Sep-Oct 2015

Ms. Schneck Makes PB&J by Janice Healey [grade 7]

THE FUTURE IS HERE!!! by Alice Cauchi [grade 7]

On October 26th, 1985 a young man named Marty McFly, and his friend Doctor Emmett Brown travelled to the future. October 21st, 2015 to be exact. The future was not at all like they predicted it would be. In the movie Back To the Future II they discovered people wearing shoes with powered laces that match to fit your shoe size, coats that dried themselves when they got wet and also were powered to fit to size with a push of a button. There were hover boards, and hover cars, and the cars ran on recyclable trash. The theaters were also playing the movie Jaws 19 and had a 3D hologram sign. Even though we don’t have any of that stuff, we have things much like them. Those shoes were made to look ex-actly like the modern day brand Jordans, which are made by Nike. We don’t yet have hover boards, people are on the verge of inventing a prototype of a hover car, though it is not made to just come off and on the road as we please. We don't even have time machines yet, but one great man had the great idea of what all this would look like, in 1985! This movie gives us hope and evidence that the impossible is possible. For someone to think like that, and to imagine what the future would hold, exactly 20 years ago says a lot about we can do today. So how about it? On October 21st, did you see a suspicious looking fellow, who was a little too amazed by all the modern day things we have?

Alice Cauchi Decade Day photo by Deziray Morris [grade 7]; Marty McFly image courtesy of zavvi.com

Music Students Connect with Professionals

by Mary Lee [grade 7]

The DDMS music students had the opportunity to hear a group of profes-sional performers from a string quar-tet and a large amount of perform-ers from Mansfield University. Both of them were excellent in their talent and each of them distinguished their own specialty in the group. The string quartet showed and told us about the histo-ry of famous composers, and showed what each compos-er's style was. The choir and jazz band performed songs that had a lot of fun to jazz us up. The choir and jazz band played modern music, which some of them we already knew. The string quartet played older music, but made it very emotional and meaningful. Both of them seemed to enjoy their music careers and encouraged us to continue singing and playing. The professional performers from the string quartet and the jazz group from Mansfield University made music have a unique perspective. They encouraged us to keep doing what we are doing and never give up!

Photograph by Jayden Latini [grade 6]

Alpaca Star Wars by Ariana DiGeso

[grade 7]

Books? Books. A Noob’s Guide to Books. by Olivia O’Grady [grade 7]

Let’s start with the types of books. There are definitely plenty to choose from. There’s… Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Ac-tion and Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Science Fiction, Realistic Fiction, and probably many more. Don’t like books? Well, I would think about changing your mind because you have no idea what you are missing. Are you just getting into books? I would start with The Hunger Games. It’s fast paced, full of exciting things, and it’s not just for a certain gender. The Hunger Games is perfect for any boy, girl, or any-body who just wants a good book. Are you just in need of a good trilogy? Divergent is perfect for you. Divergent is full of excitement, fear, sadness, and joy. After reading this trilogy, trust me, you’ll just want to start again from page one. Just not getting enough romance? Twilight is the perfect series for you. This series is perfectly written in a beautiful way that you’ll just want more and more and more. Are you in the mood for a good scare? The Mara Dyer trilogy might be an option to put at the top of your To Be Read pile. It is a horror mystery book where Mara Dyer wakes up with no memory but with a thousand and one questions about her mur-dered friends. Those are just a few ideas to get you thinking about your next read but now it’s your job to find just the right page turner that draws your attention. There is no such thing as a bad book. Just keep that in mind when you’re on your next visit to the library.

Happy Birthday, LORD OF THE RINGS! by Alice Cauchi [grade 7]

On July 29, 1954, the first Lord of the Rings books was published.

“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”

--J.R.R. Tolkien This quote from The Fellowship of the Rings, is one famously known from J. R. R. Tolkien. J. R. R. Tolkien was lived from Jan 3, 1892 - Sep 2, 1973, and is known for his books, The Lord of the Rings, but also for The Sil-marillion and The Hobbit. He went to the University of Oxford, and after World War I, contributed to and worked on the Oxford Dictionary. It is then when he decided to start his writing career. His creative juices were flowing, J. R. R. Tolkien was in the midst of one of his more famous books, even though he didn’t know it yet. Today, exactly 60 years later, we are still reading his creation. He wrote till he died, and was very passionate about what he did.

