The Beveridge Paw Print

The eighth graders may be leaving for high school, but they are bringing along valuable memories and life lessons that they’ll carry for the rest of their time.

Written by: Endya Kellogg (7) and Valora Syslo (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) After three years of attending Beveridge, it's finally time for the eighth grade class to move on. They have laughed, cried, learned, and made so many amazing friends and moments with them. For some, it might be hard to move forward but also exciting because it’s something new.

On another note, the seventh graders are going to become the new eighth graders. Many students are eager to move up and take on the role of being the oldest kids in the school. Isabella Nuno (7) expresses, “I’m excited to finally be one of the older students in the school and have more opportunities next year.” Although, becoming an eighth grader also means more responsibilities, such as preparing for the future.

While many people are enthusiastic, others are emotional about things behind. “I’m happy to become an eighth grader, but I’m also nervous because middle school is going by really fast,” Maren Kingkade (7) marks. Multiple other seventh graders share similar feelings as they both look forward and reflect.

Back to the students leaving, the eighth grade graduation happened on Thursday, May 14th. They featured a slide show of all eighth graders and their memories that were captured on camera. Every eighth grade student was recognized at the event for the time and effort they have put into being at the school. Some got awards for their excellent attendance, while others were recognized for their work ethic.

You’ll notice that as the school year ends, everything starts to feel different in a way. The halls feel a little more meaningful because you know it’s the last time you’ll walk through them like you have the whole year. Students are still laughing and talking like usual, but you can tell that something is ending, even if nobody says it out loud.

Teachers begin wrapping up lessons, classrooms slowly get cleaned out, and conversations start turning toward summer plans and the future. Even small moments, like putting chairs up at the end of the day or sitting with friends at lunch suddenly feel more important because these routines will soon change. The end of middle school brings great excitement, but it also reminds students how fast time can move.

It hits hardest when people start thinking about leaving. Beveridge has been full of random memories, good days, bad days, and everything in between, and now it’s all coming to a stop faster than anyone expected. Students remember football games, school dances, classroom jokes, spirit weeks, and the friendships they built throughout the years. It feels weird to get ready for what’s next while also not wanting to let go of what’s already happened.

For many eighth graders, graduation is more than just a ceremony. It marks the end of an important chapter in their lives and the beginning of a completely new one. Even though high school brings new experiences, the memories made here at middle school will always be cherished deeply.

Every two years, the Beveridge Instrumental Music programs takes a trip to Worlds of Fun with the seventh and eighth grade groups.

Written by: Nadine Rhodes (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) This is the year for another Worlds of Fun trip for the Beveridge Instrumental Music programs. The groups consist of seventh and eighth grade orchestra, band, and choir students. This year, the trip was on Saturday, May 16th.

Normally, the trip is an optional one; however, it comes with a fee of $150. Many students have been awaiting this trip for months, especially students who have never experienced an amusement park before. Along with performing music, students are also excited about roller coasters, food, and spending time with friends during the long bus ride.

Before the trip, Isabel Harrold (7), a baritone player, shares that she is excited because they’ve never been to Worlds of Fun before. “I really like band, and I’ve never been to Worlds of Fun before,” Harrold says. “I’m very excited because I get to do it for band.” The band will be performing the songs "Flight of Dragons" and "Triumphant Overture".

In addition to Harrold, Damian Soto (7), a trumpet player, is also looking forward to the experience. “It’s a theme park, and I’ve never been to it. I think it’ll be really fun,” Soto adds. He mentions how he’s excited to perform music while enjoying rides with friends. Like many students, he plans to bring his phone, music, and instrument for the long bus ride.

For some students, the trip is more than just roller coasters. A viola player, Zia Humphries (8), explains that she enjoys being able to perform for audiences outside of school. “I really like that we can go out and play our instruments for people other than our friends and family." The orchestra students will be performing songs such as "Strings of Fire" and "Shut Up and Dance".

Choir students are just as excited for the adventure. Gigi Mahadi (7) shares that she is most excited to sing, explore, and spend time with friends. “I am excited because I get to hang out with my friends, and it’s going to be a long road trip." Choir students will be performing songs "Found/Tonight" and "Lovely Day".

Percussionist Ethan Perez (7) mentions he wants to attend because it will be a “good opportunity to support the Beveridge Band program.” Although Perez admits large crowds may be stressful, he still hopes to experience as many rides as possible throughout the day.

