Winter Edition 2019

by Eliza Levitt and Lily O’Daly

These math and science teachers gave us two truths and one lie about themselves. Can you tell which one is the lie? The answers are at the end of the issue!

by Lily O’Daly

Have you ever thought about auditioning for a Berner Musical? Here’s everything you need to know about the process and the show! Even though the fall and the spring show are very different, they both have the same audition process. The very first audition that everyone must attend is the dance audition. Here you will learn a combo (particular part of a dance routine) from the show. Then, you will get into groups and show the teacher(s) in the room your combo. Everyone must attend the dance audition in order to be in the show. Next, you will sign up for a singing audition. You sing a portion of the song the director picks (there are a few songs you can choose from.) For the fall musical, there are callbacks. You are given the chance to go and sing a new song. For the spring revue, there are callbacks. A day or two after the callback or last audition the cast list will be posted (this part really gets your heart rate up!) For the fall musical, it is separated into leads, featured dancers, and ensembles. For the spring revue, it is separated into 3 groups. Sometimes they are called Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 and sometimes they are called Group A, Group B, and Group C, but the idea is always the same. Rehearsals start immediately after the cast list is posted (either the same day or the next day). They go from 3 to 5:30 (and sometimes longer) almost every day after school. It depends on your part in the show which days you have to go. For the fall musical, there are a few Saturday rehearsals. When the show gets closer we come to Berner from around 9 am to 3 pm to rehearse. We also usually have to come the whole day on Veterans Day when we have off from school. This may seem horrible, but it is actually a lot of fun! We don’t have these rehearsals for the Spring Revue. For both shows, the week before the show is called tech week. During tech week we have rehearsal from 3 pm -8 pm. We do the show full out with hair, make-up, and costumes. For the fall musical, we get to do snippets. During snippets, we are excused from school for the entire day. We perform pieces for the show for each grade. The 5th graders even come to watch. Finally, the show comes! For the fall musical, we have 2 or 3 shows (usually 2). For the spring show, we only have one. Musicals at Berner are so much fun. I hope you consider auditioning for one of the shows!

by Eliza Levitt

Hi everyone! My name is Eliza Levitt and I am currently eighth grader at Berner Middle School. I know transitioning from elementary school to middle school may be difficult, so I have come up with a list of tips and hacks that can help you be successful in middle school. I hope these are helpful and you all have a successful year at Berner!

Locker and Supplies Organization:

In order to use your locker quickly and efficiently, it needs to be organized. You should separate your materials by day (Day one and Day two) and by morning and afternoon, mainly so you don’t mix up your supplies. It is also helpful to color code your classes and label everything so you don’t grab the wrong things. Also, you may want to keep a bag of a bunch of supplies you may need for all of your classes with you all of the time so you have it when you need it. If you need more room for your supplies, many stores sell shelves and even accessories to decorate your locker. If you want to use your locker but always end up being late to class, you can go before lunch, after lunch, or when you are close by it.

Reading and Remembering Your Schedule:

Remembering your schedule may be difficult in the beginning, but eventually you will be able to memorize it. A way to I remember it was by making it my lock screen on my phone. Every time I was going to log in, I said my schedule in my head twice. By a week or two, I had my schedule memorized. If you are having trouble memorizing your schedule, you can make a mini one to put in your ID so you will always have it. You can also put it in your locker, in a folder, inside the front pockets of your binders, and in your planner. If there is too much information on your schedule that you can’t read (it happens a lot), highlight the four most important things for each class; the teacher, the subject, the period, and the room number. When you do this, it is easier to take a quick look and find out what you need to know. You can also type up another schedule with just those four things.

Charging Your Chromebook:

Many people forget to charge their Chromebook at night, so it is not charged for the next day. You should try to get into the routine of charging it every single day. If you have trouble remembering this, you can set a reminder on your phone every night. You should carry your Chromebook charger with you all the time, just in case you need to charge it. Another way to remember is when you plug your phone in every night, try to remember to plug in your Chromebook as well.

Remembering to do Your Homework

Remembering the homework assigned every night may be difficult, especially with nine classes each day. I would suggest writing down your homework, electronically or on paper. I use a planner and it helps me complete the assigned homework every night. If you don’t own a planner, you can just use a notebook or a piece of scrap paper. If needed, they sell planners at the Chief’s Shop. If you would rather write it digitally, there is an add on called sticky notes. This appears to the right of your search bar after downloaded from the chrome web store. You can change the fonts and colors. It is very easy to access and use. You can also use Google Calendar. You can access it by clicking the apps option in google docs. It looks just like a planner would, but digital. There are options for different colors, days, and times.

Ways to Study

Many people have trouble figuring out a way to study for a test or quiz. There are many ways to prepare for your tests or quizzes. If you would rather study digitally, there are three websites that I would recommend. One website is Quizlet. You enter in the questions or vocab you need to learn, including the answers. Then, you create the Quizlet. There are options for different study games and ways to study. They have flashcards, matching, and more. Another studying website is Quizizz. You enter in the questions and vocab you need to know, and the answer. You also enter in other answers that are incorrect. When you finish, you can make a game for you and your friends to play. The questions are played in a random order, and the answer options are in a random order as well. You earn points for speed and correct answers. But, there is a setting for no timer if you would rather not be timed for each question. The last website to use for studying is Kahoot. This website is similar to Quizizz, but there is a certain time limit per question. Whoever makes the Kahoot chooses how much time people get per question. Also, you need to play this live, instead of leaving the Quizizz code open for a long period of time. Everyone gets the same question and answer options. Also, whoever is playing needs to see the screen of the person running it, to see the question and choice options. If you would prefer to study using paper, flashcards is one of my favorite ways to study. After you finish making the flashcards, you can start to use them. You can make them all facing one way, either you have to say the definition or the answer, or figure out the question or the vocabulary word. If you get it correct, place a check in the corner. Once you reach five checks, you should remember that certain question or vocabulary word. If you get five checks on all the cards and still are having trouble, try doing it the other way. For example, let’s say I was having trouble remembering the word meticulous. If every time I did this flashcard, I said the definition, try to read the definition and remember the word.

Thank you for reading these school tips. I hope all of these were helpful for you. Have a great school year!

by Lily O’ Daly

For this article, I sent out a survey to some 6th students. In the survey, I asked how they liked Berner and how they are doing a new building. Here are the results!

• 6th Graders are having a pretty good experience at Berner. On average the students said their experience was a 4.3 out of 5.

• 6th Graders are also doing pretty well navigating the building. They said they are around 4.3 out of 5 in this category.

• Most 6th Graders are getting involved in the school community and joining clubs. Here are some popular ones: The School Musical, Builders Club, Early Morning Risers, Jazz Band, Select Singers, Magnet Club, Dance and Cheer Club, Student Council, and Buddies Club.

I also asked if the 6th graders had any questions for 8th graders. Here are some questions they have:

Q: “Do you have air conditioning? It is very hot on the top floor.”

A:Some classes have air conditioning, but as of right now, most don’t.

Q: “How was navigating the school for you at first, hard or easy?”

A:It just depends on the person. Some people adjust quicker than others. For me, it didn’t take long to adjust but for others, it took a few weeks. The building isn’t hard to navigate after a while. By the time your in 8th grade you will know how to get around no problem.

Here is a chart that shows how many clubs 6th graders have joined:

by Elizabeth Hickey

If you're an artist like me then this is the right article for you! If you're not, then don’t worry about it, you can still give it a shot! Plus, not everything in this article is art-related.

1. Creative writing. If writing isn’t your thing then keep on scrolling, but if it is, great! Sometimes on a rainy day (when my phone is dead or charging) I like to just lie down on the couch and write.

2. Doodling. I don’t think this is the best choice while doing your classwork or going over your homework, but you can always just grab an empty notebook and start drawing! Don’t worry if you’re not good at drawing, I was horrible as a little kid, but I still loved it!

3. Riding your bike. If you just spent a long, boring day at school, then you deserve a breath of fresh air. Unless it’s there’s snow everywhere. Your tires could slip and you’ll be thrown in the air! Anyway...

4. Looking for things on the app store. This is something I like to do when I’m bored. If you’re just on your phone or tablet on a rainy day, and you have no apps that you want to go on, or just bored in general, just search up games on the app store. You don’t always need to be on social media!

5. Playing with your pet. If you don’t have a pet, then once again, scroll on down to something else, but if you do, then play with them for a bit. Especially if their alone all day, they could probably use your company. You are basically their family.

6. Look through your old toys. I love looking in my closet downstairs. I like to look at all my old toys and find things from when I was a baby. Things I was trying to look for years but gave up because I still couldn’t find it. I guess it kind of brings back memories.

And these are 6 things to do when you’re bored.

Not really including your electronics!

by Jenna Giwner

This year at Berner Middle school we put on the production of High School Musical directed by Ms.Tauches, choreographed by Ms. Danielle, and vocals by Ms. Guando. I had the opportunity to talk to some members of the cast members about their experience. I even had the opportunity to talk to two of the leads Robert Morana (Ryan Evans) and Teresa Greene (Kelsi Nielson). Both are in 8th grade and have been in the shows before. Robert and Teresa both agree that they enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. Robert and Teresa enjoy everything about the rehearsals. Both actors enjoyed getting to see the props, dress rehearsals and getting to perform for their family and friends. Robert and Teresa, just like other cast members, highly recommend joining the plays because of the new experiences they bring. Overall, Robert and Teresa had a great time doing the play and love that they get to meet so many new people!

by Grace Hoffman

October is National Breast Cancer Month and we at Berner Middle School celebrate the cause with support and great respect for those fighting and the hope for a cure. To honor those brave individuals and to spread awareness, we Think Pink. Think Pink is the national breast cancer campaign and aims to improve the lives of breast cancer patients and their families. The objective of this important day is to provide information and raise awareness. Berner Middle School contributed to this cause in many different ways.

