The Tusker Tribune The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

Issue Number 3 http://somersschools.org/domain/995 Fall 2018 Making the Jump from 5th to 6th Grade

By Natalia Tellez wishes to them. I have already Tusker Tribune Staff done a friend's locker and it Adjusting to Middle made that friend’s birthday School is something a lot of sweeter in multiple ways. former 5th graders worry I love having a variation about. It is a big change of teachers because your school from desks to lockers, and day is filled with different per- from one classroom to 8 or sonalities. All of mine have a more. little of all the needed character Also, the worry of not traits to be a teacher but some being with your friends in more than others. For instance, any classes and lunch is big. I have a very funny teacher, an Then, there is also the issue extra kind and understanding of waking up early or stay- one, and two who I know I will ing after school if you do ex- learn a lot with. In my lunch I tracurricular activities or have multiple friends and it was clubs. Luckily there are the good to know I could switch if I fun advantages which in- really didn’t like my lunch peri- clude decorating your locker od. When I have to wake up ear- and your friends locker ly for chorus, I leave enough when it’s their birthday. time to be ready, so I can get Overall, it’s a big change. there on time. I am a little sleepy so far but I’m I personally do chorus and I plan on join- sure I will get used to it. ing a few clubs that interest me. So far everything Middle School is a place where students has been good. The teachers and school staff are get a lot of more freedom then they used to. I love very understanding so adjusting hasn’t been so having lots of choice and being trusted with all hard. Some of the advantages of Middle School the tasks in 6th grade including the responsibility are being able to decorate your locker with a mir- of having a tablet and charging it at home. I’m ror, photos, and even wallpaper to personalize it sure that everyone will get used to the way things and make it your own. Moreover, on your friend's work and all the tips. I feel that my time in mid- birthday, you can stay after school and cover their dle school will be a great experience. locker with paper, candy, and write birthday Modified Cross Country Hits the Trails

By Matthew Hirsch The Somers Cross Coun- Tusker Tribune Staff try team went to North Salem The Somers Middle for a scrimmage, but the Som- School Modified Cross ers Team would have gotten Country team had its first first place if they went for a re- meet on this past Wednesday. The al meet. The Cross-Country Cross-Country Team A Meet is team still has four more meets when a lot of schools meet at a high this year, all of which are going school or middle school in the area. to be real meets. This meet was at the North The next meet is tomor- Salem High School and Middle row in Briarcliff. The following School combined campus. At the meets, runners meets are on October 11 in White Plains, October race through a course that involves trails, hills, 16 in Rye, and October 25 in Somers. Coach Kel- sticks, rocks, and downhills. The courses are 1 and ton (The Somers Modified Cross Country Team a half miles long. coach) expects good things to happen at those meets. The Tusker Tribune Page 2 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

Northern White Rhinos Are Extinct!

By Christian Brooks and elephant tusks. It’s too late for Tusker Tribune Staff the Northern White Rhinos, but This is the end of the maybe other species can be saved, in Northern White Rhinos. The which they need YOUR help. Save last male, Sudan, died in the Rhinos and Elephants and don’t March because of health reasons in- let something awful like this happen cluding infections, and old age. There again. are no other males to breed with. Editor’s Note: If you’re inter- There are a couple of females ested in donating to an in-vitro ferti- left, but past reproduction age, way past repro- lization program for the White Rhino, there’s a Go duction age. This is the 2nd species of rhino to go Fund Me Account called Make a Rhino: https:// extinct, but rhinos might all go extinct thanks to www.gofundme.com/makearhino human poaching for ivory, the material of rhino

Hurricane! Hurricane!

By Jesse Manginelli Largest losses will be for Tusker Tribune Staff farmers who grow crops South Carolina such as corn, soybeans, might get record- and tobacco. The value of breaking floods be- destroyed row crops is cause of Hurricane nearly at $990 million. Florence! 8,000 people were Florence came ready to evacuate on the 24th of ashore just the fall har- September because of ten-foot vest was starting and floods. stayed several days. In Now, about a week later, addition to the crop loss large mosquitoes are swarming the state estimates near- North Carolina. Experts say ly $70 million loss in that this might be the second commercial forests. Offi- rainiest storm in 70 years. cials say residents should Sadly, because of the avoid Florence affected storm there are 48 recorded water. Even after two deaths and 200 recorded deaths of animals. weeks the floods are still growing. The massive Farmers in the North Carolina are taking a big storm water runoff has resulted in elevated levels hit after. of harmful bacteria. Hopefully North Carolina Agriculture losses from Hurricane Flor- will get cleaned up quick and the farmers will get ence will top $1.1 billion just in North Carolina. back on their feet. Don’t Support Landfills!

