Helping from the Heart - Paul Revere Charter Middle School

Transcription

Paul Revere Charter Middle School
Patriots
Dig Into
Planting
January/February/March 2014
COVER STORY
By DANIELLE YORK
A lot of students don’t seem
to realize that you don’t always
need experience to join a club,
although having a green thumb
doesn’t hurt. One of those many
clubs here at Revere is horticulture, led by the school’s agricultural expert, Ms. Robertson.
Recently, she traveled with
ten Patriots to Sylmar High for
the L.A. Section FFA Horticulture Contest, sponsored by the
California Association of Nurseryman and Garden Centers.
There, Patriots were able to
compete against students from
six other high schools and middle schools.
Sixth grader Delsen Finley
(pictured below) was not only
Revere
Recalls
Japanese
Captivity
By AMANDA THOMPSON
Maya Datwyler, 6th grade Patriot, pets an “adorable” pug while on the Pug Nation community
service field trip taken by the Paul Revere Community Service Club members. Photo: Mr. Valerio
Helping from the Heart
Club members do charitable work to support the community.
By ALON LEVI
a student in Mrs. Robertson’s
“Intro to Agriculture” class, but
also winner of the entire beginner division. After completing
the plant/tool naming as well as
transplanting sections, he won a
trophy and $50.
When Mrs. Robertson mentioned the contest to the class
one day, Delsen said he was
intrigued. “I enjoy using tools
and working outside with the
plants,” he said. “My favorite
part of the contest was transplanting—when you have to
transfer a plant from one pot to
a larger area. And the judges at
Sylmar were watching everything and asking questions of us
as well.”
This unique club allows students to participate in various
activities that introduce them
to agriculture, such as planting, harvesting and even hiking.
During hands-on experiments
“students really get to dig into
environmental studies,” said
Ms. Robertson. Located just
north of the farm, the horticulture area is often filled with its
club members.
Volume 58, Issue 3
Maya Datwyler is a 6th grader who has
to fulfill her five hours of community service
hours, just like anyone else attending Revere,
and she believes there’s nothing better to do
than help a cause she loves. “I think it’s cool
to help the community,” she said. But there’s
something else that Maya loves. They’re soft,
cuddly, “loyal, and love you no matter what.”
Of course we’re talking about puppies.
One October day, Maya got an opportunity
she couldn’t resist. The “Pugtacular Spooktacular” was coming up and the Community Service Club member couldn’t wait for the event.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to
help the dogs, and I knew I would really enjoy
it,” she said. “I met one of the people who volunteer there a lot, and he showed me around. I
instantly fell in love with all the dogs, and even
got a Pug Nation T-shirt. I got to walk a dog
named Tank.
“My whole family loved him but we unfortunately couldn’t adopt him. It made me really
happy to hear that he got adopted a couple of
weeks later.” Maya was satisfied that she got to
fulfill her community service hours while doing something she loved.
Rewind a couple of months earlier and
you’ll find the one who started it all: Revere’s
6th grade counselor. “Mr. Valerio said this
might be good for me because I love dogs and
helping the community,” Maya explained. In
addition to counseling Revere students, Mr.
Valerio feels very passionate towards helping
the community, which is how the Community
Service Club was created.
“Providing students with opportunities to
work for good causes teaches them the importance and value of doing volunteer work,” Mr.
Valerio said. “Expressing compassion through
volunteer work not only positively affects the
person volunteering, but also the people surrounding them.”
(continued on page 7)
During morning announcements, Robert Peters
shares information about upcoming Community
Service Club meetings. Photo: Maksim Zwarych
Almost everyone has heard
of the Holocaust in Germany,
but most are ignorant about
the internment camps that
were established in our very
own country. The internment
of Japanese Americans during
World War II has gone relatively
unnoticed, but is still viewed
as one of the most prejudiced
decisions of the United States
government. Over 100,000 U.S.
citizens were imprisoned in
the nine internment camps, for
no reason other than being of
Japanese descent.
“I was originally doing a
unit on the Holocaust, but I
wanted students to know that
the Holocaust wasn’t the only
instance of discrimination,”
stated Ms. Kruger, whose
students recently learned about
Japanese internment camps by
reading “Farewell to Manzanar.”
On Jan. 17, she invited two
Revere teachers—Mr. Honda and
Mr. Hamanishi—to share their
opinions and family experiences
of the camps. Although these
teachers
themselves
never
experienced an internment
camp, they were brought up
hearing stories about them from
their parents and grandparents.
Mr.
Hamanishi
began
by bringing in an illustrated
book of what life was like in
the internment camps, and
explaining that the photographer
snuck the camera inside a camp,
part by part, and later pieced it
together. “My father was sent to
a camp in Northern California
called Tully Lake,” said Mr.
Hamanishi. “It was a special
camp reserved for those Japanese
who had protested.” He then went
on to describe how the adults
tried to make life as normal as
possible for kids growing up in
the camps.“There were baseball
games, schools and Boy Scouts
as well as a yearly carnival,”
he explained. However, a
barbwire fence enclosed the
camps, and watchtowers full of
armed “Americans” bordered
the perimeter. One time, Mr.
Haminishi said, the United States
sent people into the camp to
spy on the Japanese inhabitants
(continued on page 5)
Kindles for All 3
Winter Break Fun 8-9
Seeking Socrates 13
Beatles Return 12-13
Ping Pong Champ 15
Kindle in her hands, Ms. Mills
smiles with the library’s add-on.
Revere students tell tales of their
winter vacation adventures.
6th graders act out the life of
the Greek philosopher Socrates.
Mr. Hernandez proudly shows
off his choice of Beatles attire.
Mr. Tokeshi defeats last year’s
champion, Andrew Friedman.
2 January/February/March 2014
Opinion
Decoding the Dating Dilemma
In middle school, amidst all the drama, gossip
and schoolwork, we hear of the occasional cute
couple that is now “dating.” But what does this
term actually mean to us?
Webster’s Dictionary describes dating as “an
activity with someone you might have a romantic
relationship with and participating in multiple activities together known as a ‘date,’” while Wikipedia refers to dating as “a form of courtship consisting of social activities done by two people with the
aim of each assessing the other’s suitability as a
lifetime partner or spouse.”
Keeping the definitions in mind, it’s hard to see
how any cute couple in middle school could really
be “dating.” And shouldn’t our career decisions
have a higher priority at this point?
I believe we have barely any experience and no
ability to judge others as lifelong partners at this
age. Honestly, middle school dating is mostly just
a social activity and entertainment for others rather
than anything resembling a real relationship.
In addition, how will we get to these “dates”?
Will we continue to rely on our parents to take us
to the mall to hang out or will we go to a restaurant with our parents at the next table over? At this
point in time going on a date like that seems pretty
ridiculous, especially once we have to ask our
mom to pick up the tab. Is dating just us trying to
fit in and succumb to peer pressure or is it truly an
emotional relationship where each person is actually looking for a life partner?
A relationship labeled as dating in middle
school is pointless and far from truly dating. It
seems we are too young to figure out our spouse
while simultaneously studying adverbs and pronouns. —By McKenna Brown and the Editor
Single Gender
Classrooms?
SHELBY TZUNG
Most students are used to walking into a classroom and seeing
the faces of both boys and girls. But many students in private
schools are surrounded only by pupils of the same gender.
Parents and teachers who support single gender classrooms
argue that having boys and girls together can be distracting.
Additionally, they say that teachers can gear their teaching styles
towards the gender to which they are teaching. They feel that
children may feel more comfortable and confident in an environment where they do not feel the need to “impress” the other
gender. Of course, many other educators argue that interaction
between the sexes in a classroom is actually quite healthy. In my opinion, single-gender classrooms, while they might
seem beneficial in theory, do not prepare children for the real
world. Eventually, kids will have to work in a situation where
both genders will be present. This may, in turn, affect how successful they are in an environment where they are not cocooned
and “protected.” If Revere ever considers the option of singlegender schoolrooms, I hope that the benefits of classic co-ed
classrooms will outweigh the possibilities of experimental
single-gender teaching.
Candy Gram
Craziness
BRITTANY DARROW
We asked students at Revere what they thought about dating in middle school. Here are some replies:
I think middle school dating is
okay, as long as it doesn’t get too
serious or someone gets hurt.
—Emily Bunnapradist,
6th Grade
I think it’s not ok because some
of my friends have girlfriends
and to me it doesn’t make sense.
Dating should happen when
you’re more grown up and
responsible.
—Ryan Victory, 6th Grade
It’s mostly just kids who want to
feel more mature than they are.
“Relationships” last for a few
weeks at most, and then a couple
is over and the drama follows.
–Alicia Abramson,
8th Grade
I think dating in middle school is
foolish if it’s early of if the two
people aren’t mature enough.
–Shirlee Arreola, 7th Grade
It’s stupid and not even serious.
–Elan Donel, 7th Grade
I think middle school dating is
appropriate because students
in middle school are becoming
more mature and can take the
challenges of dating.
–Deven Radfar, 7th Grade
I think you should be allowed to
date whenever. However, there
are limitations to things you can/
can’t do while you’re dating that
mainly have to do with age.
—Jojo Levey, 8th Grade
I think dating in middle school
is acceptable but should not be
taken too seriously.
—Wallis Ramsdell, 8th Grade
There is really nothing to it. You
just shouldn’t be dating in 7th
and 8th grade.
—Brandon Ramirez, 8th Grade
I think it really isn’t everyone’s
business if one kid likes another
and the other likes the kid back.
I really would not call it dating
when all they do is text and are
completely awkward at school.
–Kaveh Majd, 8th Grade
I think it’s fine to start dating
in middle school, but it’s more
practical to date in high school.
—Chole Uhls, 8th Grade

My advice would be to be careful about who you’re dating and
never do it online.
–Gineth Rios, 7th Grade
Dating in middle school is kind
of pointless since middle school
relationships last like a week.
I’m not saying it’s not correct
because many people do it, but
I think it’s better to wait until
you’re mature enough to handle
a reltionship.
–Leslie Rios-Mendez, 8th Grade
MESSAGE TEES
I think dating in middle school
is not appropriate. In my opinion
we’re too young and should
concentrate more on our studies
than hanging out with boyfriends
or girlfriends.
—Alice Kim, 6th Grade
Who or what do you truly
?
Valentine’s Day is one of the most anticipated days at Revere.