Photo by Olivia O’Grady [grade 7]

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Uncle Rick is Back!!! by Ariana DiGeso [grade 7]

My friends and I were so excited for the new Mag-nus Chase book to come out. We had been counting down the days for months. On October sixth, the book finally came out. It’s about Magnus Chase and how he is the son of a Norse god, and how he goes on an ad-venture to find the sword of summer. My dad ordered me the book on Amazon, and when it came I was over-whelmed with a sense of pure awesomeness. Well, until I saw that the next book comes out in the Fall of next year.

Avid readers Milada Burovova and Ariana Di-Geso [both grade 7] get first glimpse at Rick

Riordan’s new Norse mythology series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of

Summer, now available in our library.

6-Degrees: Mrs. Goldstein Sociologists say that everyone in the world is con-nected to everyone else in the world within 6-degrees. That means that you know someone who knows some-

one, who knows someone etc. 6 times. See how DDMS is connected to the world— and history. 1st degree: I am married to Cole Goldstein. 2nd degree: Cole Goldstein works for Hunt Slonem, an internationally known painter. 3rd degree: Hunt Slonem was an associate of Andy Warhol, a pop artist who became famous in the '60s. 4th degree: Andy Warhol painted a famous portrait

of Judy Garland, a famous actress and singer. 5th degree: Judy Garland starred in Wizard of OZ which was written by Frank L. Baum.

Decade Day Photo by Joshua Shephard [grade 8]

gos·sa·mer

ˈɡäsəmər/ noun a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, which is seen especially in autumn. used to refer to something very light,

thin, and insubstantial or delicate. "in the light from the table lamp, his hair was blond gossamer"

fath·om

ˈfaT͟Həm/ noun a unit of length equal to six feet (approximately 1.8 m), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water. "sonar says that we're in eighteen fathoms" verb understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought. "he could scarcely fathom the idea that people actually

lived in Las Vegas" measure the depth of (water). "an attempt to fathom the ocean"

Terminology Trivia winners Nora Loicano Kaitlyn Barcelowsky [both grade 6]. All students are invited to participate in the library. Simply fill out the slips in the library for the new words each week and be entered to win your choice of prize from Mrs. Goldstein’s

prize box.

Lily Williams [grade 6] Habit 3: Put first things first. Academics habits: In class, I pay attention and answer as much as possible. At home, I sit down and put school first. Extracurricular interests: DD Press, Dance and Gymnastics Plans for the Future: Go to col-lege and have a good job. Hannah Williams [grade 7] Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. Academic habits: I listen in class, pay attention and take notes. Extracurricular interests: 4-H, Drama Club, Ski Club, Knitting, and Biking Plans for the Future: I plan to try my best in everything I do. Caroline Woska [grade 8] Habit 3: Put first things first. Academic habits: I go over my notes and homework every night for 10 minutes per class. Then try my hardest to raise my hand in class.

Extracurricular interests: Field Hockey, Drama and Singing Plans for the Future: Do some-thing in the medical field [i.e. nursing, doctor, surgeon]. Flora Trost [grade 8 Leadership] Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. Academic habits: I always make flashcards. I raise my hand even if I’m not 100% sure it’s the right answer. Extracurricular Interests: Tennis, DD Press, YA Club, Reading, Drawing and Hiking Plans for the future: Would love to go to college in NYC and study Creative Writing Joseph Kelly [grade 8 Achieve-ment] Habit 4: Think Win-Win Academic habits: Always trying to do good in school. Extracurricular interests: Boy Scouts and Building things Plans for the future: I want to go sky diving.

Never give up. Keep your head high and try your hardest. —Caroline Woska

Study and find fun ways of doing it. —Lily Williams

Always do what make you happy, not what every-one else is doing. —Hannah Williams The most you can

do is try. Try to answer questions, try to study. —Flora Trost

Know when to keep your mouth shut. —Joseph Kelly

Hans Paca & Chewpaca by Ariana DiGeso [grade 7]

A Journey of Discovery Learning vocabulary is essential to every subject area, but can often be difficult to study. What better way to learn what something means than to experience it though? The students of Mrs. Cafarella’s class learned about immigration from someone who actually lived it. Livia Cabral, mother of Giulia Casagrande, immigrated to the United States from Brazil. “The guest speaker was awesome,” Ian Lane said. “She told us about why she moved here and what was different in Brazil.” Besides sharing about her experience in coming to live in the United States, Ms. Cabral also shared brigadeiro—a homemade chocolate sweet—and the story of its crea-tion. As the story goes, a brigadeiro, Portuguese for brig-adier general, wanted something different for dessert and told his chef to surprise him. The chef combined two in-gredients and prepared the new treat. The general loved the treat and it has remained a favorite that is served at every birthday in Brazil.

