Volume 15 Issue 4 June 2011 Viking Press The Student Newspaper of Voorhees Middle School

Roll Out the Red Carpet for VMS 2011 Retirees Mr. Ronkin, VMS Principal Mrs. Sandusky, 6th Grade Mrs. Scott, 6th Grade Mr. Smith, 7th grade Mr.Duke, 8th Grade Mrs. Hairrell, 8th grade Mr. Leickel, 8th Grade Mrs. Miller, ESL Mrs. Fekete, Speech Mr. Mottola, CST Mrs. Halliwell, Resource Assistant

Mr. Ronkin Rides on Mr. Mottola’s Makes a Move to Retirement to Retirement By Prajnika Chugh By Cameron Krause and Pranav Chugh Mr. Mottola, a Learning Disabilities Teacher Con- sultant, will be retiring this year after many years of work. This year we have to say goodbye to many He has been working in his profession for 38 years and for teachers. But the one good-bye that will hit us the 37 years in Voorhees Township. Before becoming a hardest is the departure of Mr. Ronkin, principal of teacher, some of his previous jobs were a stock boy at a VMS. What makes this even harder is that before his National Bible publishing company, and a grocery store seven years as principal, he was also a teacher for ten clerk, and an accountant in the United States Air Force. In years and a vice principal for seventeen. Over these his experiences as a teacher, he especially enjoys making a difference in the lives of students and their parents, and years he has helped many kids, and now his favorite being greeted with a smile at Shop-Rite, swim meets, base- moments in the school is when former students come ball fields, churches, and many other places! Among eve- and see him. With good reason too, because he’s rything that shines about VMS, Mr. Mottola will miss the taught social studies and was an assistant director of many former students, who took time from their schedules CER so he’s helped a lot of kids. But that doesn’t to visit him, the warm sense of togetherness with many mean that he’ll have nothing to do during retirement. teachers, and most importantly, watching a student grow He told us that he wants to ride his Harley into a beautiful human being. In his retirement, he will spend his time by being (motorcycle) more often and go to the beach with his available for his wife and five children, tutoring pupils on kids more. However, he’s not leaving us with noth- SATs, walking Sampson, his German shepherd four times ing. Mr. Ronkin left us a quote to remember forever. a day, joining an indoor swim facility to help his three her- “Viking Pride.” Mrs. Young will make a great prin- niated discs in his lower back, joining a humanitarian or- cipal, but we will all remember Mr. Ronkin as the ganization, and many more interesting activities. He would best principal ever. So on behalf of the whole school like to thank school personnel, Child Study Team mem- bers, Board members, parents, and most importantly, pu- we’ll say, have a great retirement. pils “who I have been privileged and honored to serve over the last 37 years in Voorhees Township,” he states. The experience Mr. Mottola says he will miss the most about teaching is sharing many stories that he has attained by through experience in education and life. Even though many students may not know who he is, Mr. Mottola will be a greatly missed part of our school system, and we wish him a happy and healthy retirement. Mr. Duke Ducks Out Mrs. Scott Sign Off By Prajnika Chugh By Wyatt Williams

Have you ever seen a par- As some of us may know Mrs. Scott, the ticularly enthusiastic eighth grade th math teacher wandering the halls? 6 grade white team language teacher is retir- Well, it was most likely Mr. Duke! Unfortunately, Mr. ing. After this year she will no longer be work- Duke will be retiring this year, but he has had a great ing here, and we will all miss her. th run as a math teacher, this being the 38 year as a VMS Mrs. Scott has worked in the education teacher, and his 39th year as a teacher. Besides teaching amazing eighth graders, Mr. Duke has coached differ- field for forty years. She has taught in Voorhees ent school teams, but outside of school he coached for all of those forty years. Education is the girls’ basketball with the team, the Tar Heels. He has only field of work she’s been in. When I asked enjoyed a lot of experiences that come with being a her what she enjoyed most she said she was teacher, but he especially enjoyed his students, most of the time. He especially likes that every ten months he happy to see smiling, eager faces that are happy gets a new batch of students, so he doesn’t get stuck in to learn. I asked her another question; it was a rut. Some of the things he’ll miss about being a what she will miss most. She answered the stu- teacher is the relationships with his students and fellow teachers, and especially when he sees the light go off in dents and teachers that have become a part of a student’s head while he’s teaching math, and they say her life. In her retirement she said she’s going to “I got it!” spend some time with family and friends, and During his retirement, he plans on working out, hopefully do some traveling. She said that she going to his health club, swimming, biking, and taking care of his son. One of his goals in his retirement is has had a very good time going to every major league baseball stadium and here, at VMS, and will miss it watching a game. very much! In conclusion, Mr. Duke will be missed from Many will miss her and the eighth grade hallway. His exuberant teaching style has made many kids laugh and learn in his class every we hope she has a good day. While we may want him to stay, he is moving on to bigger and better experiences, and he has surely retirement. left a legacy on our school.