Students enjoy the day as they pass out treats, stuff their faces
with candy, and spread their love. Some Patriots even receive
candy grams from other students around Revere, but those who
don’t receive any grams might end up feeling left out and lonely.
So, how loving really is the “Day of Love?”
At first, I thought that the candy grams were a little too expensive. At Revere, students have to spend a $1.00 on the grams,
while at general stores such as Walmart, Costco, or Target the
same amount of candy can can be bought for much less. Though
Revere’s candy is a bit more costly, I soon found out that the
money Patriots spend on candy grams ends up being used to
help our school. I believe that this reason should motivate students to take the time to buy the candy grams at Revere. And if we know of any students who might feel left out, the
candy grams offer us a great chance to reach out to them. This
way, Patriots are helping both the school and all its students.
THE TOWN CRIER POLL
Poll of 100 Patriots by Ethan Jones and McKenna Brown
Member of the National Scholastic Press Association
Published by and for the students of
Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Magnet Center
1450 Allenford Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Contributors:
Ysmael Kamgaing
Lyric Latshaw
Justin Howard
Jojo Levey
Nick Leader
Reporters:
Alon Levi
Wyatt
Loncar
Jessie Bierschenk
Sierra Margolis
Liam
Mathers
McKenna Brown
Samantha Rene Rebeka Mehdizadeh
Melissa Bunnapradist
Claire Spector
Mai Robinson
Georgia Calvert
Ally Stahl
Anthony
Spencer
Brittany Darrow
Yoni Strugatsky
Matteo
Zabrucky
Grace Dean
Amanda Thompson
Maksim Zwarych
Gabi Feingold
Shelby Tzung
____________
Aaron Heisen
Alyssa Wallin
Faculty Advisor:
Danielle York
Loren Jacobs
Brian Zargar
Mr. Wechsler
Ethan Jones
Editor-in-Chief:
Alicia Abramson
Pictured from left to right: Shelby Tzung, Katherine Escobar, Brandon Gonzales, Nastasya Generalova and
Gabe Ross. More love shirts are found on page 16, and more Beatles fans are interviewed on pages 12–13.
Paul Revere Charter Middle School 3
Showing Love for
Valentine’s Day
Love was in the air! During the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, Student Council
sold chocolate rose grams, real
roses, and dance tickets during lunch. The chocolate rose
grams were being sold for one
dollar, the real roses cost three
dollars, and the dance tickets
cost two dollars. Overall, Student Council sold over 1,000
grams and hundreds of tickets.
The money is funding the 8th
grade picnic in June.
The dance was held on
Thursday, February 13 in
Town Hall. All interested Patriots were encouraged to come.
There was a DJ, and Town Hall
was in the spirit with colorful
and festive decorations done
by Student Council.
—McKenna Brown
Around Revere
News and notes edited by Shelby Tzung
Howdy Day brought crowds of 5th graders from local elementary schools to learn about Revere and to
tour the campus on March 18. (above) Mr. Koretz distributes cartons of apple juice to the future Patriots.
Rayne Camden helps Student
Council organize the grams
that were delivered on Feb 14.
2014 Is Too Late
For Bullying!
On Wednesday, February
26, Dave Reynolds visited Paul
Revere to educate students
about bullying and the various
roles that are involved in the
process of bullying. He gave
his presentation in G-2, where
Ms. Faraone and the Stand
for the Silent Club hosted the
event. He taught students about
the target, the aggressor, and
the bystander, and what Patriots can do to help prevent bullying.
Mr. Reynolds said, “This is
2014! It’s too late for this kind
of stuff… bullying is not okay
and it never was. Fortunately,
we can learn from our mistakes
and fix them.”
According to Mr. Reynolds, the reason why there is
bullying at schools is because
students don’t take the time to
get to know each other. Mr.
Reynolds related bullying to
an iceberg. He said that most
people only see 10% of a person, and that 90% of a person
(a person’ s feelings, customs,
and personalities) remains hidden under the surface.
Mr. Reynolds tried to convey to students that bullying
could really change if people
took the time to get to know
each other. If people got to
know one another, there would
be more friends in the world, as
opposed to enemies.
—Ethan Jones
for student use. According to
the contract needed to check
out Kindles, Patriots must go
through a process involving paperwork, background checks,
and adequate responsibility. In
fact, late fees for returning the
Kindle are standard $.10 a day,
while replacement fees can
reach as high as $700, which
is part of the reason why Ms.
Mills stresses high cautions.
The new appearances of the
Kindles on Revere’s campus
may leave Patriots asking: who
was the first person to check
one out? That title is reserved
for eighth grade student council member Amir Ebtehadj. “It
feels very important [to be the
very first person to check out
a Kindle],” says Amir. “Being
the first student to check out a
Kindle is a significant piece of
Paul Revere history.” But Amir
Amir shows off the first Kindle
to be checked out at Revere.
also expresses the faults with
the Kindles, for example the
limited battery life and teacher
allowance. But ultimately, he
feels “the Kindles are one of
the best investments at Paul
Revere” and they are “a great
piece of technology that will
change learning forever.”
Revere’s new tablets are
possibly only the beginning.
The future of LAUSD may
hold much newer and better
technology, but only time will
tell.
—Brian Zargar
Returning to Revere Teaching Tolerance
Dr. Sonia Batra—a former
Patriot, graduating in 1989—
and a board certified dermatologist, joined Patriots in Town
Hall to speak to them about her
career on Wednesday, January
29.
Dr. Sonia Batra in 2014 and
in 1989 at Paul Revere.
Dr. Batra’s education started at Kenter Canyon Elementary School. Afterward, she
attended Paul Revere Junior
High, and was the valedictorian of Palisades High School
in 1993. She later went to
Harvard Medical School and
Stanford. In her student career,
she took a multitude of science
courses including chemistry
and geology. She minored in
both history and biochemistry
at Stanford. Today, the former
Patriot lives in Brentwood, CA
and has her own private practice in Santa Monica with over
ten employees. It could also
be said that Dr. Batra comes
from a medical family. In fact,
her mother was a professor in
medicine, her father had a private practice, and her brother
pursued medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Batra has pursued one
of the most sought after careers
in the world, and has succeeded
on multiple levels. Dr. Batra’s
story may be unique, but is
something we can all strive for.
—Brian Zargar
“As I sat on the cold stone
bench and turned my gaze
towards the video screens, a
sense of dread washed over me
as the scene unfolded,” wrote
7th grader Sammy Stahl, after
recently visiting the Museum
of Tolerance on January 31,
with Ms. Del Cambre, Ms.
Kruger, and Mr. Hubbard and
the 7th grade Patriots in the
magnet.
They explored the many
sections of the museum, and
learned of the harsh intolerance in our past. “The exhibits showed us just how horrible humans can be to other
humans,” continued Sammy,
“It was appalling to see what
the Nazis did to the Jews, and
how the rest of the world knew
about it, but did nothing to stop
this occurrence.”
In addition, Ms. Kruger’s
class read many books about
this topic, including, The
Devil’s Arithmetic, The Book
Thief, Night, Farewell to Manzanar and many more. They
also participated in many activities that focused on tolerance.
Patriots who went said that it
was a difficult, yet informative experience. Ariella Hedvat
commented on how interested
she was by the gas chambers,
because she had never learned
much about it. She said, “… every bit of info was new to me.
It was also one of the saddest
parts of the museum to me.”
Many of the 7th graders
that left the Museum that day
were changed. Alyssa Berman remembered a quote she
saw: “Hope lives when people
remember.” She said, “This
means that when we remember
the wrongs of the past, we have
hope for a better future.”
—Yoni Strugatsky
Dentist Puts Smiles
On Revere Faces
On Wednesday, March 5,
Dr. Susan Cane visited Revere
through the Roads to Your Future program to speak with interested Patriots about the field
of dentistry.
Dr. Susan Cane is a dentist
with a unique story. Dr. Cane
attended her middle school, a
junior high with only about 50
students in the eighth grade.
Her geometry teacher, Ms.
Polk, particularly inspired her.
According to Dr. Cane, “Ms.
Polk was very beautiful” and
she respected the fact that
she was a woman in a “maledominated field.” Dr. Cane also
“liked her as a best friend.” In
fact, Dr. Cane often went on
trips to such places as Mammoth Mountain and Catalina
Island with her teachers.
At her high school, El
Camino Real High, and college, Dr. Cane pursued a variety of courses. In high school,
she took courses such as physics, chemistry, and biochemistry. In her years at UCLA, she
mastered in economics, though
she said economics was not her
favorite.
Fast-forward twenty years
and Dr. Cane is not yet “doctor,” but “mommy.” She is
married and has two sons.
However, only a few years ago,
Dr. Cane divorced, leaving her
as a single-mother. With this
massive change in her life, Dr.
Cane decided to shake up her
life. “I realized I had a bachelors degree and I had never
done anything with it. I decided to go back to school and
become a dentist,” she said,
“Like anyone attempting to go
into medicine, I had to accomplish many tasks.” These tasks
included apprenticing with other dentists, working in clinics,
and classic exams.
Dr. Susan Cane visited Revere
on Wednesday, March 5.
Dr. Cane’s story is not typical. Inspired by people from
her childhood, she now inspires others. Seventh grader
Khuslen Otgonbayar shows his
appreciation for Dr. Cane’s story: “I learned that if you love
something, you can learn more
about that when you grow up.
That’s what happened to Dr.
Cane. Even though she was
40 and had two kids, she went
to dental school and became a
successful dentist here in the
Palisades.”
—Brian Zargar
Revere Rethinks
the Way It Reads
Patriots are going to need
to rethink the way they read.
The Kindles are here! That’s
right: Revere is now on its
journey from the traditional
textbook to the technological
future. With five Kindles and
ten Kindle Paperwhites at the
library, Patriots can now read
electronically.
In addition to the new iPads,
Amazon Kindles are available
Mr. Miyoshi’s 7th and 8th grade jazz band homeroom celebrate their 98.2% overall attendance win at the breakfast on February 7.
Black History Makers
Celebrated at Revere
By SHELBY TZUNG
Black History Month is celebrated annually around the U.S,
Canada, and the U.K. during the
month of February. During this
special month, first celebrated
in 1926, people honor the contributions and achievements of
black history makers throughout
history. Citizens also remember America’s prejudiced past
and the hardships that AfricanAmericans have suffered.
In Revere’s library, Ms. Mills
had various works of literature
on display about African-Americans who have made a difference in the world. The computers were also used to display
web pages of information and
the “Question of the Day” on the
Paul Revere website. The Ques-
tion of the Day was asked two
times a week, on Wednesdays
and Fridays, during homeroom
during morning announcements.
