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Issue 4
April 2015
BRIDGINGTON POST Bridges Builds its Future Exciting new building, pool planned for school By Anthony Sunseri
Inside this issue LEVITT AN
CORPORATION
(310) 474 - 1442 (310) 470 - 0125
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Julio Alvarado
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THEATER BLACK BOX
2e CENTER PHOENIX PROGRAM
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ridges Academy is planning to undergo significant changes over the next few years. There is even talk of a swimming pool and a tree house, according to Head of School Carl Sabatino. “We need more space for the students we have and to grow,” Carl said. “And the buildings we have are now over 60 years old and need to be rebuilt or remodeled.” The first major change will happen in the fall with a new main
3921 LAUREL CANYON BLVD. STUDIO CITY, CA. 91604
Email: julio@thelevittgroup.com Autocad: levitt@thelevittgroup.com
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THE LEVITT GROUP Incorporated "All Rights Reserved" THE ABOVE DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND IDEAS, DESIGNS AND ARRANGEMENTS REPRESENTED THEREBY ARE AND SHALL REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE ARCHITECT AND NO PART THEREOF SHALL BE COPIED, DISCLOSED TO OTHERS OR USED IN CONNECTION WITH ANY WORK OR PROJECT OTHER THAN THE SPECIFIC PROJECT FOR WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARED AND DEVELOPED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ARCHITECT. VISUAL CONTACT WITH THESE DRAWINGS OR SPECIFICATIONS SHALL CONSTITUTE CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF ACCEPTANCE OF THESE RESTRICTIONS.
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entrance for families and visitors in the renovated dormitory. Students will continue to enter through the regular doors. The school is also planning to demolish the convent. In its place will be a new building to house a new theater and stage, a new engineering Please continue to page 2 program, the
Pali Exceeds Students’ Expectations By Shane Cynamon
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n February 23-25, approximately 40 Bridges middle school students went to the Pali Institute, located in Running Springs, CA in the San Bernardino Mountains. Some students were excited for the trip and some did not want to go. For many, it was their first time away from home. Regardless of what they brought to the trip,
most came home having had a great time. Indeed, a Bridgington Post survey taken before and after the trip found that despite low expectations, most had fun and learned a lot. (See page 5 for poll results.) Accompanied by Laura Sanderford, Jose Malagon, Daniel Dean, and Miles Hankins, students traveled two hours by coach bus and spent two days engaging in many fun activities, from climbing ropes to Please continue to page 4
Issue 4
April 2015
Bridges Plans its Future Continued from page 1
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27'-8" BUILDING HEIGHT
2224 GLENDON AVENUE LOS ANGELES, CA. 90064-2009 (310) 474 - 1442 (310) 470 - 0125
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robotics program, the music program, and new offerings such as 3-D studio art and graphic arts, Carl said. The convent is being torn down because “it is very old,” Carl said. “There are no appropriate bathrooms and no sprinklers. It’s actually less expensive and functional to tear it down and build something new that will work with the space, he explained. Bridges may also get a new pool, Carl said, which would be used for a swimming program and potentially summer programs. The school may even get a tree house. “We are in the planning process,” Carl said. The pool would be located outside near the new Arts and Engineering building. Where the tree house will be and what it will look like is still under consideration. Along with the new building, Carl plans to expand the entire Phoenix program and move it into the dormitory building, which will be renovated. The school hopes to have the administration offices completed and moved in by the end of the summer. The first and second floor will house the administrative offices—on the north end. “The south end is where the Phoenix program will be,” said Carl.
THE ABOVE DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND IDEAS, DESIGNS AND ARRANGEMENTS REPRESENTED THEREBY ARE AND SHALL REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE ARCHITECT AND NO PART THEREOF SHALL BE COPIED, DISCLOSED TO OTHERS OR USED IN CONNECTION WITH ANY WORK OR PROJECT OTHER THAN THE SPECIFIC PROJECT FOR WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARED AND DEVELOPED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ARCHITECT. VISUAL CONTACT WITH THESE DRAWINGS OR SPECIFICATIONS SHALL CONSTITUTE CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF ACCEPTANCE OF THESE RESTRICTIONS.
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Preliminary rendering of the new building to replace the convent.
