Volume 15 Issue 3 April 2011 Viking Press The Student Newspaper of Voorhees Middle School

the program to the 6th grade at Voor- to talk about the Pennies in Action. She Pennies in hees Middle School. She had students told us that with the money they receive Action collect water bottles to put the coins or goes to the research for curing cancer. By Jaymin Kang dollars in. By the end of February she Furthermore, she said that in the future collected them and went to TD Bank to we will be cancer-free, meaning that in A penny may not sound like receive the check. In addition, she the future when we get older there will much, but you would be surprised at made up this game called Shots 4 Shots. be a cure for cancer and that cancer will how valuable pennies can really be The students brought in money and de- be extinct. Maybe, instead of buying a when people work together. Pennies in pending on the amount of money they game or clothes at the store, you should Action was founded in 2007 by a fa- brought in, they got to shoot a certain donate some of your money to the can- mous Olympic ice skater, Olympic amount of balls into a trash can. Every cer research foundations once in coach, and cancer survivor named dollar brought in by the students got to awhile. Imagine all millions of people Uschi Keszler. She is a breast cancer get three shots. We received about you would save from pain. I hope that survivor and a uterine cancer survivor. $1,702.00 from the bottles that came my children in the future will never She decided to take a stand and help in. From the Shots 4 Shots we gained have to experience the pain save millions of lives by making a pro- about $328.00. So, in all we gained of cancer in their whole gram that is made to raise money for about $2,031.00. On St. Patrick’s Day , life. breast cancer. Mrs. Saggese, also a Uschi came to Voorhees Middle School breast cancer survivor, decided to bring

NJASK: Tackling the Test By Jeffrey Hernandez It’s that time of year again! You know, the time that dreaded test decides to come visit us. Usually we’re all panicked about it, stressing out, or just plain scared. But there are plenty of bright sides to it. Like for one instance, we don’t get any homework, and we usually do fun things afterwards, whether it’s watching movies or going outside. To the sixth graders, relatively new to middle school life, it’s no different than the pro- cedures done in elementary school. The same thing goes with the seventh graders-no different than last year. Eighth graders- the only difference is the addition of a science portion. But the fact still remains that some of us are stressed and nervous about it. Here are some quick strategies for tackling the test. The test is timed so be sure not to spend too much time on a specific problem Hit all the multiple choice questions first Try to avoid spending more than 45 seconds on a specific question If you feel the need, take more time per question, but work at a steady pace On the open ended response (worth more than multiple choice) take time and answer ALL questions asked You may be asked more than one question, answer all for most points On the Math portion, show all work On Math open ended questions, take your time, if you can’t find a reasonable answer, make an educated guess Get a good night’s sleep before each night before the test Eat an excellent breakfast (even if you normally don’t, you really should) Be sure to have a good reading book should you finish a section early If you finish early, before reading check to make sure you have all questions answered thoroughly Make an educated guess for certain problems you can’t solve Calm yourself before picking up the pencil Relax when taking the test– take a deep breath and think positive thoughts

Follow all these steps and you’re sure to tackle the NJASK. Reezig Revolution “Everything happens for a reason. I’m used to it, I prepare for it. Like I say, By Cameron Krause at the end of the day, those in charge of their own destiny are going to do Reebok’s back in action with their new shoe, the what’s right for them and their family.” Reezig! At the top, it’s just a regular shoe, but on the Quote by Shaquille O’Neal bottom is something called Zigtech, which is supposed to (born March, 1972) make you run faster and jump higher. I guess that tells us where they got the zig-zag design. These cool shoes come in almost any color. Red, blue, yellow, orange, pink, you name it! Neon ones have also been made. Maybe soon they will come out with Reezigs you can mix and match the colors of. They may cost a little more than some shoes, but these things are bound to be the next big thing!