Facts about Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis among U.S. women. Did you know that in the United States, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? Can you believe that each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die? Another fact about Breast Cancer is that on average, every two minutes a woman gets diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

How Berner Helped Out

The members of Chiefs Challenge and Student Council worked really hard to make this month special for our school. This year, Chiefs Challenge raised money by selling pink scrunchies during lunch. The scrunchies sold out extremely fast and seemed to be a big hit! There was a special Berner Think Pink T-shirt sold also. Blue and Gold are the official school’s colors, but this month, a sprinkle of pink is added as the Student Council sells shirts to help raise funds and awareness. Think Pink games were also part of the festivities. Attending a girl’s volleyball Dig Pink game was one of my greatest experiences at Berner so far. The level of excitement of the players, students, and fans was amazing. By the end of the Dig Pink fundraiser, the Massapequa girls volleyball team raised $11,166.71!

Berner Middle School should be extremely proud of what they did to raise funds for cancer patients. During October, we should always remember to Think Pink.

by Charlotte Focarazzo

There are many benefits of joining clubs. Trying out for a team sport and getting involved with your school is a perfect example! Instead of going home and finding something to do, there are lots of other fun things you can do here with friends at Berner!

First, I suggest you join clubs you enjoy! If you like art, you can join the Mural Club. If you’re more into writing, you can join the Berner Beacon, and get featured in the school newspaper! If you enjoy performing and theatre, try out for the next play! Especially if you’re new to the school, ask your friends if they’d be interested in attending a club meeting. You can also go by yourself and make new friends! If you have a lot of homework after school, you can even stay late and go to the library. It’s a quiet place to complete your school assignments, so when you get home you’ll have more free time.

Outside of the general office, there is a bulletin board that lists all of the clubs Berner has. It also tells you the meeting dates. One day you should go check it out!

There are also different sports you can try out for depending on what time of year it is! There are lots of benefits of joining a team, too! You’ll meet new people and learn new skills. Sports are a great way to get exercise and have fun.

No matter what club, or which sport you try out for, you’ll love experiencing something new!

by Sharif Zaky

You might have heard of the Environmental Club, but have you ever stopped and thought about what actually happens in that club? Well, I have been in the club for three years and can tell you a little bit about it.

In the club, we mainly focus on recycling in Berner. On several occasions we sort through the green recycling bins for what can be recycled and if it can be recycled for money. You might think, why sort it? Isn’t that the point of having three garbage cans? Well, no. Many people carelessly throw garbage in the bins that actually say on the front, PLASTIC BOTTLES ONLY. I have found some interesting things in those bins. And before you ask, yes we do wear gloves! But the club is more than that. It is also really fun.

We have pizza parties and have had a bagel party. We always talk and have a lot of fun. We compete in the door decorating. We made a snowman out of the bottoms of water bottles once. Remember how I mentioned sorting bottles for money? Well, each bottle is worth $.05. With that money collected over probably hundreds or thousands of bottles, we end up adopting an animal! No, not a class pet. We got an endangered species. We have voted on elephants, turtles, honey bees, or any animal adoptable at WWF. The animals we adopted stays with the WWF, but the adoption fee goes to the WWF and they use that fee to protect more animals. You also get a photo of who you adopted, a certificate, and a plush (The plush is optional, depending on the amount of money you put in).

It is very important to remember to recycle. If you don’t, you are stopping one chance you have to help the environment. Should one trash and pollute their own house? If they wouldn’t then why should they pollute the Earth? You can’t have a house if Earth is full of polluted toxic gases. Plus, pollution leads to more and more animals being killed and dying. Imagine if your pet died because you trashed your home.

I hope you might consider joining, or if not that, maybe actually use the green bin if you haven’t. Maybe tell someone about this article or do something beneficial that this article might have inspired you to do.

by Vivienne West

I’ve always been an active girl. Since as far as I can remember I’ve participated and practiced in a multitude of sports. I really enjoy tennis and playing softball with my team. But by far my heart is in the pool. For the past three years, I’ve been part of a competitive swim team, the Long Island Express, which swims at Hofstra University.

What does it mean to swim competitively?

Like any other high-performance activity, it requires lots of practice time. It’s a year-long sport, so by the time school starts, every week is packed with time in the pool and tons of laps in preparation of the fall/winter/spring meet season. A decent level middle school swimmer will practice 4-6 times a week with their team, then they may have individual lessons once a week. Practices are usually 2 hours - yes 2 hours of non-stop laps! It’s all to better prepare for our swim meets, which we have about 6-10 a year.

What is a meet?

At some of the big meets, there can be over 100 swimmers in my age category. There are 4 strokes and you can swim them different distances. I usually compete in the 50-meter freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. I also enter the 100-meter freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke races. Sometimes I enter the 100-meter IM, which stands for Individual Medley, a race where you swim 25 meters of each stroke. You race not against another swimmer but against the clock. Every meet the goal is to beat your previous best time in that stroke. During a meet session, the schedule is you warm-up for 20 min and then you eat and swim over and over again until the session is done.

How much do we eat?

A competitive swimmer must eat high-quality food and drinks to have enough energy as we burn all those calories, And it’s definitely not always easy to manage homework, projects, labs, and music on top of swimming, you have to be a very organized student. In the very little free time swimmers have, we still participate in many school activities and clubs (for example, Berner Beacon). We love to hang out with our friends, family, and yes just goof off and do nothing! That’s a special day!

So out of all the sports, we could choose from, why would we choose swimming? There are many good things that can come of it. I feel a sense of accomplishment whether I do well or not. Just because I tried my hardest. Swimmers are probably some of the most healthy athletes around, it’s such a good exercise as most parts of our bodies get incredible workouts. I really hope that this article inspires some students to try the sport of competitive swimming. Whether you join a community team or a private performance team, hopefully, new swimmers to come to the sport and see first hand how exciting it is!

by Ava Chaikin

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you didn’t wear a spacesuit in space? Would you die immediately, would you blow up, would your heart stop? Well, if you have or haven’t, here it is.

The very first thing that you would want to do is not hold your breath. The vacuum of space will completely suck all the air from your lungs. Imagine a household vacuum, it sucks any dirt from the ground into the chamber inside. It never leaves that chamber until a person physically takes it out and empties it in the garbage. The vacuum of space will do the same, the dirt is the air in your lungs, and the chamber is the large universe around you. However, there is no one to empty you out from that chamber. This is why it would be hard to find life beyond Earth.

If you did decide to hold your breath then any air in your lungs would cause your lungs to rupture. Then, the oxygen in the rest of your body would expand. You would blow up to about twice your normal size. That being said, thanks to the nature of humans, you wouldn’t blow up. Your skin is elastic enough to hold you together. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that you would survive. If you had any exposed liquid on you, it would vaporize. Your tongue, eyes, and lips would all become dehydrated.

The question is, how long would you live while all of this is happening to you. Well, after about fifteen (15) seconds you would pass out, but after about ninety seconds (1.5 minutes) you would die from asphyxiation, the deprivation of oxygen. After you pass away, you would eventually freeze solid. However, if you were near a star you would be burnt to a crisp. You will remain the same way for millions of years. You would eventually decompose but very, very slowly.

Now, if you did make it past the vast amount of emptiness in space and landed on a planet, what planets are inhabitable? Earth and Mars are most likely inhabitable.

We live on Earth, so it is inhabitable. It is possible that there is life on Mars. We can normally live for about two minutes on the others.

So, I think it is safe to say, you must wear a spacesuit in space if you are planning on coming back down to Earth. The Earth loves having you on it!

by Ava Chaikin

Be kind to everyone.

Everyone is included.

Rewarding grades

New experiences.

Experiments in science.

Ready for Berner?

Yes!

by Owen Burns

I put my rope around my chest and lowered myself down into the abyss that was this unknown building in the middle of the desert kingdom. As I was lowering myself, I noticed a shadow run from one end of the room to another. As I hit the ground, I noticed how the air was oddly cold for the desert kingdom. I slung my sword off of my back and put it out in front of me as I walked. I felt the wall, it was metal, and since the air was cold the metal walls were cold too. Suddenly, the floor below me dropped, and I fell into a room that was much hotter. I couldn’t help but notice an assortment of traps. A plate on the floor connected to a trapdoor full of lava, a tripwire with an anvil above it, and lasers going right to left and up and down. “I got this!” I thought to myself. I ran to the side of the pressure plate, but then I saw an arrow coming straight to my face. I took the shield off my back and blocked it. I tripped over the tripwire but backward somersaulted away before the anvil came down. Finally, lasers. I front flipped over one laser. Then slid under another. I pulled out my shield and walked through the laser. Finally, loot. There were gems and a sword handle with a button on it. I went for the sword when suddenly, a giant brown gorilla with a crown, sunglasses, and a chain came out of the coins. Ugh. A gem guardian. Ever since society collapsed North America split into four kingdoms. The fire kingdom, the water kingdom, the desert kingdom, and the slime kingdom. Each having a queen and citizens made of the said element. As magic arose Gem Guards kept everything in place. Then the Gem Guards revolted and now only a few are left. I am one of the last humans.

The Gem Guard screamed at me and raised its fists. I clenched my shield and… BOOM! I was thrown back, onto my back. The Gem Guard raised its arms one last time. “The final blow,” I said to myself. I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t move. All of a sudden I see another shadow go from the right side of the wall to the left. And then I see a blue bubble go up around me. The Gem Guard was trying to smash the bubble but it couldn’t. It hit 1...2...3 times and then I see him fall into the coins behind him. The bubble went away and I see a boy with short brown hair, green eyes, and a leather jacket walk up to me “What’s your name?.” The boy asked. “Finnick,” I said, “What about you?” “My name is Emmet,” Emmet said. “You gonna’ take that sword?” Emmet said. “Yes,” I said as I was walking up to the bronze and silver coins. I took the ‘sword’ and I clicked the button. SHING! There coming out of the brown hilt was a silver blade. “Wow,” I said. “Hey, I’m getting really hot out here wanna’ like, leave the desert kingdom?” Asked Emmet. “Yeah sure do want a sword?” I asked. “No, I use magic,” Said Emmet. I pressed the button again and it retracted into the hilt, I put it in my backpack and went for the exit.