By Jack Tremblay pounds is things that could have Tusker Tribune Staff been composted like food, paper, Trash. It’s everywhere! lawn clippings, and more. 12.8% But do you know what might was plastic and 4.5% was glass. happen to the plastic bag from Both things can be recycled and the grocery store you just threw turned into new things instead of out? Like how it might end up in a being thrown away and forgotten landfill, or in the ocean being eaten by about. a poor marine species? Well, read on With recycling these items, and find out. we would have more recourses and According to an article, in 2013, a much cleaner planet. Find the full America produced about 254 million pounds of article here: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/ trash in a year! That’s about 4.40 pounds of trash nonhaz/municipal/web/html/ per day for ONE person! A lot of that 254 million Continued on Page 3 The Tusker Tribune Page 3 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School Fortnite Season 6 Lives Up to Hype

By Arjun Ojha finally in Fatal Fields, the corn in the cornfields Tusker Tribune Staff are now much taller which makes it fun because if On September 27 of 2018, Fort- you’re fighting near there, you can go into them nite Battle Royale season 6 launched at 4 and they may not be able to see you. am Eastern Now onto Time and 1 the Version 6.0 up- am Pacific Daylight date patch notes. Time. A lot of play- They vaulted a lot ers woke up to see of items. They the Season 6 Battle vaulted Impulse Pass. In the Battle Grenades, Sup- Pass, there are 7 pressed Subma- skins, 4 dances, 2 chine Gun, the new toys, and music Light Machine Gun, discs including the Bouncers and Re- O.G Music. mote Explosives Now on to the (C4). The good part map changes for is that they are all Season 6. The most still in Playground obvious one is that Mode. They reduced the middle of Loot Lake is now a floating island. the amount of damage that the Double Barrel On the mountain in front of Haunted Hills, there Shotgun does from 143/150 to 114/120. They also is a mansion with 6 or 7 chest spawns at most. In reduced how many grapples the Grappler holds Wailing Woods, there are lodges and in the middle from 15 to 10 and reduced the floor loot drop of Wailing Woods, the main part has a bottom and chance for the Dual Pistols from 1.49% to 0.88%. is a Rift Laboratory. The anti-gravity fields now Also, PlayStation or Sony announced Cross Plat- give invisibility stones, up to 3 chests spawns and form play.

The Tusker Tribune Staff Landfills From Page 2 Natalia Tellez Matthew Hirsch And if you think trash would just go to a landfill, you’re wrong. Most trash ends Jack Tremblay up in the ocean. Which can make for dis- Jesse Manginelli gusting beaches and wreak havoc on ocean Christian Brooks ecosystems. Arjun Ojha And if an animal mistakes a plastic Kaeleigh Picco bottle or whatever might be floating Matthew Tavares around for food and eats it, this can harm Allison O’Connor the animal greatly, Noah Volkman or even kill them. Alexander Susca Over 1 billion Michael Abrams pounds of trash is Will Underkoffler being dumped into Michael Aiello the ocean every year. Another rea- son we should try to cut down on the trash is because if it’s not in a landfill or the The Tusker Tribune is the online Somers Middle School Stu- ocean, it’s being burned. Burning trash is dent Newspaper. It is published one of the worst things we can do to our weekly (except during school vacations) on the Somers Mid- planet. It can cause global warming and dle School Website. It is entirely student-written by 6th, poison the air while also destroying the 7th and 8th grade students from: ozone layer, allowing for harmful solar ra- Somers Middle School diation to reach earth. 250 Route 202 For these reasons I believe that civi- Somers, NY, USA. lization needs to stop its current ways be- Any SMS student is eligible to write stories. If interested, fore we poison and make Earth uninhabit- please e-mail Advisor Dean able. Pappas at [email protected] The Tusker Tribune Page 4 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School Should We Do Mindfulness in School?

By Alexander Susca I think it just takes time out of class and Tusker Tribune Staff wastes some people’s time. I’m not saying every- Mindfulness. We’ve been hearing a one should downright stop doing it completely. lot about that lately. Good for the people who are helped by it. I just Teachers make think we should do it in our us do it to calm ourselves be- own free time. At lunch, re- fore class. In my opinion, I am cess, home. Or even quietly to not a big fan of it. yourself during a test. Studies have shown There are reasons that that it helps people who are mindfulness is a good thing. It having a tough time at school reduces stress, depression, or at home; good for them. It anxiety, and other things that just doesn’t help me. can affect your life. Mindful- Last year I was in a ness is a good thing to do, just, class where the teacher not a thing to do in school. I LOVED mindfulness. We did it think that, because last year, I every single morning and may- went three days without learn- be during the middle of class. I ing any ELA . All we talked also have a teacher this year about was mindfulness. All I’m who does mindfulness at the beginning of every saying is, we shouldn’t do mindfulness in school, class. but you can still do it in your free time.