March Madness: The Battle for NCAA Greatness Sixty-eight teams. One champion. March Madness. By Ashwin Ramesh

Every March, sixty-eight teams in the NCAA come together to participate in the NCAA tour- nament, known affectionately as March Madness. In 2010, NCAA executives changed the amount of teams from 65 to 68. This will be the first year using this new rule. Last year, Duke’s powerhouse team, led by successful Coach Kryzyzewski, defeated Butler’s squad, 61- 59. This year, they still remain as the main favorites along with Kansas, Texas, Ohio State, and Pitt. Every year, millions and millions of sports fans around the U.S. fill out a bracket, whether it’s in a pool, which is a betting ―circle‖ on who will have the best bracket, or just for fun. On the ESPN.com Bracket Challenge, over 3 million people participate, even President Barack Obama and rapper Snoop Dogg. I have Ohio State in my picks in Bracket Challenge winning it all. This year, you never know with the bracket; there could be a lot of upsets, as you know after last year’s 5 seed, Butler, went to the national championship, nearly winning. This year, the tournament will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. As usual, many people will pack the stadiums, for it is one of the most watched sporting events in America. The team that has won the most March Madness titles is UCLA, with 11 wins—but they haven’t won since 1995. There is much hype leading up to the NBA Draft as well, showcasing stars such as, , JaJuan Johnson, and . Fredette leads the NCAA in scoring, but Sullinger is the best overall player, in many commentators’ and basketball fans’ opinions. Overall, this will be a great March for fans and a NBA Draft overflowing with talent. The Whammy: Devastation in Japan By Ashwin Ramesh VMS Pride

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake. 30 foot walls of wa- ter. Nuclear explosions going off seconds at a VMS Students raised time. And that’s what people go through every sin- gle day in cities throughout Japan. This is the approximately $400 for worst quake ever to hit Japan, an island country in relief efforts in Japan the deathly Pacific Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire lies near the Pacific Ocean—and nearly 90% of the world’s tremors take place there. The massive quake was originally graded as an 8.9, but was eventually bumped up. Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan made a few rare appearances on televi- If we had no winter, the sion to deliver messages of hope to Japan’s survi- vors. Many loved ones have been lost and it seems spring would not be so pleas- that Earth is cranking out natural disaster after natural disaster. We are having a hat day on Fri- ant; if we did not sometimes day, April 8th. Students will pay $1.00 to wear a taste of adversity, prosperity hat and the money will be donated to Japan relief funds. Hopefully people can come together and would not be so help out so the people suffering in Japan will have a glimmer of hope. welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

It’s Hard to Find Good Burgers

By Cameron Krause

Almost everyone in the world has tasted a good burger. But every- one has tasted a bad burger, and they’re outnumbering the good ones. Everywhere we go, we see McDonalds, Burger King, and other burger joints. Those are common places, but their burgers aren’t al- ways the best. Most are really fattening and some just taste disgusting. But in this arti- cle, I’ll teach you how to spot the okay places and really good places. After 180 days, a McDonald’s burger looked the exact same. Probably not top five material. Now Fuddruckers is a great place to go. If you don’t trust their burger making, no problem. At the front of the restaurant you can partially see the cooking going on inside. Fries come with and you can get milkshakes and onion rings. So here’s a tip: if you can see them cooking, the place probably has good burgers. But that doesn’t mean that if you can’t see the cooking don’t buy the burgers. A lot of places just close off their kitchens to protect from customers with colds. But so far we’ve just talked about the burger, when there are other things to watch out for. On your burger you should have green lettuce, fresh tomatoes, delicious onions, and fresh bread. Maybe you don’t eat all of that on your burger but if you do look for those characteristics. So next time you go to get some burgers, look for the signs of a good one. If you do that, you may never have a bad burger again. Continued from Four Aces...a top caliber them throughout the season. The big sur- team and they will win the World Series prise though could be the Baltimore Ori- this year easily. oles this year. Under manager Buck Now, about the rest of the field. Showalter, the Orioles finished strong in Boston is the favorite out of the AL. They the second half last year. Their pitching added Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez needs big improvement since not one of in the offseason. Their pitching is a mys- their starters last year had a winning re- tery though because two or three of their cord. They did grab some big bats in the pitchers are coming off of major surger- offseason so watch out, here comes Balti- ies. Other than that, Boston’s lineup is more. All in all, the 2011 baseball stacked from top to bottom with great season will be a great one as usual. I hitting and powerful hitters that will carry can’t wait for the season to start.