I threw my rope onto the roof of the building and tied it around me. I started ascending up when I saw Emmet on my right levitating up. “Hey, no fair!” I said as a joke. We both laughed, After the laughter stopped I said: “Hey, thanks for saving me from that Gem Guardian back there.” “Hey, no problem,” Emmet said. Once we were on the roof I took out two soft pretzels from my backpack. I gave one to Emmet and asked “Where are we headed”, “The Slime Kingdom” and we were off.

We were walking for a couple of days without stopping. When we finally arrived at the border of the Slime Kingdom we heard screaming from inside we got in and there was a human floating in the air inside of a giant purple bubble. He had an atlas in one hand and he was wearing purple armored chest piece and a purple helmet with horns coming out. Emmet said “Oh no.”. I took out my sword and pressed the button. Emmet had balls around his fists. The human in the bubble started looking at us and smirked. I ran over to the human and put my sword over my shoulder and finally jumped. I was about five centimeters from the ball when I went flying back. I was on the ground like I was a couple of days ago. I could hear Emmet yell “Finnick!” from my right. And then I close my eyes, I don’t know how long I will be asleep, but I know I will be asleep for a long time.

End Of Chapter One

Head Chef and Writer: Michael Mark

MY DREAM FOOD #1:

Super really very fluffy cake

Pure fluff from the clouds of September, cooked in a mixture of salt, sugar, and spice for 6 hours. Sprinkled with crystalized rainbow fragments and drizzled with pure melted gold.

MY DREAM FOOD #2:

Pershiuyn (pur-shee-in) Salad

Pershiuyn fruit from the land of Atlantis, mixed with romaine lettuce, sun-dried orange peels, and prime-rib bites. Comes with a side of cajun popcorn.

MY DREAM FOOD #3:

546 Layer Cake

546 layers of every flavor imaginable packed into one whole bundle of sugar. Comes with Dragon-Fruit, Starfruit, and Lychee on the side.

by Aidan Sherwin

It was a stormy Saturday afternoon when Alex lay in his bed, watching the rain come down like debris from the demolition of a building. His outdated phone was sitting beside him for using. Sometimes he longed for a sibling to play sports with or a nice backyard for him to have fun in. Alex did have a backyard, but it was small with trees dotted around. But most of all, he wanted a new and improved iPhone.

Alex grabbed his current phone and tried to contact his friends. They know that he wishes for a new phone because every day after school he makes conversation about it on the bus. Jealousy overcomes Alex whenever he sees his friends with nice phones. Mike, Alex’s best friend, has one of the newest phones on the market. Mike doesn’t flex or let Alex lay eyes on his phone because he is familiar with Alex’s jealousy. On Monday after school, it was Alex’s turn to depart the bus. When he returned home, he took out his homework and completed it in half an hour.

After that, he grabbed his phone and started playing an online game with his friends.

"Ughh, the lag is unreal," Alex exclaimed.

"Oh, it’s fine for me," said Mike.

"Because you have the iPhone 11," Alex told him with annoyance.

"You know I wish you had a better phone," Mike responded, "But your mom doesn’t want you to have one."

"I know, it stinks," Alex said sadly.

"Ay, Tommy, how’s your lag?" Alex asked.

"Oh, it’s fine," Tommy answered.

"Mom, when’s dinner?" Alex asked.

"It should be ready in fifteen minutes," his mom responded.

As Alex waited patiently for dinner, he wondered what it would be like to own a nicer, better, and newer phone. He imagined himself playing games with his friends and lag never driving into him. He imagined himself on the bus showing his friends his new phone and how happy they’d be for him.

"Here is your dinner, Alex," his mom said as she served Alex.

"Thanks, Mom," Alex began to say, "It’s really good."

"Almost as good as a new phone," Alex said to himself.

Alex felt strangely tired so he went to bed early that night. But before he fell asleep he imagined the ringtone going off on his new phone. The thought spun in his head until he fell into a deep sleep. Around midnight, Alex thought he heard that ringtone for real.

"Eh, I doubt it’s real," Alex said to himself. "Okay, I think I really hear it now," Alex said slightly frightened. But he got out of bed and took a trip downstairs to pick up a flashlight, then he returned back to his room. "Wait, did I just hear something from the attic?" Alex asked himself. He went out of his room under the attic and listened. "There it is again!" Alex said with slight joy.

Alex has never been inside the attic in his house because there was never a need to. But now he wanted to get in. He tried reaching the dangling rope to reveal the stairs to the attic, but there was a problem. Alex is way too short. "Hmm, Dad’s tall. Maybe he can open this for me! Wait, no, it’s literally midnight. I’ll just get some sort of booster instead," Alex thought to himself trying to find a good idea. Alex thought of a nice booster to get to the attic. "Ooh, maybe a stool! Wait-- no, no, not a stool. I’ve been afraid to stand on stools ever since I fell off one and broke my leg! Bad memories," Alex said again.

Alex hoped he wouldn’t hear what he heard again, so he went back to sleep. The next day, Alex didn’t think about the ringing of a mysterious iPhone. That night, he heard the ringing again. "Ok, I’ve got to get in that attic," Alex said firmly to himself. "And I need a stool,̈ he said again. So Alex went downstairs, grabbed a stool, and was off to upstairs. Alex struggled to lift the heavy stool up the stairs. He was like an inexperienced construction worker carrying a metal beam to the construction site. He had to set the stool down a couple of times in the process of getting to the attic.

"OK, let's do this," Alex said while placing the stool down. Alex stood on the stool, reached for the rope, grabbed it, pulled the shaft down, stepped inside, and… "Wait! I forgot the flashlight!̈ said Alex. Alex got back down, went inside his room, grabbed the flashlight, and headed back out on his mission. In the attic, he shone the flashlight in every direction so he doesn't miss anything necessary. "Wait, did that box just vibrate?̈"Alex asked. He slowly trotted closer and closer to the mysterious box. The sound of ringing came next. Alex opened the box and saw something he thought he'd never see inside of his own house.

Alex gasped, then followed by an ex line of speech saying, "Oh my god it's an iPhone eleven pro!" Alex repeated those lines multiple times in major excitement. "Oh there's a note!̈ ̈"Alex said. "Please DO NOT let Alex know of this. I bought it with all my money," Mom wrote this? I guess," Alex said again.

On the bus the next day, Alex had already signed into his apple account. He showed some of his friends, too. "Wow, how unexpected!̈" Tommy said. "Yeah, I know, right!" Alex said. "It's a long story." "Did you successfully beg your mom, or did you sell something expensive, or..."Tommy said noisily. "Ok," Alex started, "I kept hearing a ring from above my bed when I sleep. And one day I got so desperate to find out what the cause of the ringing was, so made my way into the attic using a stool. I took a flashlight, and I was on my way. I followed the sound of the ringing, and it lead me to this phone, alongside this note." Alex showed Tommy, and Mike who was also listening, the note that his mom left. "It´ll be hard explaining or keeping it a secret. But if she finds out I hope she'll just let it go and let me have it. Besides, I threw out my old phone."

Alex and his friends hoped that nothing would disrupt his treasure. Like a pirate keeping another island's gold in the storage area of the ship without letting the island know. It was a success-- for the most part.

by Brendan Savage

The 22-year-old man's heart beating through his chest seemed louder than the voice in his head yelling at him to stop running and turn himself in. He heard the barking of the dogs getting louder and knew he barely had enough time to come up with his next move. Then, it struck him. He feels his body stop, and something coursing through his nervous system and veins.

6 Hours Earlier

Mark woke up in a hurry, realizing he was 30 minutes behind schedule for his flight. He was going to Boston on business, and a flight from Minnesota was going to be at least 2 and a half hours. He didn't even have a bag packed. He swung open his closet door, grabbing everything in sight and packing it into a small carry-on bag. Mark bolted to his car, practically running every stop sign and red light he came across, but lucky for him, nobody noticed (or at least, that's what he thought). He arrived at the airport 45 minutes late, rushed through check-in, and made it to security. The TSA agent interrogation went fine, ID was valid, all good. Then came the personal check. He offloaded his carry-on into a bin and sent it off on the conveyor belt. He watched the TSA agent's facial expression turn from "I don't care about my job" to sheer horror. He shot Mark a look, and he looked back confused. The agent went over his radio and said a code. Then it hit Mark like a bullet. He must have shoved the pepper spray he has at his house for self-defense into is carry-on! He didn't say a word, waiting for the police to take him in for questioning. But he didn't want his job finding out about this. In an instant, Mark fled, faster than he's ever run before. He barely made it out the door, dodging the TSA agents that dove at him. He jumped into his car, but before he did this he drew over the license plate. Mark drove faster than he ever had, once again running stop signs and red lights. Little did Mark know, the police had their eyes on him since the first joyride to the airport. They knew his name, license plate, car model and car color. It didn't take very long for Mark's car to be spotted by an unmarked police cruiser, and then the entirety of the police force was on his tail. He heard his tires pop after about 5 minutes of block-to-block chases. He had to come up with a new plan, and fast. He decided to ditch the car while it was still moving, risking injury but buying a little bit more time to run. He jumped, scraping his knee but sheltering his head from injury perfectly. Mark found himself rolling down a steep forest hill, he knew he couldn't go back to his house anytime soon, so he needed to get to work on a long-term plan, that is, as soon as he stopped rolling. He finally hit a tree, injuring his hip, but not badly. Within a few minutes, he heard barking in the distance. Mark hit the ground running, anticipating what was soon to come. The barking became louder, and he wasn't sure of whether he could deal with the injuries sustained from throughout his journey. He felt a tingling, a taser. Mark knows this is the end of the line. Will Mark be able to escape the police? What will he do if he does? Read the sequel, "The Plan", in the next issue of the Berner Beacon!

by Jillian Matone

The Christmas tree is decorated and lit

A lot of the presents are sweaters that the grandmothers knit

The children are eating cookies that they baked with their families

And are dreaming about Christmas fantasies

The stockings are hung above the fireplace

Hoping for toys to fill the space

All the tables are loaded with food

Everyone is in a jolly mood

The carolers are preparing their songs

We all have been waiting too long

Everybody is filled with cheer

‘Cause finally Christmas is here!

by Olivia Guttman

A wonderous world of falling crystals

The white blanket that cuts of the green of the spring

Oh, how I wish it could be like this forever.