The questions tested students’
knowledge of important black
figures who have contributed
to society. Also, at the end of
the month, there was a raffle
conducted for the students who
were able to correctly answer
the Question of the Day. The
winners received Black History
Month-inspired prizes, such as
pencils and bookmarks with
messages relating to the theme.
Throughout the month, classes were also invited to visit the
library on Tuesdays and Thursdays to watch a documentary,
“Eyes on the Prize,” which is
about the Civil Rights Movement. In addition, on February
7th grader Katya Pronichenko shows off her portrait of Josephine
Baker, done in Mr. Mercado’s class to honor Black History Month.
19, Ms. Grayson’s father, John
Grayson, visited Revere to speak
in Town Hall about his experiences working in the civil rights
movement.
Furthermore, many classes
did their own projects while
learning about African-American history. Mr. Mercado’s art
class worked on portraits of famous African-Americans that
were presented in the library.
“The project was a grid enlargement drawing,” Mr. Mercado
explained. “Students had to enlarge images of notable AfricanAmericans. Only the students
that made portraits that were in
scale had their portraits hung in
the library.” When asked what
inspired him to do this project
he responded, “Mr. Hubbard
was instrumental in choosing my
subject for the grid enlargement
project. The grid enlargement is
a project I always do with my
students.”
One of the artists, 7th grader
Katya Pronichenko, talked about
her portrait and the process of
creating it, “Art is a special and
fun process,” she shared. “This
project was special to me because I really put in a lot of effort. I kept on working on it until
I got my final result that I wanted. Every portrait has a meaning.
My portrait was of Josephine
Baker and I am happy I did her
because she has accomplished
so much in her life, and she is
a great role model. She was in
cinema, singing, art, theatre and
John Grayson talks to students about the civil rights movement.
she did so much more for us to
remember and honor her for.”
In addition to the portraits,
Patriots in Ms. Kruger’s, Mr.
Carnine’s, Ms. Jackson’s, and
Ms. Holler’s classes participated
in an essay project in which they
had the oppurtunity to earn extra credit points. Students wrote
small biographies about historical black figures who have impacted American history. Seventh grader Charlie Andrews
said, “I wrote a small biography
on Michelle Obama. Black History Month is important to me
because I strongly believe that
everyone is 100% equal, no
matter what the color of their
skin is.”
Mr. Hubbard made an announcement at the end of the
month, thanking participants for
their help. “I would like to give
a special thank you to all of the
students and staff who helped to
honor Black History Month. I
would like to give a very special
thank you to Ms. Mills who did a
wonderful job in hosting the exhibit in the library.”
Even though February is
over, people around the country, and Revere, will continue to
honor Black History Month for
years to come.
ing a triplet. “I think homework
is one of the biggest benefits. If
I’m sick, I can ask either Gideon
or Gabriella.”
“We can’t exactly feel alone
because we basically always
have a friend with us,” Gabriella
added. They’re able to always
appreciate their relationship.
Every set of triplets is different. Some are friends, some
fight, some are fraternal, some
are identical, the list goes on
and on. To Ethan, Meghan and
Zachary, being a triplet is complex, entertaining and unique.
Ethan explains, “I feel so special
because I am a triplet.” Zachary added, “It’s cool that we always have someone to talk to.”
Meghan said, “It is weird being
a triplet. I feel so different, but
when I tell people I am one, they
think it’s so cool. It is also hard
dealing with the two boys.” In
their free time, all do extracurricular activities. Ethan plays
soccer and baseball and acts.
Meghan and Zach play club soccer three to five times a week,
but on different teams. When at
home, playing the same sports
come in handy because they always have someone to practice
with. “Imagine how my mom
feels, having to deal with three
of us!” says Ethan. They consider themselves lucky to have
each other around because they
always have best friends that
they share similar interests with.
Although being a triplet may
be hard work, in the end, it pays
off. As Ethan tells us, “Sometimes it’s difficult, but at the end
of the day, it’s hard to imagine
myself without my siblings by
my side.”
Mr. Hubbard asks the Question
of the Day during Homeroom.
Three Sets of Triplets Traipsing Through Revere
By SAMANTHA RENE
One sibling is common. Being a twin doesn’t happen very
often. But being a triplet is out of
the ordinary. The Town Crier has
handpicked three sets of triplets
to tell their stories about their life
as a trio. Brandon, Michael, and
Ryan Nisani have been together
since day one. The Nazarian
triplets, Gabriella, Gideon, and
Abigail, are quite the happy trio.
The Joneses, Ethan, Meghan and
Zachary, love to hang out with
each other, and see each other as
best friends. There are ups and
down to being triplets, but what
are they?
There are pros to being a triplet, but it can also have its negative side. Michael, Brandon, and
Ryan enjoy a good laugh all the
time, since they are a humor-
ous group that make everyone
around them burst into laughter. Since they were all born one
minute apart from each other,
people think they would do the
same things, such as basketball
and hanging out with friends,
but that isn’t true. Whether it is
a fight about deciding who gets
what or who goes where, there is
always the same result, in their
opinions. “We always get blamed
for everything. But Mikey never
gets in trouble no matter what he
does,” said Brandon and Ryan.
Despite all the bad that happens between them, they’re still
brothers who help each other
out. The three sometimes have
the same homework so if one of
them is stuck they can get help
from the others. It may not be all
good or all bad, but most of the
time they always have someone
Brandon (left) and Ryan (right) and Michael Nisani.
there for them, which is a huge
benefit.
In contrast to the Nisani triplets, the Nazarians get along pretty well. Though there are many
obstacles to face, that doesn’t
‘Sometimes it’s
difficult, but at the
end of the day, it’s
hard to imagine
myself without
my siblings by my
side.’ —Ethan Jones
make their relationship all that
bad. Gideon is the oldest out of
the three, preceding Abigail and
last, Gabriella. Abigail was able
to find some positives about be-
Gideon (left), Abigail (center) and Gabriella Nazarian.
The Jones triplets are Meghan, Zachary (left) and Ethan.
Japanese-American History Comes to Life
(continued from page 1)
of his father’s camp. When the
Japanese found out, they chased
the spies around with meat
cleavers.
Mr. Hamanishi explained
how although cases had been
filed against the Japanese
internment camps and went to
the Supreme Court, at the time,
they lost.
Mr. Honda opened his
presentation by asking some
questions and giving general
background information on the
camps as well as mentioning
that his mother had been born in
an internment camp in Arizona.
Then, he went into detail about
his father’s side of the family.
Mr. Honda’s grandparents had
been farmers in Peru. One
day, his grandfather didn’t
come back from work. “My
grandmother got a letter from
the U.S. government. It told her
to get on a ship if she wanted to
see her husband [Mr. Honda’s
grandfather] ever again.”
Naturally, Mrs. Honda and
her six kids boarded the ship
as they were told, but with
no idea of where they were
headed. “When they docked,
my grandmother had no idea
where she was. She thought
she was in Brazil,” Mr. Honda
told the students of C-6. “They
were brought to a prisoner of
war camp.” Their passports had
been taken away, and as a result
they entered the U.S. illegally.
The idea had been to
exchange these non-American
Japanese for American soldiers
who were imprisoned in Japan.
The majority of the Peruvian
Japanese who were imprisoned
there had never even been to
Japan. Of course, the Japanese
refused the prisoner trade deal
since the Peruvians weren’t
“Japanese,” and four years
later the prisoners-of-war were
finally let free.
“My father grew up in
the camp,” Mr. Honda stated.
“Even after the war no one
would give them a job so they
were forced to return to the
camps because they could
not
support
themselves.”
Eventually Birdseye Farms, a
manufacturing company on the
east coast, hired Mr. Honda’s
relatives and they worked their
way up from there.
The Japanese internment
camps were authorized with
little to no evidence other
than suspicion. These camps
were often located in the
harsh abandoned climates of
the western United States,
miles away from the nearest
settlement. Inside the camps,
families had little privacy. The
people that were contained
in the camps often lost their
land and businesses unless
held by another family for
them. Although the Japanese
internment camps were not as
well known as other instances
of discrimination such as the
Nazi death camps, they still
impacted thousands of lives all
over the United States.
Mr. Honda ended his
presentation on an emotional
note. “My parents didn’t talk
about it very much,” he said,
“but I was very honored to
come and speak. Thank you.”
Mr. Honda (above) speaks about Japanese-Americans held captive in America during World War II.
Mr. Hamanishi, 7th grade history teacher, shares stories from his family with Ms. Kruger’s students.
Students Get Set for a ‘Smarter Balanced’ Spring
New assessments will be taken on iPads
and will test students’ deeper knowledge.
By SHELBY TZUNG
In April, Patriots will be
leaving behind the former CSTs
and instead will be experimenting with the unfamiliarity of the
new Smarter Balanced Testing.
The Los Angeles Unified
School District has currently
scheduled the field tests for
the Smarter Balanced Assessments for April 6 - May 16. This
time period is open for schools
to choose what block of time
they would like to administer
the tests. All students at Paul
Revere will be taking the assessments in English/Language
Arts and Math. Eighth graders
are still scheduled to take the
former CSTs in science in addition to the Smarter Balanced
Assessments.
These new tests are designed
to entertain the ever-growing
influence of technology on the
modern world. The tests will be
taken online and Patriots will
be using iPads with keyboards
provided by the District. Even
though Patriots are not receiving their personal tablets this
year, students will still take the
assessment on temporary iPads
(see page 6). However, many
people were dubious about the
wireless system at Revere and
its ability to accommodate the
massive number of iPads there
will be when taking the test.
Students who currently use
computers and the internet in
their classrooms already experience issues with the wi-fi.
Ms. Somoza responded to
the skeptics by saying, “The
wireless system in Revere has
been recently upgraded to accommodate the new iPad Program. I am hopeful that the
upgrade solved any problems
we might have with the system
throughout the school.”
The Smarter Balanced Assessment corresponds to the
recently-established Common
Core Standards. This new assessment tests students at a
deeper level than the CSTs.
The tests will not be composed
entirely of multiple-choice
questions, but instead will include extended response questions that will assess students’
skills such as critical thinking
and problem solving in real
world situations. The Smarter
Balanced Assessment website
also claims that the problems
on the assessment gauge students’ “depth of understanding,
writing and research skills, and
complex analysis, which cannot
be adequately assessed with traditional assessment questions.”