Walk-a-Thon Raises Money For Diabetes By Jaymin Kang

Diabetes has affected many people in the world including the famous African American ten- nis player, Arthur Ashe. I was very interested in this event that I interviewed the person that brought this event to Voorhees Middle School—Mrs. Rossi. Mrs. Rossi started the Walk-A-Thon eight years ago to celebrate the National Physical Education Month. The school sold water bottles for one dollar to pay for research to cure diabetes. Mrs. Rossi told me that this Walk-A -Thon was originally for fitness but the fundraising part came later. She chose the Dia- betes Foundation because of several students who have Diabetes. Budget cuts may affect having the DJ at future walk-a-thons. This year, the walk-a-thon collected ap- proximately four hundred dollars that will be donated to the Diabetes Foundation. From Family members were invited to participate in the walk-a thon as well. It turned out to be a very successful event that is enjoyed by all students and staff members. Ariana Restaurant: An Afghan Delight Staying Focused in By Andrew Tabatabaei the Stifling Most of us in the Voorhees area think about Summer Weather Passariellos, Montenegro’s, or Coconut Bay when we By Prajnika Chugh think of places to eat out, but there is a new restau- Do you feel yourself becoming more and more tired of rant in town. I recently ate at an Afghan restaurant school and homework? Have you noticed yourself stop trying your very hardest in school? Well, then you can called Ariana which serves Afghan/Middle Eastern safely diagnose yourself with Spring Fever, or the feel- food. It is something different than the ordinary ing everyone gets in the last months before summer va- “pizza night.” I have been eating Middle Eastern cation. You may just want to sit on the couch and turn food since I was little, but someone who normally on the TV, even though your teachers expect you to write a five paragraph essay! Sometimes, it may seem as does not eat it would still think this was delicious! if there is no hope, and you will never get out of this The most common thing to order is kabobs with rice, funk. However, there is hope! Concentrating on school and a side of bread called barbari. This meal is so and trying your hardest may seem entirely impossible, delicious, especially when you wash it down with but there are some things you can do to stay on track. There are many different ways to concentrate their homemade iced tea and a nice bowl of Persian on school and still take advantage of the beautiful spring ice cream. Ariana is located in the Eagle Plaza shop- weather! A great idea is to record your study notes onto ping center; they also have a location in Philadelphia. your iPod or phone, then listen to them while you play outside or take a walk. This way, you can still study, but So, next time you can’t think of where to eat you can also get some fun into your schedule. on Saturday night, remember that Ariana is delicious and extremely close to home! http://allenglish.org/blog/?p=1113 for more ideas.