Even students who have been to Worlds of Fun before are still excited. Choir and percussion student Cason Lusk (7) says he’s mainly going to be able to spend time with his friends. Many students have agreed that being able to spend the day with friends and classmates is one of the best parts of the trip.

Whether students are excited for performing, roller coasters, or simply spending time together, the Worlds of Fun trip is something many Beveridge Musicians will remember for years to come.

Our lady Bulldogs perform outstanding this season with a final showdown at City Finals, the final game ending with a score of 2-3--a sad loss against Buffett Middle School.

Written by: Charlotte Achelpohl (7), Verona Lenagh (7), and Nina Rudnicki (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) The girls soccer team put all their effort into the last few games, ending with six wins and two losses. The entire building is immensely proud of these athletes and how they truly showed what real teamwork and friendship looks like.

This season, the Bulldog soccer coaches are Natalie Bass (head coach) and Cynthia Rodriguez-Ayala (assistant coach). Bass has been coaching at Beveridge for five years, and this is her third year coaching varsity. Rodriguez-Ayala has now been the junior varsity coach for three years.

Before City Finals, Bass exclaims, “I just hope we do well. I’m excited, we have a really good team, so I just wanna keep that same intensity, and not think we’re gonna walk into cities. I think we need to go in with a very much like battle mentality.”

The teams' first game of City Finals ended with a win of 2-1 against Davis. Bass states, “Now looking back, I think we could have done a little bit more damage with them, but that was our first game. I think it takes a minute to be out on the field to see how you’re gonna click together.”

Teamwork, as well as talking on the field makes a huge difference in soccer. Without communication, passing the ball would be close to impossible, and scoring would almost never happen. The girls have had multiple times on the field where they do not communicate, ending with two teammates trying to get the same ball. Which if you don’t know, is not something you ever want to happen. Ultimately, the goal this season was not only to score goals but to make sure communication appears on the field.

Soccer is an extremely high contact sport. Injuries are quite common because you are constantly either defending someone or getting defended by the other team. When playing soccer, you need to make sure your have good foot-eye coordination, because if not, you could trip over yourself and get injured. Even after injuries, athletes are taught to rest, so that they can come back even stronger.

In sports, you make so many memories, ranging from the good to some bad ones you may want to forget. The ladies all have their own memories they love the most. Helen Puumala (7) remarks her favorite memory “when we were on a streak of goals and everyone was like so happy.”

The City Finals are looking a little different this year, with there being quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Beveridge hosted the first quarterfinals against Davis, ending with a win of 2-1, winning in a shootout moving Beveridge to the next round of City Finals.

Beveridge hosted the semifinals as well. The Bulldogs had a tough loss against Norris. They were able to score one goal against their opponents. Unfortunately, it had to go to a shootout because they had a tie. With our Lady Bulldogs putting all their effort in, they lost in the shootout.

Overall, the Lady Bulldogs had a terrific season, ending with a 6-2 record. So much effort was put into every single practice, tryout, and game. The girls most definitely deserved the place they received, finishing fourth in all of Omaha Public Schools.

Join the boys soccer team in the most important and final game of the season where communication is key.

Written by: Brie Ketobiokou (7) and Manuella Toham (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) The boys soccer team is on their way to the soccer City Finals tournament; everyone is trembling in hopes of winning. Many of the soccer players are questioning whether they will win or not. Are they ready?

Once again, Patrick Becker (head coach) and Robert Worthington (assistant coach) are the coaches for soccer this year. Nearing the biggest game of the season, the coaches and players have mixed feelings.

Worthington is a little nervous but also excited, as he states, "I want to see how much we’ve grown in the season.”

For Worthington, the highlight of the year has been seeing the team improve at soccer. He also mentions a highlight being in the “last game, Josman Suárez (8) scored three goals in one game".

Worthington became a coach so he could meet new students who aren’t in his class; he also enjoys coaching his dual-language students who often play soccer.

Some good advice Worthington gave before finals was to keep the ball in the middle and most importantly to try your best.

Aside from the coaches, Chris-Montiel Breuer (8) and Oliver Konen (8) are two eighth grade students on the soccer team. Breuer plays the attacking position, while Konen plays midfield. Konen is very excited for finals.

Konen hopes that the team will do well at City Finals. The only problem that many of the soccer players agree with is that the team needs to be together. Breuer expresses, “We need to be more together as a team.” In team sports like these, it's important to have good communication skills.

