RMS Press - Spring 2014

Vol. IV, number 3
The R.M.S. Press
Rye Middle School’s Paper ... And One-Stop Shop for All Your Kitchenware Needs
Spring 2014
Justice Day Brings R.M.S.
Together For a Cause
By Emma Smith
Big Win For Science Olympiad!
By Jonathan Lloyd
Rye’s Science Olympiad
team, with only two years’
experience, placed second
overall in the Lower Hudson
Valley for the National Science
and Technology Competition.
That impressive finish qualified
the team for the first-ever New
York State Science Olympiad
Competition, which was held
April 4-5 in Rochester.
At the regionals, the Rye
team – 15 mostly middle
school students, with some
high schoolers as well – beat 30
other teams from Westchester,
Putnam, Rockland, and Orange
counties. Only Scarsdale beat
Rye, but Scarsdale has been a
consistently strong team over
the years and had a “home
field” advantage, since the competition was staged at Scarsdale
Middle School.
Coming this far in such a
short time astounded many,
including coaches Mr. Griffin
and Mr. Curella, and science
teacher Mrs. Irvine, who helped
out as well. They had never
expected to build a competitive
team this fast.
Of Rye’s 19 medals, the
team earned notable medals
in the areas of Anatomy and
Boomilever (where the team
won second place) and Write It/
Do It (where it won first place).
Rye had a tough time in
Rochester, competing against
teams with a long history of
Science Olympiad competition.
Still, by even qualifying for the
state competition, Rye beat out
180 other teams that did not
qualify. And 6th grader Sydney
Gager was able to reach 7th
place in the entire state in the
Disease Detectives (epidemiology) competition.
To celebrate its accomplishment, the team held a dinner
where teammates discussed the
highlights of their experience
and plan for even larger success
next year.
What’s Inside This Issue:
• Students of the Month, p. 4-5
• How are Club Sports Going? p. 8
• Give More HUGS Needs Your Books, p. 6
Society often makes statements on the importance of
justice for all people. On
April 25, Rye Middle School
investigated what injustices are
prevalent today in our world.
With our
country’s
mantra
in mind
-- “liberty
and justice
for all”
-- Justice Day
began.
There
were 19
different class
options for R.M.S. students
to attend, all related to groups
of people who have historically been treated unfairly or
have been ignored. In addition to classes on ending
poverty, deafness, mental
illness, animal rights, Latino
pride, transgender awareness
and food justice, some of the
highlights included a visit from
Rabbi Daniel Gropper and Ann
Chiappetta, a Guiding Eyes
graduate and her incredibly
popular seeing-eye dog.
At the “Prejudice and
Stereotypes” class we saw that,
while we all may think that the
21st century is no longer the
time for stereotypes, we still
conform to a shadow of it.
The Holocaust and other
types of injustice are familiar
to anyone. On the way out of
the auditorium, kids could be
heard talking about family
members who had been in the
death camps.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
School News
P. 2 / Spring 2014
The R.M.S. Press
Rye Middle School
3 Parsons Street
Rye, NY 10580
Editors in Chief
Sophia Cetina, Trisha Gollamudi
Editors, Correspondents, and Columnists:
Emma Smith, Jared Olbrys,
Jonathan Lloyd, Lucien Overweel,
Alexa McRedmond, Sydney Gager,
Mai Miyake, Shiyo Ichikawa
Advisor
Mr. R.M.Sarig
The R.M.S. Press is the student publication of Rye
Middle School. We invite any member of the school
community to contribute their words, pictures, or art.
Submissions may be emailed to sarigr@ryeschools.org or
brought to room 138.
Those interested in being a part of The R.M.S.
Press’s editorial team should attend staff meetings, held
Wednesdays after school in the Library Computer Lab.
And we’re into the idea of free speech, so if you have
something you want to say about the paper, please send
a Letter to the Editor at sarigr@ryeschools.org (letters
may be excerpted for space reasons).
Dr. Edwards Writes About Nuturing Us
Dr. Edwards recently wrote
and published an article -- and
it’s (sort of) about us! The
article, titled “Nuturing Effective Middle Level Schools,”
appears in the magazine of
AMLE, the Association for
Middle Level Education.