So Long, David Wright! Tusker Two Hand By Allison O’Connor Tusker Tribune Staff Tusker 2 Hand is the after school football club. The football club is fun for boys and girls who want to play football without the risk of the high impact. The advisor is Mr.Paulmeno. The club is safe, but fun. The same rules in regular football apply for two- hand touch football except for the tackling part. So, if you don’t want to play tackle football. this is the club for you. The club meets every Thursday after school between 3 and 4 p.m. on the field between SMS and SIS. By Matt Tavares Tusker Tribune Staff You will be remem- bered, Captain. On September 29th, the captain from the New York Mets played his last game. David Wright the Mets legend played his last game in Major League Baseball. He went 0-1 with a walk and got taken out of the game in the 5th inning. He got the full Citi Field stand- ing ovation, including his teammates lining up outside the dugout to thank him. It was a very emotional game for him and his good friend, Jose Reyes. You will always be remembered, Cap- tain.

RE5PECT The Tusker Tribune Page 5 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School A New Student’s Guide to SMS

By Kaeleigh Picco how to sign up. Tusker Tribune Staff Express Have you ever wondered Yourself! Do you what it is like to walk down a hall love music and the of complete strangers? To go to arts? Sign up for class with people you’re meeting for the Band, Orchestra, first time? To leave behind old friends, Chorus, Jazz Band, teachers, and traditions you’ve known Bell Choir, Fife and since you were young? Drum, Being a new student at and Somers Middle School - or any even Drama Club. Express- middle school for that matter – ing yourself through music, can be tough. If you are a new dance, and performing is a student to Somers Middle School, great way to make new just know you are not alone. I am friends and do something here to give you some tips on how you are passionate about. to have an easier, more efficient Play Sports! Between transition to a new school. the town of Somers and the Get Involved! Immersing school, there are so many yourself in the pastimes SMS has sports to choose from year to offer is a great way to find round! For the fall, the great people who share your in- school offers Field hockey, terests. Volleyball, Cross Country, There are plenty of clubs and Track. The town of Somers also has a football and extra-curricular ac- and soccer team. Staying active and playing a tivities the school has to sport you love is, again, a great way to meet new offer, such as No Place people, and actually help relieve stress from For Hate, The Yearbook school. Club, The Art Club, The According to the American Phycological As- Academic Triathlon, and sociation, 53% of a group of surveyed teens said of course, The Tusker they felt good about themselves after exercising, Tribune! 40% said they were in a good mood after exercis- If you are interest- ing, and 32% said they were less stressed from ex- ed in joining a club, the ercising. Somers Middle School I hope this list was helpful! And if you are a website provides a list of new student to Somers Middle School, don’t worry. the rest of the many clubs As long as you try your best, work hard, and reach they have to offer, and out, you’re going to have an amazing year!

Our Tablets Need Personalized Backgrounds!

By Will Underkoffler Tusker Tribune Staff I was looking at a friend's tablet the other day and I saw that they had a blank black screen and I asked if they wanted me to put on a background (they are in sixth grade). Long story short, I couldn’t because supposedly, the school had taken out the feature to put a personalized background that reflects people’s characters and hobbies. I was thinking how unfair it was to take out backgrounds, and though I un- derstood where it was probably coming from (people putting inappropriate memes as their background), I still thought it was unfair to take it away from the rest of us be- cause of a couple of non-thinking people. Now I’m not saying that it’s bad to but memes as your background, just make sure they wouldn’t be deemed “inappropriate” and to the administration . . . please give us back backgrounds! Page 6 ‘King James’ Making a Home in LA

By Michael Abrams Tusker Tribune Staff

King James to L.A. The biggest move this offseason was without a doubt Lebron James to the Los Angeles Lakers. He signed a 4-year $153.3 million contract in free agency.

Achievements Lebron James is an AMAZING player. Out of his 14 years in the NBA he was in the all-star game 13 times. He averages 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 7.4 re- bounds. He is a member of the gold medal winning 2008 and 2012 USA team. He is a 4-time NBA champion.

The Future There are lots of optimistic thoughts for the young team. The King will bring power, talent, passion, a great leader, and(hopefully) the NBA championship.

Shrimp-o-rama!