Breuer joined soccer because soccer is fun, and Konen has played soccer for a long time. Plenty of the soccer players joined soccer because it's their passion.

Some good advice provided by the two was to communicate more and to pay more attention to the game. Many of the soccer players gave the same advice regarding needing to have better communication skills while playing.

Samuel Coury (7) is another student on the soccer team in seventh grade. Coury joined the boys soccer team because he loves soccer and plays it outside of school. Coury’s hope for the finals is to win, but he thinks it’s unlikely that they will. “There's a chance we could get close, though,” Coury mentions.

The highlight of the season for Coury was when fellow soccer player Lashi Aung (7) scored two goals.

At the beginning of the season, Coury was a little unsure that his team would do well at finals because they lost a game. However, during the season, the boys started to improve. “We pulled it together,” Coury explains.

The only advice Coury gives for his fellow soccer players is: “If we use teamwork, we will definitely win.”

Noe Loaba (7), Cason Lusk (7), and Dillon Buckley (7) are three boys who also made it to the tournament. Although they are excited to have made it, they don't have the highest hopes when it comes to winning.

Lusk and Buckley both think the boys have a chance of winning. Lusk says, “I’m really excited for City Finals, and I really hope we win, but it's okay if we don’t.” Buckley hopes the boys win, but he thinks it’s unlikely that they will. “I don’t think we’re going to win because we aren’t as good as the other teams.”

Loaba also hopes the team wins but they might not because they’re very nervous. Loaba loves soccer, and his hopes for the team is to “make it to the top five".

Even though the boys Bulldog soccer team doesn’t have the highest hopes of winning, the boys have had many great highlights throughout the year. Buckley's highlight of the season was when they beat Morton Middle School. Buckley’s advice for finals is to “be more aggressive towards the ball".

Lusk gives his words of advice to his teammates: “Have good communication and play as a team.” He thinks that our soccer team just needs to have better communication skills to win City Finals.

The track team is gearing up for the City Finals, giving their all in practice and aiming for personal bests. Coaches and athletes alike are focused, motivated, and ready to make a big impact at the season’s final meet.

Written by: Jon Nelson (7) and Charlie Whitbeck (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) With City Finals just around the corner, the excitement and energy on the track are at an all-time high. Our coaches have been guiding the team with hard work, strategy, and encouragement, while our athletes have been pushing themselves in every practice—whether it’s perfecting a jump, shaving seconds off a sprint, or increasing their throws. How is the team preparing, what motivates them, and who do they think will make a big impact at the meet? From advice for nervous runners to personal goals and favorite workouts, here’s what the Bulldog coaches and athletes had to share about their final stretch of the season.

Emily Arnold (head track coach) declares, “The team is preparing by going to practice and working on their events and endurance to be the best. My main goals are for the runners to leave it all on the track and to score points for the team.”

She also puts in that she thinks Aaron Holloway (8), Kaja Stricklin (7), Charles Whitbeck (7), and Adalynn Grabow (7) will make a big impact at the meet. She says she tries to make practice hard so then when they compete it’s easier. Her advice for the nervous runners is to tell them that it’s their last track meet so they might as well go out and do their best.

Daniel Frieberg (head track coach) states, “The team is preparing for the City Finals by practicing and trying their hardest at other meets. My main goals are to get a couple city champions but hopefully personal bests.”

He also adds he thinks Grabow, Whitbeck, Ja’Mere Maloney (8), the boys 4x4, and Zoey Sankey (7) will make a difference at the meet. He instills confidence and doesn’t let them get down on themselves to make sure they’re mentally prepared. His advice is if you’re trying your hardest, nobody’s ever gonna be mad or disappointed in you.

Maxwell McArthur (8) exclaims, “I train during track practice, like running with long distance either that’s working on ending sprints or just a mile run to get ready for the cities. I like the Indian runs the most where the runners are in a line and the person from the back runs to the front.”

McArthur says his goal is to get a sub one minute in the 400. He also adds that he stays motivated by looking at the person in front of him and wondering how he can get in front of him. The cities, for him, compare to other competitions because there will be a lot more people and it’ll be way more competitive.

Sankey (7) mentions, “Training is just motivating myself and doing whatever the coaches tell us to do, and my favorite workout to do at practice is working on jumping over the high jump bar because it helps build your jumping form.” She explains her goal for cities is to get a personal best in high jump, and she stays motivated by all the coaches and her teammates telling her she’s doing great and to keep going. She’s looking forward to high jump the most because she’s the best at it.

