THE BURNESON GAZETTE
March 2015
Lee Burneson Middle School Student Newspaper
PARCC Testing
Henyah Dardir and Jonathon Hudak
Students' opinions on PARCC test formatting
70
60
60
55
number of students
50
40
30
24
20
17
15
13
10
0
paper
computer
both
paper
8th grade
computer
both
7th grade
choice of formatting/ grades surveyed
What would you prefer for the PARCC Test? Paper and pencil? Computer? Or both combined? Well we
asked students from the Earth and White teams what they would like. First with white team, many students
would rather not have a PARCC Test, but bring the OAA's back (I agree with this). Over all, the paper and pencil
was the preferred format for the white team. From the Earth Team many students went with the paper and pencil
option because of computer issues and eye issues. Many students’ eyes will hurt after staring at a computer for
two hours. Over all, none of the students wanted the PARCC Test.
Upcoming Events
Guess the Song
3/20/2015
Dollars for
Scholars BB Game - Staff vs.
Students
Menaz Shaik
Answers from last month:
The Heart Wants What It Wants- Selena Gomez
Jealous- Nick Jonas
Four Five Seconds- Rihanna
Ghost- Ella Henderson
Chandelier- Sia
3/20/2015 8th Grade DC Trip
Balance Due
This month’s songs are…
“Stand a little taller, doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone”
“I’ll show you what it feels like, now I’m on the outside”
“Fade into view, it’s been a while since I have even heard from you”
“Hope when the crowd screams out, they’re screaming your name”
“But you better choose carefully, cause I, I’ m capable of anything”
3/21/2015 Green & White
Revue @ PAC 7pm
3/22/2015 Green & White
Revue @ PAC 2pm
3/27/2015
ter
LBMS Sports
Jaden Evans
LBMS sports have been winding down lately but should be coming back at
full force.
End of 3rd Quar-
4/3/2015– 4/12/2015 Spring
Break– No School
The boys basketball season has come to an end a few weeks ago. The 7th
grade boys made it to the first round of the playoffs but ended quickly as they
lost in the 1st round to the undefeated Avon Lake team. Great effort boys!
The 8th grade team had a pretty good year posting a 7-7 record but also lost
the first round of The playoffs to Avon.
Also the Wrestling season has come to an end. With winter gone and
spring here, many other sports have started, Track has officially begun with
practices started in late March. Softball has also started with practices beginning in late March. Come see your LBMS sports teams!
“Life is short. Dessert comes first.”
Katie Cirincione
“Most smiles are started by other
smiles.”
Frank A. Clark.
“The most important thing is
to enjoy your life - to be happy-it’s all that matters.”
Audrey Hepburn
Barrington Place Apartment Fire
Club
Announcements:
Isabella DiGiulio
March: March has been busy
around Burneson!
Academic Challenge: Academic Challenge went to the finals
at Copley Middle School a few
weeks ago.
Blue Service: Blue Service recently played Frère Jacques
and For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow in the teacher lunch room,
for Mrs. Grossman’s retirement.
Blue Unity: Blue Unity organized a Get Pumped for
PARCC carnival for Blue Team
students, the Friday before the
LA PARCCs. This included a
cake walk, many games, a raffle and more.
Builders Club: Builders club
recently met on March 11th.
Newspaper Club: Our goal is to
attempt to put out monthly issues of the Burneson Gazette.
Science Olympiad: Regionals
for Science Olympiad is March
21st.
Student Council: StuCo is organizing Pasta for Pennies.
Donate money to support the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Yearbook Club: Yearbook students have finished the majority
of their work, and are waiting
on some team pictures before
they are done.
Annette Hanson
Barrington Place Apartments 3/12/15 3:50 am: Dogs barked and no one
thought there was a problem until they were told to evacuate. Everyone got
outside and they saw what made the dogs bark. One of the complexes was on
fire with a giant hole. It took the fire departments from Westlake, Rocky River,
and Fairview to work on it. They sprayed it so much that water flooded the
complex. “When I looked at the water that was draining the water was getting
clogged with coals and burnt pieces of charcoal so I took a shovel and unclogged the drain,” said Jonah Devich who was in the complex next to the one
on fire. The firefighters still couldn’t put out the fire so the roof collapsed. After
that their motivation shifted. They went from just putting it out to trying to stop it
from consuming the whole complex in flames. Everyone was gone by noon.
Thankfully no one died or was even injured. We hope that they can repair the
building and get the residence back in their homes as soon as possible.
Book Review
Lauren Havelka
Thirteen Reasons Why
Clay found a box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside the box
were 7 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, who committed suicide
two weeks earlier, and a map. Hannah’s tapes explain that there are thirteen reasons why she ended her life, and Clay is one of them. Clay
spends the worst night of his life walking around town following the map to
the places that correspond with the traumatic events that led to Hannah’s
death. As Clay listens, he discovers something that will change his life
forever.
Guess Who Game
Annette Hanson
This 7th grader plays softball and is really loud.
Last month answer: Mrs. Fetko
Book Review
Fun Facts
Lauren Havelka
Lauren Havelka
The Genius Files Series

In Japan, it’s possible
to buy watermelons
shaped like pyramids

Jack Bibby actually
put live rattlesnakes
in his mouth

In 1907, a patent was
filed for an alarm
clock that sprays water onto the face of a
sleeping person

