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Volume 5, Issue 2 March 1, 2013 A newspaper published by and for the stu- dents of Valhalla Middle School. Geography Bee Buzzes at VMS: A Participant’s View

By Jeremy Pember On the afternoon of December 21st, 2012, Valhalla Middle School held its annual National Geographic Geography Bee. Congratulations to our third place winner, 6th grader Emily Pacci- cia, our second place winner, 8th grader Casey Sullivan, and our champion, 7th grader Joseph Patti! Joseph later took a test of 70 written questions to see if he qualifies for the New York State Lev- Valhalla Middle School’s proud geography bee winners, pictured from left to el Geography Bee. Unfortunately we do not know the results yet. right: Casey Sullivan, Joseph Patti, and Emily Paccicia There were 21 students in the Geography Bee including the au- thor of this article. Each student represented their Social Studies Super “Souper Bowl” class, and 3 students, who were runner ups of their grade, stood ready as alternates. There are different ways to administer the By Mikhaela Ronin classroom level bees each teacher gives to his/her students. Some Many people all over the world are suffering from hunger. Hun- teachers do single or double elimination while others have the ger is the most extreme form of poverty and many die from star- students take a written test. vation, often little children. 1 in 6 people have the reality of not having food. 17 million children go to bed hungry in America every night, and it’s not stopping there. When watching the bee my first two years, I never realized how VMS has done its part to help feed the world. Our “Souper Bowl” frightening it was to be up there on the stage. It is nearly impossi- st ble to think with 400+ pairs of eyes staring at you waiting for food drive concluded on Thursday, January's 31 2013. Grades 6-8 participated in raising food for Westchester County citizens in your answer. Even though you can’t hear it, they are judging you need, sponsored by the NYSUT (New York State United Teach- every moment you stand at the microphone. Your heart is beat- ers). ing a mile a minute and you just want to get off the stage and All classes competed each day to bring in the most, but of course run but your feet are glued to the floor. Of course when I finally remembering the true meaning of the collection. got out, sat down, and relaxed I was answering almost all of the th rest of the questions in my head. It was a fierce competition in the 8 grade. Lots of classes were becoming very competitive and even jokingly “trash talking.” Heard by many, even Mr. Hayes announced, “We kicked your Despite all of this, the Geography Bee was a great experience can!” that I would have liked to do again if I were eligible next year. You do not have to worry about getting an answer right or Everyone worked together to organize the food and bring in as much as they could to help. However, on the last day, there wrong if you make it to the final round of the bee next year. After could only be one winner. all, you got to where you were because you knew your geogra- th phy better than did most of your peers. In the 8 grade hallway, Mr. Hayes’ period A Social Studies class was in the lead for the first few days. Then, they began losing their lead and sank to fourth place. But, on the last day, every- one was shocked. Bags and bags of food were generously do- nated by students, bringing Mr. Hayes’ period A to victory! Now, all wait for the chart to come out and on the day of the real football “Super Bowl,” it will determine the winner of the Inside this issue….. lunch party. Lending a Helping Hand—page 2 No matter what happens or who wins, everyone did a great job to help feed the hungry. Just think of how many families will be New Teacher in Town—Page 4 helped with all the generous donations! The VMS family should Maroon is “in”—page 6 be very proud of all their hard work! P A G E 2 T H E V ALHALLA M I D D L E S CH O O L CHRONICLE Volume 5, Issue 2 VMHS Helping Hands Reach Out Valhalla’s Got Talent! By Amy He By Shannon Brosnan The VMHS Helping Hands Club plans many fun and On Friday evening, January 11 th at 7:00 p.m. I had the privi- exciting fundraisers and activities for the students at lege of attending the Valhalla Middle/High School talent Valhalla Middle/High School. show held in our auditorium. What made this show special Every year the Helping Hands Club holds the Penny was that for the first time it was run by the students, and spon- for Patients fundraiser. Each class at Kensico Ele- sored by the Valhalla International Foundation Club. The di- mentary gets a box to insert money in, and the class rectors were Adrianna Soto and Deanna Alvarez, and the pro- with the most money wins a pizza party. This year, ducer was Jahari Yates. There was a total of approximately 18 Mr. Wright’s third grade class won the pizza party. acts and 37 performers doing what they love to do best. All the money collected goes to the Leukemia and There were singers, dancers, bands, gymnasts, musicians, and Lymphoma Society. comedians- all which lasted an entertaining two hours. The There are many other exciting events as well. One is most common talent of the evening was individual and group an event at Westchester Meadows. The Helping singing. Many after school and evening hours were put in by Hands Club will visit Westchester Meadows once a the students to rehearse and perfect their performances, and month to give the seniors who live there makeo- judging from the reactions from the audience, all the effort vers. The Helping Hands Club is also replacing the was well worth it! art glass case in our lobby with money from the “Zumba-Thon”. Ensemble and Jazz Band Spread Cheer During the remainder of the school year, the Help- By Carly Etlinger ing Hands Club will be sponsoring many more fun and exciting events. This club is an amazing club to In December 2012 just before the holiday break, the VMS Vocal join! Ensemble and Jazz Band went on a field trip to the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital to perform for the children there. Calista The Animal of the Marking Period Janicki and Sofia Herrera, 7th graders of the vocal ensemble, have shared their voices to warm the children's hearts for the Editor’s Note: This is the next article in a series, that will ap- holiday season. "When I sang to the children, I felt my heart pear in each issue of the 2012-2013 school year, highlight- ing truly unique members of the animal kingdom. warm up a lot, knowing those kids have felt a lot better since we sang our hearts out," said Calista Janicki. "After this trip, my By Krista Balint and Tai Smith perspective on singing has totally changed because I know that it affects kids in a positive way and I felt like I was doing a good