Addison Nielsen (8) comments, “I’ve been training each day by trying to throw farther, and I do workouts for my arms and legs so my ability to throw farther will be better. My favorite drill is any throwing workout like lunges because I am looking forward most to doing shot put and discus.” She notes her goal for City Finals is in shot put to get 20-30 feet and discus 50-60 feet. She notes that City Finals is the biggest meet so you want to do well, and it’s the end of the season so you want to leave it all out there like Arnold preaches at practice.

As the season comes to a close, the track team has shown incredible dedication, teamwork, and determination. From grueling practices to personal goals and standout performances, each athlete and coach has contributed to making this final stretch memorable. With City Finals on the horizon, the team is ready to give their all, chase personal bests, and leave a lasting mark on the season. The Bulldog community is proud of their hard work and can’t wait to see them shine on the track.

It’s summer school time and that means more school, instead of freedom, for some people. But does summer school actually help or not?

Written by: Paxton Howey (7) and Reid Monaco (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) It is the end of the year, and summer is approaching. That means for most people--freedom and hanging out with friends at the pool or outside playing a sport. But for others, it means more school. It is the season of the dreaded summer school. Kids could be spending time outside instead of having to be inside learning things. It is summertime, and kids should be able to have some free time at some point. Now, here are the questions: should summer school be a required thing if you have a failing grade? Should it only be for the class you are failing, or should it be an optional thing, such as if a student feels like they need some help in a subject?

JoAnna Hale (principal) states, “We motivate students in summer school by doing fun activities involving learning. Also, we try to do multiple interactive field trips throughout summer school.”

Hale feels summer school is not a punishment and is a genuine opportunity to learn. Also, the district makes the summer school curriculum very different than the normal school year, so it is not a repeat of the same content.

A summer school teacher, Chad Carlson (seventh grade social studies teacher), mentions, “I try to keep summer school different from the regular school year by making it more hands-on and project based. I teach the inventions class, so the kids are building, creating, and working together instead of just doing regular school work all day.”

Summer school for middle school is not really a punishment anymore. It is more of a chance for students to catch up, learn in a different way, and stay productive over the summer.

Carlson explains, “I keep students engaged by making the class interactive and giving them projects they actually enjoy. Since it is hands-on, they stay busy and involved instead of feeling like they are just sitting through another school day.”

Aside from what Hale and Carlson say, we think summer school is a punishment because no one wants to be in school during the summer when you could be outside playing with your friends. Why would a kid not want to learn during the school year but want to learn during the summer? If kids do not want to do there work during the school year, then we are pretty sure they do not want to do it during the summer when school is out.

While the staff thinks summer school is not a punishment, we think summer school is a punishment. All our questions center around a common theme: Do kids actually learn in it, or do they just goof around just like they do in regular school? Should summer school be a required thing if you have a failing grade, or is it just a genuine learning experience? Do you think summer school actually helps? Eventually, we will get to the bottom of these questions--possibly after we enjoy our summer break.

For the past few years, there has been a hype around NeeDoh’s, squishies, and other types of fidgets, but why? Is it because they are squishy? Is it because they make noise? Is it because they are just fun? Keep reading our article to get the scoop about all sorts of fidgets.

Written by: Jacob Buchholz (7) and Dillon Buckley (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) Since 2017, fidgets such as NeeDohs, or any type of squishy toys, have been extremely popular with people of all ages. For many varied reasons, people love to have something to do with their hands when they are bored or stressed.

According to BrownHealth.org, fidgets are so popular because they help people focus and help them reduce stress and manage being energetic. Fidgets are good for everybody, but as claimed by BrownHealth.com, they are especially helpful for people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fidgets help people with ADHD to learn good coping skills that help them to stay calm and energetic.

Fidgets also help people when they are bored and they need something to do. Some examples of when fidgets are helpful are when people are in a stressful situation or when they are in an awkward situation. When people are taking a quiz or a test, they will use fidgets to calm down.

Fidgets may have reached their peak in popularity now, but it may be surprising to you that fidgets have been a thing for centuries. According to atlasobscura.com, fidgets date back to the Ming dynasty in China. The Chinese fidgets were called Baoding Balls. These metal balls were big enough to fit two balls in your hands, and then the people would spin the metal spheres repeatedly in their hands.