What to do During Spring Break By Alex Murphy

As you know, spring break is a time for us students to get away from school for a little while. Most kids’ parents have already planned a vacation for their children during the break. There are still some kids who can’t decide what to do during their abbreviated break from school. That is where I come in. I’m here to help you fill the void for your break. Here are examples for some spring break fun!

Go Down to the Shore With this option, you have your entire week filled and you can enjoy what the Jersey Shore has to offer. You could go to Wildwood, OC or anywhere else in between. This is a great family fun trip. Take Day Trips This option takes more planning. You have to plan out every day with a different activ- ity. There also is more fun with this option. You could go to Baltimore, Historic Philly, Washington D.C., or maybe NYC. This option is good for parents who have off from work during Spring Break. Go to Florida (Disney World) This option takes booking several months in advance. Also you need to make sure that there is availability within the hotels of the Disney World complex. Also this is very expensive with the airplane tickets and park passes. Still, if you want to do this option, it’s fine by me. Do Some Spring Cleaning This option is the least popular because who wants to do spring cleaning. Still, it is bet- ter than watching TV the entire week. Your house will look nicer. You could change your wardrobe from winter to spring and summer. Once you think about it, it’s not really that bad of an option. So, there you have it. These are my options for you to have a great spring break. You can use them or you can use your own. It’s your choice, make it a good one. eBooks Are Taking the World by Storm! By Kayla Gagnon Tired of your battered , beaten, paperback books and expensive hardcover books? Get an eBook! An eBook is short for an electronic book. It is basically a regular, everyday book, except it is on a computer screen the size of one of those ordinary books you see on your bookshelf. But there are many types of eBooks out there, (the Nook, the Kindle, and the ) but which one do you choose?

Sony Reader- This eBook was the first one I heard of; it came out in 2007. The Reader costs about three hundred dollars, and the price is worth it. You can actually listen to music while you read! Also, on the Touch Addition, you can use a stylus to get to your books and draw. The bat- tery is replaceable, unlike the Kindle and Nook, which require a plug-in charger. The Reader comes in a variety of colors: red, black, and silver. But for everything good, there are some faults about the Reader. It has a smaller type than the Kindle or Nook, and it reflects the sunlight if you are reading outside. Other than that, the Reader is a nice eReader to buy.

Amazon Kindle- This eReader came out in 2007, the same year as the Sony Reader. Unlike the Reader, the Kindle has a built-in keyboard, and has arrow buttons to turn the page. It costs only one hundred thirty-nine dollars now, so it is most definitely worth buying for the price. The Kindle can also hold up to one thousand books, and has no reflection in the sun if you are outside. Also, the Kindle has a rechargeable battery. I actually own the Kindle, so I think it is the best eReader.

Nook- Last, but not least, comes the Barnes and Noble Nook. It came out very recently, so it has most of the latest technology included in it. The Nook, like the Reader, has a touch screen, and the covers of the books are in color, which causes it to have a shorter battery life. Also, the Nook works with Android, so it has good Wi-Fi, especially if you read at Barnes and Noble.

Well, there you have it; all of the popular eReaders out there, the Nook, the Reader, and the Kindle. Each has its pros and cons, but all do the same thing: to help you read electronically. I can only give you a few suggestions on them, but the final choice is up to you!

The Four Aces and the There’s nothing like it. On February 25, 2011, the Rest of the Field baseball season begins with the first game being played. As you can tell, I’m a By Alex Murphy Phillies fan. All across America, the Phillies are

being predicted to win the World Series. I As the spring comes, we are introduced to wouldn’t blame them. The Phillies have four of the sights and sounds of springtime fun. The the pitchers in the game with , Cole flowers in full bloom, the many days of rain. There also is the start of baseball! Yes, Amer- Hamels, , and Roy Oswalt. They lost ica’s Pastime is back. On Valentine’s Day, pitchers in the offseason, but their star rookie, Domonic Brown, can cover for him. He has and catchers report to spring training. The pre- amazing power, a great arm, and his fielding will season World Series picks are laid out. The avid baseball fans migrate to Florida and Arizona. improve as time goes on. All in all, the Phillies are March 14 = Pi Day By Alex Caruso