‘Pirates 4’ Sails into Theaters By Jeffrey Hernandez

In 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl roared into theaters. This film was an instant success. Little did Disney know that even, eight years later, thousands would flee to movie theaters to see a fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I did another article about this same film about a year ago when it was first announced (this happens to be my favorite movie series). I had said that many stars such as Orlando Bloom (Will Turner) and Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swan) would not be in this movie. Those are the only two main characters not in “On Stranger Tides”, as the fourth in the series is titled. Rest assured, Johnny Depp returns as Jack Sparrow. Geoffrey Rush also returns as the noto- rious Captain Barbossa. A few new characters also appear in this movie, including Ian McShane appears as Edward Teach (more commonly known as Captain Blackbeard), “Angelica”, a woman played by Penelope Cruz, Blackbeard’s daughter and Jack’s former love interest are all in this movie. Jack Sparrow, as in all of the movies, brings in his humor exquisite ways. In my opinion, he’s the funniest he has ever been. But he wraps it in a way to not make you lose focus of the plot. I don’t want to spoil anything, as I do strongly encourage seeing it in theaters, but the main plot is Jack’s journey to find the Fountain of Youth (which in realistic philosophy is rumored to be hidden somewhere in Spanish Florida). This journey makes this movie. As seen in the previews, a beautiful mythical mermaid is also entwined into this movie, however when you see the movie, keep in mind that looks can be deceiving… Lastly, I strongly encourage staying to the end…the very end, past the credits, which are about eight minutes or so for a special clip that will leave you smiling… So Long, Mrs. Sandusky! By Kayla Gagnon th Mrs. Sandusky, who is an in-class support teacher for the 6 grade white team, has been teaching in the school district for twenty-nine years, twenty-seven of which have been at VMS and the other two at Osage. Mrs. Sandusky has actually taught all five academic subjects, in all grades, on all the teams. Right now she is currently teaching in-class support with the 6th grade white team. I asked Mrs. Sandusky what her favorite memory at VMS was. She replied with a smile that going to camp with the sixth graders was her best experience, for she got to know her students better outside of school. Her plans for retirement are to travel more than when she was teaching. She also likes to read and relax. Mrs. Sandusky’s message for students is to always strive to do their best, to en- joy life, and to work hard. The interview definitely taught me a lot about Mrs. Sandusky, and it hopefully taught you a lot about her, too. VMS will most definitely miss its retiring teachers, and hopefully you can see these teachers soon outside of school. So long, Mrs. Sandusky!

The Final Copy: Mrs. Halliwell Clears the Machine By Ashwin Ramesh

Many people are sad at the fact that staff favorites like Mr. Ronkin and Mr. Duke are retiring. Some may not realize the fact that Mrs. Halliwell, the lady responsible for copying all of the work for teachers, and has been a devoted worker at VMS for 17 years, is now finally retiring. I received the lucky chance to meet her and interview her a couple days ago. She said she’s been in the school system for 17 ½ years, starting at ET Hamilton for six months. After college, she joined the retailing business. But her story doesn’t end there. After working in retail, she joined the Voorhees school district and started out as a copy room assistant. Then she arrived at VMS and has loved it here ever since. Her favorite thing about working here was working with special needs kids in the storage room. She also jokingly told me that she enjoyed working here… “most of the time”. She says the thing she will miss most are her friends, the teachers. Her plans after retirement aren’t too extravagant—she says she will most likely stay at home and possibly do volunteer work. However, her dreams for the future are to go to an exotic island such as Jamaica or the Bahamas and live by the ocean, nothing but her and a few good books. Wherever her future takes her, we wish her luck and hope that her post-retirement life is fun-filled and relaxing. Mrs. Hairrell Begins the Next Chapter By Kayla Gagnon

As you probably know, many teachers are retiring from VMS this year, but here is a teacher that you may not know about, but has an interesting background. Mrs. Hairrell is a Basic Skills teacher for eighth grade. She has been in the education field for twenty-five years, with twenty-three at VMS. But education wasn’t her only occupation. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Hairrell has worked in many different jobs. Besides teaching for twenty-nine years, she has been a hostess in Yellowstone National Park, been a governess to a child of the Spanish Royal Family in Spain, worked as an English proofreader on Kibbutz Degania Bet in Israel, and served as a kitchen helper in a Swiss Alps youth hostel of Switzerland. Mrs. Hairrell’s most enjoyable moments in teaching were when she could refer to a world map and tell my students about the fantastic, majestic, and remarkable world of diverse cultures, historical sites, and spectacular scenery. After she retires, she will mostly miss seeing the friendly and wonderful teachers, administrators, and support staff at VMS. She will spend her retirement by continuing to ball- room dance, as well as traveling throughout the regions of the USA, where she will visit her friends and family members, many living in California and Oregon. Something that she has always wanted to do during her retirement is use her motor home to visit and hike in each of America’s National Parks. Her final thought is that life is full of absolutely awesome people, adventures, and environ- ments of beautiful nature, which is available for all of us to experience every day of our lives. She feels very grateful to have taught in a great school, within this state, in this country. We have many, fantastic teachers at VMS, and though it is hard to say goodbye, we still have the good memories to live by.