In today's society, there are many types of fidgets, but the most popular type of fidgets are NeeDohs. NeeDohs are big squishy toys that come in 50 different shapes and sizes such as spheres, cubes, watermelon shaped, strawberry shaped, ice-cream shaped, and many more just like those.

A different type of fidget is popping fidgets. Popping fidgets were a thing before the other fidgets like NeeDohs. Popping fidgets come in many different shapes and sizes but there are way more of them than other things. There are hundreds of distinct types--maybe even a thousand at this point. Pop-Its are generally a fun bunch of colors that are designed like a reusable bubble wrap.

3D printed fidgets are fun toys that have been becoming exceedingly popular recently. 3D printed things, in general, have become popular recently because of how easy they are to make--even kids do it. 3D printed fidgets can be anything; they could be a spinning, a popping, or a twisting fidget. They are all made of plastic, but they can be any color. You just have to print it the color that you want it to be.

According to Maren Kingkade (7), she says that they are fun to play with and they are immensely helpful when she needs to focus. The fidgets Kingkade uses are mostly NeeDohs, or she will use whatever she can get her hands on. She does not like it when her fidgets pop in school, though. They make a big mess, and she must clean it up. She states that she uses fidgets whenever she gets the chance to use them or whenever she wants to use them.

Noe Loaba (7) states that he likes to use fidgets because they help him focus on his work and they make him do a better job. Loaba exclaims that fidgets sometimes can be distracting to him and they can actually be bad for his focus and prevent him from doing his work well. He often uses them on the block days the most or whenever he is bored and he needs something to do. He mostly uses balls and other squishy objects, but often people ask to squish all his fidgets and that can be annoying to him.

According to Teagan Goodrich (8), he does not necessarily like to use fidgets, but he states that he loves to steal his brother's fidgets. He explains that it makes him overwhelmingly happy when he gets to destroy his brother’s fidgets. Whenever he destroys his brothers fidgets, his brother gets angry at him and he gets in trouble with his parents. He says that he mainly breaks his brother's squishy balls and other fidgets that explode. Goodrich claims that he demolishes his brother's fidgets whenever he gets a new one or whenever he is bored.

Brooke McCarthy (seventh and eighth grade international studies teacher) says that her fidgets help her focus on what she is doing. She states that they are fun to play with when she is bored and wants something to do. She exclaims that there are no negatives for her when she uses fidgets; they are only helpful to her. She says her favorite fidget to use is her 3D printed egg that moves up and down and is fun to play with.

According to Kelly Snelling (gym teacher), she explains that she uses fidgets to stay stimulated. She also states that fidgets can be a big mess when people go around and pop fidgets for fun. She says that her favorite fidgets to use by far is NeeDohs and an egg that goes up and down.

In conclusion, fidgets have been extremely popular the last few years, even though they have been a thing for centuries. Fidgets have proven to be great toys for all of humanity who is bored and just needs something to do with their hands.

Each month, we will highlight a new classroom to spotlight. This month, we have chosen Heather Kloke, seventh-grade science teacher. This year, her classes have done lots of projects including dissecting frogs.

Written by: Sebastian Garcia Gallardo (7) and Charlie Hughes (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) Kloke states that she has loved being a teacher for all 23 years she’s been doing it. Her goal with students is to inspire them to work in the science field as an adult. Although, she dislikes when a student's over the top behavior disrupts others’ learning.

Kloke professes that during the school day, the hardest challenge for her is getting students to pay attention. She mentions that when kids are on their iPads and not listening, it makes teaching extremely difficult. This also includes non-digital distractions, such as tabletop games like UNO and Chess.

Other than teaching, Kloke would’ve liked to work as a forensic scientist or a veterinarian. Although she exclaims that she wouldn’t be able to do the latter, as she can not stand to see hurt or sick animals. So, teaching is the best fit for her. Kloke loves it because when she sees students who are happy when learning, as she feels accomplished. She also notes how she is proud of how much all her students have improved this year.

When Kloke first became a teacher, she was actually working for free as a student teacher. On top of that, she had to pay for 12 hours of tuition to do so everyday. Kloke would work eight hours a day and often more when grading outside of school. Living this way was extremely challenging for people struggling to pay rent and other bills. Now, OPS pays student teachers to work instead.

Since we all know about the struggles our teachers face, we should appreciate them much more. Our teachers care about us and want us to do remarkable things. Kloke inspires students day in and day out, and we see how incredibly hard she works for every student and staff member at Beveridge.