Mrs. Somoza reminded students, “The field test tests the
test The State Board of Education wants to know how well
students understand directions,
prompts, and questions used in
the assessment.”
This year’s scores will not
count for anything and students
will not be able to view their results this year. The staff at Revere encourages students to go
to http://sbac.portal.airast.org/
practice-test/ to prepare themselves for the upcoming tests.
Patriots can also find the link on
the Paul Revere website.
At left is a picture of a
former CST question
that Patriots would
normally be taking at
the end of this semester. Below is a picture
of a sample question
from the new Smarter
Balanced assessments
Patriots will soon be
taking on iPads. The
iPads wil be provided
for each student in
homeroom, but not for
them to keep.
By YONI STRUGATSKY
Ally McCoy practices her cursive in Mr. Wechsler’s English class.
“
“
In years past, students were
required to learn proper penmanship and write all their papers in
cursive. But in this technological
age, writing by hand is almost no
longer a write of passage.
As some Paul Revere classes
are getting accustomed to the
new iPads, the use of cursive
handwriting for classwork and
essays becomes less of a requirement, and even more a thing of
the past. Sixth grade English
and history teacher Mr. Carnine
thinks that before we know it,
students will be asking, “Does
writing count?” just as frequently as they ask, “Does spelling
count?”
Some teachers at Revere
would still like students to write
in cursive, but they realize that
many students don’t know how.
“In the absence of most students
using cursive, their printing is
either so sloppy one would think
an elementary student wrote it,
or all the upper and lower case
letters are all the same size,”
states 8th grade English teacher
Ms. Holler.
But isn’t it quicker and more
sensible to type up work on a
keyboard rather than by pen or
pencil? Not necessarily, says
Ms. Holler. “Cursive was created so people could write more
quickly. There have been studies
in the last five years that validate
a connection between the brain,
learning, and motor coordina-
—Ally McCoy,
7th GRADE
tion. It is a valuable skill. When
students cannot read classmates’
writing, how can adults?”
The old California State
Standards, approved in 1997,
required third and fourth grad-
ers to “write fluidly and legibly
in cursive or joined italic.” Cursive writing requires the writer
to add loops to each letter, obligating them to connect all letters together, and learning 26
new lower case and capital letter
shapes. Many have found this to
be a time-consuming and difficult task. With class time already
so limited, many argue that the
time is better spent learning other skills.
For some students, it can
be difficult to adjust to learning a new alphabet, but eventually they get used to it. Eighth
grader Rayne Camden said that
his teacher “would make us do a
new letter every couple of days
and only let us write in cursive
for the whole year and I haven’t
stopped since.”
Now with the introduction
of the Common Core, cursive is
no longer part of the long list of
standards, since the focus is now
much more on the use of technology in learning new skills.
“The use of cursive writing
isn’t a necessity in the day-today world of 2014,” Mr. Carnine acknowledged. “However,
I still much prefer a handwritten
‘Thank You’ note or card rather
than browsing a quick email
message.” This also brings up another
issue—cards. On your birthday
you might have received a neatly
written cursive letter from your
grandma, or a funny card from
your friend. But now that everyone seems too busy to make a
card, when you wake up on your
birthday, it’s not your physical mailbox that’s full, but your
Town Crier: What caused the
many delays of the distribution? How did the iPad program benefit from this?
Mrs. Somoza: The LAUSD
Board of Education needed to
clarify security and restitution
issues for the entire District.
The iPad program at Revere
was placed on hold twice due to
these operational issues. However these problems did not stop
us from distributing iPads to the
Mrs. Somoza: Revere has been
planning for the iPads since we
heard we were selected for the
Phase 1 program back in April
2013.
the world in their hands. The information network is alive with
features, current events, historical references, virtual experiences, and global knowledge. Technology in the classroom gives
students insight and experience
utilizing devices that permeate the global financial market,
communication systems, collaborative production designs, and
other careers gearing toward the
future. The problems with the
safe distribution of the iPads are
clearly met by students’ recognition of their duties and responsibilities having this device in
their possession. In other words,
everyone who receives an iPad
must accept the responsibility of
maintaining it.
Town Crier: What are the pros
about this? The cons?
Mrs. Somoza: The iPads offer
students opportunities to hold
Town Crier: Why exactly were
the iPads cancelled?
Mrs. Somoza: The iPads are not
cancelled. The distribution to
Nnamdi Onwaeze checks out his iPad in Ms. Pan’s sixth grade class.
6th graders (in class, not to go
home), one 7th grade science,
and one 8th grade ELA. There
was no way to distribute to the
entire school and keep all devices on campus. That would have
been a catastrophe!
Town Crier: How long was Revere
planning on receiving iPads?
digital inbox.
Not just birthday cards, but
historically, almost all of the important documents were written
in cursive. The Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence,
and less significant papers such
as advertisements and posters
were all splotches of ink in the
“cursive ink well.”
Cursive is becoming something that we vaguely remember,
like the video cassette player or
record players. Mr. Carnine accepts the reality that “technology
is the future.” But, he adds, “we
should realize that it is a future
in which we will probably value
personal conversations and cursive writing even more as cultural norms brush these forms of
human contact to the dust bin of
the past.”
Rayne Camden can use either printing or cursive depending on the situation.
Rollout of iPads Faces New Roadblock
Students expecting to be issued
iPads in February received some
disappointing news. LAUSD has
not resolved certain liability issues concerning off-campus use
of iPads. This means Patriots
will not be able to take their
iPads home yet, and as a result,
the distribution of the iPads has
been delayed. The Town Crier
interviewed Mrs. Somoza for an
update.
This is a sample
of Mr. Carnine’s
famous cursive.
students on a 1 to 1 basis has
been postponed, again. Students
will receive iPads for the Smarter Balanced Field Test in April.
However, the iPads will only be
in homeroom. They cannot be
moved to other classrooms.
Town Crier: Was it in the hands
of our school? The District?
Mrs. Somoza: The issues are in
the hands of the District. Revere
is at the frontline of a massive
change in curriculum and technological transitions.
Town Crier: Were you personally excited about the iPads?
Mrs. Somoza: I think I was more
excited than most of the students.
I saw the wonderful potential for
these devices in the classroom.
Some teachers were even more
excited than me. Many teachers planned, created and implemented terrific lessons using the
iPads. Moreover, even teachers,
whose students did not receive
iPads, prepared lessons on their
iPads and Apple TVs.
COVER STORY
Caring Service for the Community
(continued from page 1)
The Community Service Club’s first
mission this year, called the “Smile Project,” helped brighten up a lot of people’s
day, according to 6th grader Ben Baak.
The mission was simple: go around the
lunch areas asking people what made
them smile. They would then record the
answer on a white board. “When people
spend more time focusing on things that
make them smile, they tend to have less
stress,” explained Mr. Valerio. When
lunch ended, the campus was shining
with happy smiles, for both the Community Service Club members and the
volunteers.
When the members aren’t busy running around spreading smiles, they’re
spreading them through art and bake
sales. With events that take place during nutrition, lunch and after school, the
club members donate their time to raise
money. This money is then sent to various local non-profit organizations.
Club members also get opportunities to volunteer in many ways through
pet adoptions, beach cleanups, the AIDS
Walk and more. In fact, six club members participated in AIDS Walk Los Angeles. The result was more than they had
hoped for: the six Revere Patriots raised
$1,472. In addition to the AIDS Walk,
$364 was raised for the Red Cross, and
more is being raised for disaster relief
for victims of Typhoon Hiyan in the
Philippines and other natural disasters.
Pug Nation was another fun way for
a handful of Revere Patriots to help the
community. Maya, her friend Zoe and
two other Revere students volunteered
to place pugs in loving homes. In a Pug
Nation event that took place in January, Maya and her friend Zoe set out to
the pug pen. “It was a lot of fun,” said
Maya. “My favorite part was holding a
tiny baby pug with my friend Zoe.”
Mr. Valerio believes that the Com-
Ms. Kobashi, Ryan Ornest and his mother, Ben Baak and his mother and Hallie McRae are excited to participate in the AIDS
Walk LA to support the people suffering from AIDS. These club members earned community service credit. Photos: Mr. Valerio
munity Service Club is a great way for
Patriots to express themselves. “Through
projects and fund-raisers, we try to enhance positive school climate and create
more of a sense of compassion,” he said.
This sense was especially felt during
the “Paper Bag, Egg Carton and Blanket Drive” that took place before winter
break. By donating everyday things such
as grocery paper bags and empty egg
Sixth grader Ben Baak holds a friendly pug from Pug
Nation Rescue L.A. as he helps with their adoptions.
Robert Peters:
Global Giver
Alon Levi interviewed Robert Peters, a
representative of the Community Service
Club, who shared his motives for giving,
what he aspires to be, and the special
projects he does to help the community.
cartons, club members were able to help
animal shelters and kitchens that feed
homeless families.
“For the rest of the school year,” said
Mr. Valerio, “we are creating a mock
foundation and focusing on raising money. Our goal is to raise $2,500 by the end
of May and invite local non-profits to
apply for the funds. When we receive
all the proposals, we will vote on which
(From left to right) Ryan Ornest, Stella Colin, Maya
Datwyler and Ben Baak line up at AIDS Walk L.A.
Town Crier: While you volunteer,
what kind of things do you witness
that encourage you to do it over and
over again?
Robert: When the typhoon hit the
Philippines last year, I felt passionate
about raising money for them, because
I would want others to raise money
for me. Our group had bake sales and
bracelet sales and the money all went to
the victims over there.
Town Crier: What worries you most
about the future, and what makes you
feel the most hope for the future?
Robert: Global warming concerns me,
and when it comes to all the waste we
have just in Los Angeles, it seems like
everybody could do more recycling. I
would say a lot of the students at Revere
are doing a lot. I’ve seen other places
where the people are throwing trash all
over, not recycling and texting all the
time rather than cleaning up the world
and helping things out.
non-profit gets the money.”
Although the school year may be
coming closer to an end, the members
of the Community Service Club plan to
keep thriving.
This is the third in a series of Town
Crier special reports about Patriots
who are making a difference in their
community.
Samantha Truman (front) joins in the “Smile Project”
with her friends Lexi, Alex, Mia, Sophie and Sanam.
Town Crier: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Robert: I’ll be working on my doctorate
degree in a Christian seminary school. I
eventually want to become a pastor at a
church so I can spread the gospel.