Brigadeiro 3 Tbsp unsweetened co-coa 1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk Optional Toppings: sprin-kles, coconut flakes, crushed nuts, or pow-dered sugar Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to han-dle. Form into small balls and roll in choice of topping.

Carson Harlin holding brigadeiro, Nathan Harbeck looks on

Front left to right starting with the Warrior sweatshirt is: Haylee Mosser, Steven Rizzo, Aiden Secor, & Nathan Har-beck. 2nd row is....Giulia Casagrande, Hunter Babcock, Corey May, Damion Woodward, Nick Mele, & Mrs. Ca-farella. Last row is...Ms. Cabral, Carson Harlin, Shane

O'Neill, Keyrah Berrios, Dylan Chuck, Mallory Petzold, and Mrs. Poltersdorf

According to

my mom, moving

to this country

was very diffi-

cult. It took

many tries to

gain citizenship.

—Lucas Santiago

Student Immediate

Family

Further back in history

Family Immigration Stories My father grew up in a terrible town and had to fight for everything, and he came here for a better life.

—John Festa My parents did not immediately know English. They said they struggled. My mom said moving was hard because she didn’t know how to communicate with others, and her mother moved for work. She struggled, but she learned and succeeded in America.

—Leslie Grullon It was a rough time with no money. —Anonymous

Q: Even if a pants pocket is empty, what can be in it? Q: You draw a line. Without touching it, how do you make the line longer? Q: A horse is on a 24 foot chain and wants an apple that is 26 feet away. How can the horse get to the apple? Q: What has a neck but no head? Q: What goes through towns and over hills but never moves? Q: A monkey, a squirrel, and a bird are racing to the top of a coconut tree. Who will get the banana first?

Answers below. A hole; You draw a shorter line next to it, and it becomes the

longer line. ; The chain is not attached to anything. ; A bottle ; A Road ; None of them, because you can’t get a banana from a coconut tree!

Graphic by Stephen Demmo [grade 8] Compiled by Matthew Hollay [grade 8]

Devastating Anniversary by Emily Geurrero [grade 7]

2015 marks the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the 1tenth most deadliest hurricane rec-orded in history. Overall 850,791 houses were ei-ther damaged, destroyed, or left inaccessible. 1,833 died in Katrina. The storm hit four states, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Mississippi. The Bush Admin-istration payed 105 billion for repairs and recon-struction. After Hurricane Katrina gas prices went up because the storm had interrupted oil produc-tion. This costed people lots of money. This made this horrible event even worse people were trying to travel while construction was going on. Overall there are still people who mourn for family and friends who had died in this storm.

Photo courtesy of history.com

Houses flooded to just below rooflines in New Orleans and other low-lying areas during Hurricane Katrina.

by Christina Contreras [grade 7] I used math this summer when I went back to school shopping. My mom and I went to the mall after her work, so we were on a time schedule. My mom works until 4pm and the mall—an hour away—closes at 9pm. So we had to do the math to figure out how much time we would have at the mall or if we would have any extra time. That’s how I used math this summer.

by Camila DiFrenna [grade 7] During the summer of 2015 I used math for things I used every day. For example, when I went school shopping, I added the price of my notebooks, fold-ers, books, and more. Then I use divi-sion to see how many folders I could buy with the money I had. I also used subtraction to put the supplies back that equaled more than the amount of money I had to spend. Clearly, math is very important to everyday life.

by Harrison Wihlborg [grade 8]

When I was going to Eu-rope I had to convert dollars into Euros. Then I had a budget on what to buy, so I had to add up the cost be-fore I bought anything. Be-fore we left to go home, we had to weigh the travel bags to make sure they were al-lowed on the plane. R

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The Soviet Union launches Voskhad 1 into Earth’s orbit, the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits. The flight was cut short and it landed back

on Earth the next day. It went through 16 orbits.

1964

A.D.

Theodore Roose-velt renames the Executive Man-

sion to the White House. 1901

A.D.

The first modern submarine is com-missioned by the U.S. Navy as the USS Holland, named for its designer, John Philip Hol-land.

1900

A.D.

Christopher Columbus discovered the New World or, as we know it, America.