Mrs. Miller Takes Time for Herself in Retirement By Andrew Tabatabaei This year we are saying good bye to a teacher that is under the radar. Ms. Miller, the ESL teacher, is retiring. She was asked a few questions about retiring and how leaving VMS will affect her. She has been in the education field for 29 years; she has taught at all levels ranging from preschoolers to adults. Ms. Miller has been educating people in Voorhees for 20 years, which have all been spent traveling from VMS to Signal Hill. She stated that she had not worked in any fields other than educa- tion because she has wanted to be a teacher since she was in sixth grade. Ms. Miller teaches English to students from other countries, so she loves to learn about their cultures and traditions. When asked what she will miss most about teaching, Ms. Miller responded that she will miss her students because they spend several periods a day with her for numerous years. She hopes to spend her retirement traveling to new places and meeting new people. Because of her windowless VMS room, Ms. Miller hopes to relax in a sunny spot, reading books. She hopes to learn new languages and take classes that will prepare her for her travels to foreign countries. Ms. Miller wishes everyone a happy summer, and we wish her a happy retirement.

Troop 48: Transports You to New Adventures By Pranav Chugh As a 7th grade student, I know how kids can get bored easily; there’s nothing on TV or nobody’s on Facebook to chat with, so you’re sitting on your couch with your head cupped in your hands. Well, I know a great way to crush the feelings of boredom and monotony, and that is the Boy Scout Troop 48 in Berlin, NJ. This troop is a very active one and can provide years of non-stop fun and is a great source of adventure and nature. Our troop goes on extremely exhilarating trips like white water rafting, battlefield sightings, and our annual week long summer trip in August, which this year will be in the Alleghany Mountains in Pennsylvania. We also go on day trips like to the Jack Frost Ski Resort, a visit to the Academy of Natural Sciences to start on a merit badge, and the hoagie sale, but we still find time to do charity work like feeding troops that are about to go to Afghanistan, building a bunny shelter, and helping at a MS 150 rest stop. Over the entire last year, our troop went on twelve camping trips and did over 1,000 hours of community service, which is about 42 days! If you want to learn more about this troop, go to their website at www.troop48berlin.org/index.php or go to one of the meetings that are held on every Wednesday from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. in the shed behind the Holy Communion Lu- theran Church (442 South Route 73 in Berlin, NJ, directly across from the Wawa gas station). Overall, when you are alone and bored to death, this is a great way to prevent that from happen- ing, so I hope I’ll see you there really soon.

A+ Advice By Alex Caruso “I’ll be back!” Truer words have NEVER been spoken. And… just like Terminator… I’M BACK! I have all new questions to end your school year with a BANG! But, like you will see in some of these ques- tions, not ALL students are excited about the end of the school year… and for the first time ever… I will be asking the questions and I will be GETTING the answers! Question: Why are teachers being so serious about PDA’s (Public Displays of Affection)? Answer: Well, most of the teachers are probably so stressed about PDA’s because they would rather you think of school as a place for showing your knowledge, not showing affection. They want you to be able to do well in school. If you are late for one of your classes and you say, “Oh I was late be- cause I was hugging my friend in the hallway.”, it won’t be an acceptable excuse. So even though some- times teachers can be a little extreme about PDA’s, it’s for a good reason. Question: Should I join the VMS football team? Answer: Ummmmm…… there is no VMS football team…… try again later…… My Question to anonymous 8th grader: How do you feel about leaving VMS? What do you want to do before the school year is over and you leave? Answer by anonymous 8th grader: I’m sad about leaving because I’m so used to coming here daily for 3 years and I will miss my teachers, but I will be happy to meet new people and have new experi- ences in a new school. Before the school year is over, I really hope to be able to fully experience all of the perks that eighth graders are given. For example, eighth grade picnic, Student Guide, and every- thing else that makes us different from the other students. I also really want to enjoy being the oldest in the school before I become the youngest in ninth grade. Good bye VMS! And that’s how we end A+ Advice! I just want to say thank you to all of you who enjoyed my articles and I want to wish you a happy summer! Chillin’ With Computer Games By Pranav Ramesh