6th grade red team’s math teacher, Mrs. Yaffa, is celebrat- ing Pi Day. And no, I didn’t spell it wrong, I mean the number, 3.14159. At least that is the beginning of it. There are more than 500 digits in the number pi. Anyway, time to get to the fun stuff! My math teacher, Mrs. Yaffa, is celebrating Pi Day with… well… PIE! On Pi Day, kids are allowed to bring in treats, snacks, and again, PIE! Mrs. Yaffa is also having a contest to see who can memorize the most digits in Pi. How many digits can you memorize?

BETTER THAN THE the ExoPC slate is a netbook without a key- board. Although it has no 3G, it has a big- BEST ger screen and higher resolution than the By Josh Chazin iPad, and it will use , a good upside. January 27, 2010 was a very impor- The third out of the four is called the tant day for Apple Inc. and the rest of the Gemini, which in my opinion is the best world. On that great day, the Apple iPad out of the four and better than the iPad. It was announced. But April 3, 2010, was has everything! To start, there are two even more important. The iPad was being cameras, one facing each direction, and it released into stores for people to buy! The has GPS. Both of those things, you won’t iPad is designed as a that find on the iPad! It also works with 3G has so many different uses such as movies, and Wi-Fi, and it has great graphics, video, music, games, periodicals, Internet, and and resolution. You could almost call it a books. It was supposed to “WOW!” every- huge smartphone! body who bought it – and it has been do- Last, but not least, is the JooJoo, ing just that for almost a year now. But re- originally known as the CrunchPad, even cently, more alternatives for the iPad are though there is still arguing going on about coming out. And I can tell you, these four that. This was the first slate device to ever alternatives have things the iPad don’t be sold, even if it was in very limited have and can give Apple a pretty big chal- groups. It has a large screen, but some re- lenge. views have found faults in the software. A The first one, however weird the 3G version is coming up soon, also. When name seems, is called the Adam. Notion I said last but not least, this actually may Ink offers you a great feature for the Adam be the “least.” – a “dual mode” LCD. In other words, you The iPad is one of the best tablet can switch from a color screen to a black computers in the world. Because it’s made and white screen. When you’re reading by Apple, which is a popular company, books on the Adam, it makes it look realis- millions of people have it. But if you are tic in the black and white screen. Also, it looking for a cheaper – and sometimes bet- has a camera which can take pictures both ter – alternative to the iPad, these four ways, facing away or at the user. choices may help you! Next is the ExoPC Slate. Basically, FYI: Virtual Backpack By Wyatt Williams Have you ever forgotten when a special event happens at school or what a particular assignment is or when it is due? Well, then you can just visit the Vir- tual Backpack, a special section of the Voorhees Middle School web site. Here you can find information about different events that are happening in the school. You can also check community events to see when a baseball game or something else is going on in your community. So if you ever forget about something that is happening at school, you can just go to the Virtual Backpack at http://

MITZVAH MILESTONE read that day, it includes how you can relate By Josh Chazin it to your life right now, and the end talks about all the thanks that you give to different Of course, most of you reading this people (parents, friends, tutor, etc.) aren’t Jewish, so you may not have much in- Usually, there is a Bar or Bat Mitzvah terest in this article. But if you’re Jewish, party, as most of you know. All of the rabbis then you know that just about all Jews have a and Hebrew school teachers encourage their Bar or Bat Mitzvah at age 13 or 12, respec- kids to think that the service is the most im- tively for a boy and a girl. It means a lot to portant. Like other kids, I, obviously, look the person having their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, forward to the party. For a Bar Mitzvah taking a big step in their Jewish life. I’ll tell party, the family tries to make the invitations you a little about a Bar or Bat Mitz- very decorative and precisely. The family also vah. meets with people such as First, the learning is so hard. the decoration person, the For me, I have to learn almost calligrapher (invite person), every part of every service, and it the videographer, the pho- gets really hard sometimes, what tographer, the caterer, and with all the practicing and the the DJ for the Bar Mitzvah. countless Bar or Bat Mitzvah les- They meet multiple times to sons. You have a tutor to help you with your figure out the food, games, prayers, and you usually have a lesson once a party favors, table colors and names, and week. For me, it’s every Tuesday from 5:00- other things. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah party is 5:30. You start your tutoring a little less than way more complicated than you may think. a year before your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the most im- it’s really hard. portant day in a Jewish person’s life, up to Around the middle of your Bar or Bat the age of 12 or 13. It involves so much work Mitzvah service, you have to make a speech and practice for a year, and it means a lot. about the portion of Torah that was read that The reward for all that practice and praying is day, or a D’var torah. You start to write that the party that goes until midnight. But even speech about two or three months before though we all look forward to the party, be- the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The speech usually coming a Bar Mitzvah is what is important. includes a summary of the portion that was