1492

A.D. Photo courtesy of warhistory.com

Image courtesy of nydailynews.com

The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon.

539

B.C.

October 12, On This Day in

History...

Compiled by Janice Healey [grade 7] Image courtesy of astrolabes.com

“I’m okay with it as long as they pay us taxes, learn our lan-guage and do the jobs we Americans don’t want to do.”

Political cartoon by Jim Borgman; originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 2006.

Columbus Day: Encounter or Discovery?

Encounter... He was trying to get to India, not America! He just thought it was In-dia because of the peo-ple there. Technically he didn’t discover it, the Native Americans did. So yeah, an en-counter.

—Leeanne Norman Columbus wasn’t looking for a new land, he was looking for another way to get to India and encountered the new land which is now America.

—Madison Kelly

Discovery... He discovered it because a discovery is when you find something while searching for another.

—Anonymous

Discovery—because Columbus thought it was the end of the earth.

—Adam Clarke He didn’t know what was beyond the sea. Everyone thought he would fall off the side of the Earth, but he didn’t and discovered America.

—Cassidy Guida I think it was a discovery for the Eastern hemisphere be-cause they didn’t know that there was land there.

—Anonymous When Columbus came to America it was a discovery. You can’t encounter a continent. Encounter usually re-fers to an animal or person, not a government. You can encounter your best friend, but not a continent.

—Scott Sussman

Students Said:

En

cou

nte

r

Discovery

I am happy, because

if he didn’t discover

America, I wouldn’t

live here now. —Anonymous

I think Columbus was an enormous jerk. He “discovered” America by walking in and saying, “I discovered this, now you do what I say.” That would be like someone walking into your living room and “discovering” it.

—Heather Starr He wasn’t trying to find America. He was trying to get to India. That’s why they are called Indians. I don’t like how he took credit. The Native Americans found America. I do enjoy school off though. He still doesn’t deserve this much credit.

—Anonymous It may have been a discovery for England, but there had already been native people living in the Americas. Also, there is some evidence that Norse people, “Vikings” you may say, had been to America before Columbus.

—John Neckers

I find it funny how Columbus was

just like, “Ooo, look! I found

America!” And at least there

weren’t phones then… Ex. “But

first, let me take a selfie.”

*America in the background* —Lucia Vitanza

Columbus did not find

America first, he

merely found it after

Native Americans al-

ready inhabited it. —Dominic Puglisi

Ghost Ship by Joshua Shephard [grade 8]

The Queen Mary is one of the most haunted ships in the world. Queen Mary is from the 1900’s; there were three of these ships: 1) Queen Mary, 2) Queen Elizabeth, and 3) Normandic of France. They were amazing, luxurious ships, they all were mainly the same size— about 1,000 feet long the used to cross the Atlantic Ocean in four days. One night a fire broke out on the Normandic it lays in the New York Harbor. In 1972, another fire broke out on the Queen Elizabeth, and now it’s sunk under the Hong Kong harbor. To this day the Queen Mary is docked in Long Beach, California. Some places in the Queen Mary that are the most haunted are: door 13 and the catwalks. Some reasons why these areas are haunted because when the ship was in construction people fell off the catwalks and died. And one day the ship water some inside the ship and door 13 started to close, but a man was running was stuck and was crushed.

Sir Francis Drake was a pirate, known as El Draco, who was knighted by England. He is best known for sacking St. Augus-tine in 1586.

The Timucuan of St. Augustine by Preston Yates [grade 7]

Long ago, there was a Native American tribe known as the Timucuans. This group thrived mainly in Northern Northeast-ern Florida, and in Southeast Georgia. The different groups of Timucuans spoke different dialects of the main language, Timucuan. Interestingly enough, the many different groups were never involved in a government that applied to all of them, though occasionally groups would create alliances dur-ing wars. There could have been up to thirty-five chiefdoms, each with hundreds of members. They lived in considerably large, walled-in villages, each containing many houses made up of vertical poles and palm leaves. Every village also con-tained a sort of mess hall, which could have held the entire population of the village--indeed, some Europeans were astounded by them, stating that “they could have held three-thousand people.” The Timucuan culture was very unique. They made appar-el out of moss and various animal skins. Women wore skirts of cured Spanish moss. Food was cooked over open fires, and meat smoked for preservation. A black tea called “white tea”

