THE POUCH
An official publication of the Komodo Dragons
NEWS TEAM –
Francesco Campese, Rob DiSanto, Hugh Huang, Ryan Kirby,
Rob Keehn, Luke Peden, Ray Pompnio, Nick Rose, Matt Walheim
SPORTS TEAM – Jenna Bergstrom, Cooper Michaelis, Mike O’Halloran, Matt Skurka
ENTERTAINMENT STAFF – Lizzie Freilich, Austin Hackman, Chipper Rossino, Kyungchul Yoon
EDITORIAL STAFF – Brandon Chang, Chris Donnay, John Reynolds, Gabe Robinson-Barr
SPECIAL FEATURES – Brian Browne, Nate Frank, Kate Henderson,
Austin Lowe, Marissa Roney, Kevin Vu, David Wilds, Allison Wilkes
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Mr. Langin
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THE NEWS
6th Graders Travel to Time of Their
Lives
by Francesco Campese
On Wednesday May 27 at 7:30
most of the 6th graders will be taking a
two-hour trip up to Camp Canadensis.
The camp is located about 20 miles
north of East St rasburg. Some of the
activities will include kayaking, boating,
the rock wall, arts and crafts, tye dye,
pool, line dancing, orienteering, a nature
walk/seek and find, At the end of the
day, right after dinner the children have
a choice, they could go and watch a
movie or go to the more popular dance,
and floor hockey. They are heading up
there as a field trip. There are very
limited educational experiences but that
has not changed the fun they have. The
person in charge of all of this is none
other than Mrs. Flounders. Upon
interviewing she stated, “Camp is a
lifetime experience that all will enjoy
and have memories about.” She also
said that this years percent of kids
staying home was the lowest it has ever
been. The price of the trip is $135. As
bad as the economy has been it has
affected some people and has not even
bothered with others. This has also been
the year with the highest number of
requested volunteers, which means
highest number of parents being rejected
to be chosen.
The most enjoyable activities
from past experiences have been all the
water-involved activities such as boating
and kayaking. Another new idea is that
the use of Axe deodorant spay has been
banned from the cabins due to their
never going away smell. I went once and
all I have to say is this trip is truly a
blast.
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Eighth Graders Sent Off With Semi
Formal, Picnic
By: Rob Keehn
To send off this years HMS eighth
graders, the school is giving them a semi
formal dance and a picnic. The semi
formal dance will happen right here at
HMS. The picnic will be held at
Brandywine Park. At the dance, the
eighth graders have a chance to kick
back. Have fun, and hang out with their
friends. There will be a DJ provided at
the dance. At the picnic, the eighth
graders are free to do whatever there is
to do at the park, which includes
canoeing down the Brandywine River,
competing in the many sports they have
there (volleyball, basketball, softball),
taking a ride on the amusement rides,
playing miniature golf, going thorough
gazing zoos, and many more activities.
Both of these trips are for eighth graders
only. The price of the semi formal
dance is 10 dollars, and the price to go to
the picnic is still undecided. To go to
the events, you must have less than 15
discipline points on the year. Many
teachers think this is a great way to send
off the eighth graders. “It’s a good way
to unite all of the eighth graders after a
hard year of work,” says eighth grade
teacher Mr. Finnegan. He also believes
that all of the eighth graders deserve to
go to the events. When asked about the
events, Mr. DiBartolomeo, eighth grade
principal, answered that both of these
events were celebrations for the
graduating eighth graders. Many of the
eight graders going to the formal and
picnic are excited for both of them. “I
think the picnic will be a lot of fun and
the semi formal will be very cool,” says
eighth grade student Joey Sardella. Both
of the events seem like they are going to
be a fantastic way to say goodbye to our
eighth graders.
Students nervous of finals on June
17th, 18th
By Hugh Huang
Seventh graders have never taken finals
before. Some are very nervous. Even
though June may seem not very close, it
is coming sooner and sooner, until it is
here. Seventh graders are afraid of
mostly Social studies and Science. The
finals cost one-ninth of your final grade.
Final exams are based on everything a
student has learned over the entire
school year. They vary in difficulty for
the teachers write the questions. Though,
there will be study packets for teachers
to hand out. After all, the finals look at
an overall view of the year. When asked
about if the students were ready for
finals, Ms. Restifo answer, “Yes,
certainly.”
When asked about pressure from
finals, seventh grade student Brian
Browne said, “from Social Studies and
maybe a little science.” This proves,
students would think that math and
language arts are the more important
subjects than social studies and science.
That’s why PSSA’s are based on math
and language arts. Also, many students
have not taken many major tests on
science and social studies. You might be
thinking, “So what they already have so
many quizzes and tests.” However that is
totally different. Finals look back on the
whole year. Student’s memories may not
be so great. Students, like Brian Browne,
don’t know if they will do as well on
Social studies and science as math and
language arts. However, Ms. Restifo also
said that if you listen well and study
hard, you’ll be fine. Also seventh grade
teacher Mr. Capista said that finals will
only affect you if you are on the
borderline of a grade.
moving it down from the second floor to
the first floor. Also, they are merging the
two cafeterias into one larger cafeteria.
There is one thing most of us would
have wanted earlier. That is new airconditioning and heating through out the
whole school. Finally they are getting
new ceilings, floors, and windows. All
of this is going to cost around $55
million.
So far they have started to add more
windows and a few new oil tanks. They
have also started work on 10 classrooms
in the sixth grade hallway, and started
preparations for other jobs. The
construction is supposed to be finished
by September of 2011. This is unless
they fall behind schedule, which they
already have due to a late start.
You might be wondering why they took
the ceiling tiles out of the hallways. This
is so they can put new water and heating
pipes in the ceiling. Instead of waiting
until the summer to start they took the
tiles out during Spring Break. This will
save time in the long run.
The last update was in 1998 when they
redid the electrical system. Now 11
years later they are remodeling the entire
school. This will make the school nicer
and a more comfortable place to learn in.