The platypus is the strange, furry mammal of rivers, lakes, deed and enjoyed it," said Sofia Herrera. creeks, or dams. You can usually find them throughout the Eastern cost of Australia. They usually live in rain for- Everyone in the middle school community agrees that the two ests. They swim by padding with webbed feet and using musical groups did a wonderful thing by bringing happiness to its tail as a boost. A platypus spends half of its day search- children for whom happiness may be hard to come by. ing for food. Platypuses are carnivores and eat things like shrimp, crayfish, worms and insect larva. When they swim, they keep their eyes closed. It can stay underwater for 2 minutes until they finally have to come up for air. VMS Chronicle Staff Staff: Advisor: Jeremy Pember Brett Erenberg Mikhaela Ronin Student Editors-in-Chief: Carly Etlinger Jeremy Pember Carolyn Brosnan Mikhaela Ronin Shannon Brosnan Tai Smith Amanda DiFeo Amy He Krista Balint

P A G E 3 T H E V ALHALLA M I D D L E S CH O O L CHRONICLE Volume 5, Issue 2 Winter Concert Warms The Evolution of the New Hearts Year’s Resolution By Mikhaela Ronin By Mikhaela Ronin

What better way to start off the holidays then to enjoy the December 31st marks the end of a year and the performing arts? next day starts a new one. On this night, many go Valhalla Middle School’s Winter Concert was on Tuesday, out and celebrate, while others stay and reflect December 18th 2012. It consisted of memorable perfor- mances by the school’s bands and orchestra, chorus, and vo- on their entire year. cal ensemble. Dr. Rimm-Hewitt conducted the Middle So much can happen in a year, and people often School Concert Band and Symphonic Band that evening. What fabulous entertainment! Both bands played different want to achieve more in the next. Whether it’s holiday pieces as well as fun songs. Concert band played The losing weight, becoming more organized, or Syncopated Clock, 25 or 6 to 4, and Two Holiday Classics. even just spending more time with family, it has Symphonic band played Caribbean Carnival, Game of Thrones, Good King Nutcracker, and ended with the jolly been part of our culture on the start of each new Jingle Bell Gallop. year to make a New Year’s Resolution. Have Conducted by Mrs. Woodard, the Middle School Vocal En- you ever wondered why this tradition came to semble wondrously sang Fum Fum Fantasy, Mary Sat A- be? Back about 4,000 years ago, in ancient Babylon, the Babylonians celebrated a festival similar to a New Year. The first new moon following the vernal equinox (late March) was noted as the start of the new year. They celebrated a festival called “Akitu.” They also celebrated the mythical victory of their sky god and sea goddess. The Babylonians made promises to their gods in order to gain favor and start the year on the right Mr. Jeff Dulitz, who will sadly be retiring from Valhalla schools this year, poses with 8th grader Griffin Rossi of the VMS Jazz Band. foot, similar to us today. Some resolutions that they made back then were to pay off debts and Rockin’, Evening Prayer, and We Wish You A Merry Christ- return equipment. mas. The chorus sang Light a Candle, Mistletoe, and Jingle Bells (Sort Of). This tradition has traveled all around the world Mr. Czerw directed the wonderful Middle School Orchestra and basically began during the reign of Caesar. with numerous classic pieces such as Swan Lake, Rondeau, Making a resolution helps people to make deci- Concerto Grosso, and It Don’t Mean a Thing. sions to benefit themselves morally, intellectual- Then, Mr. Dulitz was congratulated and presented with a gift of appreciation for his long time commitment, talent, and ly, spiritually, or physically in the hopes of en- dedication as a director and music teacher for the Valhalla joying a better year. schools. After a long applause for him, the Middle School Jazz Band enthusiastically played five great songs: Doctor Fear not, if you have not attempted to fulfill your No-El, Come Fly With Me, Party Rock Anthem, Work Song, January New Year’s resolution - The Chinese and Apache under the leadership of Mr. Dulitz for the final New Year is approaching! Why not begin then? time. For a special touch, during Apache, our talented school dance group, “Prodigy” preformed. Although we were all deeply saddened by the tragedy in Newtown, CT, just a few days earlier, the winter concert cer- tainly lifted our spirits. P A G E 4 T H E V ALHALLA M I D D L E S CH O O L CHRONICLE Volume 5, Issue 2 There’s A New Teacher in Town: Mrs. Della Sala By Amanda DiFeo Fresh out of Kensico, I had the time to sit down with our new sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Della Sala. She teaches Social Studies and Language Arts. She enjoys teaching both subjects but says that Language Arts is more of her "niche", alt- hough Mr. Erenberg (the other Social Studies teacher) embraces her and always helps when needed. When asked what about the Middle School she liked most, she replied that she "likes to see different students throughout the day." Plus, she loves all of the teachers! Then she added that she just adored the Outsiders unit, and that all of the kids loved it too. Next, we spoke about the differences be- tween her position at the middle school and her previous one at Kensico. She said that "at Kensico I taught all different subjects and only switched classes once a day." She also added that his was her first time teaching sixth grade, but that she was confident and was ready for the challenge! Finally, we talked about whether she knew that she wanted to be a teacher when she was little. When I asked her this she laughed and replied that she “always knew” that she wanted to be a teacher and ALWAYS played teacher with her brother, and even gave him homework! Mrs. Della Sala is ready and exited for anything that this year throws at her, and is glad to Our new 6th grade teacher of both Language be at V.M.S. Arts and Social Studies, Mrs. Della Sala Photo by Staff

Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Origins of the National Holiday Reflections: The Legacy of Dr. King

By Jeremy Pember By Carolyn Brosnan We all owe our thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King for all that On Monday, January 21, Americans around the United States he did for our country. He changed our nation for all people celebrated the one and only Martin Luther King Jr. Day. MLKJ by helping us to appreciate a person’s character and personal- Day is celebrated on the 3 rd Monday of January, around the time ity, rather than of his birthday (January 15). Only two other people were given their color, which the honor to have a federal holiday (George Washington and does not really Christopher Columbus). However, the idea of MLKJ having his matter, when you own holiday took a number of years before going into effect. believe that all In 1979 when the idea was first introduced, the House of Repre- people are created sentatives was 5 votes short to pass it on to the president for sig- equally as Martin nature. In 1981, 6 million people (the largest number of signa- Luther King be- tures in favor of an issue) signed a petition to create MLKJ Day. lieved. If we pre- On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Regan finally signed a judge other peo- bill to establish MLKJ day. ple, we will not Dr. King was a great man. He was an activist, clergyman, and a get the chance to natural born leader who fought to end segregation. He was the really know them youngest man to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize (for his nonvio- and learn from lent actions) even though his opponents used violence. Unfortu- them. Many of us nately, this great man was assassinated by James Earl Ray on believe that if Dr. King was still alive today that he would April 4, 1968. continue to bring peace, love, friendship and freedom to our world. P A G E 5 T H E V ALHALLA M I D D L E S CH O O L CHRONICLE Volume 5, Issue 2 Women Who Change the World By Mikhaela Ronin Editor’s Note: This is the next article in a series which began last school year, highlighting amazing women doing amazing things.

Interview with Dr. Ro KinzlerKinzler----Bespolka,Bespolka, Director of the National Center for Science,Science, LiteraLiteracy,cy, Education, and Technology at the American Museum of Natural History Q:Where do you work? A:The American Museum of Natural History in NYC

Q: What do you do there? A: I direct the museum’s school programs and teachers, as well as media and website development for education.

Q: What is your daily work routine? A: First, I take the train to work. Upon arrival I check my emails and check on the staff. By 10:00AM, the meetings start. I work on various projects with the other 100 people who work with education in the museum.

Q: What advice would you give to a student who is interested in this field? A: Education is the way to get really involved. Learning about the topic and getting experience by volunteering in tutoring camps to figure out what you like is very valuable.

Q:How did you decide to go into this field? A: First, I studied science (Ph. D. in Earth Science research). I started off as a researcher in a lab, was able to do field work and travel around the world to study sciences such as geology, geophysics. By interacting with professors ac- tively involved in science research, I was able to experience the exciting educational work that really interested me.