He helped people by giving away cars,
houses, and food. I see the happiness
and the hope he spread all around the
world by giving to the needy. I am
inspired by his words when he said,
“Vision will lead you into your destiny.”
Town Crier: How are you
going to leave your mark?
Robert: I’m going to continue
doing more of what I do
now—donating to non-profit
organizations, helping the
homeless, recycling and other
community service.
Town Crier: Is there any
one thing that makes you
want to volunteer over
and over again?
Robert: I have a role model in
my life, the late Dr. Zachery
Tims. He’s a role model to me Robert joins Mr. Valerio and fellow club members
at a bake sale on the stage of the 8th grade quad.
because of all he did as a
They were raising money for AIDS Walk LA.
pastor in Orlando, Florida.
Travel
Hot and Cold Winter Expeditions
By LYRIC LATSHAW
and SIERRA MARGOLIS
This winter, Patriots took advantage of their time off and visited a wide variety of climates and
landscapes. Whether they traveled
the snowy slopes of the California
mountains or basked under the
desert sun, students of Paul Revere made memories that could
last a lifetime.
(1) Caroline Goldberg, seventhgrade traveler, visited Tucson,
Arizona with her tennis friends
this winter. While in Saguaro National Park, Caroline’s knowledge
of cacti, such as the saguaro and
prickly pear, was expanded. One
week was barely enough time for
Caroline and her friends to see everything they wanted to.
“My favorite part of the trip
was when I went sightseeing. I
was also able to relax away from
the tennis tournament,” Caroline said. “I will always remember driving through the Saguaro
National Park. It was late in the
afternoon during the sunset and
the colors were stunning and the
thousands of cacti looked like a
forest.” As an added bonus, they
had the opportunity to visit a mission that is over 225 years old.
(2) Alexandra Miller showed
some Paul Revere spirit while
in Boston, Massachusetts. After
celebrating New Years in Lenox,
Alexandra Miller traveled to
Boston. While there, she and her
family journeyed across the Freedom Trail. “The trail was covered with snow, but we made our
way to the Paul Revere’s house,
the Old North Church, and some
gravesites,” Alexandra reported.
She and her family enjoyed Lenox
for five days and then drove two
hours to finally arrive at their
destination—Boston. The family
went on a self-guided tour and visited the sites of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
To complete their tour of the
famous city, the Miller family
went to Harvard Square, where
the legendary Ivy League campus
was covered in snow. “Although it
was a cold memory, I will always
remember the last night we were
in Boston. While walking, my feet
suddenly turned into popsicles. It
was -6° outside and I realized that
my boots were soaked with water
from the melted snow,” Alexandra
laughed. “I spent the next three
hours with ice for feet. Luckily,
we got back to the hotel quickly
and got some nice fuzzy socks.”
(3) Jack Vinetz and his family
visited Hawaii this winter. While
there, they enjoyed the nice views
of Maui and made family memories on an open ocean snorkeling
boat trip. Jack recalled, “It was
really windy so the boat ride was
sketchy. But when we got to the
reef we saw turtles, fish and lots of
beautiful coral.” In the midst of all
the colorful marine life, he decided to take a selfie with his GoPro.
(4) While in San Diego, Brian Zargar saw the USS Midway,
a World War II decommissioned
battleship. For three days and two
nights, Brian and his family were
tourists in San Diego. When they
weren’t admiring the battleship,
the Zargars spent their time at the
local zoo. “I went to the Safari
Park and saw a very African-like
savanna with many African animals,” Brian said.
(5) Over the winter break,
2
1
Aaron Heisen traveled to Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania to
see his grandparents. He got to
witness a reenactment of George
Washington crossing the Delaware River. While in New York
for a day, he and his family saw
the Broadway musical “Wicked.”
They played in the fine snows of
New York and nearly got frostbite
in the -2° weather. “Playing hockey in the snow and sledding in the
backyard was probably my favorite part of the trip,” Aaron said. “I
also loved going to the historical
museums and the Liberty Bell.”
Aaron and his family saw some
of the most important sites of the
east coast. Over a course of fifteen days, they saw Liberty Hall,
where the U.S. Constitution was
written, the Convention Center,
and the President’s house, just to
name a few.
(6) This winter Ashley Breitman enjoyed the classic snow
capped roofs, warm cabins, and
fireplaces of Lake Arrowhead
and Big Bear. There, she enjoyed
skiing at the famous runs of Big
Bear Mountain. Her vacation with
her family lasted for a week. “I
will always remember going to
the Grizzly Manot Café,” Ashley
smiled.
(7) Haley Cadden traveled
outside of America’s borders
over the break, flying to Whistler,
Canada and Vancouver. One day,
she and her family were driving
and they saw something outside.
There was a river and totem poles
lined up along its bank. Near the
river were the names, histories and
legends of each totem pole. While
in Vancouver, they also went skiing and sledding with their close
family friends. “My favorite part
was when we went sledding and
I crashed into a snowman,” Haley
said.
(8) Simon Goldsmith flew to
Colorado to visit his aunt, uncle
and two cousins. Nestled in the
mountains of Colorado lies their
ranch, Steamboat Springs. He
and his relatives went skiing and
snowshoeing across the vast, icy
terrain. “I was sitting in the ranch
13
house when a huge moose walked
by the window,” Simon recalled.
“It almost broke into the house!”
(9) Dakota Margolis and Mariana Paleno went to Big Bear over
vacation. Because it hadn’t rained
lately, there wasn’t much natural
snow, just snow on the ski slopes.
The Paleno family stayed in one
small cabin, all sharing one bathroom. Mariana recalled, “When I
was there, my family, my cousins
and I went inner tubing and that
was my favorite part.” Near the
end of the trip, Dakota’s family
took a lesisurely stroll and took
group pictures near the lake to
cherish the memories.
The Margolis family regularly
skis in Big Bear. “For my family,
this is an annual trip so we always
go on the ski slopes. That is what
I look forward to most,” Dakota
said. Dakota has been skiing for
several years, but this winter she
finally took snowboarding lessons, which she and her sister enjoyed very much. “From now on, I
will spend one day skiing and one
day snowboarding. They are both
super fun (and sometimes painful)!”
(10) Shelby Tzung, another
seventh grade Patriot, traveled to
San Diego to visit her grandparents. She went with her family for
a couple of days. Her favorite part
of the trip was where the picture
was taken, La Jolla Cove in San Diego. “I visited La Jolla Cove and the
water was gorgeous and clear. There
were also a bunch of seals and sea
lions that were lying on the rocks really close to the shore.”
(11) Lionel Maxwell Bookey’s wintertime adventures included trips to Switzerland, Iceland, Israel, Paris and Hawaii.
Lionel went kayaking in Hawaii,
but his favorite part of his trip was
going up the Eiffel Tower. “I went
with my mom, dad and brother,”
he explained. Though the true
reason for the expedition was his
cousin’s Bat Mitsvah, the Bookey
family enjoyed all the places they
visited during their travels.
(12) While in Australia,
Carly Duffy took the opportunity
to cuddle with a koala bear. They
also stopped off at a sanctuary for
wildlife in Byron Bay. “They had
all sorts of wild animals that they
don’t have in America. But my favorite one was the koala,” Carly
shared. Because Australia is on
the other side of the equator, Carly
spent her winter vacation in a piping hot summer paradise.
(13) Though her trip to Laguna
Beach only lasted one day, the
memories Nicole Joh made of
4
5
7
the ocean and sunset would last
her much longer. Nicole and her
grandmother trekked over rocks
on the shore for about four hours.
Between the rocks, the ocean water had formed tidepools. “I saw
many sea urchins and oysters,”
Nicole described. The final challenge of their four hour journey
was climbing onto the highest cliff
on the beach. The duo reached
the top just as the sky was erupt-
6
ing into fierce shades of pink and
orange. “We sat there watching
the sunset and talking about how
amazing the view was,” Nicole recalled happily.
“Living in a city and being inside a building until night doesn’t
allow me to see the sunset. However, going to the beach and being
able to see the sun and its reflection in the ocean made me feel renewed and fresh.”
“Going to the beach
and being able to see
the sun and its reflection
in the ocean made me
feel renewed and fresh.”
10
—Nicole Joh, 7th Grade Patriot
12
11
Layout by Brittany Darrow
Ms. Uchida’s
7th graders
participate in
some brainy
activities.
Nicole carefully dissects her cow eyeball in Ms. Asahina’s class.
Cow Eye Excitement
By ALYSSA WALLIN and
MELISSA BUNNAPRADIST
Project Brainstorm
By BRITTANY DARROW
Loving science seems to be a
no-brainer for Ms. Uchida’s 7th
grade students. On Feb. 26 the
Magnet students shuffled into
Town Hall to watch special demonstrations by young scientists
from UCLA about human and
animal brains.
In one demonstration that
caused students a bit of trouble,
7th graders had to get to a certain
place in the room after completing a challenge that would affect
their balance. In the next station,
the students saw how hard it was
to damage their brains by trying
to crack an egg inside of a jar
filled with water, which served
as a model of a human’s head.
In the third station, the 7th graders got to take a look at animal
brains to see how animals have
evolved over time. At the fourth
station, the students got to see a
real human brain. And in the final station, the students put on
vision-distorting goggles and
tried to throw a ball into a basket. This activity allowed students to see how brain damage
affects eyesight and coordination. All in all, it seems as though
the demonstrations were full of
fun braintastic activities.
The students in Ms. Asahina’s 7th grade science class conducted quite an unusual experiment: the dissection of a cow’s
eye. And while most seemed to
dread the seemingly disgusting act at first, they seemed to
change that opinion afterwards.
Ms. Asahina’s young scientists felt the thickness of the
cornea and sclera, and saw the fibers of the optic nerve, learning
that neurons are stringy cells.
The cornea refracts and focuses
light, while the sclera is a protective outer coat. The thin, delicate
retina layer was also visible, as
was the way it hangs from the
blind spot, and where it connects
Smart Sal the Science Gal
to the optic nerve, which transmits electrical impulses to the
brain. The retina allows one to
sense color, and different wavelengths and light.
Explained Ms. Asahina, “I
wanted the students to relate the
functions of the eyes and ears
to their structures with microscopes. I also wanted them to
see and feel the actual structures
of a real eye. Finally, I wanted to
stimulate their interest in medicine, health and the science field
in general.”