Maintaining Friendships GREEN HORNET By Prajnika Chugh By Wyatt Williams The Green Hornet movie is awesome! I would say that this movie is an award winner, but that is only my Do you remember friends that you had in past opinion. As a person who saw the movie this movie, it is years that you don’t talk to anymore? Did you wish that an action thriller, it’s funny, and it’s a classic. I classify it things were different? Everyone has these kinds of as an action thriller because there are tons of fights and thoughts when they see friends that they used to be really other things. It is also super funny because they’ll say ran- close to, and don’t talk to anymore. It’s really hard to dom things during serious, intense moments. During this maintain these kinds of friendships when you aren’t in the story you’d think that the second main bad guy would be a same class or on the same team, so how can we possibly good guy! stay friends with people? Well, you can see if you can It is also a classic because it is great just like its join the same clubs. Even if you don’t see someone during cartoon was. So it sounds like a pretty awesome movie so the day, you can still see them after school. You can also far, right? Well then you are correct. It is awesome, and make plans to see a movie, go to the mall, see one of the the people in the movie are huge movie stars, and I think school teams’ games or, just hang out at each other’s that they will also get you to watch the movie also. Well, house after school. Another way to stay in touch is to just even if you do not like the actors, the movie is talk, such as over texting, on the phone, or on a social net- still amazing, and it will surprise you with working site such as Facebook or Twitter. It’s sad when how amazing it is! So are you still not out you lose a friend that you were really there watching the movie right now? Well close to, and there are many ways to come on, head on out there and get your keep a friendship going, even if they tickets now for the Green Hornet! aren’t on your team, or in your class.

A + Advice depending on what they are using to bully you, but the main thing is… REPORT THEM! Whether it’s Facebook, By Alex Caruso Myspace, an online game, WHATEVER it is, just re- port them! Any online game or social network website should do something if you report the person. If they A+ Advice is back again, with more questions don’t do anything, stop playing the game or whatever submitted by you, the students of VMS! Remember, if it is for a little while. Eventually, they should think YOU want a question answered, e-mail Mrs. Jacobs. If you quit and leave you alone even when you come back. you send me a question, your name and e-mail address Question: How should I manage my study time WILL NOT be mentioned. I am asking you, please, if when I have a lot of tests or quizzes? you have a question, PLEASE send it in! Answer: Think of this. It’s Monday and you Question: My friend has been on my team have 5 tests, one in every academic subject, on Fri- since 4th grade, except this year. She hasn’t talked to day. Break up the time for you to study! Monday night, me since Summer Break and she hangs out with every- study… maybe all of your science stuff and a little bit one but me. What should I do? Answer: Try to communicate with her. With all of math. Tuesday, do reading and a little bit of math. of today’s technology, there are so many ways you Wednesday, do reading and a little bit of math. Fi- could start making friends with her without all of the nally, Thursday night, do language arts and a little bit awkward silent moments when you are talking. Try of math. By Friday, you texting, calling, facebooking, e-mailing, the list is end- should have studied enough less of ways you can communicate with technology. of every subject to do great! Not only that, ask her when some of her classes are. Decide on a period you can both go to the library and hang out that way. Question: How do you handle cyber-bullies that just don’t stop? Answer: The answer can change a little bit