The Tusker Tribune The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

Issue Number 23 http://somersschools.org/domain/995 Winter 2019 8th Graders All Set for Social Action!

By Kaeleigh Picco Tusker Tribune Staff Universal Declaration of 8th Grade English students have had an exciting and eventful year so far— from Human Rights writing novels in November, to participat- Article 1: You have the same human rights as everyone else ing in the Scholastic Writing Awards in March, to in the world, because you are a human being. These rights now starting a unit surrounding social action. cannot be taken away from you. Everybody, no matter who In the beginning of the module, students they are or where they live, should be treated with dignity. were each assigned an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR for short) to Article 2: You should not be treated differently, nor have your artistically inter- rights taken away, because of your race, color, sex, language, pret. Some of the religion or political opinions. Your basic rights should be re- works are shown spected no matter what country you are born in or how rich or at left along with poor you are. the first five arti- cles of the docu- Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of ment. person. After ex- amining and Article 4:Human beings must not be owned, bought or studying the sold. No one has the right to enslave anyone else. Slavery is a UDHR, 8th Grad- crime. ers spent a week, known as “Spark Article 5: Torture is forbidden at all times and in all circum- Week”, researching and learning about different stances. No one should suffer treatment or punishment that is human rights that are being abused today world cruel or makes him or her feel less than human. wide. Now, the students are in groups based on which issue compels them most, and have begin to research that issue in depth. Come April 11th, they will present their research on the issue and organ- izations that help solve this issue through power points, verbal presentations, and videos during the Social Action expo at the middle school library.

How Powerful are Drawstring ? By Michael Aiello which to be honest was an unnecessary move. So, Tusker Tribune Staff the real question is, how powerful are drawstring Drawstring bags are commonly used bags? They can be useful for Storage, light weight, for field trips, small traveling, and even and durable + cheap. Drawstring bags should be more. Do you have trouble carrying all your unbanned and be used by anyone who needs them. books from 1 class to another? Believe me, I had Let’s go over the first topic. Storage. Sure, the same trouble. There is a simple solution. lockers are useful storage wise but, lockers are not Drawstring bags. portable. I have so many books on the second half They carry majority of your books, and any of school. 2 binders, 1 laptop, planner, folder, and other supplies you need for class. Apparently, any other books from previous classes. Somers Middle School has banned drawstring bags Continued on Page 2 The Tusker Tribune Page 2 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

find a large selection of drawstring Drawstring bags. These bags are common so From Page 1 get your hands on one today! Drawstring bags are also durable. It is too much to hold and I Typical bags like polythene and don’t want my laptop to break. That is why, I recommend a draw- bags usually become useless string . They have a spacious after the first use. Their quality is compartment which can be used to decaying quickly and are just store all your books and supplies. I thrown out almost every day. find that to be useful. It is efficient Luckily, drawstring bags are made to keep majority of your books in a from plastic so you can recycle bag so, you can walk freely and not them if they are too annoying. You Co-Editors be stressed if a book might fall. can also put your creative side to Noah Volkman the test by designing your draw- Joseph Melillo Some drawstring bags have clear ! You can paint it and plastic so you can always check if possible put it up for display. You you misplaced something or if you can also buy drawstring bags in Feature Editor forgot a book. bulky form and yes, they are Samuel Sanz Do you know how strong cheap. Going back to , we these bags are? Strong enough to can re-use the drawstring bags. We Sports Editor hold some shampoo , books, can stop killing trees to make ex- Jesse Manginelli calculators, tablets, laptops, etc. Drawstring bags are known pensive useless paper bags. throughout the world for their Drawstring bags are my fa- Photography Editor strength and abilities. vorite type of bags. Sure, they don’t Allison O’Connor My second topic is how light have many compartments like a drawstring bags are. This makes regular bag but, let me ask you Copy Editors these bags worth a-lot compared to this. When you use a typical bag William Underkoffler other bags. In the old days, we had and got a leak, did your bag soak it Michael Aiello to store our books inside , all up and then the bag gets wet or, repel the liquid and keep it from Reporters cubbies, lockers, and the terrible leaking even more? I bet you that list goes on. We should be able to the first answer is the correct one. Kaeleigh Picco have a portable Drawstring bags repel Noah Volkman solution. Luckily, liquids and prevent it Michael Aiello we have draw- from leaking or soak- Deanna DeCamp string bags. The ing up your clothing. Allison O’Connor bags are insanely Let’s say you went to Arjun Ojha light and have multi purposes. a water park and need Your books are a bag that won’t get secured with dou- soaked but be able to ble cotton strings store the bathing suit. which tie up the What would you lip. The only way choose? I would to un-tighten the choose a drawstring The Tusker Tribune is the bag because once online Somers Middle bag is to dig your again, the bag is de- hands inside the signed to keep the liq- School Student Newspaper. lip and push out- uid inside the bag. It is published weekly wards. These The bag is useful for stor- (except during school vaca- bags are designed to be comforta- age. People who like to be orga- tions) on the Somers Middle ble too. They are light in weight nized, I think you would love this School Website. It is entire- which lowers the pressure on your bag. Sort all your belongings into a ly student-written by 6th, shoulder. People might say that 7th and 8th grade students “drawstring bags are weak and perfect way so you can go on your useless” it turns out they are merry way. Drawstring bags are from: wrong. These bags can prevent a also light and relieves pressure Somers Middle School shampoo from spilling, light from your shoulders so you can for- 250 Route 202 and comfortable to ease the pres- get that you even had a bag on Somers, NY, USA. sure on your shoulder, and strong your shoulders. Finally, drawstring Any SMS student is eligible enough to carry all your day-to-day bags are cheap, durable, and reus- to write stories. If interest- needs. able. We can stop wasting supplies ed, please e-mail My third topic is how cheap and stick to strong bags. Take my Advisor Dean Pappas at advice. Unban drawstring bags DPappas and durable. You can find these and make it available to people bags that are at cheap prices and who need them. @somersschools.org The Tusker Tribune Page 3 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School