Haverford Middle School
Construction
By : Ryan Kirby
What is going on with the construction
here at Haverford Middle School? Some
of us do not even know what they are
fixing. They are basically remodeling the
entire school says Mrs. Restifo, head
principal at HMS. One of these major
changes includes taking the library and
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Teachers Share Feelings About
Relocating Rooms
By: Matt Walheim
Over the past year or so,
construction has been done on the
Middle School (Haverford). This forced
many teachers to relocate rooms. Some
people like their new room and every
thing about it but the location and others
don’t really like anything about their
room.
Mrs. Hagerty, an art teacher here
at HMS, is one person that doesn’t really
like their room. She compares her old
room to a “penthouse” because of its
size and view of the football field, and
her new room a “closet” because of size.
She said that it took her about 26 hours
total but over the span of a week. She
also said that there was some stuff, like
her kiln, that she couldn’t bring along to
her new room.
Then some other people like Mrs.
Ezra, Seminar teacher, who likes their
new room better, but not so much the
location. Mrs. Ezra, currently in the
trailer, describes her room as “being out
here in this tin can.” Mrs. Flounders, 6th
Grade teacher, Panthers, said she’s “out
of the swing of things.” She is in charge
of the Camp Canadensis and said that
“One thing camp will do is truly bring
the 6th grade together because of being
spread out.” Mr. Sabitini, 6th Grade
teacher, Falcons, says that he “likes his
old room because the area was quieter.”
He has “moved four times in the last
seven years, so it didn’t take him long to
get used to it.” The other people said it
didn’t take long to get used to it.
Construction has had a lot of
effects and just one of them has been the
relocation of the rooms. Thing that a lot
had in common is that they couldn’t wait
for the new rooms and the buildings to
be done
6th Grade Excited For Canadensis
Trip
By Ray Pomponio
May 27th, 2009 at 7:30 AM is
when the sixth grade, along with their
teachers and chaperons, plan to depart to
Camp Canadensis. This year the smallest
amount of students are staying home
since the trip was first created years ago.
Some campers are staying back
because of their family's religion or
culture, yet the cost of the trip has not
been an issue for most students at
$135.00. Although, it has affected some
parents' decisions to accompany the
children on the three day field trip.
This year the parents who
planned on chaperoning had to have two
clearances in order for them to be
eligible to sign up as a helping mom or
dad. First they had to prove they were
clear of any criminal charges, as well as
any child abuse charges. None of these
clearances stopped the parents from
achieving the highest number of
requested chaperons, unfortunately
creating the highest number of chaperon
rejections as well.
Mrs. Young has joined Mrs.
Flounders as a new coordinator of the
trip. They have a new rule that will
apply to this years trip that may
disappoint some of the campers.
Absolutely no AXE or other fragrances
will be allowed at the dance. One reason
is that other campers may be allergic to
the products as well as the fact that the
recent construction of Haverford Middle
School has already spread various
materials into the classrooms and
hallways, so the banned products are
only for the campers' safety.
Even though there may be a
few changes to this years trip, the
students are still excited for activities
like kayaking, the climbing wall, and
even arts and crafts. In the past the
trip has proven to be a lifelong
memory, as former students have
constantly returned to Haverford to
let the teachers know that they did an
outstanding job.
Arctic Falcons Team Excited for
U.N Trip
By: Nick Rose
Since 1986, the sixth grade
Arctic Falcons team has been going
on a trip to the United Nations. This
year, the trip is on May 21. Every
year for 23 years, the team has made
it to New York City through thick
and thin, rain or shine to see the
historical United Nations U.S
headquarters. It is a well put together,
fun, and educational trip for students,
parents, and teachers.
The UN Secretariat building
was constructed between 1949 and
1952. Back then, the technology was
considered “cutting edge.” Steam
pumps through old pipes and gauges
from the early fifties are used to run
some of the world’s most important
technology. This will be changed,
though. In late 2006, the renovation
project was approved to take place
between 2007 and 2014. The total
cost will reach $1.88 billion. It is well
worth it though, considering the
Secretariat received over 38 million
visitors in its existence. It has become
an icon for the UN. When people
think UN, they think of the
Secretariat. Since renovations will
help make the building more energy
efficient, people are pleased with the
UN’s contribution to making the
world a greener place.
When I asked Mrs. Needles
why the trip is so important, she said
the following: “All of the team
members believe in this trip whole
heartedly. It is a trip that allows all of
the classes, L.A, Social Studies,
Math, and Science to be connected
with the United Nations philosophy
and its organizations.” Being a
former Falcon myself, I know first
hand what it is like to study the UN is
all of the classes. In Social Studies,
we learn about the structure of the
UN, the history, and the importance
of the UN in the modern world. IN
Language Arts, we learned about the
different cultures of the countries and
what hardships and pleasures they
endure. In Math, we choose countries
to learn about and we plot graphs on
their population, warfare, and other
information. So the trip to the UN
isn’t really just a fun trip to New
York, it is very educational and can
provide a lot of information.
The warfare section of the trip
is very cool. There is a separate room
completely on World War II and the
effect it had on so many people. I
could see that the teachers and
students were interested on learning
more about this tragic time in the
world’s history.
The South Street Seaport is a
huge mall that the team goes to after
they finish at the UN tour. It is right
on the harbor and is a fun place to
chill out and grab something to eat
after the UN. With a crowded deck
outside, it offers a city-like
atmosphere with a touch of beach
feeling since you are so close to the
water.
The team travels to New York
by luxury bus which offers a
comfortable ride. The anticipation is
building up in the sixth grade. The
trip is generally a really well
organized trip that is fun for everyone
if you follow directions. The trip this
year is May 21, and the team will
leave bright and early to get a full,
fun filled day in New York City
visiting the United Nations.
Construction: Worth it or Not
By: Rob DiSanto
Projected image of the new HMS
library
Recently, construction has
been taking place at Haverford
Middle School. The building is not
being knocked down; it is being
renovated, so the teachers have to
move around, and it is causing
annoyance. The construction started
in October of 2008, and is supposed
to be done by the start of the school
year of 2011. The building has not
been changed or redone since the
electric was fixed about ten years
ago.
