You're reading The Ghostly Gazette, the OFFICIAL newspaper of the Abington Junior High School. In this Spring edition, we bring you...

This year Abington Junior High performed the musical “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. The production was performed at seven o’clock on the Thursday, Friday, and Satur- day nights of February 23, 24, and 25 with a matinee performance at two o’clock on Satur- day afternoon. It was performed in the Little Theatre. Many different students from all over PRIDE Rally! AJHS came together to create a sensational production that captivated audiences for three musical days. The theatre was almost completely filled by audience members for all four

performances, and they exited the theater raving about the spectacular show. Carnation Sale Why would the audience not have praising reviews? The cast and crew worked for months leading up to the performance and all the hard work was evident in the sets, cos- tumes, performance, and all the other aspects that go into making a wonderful production. Coding Club! There were nights that the cast and crew had to stay for hours after the school day ended, sometimes coming in on weekends, putting much of their time and energy into producing a wonderful musical for the community to enjoy. The well-known comic that the show was Black History based on came to life on stage and made the audience feel as if they were actually a part of Month! Charlie Brown’s world. From the very first notes of the show, the audience was pulled into the song and wrapped in the melodies that echoed from all sides of the theater. And much, much There were two different main casts that performed. These two casts were the more! Ghost Cast and the Maroon and White Cast. Each cast group had different actors to play the lead characters. One cast performed on Thursday and Friday night and the other performed in both Saturday shows. Both casts performed brilliantly. The catchy songs resonated throughout the theater and could even be heard in the lobby, outside the theater. Anyone lucky enough to watch the show would have gotten the memorable tunes stuck in their head for days. During the intermission, the stage crew collected donations for Project Linus. This is an organization that hand makes blankets for children who are critically ill. These blankets provide a source of comfort to the children. The theme of the show went perfectly with the organization that donations were collected for and this enhanced the audience’s experience because the donations were going to an organization named after a character in the musical. (cont’d from pg. 1) When all the pieces of the musical came together, it went off without a hitch. The cast operated with the air of professional performers and the crew complemented the singing and dancing with every- thing from the accompanying music to the set and cos- tume design. The production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” went down as one of the many great musicals in Abington Junior High School history and we can hope that next year’s performance can live up to the legacy of this year’s performance. The audience was truly filled with “Happiness” as they left the theater.

~ Eshen Brinkert

In the month of February, the AJHS staff and principals like to recognize the hard work that students have been putting in this year by rewarding them with a Pride Assembly. Each grade has their own individual assembly, luckily I was able to attend not only the 9th grade one, but the 7th grade assembly as well this year. When the 7th graders arrived to the gym area, they were conducted to sit on a specific bleacher according to their “neighborhood”, which consists of green, blue, yellow, orange, and red. Once all students are seated, Dr.Pellico acknowledges those who have been ex- ceeding in their classes. He then announced the winners of the raffles that we participate in during our lunch periods. During all of this the cheerleading squad is hyping up all the students in the crowd by doing various stunts and cheers. After the raffle winners are announced the projector presents students with photos of their peers that have been on a sports team so far this year. Soon after the photos are shown there is a list that goes up of all the students names that have been in sports. Dr.Pellico recognized these kids by saying their name and having them stand up as everyone around them claps. After all the recognitions, it's time for the students to have some fun. One kid from each neighborhood is selected by their classmates to go down the bleachers and onto the basket- ball court. It is now time for the basketball competition to begin. Each student has one minute to make as many baskets as they can and the winners receives soft pretzels for their whole neigh- borhood. For the 9th grade pride assembly students got to play tug-of-war against their teachers! Also, anyone who wanted could sign up to shoot hoops for one minute or participate in a set of activities from the game show called Minute to Win it. At the end of the Pride Assembly, all of the students are given a muffin. The pride assemblies are a great place for kids to feel special and be recognized for their great academics and athletic skills. It's a nice way for kids to have a little break from their stressful classes and just hang out with friends and get acknowledged for the good work done by themselves and their peers. ~ Sierra Moran

Each year spanning over the course of three days lead- ing up to Valentine’s Day, Abington Junior High School’s Student Council representatives host a carnation sale. Tables are set up in the science wing lobby for students to come by and purchase flowers for friends or anyone special. Each flower cost one dollar and all proceeds go to charity. This year, the sales went very well!