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The second floor may house a small five-seven day boarding program. The school is reserving that space, and will make a decision about how many students to accept in another year or two. Boarding programs will start a couple of years after that, according to Carl. The school also plans to renovate the gym with a new floor and coat of paint. “The floor needs a lot of work,” Carl said. “Some of the boards need to replaced. There is also a lot of painting to be done and lights to be replaced and new hoops.”
The Phoenix program will be moving to the dorms to make room for a growing number of students. Carl is expecting a rise in the number of students in the next two years. Then Bridges will be holding around 200 students. The Middle School, which is also growing, will take over the old Phoenix classrooms. Carl explained that Bridges has grown significantly since he started as head of school here 10 years ago. “The population of the school has doubled,” he said. “We have more teachers, interns, and electives, so the program is richer.
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Issue 4
April 2015
PALI: Continued from page 1 discovering the secrets of energy. While each student’s experience was slightly different, Pali was a marvelous adventure. The curriculum was a mix of activities and classes in the categories of science, outdoor education, and leadership. If the weather was nicer, students would have played gaga. Instead, they wound up playing in the snow. Pali offered classes about energy, and weather, and activities such as a ropes course, nature, art, hiking, CSI and Pali Jeopardy. Groups were pre-assigned to these activities. My favorite activities were energy dilemma and nature art. In energy dilemma, we discussed various types of energy, and then split up into groups to design and build our own windmills, which we then tested. Each windmill was successful; however the windmill that was built at this reporter’s table prevailed over the other tables’ windmills by over 200 volts. Nature art introduced students to a British nature artist named Andy Goldsworthy and we learned a bit about his work. Then we put our knowledge to the test to make a creation using only dead plants lying on the ground. Each person made something different. One resembled a low-security jail cell. This reporter’s group made a shrine to Ktulu. The Pali Institute experience would not have been complete without tasty, kid-friendly food, although not everyone enjoyed the food—or the small portions. The food was served cafeteriastyle and included a salad bar, fruit, and desserts. If I could try any of the meals again, it would definitely be the Thanksgiving style dinner from Tuesday night. Please continue to next page
Sam Kahn, smiling, gets ready for the climb.
Joe Klyman? More like Joe Climbin’!
Ben Neumann sports his Pali gear. 3
Issue 4
April 2015
PALI: Continued from previous page On the bus ride back to Bridges, some students were exhausted, while others were just a little bit tired. Many—this reporter included—are planning on returning to Pali during the summer. However, next time it will be for a longer period of time.
Survey: Pali Trip Better than Expected By Jacob Novak
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survey conducted by the Bridgington Post found that the trip to Pali Institute was better than expected, but not stellar. Of 26 Middle Schoolers surveyed before the trip, 17 expected to have a mediocre time, or worse. They were indifferent to the trip, neither interested, or disinterested in the courses and expecting an uneventful time. A post-trip survey found that most students enjoyed the trip. Of 21 students surveyed after the trip, 10 enjoyed the trip, giving it a 4 out of 5 rating. 4
“The food was okay, but there wasn’t nearly enough to feed a person. One morning we only had one silver dollar-sized pancake and two strips of bacon”--Adam
Six people thought they learned a moderate amount, rating it a 4 out of 5. However, an equal number rated the amount they learned a 2 out of 5. Seven students felt the courses were uninteresting, rating them 3 out of 5 overall. Six students thought archery was the most interesting, and nine thought under-pressure was least interesting. Overall, Pali was enjoyed mostly as a recreational, rather than learning activity.
“The world is made up of people, and the right people can change everything. That’s always what I miss the most about Pali and what makes it hardest to leave.”--Nicki “The overall Pali experience was decent, and I am considering going back for the summer camps, though at the same time, I am glad to be home.” -- Nicholas P.
Issue 4
April 2015
School Trip Advice: Keep an open mind and bring a good attitude By Liza Esposito
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t Pali, there
are so many things to do. You can do archery, go across a rope course, learn about energy or weather, solve mysteries, and much more. There was something for everyone. I took interest in everything we did. However, I also noticed that many kids didn’t want to go to Pali, and they let that get in the way of having fun. It made me sad because their attitude brought me down too. I actually wasn’t looking forward to Pali because I didn’t know much about it or what to expect. I was just assuming I would hate it. But I ended up having an amazing time. Before the next overnight school trip, here are some tips that might help you have a good time: • •
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Keep an open mind. You can learn a lot and have fun if you try. Find someone who you enjoy working with. It will be easier if you can also manage to focus on your work as well as having fun. Ask questions; The more you know, the better you’ll feel!