You can read it yourself at
www.amle.org. Of course, in
case you’re too busy finishing
up that OSR book and studying for finals, here’s the “Spark
Notes” version:
According to Dr. Edwards,
school climate and morale will
be improved if you:
1. Untrack the school (that is,
don’t separate kids by ability).
2. Promote students’ abilities.
3. Provide positive support.
4. Celebrate empowerment.
If enough educators follow
along, maybe what works at
RMS will get a chance to work
elsewhere as well.
All County Musicians Take the Stage
Four Rye Middle School
students were recently selected
to perform in the Annual AllCounty Music Festival.
Miteki Ochi was selected
concert mistress/first violin,
and had a solo performance.
In addition, Esther Yu was
principal/first cello, and Anders
Jensen was one of only four
trumpeters in a sea of string
performers. The three joined
the All Country Intermediate
Orchestra performance, while
trombonist Alex Mayo-Smith
joined the All County Intermediate Band. Congratulations to
all of them.
Pi Day Again Ensures a Well-Rounded Year
Once again, March 14 -that is, 3/14 -- found RMS celebrating Pi Day,
the continuous
irrational number starting with
the digits 3.14.
And once again,
we followed
RMS tradition
by holding a pie
eating contest.
Representatives
from each team
(R,M,S) and each grade competed against each other, as
well as against several teachers.
The competition took place
in the middle school gym after
school, where crowds of both
students and teachers surrounded the contestants, cameras in
hand. As the contest began,
a flurry of shouts and cheers
flooded into
the gym as
the competitors began to
eat.
Within a
few minutes, the
winner was
clear. Eighth
grader Grant
Myerson took
first place. Pi Day is a riveting
event that never fails to bring
students together as they cheer
their fellow students on.
Just wait for next year,
which will not only have a
3/14, but a 3/14/15 -- the first
five digits of pi!
-- Sophia Cetina
African Dancing Gets Rye in Rhythm
In connection with Black
History Month this year, a
group of dancers from the New
Beginnings Dance Company
performed for students at Rye
Middle School.
The performance was
among the most
exciting assemblies teachers
and students
could recall.
The New
Beginnings
troupe use
traditional
African dance
moves and
instruments, which they also
took time to explain and demonstrate. This illustrated the
individualized role each sound/
instrument played, and how by
working together they became
united as a whole. The music
and dancing flowed.
This performance proved to
be a revealing and enlightening
experience that educated and
entertained everyone in attendance. RMS got an up-close
look at this interesting form of
dance, the music behind it, and
its true origin.
-- Sophia Cetina
We Got a Letter!
Please pass along to your newspaper students that I really
enjoyed [the winter issue]. I think over all the newspaper has
shown such wonderful growth. Keep up the good work you do
with our students.
Vanessa Caine, RMS Guidance Counselor
Teacher News
Spring 2014 / P. 3
Sneak Peak: R.M.S.’s Musical Review,
“Broadway and Beyond,” is on the Way!
By Trisha Gollamudi
RMS Press: What is “Broadway and Beyond?”
Mr. Snowden: It is a review,
and we are selecting songs from
multiple Broadway shows.
There’s singing and dancing.
Is there anything else to look
forward to other than the
singing?
Yes, such as the costumes and
the live theater.
How many costumes will you
have for the different songs?
Is this a bigger play than
Beauty and the Beast?
It’s very different, Beauty and
the Beast is its own musical.
This is more like a put together
show, there’s not necessarily a
story line.
How do you want people to
feel after the show?
I want them to feel good and
entertained, like they saw something worth it. I want them to
feel like, “Wow, look at those
students!” I want them to feel
proud of their children and see
fellow classmates. I also
hope it exposes them to new
music.
What music did you
chose?
We have chosen some
from modern shows and
we chose something from
Frozen. We have someone
singing a solo from a show,
as well as some modern
Broadway and some oldtime Broadway. There is
going to be a mix of music.
We have 45 cast members and
each member is going to need a
different costume per song. But
not everybody is going to need
a costume. We will need around
200 costumes.
How many costumes were in
Beauty and the Beast?
We had around 300 costumes.
How do you decide on who
gets what part?
For one, you have to think
about the song itself, because
someone can reach the notes
but they don’t have the style to
sing the part. We try to match
the song with the voice quality
of the student.
RMS Baby Boom Continues
What advice you would
give those who want to
audition?
My advice is to relax and pick
a song that best suits you, and
don’t necessarily pick a song
you like. Have fun as well.