Many of the teachers have
been moved to temporary rooms
because of the construction, and some
to trailers outside the building. The
construction has mainly affected 6th
grade teachers, but the construction is
moving down the building, starting
with 6th grade wing. Mrs. Peck, one
of the 6th grade teachers, said she
would have liked it better if they had
done a new school instead of the
renovations, but she is excited about
teaching in a nicer school. The 7th
and 8th grade teachers are not yet
affected, but the construction will
reach everybody.
The building is also being kept
as safe as possible. There is some
asbestos, located mostly in the tile
flooring, to be removed, and the
abatement (removal) will be watched
by Scotts, Stevens, and McCoy to
make sure that all of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA) regulations are followed. Air
quality testing is being done
continually to be sure that asbestos
particles do not get into the air. So
far, the test results show that the
abatement is under the regulations of
the EPA. Mr. Langin, a 7th grade
teacher at Haverford Middle School,
said they will do all they can do keep
the children safe and they would not
put the students in jeopardy.
The administration has asked
the teachers to do things to get
around the construction such as
parking in different places and using
different doors. They have also
asked the teachers to report any noise
or fumes.
In the end, however, most
teachers think it will be worth the
trouble and the annoyance to have a
better school. There will be a much
nicer school with a lot of newer
technology. Mr. Langin says, “We
already have great teachers here, but
to say we have a great building to go
with them is awesome.”
Kokonut Kapers Premieres in
HMS
By Luke Peden
Friday and Saturday night at
7:30pm, the 6th grade play, Kokonut
Kapers, was seen for the first and
second time. It was a one weekend
event, so it isn’t showing anymore
(except in Buck’s County), but many
people I asked said it was great.
Will O’Reilly, who was one of
the assistant directors, said that “They
did a great job, especially compared
to the beginning.”
“Mr. Braverman said that the
singing was done well, along with the
general progress of the actor’s ability.
He did wish that the timing was
better, and the memorization of lines.
The songs were very good indeed.
My favorite was “Living the Good
Life in Miami”.
The story of the play was
about a group of people that won an
island, but they can’t pay off their
debts so they might have to sell the
island. Another group of people come
and try to buy them the island, but
they refuse to sell it. Then they try to
pay off their debts by running a
school. In the end, they find a
treasure, pay off their debts, and live
on that island happily ever after.
It was a memorable
experience, because the actors did a
very believable job of sounding
content and hopeful at the end of the
play. In fact, it was great acting the
whole time, especially for their age
level, with almost no mistakes. There
were many participants, including
Julia Gantz, Berkley Melvin, Lindsey
Koma, Sophie Gordon, and other
actors who were just as important.
Overall, the play was done
exceptionally well, and in my
opinion, it was a very smart decision
to attend by those who did.
THE SPORTS REPORT
7th Grade Fords Lacrosse Team Looks
To Turn Season Around
By: Matt Skurka
After a disappointing 1 and 3
start the Haverford 7th grade boy’s
lacrosse team, coached by John McCall,
looks to turn their losing record into a
winning one. After losing to Garnett
Valley, Paxon Hallow, Coleman
Neumann, and beating Beverly Hills, the
Fords look to save their season.
Many of the players of the
lacrosse team agree that the team must
improve if they want a winning record.
When asked the question what can the
team do to improve, Dylan Simonson, a
defenseman for the lacrosse team said, “
many players need to work on their
passing and catching.”
Austin Hackman, another player
for the Fords, states,” the team works
well together, but it could be better. If
the team works together more we could
win some more games and hopefully
have a winning record.”
“All the players do get fair
playing time, but some of the bad
players don’t play as much, although
they do know that they need to work on
stick-handling, passing, catching, and
need to get used to the pressure of a
game situation if they want to play
more,” says Fords lacrosse player,
Shawn Kane.
Most players on the team agree
that a lot needs to be done in order to
win some more games. That includes
practicing more, and working harder to
improve their game, but I guess we will
have to wait to see if the 2009 7th grade
boys lacrosse team will turn their slow
start into a winning season.
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Life of a Seventh Grade Lacrosse
Player
By Jenna Bergstrom
Haverford High School Field,
after school, with a lacrosse stick, mouth
gaurd, and goggles. Be there because
according to Lauren Falasco, Bridget
Bergan, and Krista Vandetty, that’s
where the fun’s at even if it may include
some shuttles and running. At the end of
the winter, all girls get ready to practice
to try to make the team for the season.
Everyone says how nervous they are and
drop the ball every five seconds because
of their nervousness. The Coach, Mrs.
O’Grady kept postponing the day when
they find out who was cut. They all
stood in the freezing cold waiting for
when Mrs. O’Grady lists the names of
people who made it. She started with the
people of the last name of “A”. Name by
name the intense gets more intense. At
least one person was screaming after
each name was called out. At the end of
the names people were cheering except
for a few. All the teammates gathered
around the players who didn’t make the
team and comforted them, saying they
should definitely ask to be the manager.
Now, they all practice every sunny day,
The whole 24 players try hard to please
the Coach, Mrs. O’Grady. Lauren
Falasco has played for five years on
either Haverford Township Recreation,
the Phantastics, or for Haverford Middle
School. This seventh grader was voted
best player on the team by Lexi Rubin
and Bridget Bergan and a few other
people I bet that I just haven’t
questioned. She is stationed at first home
when on the field, playing hard to score
them goals to go step by step in beating
the opponent. Bridget Bergan, as center,
has also played for five years. She says
she will most likely play lacrosse for
eighth grade because she enjoys it so
much. Her wish is to make every
lacrosse team she tries out for until she
reaches College. Krista Vandetty on the
Komodo Dragons loves life on the field
just as Lauren and Bridget do. Playing
on Left Attack Wing, she claims it is
hard work but it is worth it to play with
her friends and to have the better
chances of winning games. The life as a
lacrosse player is fun but you have to put
in hard work to accomplish goals.