By Michael Aiello tank, but, rather Tusker Tribune Staff than fish, they Imagine a club that exist on- will add SHRIMP ly during lunch, and that is to the tank. (No about..... SHRIMP! Would you at- wonder it’s why it tend? is called SHRIMP Personally, I would. club)! But Michael, why is there a club about The club SHRIMP and what does the SHRIMP club do? also goes the ex- Well, congrats because, you have found tra mile and will the right article that will explain the MAIN do something QUESTION: What is the SHRIMP club? called Aquapon- What they are doing is building a fish ics. Aquaponics is when you build a tank (that includes a pump connected to a long tube)that connects to a line of plants that will eat the waste of the SHRIMP (More on that later). Then, after the line of plants, the wa- ter goes into a filter, then back into the tank to repeat the cycle. When the SHRIMP cre- ates the waste, the pump takes the water into the tube which feeds the plants. The club designs the Aquaponics and will get SHRIMP to add into this. If you would like to join the SHRIMP club, just head down to the library and ask the advisor to join. The advisor is Mr. Behling. Feel free to come on down and build a home for the SHRIMP! The Tusker Tribune Page 7 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

Music Report Songs. Music Report: Week of September How to Write 28, 2018 YSIV A Hit (Young Sinatra 4) By Noah Volkman – Logic. By Sam Sanz Tusker Tribune Staff Over three Tusker Trib- mixtapes, Logic’s une Staff Tha Carter V (Tha alter ego, Young Whether Carter 5) – Lil Wayne. Sinatra, allowed the if you like Rap, Lil Wayne has pioneered Maryland MC to indulge in his Country, Pop etc. You present day rap. Maybe more than deepest boom-bap fantasies, em- could write a catchy song. any other rapper in history, Lil bracing the lyrical grace and raw Anyone can. Wayne’s output is defined by fran- beats of rap’s vaunted late’80s/ So, let's start with chises. An artist should be so lucky early-‘90s golden era. YSIV, his an important one. Lyrics. to sustain the kind of longevity fourth under the Young Sinatra Some rhymes would help, that would allow for multi-volume moniker, continues the theme, but not all songs rhyme. phases the likes of Wayne’s Dedi- flowing over Incredible Bongo Also, close rhymes cation, and Da Drought mixtapes, Band breaks on “100 Miles and like “work” and “chirp” let alone the series that made him Running” and giving Nas and AZ’s can work. Next you need into a superstar, Tha Carter. “Life’s a B****” chorus new life on words. The most popular Though Wayne was not “YSIV”. “ICONIC” and “The Re- words in songs are below. without projects in between, some turn” find Logic hungrily attacking seven years could pass between the tracks, showing off his rapid- feel, love, take, time, nev- the release of the fire control. Old-school heads will er, life, die, eye, back, day, fourth and fifth salute him for assembling entire world, heart, man, night, installments of Wu-Tang Clan (Jackpot Scotty girl, mind, away, live, the lattermost. Wotty fills in for the late ODB) on dream, again Fortunately, “Wu Tang Forever.” Wayne has re- And, this being a Logic pro- Next up is a catchy warded his fans’ ject, there’s lots of philosophizing, beat to follow by. If you patience with 23 too, especially about self-identity, are interested in beat- tracks that speak dreams, and gratefulness (“One making, then go to this to several his Day,” “The Glorious Five,” “Thank link: https:// most storied eras. “Mixtape You,” and “Legacy”). At various www.youtube.com/watch? Weezy” as Jay-Z famously coined, times during YSIV, Logic swears v=lfA5m4WWyL0 to see is alive and well on songs like the this is his last Young Sinatra al- how Tank God made rock- Swizz Beatz-produced “Uproar”, bum. It’d be easier to believe if he star by Post Malone. A lot Wayne blacking out over a reinter- wasn’t having so much fun. of experts say a combo of pretation of G-Dep’s 2001 hit Genre: Rap 3 instruments are good for “Special Delivery”. a song besides rap. The nostalgia doesn’t stop Taki Taki – DJ Snake On an average (or peak) there, as Wayne and featuring Selena Gomez, Ozu- song it takes about two Snoop Dogg share space over a flip na & Cardi B weeks to make music, of Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” on “Dope DJ Snake, writing, singing and all. If N*****,” while Mannie Fresh re- native of Paris, you include the music vid- visits the Cash Money golden-era France, has worked eo process. It’s about a bounce of Juveline’s “Ghetto Chil- with some of the big- month in total. dren” for “Start This S*** Off gest names in the Right.” There are nods to experi- music industry; Jus- See you in the next mental Wayne of the I Am Not a tin Bieber, Lil Jon, one! Human Being projects (“Don’t Marshmello, Migos, Cry,” “Mess”) and the rapper’s un- Travis Scott, DJ Snake, and more. der-heralded pop wizardry But now he can add Selena Gomez, (“Famous,” which features his Ozuna and Cardi B. DJ Snake has daughter Reginae as hook singer), mixed three genres of music (pop, and even a love song built on a latino and hip-hop) and has made gospel sample, “Dope New Gospel.” a great song. It was made for the In all, Tha Carter V is an album radio, made for the road trip, made Nerd’s for anyone who’s missed Wayne— for those who enjoy music and Words no matter which Wayne they’d combining cultures. missed. Genre: Hip-Hop Genre: Pop