was used for ceremonies, only to be consumed by the most respected villagers--it was said to possess purification proper-ties, and those who drank it often vomited immediately. The culture also had many many recreational activities, including various ball games, archery, running, dancing and pottery. An archaeological dig in St. Augustine, Florida in 2006 uncovered pottery with pieces from the area of Macon, Georgia, which indicates an expansive trade network. Timucuans had many experiences with foreigners, both good and bad. They may have been the first American natives to witness the landing of Juan Ponce de Leon near St. Augus-tine in 1513. So many Europeans interacted with them that by the 1700s, the Timucuans had died out of European dis-eases for which they had no immunity, and from raids and attacks on their villages, where women were taken as con-sorts, and men and boys were taken as guides and bearers. By 1595 their population had dropped by seventy-five per-cent. They were all gone by the turn of the nineteenth centu-ry, although some suspect that a small number may have fled to join the Seminole Tribe. They were not the only group to suffer the same fate. Before long, most Native American groups would be extinct.

Juan Ponce de Leon by Zoe Elaro [grade 7]

Juan Ponce de Leon was an important Spanish explorer and conquistador. Ponce de Leon became the first governor of Puer-to Rico and gave Florida its name. He is best known, however, for searching for the fountain of youth. Juan Ponce de Leon was born into a noble and influential, yet poor, family. Ponce de Leon served in the Spanish mili-tary. Soon after a war, military services were unnecessary and soldiers like Ponce de Leon had to find another occupation. Eager for riches, Ponce de Leon is said to have gone on Christopher Columbus’s sec-ond expedition to the New World. In later expeditions, Ponce de Leon helped subdue the native peoples in the Caribbean. As a reward for defeating native forces, Ponce de Leon received land and was ap-pointed governor of what was then called Higuey. After hearing reports of gold in Puerto Rico, Ponce de Leon set out to ex-plore the island. Once there, he built the first settlement in Puerto Rico. Ponce de Leon returned one year later with much gold and promise. With his success, Ponce de Leon was appointed governor of Puerto

Rico, but later lost his title due to political issues. The Spanish crown encouraged Ponce de Leon to continue claiming new land, and hopefully more gold. Ponce de Leon had heard of an island called Bimini on which there was a supposed “fountain of youth” that reverses aging. Ponce de Leon then led an expedition of three ships in which they landed on the east coast of Florida. Ponce de Leon named the land La Florida (flowery) in connection to its lush flowering plants and because it was Easter time, called Pascua Florida (feast of flow-ers) by Spaniards. Unfortunately, Ponce de Leon did not find the fountain of youth. Ponce de Leon led one last expedition to Florida before he died. He landed on the western side of the Florida peninsula. A group of natives attacked and Ponce de Leon was shot with a poison arrow. The expedition retreated and sailed to Cuba where Ponce de Leon died. Juan Ponce de Leon left a mark on his-tory. He achieved much in exploration and built his fortune over time. Ponce de Leon did much, and probably could have accom-plished more if he had not been killed.

ARRR You Aware? Guest Writer

“Arrrrr!” Did you know that Septem-ber 19 was International Talk Like A Pi-rate Day (or ITLAPD)? The thrilling annu-al holiday where we talk like a pirate, so instead of greeting your friend like, “Hello!” you’d say, “Ahoy matie!” which is so much more fun (especially if it’s a school day; next year it is on a Monday). Now, as exciting as this cool event sounds, pirate vocabulary is not really our local lingo, but we know the most common pirate word is “Arrrrrr”—a word that is so well rounded that it could really mean anything!—like the letter R, but more stressed. R is an inter-esting letter and there are many ways you can say it (yes, I am not just talking about English). Here are some R’s in other languages. Spanish is a beau-tiful language, (good luck to all you eighth graders who are taking this spicy language), and it has not one R, but two: the r and the rr. Please keep in mind that the single R sound is used whenever the single R appears in a word, except when it's at the beginning of a word or after an L, N or S, when the RR sound is used. The r is most clear between vowels and makes a vibrating sound. Try saying Miriam, a Spanish name. The English swallow the R in this name. Now try saying it like Medium, but fast. If it is said quickly then it sounds like the Spanish pronun-ciation. Position your tongue like you are going to say throw, then blow and make a vibrating sound like a cat purr-ing. Now that you have an idea of how it sounds then.