After all the eyeballs were
put away, first period student
Georgia Calvert said, “At first
I was a little skeptical, but that
disappeared quickly. It didn’t
turn out to be as bad as I thought
it would be.”
By Mai Robinson and Danielle York
I can’t believe I
got stuck with
this guy for the
element project.
, what’s the
matter? Want to
hear a joke about
gold?
No!
Students in Ms. Combis’ s class tie yarn to their cup in the quad.
Another Eggstraordinary Eggsperiment
By ETHAN JONES
Ms. Combis introduced her
science classes with another eggciting challenge. Groups of students had to transfer an egg from
one cup to another using yarn.
Students tied the yarn to the cup
in certain places to balance the
forces and tie some more yarn to
tip the cup, unbalancing the forces and releasing the egg into the
center cup. The catch? The eggsperiment was conducted in the
quad, and students had to stand
eight rings outside of the center
ring, where the cup was located.
With only an hour to make their
contraption, students scrambled to
tie the yarn in the perfect places.
“Aside from teaching them
how to apply what they learned
in class, I want to impart on
them the value of patience,
teamwork and how to communicate well to team members so
they can all reach their goal,”
Ms. Combis said.
What about sodium?
I think we should
take all these Bad
jokes and barium!
SPOT THE
DIFFERENCES
Some students may think
of science as a weight on their
shoulders, but in Ms. Combis’s
class, 8th graders had a blast in
a recent lab. They investigated
Archimede’s Principle in two
ways: with the use of Newton’s
Scale, and using the displacement method. This experiment
taught students learned why objects weigh less when they are
weighed in water.
The photo on the near left
has been Photoshopped to make
it different in 10 ways from the
one on the far left. How many
differences can you spot?
1. Colored cap is now gone. 2. Extra tissue 3. The arrow in the back is missing. 4. The number 6 is on the card. 5. The two tables have become one.
6. Color in box changed. 7. Corner of paper is gone. 8. New calculator by box. 9. Goldfish in the water. 10. Pink stripe in the background is blue.
Earfuls of
Music and
Platefuls
of Pasta
By ALEXANDRA MILLER
and DANIELLE YORK
The melodious sounds of
instruments humming and sweet
voices singing in harmony have
been filling the halls of Revere
and beyond. Choir, Orchestra
and Band classes from Mr.
Miyoshi, Ms. Cronin and Ms.
Jacques performed in a variety
of recent special performances.
On the evening of Feb. 18,
a standing-room-only audience
gathered in Town Hall for a
fundraiser called “Pasta Night.”
The event raised over $2,000
to support Revere’s music
program. Plus, in the words of
seventh grader Moriah Climaco,
“Pasta Night offered a chance
for certain individuals to shine.
During regular concerts, certain
people can’t show their talent
through all the noise, but during
Pasta Night, people got the
chance to be in small groups and
show off their talent.”
Exactly a month later, on
March 18, some of these same
talents showed off their skills
to groups of incoming sixth
graders at Revere’s annual
Howdy Day. Fifth graders from
local elementary schools heard
the type of music that they might
be playing if they join Revere’s
music program next year.
Four days later, the top
musicians from Revere headed
over to Anaheim to play in this
year’s annual Forum Festival at
Cypress College. Two students
from Revere, Liam Pang-Naylor
and Jordan Kupfer, received
awards for best solo. And at the
end of the day, they all headed
over to California Adventure.
Entertainment
Pasta
Night
Left to right: Shaday Diaz sings a solo, 8th graders sing together, Luke Rosa at Pasta Night, Mr. Miyoshi’s Band Class plays in Town Hall.
Howdy
Day
Top left: Madrigals sing together in harmony for Howdy Day. Top right: Show Choir puts on a show for future sixth graders in the auditorium.
Bottom left: Mr. Miyoshi’s period 4 Advanced Band Class plays on stage. Bottom right: Alexandra and Lillian play the cello in Orchestra.
6th Graders “Seek” Truth
by Getting Philosophical
By DANIELLE YORK
(1) Sixth graders show their elaborately decorated masks. (2) Marcus Maia holds up his mask.
(3) Students pose frozen in a tableu. (4) Socrates speaks to his jury members. (5) Arianna Campa speaks.
“If you please, Socrates!” During the month of March,
sixth graders from several
different classes took part in
“Seeking Socrates,” an open
book play in The Spirit Series
about the well-known sage
Socrates, an ancient Greek
philosopher whose sole purpose
was to seek the truth.
Beginning in the first week
of March, people from The
Spirit Series came to Revere to
teach Patriots all about Socrates
as well as Greek culture and
history.
The students took part in
several warmups to really try to
get a good understanding and
feeling of the mood and setting.
Finally, the students were
assigned art projects and were
even given the chance to add
some of their own lines to
the script. Then, once they
were ready, classes took turns
performing during different
periods in the auditorium and
Town Hall.
“Seeking Socrates” takes
place in Athens, Greece, nearly
2,500 years ago. The play is about
a sage who is accused of going
against the will of the gods. His
actions are thought to be treason
by other Athenians, and Socrates
is charged with death. But when
he is given the opportunity to
escape prison with his student
Plato, he remains loyal to his
beliefs and stays in the prison,
allowing himself to be poisoned
and die.
Mr. Carnine’s sixth grade
classes from periods 1-4
were among the many classes
participating in the play. He says
he enjoyed watching his entire
class participating once again
this year.
“Courageousness comes with
a price,” is what Mr. Carnine
says he believes students learned
from this experience.
And one of his students, 6th
grader Teddy Suyman, seems to
be enthusiastic about the given
opportunity, as he said, “I would
recommend ‘Seeking Socrates’
to others because not only is it a
chance to participate in the arts,
but it is also an intriguing and
entertaining way to step back
into the past and really feel like
you were in it.”
Socrates’ story gave Patriots
a sense of the history and life of
ancient Greece and its people
as well as the value of truth and
honesty’s role in history.
The Beatles have fans of all
ages on the Revere campus.
Mr. Hernandez and 8th grader
Daisy Berry point to their
favorite Beatles on their
Fab Four T-shirts.
50 years later, the Fab Four are as popular as ever at Revere.
By JOJO LEVEY and LYRIC LATSHAW
All Across the Universe, people are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the
best-selling and most-loved band in rock ‘n’ roll history—the Beatles. When
these four lads from Liverpool first burst onto the scene, they immediately
changed the course of history. An article from The Town Crier published 50
years ago reveals the huge impact the Fab Four had on Revere students and
faculty. Today, judging by what Patriots are listening to and even wearing
around the Revere campus, Beatlemania is still alive and well five decades
after John, Paul, George and Ringo first arrived in America.
Teachers all over Revere continue to admire the Beatles and mention how
they have been inspired and motivated by them over the years. Mr. Slavin, 8th
grade English teacher and Council Club leader, has loved the Beatles since 6th
grade when his father gave him all of his Beatles LP’s. “I love the way they
evolved over the years,” said Mr. Slavin. “They went from clean cut rock and
rollers to philosophers, and it showed in their music.” He was just two years
old when the Fab Four broke up in 1970, making him too young to have attended any of their concerts. However, he has multiple LP’s and lots of books
about his favorite band.
Mr. Hernandez, 6th grade math, science, and Intro to Shakespeare teacher,
is also quite the Beatles junkie. He first heard about the Beatles when he was
ten years old in 1964 when they appeared on Ed Sullivan’s weekly television
show. He recalls how he got the chance to see the group in person on a cool,
Sunday night in mid-August 1965. He got a call from his stepsister inviting
him to a Beatles concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Unfortunately, his mother
wouldn’t let “Little Carlitos” attend the concert because he had just went to
a big baseball game at Dodger Stadium and she felt he didn’t need any more
excitement that day. Although he still got to see Sandy Koufax pitch for the
Dodgers and Juan Marichal pitch for the Giants that afternoon, he was devastated that he couldn’t see the Beatles play that night. “I always thought I’d have
another chance,” said Mr. Hernandez, “but they stopped touring soon after that
so it became impossible.”
Since then, he has assembled multiple binders of their albums, CDs and
DVDs. “I’ve seen Paul McCartney live in concert sixteen times, George Harrison twice, and Ringo five times,” Mr. Hernandez reported. Because he’s seen
individual Beatles members perform an impressive total of 23 times, he has a
large collection of posters, trading cards, and ticket stubs. Out of the 200 songs
that the Beatles have written, excluding their solo careers, Mr. Hernandez says
he favors “Across the Universe” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”
Mr. Hernandez enjoys many qualities of this famous band, including how
Below is an
article from the
March 1964
edition of The
Town Crier.
‘I have never been tired of their music. In fact,
I appreciate it more now than ever. My two
boys listen to the Beatles now, which is cool!’
—Mr. Roig
they started out and the way they’ve affected the music world. “Before the
Beatles, most artists just sang and did not write their own songs,” he explained.
“The Beatles were one of the first major groups to sing, play their own instruments and write their own songs. Paul wrote ‘Back in the USSR’ and played
every instrument on it (guitar, bass, piano, and drums). The last song that the
Beatles wrote together, as a band, was ‘The End,’ with that great ending lyric
—And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Mr. Roig, 7th grade English teacher, has been a die-hard Beatles fan since
the beginning. When he was only three years old, the Beatles had just come
to America and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. That night—Sunday, Feb.
9, 1964—73 million people, including Mr. Roig and his family at their home
in Pacific Palisades, watched the show. After that, Mr. Roig’s parents got him
addicted to the Beatles and he is very grateful for their music.
“It’s so hard to say what I love about the Beatles,” he admits. “What I can
say is that I never stopped listening to them. I have never been tired of their
music. In fact, I appreciate it more now than ever. My two boys listen to the
Beatles now, which is cool! And, every year I do an expository reading/writing unit in my English class centered around the group. We read some really
cool Rolling Stone magazine articles about them, watch video clips from the
Beatles anthology, and listen to some of their songs. We even discuss some of
their lyrics. It’s my favorite unit to teach and at the end of each school year,
my scholars/students get to reflect back on the year. They always say that the
Beatles unit was their favorite part of the class. Can you blame them?”