By Kaeleigh Picco Tusker Tribune Staff Have you ever wondered what happened today ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Thirty? In This Week in History I will tell you about the events that happened that particular week that could have impacted our everyday lives or are just really interesting to learn about.

March 1st, 1961 President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, where young Americans volunteered to go to developing countries to help assist with education, health care, and basic human rights.

March 3rd, 1847 Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born on this date in Edinburg, Scotland. The creation was patented in 1876 and cost $100,000. Bell had never suspected that his idea would morph into a device that about 5 billion people own today.

March 4th, 1933 Recently elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his inaugural speech on this date. Tasked with the job of saving America from the Great De- pression, Roosevelt states in his address, “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…”.

March 5th, 1770 This date commemorates the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, an event that sparked the American colonists into rebelling against English control. A group of citizens had been harassing several British soldiers, who then opened fire on them. Five were killed and six were injured. This infuriated people across the colony, and the British began to be depicted as the “bad guys”. How TikTok Helps Artists Get No. 1 Hits

By Noah Volkman in today’s cultural landscape. Lorenz Tusker Tribune Staff said, “so much of the virality of TikTok In the past year, we’ve content has to do with the audio. And so seen several tracks rise to the it makes sense that people would use it top of the charts, in part as an audio discovery platform.” And thanks to the lip-syncing so- she’s right. cial video app TikTok. In August “Mia Khalifa” started blowing up 2018 TikTok acquired Musical.ly, a online after TikTokers kept sharing vide- platform which was pretty much os of themselves playing the track under identical, but just a month later, Tik- the #hitormisschallenge. The hashtag Tok already had more monthly down- has over 80 million views on TikTok, and loads than Facebook, Instagram and the song even found itself bouncing on Snapchat. And all those downloads and off the Spotify U.S. Top 50 chart. did a lot to sway the tide of what songs blew up. “Everything we do has a reason, it’s just YouTube duo iLOVEFRiDAY’s diss track “Mia like people be like “ah, you dissing for clout,” but Khalifa,” hit the charts thanks to TikTok. everything has a reason, everything is orchestrat- In an interview with Taylor Lorenz, a staff ed,” said SmokeHijabi of iLOVEFRiDAY. Besides writer at The Atlantic who writes about how so- “Mia Khalifa,” a number of other songs started cial media platforms affect society and culture. popping off thanks to viral challenges, too. According to Lorenz, TikTok’s enormous scale has made it easier for the app to become such a force Continued on Page 4 The Tusker Tribune Page 4 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School Top Takes Hibachi to New Heights

By Deanna DeCamp want to hang out one-night, Tusker Tribune Staff Top is also a great place to Have you ever been to a Hiba- go. Even if you don’t like Hi- chi restaurant? If you have and you bachi, I recommend trying didn’t like it, then you most definite- Top. ly haven’t been to Top. Top is the best Hiba- Top Hibachi also isn’t just chi restaurant in Westchester. It also has su- about the food. It’s also shi if you prefer that better than Hibachi, but about the hibachi entertain- if you ask me, Hibachi is a lot better. ment they have. Sometimes you Top doesn’t just give you the food you or- can try to catch zucchini in your dered. Your meal also comes with fried/Mexican mouth, or you can try to get water rice, noodle, vegetables, and shrimp. They also give squirted into your mouth. A couple of years ago, you soup and salad before they even start cooking they even gave my brother a balloon animal and a your meal on the Hibachi grill. They give you so balloon sword, and for my friends and I, balloon- much food, that you often have to made crowns. Top is fun and delicious at the same take most of your meal home to eat time. across the next few days. Top is a great place for everyone. Even if Their food is so delicious for you don’t like Hibachi, I definitely recommend try- everyone. Even though I don’t like ing Top. Especially for its entertainment and deli- sushi myself, I know that many cious food that I have never heard bad things people love their sushi as well. It is about. Furthermore, if you haven’t been to Top, also a bar and lounge, so if adults you should try Top today.