Haverford’s Baseball Team Beats
Paxon Hallow 8-5 Tuesday
by Cooper Michaelis
Haverford’s 7th grade baseball
team had a great win to Paxon Hollow’s
7th grade baseball team yesterday on
Tuesday, April 21. The game was played
at Lynnewood Elementary School,
which is Haverford’s home field. There
had been a game planned the day before,
but it was cancelled due to a storm that
lasted about two entire days. There
might have been a cancellation of
yesterdays game but the rain stopped just
one day before the game was supposed
to be started which left just enough time
for the field to dry. The game was
started at 3:30 and lasted until 5:30 so
the sun was up the entire game. This was
not a problem for any of the players
because the sun was high up in left field.
All of the games are 7 innings
long or two hours, which ever comes
first. The game yesterday went to the
end of the fifth inning. The pressure was
on Haverford even though they won
because the game was tied with two
outs, bases loaded, and Haverford was
up to bat. Late in the count Haverford hit
a triple that was tried to be turned into a
homerun because even if the batter got
out at home the three runs that scored
before him would still count. So that was
it the fords won and took their 2nd win of
the season out of the possible three. The
key to the game were the Fords pitching
by Jim Sharkey, Mike O’Halloran, and
James McWilliams who all pitched a
great game.
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Tough Loss For Fords
By Michael O’Halloran
Garnet Valley, PA- On Friday,
April 17, 2009, the Haverford 7th grade
boys baseball team played against the
Garnet Valley Jaguars. The Fords
defense couldn’t stop the Jaguars from
scoring, as the Fords lost, 13-3.
In the first inning, the Fords
came out strong. After a Steve
Scornajenghi hit, James McWilliams
singled him in. The inning ended on the
same play as McWilliams tried to go to
second, and was thrown out and the half
inning was over. Then it was the
Jaguars’ turn. They came out and scored
three runs until the Fords defensively put
a stop to it. Then it was the Fords turn.
In the top of the 2nd inning, Nick Rose
led off with a walk. Then, shortly after,
was replaced by Cooper Michaelis. As
he was taking a lead, the catcher threw it
to the third basemen. Cooper ran back
to the bag and the ball seemed to have
ricocheted off his helmet. He then
scored, as the ball went into the outfield
on a Jaguar error. The inning ended on
Matt Depetris getting caught stealing.
Score: 3-2, Jaguars on top.
It was the Jaguars turn to bat.
The inning was a sad one for the Fords,
as they let up 9 runs. After a single by
Palis, the Jags leadoff man. He scored on
a hit by Bullisky, the Jags three hitter.
Then, after more hits, Scornajenghi was
relieved by James McWilliams.
Scornajenghi recorded 1 strikeout, and
gave up 6 runs, with 3 walks.
McWilliams ended the inning with 6
runs scored on him and had 1 strikeout
on Bullisky. He also walked 3 batters in
the inning. After the game, Nick Rose,
starting catcher for the Fords said, “They
[McWilliams & Scornajenghi] threw
hard, but just didn’t hit the spots [throw
strikes].”
After the long second inning, it
was the Fords’ time to answer back.
They didn’t. The top of the 3rd inning
was fast as the Fords went down 1,2,3.
In the bottom of the third, Jim Sharkey
pitched for the Fords. He earned 2
strikeouts, gave up 1 run, 3 walks, and 3
hits. At the end of the inning, the score
was Jaguars 13, the Fords 2.
The game progressed for the
Fords, as they scored one run in the
fourth inning, but that was the end of the
scoring for both teams. Jim Sharkey
ended up with 3 strikeouts, and gave up
3 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run. It was a tough
game for the Fords as the game was
ended in the 5th inning, due to a ten-run
mercy rule. Final score: Jaguars 13,
Fords 3.
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Editorials
The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of
Construction
By Chris Donnay
The construction around school
has become increasingly obvious over
the past few months. It started in the
summer and has been going throughout
the year. The smells, the sounds, and
quite frankly the ceiling have protruded
into our school life. I don’t have a taste
for the loud buzzing noise coming out if
the walls, or the gasoline type smells
coming from a strange room in the
basement.
8 out of 10 students are affected by
the construction. This leads to a question.
Why they don’t just build a new school? It
would be cheaper and the students
wouldn’t be as affected.
Renovations on our school are
expensive. But so is building a new
school. The only difference is that
building a new school would cost 20
million dollars less. Why didn’t they do it?
It is because there is no space. In the
school district there is no room for
another school. That’s a big problem when
trying to build a new school.
So how is the construction
affecting the students? It is making us find
different ways to class. Sometimes there
are strange noises coming from the walls
during our tests, or maybe all of the fire
drills. The alarms are being tested, set off,
and we have to listen to it.
These are just some of the ways that we
students are affected. Lets just hope that
the construction is worth the intrusion on
our school life. Unfortunately, there is
nothing we can do for now. We will just
have to wait for the renovations to be over.
Let Students Be Able to Pick Lunch
Seat
By Brandon Chang
At Haverford Middle School,
students should be able to sit wherever
he or she wishes to during lunch. There
is no reason to assign seats because
students have good enough judgment to
decide where they sit.
Kate Henderson, a member of the
student council, said that lunch seating
was one of the councils’ issues that they
wanted to solve.
“When we spoke to one of the
lunch monitors, they said the main
reason for assigned seating was related
to attendance,” said Kate. Lunch
monitors could make sure everyone was
in the cafeteria because they would
know who sat at which particular table.
Often students have multiple
friends they want to sit with during
lunch. The six people per table limit do
not allow students to sit with other
friends. However, if we were allowed to
choose our lunch seat everyday, the
problem could easily be solved.
Kyungchul Yoon, a seventh
grader on the Komodo Dragons team
said, “Choosing my seat everyday can
let me sit with all my friends, just at
different times.”
Allowing students to sit where
they wish can help them meet new
people. This might improve social
development and interactions between
students.