Are the majority of people
who try out from chorus or is
it from other classes?
It is a big mix. It is 50 and 50.
What about the students who
are dissapointed?
I would tell them to hang in
there and we are still assigning
parts as we go. Some people
have other parts.
Come see “Broadway and
Beyond” this Friday and
Saturday nights at 7:30 in the
Auditorium.
Scott Milton Brosowsky, the first child of RMS Science/Math whiz Mr. Brosowsky was in late March. He
came in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces, 18 inches, but done
some considerable bulking up since then. Here we see
Scott (the one without the beard) with his excited dad.
Justice Day Raises Awareness
Of a World Beyond R.M.S.
CONTD. FROM PAGE 3
The day ended with a
whole school assembly, which
featured a great impromptu
speech by Mr. Vodyanitsky.
And Justice Day organizers
announced the decision to create a new school organization
dedicated to justic issues that
would generate project ideas
beyond today.
“It’s so easy for us to not
think of people for whom
justice really isn’t there,” says
filmmaker Joe Fab, who took
part in the day’s activities. “We
live in our own little worlds ...
and they’re great. But it’s easy
to not be thinking about some
child in Africa, or some veteran who came back from Iraq
that we never see. This day is
about justice for all.”
Justice Day was more than
a day off from classes, it was
meant to help expose Rye’s
privileged young people to
what they may not have ever
seen or have chosen to ignore.
Special thanks go out to
Mrs. Braun for taking the lead
on Justice Day. Also helping
out were Dr. Edwards and
many R.M.S. faculty, including
Mrs. Farewell, Mr. Villanova,
and Mrs. Caine.
At the end of 9th period,
there was a lot of talk about
how Justice Day is what you
choose to make it -- either just
a day off, or something that
gets you thinking about what
justice really means to you.
P. 4 / Spring 2014
SOTM
Students of the Month - February
TEAM 6R
TEAM 6M
TEAM 6S
TECH
Margaret Scully
Ava Hogan
Amanda Ramirez, Kyle O’Brien
Andrew Yarrow-Escaladas
TEAM 7M
Maria Alexopoulos
TEAM 7S
Jane Hentschel, Delucia Lepore
TEAM 8R
Minori Aoki, Pablo Mazuera
FRENCH 6
Clara Farres
TEAM 8M
Maytal Balaish
6
Amanda Ramirez
DRAMA
Phile Govaert
MANDARIN
1A
Jonathan Lloyd
1B
Gillian Leung
ELL
CHORUS 6
HEALTH
Mai Miyaki
Sydney Gager
Jeffrey Pickup
FEBRUARY Not Pictured:
MARCH Not Pictured:
Team 6R: Fukutaro Nakashiro
Team 6M: James Mackle
Team 7R: Micaela LaPointe, Nicholas Roach
Team 7M: Skyler Twyman
Team 8M: John Swanson
Team 8S: Paige Carlisle, Caroline Kacha
Spanish 6: Kellan Repetto & Riki Watanabe
Chorus 6: Emma Leslie
Mandarin 1A: Julia Licursi
Spanish 7: Thomas Foley
French 7: Hannah Simandl
Music Lab 7: Reid Tolley
Spanish 8: Shannon Keane, Julia Mackey, Christina Cardino
French 8: Hannah Friedrich
Team 6R: Thomas Junior
Team 7M: Nicole Francis
Team 7S: Rachael Adelson, William
O’Connor
Team 8R: Shota Takizawa, Nora Woodruff
Team 8M: Robert Pecora
Team 8S: Zachary Karpovich, Peter Chabot
Mandarin 1B: Alexandre Farres-Centeno
Spanish 7: Rachael Adelson
Spanish 8: Timothy Rudolph-Math
Health: Christian Patouhas
Orchestra: Miteki Ochi
SOTM
Spring 2014 / P. 5
Students of the Month - March
TEAM 6R
Amy Morrissey
TEAM 7R
Kylie Lawlor, Rikuya Takatsu
TEAM 6S
TEAM 6M
Mai Miyake, Kathryn Stevens
Ann Mead, Grant Howard
TEAM 7M
TEAM 8R
Katherine Langer
SPANISH 6
Shota Takizawa
SPANISH 8
Rebecca Kaplan, Naomi Saito
Chaim Yi, Tess Eberhardt
6
FRENCH
1A
1B
Kathryn Stevens
Natalie Weiner
Jimmy Cronin
TEAM 8M
BEYOND RMS
Alaire Kanes
Benjamin Cutner, Robert Pecora
TECH
Henry Cetina
DRAMA
Elizabeth Blonstein
MANDARIN
6
1A
Alessandra
Madlangbayan
Jessica Molitor
Club & Class News
P. 6 / Spring 2014
Give More Than Hugs -- Dr. Haiken’s
8th Graders Collect Books for Donation
By Gabriel Mazuera
We all know Rye is a very
wealthy and fortunate town,
but many kids do not have
the luck to be born in such
a comfortable environment.