TikTok similar after her own track, “Sweet But Psycho” From Page 3 got a bump on the charts a Snapchat filter and a TikTok challenge. In an interview, Max said, “I Chicago rapper CalBoy has been rapping like to make my songs theatrical always so it’s for a minute but hit it big after his track “Envy kind of over exaggerated but in a way I’m really Me” blew up towards the end of 2018. It has sky- reclaiming the word psycho.” The track dropped rocketed since September of that year thanks to in August 2018, but by October, “Sweet But the #NayahXTweaking chal- Pyscho” had experienced a jump lenge that started on Dub- in listens after it was used in a smash. In an interview with Snapchat filter. On TikTok, Nayah Rice, who started the #sweetbutpsycho hashtag has challenge on social media, she over 50 million views, with fans said that “when I heard it, I continuing to upload new clips was like, “oh I can dance, I daily. can snap to that.” And then But in terms of who gets like, I just basically went off paid from TikTok that’s where after that. I just made moves things get complicated. Many comprehending to the sound.” artists have yet to see any money Pretty soon the dance from their viral success. Despite migrated off Dubsmash, while people posting iLOVEFRiDAY’s original popu- themselves dancing to it on TikTok with hashtags larity on YouTube with “Mia Khalifa,” they’ve re- like #EnvyMe. “It was a cold beat. I didn’t even portedly worked out a deal with TikTok that lets know what to say on the beat because it was so the service use their song for free, in exchange for cold,” Calboy said. At the end of 2018, “Envy Me” promotion of their upcoming projects. Xeno Carr, entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #91, peak- one half of the duo, told Pitchfork, “At the end of ing at #41. And the more lip-syncing videos people the day, the relationship with TikTok is more im- post of a track, the further we can expect a song portant than asking them to pay me for a record. to get on the charts. Lorenz said, “TikTok is a re- It’s giving us exposure, and that’s what we need ally effective distribution network, because of all to push the brand forward.” the mechanisms that it has for discovery within Of course, going #1 after you went viral the app. Within TikTok also, there’s also a online is nothing new. We’ve seen everyone from lot of song discovery mechanisms so you can Soulja Boy to Blueface get hits from people report- search music really easily and find stuff that reso- ing them on social media. And now, TikTok is the nates.” latest in a long line of platforms helping songs on Wisconsin singer Ava Max experienced something from meme to mainstream. The Tusker Tribune Page 5 The Student Newspaper of Somers Middle School Uniqueness Awareness Week Next Week!

By Arjun Ojha Wednesday is Culture Day. That is were Tusker Tribune Staff you wear your heritage color to represent your Starting on Monday, March 11th, history. Activities include being part of the school SMS will have wide “Pledge for Equality” to show Uniqueness Week. respect for human rights, “Music of Uniqueness Week the World” playing in the cafeteria takes place from Monday at lunch and observe the country March 11th to Friday March flag collage on display in the cafe- 15th. Uniqueness Week is a teria. week where you do some- Thursday is Somers Day. thing different every day. It That is were you wear Somers lives up to its name: Gear (Red and Black) to represent Uniqueness Week. SMS. Activities include the Dodge- Monday is Pajama ball Tournament in the cafeteria/ Day. Also, $8 Dodgeball gym from 3:05pm to 5:30pm. Food tickets continue to be sold and drinks will be sold by the PTA. until sold out. In addition, The snow date is Friday. an “Individual Music Playlist” will be playing in The last day is Friday. On Friday, you the cafeteria at lunch. wear Camo or Red, White and Blue to show Tuesday is Pride Day. You can wear Neon American Patriotism. Activities include the an- Colors to show respect for the gay-straight alli- nouncement of the Dodgeball winners and MVP, ance. Activities on Tuesday include observing the Mr. Mullaney sings the National Anthem, observe flags of identities on display in the cafeteria at the Banner of Freedom on display in the cafeteria lunch, music from LGBTQ+ artists playing in the and Mr. Wienecke speaks on Freedom. Mr. Wie- cafeteria at lunch, High School Speakers and the necke is the head of Living History Day. last day to purchase $8 dodgeball tickets. The overall message of Uniqueness Week is BE YOU, BE TRUE. Tusker Tribune Trivia

By Allison O’Connor Thomas Edison Tusker Tribune Staff Who is the only athlete to win the Who was the first actor to have played the Olympic marathon twice and in suc- role of James Bond in the movie series? cessive Olympic games? Sir Sean Connery Abebe Bikila Which was the country that first made the Which athlete has won the maximum num- use of paper money? ber of gold medals at a single Olympics, and China how many? Michael Phelps. He won 8 gold medals at the Bei- What is the highest mountain in Africa? jing 2008 Olympic games. Mount Kilimanjaro

Who was the 16th president of the United In what year was Alaska sold to the U.S.? States? In the year 1867 Abraham Lincoln Where did the Olympic Games originate? The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the Unit- Greece ed States by which country? If you boil water you get . . .? Steam Where did the game of badminton originate? It originated in the British era in the Indian city Tired people need … ? of Pune (or Poona, as it was known back then). Sleep

Who improved the design of the modern-day If you freeze water you get … ? incandescent light bulb? Ice