Are you ever bored when you are done your work in school? Do you ever try to play a game, but find that everything is blocked and censored? Well, this is a list of games you can play that are not educational or corny, and not censored or blocked at school! ICY TOWER Of course, the classic game, Icy Tower, is one of the best you can play in school. It is downloaded on all computers in Lab C and D. In this game, you are a character named Harold. Of course, you can unlock better and cooler characters as you reach higher levels. You basically are in a tower and you have to get to the top by jumping on several platforms. They change as you go, such as ice being the first level and then wood. After that, you go to blocks and so on…It is extremely addicting and very hard to turn off when the bell rings.

BLOONS TOWER DEFENSE 3 This game is well known by some and to some not as much. The title of the website you can get it from is coolmath- games.com, which may sound nerdy and educational but it is definitely not educational. First, you start out small on a map where you can plant cannons, guns and some knives and much more. You pop different types of balloons in this game that are floating to reach the end of the map. Your objective is to stop them before they break your city. Finally, you get the super mon- key and everything starts getting harder. After that, it becomes very hard and very addicting!

This list should keep you occupied when your teacher says, “Guys do anything you want.” A Cool Treat in the Burning Heat! By Josh Chazin

Imagine this: you have just been playing a game of three-on-three basketball with your friends for an hour. Afterwards, you’re so hot and need something delicious and cold to eat; obviously, the first thought in your minds is ice cream! But, where can you go to get the best ice cream or frozen yogurt to quench your hun- ger? Here, I’m going to talk about the five best ice cream places in the area and why they are, indeed, the five best around. 5: Sundaes; Berlin, NJ. If you’re looking for a friendly place, very unique kinds of ice cream, and lots of sit down tables outside, this is the place to go. Right off of Route 73 and right next to Quiznos, you’ll find fla- vors such as “Mud Brownie Pie (brownies with chocolate ice cream and chocolate chips),” “The Green Monster (mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate chunks),” and “Mocha Madness (mocha ice cream with coffee- flavored chips). 4: Coldstone; Marlton, NJ. Located in the Promenade, this place is very similar to Sundaes, but if you thought Sundaes had a lot, then you need ice cream lessons. Coldstone has four different sizes with over 30 types of ice cream, they have milkshakes and cakes, and get this: they take your toppings and blend it in with the ice cream. This way, you can enjoy the great taste of your ice cream all over! 3: Kiwi; Cherry Hill, NJ. Again, if you thought Coldstone was great, this only gets better! This place in West Cherry Hill is a serve-yourself-as-much-as-you-want-with-frozen-yogurt-and-toppings type of place; you pay by the ounce, and you end up with a cup of great flavors and toppings. And, for all of you moms who doubt this right now? This is healthy. Yes, if you come here, the frozen yogurt is VERY filled with calcium and vita- mins. Moms, you may want to come here now. 2: Friendly’s; Voorhees, NJ. Although this is not a total ice-cream parlor, the whole ice cream menu that they have is amazing and very unbelievable. The kids’ ice cream includes Monster Mash Sundae (mint chocolate with peanut butter cups and hot fudge with whipped cream), Double Shot (two choice ice creams on a cone) and Candy Shop (vanilla with two toppings and whipped cream). Plus, there’s endless flavors on the adult menu with different types of smoothies, shakes, and toppings. If you don’t eventually go here, you have a crazy mind. 1: Spoon Me; Voorhees, NJ. And number one is….Spoon Me! This is a neighbor to Friendly’s, yet this beats it out by a little. This is Kiwi style place, with a serve-yourself-frozen-yogurt-and-toppings sort of thing, but this is better than Kiwi; plus, it’s closer to here. There are flavors like White Chocolate Mousse, Cookies and Cream, and Coffee Crave, and there are more toppings like mint chips and peanut butter cups. It’s healthy, and its 49 cents an ounce (that’s pretty cheap!), and this is a must-visit; it’s my top recommendation! Now, let’s flash back to that basketball story; where are you going to go? Now, with this list, you know all the great places to go for ice cream and frozen The Spelling Bee: A Seventh Grade Tradition By Andrew Tabatabaei and Pranav Chugh