The one time that students can
talk and relax is during lunch. Even
then they are restricted from some of
their other friends because they
cannot sit with all of them.
“The council right now is
working on trying to allow students
to pick their seats a few days a
week,” said Kate.
Everyday, students should be able to
pick where they want to sit during
their lunch.
Gym ≠ Music
By Gabe Robinson-Barr
Is music more important than
gym? It is important for a school to
balance both music and gym equally.
Some schools with budget cuts get rid
of music and/ or sports programs. It
is important to kids to have these
programs so that kids can be active
for parts of the day.
America has a problem with
obese children; more children are
sitting down to play video games and
not exercising. Gym gets kids to ex
exercise and shows kids that
exercising can be fun. 25% of kids in
America are obese. Music lets kids sit
down and luck, blow into an
instrument, or stand in one place and
sing. Unhealthy weight gain also
leads to 300,000 deaths each year.
We can lower that number by
encouraging kids to exercise more
often. Athletics also offers a wider
selection of jobs. Kids need to pursue
careers that will give them options, so
say if they can’t be an athlete, they
can be a coach. That helps with the
unemployment rate in the country
and also helps support families so
there won’t be as many foreclosures.
There are many more people
employed in fobs related to athletics
than in jobs related to music. There
are about 12,5000 employed as
athletes and sports competitors,
165,000 as coaches and scouts and
13,500 as officials. There are only
9,000 employed as directors and
composers and 47,500 as singers and
musicians. If so many people can
make it in sports and not as many in
music, then music must be a harder
job to do well.
Jobs in athletics are usually
high paying jobs that can easily be
found. Athletes make about $40,000
a year, coaches and scouts make
about $30,000 a year, and officials
make about $25,000 a year. Directors
and composers make about $40,000 a
year and musicians and singers make
about $20 an hour, as they don’t
normally work year round giving
them less pay.
Gym teaches kids about good
sportsmanship and how to be a team
player. Music can teach how to work
together in a group, but doesn’t teach
kids how to be a good sport about
losing. Turning into a bully can be
from being teased about being obese,
which could also be prevented by
having gym more often.
Sports lovers are found all
over the world, whether it’s soccer,
football, baseball, hockey, or some
other sport. There are always people
that have their favorite sport and
team. People have their favorite
teams. People have their favorite
bands and are sometimes crazy over a
band, but how many times does a kid
say, “When I grow up I want to be a
music director.” Kids want to become
sports players for their favorite team,
mot a musician for their favorite
band.
Overall gym is important in
America and our school. Gym is
equal if not more important than
music. Gym should be equal to music
by every other week being three
being only two days a week out
school will have an unbalanced
schedule.
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School Times A Hassle, They
Should Be Changed
By John Reynolds
The
school
times
are
outrageous and should be changed for
the better of the students and
teachers. Teachers give students
projects that are expected to be
worked on, on a daily basis, and then
there is the nightly homework that
must be completed too. Not to
mention that almost all of the
students have after school activates
that will also require a good amount
of time each day. With all of these
things students are still required to be
at school by 7:50AM. This will, in
turn, leave most middle school
students with very little time to sleep.
To arrive at school on time
students will have to wake up by
7:00AM at the latest. With all of the
homework and projects given, and
after school activates some students
may not get to bed until around
11:00PM. This will leave some
middle school students with only
eight hours of sleep. The website
“Sleep and Teens” said that teens
should get 9.2 hours of sleep at the
least. This means that most middle
school students ages 11-14 will miss
the amount of sleep they should get
by more than an hour.
How can teachers expect
students to get so little sleep and still
perform well on tests and exams?
Well, they should not need to be put
in this situation at all. If the school
would just change the time that we
get in to school by an hour, from
7:50AM to 8:50AM students would
then be able to focus better and will
perform better on tests.
So, instead of getting to school
at 8:50AM and leaving at 2:35 we
would just push both of those times
back an hour. By doing this students
and teachers can get more sleep. Now
instead of struggling to stay awake
during classes students will be able to
stay alert and focus better. This will
eventually lead to better test scores,
and happy teachers. Just by changing
the school times we can achieve all of
this.
Special Features
so they are not as noticeable.
According to Lizzie Freilich, the
most popular colors are pink,
orange, and light blue. “These
colors are awful. Though I enjoy
orange, the combination of the
three is sickening.”
Although many of the girls
at Haverford Middle School have
a similar style, not all of them
have the same opinion about the
style. There really is a diverse
amount of girls in 7th grade.
School Fashion
By Allison Wilkes
and red. White, brown, gray and
black are also frequently seen,
but they are not very bright colors
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Haverford Middle School
has a wide variety of fashion
trends and personalities. Uggs are
definitely a popular brand of
shoes. Many people said that
they liked Uggs because they are
comfortable and warm. Others
said that they liked to wear
converse. Lizzie Freilich and
Michelle Myers, two 7th grade
students at HMS like converse
because they are comfortable
and not made from animal parts.
Just any kind of sneakers is also a
very popular selection for shoes.
Most students in 7th grade
at Haverford like to wear casual
clothes to school because it is
easy to put together, its
comfortable, and they do not like
to dress up for school. Shannon
Wichmann, also a 7th grade
student stated, “I’m a mix of all
kinds of style. I like to dress up
sometimes but other days I like to
just wear sweats.”
Straight hair is what the
majority of people agreed is what
most girls do with their hair, but a
good amount of people just wear
their hair up in a bun or pony-tail.
When in the hallway,
people noticed that a lot of girls
tend to wear pink, orange, blue,
students attending that
college constructed the
program. Yet that
limitation gradually
shrunk, until by the end of
2004 alone, the number of
members had already grown
to over one million. Now,
the only requirement for
joining is to have a valid
e-mail address, meaning
that the application is
open to almost anyone.
However, there are
mixed reviews about the
sense behind a Facebook
account. Austin Lowe, a
seventh grader at Haverford
Middle School, disapproves
of this form of
communication, saying that
“if people want penpals,
then email them!” He went
on to state that he wished
“people would shut up about
it.”