Like Mr. Slavin, Mr. Roig never got the chance to see then in concert be-
cause he was just a kid when they broke up. Although Paul was his favorite growing up, Paul
and John seem to consistently switch the first place position in his mind. As an adult, Mr. Roig
values John’s talent and appreciates George much more than he used to. Ringo has always been
Mr. Roig’s least favorite of the Beatles, but the respect for him is still strong. Mr. Wechsler, 7th grade English teacher and journalism/yearbook advisor, also has a lot of
love in his heart for the Beatles. His father, Paul Henry Wechsler, was a mechanical engineer for
Capitol Records at its manufacturing headquarters in Scranton, Penn. when the Beatles first hit it
big. For years the older Mr. Wechsler had been working on ways to speed up the record-making
(continued on the next page)
Patriots display their love for the Fab Four by wearing their Beatles apparel. From left to right are Maddie Goore, Katie Duke, Nina Lowry, Ethan Massaji and Mr. Roig.
Part 1: NAME THAT BEATLE
1. __________ wrote “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” “Blackbird,” “Helter Skelter” and “Yesterday.”
2. __________ is the real first name of the Beatle who wrote “Octopus’s Garden.”
3. __________ wrote “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes the Sun.”
4. __________ wrote “Across the Universe” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
The Patriots pictured below have Beatles-related names. Use
these names to fill in the blanks on the right. (Answers are below.)
George
Jojo
(continued from the previous page)
process, but now the fast-selling Beatles made his task even
more urgent. Before long, he earned a U.S. patent for inventing the automatic record press that helped Capitol meet
the demand for its biggest stars.
“My dad said we never would have moved to California
if it wasn’t for the Beatles,” explained Mr. Wechsler. In August 1966, just as Capitol was releasing the classic Beatles
album “Revolver,” Mr. Wechsler’s father relocated his family to L.A. to live near Capitol’s new engineering facility
and record pressing plant. He was indeed very excited when
his father took him to the Capitol factory in Los Angeles.
“As I watched all the records coming off my dad’s presses,
I felt like I was a part of history,” he recalled.
“If I had to pick a favorite Beatle,” added Mr. Wechsler,
“it would probably be George, because I always root for
the underdog. When I listen to his breathtaking classics—
‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ ‘Something,’ ‘Here
Comes the Sun’—I can only imagine what else he could
have contributed if his talents had been more fully appreciated and cultivated by the rest of the team.” Mr. Wechsler
also admires George because he was the only member of the
Fab Four to actually go to his father’s workplace to check
out all the engineering behind the record-making process.
Another one of Revere’s Beatle-crazed teachers, Ms.
Kruger, has been a fan since the beginning. In 1963, before
Beatlemania had hit the states, she was listening to the radio and instantly fell in love with “From Me to You.” She
rushed to the record store bought the 45 RPM single. “I
am not a groupie,” insisted Ms. Kruger, “just a fan of good
harmony and orchestration.” She also bought every album
when they came out like other teenagers at the time.
“I love the variety of their songs,” she said. They explored many genres of music so nothing sounded the same.
Each album and song was a surprise style-wise.” When the
Beatles were about to perform at the Hollywood Bowl, she
remembers how her boyfriend at the time was an usher there.
He invited her to attend one of their concerts. Unfortunately,
her parents wouldn’t let her go because they didn’t want her
to be around all of those “crazy, screaming girls.”
CHALLENGE:
By SHELBY TZUNG
Molly
Mary
Paul
Ms. Seeger remembers those “crazy, screaming girls”
quite well. She is the one Revere teacher who actually got
to see The Fab Four play in person. She and her friend went
to their 1964 show at the Meadowlands in Boston. “We literally could not hear a thing with all of the screaming going
on,” she recalled. “We left at intermission.”
Teachers are not the only Patriots who have caught the
Beatles bug. Eighth grader Maddy Goore states, “I have lots
of Beatles CDs from my grandpa, and I have a shirt from the
Beatles-themed Cirque du Solei show ‘Love’ in Las Vegas.”
Another one of Revere’s young ladies, Katie Duke, is
quite a fan of the Beatles. “My favorite song by the Beatles
is probably ‘Eleanor Rigby’ because it’s almost like there is
a story within the song. Also, I like ‘Here Comes the Sun’
because it’s a very calming song that helps me relax.”
Another female Patriot, Nina Lowry, really appreciates
the Beatles and enjoys some of their biggest hits. “I like that
they play their own instruments unlike current boy bands.
Also, I love how their songs are so down to earth.”
The Beatles members have long been, and forever will
be, role models for those who love good music. Looking
back to 1964 when The Town Crier published an article
about the Beatles, the writers predicted, “The Beatles are
here to stay, but only time will tell.”
Now, 50 years later, the verdict is in. Here, There and
Everywhere, the Beatles still rule.
One of Revere’s Beatles enthusiasts, Ms. Kruger,
shows off her old vinyl records and Beatles mug.
Her colleague down the hall, Ms. Thrapp, brought in
the 45 single of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (right).
BOYS vs. GIRLS!
Six Patriots, three from each grade
and gender, went head to head in a battle
of the sexes—a boys vs. girls mock Aca
Deca competition on Jan. 22. The competitors were sixth graders Jorge Canela and
Shannyn Sul, seventh graders Matthew
Stern and Sophia Zarabian, and eighth
graders Kaveh Majd and Daisy Berry.
The competition included 10 questions that covered a large range of subjects (see side column). The participants were then given 10 seconds per
question to converse with their team.
With their final answer written on their
white boards and displayed for the
judges, the teams were then awarded
a point if they answered correctly.
At first, the teams appeared to be
equal in competence. They remained
tied for the first two questions, but the
girls pulled ahead after the third question. However, the boys tied it up once
more at the fifth question of the contest.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t long until the
girls scored themselves two more points
at Questions 8 and 9. Neither of the teams
were able to answer 2, 4 and 10. The final
score was 6-4, leaving the girls victorious.
Afterwards, the girls were asked if
they thought that girls are smarter than
boys. Daisy responded, “No. It just depends on the person, not their gender.”
Jorge Canela, however, stated, “After
losing to the girls, I feel like an idiot!”
John
THE TOWN CRIER CHALLENGE
Questions
By Brittany Darrow and Danielle York
(see below for answers)
1. What is the capital of New York?
2. Who was the 15th president of the United
States?
3. What is the third element on the Periodic
Table of Elements?
4. When was Harvard University founded?
(From left to right) Daisy, Sophia and Shannyn show their answer.
5. When was the Declaration of Independence
signed?
6. Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
7. What was the 31st state to become part of
the U.S.?
8. In what country/civilization was the compass
invented?
9. Who directed the movie “War Horse”?
10. What year was Paul Revere Junior High
founded?
1. Albany, 2. James Buchanan, 3. lithium, 4. 1636, 5. 1776, 6. Neil
Armstrong, 7. California, 8. China, 9. Steven Spielberg, 10. 1955
The Town Crier
Richard
(From left to right) Kaveh, Matthew and Jorge guess “1776.”
Answers for Beatles Name Game: 1. Paul, 2. Ringo, 3. George,
4. John, 5. Jojo, 6. Michelle, 7. Molly, 8. Mary
Michelle
Part 2: COMPLETE THE LYRICS
5. “Get back _______. Go home. Get back, get back. Back to where you once belonged.”
6. “________, ma belle. These are words that go together well. My _________.”
7. “Desmond says to _______-girl I like your face. And she says this as she takes him by
the hand.”
8. “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother _____ comes to me, speaking words of
wisdom, let it be.”
Sports
No Staples, But Tons of Memories to File Away
By CLAIRE SPECTOR and ALLY STAHL
Trevor Dalton pivots past the New West players.
Meet
the
Teams
Every year, Revere’s boys’
and girls’ varsity basketball
teams hit the courts running
for the second semester season.
A select group of seventh and
eighth graders wore ‘Revere
Basketball’ on their jerseys this
2013-2014 school year and competed against other schools in
the Delphic and Fiya Leagues.
With an overall record of
5-2, the boys’ team seems to
have done well and given the
sport their all. Highlights included a 41-40 win against La Tijera
and a 50-36 win against Wilders.
The next game was against Saint
Anastasia, with a 62-26 win. The
first loss of the season came in a
game against Culver City with a
score of 66-69. A game against
New West resulted in a 45-12
win, and Revere defeated Century Community 52-12. Next
was a game against Frank Parent
with a 28-43 loss.
The boys scored victories
against St. Jerome 56-26 and
against Monroe 44-42. However, they lost the semifinal game
32-58 to Frank Parent, preventing a trip to the Staples Center,
the goal of the team every year.
Last year’s team was not able to
make it either, but this year the
boys got closer than ever.
“It stings, but there’s always
tomorrow,” remarked good sport
Nima Rafie, wrapping up his
third year on the varsity team.
However, there is always the
positive side: the memories that
came with the season. Player
Nick Leader enjoyed the experience while it lasted and said,
“The team worked great. All the
plays ran smoothly. Every game
we got better as a group.”
Meanwhile, the girls’ varsity team went through a roller
coaster ride of a season as well.
The girls played six games plaagainst four teams—Windward,
Marlborough, Chaminade and
Harvard Westlake. The team
posted an overall record of 2-4,
placing them in fourth place in
their league.
The first game of the season
was against Windward with a
loss. Next came a win against
Marlborough and then a loss
against Harvard Westlake. “My
team has been fine, but we need
to work on shooting and rebounding,” stated Emily Cox,
the varsity team captain, after
the hard-fought game.
After that they won against
Chaminade, lost to Windward,
and lost to Marlborough.
Said seventh grader Lena
Thaw, “I think, like all teams,
you improve with time and hard
work. We were shaky at first, but
we have gotten a lot better.”
Leyla Messian takes a shot on the Windward court.
Revere’s
23 varsity
hoop stars
share their
love for the
sport of
basketball.
Sanam
Aghalarpour
‘Speedy Sanam’
Guard
“My favorite part
of playing on the
team is playing
other challenging
teams and hanging
with my friends.”
Delayna
Armelin
‘Deli’
Guard
“My favorite part
of playing basketball is hearing the
swishing sound as
the ball goes into
the basket.”
Emily Cox
‘Foxy Coxy’
Center
“I think that I help
contribute a
positive attitude
and a sense of
humor to all the
other girls on the
team.”
Brandon Abdi
‘Smiles’
Point Guard
“My goal to
become a better
player this year
was to be more
aggressive and to
learn how to get
easier shots.”
Trevor Dalton
‘D-Town’
Shooting Guard/
Small Forward
“I will work on my
game every day
to get on a high
school and college
team, and even the
NBA.”
Sam Ingram
‘Rook’
Power Forward/
Small Forward
“If I make it to the
NBA I will have
to practice on my
game every day
and I am willing to
put in the work.”