An epic battle of 36-40 students putting it all on the line; this is the 20th anniversary of the 7th grade spelling bee. We recently spoke with the man behind it all ………………. Mr. Dietzmann! We asked him why the spelling bee is only a 7th grade event. He politely answered that it started as an end-of-the-year activity for the second year students at VMS. He said that 6th grade has the camp trip and 8th grade has a picnic, so 7th grade needed something. Also, we was asked who came up with the idea of a Spelling Bee at VMS and he re- plied by saying that he is the originator of the VMS Spelling Bee. He told us that the prize was a $100-$200 bank card for the winner. Also, the runner up will receive a $50-$100 bank card. Finally, the third place prize is a $50 savings bond. The Spelling Bee is June 10th, which is the day the winner will be crowned victorious.

Great Vacation Spots: cation. The New Jersey Shore Atlantic City follows and this place is a By Alex Murphy place where gamblers can be in paradise. There are many hotels there with miles of slots to gam- Summer vacation spots: we all have our ble on. Atlantic City also has the world’s longest favorites. From Florida, to the Outer Banks, to boardwalk. Talk about getting a good work out in. Jamaica, there is always one spot that people Cape May is a small city on the southern penin- flock to over the summer. Of course, there is sula of New Jersey. It is a beautiful place to go one place that I’m leaving out, the wonderful New to for the day. They have a small, but nice zoo, Jersey Shore. This strip of land along the New world-famous beaches with the “Cape May dia- Jersey coastline boasts some of the most beauti- monds”. I would definitely recommend going here ful beaches in the country. Millions of people when you go down to the shore. Avalon is another flock to these spots every year to enjoy what island on the coastline of New Jersey. It is small, New Jersey has to offer. The South Jersey but packed with a lot of fun. They have a board- beaches are the best. The cities in this area have walk with an arcade on it. If you go for the 4th of much to offer. There is exquisite cuisine, fine July, they have an amazing fireworks display. An- shopping, great nightlife, and fun for the whole other great place to visit while you’re down at family. Let’s take a more in-depth look into the the shore. The last place to visit at the Jersey legend of the Jersey Shore. Shore is Wildwood and let me tell you, this place There are so many cities to explore in the is awesome. They have such a long boardwalk, Jersey Shore. Some of these cities are: Sea Isle that you could take a people mover that will drive City, Ocean City, Atlantic City, Avalon, Cape May, you down to the other end of the boardwalk. The and Wildwood. Sea Isle City is a small city on the beach is long, and it takes a far walk to get to Atlantic coast that has a quiet, yet relaxing the ocean from the boardwalk. They have an beach. The boardwalk has several shops and sev- amusement park, Morey’s Piers has three sepa- eral arcades. They have built an addition to rate sections throughout the boardwalk. Gillian’s Wonderland Pier there. It is called So, there you have it. My review on one of Funland, and it offers a few rides, specifically the greatest places to spend your summer at. geared towards the young kids. Next is Ocean Now, it’s your decision. “Where will the beach City, America’s Favorite Family Vacation Spot. take you?” This island is one of the best places to have a good time. The boardwalk there is so much fun. There are many stores, places to eat, and places to have fun. It stretches along several miles of land. It is one of the greatest places to go on va-