Considering the
massive popularity of the
website, it’s safe to say
that most people do not
agree. Raphael Aamir,
another seventh grader at
Haverford, claimed that
people with Austin’s
mindset need to understand
that “this is the twentyfirst century. Everybody
needs to get with the
program!”
Sadly, people who
haven’t hesitated to “get
with the program” do
include bullies and
criminals. In a recent
survey, over 60% of the
children polled, from sixth
to eighth grade, admitted
that they were victims of
cyber-bullying, and these
were just the ones who
confessed it. There are
also cyber predators, or
adults posing as kids for
the purposes of kidnapping,
sexual assault, murder, or
a combination of the three.
Thusly, despite all of the
hype behind Facebook, there
is still a lot of danger
for the younger users.
Construction at School
Austin Lowe
Both students and teachers at Haverford
middle school are affected by the
school’s ongoing construction. There
have been room changes, ceiling tiles
removed, lights removed and replaced
by temporary ones, trailers built in front
of the connecting corridor, a closed gym,
and more. Some people don’t care about
the new renovations but on the other
hand some do. Eleven out of twenty
people like the new lighting above our
heads as said by fellow student Mike
Maratea it “makes it feel more calm,”
and “the lights are cooler,” from Jack
Norberg. This is happening while others
are neutral on the subject like Allison
Wilkes who checked off both boxes for
my survey on if you like the new lights.
There are some setbacks to this
construction like the dust and smell, but
most people don’t mind and continue on
like they usually would. I was informed
“that asbestos from the insulation may
give you cancer” as said Matt Steelman.
Some classes were moved like art,
seminar, a whole lot of 6th grade classes,
but Gym D was closed this year except
for when the bike show happened for the
fundraiser, and also a section of the field
and the back entrances were closed due
to construction. As for the ceiling tiles
are other, seemingly random, problems.
being removed, now there are plumbing
“The cheesesteaks taste like roast beef”
tubes and many wires showing but Mrs.
says Charlie Brindley, a student on the
Somers thinks of it as no problem for
Peregrine Falcons. Also, the meat on the
they are to high up to reach. Some
cheesesteaks seems to have a greenish
students, though, think visible wires may
tinge, and the meat in the chicken
be a hazard. Hopefully there are no more
nuggets is gray. One of the most
complications for the rest of the school
alarming issues is the fact that, among
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artificial colorings, and the salad often
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There are also a variety of
miscellaneous concerns. For example, it
has been commonly been complained
that the lockers are too small. The water
fountains offer another problem. “It had
this weird peppery taste. Eugh! And it
Things To Change
was all bubbly,” complained Austin
By David Wilds
Lowe, on the Komodo Dragons, after
Recent polls have shown that many of
using one water fountain. Finally the
the students see fault with the school and
ceiling is missing tiles and the lights
would like to see these things changed.
give the school a dim, depressing, look.
First among them: The bathrooms.
Second among them is the seemingly
low quality of the lunches,
Seventh Graders differ on musical
Complaints about the bathrooms
opinions than the World
are numerous. Chief among them is the
By Kevin Vu
quality of sanitation there. It has been
noted by several people that, quite
Haverford Middle School (HMS)
frankly, they smell of human waste.
seventh grade students disagree with the
Another is the perceived lack of
rest of the world on music. 62% of the
maintenance there. “The urinals leak,”
world listens to rock, where only 38% of
said one Seventh Grade student. It has
HMS seventh graders do. 20% of the
been noted on more than one occasion
world jams to metal, but only 3% of
that some students avoid the bathrooms
HMS seventh graders do. 11% of the
altogether.
world swings with jazz, but only 3% of
Second among the concerns of
the seventh graders do.
the students is the low quality of the
Currently, many music polls are
lunches. It seems to be an overused,
asking everybody around the world what
almost clichéd complaint, however it has
kind of music they like. By averaging
some grounds. One of the main concerns
many polls, the world listens to music in
is that the lunches are undercooked.
these percentages : 62% rock, 3% rap,
Furthermore it has been noted that there
2% country, 11% jazz, 2% classical, and
20% metal.
On Monday, April 20, 2009,
seventh graders were polled on what was
their favorite type of music. The
objective was to know what was the
most popular and why the music was so
popular. 38% responded rock, 26.5%
said rap, 14% said alternative, 3% said
country, 3% said metal, 3% said
acoustic, 3% said hip-hop, 6% said pop,
and 3% said jazz.
“They are music,” praises rock
fan Ryan Clancy. “Something about the
guitar,” explains seventh grader Brian
Browne. However, alternative, metal,
and acoustic have great uses of the guitar
as well.
Seventh graders who answered
‘rap” all gave the same description of the
music. “It has a good beat,” comments
seventh grader Will O’Reilly. “I like the
beats and the words,” adds seventh
grader Francesco Campese. Jazz and
metal also have good beats.
Pop and country listeners gave
very vague descriptions of their music.
“Because its southern” said country
fanatic Kyungchul Yoon. “I like a lot of
different kinds of music, and pop is a
wide variety of music, so therefore, I
like pop,” explained seventh grader
Marissa Roney. All genres have a wide
variety of music; that property is not
exclusive to pop.
HMS 7th Grade Music Poll Results
Rock
6%
3%
Rap
World Music Poll Results
2%
Rock
Rap
20%
Jazz
Country
Metal
2%
Classical
11%
62%
3%
Jazz, acoustic, and alternative
fans gave reasons that had nothing to do
with the music itself. “Because nobody
else does,” says jazz band member
Austin Lowe. “Because it is mellow,”
explains acoustic fan Nick Rose. “It
isn’t just screaming,” says alternative fan
Brandon Chang. There are plenty of
people who listen to jazz, plenty of
genres that feature mellow songs, and all
genres feature songs that aren’t “just
screaming.”
There are several conclusions
that can be drawn from these statements.