The other Spanish r is rr (a.k.a. the rolled R). Pre-tend that it is really cold, exhale and make the sound of your lips flapping to-gether. Do the same thing but with your tongue at the roof of your mouth. The most dreaded fear in Italian is the r or ‘erre’. Most Italians roll their r’s but it is not compulsory, in fact some Italians can’t even roll their r’s. R in the middle between vowels is a mild r, like marito, (husband). When the r is in the middle of 2 vowels it is mild but when it is at the beginning or in the double form it is hard. When it is first in a word, em-phasize more. If there is a double r, like Guerra (battle) then you can roll your tongue. Beware that the r is not rolled as much as in Spanish.

I have some tips for the rolling Italian R. In English the R

comes from the throat whereas the Ital-ian sound comes from the throat. The letters l and r are similar as they both come from your throat. If you want to make the L sounds curl your tongue and put it at the roof of your mouth, though not quite against your teeth. Imagine having water in your mouth and when you pronounce it the liquid spills from the sides (but not from the front be-cause you have curled your tongue). Start vibrating your tongue and put it right against the back of your teeth. If this doesn’t work then you could use this other method. The sounds ‘ooh’, ‘oo’ and ‘ee’ are all throat sounds too. Try to pronounce r with those vowels. For example, go ‘rooo’ a few times. Try ‘ree’ and ‘rooh’ to find what’s best for

you. Then you could say

‘ooor’, ‘eer’ or ‘oohr’. And it is totally okay if you still can’t get that rolling r, maybe if you practice the words below you might get it.

The Croatian R makes a vibrating R sound as in brrrrr (like when you are cold). There is the consonant r and the vowel r. The vowel R is stressed or un-stressed consists of short ‘a’ like in the English word ‘sofa’, this is followed by a thrilled r like in Spanish ‘rojo’. The con-sonantal r sounds like the Spanish or Italian word ‘caro’ i.e. a single flap of the tongue against the upper gum. They spell things phonetically so this’ll be easier. How much more do I need to elucidate?

Practice makes perfect so keep prac-ticing and soon you’ll be a pirate poly-glot!

Try these Spanish r words: Escuchar- to listen; Pronounced- S-cu-cha-r Hablar- to speak; Pronounced-Ab-lar

Practice the following Spanish rr words: Rabino- raddish; Pronounced-RR-ah-be-no Rancho- ranch; Pronounced-RR-ann-cho

Those of you who did roll your tongues, roll them again when neces-sary for the Italian words below: Ferrari- We are all familiar with the car, right? Pronunciation- Fe-rra-ri Ragazzo– son; Pronounced- Rrr-gat-so Arrivederci- Until we meet again; Pro-nounced- Ah-rre-va-dare-chi Perché- why; Pronounced-p-air-kay

The Croatian R: Gramatika- grammar; Pronounced- Gra-ma-te-ka Riječ - word; Pronounced-ri-ye-ch

America’s Oldest Colony Turns 450 by Riley Callahan [grade 7]

St. Augustine was founded by Spanish explorer and governor, Juan Ponce de Leon. Europe and France originally tried to colonize St. Augustine but failed. St. Augustine is the oldest European-established settlement in the USA. Founded on September 8, 1565, the French explored the area in 1562 under the command of Captain Jean Ribualt, a Huguenot colonizer. That year mutineers from St. Caroline fled and turned pirated destroying St. Augustine in fear of it becoming a base for future piracy.

Image courtesy of biography.com

Spanish Moss as found in St. Au-

gustine. The Timucuans called it

Tree Hair, the English called it

Spanish Moss because the Span-

ish used it to create a gun barrel

plug that also scoured the inside

of the weapon with every shot,

and the Spanish called it barba

francesa—French Beard.

Image courtesy of pinterest.com

What does it mean to be proactive? Being proactive is taking control of things instead of waiting and just letting things happen to you. Being proactive means you understand that you can control and affect events and situations in

your life and if you choose to do this, things usually work out better. History has lots of examples of this, so consider this one: during the Civil War, Northern troops were terrified of fighting against Southern General Robert E. Lee who beat them time after time. Then they got a new commander who listened to his troops tell all the terrifying stories about what “Bobby” Lee would do to them, and he said (something like), “Stop wor-rying about what Bobby Lee is going to do to us, and help me figure out what we’re going to do to him.” This general was Ulysses S. Grant who went on to defeat Lee and later was elect-ed president of the United States, but this isn’t a history lesson. It’s just an example of how one man’s understanding of the need to be proactive and take control changed the course of history. If you are proactive, you may not change the course of history (then again you might), but you will be more successful at whatever you choose. Be self-aware and recognize that when you take positive action you affect outcomes and the course of events. While this doesn’t guarantee you will be successful, it certainly gives you the best chance. Being proactive in middle school may mean remembering your lunch money, or a permis-sion slip for a dance or any other thing you need to have things go the way you want them to at school. If you want to make a team, you can be proactive by working to get in condi-

