V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1 THE EDISON EYE The official newsletter of Edison Middle School WHAT'S INSIDE
WHAT'S UR NAME MAN- FRONT COVER WHAT’S ALEXANDER HAMILTON REVIEW CONTINUED - 2 UR NAME PRIDE CARDS-3-4 MAN? STUDENT POETRY AND COMIC - 5 A H I S T O R I C A L P O I N T O F V I E W O N A L E X A N D E R H A M I L T O N B Y T A Y L O R K R Y N O C K STAFF MARCH MADNESS- 6-7 INTRODUCTION You may not be a big history freak, but you might like Broadway Musicals. There’s one man, a founding father that has a musical that was made after him, and that man is Alexander Hamilton.
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ALEXANDER HAMILTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“Who Made The Hamilton Musical And Is a Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler. It All Facts? Alexander Hamilton and Eliza had 8 children The famous Broadway musical called together. From 1791 and 1792 Alexander Hamilton was made by the one and only Lin- Hamilton cheated on his wife with a woman Manuel Miranda. Lin-Manuel Miranda played named Maria Reynolds. Alexander himself in the musical, but Lin- Manuel Miranda himself even said that the The End Of Alexander musical is not aiming at historical accuracy. In 1804 Alexander tried to convince people So, you should not rely on the musical for from New York not to vote Aaron Burr for facts about Alexander. president, Aaron Burr, hoping that he could restore his political following, challenged What Was Alexander’s Life Like? Alexander Hamilton to duel. Not much is Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, known about the duel because everyone in 1755 on the island of Charlestown, Saint Kitts the area other than the people dueling had to and once Alexander was born his parents turn away from the duel. But one thing that is moved to Nevis. Hamilton’s mother’s and known is that it happened in Weehawken, father’s relationship failed and she took New Jersey, the exact place where Alexander to St. Croix. Alexander’s father left Alexander’s first son, Philip, died in his first him and his mother when Alexander was only duel at only the age of 19. Another thing that 10, but then Alexander and his mother fell ill, is known about the duel is that Alexander Alexander got better but his mother died on fired his gun into the air, and then Aaron Burr February 19, 1768. But Alexander stayed shot him. Alexander Hamilton died on July strong and moved to New York in 1772, where12, 1804 and the duel took place on July 11, he attended King's College on a scholarship. 1804. Aaron burr lived to the age of 80 and He joined the army in 1775 and fought for the Alexander only lived to the age of 47. US, then in the year 1789 he became George Washington’s right hand man and the first The Hamilton Name secretary of the Treasury in September 1789. Even though the one and only Alexander Alexander Hamilton also helped found the Hamilton died it doesn’t mean the Hamilton national bank. name is gone, as of right now there is a Alexander’s Wife Hamilton descendant still alive. His name is Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Doug Hamilton and he is the great-great- Schuyler on December 14, 1780. Alexander’s great-great-great grandson of the one and first child was born on January 22, 1782, it only Alexander Hamilton. was a healthy baby boy named Philip Hamilton, named after Research gathered from Google Search
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by Luke Wagner
With the 2020-2021 school year coming to a close, let’s look back on one of the most prevalent changes in the past few years: PRIDE Cards. Ever since a few years ago, PRIDE Cards have replaced the old Opportunity Days with fun and creative ways to spice up every day. But do students agree with the new changes of the reward system? In this article, I’ll interview one of the coordinators of PRIDE Cards, as well as a few students to see what they think. First off, I talked to Ms. Street, one of the teachers behind the PRIDE Card system. Since she has been on the PBIS team dedicated to helping reward Edison students, I asked her a few questions about PRIDE Cards. Here’s what she had to say.
When it came to the switch, what was the turning point for the change?
“We felt that students who were doing much more than the minimum standards should be rewarded for their efforts. Students who receive a Bronze card have met the exact same standards that were set for Opportunity Day. For Silver and Gold, we tightened the criteria and added community service. We wanted to reward the extra effort, but we also wanted to stretch the students in these levels to possibly go above and beyond the work they normally did and push themselves. Earning a Gold card is not intended to be something that can be earned without effort.”
And how do you think PRIDE Cards improve Edison?
“PRIDE cards allow Edison students to be recognized and rewarded for their hard work. The program also provides a specific framework to help students set goals. It is easier to motivate people if they know what they are working toward and what they have to do to get there. It gives Edison a common set of standards that everyone understands. Since the start of this school year, Edison students have completed over 1100 hours of service to the community. That is a huge amount of time! It also gives the community the opportunity to see teenagers in a good light. Sometimes when it comes to students this age, people focus much more on what they are doing wrong than what they are doing right. We have received numerous compliments about how helpful and hardworking Edison students have proven themselves to be. It also can give a sense of pride to a student who struggles academically when they can excel and be recognized for a service activity.”
Special thanks to Ms. Street, who answered all the questions I had about PRIDE Cards. Secondly, I interviewed a student to get an in depth perspective of what they think about the Opportunity Day - PRIDE Card change, and they’re mainly in favor.