The science wing was booming with business. People were encouraged to write a special message as well, also to be delivered at eighth period on February fourteenth so that students received their Valentine’s surprise! “So many people came to buy flowers! I had no idea the sales would be that popular,” gushed Amelia Otto, a seventh grade student council representative and one of the carnation sellers. “Getting the flower reminded me of what great friends I have,” reported Maggie Hanley, a ninth grade carnation recipient.. ~ Eshen Brinkert

Whether it is your first or third year at the Junior High, you’ve most likely always enjoyed joining different clubs and trying new things. From History to Science club, the possibilities are endless. But have you ever heard of the Coding club? This new club started up in fall with the col- laboration of a faculty member and student and has many members today. The purpose of the club is to promote interest in computer science and establish a supportive atmosphere for students interested in coding or trying something new. Mr. Woolsey, who runs the meetings, stated that the most enjoyable aspect of the club “is to see students enjoy learning how to code and having fun while they do it” - which is exactly the experience stu- dents have at the meetings! Each meeting is structured upon a new coding project that teaches a new concept. From race car tracks to Makie Makie’s, there is always something new and interesting happening in this club. The club meets several times each month, and will contin- ue until the end of the school year. If you enjoy trying new things or simply love computers or coding, consider joining next year. No experience is required - just passion!

~ Sofiya Lysenko The beginning of February marks the beginning of Black History Month. Black history month is an annual celebration where we like to look back and reminisce on all the accomplishments of African American men and women. There are many well known famous figures such as the underground railroad leader Harriet Tubman, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior, and the well known bus riding activist, Rosa Parks. All three of these brave and heroic people have helped shape America and its equal rights for all in or way or another.

In 1877 Jim Crow laws came into existence which made segregation between whites and blacks legal. It took lots of marching, rallying, and fighting, both peaceful and violent, to finally get these laws abolished. Jim crow laws prevented blacks and whites from eating at the same restaurants, drinking from the same water fountains, and even using the same bathrooms. In 1954 there was a case between Brown and the Board of Education which ending up outlawing segregation in public schools and in 1964 all state and local laws requiring segregation was ended in The Civil Rights Act. Now black and white chil- dren could finally go to the same schools. Of course these laws being abolished didn’t end racism and discrimination, but it was a step forward in the right direction.

On December 25, 2016, a movie that goes by the name Hidden Figures was released. It shed a lot of light on the first 3 black women who were hired at NASA. Each of these women has a job that helped launch the first US astronaut into orbit. Katherine Johnson was one of the three black women who worked for NASA. She was the third African American to ever earn a PhD in mathematics. Johnson did a good portion of the math for a document called Notes on Space technolo- gy in 1958. Dorothy Vaughan, another one of the three hidden figures, was so bright she was assigned head of the Nation- al Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ at NASA. She was an amazing mathematician and the first black manager at NASA. The last women out of the three was named Mary Jackson. She was an engineer at NASA and at the time, the only black female who was as an aeronautical engineer. Mary had many honors and won a lot of awards one being the Apollo Group Achievement Award.