tion and working on your skills, and if you are proactive in that way the chances you will be successful really improve. If you want a good grade, you can control that by being prepared. In your relationships with your friends or family, being proactive means recognizing when you have a problem and talking about it before it gets to be a bigger problem. So don’t just sit there waiting for life to happen to you. Be proactive.

Effective Habits in Action by Zakkary Dietz [grade 7]

Ignore bullies or people trying to give put-downs. Find people who are having a bad day and try to be nice and make them happi-er. Also, try to look at the good side of things.

by Peyton Robertson [grade 7] Instead of talking and not doing anything in Study Hall, do homework.

by Ashley Hart [grade 7] If you lose and don’t do well in an art com-petition, try again next year because you will get a second chance. Look at things as an opportunity to grow.

by Matt Salus [grade 7] When someone wants to make you mad, just stay positive and happy. Don’t let it affect you.

by Zane Pick [grade 7] Study hard, or, if you don’t succeed the first time, try, try again.

by Janice Healey [grade 7] Even though you are surrounded by bad, hatred, fears—doesn’t mean you have to jump into it. Be unique. Be yourself. Let’s say that a student at DDMS lives in a bad community or his/her family is not the best influence. Either the student can follow what the people surrounding him/her do, or he/she could become a change agent and do something better in life. That will make them proactive.

by Juliana Vazquez [grade 7]

So, you know the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Well some reactive people think, “When life gives you lemons, be mad because don’t have sugar to make lemonade,” and they throw the lemons out the window at their neighbor. But proac-tive people don’t get made at their neighbor (because it’s not their fault you don’t have sugar).

Learn from Your Mistakes by Gage Kruseck [grade 7]

Be a History Changer by Dr. Vitale, School Psychologist

Avoid Prejudice (a.k.a. judg-ing others) by Zachary

Mathews [grade 7]

Reactive: Alpaca Star Wars by Ariana DiGeso [grade 7]

D.A.R.E : Internet Safety Social media has become a way of life for everyone, especially Dingman-Delaware Middle School students. Therefore, I would like to inform and remind everyone that Facebook or any other social media is not a private forum. Be aware that there are others who are listening in—from the police surfing the internet to protect children, to the criminals themselves who are trying to be a step ahead of the police by inviting their victims to locations, unknown to police or parents, to hurt their victims. Since social media is not totally private, organizations and institu-tions can get information on future employees or students who are trying to get into a good job or school. Therefore, be careful with what you say and the pictures you post on the internet. As the say-ing goes, the first impression is the one that counts. Students should also be cautious with pictures, because criminals can use them to track down victims using the GPS addresses and longitude and lati-tude location associated with the image file. In order to prevent this from happening turn off your GPS settings in the camera phone be-fore taking any pictures. Also remember bullying on the internet is not going to be tolerated, and the police, who are listening in, can get involved in certain situations.

SPO Ivan Santiago

Ever Been RickRolled? by Dominic Puglisi [grade 8]

Back then all he wanted to do was come up with a top hit song like all the other singers of his time. He never anticipated on his song being made into a practical joke. Rick Astley is a British pop singer of the 1980’s. In 1987, he released a song titled Never Gonna Give You Up and it quickly rose to the top charts of 25 countries. This song became Astley’s signature song. Like most pop hits, it rose to great fame for a few weeks but was then mostly forgotten despite its catchy tune. Although something different oc-curred. In February of 2005, a now popular site named YouTube was released. This site encouraged users to create accounts and upload videos. This is where “Rickrolling” was created. There was already some-thing called duckrolling where someone would leave a link and a description saying it led to some-thing interesting, but instead led to a site with a duck on wheels. With YouTube created, this made this joke even easier. Users would put a video on YouTube with a controversial title or something desirable. For example, the “Rickroll” was someone putting a title of a trailer for an unreleased video game, but as soon as the video started it played Rick Astley’s hit song. This practical joke was quick to become popular amongst the internet. In 2008, the online joke went from the screen to real-life. During a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rick Astley himself inter-rupted one of the musical numbers and started singing Never Gonna Give You Up. After getting so much attention for his song he did an interview with the LA Times and stated, “I think it’s just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it. But that’s what’s brilliant about the Internet.” He has quite the positive atti-tude toward the subject even though one of his best songs is now an online April Fools’ Day joke. The biggest joke of all is that despite his im-mense internet popularity he has only made 12 U.S. dollars due to the fact he had no contract or anything of the sort stating that if his song became popular on the internet he would get a certain amount of money. This is because when he made the song it was 18 years before YouTube was creat-ed. Now Rick Astley is still alive at the age of 49 and looks back on “Rickrolling” as a positive experience. Although most kids nowadays don’t know about this practical joke it was a fun and harmless prank to play for over 5 years.