As the school year comes to an end, many students start wondering about what to do during the summer. So we’ve asked around the school about what their plans are for this summer and what teachers do during the summer.

Written by: Alan Hernandez-Trejo (7) and Jackson Schmidt (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) Many students await the long lasting summer break, so we asked them about what they plan to do.

Benjamin Holcomb-Lovelace (6) states that he loves to play football and is one of his favorite activities. He exclaims that he enjoys to play outside rather than inside since he plays football and other sports. “I’ll probably go to summer camp and play some basketball.” In addition, he has plans of “traveling to different locations. It’s just because Omaha is kinda boring and if I go to different places, it’s a lot more fun.” From Holcomb-Lovelace's point of view, he enjoys spending his time outside and traveling seems more fun than staying here in Omaha in his eyes.

Luke Kershner (6) remarks that his favorite activity to do during the summer is going to the pool. He favors going outside rather than staying inside and explains how this summer he’s going to “probably play some baseball". From Kershner's perspective, it seems he really likes spending his time outdoors and going out to the pool is a very good way to cool off on a sunny day.

Wesley Blakeman (6) announces that his favorite activity is to catch up on sleep and to go on his bike during the summer. He also exclaims he’s going camping this summer.

Like Kershner, Maren Kingkade (7) explains that her favorite activity is going to the pool. She declares that she likes going outside for the reason being that she can get her vitamin D intake going outside. Kingkade states, “I’m going to Cancun in July for a week.”

Xavier Walker's (8) favorite activity to do during the summer is playing outside. He says, “Normally, I toss a ball around or go to the pool. I plan on traveling, and I plan on going to see some monuments.” Walker explains he prefers traveling because there’s not many sights to see in Omaha but other locations do have sights to see.

Isabella Nuno (7) explains, “Mine is probably having sleepovers with my friends because normally in the school, we're busy with sports and I don’t get to hangout with them.” She mentions that she likes going outside because the weather is always nice. Nuno proclaims, “I plan on swimming and tanning.”

Like Nuno, Will Nass (7) declares his favorite activity to do is to go out and hangout with his friends. Nass exclaims, “It depends on what I feel like doing. I mean I’ll be with my family going on vacation.” He says that traveling is a lot better than staying in Omaha because you get to see different places that you’ve never seen before.

Basketball isn't just for Holcomb-Lovelace but also Martin Moriah Ngwa (7), as he proclaims he will “play basketball because its fun". He states that he prefers staying inside because he likes to play basketball inside. He is also planning to “go to Texas and Six Flags".

The students are not the only ones who have high hopes for this summer. Heather Kloke (seventh grade science teacher) says, “My favorite activities to do in the summer is walk my dogs, take care of my garden, catch up on reading books, and completing remodeling projects in my house.” When being asked which home projects, she adds, “I plan to redo my bathroom this summer as it needs an update on its color and look.”

Kloke reminisces about her favorite summers, “The best summers I have had were the summers I spent watching my kids play baseball and softball because we got to hang out with our friends while watching our kids play.” She then explains, “Most likely I will not do anything school related this summer, as I need a break from school to reset for next school year.” As a teacher, Kloke has a simple summer plan and will enjoy every bit of it.

Sameerah Ambris (seventh grade math teacher) says how much he likes to read during the summer with some movie watching and catching up on sleep. During the summer, she is going to visit her family and friends in the city of Chicago. Her son does lots of marching band, and with that means lots of practicing. She says that she will have to do a lot of driving to practice and watching performances.

On the side, she teaches dance aerobics, so there will be a lot of that. She also plans to visit New Orleans, Oklahoma, and Texas. Her best summer was when she was a teenager working at Six Flags, because she could go on the rides for free on her days off, and she would hang out with her friends late in the night riding rides.

From the Bulldogs around the school, it seems that many of them will go traveling, go outside, and spend time with their families. Students and teachers both need a break from school and have time to themselves this summer. All around, summer break will be spent having a wonderful time with no school at all.

From humble beginnings as a short music lip-syncing app, TikTok has taken the world by storm. It has firmly nested itself in the lives of millions of children and teenagers worldwide, yet the app is taking away the lives of these people due to serious addiction problems and memory issues.