And while we may all have
had easy access to books when
we were young, many kids do
not have this luxury. If you
have any books sitting at home
that you are not using or have
completely forgotten about, it
would be a good idea to donate
them to the current book drive
being organized by Dr. Haiken
and her students. We will be
donating books to Give More
HUGS, an organization that
helps out children in need.
Give More HUGS is an organization dedicated to helping
schools and students in need,
anywhere from here in the U.S.
to many poor places in the
world. They have many different programs to help improve
education in struggling countries around the world, such
as the Dominica Republic, or
in places affected by natural
disasters, such as Oklahoma.
Last year, after a tornado
devastated several Oklahoma
communities and schools,
Give More HUGS reached out
to them and helped all those
families in need recover from
that incident.
By donating to them, we are
making a contribution to help
those less fortunate than us
and sharing the gift of reading.
This Give More HUGS book
drive is a great opportunity to
improve education for those
less privileged than us who, on
their own, probably wouldn’t
have access to books -- an
essential component in a kid’s
education and life. All you
have to do is donate a book
and you will make a big difference in a kid’s life who will be
overjoyed at receiving a book,
a true treasure for any child.
We hope you donate any
books you don’t use or want
any more to our book drive
and help a kid in need grow
up happier and with a better
education. Just think of how
much you can change a life by
simply giving up a book to a
good cause. Give More HUGS
will greatly appreciate your donation as will the children who
receive your books. We thank
you if you have reached into
your heart to give out to those
who are in need.
The book drive here is being organized by Dr. Haiken,
who you can find in room 138
if you have any questions.
We accept all gently used
young adult books. Give More
HUGS also has other projects,
including the Extracurricular
Activity Scholarship and the
HUGS backpack, both great
choices to help children in
need learn. The Extracurricular Activity Scholarship
program gives out scholarships
to students in need so that
they may pursue an extracurricular activity they couldn’t
have without a scholarship.
The HUGS Backpack program
sends supplies to schools in
need all over the world. For
more information on Give
More HUGS, to look at their
programs and get involved in
their other projects, or find out
about being a HUGS ambassador, visit givemorehugs.org.
Madame Kent’s French class celebrate Mardi Gras by making New
Orleans-style Mardi Gras masks. The masks are one aspect of the
big “Fat Tuesday” celebrations before Lent, as observed in many
French-speaking areas in France, Canada, and the U.S., as well as
in Spanish- and Portguese-speaking countries such as Brazil.
Each year, Rye Middle School goes back in time for just a day -- at
least in spirit. On April 11, the 6th graders go back to the ‘60s, the
7th graders go back to the ‘70s, and the 8th graders go back to the
‘80s. Those with the most creative costumes were given the chance
to win for their grade. Decades Day is a fun and entertaining event
that helps in developing a sense of unity within the grades, and in
Rye Middle School as a whole. As you can see from this photo of
Team 7S students and teachers, it’s a good time to get weird.
To celebrate
Cinco de Mayo,
a MexicanAmerican
cultural holiday
held on May 5,
8th grader Jason
Garcia brought
the traditional
Mexican dance
company run
by his family.
Dressed in Mexican outfits, the performers presented several
dances, with Jason himself getting suited up for some of it.
R.M.S. students asked questions and enjoyed the cultural celebration.
News & Information
What’s Food Justice? R.M.S. Alive Explains
The Concept During Recent Justice Day
By Sophia Cetina
R.M.S. Alive added its own
spin on the middle school’s
Justice Day by putting together
a presentation called “Food
Justice.” This class, one of the
many offerings on this special
day, conveyed important ideas
on issues of world hunger, fair
trade, sustainable agriculture,
the true meaning of the term
organic, and more.