All three of these women made a huge contribution to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as, NASA. If it weren’t for these 3 women and their marvelous work, National Aeronautics and Space Administration might not be at the same level it is today. ~ Sierra Moran The AJHS 7th, 8th, and 9th grade choruses have many exciting things planned in the spring. A cappella club tryouts, singing at the Phillies game, and the Spring Chorus Concert are all events that the students are ecstatic about! A cappella means no instruments besides your voice. The a cappella clubs are clubs where 3 different group of singers will perform a couple of songs unaccompanied at the Spring Concert. Tryouts were on March 6th, and anyone, even if you didn’t take a music elec- tive, could try out. There are three different a cappella groups: A-Town A Cappella, Selected Women’s A Cappella and Women’s A Cappella. The A-Town group is both men and women. Selected Women’s A Cappella is a select group of women. Women’s A Cap- pella is the same as the select group, only with more women. The tryouts went amazing. AJHS applauds everyone who mustered up the courage to audition. All the choruses were invited to sing the National Anthem at the Phillies game in April. It was a very exciting and thrilling invi- tation. Most students in chorus have their minds set on going.“I feel like we are going to do great!” comments Mary Kate McKenzie, a 7th grade chorus member. “When I was little, my cousin sang The Star Spangled Banner for the Phillies with her choir. I am very ex- cited to do the same and I’m glad we were given the chance.” Make sure to see the game on April 10th and watch the AJHS Chorus- es perform! The Spring Chorus Concert is the last chorus concert of the year. It is at the Abington Senior High on May 15th. All grades will be performing a selection of songs, along with the three a cappella groups. The finale will be all grades and students in the a cap- pella clubs. Many people are excited because they get to sing more songs. “I am so excited for the Spring Concert,” says Caitlin Ziel- inski, another member of the 7th grade chorus. “Based off my experience at the Winter Concert, the Spring Concert will be extremely thrilling. Maybe even more than the previous concert because we get to sing more songs!” So many fun things are happening this spring that involve with the AJHS Chorus and their brilliant teacher, Mrs. Walker. A lot of students tried out for the a cappella clubs, many are going to sing at the Phillies game, and all are excited for the Spring Chorus Concert. The AJHS Choruses have a lot on their plates this spring! ~ Catherine Fantuzzo

Over the course of the 2016-17 school year, teachers were encouraged to apply for an educational grant to fund a project topic of their choice. The grant included funding for the project and the teacher’s choice of either 5 iPads or 6 Chromebooks. Abington Junior High’s own Mr. Kulp applied for the grant with the topic of student voice in mind. (Hence the title of his project “Voices in the Middle). Mr. Kulp, who now teaches RAC and five day a week reading, says the main purpose of the project is “to integrate technology, research, and reinforce writing skills into the curricu- lum,”.

His five day a week reading classes began around mid January using their new Chromebooks to raise aware- ness on the topic of school beautification in the areas of science, technology, school spirit, school activities, etc.. Each student was asked to pick something around the school that they think is in need of improvement. Mr Kulp better ex- plains, "They are trying to find research to for a specific argument that they are making. For example the school should have more lap tops or the bathrooms should be improved,” The focus point is to effect change in the school. Mr. Kulp wishes to impress upon his students the art of using research and writing to their advantage. Another part of their gath- ering research is engaging in conversation with different teachers, guidance counselors, and other various members of the staff. He hopes that this project will improve conversational ability as a result. Students were required in some cas- es to formulate an e-mail to certain teachers requesting interviews or follow ups to add to their research. “(I wish for them to better learn) How to use the research process as well as the writing process but also that research and writing are not just one and done kind of thing but that you need to go back and find more reseach in case you didn’t have enough to begin with or change something in their writing to develop an argument,”

A commonly ignored aspect in education is that students, although in the geared position for learning, are not the only ones doing so. Teachers learn more about the curriculum they teach and the students they are educating more and more as the year progresses. When I asked Mr. Kulp what he hoped to learn from the project he said,“I’ve been learning more about research myself because i’ve been collaborating with Ms. Perch and Mrs. Snead. So in essence they are co-teaching this with me,”. Mr. Kulp when on to say in greater detail that he has been learning much more about different forms of research, especially some of the databases our school library has to offer its students. In addi- tion to his growing knowledge of research, Mr. Kulp also, in preparation for the grant, had to create a file identifying a description of the project, how it would be measured, attained and how it would be relevant with the provision of a time limit for the project. Voices in the Middle was also split up into 4 interchangeable phases, the last of which was pod- casts that Mr. Kulp very much endeavours for his students to experience and he says “these podcasts will be an inter- esting way to kind of present the information and bring everything together and are able to use the essays they wrote. Ms. Sac even suggested that we post them on the school website so that they can better be heard,” These podcasts are an aspect of the project that Mr. Kulp is most excited about bringing about. They seem to be something he has al- ways wanted to at least try, not to mention they provide a way for one to literally hear the student voice.