What are your thoughts on PRIDE Cards?
“I think the change has a lot of opportunities over Opportunity Day. It gives students a chance to go out and help their community, all the while getting rewards for their work.” Some of the other benefits that come from the new system are the miscellaneous raffles and prizes, not to mention leaving class early to get a head start on the lunch line. But don’t forget about the
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by Luke Wagner community service aspect of PRIDE Cards! Although 6 hours of community service may seem like a daunting task at first, many students find enjoyment in the hours they do. There are many different opportunities to find ways to get those hours in even during the pandemic, so be on the lookout for gigs. Overall, PRIDE Cards have been aimed towards bettering the community, with some student rewards as a prize for their efforts. As more community service is done around Stark County, the more our community will improve. Although there are some supporters of the new and improved PRIDE Cards, the majority of students are still rooting for an impossible return of Opportunity Day. Ever since elementary
school, Perry District Schools have waved one day of work, and dedicated it to rewarding their students with fun games, prizes, bouncy castles, cotton candy, and other assortments of entertainment. This tradition slowly diminished over the years, simplifying to the now community- induced PRIDE Cards. I recently ran a poll regarding the changes to the prize systems, and most people mentioned that they enjoyed Opportunity Day because it gave them time off from the hectic work schedule to relax and enjoy a day of fun. Rather than outsourcing an interviewee to get their opinion on the subject, here’s what I believe about the current system. To be frank, I personally don’t enjoy the change. The PRIDE Cards have a few flaws in their system, most coming from the lack of prizes. At the start of the year, there were a few raffles that sparked up some joy, but that slowly stopped to only about once every month. There is the perk of Gold Card holders leaving class a few minutes early for lunch, but that has since been overshadowed by teachers letting their students leave early with or without Gold Cards, completely ruining the prize. In an effort to please both sides, there are a few implementable solutions that benefit both sides of the spectrum. Rather than bringing back Opportunity Day (which is a very daunting task in and of itself), we could improve the PRIDE Card system, giving more prizes and better perks to students, which could give them incentive to participate in community service around Stark County. With the help of students who gave their ideas through the poll, here are some possible rewards to spice up PRIDE Cards: First of all, have more raffles, with many more chances of winning. The problem with the current raffles is that they aren’t very often, and don’t have many rewards. Another idea would be allowing Gold and Silver Card holders to go outside in the courtyard during study hall or even lunch. Sometimes a change of scenery is great for a long day of school, and going in the courtyard is a perfect way to do so. There’s also the possibility of bringing back the old Gold and Silver Card study halls. If you are a 7th grader, or completely new to Edison, there was a study hall class last year dedicated to Gold and Silver Card holders, which gave opportunities to relax and hang out during their time off. During this time, students could play board games, have songs going on in the background, and just have a great time overall. These would be a great addition to the offers PRIDE Cards entail, and could possibly be combined with going out to the courtyard. We could also give Gold and Silver Card holders a special drink, such as Gatorade or Coca-Cola during our lunch period every once and awhile. These possible ideas for prizes would raise initiative to do more community service, as well as boost morale in these troubling times. Besides the possible changes of prizes to the PRIDE Card system, there isn’t anything else I would rework about them. PRIDE Cards offer a way for students to step out of their comfort zone and get involved in their community, and even if they are overshadowed by their wildly successful predecessor, they are still a great way to reward students.
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Where I'm From The
A P O E M B Y C O R I N N E H I X E N B A U G H I am from the family tree on the living room wall that tells our family stories, Creative The Christmas morning we spent together as a family that seemed to last forever, And the laughter still in the air from the family game nights.
I am from the cool shade of the tree in the front yard, Corner The dogs playing in the backyard , The garden that never seemed to run out of fresh vegetables, The old swing set full of summer memories.
I am from the hide and seek games that seemed to never end, The laughter of kids playing tag in the yard, bikes always zooming down the street, And the knock, knock on the door for friends to come play.
I am from the family reunions, how much I looked forward to those The smell of Grampa's car shop, Splash the water fight with my cousins, And the hours spent playing with my siblings.
I am from mom telling us if we aren’t careful she will wrap us in bubble wrap, From the day we're told to pick in or out, And the most common phrase in my house, "Because I said so."
I am from my dad's grilled chicken, The family campfires with smores My Grandma's homemade ham sandwiches And my mom's world famous buffalo chicken dip.
