The  Panther’s  Pause,  Jr.  -­  Issue  #4

News in the ParkLegally  BlondeBy:  Staff  Writer          Ohmigod,  ohmigod,  you  guys!Midland  Park  High  School’s  productionof  Legally  Blonde:  The  Musical  onMarch  22-­24  was  a  smashing  success.          With  Mrs.  Donna  Halliwell  at  thehelm,  and  more  than  50  Midland  Parkstudents  from  grades  7-­12participating,  this  year’s  spring  musicaltold  the  story  of  an  unexpectedunderdog  and  her  dog.  Starring  seniorAnna  Caputo  as  Elle  Woods,  LegallyBlonde  teaches  its  audiences  to  neverunderestimate  a  person  with  a  dream-­-­no  matter  her  hair  color.          After  months  of  rehearsals,  theentire  cast  and  crew  displayed  theirhard  work  on  stage  before  threesold-­out  crowds,  and  their  effortscertainly  paid  off.  “The  fact  that  weaccomplished  what  we  thought  was  animpossible  feat  and  overcame  all  of  thebehind-­the-­scenes  drama  to  put  on  thebest  show  we  could  was  a  testament  toall  of  our  hard  work,”  says  castmember  Tess  Steuerwald.          As  the  entire  cast  sings,  in  one  ofthe  show’s  most  rousing  numbers:“Youcan’t  refuse,  somebody  who’s  legallyblonde.”

Coming  Soon:  The  SixthGrade  Play!

This  year’s  sixth  grade  play  is  You’re  aGood  Man,  Charlie  Brown,  starringParker  Shapiro  (First  Act  CharlieBrown)  and  Tim  Meima  (Second  ActCharlie  Brown).    The  play  is  on  June6th.    Go  and  see  it  to  support  theupcoming  7th  graders!

Students  competed  in  physical  challenges  to  keep  teachers  from  sabotaging  their  totals.

Penny  Wars  for  MargaretBy:  Emma  Sclafani

         On  Wednesday,  March  6th,  the  Penny  Wars  officially  began.    It  was  acompetitive  and  enjoyable  way  to  raise  money  for  our  high  school  bus  driver’s,Margaret  Soto’s,  Cancer  treatment.    The  objective  was  to  have  the  most  penniesin  your  grade’s  jar  and  the  rules  were  quite  simple:          1.  Each  grade  has  a  designated  jar.          2.  Every  penny  placed  in  the  jar  counts  as  one  point.          3.  Every  silver  coin  or  paper  money  bill  placed  in  the  jar  counts  as  a  negativepoint  value,  depending  on  the  value.          4.  Anyone  can  place  any  monetary  value  in  any  jar.  Money  may  not  beremoved  once  placed  in  a  jar.            After  two  weeks  of  competitive  fundraising,  the  winners  were  the  Faculty  withthe  most  positive  points,  and  the  Seniors  with  the  most  money  raised  overall  (eventhough  their  score  ended  in  the  negative).  This  is  just  another  example  of  what  ourlittle  community  can  do  with  even  the  smallest  change.

Issue  4  ·  Spring  2013  ·  Midland  Park  ·  News  in  the  Park

B.  O.  T.  B.By:  Vanessa  Wolosz

         On  May  16th,  a  great  competitiontook  place.    Two  middle  schoolteams  from  the  seventh  and  eighthgrades  traveled  to  the  Upper  SaddleRiver  middle  school  to  answerquestions  about  a  list  of  books  theywere  assigned  to  read  earlier  in  theyear.    One  team-­-­  captained  by  WillKrag  and  consisting  of  VanessaWolosz,  Tess  Steuerwald,  StephanieSharo,  and  Coralie  Guerdat-­-­  retrievedsecond  place.  The  other-­-­  captainedby  Fran  Chacon  and  consisting  ofDan  Guchardio,  Kasey  Oakes,Kayleigh  McGivney,  and  SeanKeegan-­-­  earned  fourth  place.  Despitejust  missing  the  top  prize,  it  wasanother  successful  outing  for  themiddle  school  Battle  of  the  Books(B.T.O.B.)  teams.