Sprinkling, Sparkling, Glisten,

The fire isolates you from the outside world.

The sound of the dripping snow soothes you.

How you wish the snow will come all over again before the spring's beginning.

by Lillian Dooher

Red, brown, orange, and yellow,

All different types of leaves below

The Maple Tree, tall and strong,

The only place I do belong.

The leaves falling down slice the autumn rain

Like a sharp blade, once whole, now in twain.

Autumn comes and autumn goes,

However, the Maple Tree always grows.

Through snow, rain, hail, and sleet,

The roots shall still always be at my feet.

The world stands quiet as the leaves fall,

All different, though I love them all!

All the leaves get blown every which away

And the sun shines on, day after day.

There’s autumn wind blowing here and there

And the smell of sweet sap in the air.

So beautiful, extraordinary, and grand,

The Maple Tree still does stand.

The only place I do feel free

Is standing underneath the Maple tree.

by Dante Cunha

Troy knew he should not of taken the Snickers bar from the gas station. He came from a poor family and living in New York was already hard enough, but now being chased by the cops and running for his life, his life was at its worst.”Young man, please stop running and you'll be in less trouble than you already are!” said the cops into the megaphone as they were chasing after Troy. Troy saw an alley and begged that it led to another street.

As he ran into the alley all he saw were a couple of garbage cans, and of course it did not lead into another street .All he could think of was to hide in a garbage can. He waited five minutes, and he heard the cops steps as they walked by searching for him. He waited a little while longer and then got out of the grimey trash can. He thought about his victory. Wondering what had happened if the cops had caught him.

As he walked home, he looked at the sky, it was pretty late.”It’s already eleven o’ clock” Troy thought as he looked at his watch. He noticed as the moonlight shone down from the sky. Troy then noticed how another bright light was coming from one of the alleyways. “Would it be those older kids who mugged me again? Because if they are, they are getting revenge.” thought Troy as he stomped towards the odd light.

Troy was caught off-guard and was blinded by the light as he ran into the alley. As the light dimmed Troy realized what he was looking at, a massive swirling vortex! The blinding light hypnotized him, as Troy walked closer to it, he felt gravity pull him closer to the vortex. He screamed for help as his body started to go through the vortex. By the time the police heard the screams and came running, there was nothing left but littered trash and some fallen garbage cans.

20 years later

Mike sprinted home knowing that his mother would kill him if he had not finished his social studies assignment due tomorrow in school. As he turned the corner of the alleyway, he bumped into his best friend Joey.¨What the heck!¨ Joey said, Mike replied with a shrug. As the two boys kept walking home, Mike watched as a poster flew in front of them, ¨ .”Troy Connors missing, if found return to this number ̈. Joey watched Mike read the poster,”those posters have been floating around town for about twenty years now ̈, said Joey.” I know, but something just seems ...odd.” Responded Mike, as they were about a block from Joey’s house.

Mike said “You know what? I think that we should take a walk in Central Park, I’ll drop off my books at home and we can leave in an hour.” When both boys were ready to go, they left their houses. When Mike was about a block from Joey’s house he saw Joey, and they waved to each other. Mike looked down at his phone to check the time, he heard a low scream and quickly looked up. He saw Joey sinking through a large white glowing vortex! Mike sprinted down the block. And tried to pull Joey’s upper body out of the giant glowing vortex. Joey was up to his forehead, and when he fully went under, Mike went to his last resort. Mike jumped in.

To Be Continued…

by Ava La Douceur

I was sitting around the table at dinner, eating the food, my family around me everyone smiling and laughing. The chicken was great and music was playing in the background. It was Christmas, the most rare feeling of the year. We were going to my cousin’s house that day, I remember it vividly. We were going to visit them for the holiday season. It was going to be such a fun week, that is, until it started snowing. That morning I woke up so excited. I hadn’t seen my cousins in months. I made sure everything was in my suitcase. I knew it was going to be one of the best weeks ever. Until I saw the window, it was snowing. Not even an inch or two, but at least a foot of snow. Don’t get me wrong, I love snow, but not when it stops me from going to visit my family. I ran downstairs to talk to my parents and when I came downstairs they were watching the news. They looked very disappointed. “Mom? Dad? What’s wrong?” I asked them. “I’m really sorry honey, but the news says that it’s really dangerous to go driving outside. I don’t think we can go to your cousin’s house.”

The sadness swelled up inside me, but also a feeling of anger. Why did this snow have to come today? Why couldn’t it come next week when I wasn’t at my cousin’s house, when I could actually enjoy it? I started crying. My parents surrounded me, “Don't worry. We can go for Easter.” I responded, “But I’ve waited so long and now I still have to wait a few months?!” I couldn’t believe my ears. My parents seemed to be getting tired of my whining too. “We are going to visit your cousins at Easter and that is final, but for now we are going to enjoy the holidays and the snow!” My dad was right, I stopped crying and decided that my holidays were not going to be ruined because of some snow.

I went into my bedroom and put my winter clothes on. I was going to enjoy the snow even if it meant not going to my cousin’s house. I was just about to go outside when my mom stopped me at the door, “I know you're upset about the snow ruining our plans but we are going to enjoy the holidays regardless of where we are.” We had decorated our house that year, but I must admit, since we were not hosting for Christmas this year we put up a lot of the decorations sloppily, and even the Christmas tree was kind of bare. So instead of playing in the snow, we redecorated the house, every light that was out of place we fixed it, we also cleaned every bit of dirt off every surface. It was fun, we played Christmas music and drank hot chocolate, but it was a week before Christmas, there was a foot of snow outside, and we were inside cleaning.

Once we were finished, the house looked nice. The tree was beautiful, the other decorations were put up perfectly, and the whole house was so clean and neat. I eventually was able to play outside. We made snow forts and had snowball fights, and for the first time since the snow issue, Christmas was looking decent. The next few days were all taken up by cooking, baking, and other Christmas stuff. I even face-timed my cousins a couple of times so it was like I was still spending the Holidays with them. Before I knew it Christmas Eve was there, and I was going to bed with a full belly from Christmas Eve dinner. Santa had gotten the letter and I knew the next morning I was going to go downstairs and get everything I wanted and more. All warm in my bed I dozed off into a deep sleep, knowing soon, it would be Christmas.

The next morning when I woke up, the first thing I noticed when I woke up was how late I slept for Christmas. At my cousin’s house, we would be up by six in the morning and go wake up our parents. But this time was almost nine. But I didn’t give it a second thought it was Christmas morning, I ran out of my bedroom woke up my parents and I found my sister already awake downstairs. After our parents took a million pictures of us with the presents, we finally opened them. Every present I opened was better and better. But the best was that my parents had gotten me and my sister a tv that we would put in our bedroom. We were going to be able to watch whatever we wanted in there and nobody would know. “Honey why don’t you go upstairs and get some nicer clothes on.” my mom said. “Why? It’s not like anyone is coming.” I said, “Just get that outfit I bought you last week.” she replied. Confused I walked upstairs and got dressed. I heard the front door open downstairs but I thought it was just my parents stepping outside to check the mail or something. But when I came downstairs it was something that I was not expecting.

Waiting downstairs in the front hallway were my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and even my grandparents. I sprinted down the stairs and threw myself into a giant group hug. I didn’t go to my cousin’s house, I didn’t see my grandparents there, but they came to my house instead! It suddenly all made sense, cleaning and decorating the house like crazy, cooking and baking, even just getting dressed in a fancy outfit. I had so many questions. How did they get here? What about the snow? Did they plan this all along, or was it a last-minute thing? I had so many questions, but I didn’t care if they were answered, all my family was in one place, at my house. We all had so much fun, the food was great, the music was amazing, and my cousins and I played games and hung out so much. That day I learned that all you really need to enjoy a holiday is family, nothing else. Family is all that matters.

by Teresa Greene

You sit by the fire on a cold winter night.

The decorations on the tree shine bright.

You go to the window and look around,

snow is falling softly on the ground!

A winter movie plays on the TV,

It’s holiday break and you are carefree!

You can’t wait for tomorrow,

‘Cause you are going to play in the white snow!

You stay outside for a long time,

But you come inside while it’s still daytime.

You walk in with your face all pink.

You make some hot chocolate to drink.

And you do it all again.

Snow angels, snowball fights,

Decorations and holiday lights!

Having fun in many different ways,

Have a Happy Holidays!

by Madisen Rosso

A group of friends were sitting around the warm, cozy campfire. There names were Kimberly, Heather, Grace, Emily, and Ava. It was Christmas Eve, and it was a tradition for them to gather around the campfire and tell scary stories while drinking hot cocoa, that always burns their lips. “Who wants to go first?” Heather asked. “I do!” said Kimberly, as she walked back into the room with a new cup of hot cocoa. She propped herself in a comfortable position. “Okay.” replied Heather. “Since the beginning of time, cats have been watching us from Mars and are secretly aliens. If they find someone intelligent enough, they’ll steal their soul and turn them into an alien cat! Some people say that there was a little girl who found this story from a book, but before it was discovered, she was taken away and was never found again!”The group looked confused. “Why tell that nonsense?” Grace questioned. “That’s so stupid!” Kimberly replied, “Don’t say that! Maybe you’ll get eaten alive by violent, alien feline!” The group laughed as Grace rolled her eyes in disgust. “Lets go to bed.” Ava pointed out. The group agreed and made their way upstairs.