Abington students and staff alike cannot wait to see what Mr. Kulp’s students produce from this innovative pro- ject. Mr. Kulp, the perfect man for the job, is clearly excited about what his students will hand in and even more excited for the creation of those podcasts. In a purely visual society of today, the podcasts will not only force the hearing of stu- dent voice but allow leeway for thought and consideration without the utilization of an explanatory image. Thank you Mr. Kulp, for making a difference in our school. Thank you for taking the time to stop and listen to “The Voices in the Middle”. ~ Catherine Fantuzzo As most Gilmore Girl fans probably know, the cast of the original show, Gilmore Girls, has come back together to create four new episodes. These episodes take place ten years after the series ended and are titled, Winter, Spring, Summer , and Fall. After watching all of them myself, I am pleased to say that they have successfully brought back the Stars Hollow residents we know and love. Gilmore Girls is a show about a Lorelei, a single mother and her daughter, Rory. Together, they face life’s struggles one cup of coffee at a time. The first episode of Gilmore Girls: A Y ear in the Life, Winter, begins with Rory returning to Stars Hollow from her traveling writer/journalist job. The show opens flashing back to the funeral of Lorelai’s father, Richard Gilmore. Included in the storyline is Kirk, a friend of Lorelai and Rory’s, who opened a new business, Oober (basically his rip off of Uber), and the continuation of the complicated relationship between an engaged ex-boyfriend Logan, and Rory. Highlights from the final three episodes include Emily, Lorelei's mother, going to therapy with her daughter, Rory trying to save the Stars Hollow Gazette from closing, and Luke and Lorelai's long anticipated marriage. Of course none of this means anything unless you have watched the show. You can find every sea son of Gilmore Girls, including the four new episodes, on Netflix. It is highly recommended. Once you have watched it, n o spoilers, but a huge surprise is waiting in the last four words spoken in the episode, Fall that has gotten all fans a little outraged by the cliff hanger. But you’ll have to watch it to see for yourself! ~ Sagan Brinkert

Front Lines is a fictional book that theorizes what would’ve hap- pened if women were allowed to fight on the front lines in WWII. The story follows three American women, Frangie Marr, Rio Rich- lin, and Rainy Schluterman, whom each go into war for their own reasons, and have different goals they want to achieve. After going through gruelling basic training, the women are placed in the most suitable positions for their skill set, which was determined in basic training. In the beginning of the book, Frangie hopes to become a medic, which she ultimately achieves. Rainy, a more book-smart girl ends up in headquarters, strategizing with the most powerful in the army. Finally, Rio, a naive farm-girl from a small town, who initially hoped to be in a desk job, ends up fighting on the front lines as a sniper. Each woman is faced with unique challenges on the battlefield as well as off; they all struggle with social injustices, such as sexism and racism, as well as their own personal set of problems. Front Lines is very well written; it is filled with surprises and has a beautiful, smooth flow to the writing. In my opinion, the author captures the overall brutality of war, and actualizes the sad reality women had to face at that time perfectly, which makes the book much more engaging. Overall, I would recommend this book to any girl who is interested in WWII and wants to read a well- written, fascinating book. ~ Rachel Incollingo Everyone has heard of volcanoes. Red spewing lava and a massive cone, what’s not extraordinary about it? One thing that makes it extremely easy to fantasize volcanoes is not being in the line of fire. What many people don’t know is that right now, bubbling and biding its sweet time, a supervolcano is bubbling at Yellowstone Park, and all of us are in its path. What is the Yellowstone Supervolcano?