One is that there is not really one thing
about a genre that students like, that it is
the entire puzzle fitted together and not
just the one piece. Another is that
students don’t enjoy music because of
the music, but perhaps for another
reason, such as that all their friends
listen to it or it was the first kind of
music they were introduced to. Can the
secret of music really be expressed in
words? It should appear not.
Jazz
14%
38%
Country
Metal
3%
Acoustic
3%
Alternative
Pop
3%
Hip-Hop
3%
27%
Haverford Middle School Student
Council
By Kate Henderson
Haverford Middle School has many
clubs. One of the newest ones is the
Student Council, which is nearing the
end of its second year.
The Student Council is a group
of twelve students: three sixth graders,
four seventh graders, and five eighth
graders. They must apply at the
beginning of the year, and are chosen by
seventh grade teacher and student
council head, Mr. Langin. The
applications are read, and Mr. Langin
will talk to the student’s previous
teachers.
The Student Council assists in
running many activities, including the
Thanksgiving food drive, the mock
election, last year’s book drive, lolligram
sales, and the sixth grade activities fair.
The other part of what the
Student Council does is influenced by
what changes need to be made around
the school and what Haverford Middle
School students want to be changed.
Every two months, there is a
“Town Hall” meeting. All students are
welcome to come and give their ideas or
concerns about the school.
At the next meeting, the Student Council
members will discus all of the ideas.
They will select some of them,
particularly ones that have been
suggested multiple times, and work to
try to put them in action.
Currently, the Student Council is
working on improving advisory. They
also have a proposal on students
occasionally having a day to choose their
seat at lunch, rather than sit in an
assigned seat, under discussion by the
administration.
Overall, although Student Council is a
relatively new club, it is an important
one. Hopefully, we will soon see more
of the effects of their hard work.
Distractions in Class: A Teachers
Point of View
By Nate Frank
When 6th grade language arts
teacher Mrs. Flounders was asked, “In
your eyes what is the biggest distraction
for students in school today?” she said,
“The biggest distraction in school today
is other kids. Off task students can easily
take the attention of a focused kid away
from the teacher. Many students bring
toys to class and show them off. This
attracts many focused students.”
She also stated that, “Electronics
are also a huge factor in distractions.
Students bring all sorts of things to class
like ipods, that kids are fascinated in.”
Another question asked was,
“What was the biggest distraction in
school ten years ago and how has it
changed?” The response was, “ There
was not as many handheld electronics
ten years ago. The only distraction was
still other students.”
One other question asked was, “Do
you think in the future it will get better
or worse?” She responded, “ It will get
way worse, smaller toys will be
available and more distractions will
come.”
The last question asked was, “Can
you see if a kid was distracted based on
test scores?” She stated, “ Yes, it is very
easy to tell. I can altar the class and
change their seat so hey will have an
easier time focusing.”
“Some kids just can’t seem to get
focused. For a teacher to try to focus a
kid, it takes a lot of work.”
Experience in the Play at Haverford
Middle School
By Marissa Roney
Haverford Middle School
performs two plays every year and
works very hard on them. The
experience is more than just kids acting,
singing, and dancing on stage. The
students do work o those things very
hard, and come to the auditorium every
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. They
also have a couple actors come and
critique the show before it premieres on
stage. But learning choreography, music,
and your lines is only part of the
experience.
Just recently, on April 17th and
18th, sixth graders preformed a play
called Kokonut Kapers. When asked to
describe how she felt in three words a
bout her theater experience here at
Haverford Middle School, sixth grader
Alyssa Marchand said, “I love it”.
Another performer, Renee Hyde, says
her experience was “fun, crazy, and
hard.” She also said that the downside
was the fact that the beginning rehearsals
were boring.
Students also said that part of the fun
was acting in character, like someone
you’re not. But in the end, when the
show premieres, backstage is full of
excitement. All the work they (students
in the plays at Haverford Middle School)
do finally pays off on their show nights,
and the sixth graders have a blast. One
hundred percent of the sixth grade
students asked, said that they would
participate in next year’s show too.
Experiences in the plays at Haverford
Middle School are fun, very hard work,
yet profitable and exciting when
performance night rolls around.
Entertainment News
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Final Choral Night
By: Lizzie Freilich
Last Thursday night, April 16,
the final Choral Night ever was held in
the Haverford High School auditorium.
All the select choirs and their directors
in the school district gathered there to
perform one last concert for Choral
Night.
All of the select choirs in the
district, including the high school’s
choir, Seventh Heaven, Men and Boys’
Choir, Chamber Choir, and District
Chorus, attended the concert. The
Choruses all sang different numbers,
from “Kenya Melodies” to “Wade in the
Water” to the Pink Panther theme song.
The directors were Mr. Gardner, Mr.
Peters, Ms. Manfredi, Mrs. Doll, Mrs.
McIntire, and Mrs. Bobnak. They all
gathered at the end of the night to
perform “America the Beautiful” for
their audience.
Choral Night is a great
opportunity for the younger kids in
chorus to watch and listen to the older
ones, and for the older ones to listen to
the younger generation of singers.
Seeing
the more advanced choirs gives the
younger singers something to strive
towards, and it gives the older ones time
to reminisce their younger days in
chorus.
Choral Night, which has been
going on since 1984, will be replaced by
the Haverford Gala (which is unclear as
to what exactly it is) next year and in
years to follow. Mr. Gardner, the middle
school’s choral teacher, was upset that
the night of singing was being cancelled
because “…it’s one of the concerts I
really look forward to…it’s actually
work for me.” Another thing he will
miss about Choral Night is the recruits
the concert brings in for Seventh
Heaven.
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Jazz Band Unbelievable
By: Austin Hackman
The HMS Jazz Band has
performed at many concerts and festivals
this year. They have performed at many
middle school Jazz Festivals including
Beverly Hills, Bala Cynwyd, and Drexel
Hill Jazz Festivals, and have received
the highest rating of Superior at all of
them along with multiple section and
Outstanding soloist awards. They also
participated in the 30th Annual Evening
of Jazz. The Jazz Band has played
excellent in all of its concerts. One of the
guitarists in the band, Dan Roe,
enthusiastically reported that the Jazz
Band has won many awards and trophies
and they sound great. He has won two
outstanding soloist awards himself.