They settled down in two separate rooms, the guest room and the loft. Emily, one of the girls in the loft, couldn’t fall asleep. She turned and blinked. In the room, she saw a shadow. Emily shifted her position, horrified about what she just saw. She woke the others up, but it was too late. The creature had disappeared, nowhere to be found. Heather groaned. “Why did you wake us up? It’s 11:16 pm.” said Heather, angrily. “I saw something!” Emily screamed, in a panicked manner. “What did you see?” Kimberly questioned. “Nevermind, I don’t want to talk about it.” Emily replied. “Alright, let's get a healthy 8 hours of sleep, for once.” Grace said resentfully. The group agreed and went to bed.

The next morning, it was Christmas! The group was ready to go to their dwelling homes, but Emily was nowhere to be found. “Where’s Emily?” Kimberly wailed. Ava shrugged, and Grace didn’t seem to care. They spent hours looking for her, but she had disappeared. From that day on, she was never found. There was only black, fuzzy hair laying by the corner of the loft.

by Ryan Dempsey

Do you like saving money? In this edition of Ryan’s Tips, you will learn how to cut your grocery bill by as much as 50%.

• If you like to shop online, go to the online store’s website and view their weekly sale advertisements. You can also use the store’s physical advertisement.

• Find the best sale items that you want to purchase. Circle, highlight, or write them down.

• Get coupons from your Sunday newspaper or print them online.

• Match up those coupons to the sale items.

• Now go to the store and use your coupons on sale items!

***PRO TIP: Use a “booster” coupon, such as $6 off $30 or 20% off any 2 items.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Ryan’s Tips!

by Jenna Giwner

Ever been in a situation where you want to give a friend a special gift but don't have time to go to the store? These crafts are for you.

Gift #1

Candy Sleigh

What you need:

• Kit Kat©

• Mini Hershey© bars

• Candy canes

• Hot glue gun

Steps

1. Hot glue two candy canes on the bottom of the Kit Kat©

2. Hot glue mini-Hershey bars onto that Kit Kat© so it looks like a pyramid

You are now done!

Gift #2

Rudolf Brownie

What you need:

• Cosmic brownie

• Googly eyes

• Brown Construction Paper

• Red Pom Pom

• Hot glue gun

• Scissor

Steps

1. Glue google eyes onto the brownie wrapper

2. Glue the red pom-pom onto the brownie wrapper

3. Fold the brown piece of construction paper in half

4. Draw an antler on the crease

5. Cut it out

6. Cut it in half

7. Hot glue the pieces on the back of the brownie

Gift #3

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

What you need:

• 4 cups of white sugar

• 2 small mixing bowls

• 1 cup of oil

• 20-30 drops of peppermint essential oil

• Red food die

• Ziplock bag

• Mason jar

Steps

1. Add 2 cups of sugar to one of the bowls

2. Add ½ cup of oil to the sugar

3. Add 10-15 drops of essential oil to the mixture

4. Repeat these steps

5. Take one of the bowls and add 2-3 drops of red food dye and mix

6. Take a spoonful of the red mixture and add it into the bottom of the jar

7. Take a spoonful of the white mixture and add it on to of the red mixture

8. Repeat these steps until the jar is full

These are some easy gift ideas to give to your friends with materials found in your house.

by Elizabeth Terranova

Oven temperature: 350

Cooking time: 35-55 minutes, until a knife comes out clean

Use baking cups or disposable mini-loaf pans. You can also grease a loaf pan. This will take the longest to cook.

In a large bowl:

Mix

3 cups of sugar

1 cup of oil

Beat in

4 eggs

In a medium bowl:

Combine

3 ½ cups of flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 15 oz. cans of Libby’s pumpkin

1 cup of water

Alternately add flour and water to sugar mixture.

Beat at low speed.

Beat in pumpkin.

Divide into baking cups or pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 35-55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

by Ava Fischetti

These are three recipes for when your in the mood for something sweet whether you are hanging out with your friends, or having Thanksgiving dinner with your family!

No Bake S'mores Cheesecake

Yield- one 7 inch cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups graham crackers

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 stick butter melted

• Baking spray

• Food processor

• 7 inch crust tin

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese soft

• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• 8 oz cool whip thawed

• ¼ cup confection sugar

• 3 cup mini marshmallows

• Stand Electric Mixer

• Paddle attachment to mixer

Directions for crust:

1. Place graham crackers and sugar in a food processor and pulse until it is only crumbs

2. Add melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula

3. Spray tin with baking spray

4. Spread out graham cracker mix in tin until even

Directions for Cheesecake:

1. Put cream cheese in an electric mixer with paddle attachment

2. Mix on medium speed

3. Add condensed milk slowly

4. Add cocoa powder and confectionery sugar slowly

5. Remove bowl from stand mixer

6. Mix and scrape bowl with rubber spatula

7. Fold in cool whip to mix

8. Pour mix into graham cracker crust

9. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze (minimum 2 hours)

10. Once finished spread marshmallows on top

(you can add shaved chocolate or graham crackers to top if you want)

Enjoy!

2. Carrot and Apple Cupcakes

Yield- 24

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

• 1 ¼ cups AP flour

• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• ¾ stick butter soft

• ⅛ teaspoon Allspice

• ¼ cup applesauce

• ¼ cup apple juice

• ⅓ cup dried cranberry

• ½ cup grated carrot

• Pillsbury Cream cheese frosting

• Muffin tin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, Allspice in a bowl and put to side

3. Get stand mixer with whisk

4. Add butter to mixer and beat until fluffy

5. Add brown sugar to butter and beat until blended

6. Add eggs one at a time

7. Add ½ dry ingredients into wet ingredients bowl

8. Add applesauce and apple juice

9. Add remaining dry ingredients

10. Take bowl off stand mixer

11. fold in carrots and dried cranberries

12. Put large tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin

13. Bake for 17 minute at 350 degrees

14. Let cool

15. Top with frosting

3. Turkey Pretzel Chocolate Kisses

Yield- 24

Ingredients:

• 24 mini pretzels

• 24 Hershey Kisses

• Brown, yellow, and orange m&m’s

• Candy Corn

• Ceramic or glass platter

• Mini Candy Eyes

Directions:

1. Lay pretzels down on platter

2. Put 1 unwrapped Hershey Kiss on center of each pretzel

3. Microwave 30-45 seconds (as long as it takes to get the Hershey Kiss soft)

4. Take out of microwave

5. Add three candy corns to top of pretzel and into the hershey kiss so that it looks like turkey feathers

6. Add candy eyes

7. Add 1 orange or yellow m&m sideways to look like the beak

8. Refrigerate for 10 minutes

9. Enjoy!

by Madeline Douglas

Have you ever had a chance to compare store-bought and homemade Peppermint Patties? Well, I have, and homemade always wins. So here is how to make your very own Homemade Peppermint Patties!

Step one: ingredients and supplies

• ¼ cup of softened butter

• ⅓ cup of light corn syrup

• 1-2 tsp of peppermint extract

• 3 cups of powder sugar

• 2 cups of dark chocolate

• Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Step two: Combine ingredients

Combine butter, corn syrup, peppermint extract and powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until the ingredients are fully mixed.

Step three: Put the patties in the oven

Remove the mixture from your bowl and section them into about 2 teaspoon-sized sections. Roll the dough into a ball and carefully flatten with your hands. Put the peppermint patties down on a pan that has parchment or wax paper on it. Once you have all of the patties on the pan, put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Step four: Decorate

Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds. Let it sit for a minute in the microwave. Remove and slowly stir. Remove the patties from the freezer. Use a fork or a smores stick to dip each patty in the chocolate, then tap to remove any excess. Put them back on the pan to cool. Top with chocolate sprinkles if you desire.

by Ali Gangi

Have you ever missed the amazing treats that you can get in Disney and wish you could eat them at home? Well, you don’t need to wish anymore because now you can enjoy your favorite Disney Parks recipes at home. Hands down the most iconic Disney treat is the classic Pineapple upside-down cake with dole whip.

Here is what you will need for the cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix

• 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

• 10 tbsp. brown sugar

• eggs and oil per box instructions

• 5 maraschino cherries

Directions:

First, make your cake with the instructions on the back. Next, drain your pineapples while keeping the juice off to the side. Then scoop one tablespoon of brown sugar into your ramekin (small bowl). Put your drained (crushed) pineapples on top of your brown sugar. Then add a half of a maraschino cherry in the center. Add an equal amount of batter on top of the brown sugar, pineapple and cherries. Lastly, bake for 27-30 minutes. After you take them out let them cool in the ramekin. When cooled take a knife and cut around the outside and flip over on the plate. Last but not least, top with dole whip! Enjoy!

Here is how to make Disney’s famous Dole Whip:

• 2 cups frozen pineapple

• 1/4 cup milk of choice

• 1/16 tsp salt

• pinch pure stevia extract or 2 tbsp sugar of choice

• scant 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

First, put all of your ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Then, scoop in an ice cream scooper and put on top of your pineapple upside-down cake or anything else!

So put on your favorite classic Disney movie and cozy up on the couch with this delicious treat from the park. I hope this recipe helped you bring Disney into your home! Enjoy!

by Vivienne West

Sick of the same old lunches day after day? I like to switch up my lunches sometimes with these chewy Apple and Oat Cookies. These cookies are actually suggested for breakfast, similar to a granola bar, but I’ve made them at different times of the year. The basic recipe is pretty easy, and depending on what fruit we have available at home or what’s in our pantry I can get creative and replace a fruit version with a sweet ingredient like some chocolate. There are so many ingredients you can choose from to customize this tasty treat throughout the year!