Robert Dotzauer
could balance three
lawnmowers on his
chin at the same time

In 2002, a Romanian
pensioner ran up a
bill of 1,900 after falling asleep on a
phone chat line

Joe Horwitz was able
to balance an 18-lb
saber on the tip of his
nose

Stephen Stoyan
made two successful
push-ups with 285-lb
on his back

Eddie Polo pulls a car
100 yards in 1 minute
and 40 seconds using
only the strength of
his hair

Jon Bruney is able to
tear entire phone
books in half

Gold-plated English
pennies cover a Lincoln Continental
stretch limousine
By: Dan Gutman
Coke and Pep McDonald were about to have the trip of a lifetime. But
their plans changed. It all started with Dr. Herman Warsaw.
The McDonald family is taking a road trip from San Francisco to Washington D.C. for Aunt Judy’s wedding. On the way to Washington D.C., the
family stopped at various tourist traps, museums and landmarks. Mrs.
McDonald took pictures of the attractions to put on her website, Amazing
But True. Coke and Pep were nearly killed at almost all of them.
There are 5 books in The Genius Files Series. The story starts in Book 1,
Mission Unstoppable. It continues into Book 2, Never Say Genius. It then
moves into Book 3, You Only Die Twice. Next, it takes the reader into
Book 4, From Texas with Love. The series ends in Book 5, License to
Thrill.
Celebrity Milestones
Rachel Wagner
On March 10, 2015, Carrie Underwood turned 32
years old. She grew up in the rural town of Muskogee, Oklahoma and wasn’t really in to music. Carrie Underwood
earned her claim to fame on January 18, 2005 when she
won the fourth season of American Idol. She has been
known to be the most famous American Idol contestant ever. Underwood has also been recognized as one of the
most 100 influential women in the world, as stated by Time.
She also has the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot
Country Songs list and has 10 records in the Guinness
World Record book. She has won 3 Grammys and 2
American Music Awards.
DEBATE/POLL
Should government be permitted to wiretap phones and/or search for “keywords” within
text messages/emails in an effort to fight terrorism?
Matthew Wallenhorst
YES-46%
NO-54%
Supporters of government surveillance
believe that the wiretapping, or “tapping”
into a phone line to listen to a conversation, or the scanning of emails and/or text
messages for key buzzwords that may
lead to one being a threat is completely
necessary to protect the public from any
terrorist threat, and that a small portion of
our freedoms being taken away is completely worth the price so as to guard the
American people.
8th grader Thomas Hanson strongly
agrees with this notion, as he stated, “It is
far better to be safe than sorry. I would
rather have my family survive with minimal rights than die with many. All freedom comes at a cost, and the wiretapping
is just an inkling of the price. To quote a
wise Soviet judge, ‘Freedom is a bourgeoisie lie.’”
In a poll of fifty Lee Burneson students,
46 percent believed the government
should be allowed to conduct mass surveillance.
Those against government surveillance
argue that it as an obstruction of our basic
constitutional rights and that our freedom
should not be taken away in exchange for
“security”. Many of those that oppose the
surveillance question what security
Americans are even receiving due to the
“spying”, as they have it known, and believe the surveillance programs set up by
the U.S. Government are completely unnecessary and invade the common man’s
privacy. Advocates against the government spying point to the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution as reason as
to how it is unconstitutional. The amendment reads,
“The right of the people to be secure…
against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause…”
Many of those interviewed that oppose
the surveillance, such as 8th grader Ella
Gray argued that surveillance should only
be conducted upon suspected terrorists,
and only with a warrant from law enforcement.
This Month in History – March
Fun Holidays – March 2014
Katie Cirincione
Katie Cirincione
March 1, 1790 – The first U.S. census is conducted.
March 1 – Compliment Day
March 2, 1965 – The Sound of Music is released in the
U.S.
March 2 – Old Stuff Day
March 3, 1845 – Florida becomes a state.
March 9, 1971 – The 26th amendment passes, causing
the voting age to be lowered to 18.
March 14, 1879 – Albert Einstein is born.
March 17, 1776 – England repeals the Stamp Act
March 25, 1668 – The first horse race in the United
States occurs.
March 27, 1912 – In Washington D.C., cherry blossom
trees are planted as a gift from Japan.
March 29, 1867 – For $7.2 million dollars, the United
States buys Alaska from Russia.
March 30, 1858 – A man in Philadelphia patents the
pencil with an eraser attached to the end.
March 3 – What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day
March 9 – Panic Day
March 10 – Day of Awesomeness
March 14 – Pi Day
March 19 – Chocolate Caramel Day
March 20 – International Day of Happiness
March 22 – National Goof off Day
March 26 – Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
March 26 – Spinach Day
March is Cheerleading Safety Month, Craft
Month and Umbrella Month
Review: Jupiter Ascending
Elliot Lockshine
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I have never seen so many plot lines in one movie. There is a
set of characters who seem important for a while, but never come back after two scenes. I can’t even remember
their names. This movie is about a girls named Jupiter who lives a normal life, with a normal family and everything is normal. Until one day she sees something very strange. Soon there are aliens trying to kill her and a guy
that saves her life who, of course, she falls in love with. Very cliché in my opinion. But it’s just my opinion. I don’t
suggest you see it. It was just a waste of time and money for me .