Christian
Jackson
‘Flash’
Point Guard
“I should work on
my team plays, as
well as improving
my offense to get
more points on the
board.”
Carly Duffy
‘Carls’
Center
“This year I helped
the team with
my height. Being
5'11" I got many
rebounds and
layups.”
Deryn Greene
‘Greene Monster’
Guard/Forward
“My favorite part
about playing on
the team is getting
to play against
other challenging
teams.”
Kyla Kirshner
Guard/Forward
“My favorite part
of playing on
the Paul Revere
basketball team is
being able to challenge myself and
meet new friends.”
Huma Manjra
‘Humzie’
Guard
“I contribute to
the team with my
speed and my ability to steal most
passes from the
opposing teams.”
Cameron
Jacquet
‘Jacket’
Starting Center
“I want to become
a better shooter and
a better passer. My
life-long goal is to
make the NBA.”
Bailey Jones
‘Bones’
Shooting Guard/
Small Forward
“Ultimately, I
would love to
play in the NBA.
Maybe someday I
could be a coach.”
Nick Kerkorian
‘Gap’
Shooting Guard
“My favorite part
about the team is
the feeling of camaraderie playing
with other guys
who are skilled.”
Nick Leader
‘Nickel’
Power Forward
“I hope to get as
much out of the
game as possible.
I want to improve
my athleticism and
have lots of fun.”
Leily Martin
‘Little Leily’
Point Guard
“My lifelong goal
is to play college
basketball and I
love getting to
know and meet all
the other girls.”
Leyla Messian
‘Messi’
Guard/Forward
“I enjoy being on
the Revere basketball team, and
I might consider
playing in high
school or college.”
Jessica Taft
‘The Wall’
Center/Forward
“I love everything
about the team, but
my favorite part is
playing the game
and being on the
court.”
Lena Thaw
‘The Shooter’
Guard
“I keep trying until
the very end of the
game. I want to
keep getting better
and possibly play
college ball.”
Julian Patterson
‘Inside’
Small Forward
“My goal this year
was to become a
better ball handler
and shooter, while
my life goal is to be
a better shooter.”
Nima Rafie
‘Money’
Point Guard
“My favorite part
is my teammates.
They are amazing and nothing
would be possible
without them.”
Ari Sallus
Center
“This year, I want
to practice more
so I can become a
permanent starter
and get more
minutes. I want to
always improve.”
Frank Staine
‘Rook’
Shooting Guard/
Small Forward
“I like to represent
my school. I’m
proud to have
‘Revere Basketball’
on my jersey.”
Boys’ Soccer Team Kicks to Victory
Spencer Davis (left) attempts to steal the ball against Chaminade. Brent Smith (middle) plants his left foot for the kick. Shayan Safa (right) dribbles the ball away from his opponent.
By AARON HEISEN
The boys on Revere’s soccer
team were waiting for a win after starting the season 0-1. Their
wish finally came true Dec.
18, with traveling Brentwood
Middle School. Brentwood was
in control of the game, starting
with a score of 1-0, until the final five minutes with some great
saves by goalie Jamin Bay and
8th grade student Angel Gomez’s clutch goal that tied it up.
Two minutes later, on a play between both Revere captains, the
Patriots scored their second goal,
giving them a 2-1 lead. The assist by captain Shayan Safa and
the goal by co-captain Spencer
Davis was enough to seal the
comeback win.
Revere’s soccer team played
their first match of the new year
on January 13, with a game
against visiting Campbell Hall
Middle School. It was a tense
game and both goalies made
some crucial saves to keep their
team in contention of a win.
Neither one let up so the game
ended in a 2-2 tie. Eighth graders
Alexander Siliezar and captain
Spencer Davis scored the goals
for the Riders.
Two days later, the Riders
traveled to Oaks Christian Middle School. It was a hard-fought
come-from-behind win against
the first place Oaks team. Oaks
Christian had control for most of
the game until the last ten minutes. Behind 2-1 with only 10
minutes left, Revere took hold of
business, with 8th grader Angel
Gomez scoring his second goal
of the game and Shayan Safa,
who had missed a penalty ear-
lier in the game, recovered and
scored the winning goal. The Patriots had their third win of the
season and snapping Oaks Christian’s perfect season and making
the Patriots second in the league,
behind Harvard Westlake.
Chaminade came to Revere
on a hot streak, January 23, but
Revere was looking to cool them
down. And they did just that.
With a lopsided game, Chaminade had no answer for Revere,
who easily came out on top
with a score of 4-1. Shayan Safa
scored two goals and Luis Hernandez and Spencer Davis each
scored one.
With Revere already clinching a spot in the Delphic League
playoffs, the next game against
Crossroads wouldn’t matter.
They lost by a large margin ending the regular season 4-2-1,
second behind Harvard Westlake
and going into the playoffs in
their first year in the league.
In the first round of the playoffs on February 3, Revere went
up against Brentwood Middle
School who they beat earlier
in the season on a hard-fought
comeback win 2-1. Brentwood
was ranked third in the league
and Revere placed second. The
winner would advance to the
championship match.
Going into the second half
Brentwood had a 1-0 lead and
Revere was anxious for a goal.
And they got two of them. Goals
by Luis Hernandez and Angel
Gomez gave them a 2-1 lead that
was carried out by some exclusive saves by goalie Jamin Bay
who has been reliable all year
for Revere. This gave Revere a
spot in the championship game
Wrestlers Come Out on Top
By CLAIRE SPECTOR
Mr. Tokeshi Becomes 2014 Ping Pong Champ
After a nail-biting lunchtime match that extended far into fifth period, Mr. Tokeshi came from behind to
defeat reigning champion Andrew Friedman in three sets, 14-21, 21-18, 21-15. Coming in third place was
Mr. Fulling, who also came from behind to defeat Caroline Goldberg in three sets, 16-21, 23-21, 21-17.
Softball Team
Wins First
Two Games
By ALYSSA WALLIN
and AARON HEISEN
The 2014 girls’ softball team
swung off their first season in the
Delphic League with two exciting wins. Their first was earned
at Immaculate Heart Middle
School on March 13, where the
Rider girls subjugated the opposing team 20-0. “It was a blowout from the get go,” said head
coach Mr. Kirby. “I’m not even
sure they had one hit against us.”
The Rider girls next traveled to Harvard Westlake, which
proved to be a more stressful
match up. Alyssa Wallin led off
with a bomb over the left field
Shortstop Alyssa Wallin shadows
pitcher Talia Hunter for a win.
fence. Her home run sucked the
wind out of the Harvard Westlake
girls. Pitchers Talia Hunter and
Gabby Weiner moved the game
along without giving up any runs
for Revere, until the last inning,
when the game got a little more
interesting. To complement the
pitching, shortstop Alyssa Wallin had her own feat by making
a leaping grab and throwing to
first to double off the runner.
Harvard Westlake managed
to get past the defense by scoring one run, but it was too little
too late for the Wolverines, and
Revere came out as the winner.
This was the first time in Revere
history that the softball team has
beaten Harvard Westlake. Coach
Mr. Kirby was very pleased. “I
can finally feel relief, satisfaction, and a sense of excitement at
the very good possibility we will
face the again in the playoffs or
the championship.”
against Harvard Westlake.
This was a tough match
where neither Revere nor Westlake could buy a goal. Finally,
with little time left in the game
Harvard Westlake opened up and
closed scoring with one goal, finalizing the match. The Westlake
goalie seemed to be too much for
Revere to handle.
Seventh grade soccer player
Carter Yost complimented the
older players. “My favorite part
about playing on the team was
playing with players better than
me. I learned many things from
them that I will pass onto other
kids next year in eighth grade.”
Even though Revere isn’t
this year’s champion, the team
still won the silver medal for
second place. And there’s always next year for Paul Revere
Middle School to win the gold.
Revere’s 2013-2014 wrestling season started off on a high
note. The Riders took first place
at home against teams from local
schools.
After countless practices, the
team competed in three more
meets, one of which included a
final tournament on Saturday,
February 1 at Harvard Westlake,
which the Riders also won.
There was another tournament at the Convention Center
toward the beginning of the season. Though it was not a school
event, many Patriots and other
wrestlers showed up for the long
day of matches.
“Our team did very well
this year, winning almost all of
our matches,” 8th grader Adam
Weston stated. “Wrestling is important to me because it’s fun
and I feel great whenever I win
a match.”
Another 8th grade wrestler,
Liam Mathers, agreed. “I love
being able to test my physical
limits against an opponent who
is holding nothing back.”
When wrestling, the Patriots
stress that it’s very important to
do different moves and fake-outs
in order to trick their opponent.
“I just stuck to the moves that I
was good at, and try to figure out
what my opponent was great at
and what his weaknesses were,”
said 6th grader Max Palees. “At
the championship I felt all the
nerves, but then once I got on
Adam Weston shows off his first
place medal at Harvard-Westlake.
the mat, I just felt a crazy rush.
I like the physical part of wrestling and how it’s an independent
sport. Plus, I enjoy tossing and
dropping people.”
“My favorite part about the
team,” Cameron Zoller commented, “is practicing with my
friends, getting to wrestle, and
learning great moves from our
awesome coaches.”
Alvar wrestles a Harvard Westlake student.
PHOTOS: CRAIG WESTON
Style
All You Need Is L ve
Love is in the air . . . and in Patriots’ fashions too!
Layout and captions by Jessie Bierschenk and Brittany Darrow
Katie demonstrates
her love for her goldchained heart necklace.
Georgia shows
off her sparkling
heart bracelet.
Zoe is all
decked out in
Valentine’s Day
accessories.
Adorable Accessories
Gabi grins
from ear to
ear with her
snazzy heart
earrings.
Truly Lovely T-Shirts
Francine struts her
lovely love shirt.
Hana’s pink heart
shirt is tie-dye for.
Mia’s pink heart is
a sign of her love!
Roses are red, violets are blue Mireida shirt is stylish and floral too!
Don’t you just L-O-V-E
Amanda’s rainbow love shirt?
Cuter-Than-Cupid Outerwear
You never want to cheet-ah
on Jasmine with her fierce
cheetah print heart jacket.
Brieyanna definitely had some
admirers on Valentine’s Day
with her stylish outerwear.
Did she fall from heaven?
Grace sure looks angelic in
her angel heart sweater.
Sydney is all smiles as she
parades through the school
with her brown heart sweater.
Mya’s heart jacket
“blue” everyone away
this winter season.