Now I know that most kids are always on the go, with sports or other activities. If one day you’re looking for a snack, you can also prepare these cookies in smaller bites and eat them on the go! Whether it’s to a baseball practice, a soccer tournament, or music practice, you can count on these cookies to give you that extra bit of energy you’re looking for!

Chewy Apple and Oat Cookies: Makes 18

Ingredients:

• 50g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1 Granny Smith apple: grated

• ½ cup all-purpose flour sifted

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and egg in a bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Add the grated apple, flour, baking soda and oats and stir to combine.

4. Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto lightly greased baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, leaving room to spread.

5. Flatten the cookies and press an apple slice into each cookie.

6. Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

8. Allow to cool completely before serving.

by Geena Ayello and Gianna Dilucci

Strength-it's a natural gift that only certain individuals can perfect. Of course, this does take a lot of time to gain, not just by lifting a dumbbell. Mankind works hard every day, each with different jobs. Teachers, construction workers, or even actresses have different purposes to improve mankind. But, did you ever think for a moment of a job that involves going to the gym every day? We had a chance to interview someone who is a famous arm wrestler, Mike Ayello.

Q: What inspired you to start bodybuilding?

“My brother actually inspired me. When I was 18 my brother was 28, and he was super muscular. I looked up to him and always wanted to be like him. He inspired me to start bodybuilding.”

Q: How do you train?

“I train with heavyweights and I work out one body part each day.”

Q: How was it like in the beginning of your career? Was it challenging?

“Yes, in the beginning, it was very challenging. You are usually very weak and also are new to everything.”

Q: Did you have any jobs before you were an arm wrestler?

“Yes, I was a police officer as well as a fireman, which is what I also work now.”

Q: What was your best match?

“I beat a guy named Tim Bresnan, and he was the world champion."

Q: Do you have any other hobbies besides arm wrestling?

“Yes, I love to play basketball.”

Q: What do you do in your leisure time?

"I like to coach my kids in basketball and football."

Q: What's your daily life while not working?

"I usually take my kids to school and I bring them to different sports games."

Q: What’s your greatest fear?

“My greatest fear is my job as a New York City fireman. If I accidentally hurt somebody, I can never live with it.”

Q: Who was your most difficult opponent?

“ Dave Chaffey is the strongest guy I ever arm wrestled."

Q: Do you get nervous before a match? “

"Even though I have been arm wrestling for 11 years, I still get butterflies in my stomach before a match.”

by Ava Fischetti

When you think of Disney World you think of meeting characters and going on rides with your friends and family during summer break, right? But, as you may not know, Disney World is just as incredible of a destination for you and your family to celebrate Halloween! Disney World is the perfect place to visit for “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!” There are so many things you can do during your visit like “Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade,” “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular,” and the “Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular.”

“Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” is held in Magic Kingdom Park and it begins at 7 pm. During the party, you can go trick or treating around Magic Kingdom in the special locations found on the map you are given when you enter. Each location has a large, orange, inflatable to make sure you can find it. You go around Magic Kingdom trying to get as much candy as you can!

You can also go to the “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” with huge, halloween themed fireworks that go from Adventureland to Tomorrowland. It’ll leave you amazed!

“Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” also has a castle projection show where Zero from The Night Before Christmas is a hero when he saves Micky, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald when they are trick-or-treating in a haunted house.

The “Hocus Pocus Halloween Spectacular” is a show that has the Sanderson Sisters, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, and many other villains such as Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, and Maleficent.

Lastly, you can go to “Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.” The Headless Horseman runs down to start off the parade. This parade has appearances of many of your favorite Disney characters like Dr. Facilier, Captain Barbosa, Oogie Boogie, the three hyenas from The Lion King, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, the three Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Bride from The Haunted Mansion, and of course Mickey, Minnie and the rest of the clubhouse.

So, if you and your family are considering taking a vacation in the fall, you should definitely consider Disney World!

by Ali Gangi

Have you recently been thinking about going to Disneyland for Halloween? Well if you have, you are in store for a fun time! There are many exciting things that you can do. One of these things is The Oogie Boogie Bash (if you want to see all of your favorite Villians and get some candy). Or, if you’re wanting to meet the characters, you can see them in their Halloween costumes. Do you want to see a ride transform into a wonderland of Halloween AND Christmas? You should also stop by the Haunted Mansion Holiday to see some spooky ghosts. Would you like to watch a bunch of fun Halloween fireworks? Make sure you catch the Halloween Screams Firework Show. Are you a person that loves the Cars franchise? Stop by to see the Cars town transformed into a Halloween Spooktacular. Lastly, if you are looking for treats, you’ll find them everywhere!

The Oogie Boogie Bash is held in the Disneyland Park. Trick or Treating and meeting characters are the main events of the Oogie Boogie Bash. You do need to buy a ticket to get in, but it is worth it! Little kids can wear costumes to the bash, but others must follow a few guidelines. Like, if you are older than 13 you cannot wear a costume but you can Disney bound. The Treat Trails lead you to meet characters of all kinds as you trick or treat. This is where you walk through trails in the park to get candy from cast members. You may pass Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog or sneak past the Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Or even see Oogie Boogie from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in his lair. On these trails, you’re sure to get some really delicious treats! Do you have an allergy or are you gluten-free? Just be sure to let a cast member know because they will have an allergy-free option for you. All of the characters are in costumes and ready to party as well. Minnie and Mickey Mouse are dressed as vampires, Goofy is in his Kingdom Hearts outfit along with Donald, and Daisy is dressed as a Witch. You can even take special pictures with them too. Rare characters are also seen sometimes here, so keep a lookout.

Ready to go on a ride? Visit the Haunted Mansion! They have completely transformed the ride into a wonderland of Christmas and Halloween. If you are in the parks at Halloween, do not miss this! In the stretching room, the pictures have been changed to characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Zero flies around the room. Figures like Sally and Jack as Sandy Claws (Santa Clause) have also been added into the graveyard scene. Look for the big Halloween and Christmas gingerbread house in the ballroom! It is edible and every year it has a new theme.

You can also enjoy the Halloween Screams Fireworks Show. This show is new and magical. The show has a fun story and spooky songs. There are projections of Halloween scenes and villains. Zero flies through the sky while Jack invites the spirits to come and socialize. All of this is happening while fireworks are exploding in the sky. Don’t miss this firework show.

During Halloween, Disneyland offers many characters inspired treats like The Minnie Mouse Witch Inspired drink, which is a mint chip shake with Oreos for ears. Next, is The Vampire Mickey Ice Cream bar. This ice cream bar is chocolate dipped and has wings made of shortbread cookies. Lastly, Cruella Devil inspired Brownie. This brownie has a dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse. You should definitely come to Disneyland for Halloween!

by Aidan Sherwin

The Tobay car show was a fascinating and exciting experience for car enthusiasts. There were classical cars everywhere you look, and a mix of Corvettes, Dodge Chargers, Challengers, Mustangs, and Camaros. Some cars had open hoods and doors so you can see the interior and the engine. The exposed engines were a very fine touch.

The Line & Traffic

To get into the show, there was a mighty long line. To make it worse, there was a car crash before the U-turn area to get to the other side where the line was. That caused a traffic monster. Only the right lane was open at the scene. Emergency units were surrounding the area, too. Once you made the U-turn to the line, more monstrosity was awaiting. On the line, there was sure to be hundreds of cars. The wait was between twenty to thirty minutes.

At the Show

The wait was worth it. Some of the cars that made an appearance at the show were jaw-dropping. The 1900s were coming back to the present. My phone was out ready to snap a picture at all times. I must ́ve taken over fifty of them. The muscle cars from the present that were there weren't as interesting to me unless they had a cool paint job, just because they were so common. But the older ones were picture-worthy. You could also find some supercars from nowadays, as well as some from the past. These cars varied from Ferraris, and some Lamborghinis.

Conclusion

The Tobay car show was a very fine event. The variety of cars was outstanding. As a car enthusiast, I found the event very exciting and interesting. Cars were everywhere ranging from the 1900s to today. I recommend going to the next car show taking place at the Tobay Beach parking lot!

by Ryan Dalton

For over 200 years, roller coasters have provided fun and excitement for all who dared to ride them. For me, my love for roller coasters began when I was just three years old, and I took my very first ride on Space Mountain. Ever since then, I have been to countless parks and have ridden almost 100 different roller coasters. From wooden coasters to steel coasters, I have been on them all, and I love most of them. However, there are some that are definitely better than others. So, here is my list of the top five roller coasters in America, in no particular order, and as a bonus, I included my favorite one in Italy!

El Toro

Since it first opened in 2006, El Toro has been recognized by Coaster Enthusiasts all over the world as the best wooden coaster, taking home the official Golden Ticket Award several times with the most recent being in 2017 and being named Top Wooden Coaster by USA Today in 2019. This ride is located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. With a 76-degree drop and an overall height of 176 feet, El Toro whips passengers around over 4,000 feet of track at a top speed of 70 mph. This ride was manufactured by Intamin, a well-known roller coaster construction company.

Nitro

Nitro is a steel coaster that opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2001. It is a B & M (a popular roller coaster builder) Hyper Coaster, and when it was built, it was the tallest and fastest of its kind. It did not maintain that status for very long, but it is still a thrilling coaster with speeds of up to 80 mph and an initial drop of 215 feet. It offers a very comfortable ride and an overall great ride experience.

New Texas Giant

The New Texas Giant is a hybrid coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Dallas, Texas. It is called a hybrid because it has a steel track overlay on wooden supports offering the best of both worlds for coaster fans and an exceptionally smooth ride experience. At 153 feet tall and with an initial drop of 147 feet at a 79-degree angle of descent, New Texas Giant is nothing short of the ultimate thrill ride.

