannot
wait! I think my favorite
thing about the game will
be the single player sea-
COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE RIVERFIELD RAVENS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAMS
AT THEIR FIRST GAMES ON NOV. 10 AT ALLEN BOWDEN
5 PM — 6TH GRADE GIRLS
6 PM — 6TH GRADE BOYS
7 PM — 8TH GRADE GIRLS
8 PM — 8TH GRADE BOYS
Mystery Person
I
n this issue, I’ve selected the second Mystery
Person of the school
year. This person is a middle school student here at
Riverfield who hasn’t been
featured in any of our recent articles.
This is going to be a
tough one. See if you can
figure out who it is.
Take your guesses based on this
photo!
PHOTO BY WES ROWELL
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
Brenden: What grade are
you in?
Mystery Person: 7th
grade.
B: What electives are you
taking this semester?
?: I’m taking Rock Band
and Yearbook.
B: Do you play any instruments?
?: Yes, I play the guitar.
B: What is your favorite
animal?
?: A zebra.
B: Do you play on any
Riverfield athletic teams?
?: I am playing on the basketball team this year, and
I will continue to play soccer this year.
B: Do you do any extracurricular activities?
?: I do gymnastics outside
of school.
B: How long have you
been going to Riverfield?
?: I have been here for eight
years.
B: What do you think makes
Riverfield different from
other schools?
?: We value friendship, and
we really have fun with all
the activities we do.
B: One more fun question.
Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?
?: I don’t like either. I like Dr
Pepper.
Based on the responses
this person gave to these
interview questions, who do
you think this is? The answer
can be found on the back
page of this issue.
9
What 6th graders
think of MS so far
By Brian McSweeney
8TH GRADE
S
ince the 6th graders
are the “newbies” of
the middle school, I
wanted to ask them what
they think of it so far.
Here are just a few of the
many voices that roam
around in the 6th grade.
Jon Morley said, “I think
it’s fine.”
Liam Puls said, “It’s going OK, but people say it will
be harder than usual.” (I
speak for those people,
Liam, because 6th grade was
my toughest year here.)
Frank Simmons said,
“Middle school is sehr gut
und sehr schon. In English,
that means middle school is
very good and very pretty.”
Harry Simmons said,
“It’s good and I like it.”
Harry’s other brother
Sam said, “I like 6th grade,
because I like to see some of
my 7th and 8th grade
friends again.”
Willow Lamkin said,
“It’s definitely a challenge
in some subjects, but otherwise very easy.” Get
ready Willow, it does get
harder.
You could say that
Lauckie Reed went down
another path on the old
trail. He said, “I like 6th
grade because you get
food, and because you can
see animals, and because
you get stuff. And it’s really fun.” Glad that you get
to go this school, Lauckie.
We’re happy to have you.
Caden Kesselring said,
“I like it because there are
so many other classes, and
the schedule changes every
day, instead of always having the same schedule. I
also like being with the 7th
and 8th graders.” Good,
Caden, good.
So, if I didn’t ask you
what you thought, you can
think of one and tell me
the next time I write something like this.
This is the first year that 6th graders have been able to eat lunch at
the Upper School.
PHOTO BY BRIAN McSWEENEY
10
The top Republican candidates at their first debate ...
PHOTO: MAGUZZ.COM
The 2016 election
C
linton. Trump.
Bush. Sanders.
Carson. Those are
just a few of the candidates now running for
U.S. president.
The Republican Party
and the Democratic Party will hold national conventions next July to
pick their candidates for
the big election on Nov.
8. But whoever wins that
election does not automatically become president. The Electoral College decides that.
The Nov. 8 election
decides how many electors each candidate receives from each state.
Every state gets a certain
number of electors based
on its population. The
bigger your state, the
more votes it gets.
There are 538 electors in the Electoral College. The winner must
get a majority, so assuming only the Republican
or Democrat win electoral votes, a candidate
will need 270 votes to
win the presidency.
So far, the Republican front-runner is Donald Trump. Trump has
been in the media every
single day, and he’s always
calling somebody something. According to
Trump, China owns us,
and we should build a wall
across our entire southern
border. But we’re not China with their law that says
if you live there you can’t
leave, and we’re also not
Berlin where they once
had the Berlin Wall.
Dr. Ben Carson is close
behind Trump, and some
of the latest polls show he
may have taken the lead
for the Republican nomination. Marco Rubio is in
third place, and as of this
writing, there are 12 more
Republicans running.
The front-runner for
the Democrats is Hillary
Clinton. She once referred
Republicans as terrorists.
Why? Why would anyone
say that?
Right now, Bernie
Sanders is in second place
for the Democratic nomination, and Martin O’Malley is a very distant third.
My prediction is that
on Nov. 8, 2016, it will be
Marco Rubio vs. Bernie
Sanders, and Rubio will
win.