The band’s director Dr. Tom
Rudolph has been out for a considerably
large part of the year due to a tumor in
his colon. Because of this the Jazz Band
has had many different directors
throughout. Many of the districts other
directors generously volunteered to
conduct the band including Mr. Drew
Shanefield, who was out on sabbatical,
Mr. Mike Norton, and Mr. Michael Fein.
The band missed many rehearsals due to
Dr. Rudolph’s absences when no other
directors were available. Tenor
saxophone player Brandon Chang
reported that it was confusing to have so
many different directors. Dr. Rudolph
reported that his absences did not seem
to affect the band’s performance and
quality. The only thing is he did not get
the chance to go over improvisation with
the band as he usually does in years that
he is there the whole time. He said, “The
Jazz Band is doing better than I could
ever have expected.” The band’s leaders,
as reported by Dr. Rudolph, are lead
saxophone player Zach Winger and lead
trumpet player John DiValerio. The
emerging leaders are the whole rhythm
section including keyboard players
Wendy Chao and Hugh Huang, guitar
players Dan Roe and John Cunningham,
drum players Max Datner and Max
Bowden, and bass player Alex Benamy.
The band rehearses three times a week
on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings
for 30 minutes and Friday afternoons
from 2:45 to 4:00.
Honking to Bucks
County
By: Chipper Rossino
Haverford Middle School’s very
own 7th and 8th grade play is competing
in a theater contest at the Bucks County
Playhouse on May 21, 2009. They will
be judged on their performance and can
possibly get awards such as best actor or
best performance. Other middle schools
in the area will also be competing there.
The play has already been shown
at HMS in the fall and proved to be a
success. The play is called “Honk!” and
is about how the ugly duckling found his
way home. Although this may sound
like the same dull old children’s story
this specific version is packed with
vibrate characters, singing, and dancing.
The ugly duckling or “Ugly” in the play
gets into some sticky situations. At one
point he has to escape a hungry cat that
wants to eat him for lunch.
“I think it is awesome,” says
Chris Donnay when asked what he
thinks of the play. Donnay plays a TV
producer in the play and shows off his
singing and dancing. Mr. Braverman the
director, music director, and producer of
the play also has high expectations. Robbie
Cromie and Sara Nealley have won awards
the previous two years and he expects them
to repeat. Although Mr. Braverman was
confident about this play he couldn’t rank it
among other plays that have been performed
at HMS. He says you can’t compare
different plays just like you can’t compare
different sports teams.
The leads in this play are Kyle
Gaulman and Will O’Rielly who play the
duckling Ugly. Drake who is played by
Colin Mottola, Ida played by Sara Nealley,
Cat played by Robbie Cromie, and Graylag
played by Tristan Horan. These actors along
with about 80 more practiced almost
endlessly. They practiced three days a week
after school. School ends at about 2:30 and
practice went in October to 5:00 and to 6:00
in November. All this amounted to a 2-½
hour play, which is going to be even cut
shorter to be able to participate in the
contest.
Some of he students look to repeat
from previous years and some are looking to
win their first award in bucks County. Lets
all hope they come home with tons of prizes.
We will still be proud of our fellow
classmates even if they are empty handed.
HMS cast presents “Kokonut Kapers”
By: Kyungchul Yoon
The Haverford Middle School
Theater Company (HMSTC) presented the
6th grade play, “Kokonut Kapers” (KK) on
Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at
the Haverford Middle School auditorium.
These students dedicated their time and
work to act this play for the audience.
The play was about a woman,
Cordelia Hawkins, who is trying to save her
island. She fights through debts and bribes
of selling her island and never gives up. She
decides to build a high school to collect
more money and keeps encouraging tourists
to come to this island so she can try to pay
off the debts. Through all of her dedication
to save the island, the pirate, Swampy,
eventually finds a treasure chest full of gold
and is able to pay off the debts.
Some of the key performers were
islanders Berkeley Melvin, Julia Gantz,
Lindsey Koma, Ben Kurtze, Sophie Gordon,
Haley Amdur, and Scott Berkowitz. Some of
the well performing villains were Christina
Wagner, Jared Smith, Drew Armstrong, and
Tiffany Cunningham. These actors and
actresses did a great job. The workers from
behind the scenes were Directors Tristan
Horan, Robbie Cromie, and Sara Nealley,
Assistant Directors Katie Keenan and Will
O’Reilly, Producers Michael Braverman and
Thomas Henry, Assistant Producers David
Buzzell and Christie Lodge, Stage Managers
Chris Donnay and Kimmy Hosan, Tech
Manager Bill “Boomer” Maguire, and
Choreographers Wendy Chao, Ma rissa
Roney, and Deanna McCullough.
Some of the difficulties that the cast
had were the wireless microphones. The bad
connection prevented the microphones from
working and the audience from hearing the
cast members clearly. A possible
explanation could have been the audience’s
usage of cell phones. The phones blocked
the connection from the microphones. Also,
the timing and memorizing of lines were a
problem too. When asked about
improvements of the show, Mr. Braverman,
the producer of the show and a 7th grade
teacher, said, “We needed to make the show
tighter.” This means that everybody has to
know when to come in and know who
comes in before them.
Some of the things that worked out
well were that the cast members and chorus
sang well. Mr. Braverman says, “I thought
the cast sang very well. It was amazing.”
From the owner of the island to the villains,
everybody acted their role splendidly. Many
people enjoyed seeing the show and got a
laugh out of it, too. Eunhee Kim, a 7th grade
girl who watched the play, said, “I liked the
hula dance because the person’s hula skirt
kept falling down.” The Tech Crew did a
nice job of knowing when to turn the
microphones on and off. Overall, Mr.
Braverman was impressed and said, “They
started from nothing and they did a great
job.”