Written by: Lucia (Alex) Manahl (7), Sophie Peyton (7), and Angela Tran (7)

(BEVERIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL) If you don't already know, TikTok is a social media platform where people can chat and post short-form videos. It was launched in 2016 by a Chinese company called ByteDance. To give you an idea of its popularity, it has almost 2 billion active users in 150 countries as of 2026.

With more and more teenagers appearing on TikTok, the toxic content is slowly seeping into their moldable brains. But for most, content consumption can teach lessons like keeping you up to date on politics, especially with what's been happening around the world recently. Young artists look up to people on the app, taking inspiration and improving their skills. But beginner artists are constantly hated on TikTok, and skilled artists with years of practice are accused of using Photoshop or even, recently popular, generative artificial intelligence.

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that creates a feeling of pleasure or reward, and TikTok is basically a dopamine machine. With each like, share, repost, and view a person makes on TikTok, the app creates a feedback loop that releases dopamine and causes addiction. Dopamine is like a drug to teens especially, constantly feeding new videos with every scroll. That makes more people rely on the app for entertainment. Who wants to go pay for a movie when you can watch the whole thing on a TikTok?

Plus, TikTok is designed to keep you hooked on the app. The algorithm shows you content based on your engagement patterns, a never-ending stream of highly personalized and entertaining videos. Each video is quick —under a minute long— so teens don’t have to invest much time. The brevity of content keeps them entertained and always wanting more. The ability to scroll endlessly without having to wait for long loading content or dive into long articles makes TikTok highly addictive, especially for teens. On a business stance it's brilliant, but for developing teen minds, it's extremely harmful.

About 95% of kids ages 10-17 are using social media constantly, according to the University of Colorado, Anschutz. 15 students from sixth grade were asked how long they spend on TikTok daily. The average was about 5.13 hours; the numbers ranged from just 30 minutes to 10-12 hours a day.

TikTok has been said to contribute to low confidence and self-esteem in some people, especially when it comes to the way we look. Young people are being exposed to videos featuring people with the ‘perfect’ body and the ‘perfect’ life. Some even gain mental and physical issues from continuously getting shamed for their bodies and habits.

From influencers with toned abs to diet culture trends, these videos can have a significant impact on a child's body image. Seeing these videos regularly can lead to an unrealistic view of what a "normal" body looks like. Some believe this has played a part in the rise of eating disorders in young people in recent years.

TikTok is not just physically hurting kids and adults, but mentally as well. Young men, especially, being flocked with toxic values of what a man is supposed to act and look like. And on TikTok, trends with these values of men and women get thrown into the trend pool for everyone to drown in these odd societal views.

According to JAMA Psychiatry, the use of social media for 3 hours or more per day is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression. Children and teens suffering from social media addiction are 2-3 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation or behaviors, as noted by Weill Cornell Medicine.

Another huge problem: videos on TikTok encourage is consumerism. Thousands of teenagers are watching videos like ‘$6,000 fridge restock’, raiding targets to find a legendary glitter dumpling, leaving isles of the newest trends as complete wastelands, and more. The second a new trend hits the stores, everyone comes running. Plastic usage has risen because of this, powering the route to global warming.

Speaking of harmful videos, TikTok lets a lot of NSFW things pass on their app. AI is a big problem currently and it's being used to make gore images and videos with inappropriate content, which TikTok isn't taking down. This leads to kids getting exposed to such things at a young age.

TikTok also leads to short attention spans and worsening memory. Some teachers have reported seeing kids get on their phones in class to go on TikTok. Alex Perrin (sixth grade social studies and anthropology teacher) says his biggest issue is with his student’s attention spans. “Even like showing movies, kids can’t focus on movies because they’re too long,” he mentions.

Sameerah Ambris (seventh grade math teacher) states that she has also noticed her student’s attention spans getting shorter, not just from TikTok alone, but from social media in general. “It does shorten your attention span when you’re just looking at things for thirty seconds and swiping it away quickly. Because it doesn’t grab your attention, it starts to make you think that everything should be entertaining when life is not really like that.”

Though TikTok has tons of negative aspects, it also has many positives, too. It can be informative, and introduce you to small artists, businesses, and people. It can also just be a source of entertainment for when you’re bored. TikTok is also a way for people to send relatable, funny, or cool content to friends and family and connect with others over the same thing.

Now that you know some of the downsides of TikTok and some other social media platforms, it’s a good idea to take a break every once and a while and hopefully make the most out of your summer vacation. Life is worth living for more than just entertainment purposes.