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
My top 10 favorite fruits
By Jake O’Shaughnessy
8TH GRADE
F
ruits are nature’s
dessert. They are so
sweet and delicious.
But many people ignore
them because they are associated with vegetables.
Give them a chance!
Here are my top 10
favorite fruits.
10. Cantaloupe — It
has a distinct flavor that
gives it that “wow.”
9. Watermelon —
Juicy and yummy, not
much else.
8. Pineapple — Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) gives
it that distinct taste.
7. Banana — Basic
and easy to chew, but some
might not consider it a
fruit.
6. Pear — So juicy and
easy to bite into.
5. Grapes — They are
also juicy, and they’re easy
to pop into your mouth.
4. Apple — The classic
fruit, but I prefer soft apples. Apples are too hard to
be my top favorite.
3. Orange — OK, I
only chose it because I like
orange juice.
2. Kiwi — So delicious,
and the seeds make it
crunchy. But it’s so hard to
get out of its skin.
1. Strawberry — So
very juicy and bite-worthy!
You don’t even have to cut
the end off. Just eat around
A lot of delicious fruit !
the leaves and stem.
I just love fruit, and I
would eat it all day if I
PHOTO: STEAMCOMMUNITY.COM
could. Think about it. Can
you decide which fruit is
your favorite?
POLL: Favorite newspaper articles
E
very time this newspaper comes out, I
always flip to certain
types of articles. My favorites are game reviews, interviews, Mystery Person arti-
cles and Image Searches.
So that made me wonder what type of articles
everyone else likes.
With the help of a few
other Ravin’ Times staff-
ers, we polled all the Riverfield middle school students during the lunch
period on Oct. 8. We got 91
responses.
Sports articles, game
RAVIN’ TIMES READERS POLL
CHART BY JAKE O’SHAUGHNESSY
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
reviews and Mystery Person
articles were the clear favorites.
8th grader Brian
McSweeney said he chose
sports articles because he
plays sports.
7th grader Brenden Paul
chose game reviews
“because they can teach people how to play video games
they have never played, and
they help me discover new
games.”
I chose game reviews
because I am a video game
enthusiast. I don’t just play
games for fun, I play them
for knowledge.
Surprisingly, nobody
chose travel articles at all. I
think it is because we are
kids, and we let our parents
decide all of our travel plans.
Did your favorite kind of
article win our poll?
11
Interview on basketball season
S
helby Peck, one of
our 8th graders, has
been playing basketball for Riverfield for several years. I interviewed
her last month about the
upcoming basketball season. Here is what she had
to say.
This Spalding basketball is the official ball of the NBA.
PHOTO NOT COPYRIGHTED
Caleb: The basketball
teams started practices on
Monday, Oct. 19. How do
you feel about the upcoming season?
Shelby: I feel OK, and I
think we can win our
games.
C: The Middle School Girls
team has a new coach this
fall, right?
S: Yes, her name is Coach
Weston.
C: Do you think she will help
you?
S: Yeah, but I need to meet
her, also.
C: Do you think your team
has any other new assets that
will help it this year?
S: Yes, we have some younger students who will be helping us.
C: Who do you think will be
your toughest team to beat
this year?
S: Jennings or Prue.
C: When is your first game
scheduled?
S: Nov. 10.
C: Good luck!
S: Thanks, Caleb!
Mason Malloy’s YouTube channel
By Caleb Regan
8TH GRADE
R
iverfield 7th grader
Mason Malloy has
his own YouTube
channel, “MB Gaming.”
The channel includes
gaming videos as well as
videos of Mason. I interviewed him to find out
more about his plans for
the channel.
Caleb: How old were you
when you started “MB
Gaming?”
Mason: 10 years old.
C: You had another channel before. Why did you
switch?
M: Because my other
channel had old videos.
C: Where did the name
“MB Gaming” come from?
M: It comes from
12
“Minecraft beast.”
C: How many views do you
get, on average?
M: About 35 per video.
C: How many subscribers
do you have?
M: About 25 so far.
C: Who was your idol and
made you want to start
uploading videos?
M: PewDiePie.
C: Do you upload videos
now?
M: Yes, but not very often.
C: Have you had any special guests?
M: Yes, Andrew Jordan.
C: Who is your No. 1 fan
on “MB Gaming”?
M: Jack Bluhm.
C: What are your future
plans for the channel?
M: I’m going to do a collab
with Jack.
C: Thanks for your time,
Mason!
This old photo of Mason can be found on his channel at youtube.com/user/Herobrinehunter101.
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015
GAME REVIEW:
‘Madden 16’
By Harry Simmons
6TH GRADE
E
verybody loves football. There’s high
school and college
football, but I think the NFL
is the most exciting.