 Woman  Trapped  for  17  Days  Survives

By:  Starr  Shapiro

                 Miracles  really  do  happen.    Reshma  Begum,  a  seamstress  in  Bangladesh,was  trapped  in  the  basement  of  an  eight-­story    building  that  collapsed  for  17days...  and  survived.    According  to  the  Washington  Post  website,  a  garmentfactory  in  Bangladesh  collapsed  on  April  24th,  killing  over  1,000  people.    Begumwas  able  to  survive  by  rationing  dried  food  and  water  she  found  in  the  basement.She  repeatedly  hit  the  wreckage  on  top  of  her  with  sticks  and  rods  to  try  and  getthe  attention  of  rescue  workers,  and  was  finally  heard  when  she  banged  a  steelpipe  against  the  wreckage.    After  being  rescued,  Begum  said,  “I  never  dreamed  I’dsee  the  daylight  again.”    She  was  in  surprisingly  good  condition.    This  story  isproof  that  there  should  always  be  hope,  even  in  the  most  terrible  situations.

Middle  School  Chorus  Concert  Review

By:  Jenn  Urgovitch

         The  7th  and  8th  grade  chorus  concert  was  truly  a  night  to  remember.  FromMrs.Halliwell's  annual  Oscar-­worthy  thank-­you  speech,  to  the  chorus  memberssinging  their  hearts  out,  the  concert  was  a  great  success.  Towards  the  end  of  theconcert,  the  8th  graders  joined  together  for  a  special  song  dedicated  to  some  ofthe  members’  last  year  at  MPHS.  Tangled’s  “I  See  the  Light”  was  beautifully  sungby  the  8th  graders.  This  year’s  Middle  School  Chorus  was  truly  one  of  a  kind.

Book  Review:  The  Fault  In

Our  Stars  by  John  Green

By:  Kayleigh  McGivney            In  my  opinion,  The  Fault  in  Our  Stars  byJohn  Green    is  one  of  the  best  books  I  haveever  read.  I  have  read  a  lot  of  books  in  mythirteen  years  of  existence,  yet  this  one  getsto  me  the  most.  I  need  to  make  this  clear,  Ido  not  get  emotional  over  books.  However,I  did  this  time.  It  is  such  a  well  written  bookand  the  plot  was  amazing.  At  some  partsyou  will  laugh  and  at  other  parts  you  willcry,  but  overall,  this  is  definitely  one  of  thegreatest  books  ever  written.          Before  I  decided  to  read  this  book,  Iwanted  to  know  who  John  Green  was.  WhatI  found  was  definitely  not  what  I  wasexpecting.  John  Green,  author  of  thisamazingly  emotional  book,  was  actuallyone  of  the  coolest  guys  I  have  ever  seen.  Ifyou  ever  see  any  of  John  Green’s  YouTubevideo  you  would  most  likely  think,  “Wait,  hewrote  this  book?”  John  and  his  brotherHank  are  known  as  the  Vlogbrothers  onYouTube.  I’ll  leave  you  with  two  “fun  facts”about  him.~John  Green  and  Hank  Green  createdVidcon~  John  Green    asked  President  Obamawhich  name  he  liked  best  for  his  daughter,(who  has  yet  to  be  born)  Alice  or  Eleanor?

Is  the  NJASK  Really

Important?  YES!

By:  Jackie  Huynh          In  the  month  of  April  and  the  beginningof  May,  teachers  go  into  full-­on  NJASKmode,  but  the  students  are  left  to  stare  offinto  space,  wondering  why  in  the  worldthey  have  to  be  subjected  to  such‘boredom.’  Well  I’m  here  to  tell  you  why.          No,  I’m  here  to  declare  why.          The  letters  ‘NJASK’  say  it  for  itself.New  Jersey  Assessment  of  Skills  andKnowledge  are  there  to  see  what  youknow.This  is  a  good  thing.  It  means  thatteachers  and  the  state  can  see  how  yourdistrict-­  and  you-­  are  doing.  If  they  knowhow  you  are  doing,  they  know  what  to  doto  make  some  improvements,  becausethere’s  always  room  for  them.            Now  don’t  get  me  wrong,  it  can  betough  to  strive  so  hard  to  be  good,  butthat  isn’t  really  the  point  of  the  NJASK.  Imean,  yes,  you  definitely  want  to  do  yourvery  best  and  remember  what  yourteachers  tell  you,  because  then  the  stateand  the  teachers  can  see  your  best  self.But  there’s  no  need  to  worry  too  muchabout  it-­-­  and  definitely  no  need  todaydream!

A  Talk  With  Miss  Walker

By:  Starr  Shapiro

       Well,  there  was  supposed  to  be  aninterview  with  Miss  Walker  here,  but  justwhen  I  was  about  to  start  asking  herquestions,  she  took  her  name  literallyand  walked  away.

Issue  4  ·  Spring  2013  ·  Midland  Park  ·  News  in  the  Park

Issue  4  ·  Spring  2013  ·  Midland  Park  ·  News  in  the  Park