A supervolcano is “ an unusually large volcano having the potential to produce an eruption with major effects on the global climate and ecosystem.” To be a supervolcano, something has to erupt at a magnitude on the Volcano Explosivity Index of 8 or higher. To put that into perspective, that is an eruption of more than 1,000 cubic kilometers (250 cubic miles) of magma. You may be confused, thinking, “I have been to and/or seen pictures of Yellowstone Park, and I haven’t seen a volcano!” Actually, you have. As Yellowstone Park’s official website puts it, “...much of the entire park is a volcano – and the bubbling geysers and hot springs are an indication of the churning activity below the surface.” The Yellowstone Supervolcano has erupted thrice before, 2.1 million years ago, 1.2 million years ago and 640,000 years ago.

Will it Erupt?

Fortunately, the Yellowstone Supervolcano is unlikely to erupt for one to two million years. Unfortunately, there is no stopping it when it does. There is nothing that can be done that we know of to delay or prevent the eruption. When it does erupt, Pennsylvania is estimated to get 1-10 millimeters of ash, and that is phe- nomenal compared to other states. For example, most of Wyoming will be covered in over 1,000 millimeters of ash! Even though this is a catastrophic event, it still invokes awe in scientists and science lovers all over the world. Imagine the world as we know it turned upside down by one single volcano! One thing is for sure: the Yellowstone Supervolcano won’t be forgotten any time soon. ~ Jessica Schneider

Super Bowl LI is arguably the best Super Bowl in NFL history. With the game going into overtime and one of the greatest comeback wins ever by the Patriots, you had to see it to believe it! Former President George W. Bush kicked the game off with the coin toss. The results, the Patriots receiving the kickoff. The first quarter was pretty boring and the quarter ended with 0-0 score. In the beginning of the second quarter, New England's Le- Garrette Blount fumbled and the Falcons recovered the football. The Falcons drove down the field finalizing with a 5 yard touchdown from Devonta Freeman. The Falcons are on the board, 7-0. Another drive by the Falcons with a 19 yard pass to Austin Hooper and Atlanta has a 14 point lead.....the Falcons were looking very confident in the first half of the game. The Patriots begin a drive, Brady 3rd and 6 on Atlanta's 23 yard line...... Brady throws an interception to Robert Alford and he returns it for an 82 yard touchdown. Brady definitely not looking like he was on his game at this point. Falcons now leading 21-0. Late in the 2nd quarter the Patriots final- ly get on the board with a 41 yard field goal for 3 points. The score at the half 21-3. The half-time show was amazing.....Lady GaGa definitely knows how to put on a show! Everyone I spoke to said it had to be one of the best half-time shows! So cool how she was lowered to stage from the roof and then how she jumped off the stage after catching a ball to end the show. Start of the 3rd quarter and the Falcons come out scoring another touchdown, making the score 28-3. The Patriots strike back with a 5 yard pass to James White for a touchdown. Score now 28-9. Patriots get the ball back but not able to get the touch- down. They attempt the 33 yard field goal and gain on the Falcons 28-12. Patriots are starting their comeback run in the 3rd quarter. The Falcon's, Matt Ryan, is sacked and fumbles.....recovery by the Patriots. Tom Brady throws a spiral to Danny Amendola for a 6 yard touchdown and to top that, they go for the two point conversion. Of course, James White rushes up the middle for the two points making the score 28-20. Brady, one drive later, passes to James White who is brought down at the Atlanta one yard line. After White rushes for the touchdown, they again go for the two point conversion. Success...... the game is tied up 28-28. This game was now heading into overtime. With the Patriots winning the toss, they drove all the way up to Atlanta's 1 yard line. Again, James White rushed in for the game winning touchdown...... Patriots win SuperBowl LI, 28-34. Tom Brady is named MVP and he has his 5th Super Bowl ring. I wonder if he is enjoying his trip to Disney World! ~ Zach Quintos