Honors Society Bakes in the Dough Movie Review: “War Horse” By Jeremy Pember a Tour de Force By Carolyn Brosnan

From Monday January 28 to Friday Febru- For those of you that like a good movie then War ary 1, the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Horse is for you. It came out in 2011 and was di- ran a bake sale. Members of NJHS planned ahead rected by Steven Spielberg. If you like horses and with a few meetings. Thanks to Mrs. Lewin’s help we were able decide who was going to bring in history and beautiful settings you will surely enjoy it. what foods, and help out on what days. We sold The movie takes place in 1914 when a young boy mainly baked goods including brownies, cookies, named Albert cares for and trains his horse Joey. and cupcakes, but there were also chocolate bars, Joey then suddenly gets sold to the army in the airheads, sour straws, scones and a few other des- midst of World War I on the Western front. Joey be- serts all sold at reasonable prices. Unfortunately came used to carrying wounded soldiers on battle- due to the half a day, we were unable to make fields. From the horse’s point of view, Joey wonders more money and sell more food on Monday the if the war will ever end and if he will see his owner 28th. However, through the donations of Valhalla Albert again. Watch the movie and find out if he Middle/High School, we are proudly able to say that we are donating $460 to the Food Bank of does, or you can read the book by author Michael Westchester. Overall the bake sale was a huge Morpurgo. success. P A G E 6 T H E V ALHALLA M I D D L E S CH O O L CHRONICLE Volume 5, Issue 2

“Maroon Out” Is a Blow-out! Groundhog brings great news By Jeremy Pember By Jeremy Pember Saturday, February 2nd was Groundhog Day. The groundhog On Thursday February 7th, our community enjoyed the “Maroon did not see its shadow, resulting in a prediction of an early Out”. There were two games versus our archrivals, WESTLAKE! spring. If the groundhog had seen its shadow, there would have Luckily, the boys and girls team shattered the Westlake teams. been six more weeks of winter. Apparently, the way to tell if Our modified girls’ team beat Westlake 34 to 24, and our modi- the groundhog sees its shadow, is if it is a cloudy day when the fied boys’ team beat Westlake 50 to 38. There was also a raffle groundhog comes out, then it would have been said that it did for a chance at a half-court shot halfway through both games. not see its shadow. If the day was sunny when the groundhog Unfortunately none of the 6 winners were able to make the shot. came out, then there would be six more weeks of winter. This On the other hand, nearly 100 dollars was raised to support the isn’t too scientific, is it? Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. A wonderfully good time, and Groundhog Day originated in Pennsylvania around the mid- money raised for a good cause– what could be better? 1800s. This holiday is believed to originate from the Germans. Now Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania holds the largest celebration, with around 40,000 people coming to see the Groundhog. “Lost in Yonkers” is found in Valhalla

By Carly Etlinger

In 7th grade English class, the students have recently read a play called "Lost In Yonkers", written by Neil Simon. It tells a tale of two

Valhalla fans flip out at their fellow students’ success on the court teenage boys who go to live with their grandmother and their Photo courtesy of Mr. John Hayes Aunt Bella while their “Johnny Buckout” Mythology Spooks VMS father is away, looking

By Krista Balint and Tai Smith for a job in the west. Everyone learns some- The legend of Johnny Buckout has been going around for many years and has become thing new about one very popular. There are many different versions of the many myths about spooky Buckout Road in West Harrison NY. Long time 6th grade ELA teacher Paul Silano, another, including who resides nearby, has regaled his students with tales of the “haunted road” for many years. Let’s review some of the creepiest myths: their Aunt Bella, who, even though she can Hail Mary- On Buckout road, there is a statue of Hail Mary in front of one of the hous- es. Above her head is a light bulb. If the light bulb is on, you can pass by safely. If the be ditzy and forgetful light bulb is off, then you will not make it to the end of the street safely (mwa ha ha ha haaaaaa!!). at times, appears to be as strong as steel. She The three witches- It is said that there was a tree branch hanging over Buckout road. can stand up for her- On the tree branch, the legend goes, three girls were hanged, and there are now three X's to represent the three girls. If you drive over the three X's, strange things will hap- self and care for her pen to you. A few years back, they paved over the road and the three X's are no longer there. two nephews, Jay and Arty. Last but not least: years ago, when the Valhalla Middle School parking lot was getting paved, Johnny was near the school. Soon after the paving was done, Johnny went "Lost In Yonkers" is a missing and the last place he was seen was near the school. A few years later, a dog tag with the initials J.B. was found under the floor of Mr. Silano's classroom. Mr. Silano funny play that most anyone can enjoy. It is filled with laughs, joy, took the dog tag to his grandmother and she recognized it immediately. Johnny wore it every day. Ever since then strange things have been happening at the Middle/High and moments that brought characters’ family together. Out of 5 School. The light above the area has been flickering, and then just stops. And every stars, this play rates a 5 for Neil Simon's creativity, humor, and year when Mr. Silano comes back from summer break, his file cabinets are filled with bees. Fact, fiction, or exaggeration? You decide! thought put into the development of the concept.