Expedition Everest

For a long time, Disney was not known for its thrill rides, with Space Mountain being its biggest coaster for almost 20 years. However, they have really stepped up their game in the last two decades, and Expedition Everest, which opened in 2006 and cost over $100 million to build, quickly became a fan favorite at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It may not be the tallest or the fastest, but the unique theming and shocking change in direction halfway through definitely offer a thrilling experience for riders.

Skyrush

Located at Hershey Park in Hershey, PA, Skyrush proves to fans that the town that chocolate built offers a lot more than candy bars. Skyrush has a maximum height of 212 feet and reaches speeds of 75 mph as riders race along 3,600 feet of track. The most unique feature of Skyrush is that it reaches a maximum of 5G (gravitational force) at the bottom of the first drop! If you’re heading to Hershey for the chocolate, be sure to stay for Skyrush!

Bonus Coaster: Oblivion

Located at Gardaland in Verona, Italy, Oblivion is a B&M Dive Coaster. After traveling up 140 feet, riders hang from the top for several long seconds before plunging straight down and temporarily underground at speeds of 62 mph. Oblivion offers an incredibly smooth ride and really gets the adrenaline pumping as its cars dangle over what appears to be a black hole. Opening in 2015, it quickly became one of the most popular coasters in all of Italy!

by Shane Gein

Recently in baseball, the Yankees swept the Twins. The Yankees won games to none in the series. In game 3 of the games Luis Severino got out of a bases loaded situation with two outs. He got out of the inning by striking the batter out.Then Arones Chapman comes in the game in the 8th inning and gets three strikeouts for the save. The Yankees win 5-1. The Yankees then go on to lose to the Astros 4 games to 2 for the series. The Astros move on to play the Nationals in the World Series.The Astros lost to the Nationals 4 games to 3 in the World Series. A MLB rumor for 2020 is what kind of return could Red Sox get back in a Mookie Betts trade.The Yankees have won their division for 2019 with a record of 95-67.

Currently in the NFL, the 49ers were undefeated playing the Seahawks until they lost to the Seahawks 27-24 in OT. The Patriots lost to the Ravens 37-20 which was their first loss. The Patriots are currently 8-1. The Ravens are 7-2. Patrick Mahomes returned back from his knee injury. The Giants will attend at Colin Kaepernick’s work out. The Giants lost to the jets 34-27 this past weekend. Saquan Barkley in that game had 30 yards and 5 receptions, which is not good for the Giants. As of November 13th, 2019 in first place of the NFC is the 49ers with a record of 8-1. Second place is the Packers with a Record of 8-2. Third place is the Saints with a record of 7-2. In the first place of the AFC is the Patriots with a record of 8-1. Second place is the Ravens with a record of 7-2.Third place is the Texans with a record of 6-3.

by Micheal Cunnane

The 2019 NBA offseason was one of the craziest offseasons in the history of sports. Superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Antony Davis, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook all left their teams during the offseason. We will be going into an in-depth analysis of all the above trades.

At this point in time, Kawhi Leonard is currently the best player in the world in my opinion. He truly is the modern-day Scottie Pippen. His 2-way play is second to none in the league. The fact that he led a team to an NBA Championship in his first season and left in the next is amazing. I think the only other player in the league that could do that now is LeBron James. The Clippers, even if they did not make a move in the offseason, were already playoff locks in the tougher Western Conference anyway. This move with getting Paul George, a fellow top 10 player in the league, makes them championship favorites.

Anthony Davis has the raw potential to be the best power forward of all time. How someone this young can be this good at everything is mind-boggling. At 24 years of age, he is already a top 5 player in the league in my opinion. And going to a team with LeBron James on its roster makes the Lakers the second most likely team to win the NBA championship in my opinion. But on the opposite side of the coin, the Pelicans did not get a bad trade in return. Getting back Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and 3 first-round picks is not a bad trade-off for Anthony Davis.

Paul George has improved miles since moving from the Pacers. He has always been a special player, but since joining the Thunder he has really shown people that he is an MVP caliber player. And for the Clippers to get him and Kawhi Leonard in free agency is absolutely unfair to the rest of the NBA. It is very rare for an MVP-type player to be so good in a secondary role, but Paul George did that with Russell Westbrook and there is no reason to believe that he can’t do the same with Kawhi Leonard.

Before he tore his Achilles, Kevin Durant was the best player in the world. This injury is very serious and the only player in basketball history to be the exact same player after this injury was Dominque Wilkins in the ’80s. But we have to remember that even if Kevin Durant is only 75% of the player that he was, he is still a top 5 player in the NBA. This is a risky situation where the Nets took a chance. But I still give this an A because he is an amazing player. And for the Warriors, they got a pretty good player in D’Angelo Russell.

Russell Westbrook is a great player. We all know that. He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in more than one season, the most triple-doubles of any current NBA player(the only former player with more is Magic Johnson) and the only player in NBA history to have a 20-20-20 game. But he is a very selfish player, a ball hog, and needs a system around him to flourish. The Rockets have a similar player in James Harden. It might work, considering that Russell has played with Kevin Durant, Paul George, and James Harden before at OKC. But it is a risky move and that is why it gets a B+ in my book. But OKC got a very bad offer in return. When you trade your best player for an overpaid and aging Chris Paul and a bunch of meaningless draft picks. Overall, not an amazing trade for OKC.

by Brian Kopp

Pete Alonso Stats: Avg: .260 RBI’s: 120, HRs: 53, Runs: 103

Going into the season Pete Alonso was unknown by most of the public and he almost started the season down in Triple-A Syracuse. Luckily he made the opening day roster, what would happen after this almost no one could have suspected. Pete played in his first game on March 28th and got his first hit on that day in his first game and fourth at-bat. The Magic of his homers started in his next series though, against the Marlins on April 1st, Alonso belted the 1-1 fastball over the center-field wall for his first Major League blast and that was only the start of it. Pete would go on to blast nine homers in April and earn a rookie of the month award.

Pete would keep slugging and add another 10 home runs in the month of May, Breaking the Mets Rookie single-season rookie record against the Cubs and capping the month with a two-home run game on the 29th versus the Dodgers. At this point, many people doubted Pete and called him a fluke.

Yet again Pete proved the doubters wrong with another eight home runs in June and earning him the number two seed in the home run derby. Despite facing a hostile crowd and bad pitching Pete dominated the Home Run Derby and defeated Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the final round to take home the crown.

The rest of shortened July was just average for Pete only belting another five homers, Pete carried this so-called “slump” into the beginning of an August but broke that in dramatic fashion against the Marlins, with a clutch homer to win the game against the Marlins in a huge game for New York. Pete finished August with seven homers on the month but, broke the Mets rookie record on 8/27 against the Cubs.

Pete started off September with a homer on his first career at-bat in the month of April. Pete continued to slug in September and came within two home runs of beating Arron Judge's so-called “unbreakable” record and had 3 games against Atlanta to do this. Pete didn’t waste time homering in the first inning of the series off of Dallas Keuchel that just cleared the left-field wall. In-game two of the series Pete had done the unthinkable. Pete Homered on a 1-1 fastball from Mike Foltynewicz well over Billy Hamilton in Center Field. After this Pete went on to win the Rookie of the Year. Thus completing arguably one of the best rookie seasons of all time.

by Steven Horn

The New York Yankees started out the season a little shaky, almost losing on Opening Day until busting the game open and then dropping 2 of 3 to the third worst team in baseball, the Orioles. After a lot of their star players got hurt, hope looked lost. Then people started realizing this guy named D.J. Lemahiu was doing pretty good, this guy Cameron Maybin seemed to have improved from his past years, and Gio Urshella was hitting at a new level. Quickly the Yankees picked it up. Competing with the first place Rays for a very long time. The Yankees even got to play the Red Sox in London, and swept that series in two very exciting back and forth games.Then, in a crucial series just before the All-Star break, the Yankees swept the Rays, grabbing first place. They never gave it back. Really starting to be the team they were supposed to be, they steamrolled through everyone they played. The hated Red Sox kept losing, and the Yankees never stopped. Battling with the Astros in the A.L. and the Twins in the home run race. The Yankees would end up losing both, but kept the pressure on all year. The Wild Card race was getting interesting and the Red Sox kept losing. Domingo German committed a few crimes, that wasn’t fun. After clinching the AL East, the team that was built to win set about its task in the playoffs.

ALDS

The Yankees played the Twins in the American League Division Series. James Paxton VS Jose Berrios for Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. The Twins struck first. A Jorge Planco home run lowered morale. Then Nelson Cruz went deep, and the Yankees were in a 2-0 hole. The Stadium was quiet. The Yankees offense wouldn’t let up though. Edwin Encarnacion ripped an RBI double to make the game 2-1. Then with the bases loaded the 22 year old Gleyber Torres stepped in. He hit a ground ball to third. Double-play, inning over. At least that’s what we all thought. Until Luis Arraez bounced the throw. The ball skipped away from C.J. Cron, and the Yankees took a 3-2 lead. They never gave it back, adding on 7 more runs and only giving up another 2. They would end up winning Game 1. Which ended up being a record setting game. Their 11th straight against the Twins in the playoffs. The Yankees won the next 2 and swept the Twins aside. The Yankees played the Astros in the ALCS, a battle that was bound to be a good one.