World hunger is one of the
most brutal causes of disease.
The main disease caused is
malnutrition. This is what results when people lack the vitamins and calories necessary
to properly keep their bodies in
function. World hunger can be
caused by a lack of resources
available, and by financial issues. Either way, the results are
extremely dangerous.
Fair Trade means that
farmers are paid fairly for the
goods they produce. More
than 60 countries worldwide
operate under the protection of
fair trade. This idea originated
about 40 years ago, and the
first label came out in 1988.
Sustainable agriculture
means ensuring that the soil we
use is not stripped of growing minerals, that we produce
enough food for the world’s
population, and that we use our
resources wisely. Its main goal
is to preserve our resources.
The meaning of organic is
an item that has no pesticides,
no chemicals, and is completely naturally grown. Also,
none are GMOs, or genetically
modified organisms.
Justice Day was a creative
and fun event, and it offered
R.M.S. Alive the chance to
contribute some important
information to the discussion.
Spring 2014 / P. 7
Gimme a little more of that...
USELESS INFORMATION
• Most American car horns honk in the key of F.
• Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a
building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving
than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes
about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax
and correct itself.
• Stewardesses’ is the longest word that is typed with only the
left hand.
• To escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaws, push your thumbs
into its eyeballs - it will let you go instantly.
• More people are killed annually by donkeys than airplane
crashes.
• A ‘jiffy’ is a unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
• Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown
farther if it is thrown west.
• One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet.
• Right-handed people live, on average; nine years longer than
left handed people.
• Nearly 80% of all animals on earth have six legs.
• It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than
it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three
voyages to and from the New World.
• Ants closely resemble human manners: When they wake,
they stretch & appear to yawn in a human manner before taking up the tasks of the day.
Your Cheat Sheet on the World: A Brief Overview of the Biggest News Stories You Missed While Going to Middle School
November-December:
• A tornado attack sweeps through the Midwest, leaving 8 dead
and thousands without power.
• Illinois and Hawaii legalize gay marriage.
• Nelson Mandela dies at the age of 95.
• Several bombings in Russia raise Olympic security concerns.
• Metro-North Train derails in Bronx, killing 4 and injuring 60.
January:
• Ariel Sharon, former Israeli prime minister, dies of heart failure
• Janet Yellen confirmed as new Federal Reserve Bank chairman
• West Virginia tap water ban implicated after chemical spill
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie drawn into GW Bridge scandal
• 52 scientists rescued by the Chinese ship Snow Dragon from
Russian research vessel stuck for 9 days in Antarctic ice.
February:
• Seattle Seahawks beat Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl.
• 2014 Winter Olympics open in the Russian city of Sochi.
• The Republican-controlled House of Representatives votes to
raise the government’s borrowing limit, without conditions.
• New York Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter announces
he will retire.
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” premieres with
Fallon succeeding Jay Leno as host.
• The Ukrainian parliament votes to remove President Viktor
Yanukovych from his position.
March:
• Malaysia Airlines loses contact with a passenger plane carrying
239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China.
• An explosion in New York City kills 8 and injures over 70.
• Voters in Crimea vote overwhelmingly to leave Ukraine and
rejoin Russia. After declaring the Republic of Crimea, Russia approves the annexation of Crimea. .
• Toyota is ordered to pay $1.2 billion to settle charges that it lied
about deadly accelerator defects.
• A landslide in Oso, Washington, kills 36, with 10 still missing.
• Four men are arrested after BASE jumping from the top of the
World Trade Center.
April:
• NASA estimates that Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, has an ocean
of liquid water under its surface.
• U Conn defeats Kentucky to win the NCAA Tournament final.
• Two shootings occur at Jewish facilities in the Kansas City area,
killing 3 people.
• Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram kidnap more than 200
schoolgirls.
• A South Korean ferry with 476 passengers sank. At least 205
people were killed, with many still missing.
• The NBA bans Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling
from the league for life after a recording of Sterling making racist
comments surfaces.
compiled by Jonathan Lloyd and RMS Press staff
Sports
P. 8 / Spring 2014
Hoops for Heart Tournament Raises Funds,
and Sinks Baskets, for a Very Good Cause
By Sophia Cetina
In March, Rye Middle
School held a fundraiser for
the American Heart Association. However, this was no
ordinary fundraiser. In fact, it
was a 3-on-3 basketball tournament where one team from
each grade emerged victorious.