“Madden 16” is the new NFL
videogame that came out on
Aug. 25 this year. It can be
played on the PS3, PS4,
Xbox 360 or Xbox One.
Odell Beckham Jr. won the
vote to be on the cover art.
The IGN ratings for
“Madden 16” are 8-9 stars
out of 10. The game’s ESRB
rating is E.
I only have “Madden 15,”
so I’m looking forward to
play Madden 16. “Madden”
is one of those heart-racing
games because every play
counts.
Brenden Paul says the
glitches in the game really
annoy him. Once his player
caught the ball and fell on
the ground (actually went
through the ground), and
five seconds later he came
back up and the game froze.
Who started “Madden”?
John Madden was the Super
Bowl-winning head coach of
the Oakland Raiders, and a
well-known NFL commentator for all four major TV
networks (ABC, CBS, NBC
and Fox.)
According to Wikipedia, he “lends his voice,
personality, and name to
the ‘Madden NFL’ series of
football video games, published by EA Sports/
Electronic Arts since
1988.” He has been retired
since 2009.
But let’s talk about his
coaching career. Before
coaching the Raiders,
Madden was the defensive
coordinator at San Diego
State from 1964 to 1966.
The Oakland Raiders hired
John Madden as their
head coach when he was
only 32 years old, making
him one of the youngest
football coaches in the
American Football League.
When Madden was
coach, the Raiders never
suffered a losing record.
He led the Raiders to win
Super Bowl XI. After the
Super Bowl, the Raiders
won 17 games in a row
during their 1976 and 1977
seasons. His overall record
was 112 wins, 39 ties and 7
losses.
J.J. Watt celebrates in the new “Madden 16.”
November 2015
RAVIN’ TIMES
Willow Lamkin, Lauckie Reed, and Frank Simmons hold their favorite art tools in Mr. de Verges’ room.
PHOTO BY HARRY SIMMONS
Art students talk
about favorite tools
A
rt class is one of
the most popular
electives among
Riverfield’s middle
school students.
I decided to hunt
down some of the people
who take Art and ask
them a fun question.
I asked them which
art tool in Mr. de Verges’
classroom is their favorite and why they like it.
I asked several people
in both Art classes, and I
got some good answers
from some pretty artistic
people. Here is what they
said.
Willow Lamkin says,
“I like charcoal, because I
like shading and the way
it looks on paper.”
Lauckie Reid also
likes charcoal “because
you can do so many cool
things with it.”
Maddy Edwards prefers the charcoal pencils
“because I feel like I have
more control.”
But Andrew Jordan
likes lead pencils better.
He says, “You can make
precise drawings with
them and shade really
well.”
Sam Simmons likes
“the eraser, because you
can fix your mistakes easily.”
Frank Simmons said he
likes “charcoal, because
you can make so many
different shades with it.”
As for myself, I like the
coral sponge the best.
Whenever you dab watercolors, it looks cool on the
paper.
A lot of the people in
Art really liked charcoal. It
is probably the most popular art tool in the room.
I hope you like Art, too.
Maybe you will decide to
take this class next semester yourself!
PHOTO: VIDEOGAMER.COM
13
Where have you been so far?
By Frank Simmons
6TH GRADE
S
ome of Riverfield’s
middle school students have traveled a
lot. But where have they
been?
I asked several people
if they had ever been outside the continental U.S.,
and if so, where. Here are
some of their responses.
Adam Andrews, Collin
Marsh, Jon Morley and
Caleb Corbin all have been
to Mexico. So has Hayden
Grenier, and he has also
been to the British Virgin
Islands.
Gabe Feather has been
to several places in the
Caribbean, and so has Nathan Morice Brubaker.
Nathan has also been to
Germany and Austria.
Brenden Paul and Caden Kesselring both have
been to Hawaii. Brenden
has also been to Canada,
and Caden has been to
England.
Ray Siegfried has been
to Spain, the Bahamas, and
a few more places.
Wow! I didn’t know
Riverfield’s students have
been so many places. I
haven’t been anywhere
outside the U.S. so far.
Out of curiosity, I asked
our Newspaper Advisers,
too. Mrs. Goodenberger
said she has been to Canada. Mrs. Dickey has been to
Hawaii, Canada, Mexico,
Italy, France, and many
islands in the Caribbean.
How many places in the
world have you seen so far?
Where in the world would you like to travel? Here are a few of the places
Riverfield students have been.
ARTWORK: DREAMSTIME.COM, HAWAII.FACTS.CO,
PRONTOINSURANCE.COM, and COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
MYSTERY PERSON: Abigail Pope. Did you guess correctly?
Memories of the
HALLOWEEN DANCE
Friday, October 23, 2015
PHOTOS BY DEE MAXEY
14
RAVIN’ TIMES
November 2015