Bullied People Bully People by Calista DiPrima [gradde7]

When you look at the behavior of bullies, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the person is simply mean-spirited and enjoys seeing other people suffer. While this can certainly be the case in some situ-ations, there are actually many reasons why someone may choose to bully other people. Learning the answers to the question, “Why do people bully,” can help you get a handle on bullying and how to un-derstand and teach others differently. People bully because they like to feel the power, maybe because of a misunderstanding or difference. Others bully for attention because maybe they don’t get the amount they need. Unfortunately, some children grow up in situations where they are emotionally abused and bullied in their own families, either by a sibling or a parent. Low self-esteem may not be the leading cause of why people bully, but it is still an important reason to consider. Some children have experienced bullying by their peers themselves and then turn around and do it to someone else in an attempt to feel better about them-selves. They seem to feel as if the ability to show power over some-one else will prove their self-worth to others. Bullying is a serious matter and if we all work together to get rid of bullying, we will be in a much better, safer community.

Photos by Jarrett Palmadessa [grade 8]

The Game Guide by Joshua Musano [grade 8]

Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

This time the terror has followed you home. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, you must once again defend yourself against Freddy Fazbear and friends. This game is really fun, a touch scary, and keeps you on your seat all the time! I rate Five Nights at Freddy’s 4— 9 jump-scares out of 10.

by Peter Wilson [grade 8] Hello, recently my friend Justin Hunter’s dog passed away; his name was Bosco—obviously that’s him above. Many people knew him and he was a crazy, sloppy, and giant dog. He was taller than Justin’s mom, and I was actually pretty intimidated by him. All in all he will be missed by many and he will be in our hearts. –P.S. He loved rap music.

Harry Quadrino I am looking forward to meeting the tech-Ed teacher!

#school #tech-Ed #follow me

@harryquad112

@avalovsbooks

Ava Nienstadt I am looking forward to Home-Ec!!! #school #Home-Ec #Ilovebooks

@Ilovehorses123

Abbey Mcfeely

I am looking forward to my language arts and reading classes. #school #reading is fun #smiley face

Monday Night Football Premier

by Riley Callahan [grade 7] Opening up the NFL Monday Night Football Premiere were the New York Jets vs the Indianapolis Colts. During the first quarter the Jets were winning by one touchdown and an extra point (equaling 7 points). During the second quarter the Jets earned another field goal, worth 3 points, to bring them up to ten while the Colts remained at zero. During the third quarter, howev-er, neither teams scored any points. Last quarter the Jets pulled ahead with a touchdown (including the extra point) and a field goal, bringing then up to twenty. But the Colts too scored a touchdown in the final quarter and the kick was good. In conclusion the Jets won 20 to 7.

DDMS Sound Waves by Jayden Latini

[grade 6] Pep band begins in the beginning of the school year when outdoor sports are still going on. This year we hit about 20 members. We only do home games, and you go home on the late bus or get picked up. If you go to Pep band and stay there, at the end you get a party and get to watch a movie. So join Pep band.

Column by Alice Cauchi [grade 7]; Graphics by Heather Starr [grade 8]

Football Stats and Hopes by Skyler Bower [grade 6]

#: Player:

Position: Touchdowns:

Reason for joining:

Ever been in-jured?

NFL Inspira-tion:

#33-Marquies Miller def/offense 0 Running/tackling ability Concussion & broken arm Jason Pierre Paul [Giants]

#3-Joey Pisano running back 12 Doesn’t know exactly. A helmet to the elbow Gronk [Pats] & Julio Jones [Falcons]

#7-Dakota Deleeuw Quarterback 3 Dad inspired him. A helmet to the thigh. Troy Polamalu [Steelers]