Heart disease is the leading
cause of death for both men
and women. It changes lives
for the worse all around the
world. People can lower their
risk for heart disease by being active and eating healthy.
These are the most significant
reasons of why R.M.S.’s Phys.
Ed. teachers have helped organize an event contributing to
the Heart Association.
RMS has been taking part
in this effort since 2003. This
year, more 75 students participated, and the school raised a
total of $2,600.
The top three fund-raisers
were: Laura Baine, who raised
$335; Allie DePaw, $255; and
Shelby Galdaleta, $155.
In addition, the winners of
the 3-on-3 tournament were:
6th Grade: Tie between the
team of Andrew Leisengang,
Jonathan Mehrara, and Kai
Haesslein, and the team of CJ
Nemsick, Max McComb, and
Zack Rosenstadt
7th Grade: Nick Roach,
Troy Egan, and Alex Noga
8th Grade: Kyle Doran,
Thomas LaPointe, and Shane
Killian.
Sports Taking Away From Grades?
Not Really, Several Studies Suggest
By Trisha Gollamudi
Many of today’s students
play sports, while many of
their parents warn them to
focus on their grades. Is it
possible to do both? Of course.
In fact, studies have shown
that playing sports can have a
positive effect on a student’s
grades. Of course, it keeps kids
healthy and lowers the risk
of obesity. But it also lowers
stress, which can be important
when dealing with the demands of school.
Howell Wechsier, the director of the School Health for the
Centers of Disease Control,
examined 50 students to see
the effect of physical activity
on academic performance. The
studies showed that physical
activity had a positive affect.
The studies also showed that
physical activity can increase
a student’s concentration. In
another study of 317 kids, the
fittest kids scored 30 percent
higher on academic tests than
the least fit kids.
Other than grades, sports
have many other benefits, such
as reducing the risk of obesity, smoking, and drinking.
Sports also help a person’s self
esteem. And, importantly, it
reduces stress. So, as long as
students aren’t out on the field
when they need to be studying,
keep on playing -- it’ll help
you do better in school.
HEROES ON THE COURT: In late March, a group of “Hometown Heroes” from Rye and neighboring communities – including
R.M.S. teachers including Mr. O’Donnell and Mr. Aguilar – went
face-to-face on the basketball court with the Harlem Ambassadors.
The event was a fundraiser for the Rye YMCA, which provided
the locals with uniforms, towels, and much-needed water. All that,
however, could not prevent Mr. Aguilar from shooting an air ball
that caused Ambassadors star Lady Magik to require 10 push-ups
at center court (he managed to score some as well).
The Verdict After a Year of Club Sports:
Must or Bust? Mr. Castagna Weighs in
By Jared Olbrys
For the first time this year,
R.M.S. introduced a new
branch of the sports program,
known as club sports.
Club sports came about due
to budget cuts, which brought
on the need to cut some of
the middle school’s modified
sports teams. With the cuts,
fewer students were able to
participate on modified teams.
The club sports attempt to
compensate with intramurals.
We talked to Mr. Rob
Castagna, the Director of
Health and Athletics for the
Rye School District, about the
success of club sports.
The RMS Press: What exactly are club sports?
Mr. Castagna: Club sports
were an extension of the afterschool intramural program,
which needed to be expanded
due to the budget cuts. Each
sports season had four sessions
in an attempt to have as many
participants as possible.
How extensive were the cuts?
The budget forced the elimination of 11 middle school
athletic teams, which saved
$85,000 on officiating needs,
coaches, and transportation.
What do club sports offer?
With the $13,000 left over
to us, we were able to make
sports teams for basketball,
volleyball, flag football, field
hockey, soccer, whiffle ball,
and Ultimate Frisbee, which
were run by different teachers
in school gyms, fields, or Rye
Rec fields. The club sports
teams’ schedules went around
any other teams’ schedules to
avoid any potential conflicts.
How was the year’s turn out?
This year, not as many students
as expected participated, but it
was certainly a positive step.
Next year, with more planning and experience, hopefully
more will be able to take part.
What will the sports programs look like next year for
the middle school?
Everyone would love for two
modified sports teams to return
next year, but it is doubtful. So
the club sports will certainly
continue, even better than they
were this year.