ALCS

The Yankees played the Astros in the American League Championship Series. In Game 1 it was all Yankees, as they won 7-0. Game 2 was different though. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead into the 5th and Chad Green was rolling. Then Aaron Boone made a move. He put in Adam Ottavino to face George Springer, a move that in my opinion, cost the Yankees an American League Championship Series victory. George Springer took a first pitch slider deep to left-center field, and the game was tied. It remained that way until the 11th inning, when Carlos Correa went deep and tied the series at 1-1. The Astros took the next 2 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, facing elimination in Game 5, put up 4 against Justin Verlander in the first inning. They won that game 4-1. The Yankees were favored in Game 6 though. A game that the Yankees were favored in because both managers declared that this would be a bullpen game. The Yankees, in most opinions, had the best bullpen in the league, but Yuli Gurriel hit a first inning 3-run home run. The Atros took a 2-run lead into the top of the 9th. The Yankees put a runner on with 1 out for the top of the order. D.J. Lemahieu stepped in against Roberto Osuna. He had 2 strikes on him and battled, he battled a lot. Eventually, he got a high outside fastball and hit it deep to right field, George Springer jumped at the wall. The ball was over the wall. The Yankees had tied the game. Yankees fans around the country went bonkers. 26 pitches later, a small man did a big thing, and the Yankees were out of the playoffs.

by John Tarpey

During the 2019 MLB (Major League Baseball) Off season, there were big players on the market, such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Clayton Kershaw. These players all found homes with Kershaw re-signing with The Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado going with The San Diego Padres, and Bryce Harper going to The Philadelphia Phillies. After all these moves and other minor moves, that wrapped up and solidified 2019 MLB Free Agency. Before we knew it, Spring Training was here and teams were getting ready to go to The Grapefruit League and The Cactus League, the two Spring Training Leagues. Players were battling for roster spots and getting some extra practice in before the season started. In no time, it was March 28th, 2019, and MLB baseball was here. All 30 teams were ready to play and to start the journey to where only 10 teams would make the playoffs. The reigning World Series Champs, The Boston Red Sox, were heading into the season trying to repeat what they had done last season, except all 29 other teams were coming right for them.

This year was going to be an exciting year for all. In the month of April, teams such as The Dodgers had realized that they had a lock down Starting Pitching rotation led by Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Hyun Jin-Ryu, Kenta Maeda, and Rich Hill, with Kenley Jansen still serving as the All-Star Closer. However, the biggest surprise team in April was by far The Seattle Mariners. They traded away all of their good players, practically their entire team. James Paxton to The Yankees. Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to The Mets. Carlos Santana back to The Indians. Edwin Encarnacion to The Yankees. Although they did sign Chinese Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. And they finished April by leading The MLB in Home Runs and leading their Division. The Tampa Bay Rays continued their strategy from Head Coach Kevin Cash to keep on starting off games with Relief Pitchers. This is called an “Opener”. Teams such as The Athletics and Yankees caught on to the trend. The “Opener” has kind of taken over Baseball because now that is what teams are doing in order to win games.

By the month of August, teams were beginning to prepare for their postseason push including The Yankees, Rays, Athletics, Astros, Twins, Indians, Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Brewers, Cardinals, and Dodgers. It was a very tightly packed race.

By October, the playoffs were set to begin. The Rays defeated the Athletics in the AL Wild Card while the Nationals beat the Brewers in the NL Wild Card on an epic Juan Soto hit. Then, the Nationals had a comeback NLDS Series Upsetting victory vs. the Dodgers. On the other hand, the Cardinals upset the Braves. In the AL, the Astros beat the Rays and the Yankees beat the Twins in the ALDS. It was set. Astros vs. Yankees and Cardinals vs. Nationals. The Yankees lost to the Astros in 6 games on a Jose Altuve pennant-winning Walk-Off Home run while the Nationals swept the Cardinals in 4. It was time for an epic World Series matchup. Nationals vs. Astros. The Astros surprisingly lost the first two at home to the Nationals while the Astros came back and won the next three in Washington. The Nationals took Game 6 in Houston. And here it was, Game 7. The Astros took a lead late into the game. However, A.J. Hinch made the grave mistake of bringing in right-handed Reliever Will Harris rather than powerfull Starter Gerrit Cole, and things went off the rails for Houston. The Nationals came back to win the game and the World Series. The Washington Nationals won their first-ever World Series Championship as Starting Pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named World Series MVP. The 2019 MLB Season was finished and was a very dramatic and exciting one.

by Aidan Cutler and Jonathan Mulhern

On October 11th, a new animated version of the movie, The Addams Family, came out and it was hilarious.They even changed Thing from a right to left hand. Yes, according to Rottentomatoes.com, the movie ́s tomatometer it got a 43% but it was funny and a lasting laugh for kids and the audience’s score was a 69%. If you are thinking of seeing the film you should know that it makes lots of horror movie references.

It cast Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley Addams, Chloe Grace Mortez as Wednesday Addams, Snoop Dogg as Cousin Itt, Oscar Issac as Gomez Addams, Charlize Theron as Morticia Addams, Conrad Vernon as Lurch, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, Bette Midler as Grandmama, and with Greg Tiernan as the director and much more! And at the end they recreated the original intro of the first of many incarnations of The Addams Family. And at the beginning they showed Gomez and Morticia’s wedding and how they came to the Asylum. It was a great update since 1991.

It was a great movie with little details and callbacks to the original, fantastic animation, and voice actors that really fit the characters that they are playing 100%!

by Elizabeth Terranova

Are you a fan of fractured fairy tales? Plot twists? Evil queens and intricate costumes? Devious villains and creepy forest settings? If so, this movie is for you. Disney’s live-action Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning checks all of these boxes. In the beginning, Maleficent is a young girl who meets Stefan, a poor farm boy, and they become friends. Soon after, Stefan gets a job at the palace and no longer associates with Maleficent. King Henry, played by Kenneth Cranham, takes his army to invade the Forest of Amores. Maleficent’s tree minions interfere with the army to thwart the invasion. The army retreats and the King grows ill. Before he dies, the King makes a proclamation that whoever kills the winged creature, aka Maleficent, will be greatly rewarded. Re-enter Stefan. The premise of the movie is set. What follows is suspenseful, action-packed, and heartbreaking. While it is hard to keep track of all the curses and spells being cast back and forth, the movie delivers on suspense and emotion. The costumes are unreal and the action is non-stop. Maleficent is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

by John Gilbert and Sharif Zaky

Remember that this tier list is based on our opinion of the character. This is not based on statistics.

Jigglypuff- As you can see from this chart we have ranked Jigglypuff very high. The reason being is she is played by one of the best smash bros players of all time. She has one of, if not the strongest moves in the entire game, rest. She also has sing which can combo into rest. Thirdly, she has a double kick which can be used very quickly doing 11%. That's not to say you can play here and be the next hungry box (expert player) in a day. You need to play her a lot to really get good. Lastly, be careful around tanks, she may outspeed them but if they do a side smash, you’re done for.

Cloud- He is not as great as he used to be in smash 4, mainly his limit. You need to make sure you use it before 15 seconds. He is very strong though. He has lots of kill moves and high damage ones too. His counters, however, are swordsman who out seed him like Shulk and people like Bayonetta who knock him off stage. Besides that, he is very strong and easy to pick up.

King K Rool- Very strong character. He is faster than most tanks and has tons of combos. He has a very powerful up tilt in the air and ground. His main counter is swordsman. It's hard to use reflect on them, however, he easily can hit them off stage and do a down tilt for a k.o.

Pikachu- Very nimble and speedy attacks. The down B and side smash are powerful and can kill very early. Pikachu has seemed to be buffed from previous games making him do more damage and even faster. He is countered by characters with low knockback which is how most Pikachus use to their advantage.

Sans/mii gunner- He's Sans. What did you expect?

Luigi- He has been an amazing character in Ultimate. He has a better grab, up B, and side B. He may not be number 1 now but he is still strong. I recommend very quick characters like Sonic to dodge his attacks and do chip damage.

Piranha Plant - Many people probably disagree with this one, but in our experience, I have beaten a lot of foes with this one. The Neutral Special is just really fun to kill with, and the down special can easily K-O if well-timed.

Ridley- He is an overall very strong character. He has one of the game’s best side Bs. Also, he can kill very low percent with a side smash. Also, he does fairly well in tournaments. He has very strong kill moves and even ones that don’t kill can change the outcome of a game. He is one of the best characters but can’t just can’t compete with the S tiers on the list.

Bowser- The reason Bowser is so low and is because John had a bad loss in a tournament to Bowser. This list is based on our opinion, not the skill of the character.

Wario- He is a very bad character. He has very weak moves and no combos. He is almost unusable. It may be fun to use his side B but that's really it. His down B basically does nothing and is very weak. He could be used well but I think it is almost impossible to actually win a major tournament.

Olimar-It is just a bad character. Is a weak character and has weak attacks. He has been nerfed from brawl, with now having 3 pikmin instead of 6. Also Olimar is very unuseble. Lastly, the weak to almost every other character in the game. He could be better but I doubt he will get a buff.

Ness/Lucas - Ness and Lucas, are improbable to use. The special can be very tricky to pull off, and I don’t really ever see me wanting to use this character. They are grouped together here since they are somewhat similar.

Pit - Pit can be used extremely well. His side B can do lots of damage, plus he has decent attacks. I have seen his up air be used in a great way. He isn’t the greatest character, which is why he is only C, but he has a lot of potential for use, if you know what you are doing.

The main reason some of the people are low tier, is because we don’t ever use them. We don’t really know how to use them, so when we do, we often lose. Some characters could have potential, but in our opinion, we don’t like them very much.

1. Mrs. Brzezinski’s Lie: She absolutely loves karaoke! Singing in front of her friends is an absolute blast

2. Ms. Visceglie’s Lie: She had a pet hamster, Reggie.
   

3. Mrs. Korenstein’s Lie: Her DNA results also showed Bill Nye is her distant cousin!
   

4. Mrs. Wood’s Lie: She met Billy Joel in person during one of his Long Island concerts.

5. Mrs. Frisch’s Lie: She teaches yoga classes on Saturday mornings.

6. Mr. Lambert’s Lie: He knows how to play the electric guitar.