I am from the cedar chest in the attic full of memories The millions of photo albums of pictures from when we were little And the secretive journals that never told any secrets
I am from my parents that have stuck with me through thick and thin The ups and downs of life The people that told me they loved me forever And the people that made me who I am today. comic by Ryder Ward
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A Little Bit of March Madness
A Y D E N M A R T I N During the month of March, the staff of Edison participated in a March Madness style tournament. Each day of the month was a certain theme, however, this wasn’t the only competition. In the shadows, while we were all enjoying the festivities, 16 teams were being formed composed of the staff members you know and love. 7th Grade Language Arts formed Parks and Alliteration, while 8th Grade Language Arts (and Mrs. Mbatha, as well as Mr. Mostov) formed We Like Big Books and We Cannot Lie. There was Live Free and Pi Hard, formed by 7th Grade Math, as well as the Odd Squad, formed by 8th Grade Math. From the shadows, the Periodic Thinkers appeared, composed of 7th Grade Science, and the Earth rumbled at the might of the Tectonic Fury of the 8th Grade Science teachers. The 7th Grade History teachers came from the Medieval Ages to tell us that Resistance is Feudal, while the three 8th Grade U.S. History teachers formed the Trinity. The all-female counselors formed the She-Unit, while from the heavens, Tom’s Angels appeared! The Dirt Devils, formed by the Custodians, came to mop up the other teams, while The Kitchen Chicks, formed by the Cafeteria Ladies, arrived to serve up a storm. The STEAM Punks, formed by those that teach the Fine Arts and Career Tech, came to invent a way to victory, while the Health and PE teachers gave us the Top 10 reasons why they could beat all the other teams. Finally, the Paraprofessionals formed to show how much pride The Perry Pro’s could dish out, and the Monitors, Tech Support, and Library Staff formed the last team, The Expendables. Throughout the month of March, these 16 teams fought through grueling battles of rock, paper, and scissors, maneuvered a tasty treat down their face, with no hands, played an unconventional game of ping pong, and named that tune, all for honor, glory, and the best prize of them all: bragging rights. The first trial to find out which team was the best was a tournament of Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Each of the teams sent one representative to fight. This battle, along with all of the others, occurred in a bracket format. Two teams would step up to par, with one representative from each team, and compete. Whoever won the challenge would advance to the next round. Rinse and repeat until you have 2 members left. Whoever wins this final battle would be crowned victorious. I was actually there, and filmed for each competition that occurred, so, while I won’t give a play by play, I will give the team that won, and highlights from the competition. Like I was saying, the first competition was a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. While the battles were fierce, and played best out of 3, I Like Big Books, championed by Mrs. Robinette, won the competition for her team. Unlike all of the other competitions, I actually competed in this one! I was there to take pictures and film, but Mrs. Kittelberger pulled me in for the Dirt Devils. I actually got a round in by beating Mrs. Hall in an almost too close to call fight. The next round however, I got completely annihilated by Mrs. Sternberg. The next week, the teams Face(d) the Cookie. You may be wondering how this one worked, well the staff had to maneuver a cookie from their forehead to their mouth, without using their hands. If they dropped the cookie, it was back to the start. The real highlight from this wasn’t a particular moment, but was seeing the normally masked staff make varying levels of funny faces in order to get their cookie to their mouth before the other could. The Perry Pro’s, with the help of Mrs. Stayer, managed to clutch this victory.
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A Little Bit of March Madness
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 6 Next, a fun game of Clipboard Ping Pong played out in the lobby of the school. This challenge’s rules were pretty simple. Just play Ping-Pong, but with clipboards instead of actual paddles. Whoever would lose the round would be knocked out. There were some matches that went on for about a minute and 30 seconds, while some were instantly done after the first shot. I think the real highlight here is the final match between Top 10’s Mr. Libster, and Tom’s Angel’s titular Mr. Litman. It went on for up to about 1 minute, and the tension was palpable the entire time. After an extremely long and tense minute, Mr. Litman and his Angels were able to swing into first place. Finally, Name that Tune took place about 2 days before Spring Break. All of the teachers gathered in the library, to guess obscure (and obvious) songs from both our generation and theirs, by just going off of the lyrics. It was entertaining, watching each teacher step up, and taking very close, or completely inaccurate, stabs at a band or artist’s work. The best part of this however, was about one- half of the competition. See, they didn’t throw together a playlist on Spotify, not at first anyway. They got an app on Mr. Carr’s phone that if you say the song at it, it’ll give you points and whatnot. The only problem with this plan is that the app was absolute garbage. First off, it had an overly long set up process, that only used voice recognition, and you would think you wouldn’t have to do this once, but no, you’d have to do it after every turn. Well that wouldn’t be so bad, if the voice recognition wasn’t absolute garbage, but of course, it was. It seemed to only recognize yelling and screeching, so after a few turns of Mr. Carr politely yelling at his phone, they just loaded up a Spotify playlist. Once the competition got going however, things went smoothly, and Mr. Mostov and Mrs. Patron were the last two standing. Mrs. Patron just barely guessed out the song after Mr. Mostov failed to guess. Now, the last question is, after all of this, what did the victorious teams win? Nothing. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned here however. Maybe we can take the ideals of comradery and fellowship and apply them to our own daily lives, and enjoy our competitions not for winning, but exclusively for fun.
From the Edison News and Media Club
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