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Talk to someone. If you’re having trouble with a student or a counselor, talk to someone you trust to help you deal with it. Don’t let someone have the power to ruin your time! Find common interests. If you find something you have in common with your counselor, he or she will probably like you more. Don’t be afraid to break the ice!
It was sad when I had to leave Pali because I made great friends with my counselor. But I knew I would come back to Pali for summer camp. I highly recommend going to Pali because you’ll meet amazing people and do amazing things together. Remember to always strive to step outside of your comfort zone. You never know what adventure awaits.
Issue 4
April 2015
Spirit Week 2015
They’re all just happy to be here. Don, Zach, and Joseph show off their pajamas. Look! Two Lorenzos! Miriam and Lorenzo greet students.
Liza Esposito in her… I think that’s a bear suit on pajama day!?
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Double double; trouble, trouble: Nick, Miles, Jose and Omid on Twin Day. Mac and shoes: Milo Lieblein.
Issue 4
April 2015
Day Bridges Style
Milo sets a record: Milo Marks-Froot with Laura and Jose.
B
ridges Middle School students
Pi Day contestants ham it up.
Students Shine at Talent Show
celebrated another successful Pi Day with plenty of creative projects on display and several students reciting the infamous irrational number that represents the ratio of a circle’s radius to its circumference. Milo Marks-Froot, who won the nickname “Pilo”, won the recitation contest, setting a new Bridges record at 355 digits. Thanks to the parents association, lots of pie was had by all.
Jeremy, left, shows off his Rubik’s cube and Sam (above) plays the piano. 7
Issue 4
April 2015
GAMING: Forget mobile; stick with consoles or a PC By Nick Downey
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wo billion people will have a smart phone by the year 2016. What does this mean for the gaming industry, you ask? Many people believe mobile gaming will dominate video game consoles by 2020 because with smartphones, you basically have a computer in your pocket. This is backed up with some evidence. In 2015, global mobile gaming will overtake console games for the first time. Newzoo, a market research company, expects that mobile games will earn $30.3 billion worldwide this year; console games will take in just $26.4 billion. The firm expects sales for the total worldwide gaming market to be $91.95 billion in 2015. In North America, consoles will still dominate: New-zoo expects $24.05 billion in total games revenue, with mobile games generating $7.2 billion and console games representing $11.1 billion. Even though the number of consoles is shrinking, don’t worry about the consoles going away. They are not going to be discontinued. 8
The PS4 is the fastest-selling console of all time. Sony, owner of the PS4, sold 20.2 million consoles as of March 2015. This means that players who care about quality will always have a system worth their time. And even though mobile gaming will dominate the industry, I recommend that we all stick with the consoles and PCs. Playing a game on a smartphone will never equal the experience of console playing. When you play on a console or a PC, you get high-resolution (1080p) 60 frames per second (60fps), at least double the resolution on a smart phone. Consoles and PCs also have a better variety of games to choose from. In addition, when anything becomes so popular, that’s when you know it’s going to go downhill. Don’t be a part of it. Stick with what you know to be better. Mobile gaming isn’t a bad thing. But don’t abandon your Xbox PC, PlayStation, or Wii. Gaming started on the TV with the Odyssey. We don’t want to let go of that.
Issue 4
April 2015
GAMING: More Hit Releases Coming in 2015 By Joseph Mujica
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ame lovers here at Bridges are eagerly
awaiting the release of several new games this year. Among them are Halo 5, 5 Nights at Freddy’s 3, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Mortal Combat X. Halo 5, the sequel to Halo 4, is due to be released in the Fall to correspond with the debut of Steven Spielberg’s Halo TV series. All prior Halo games are played using the character of Master Chief. Halo 5 features a new main character since Master Chief has gone missing. If you really want to access the game now, the Master Chief Collection has an exclusive pass to play Halo 5’s multiplayer beta.
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he Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is releasing
“Five nights at Freddy’s 3.” It’s set 30 years after the “Five Nights at Freddy’s 1” game. In this new game, as usual, the player is the Night Guard, but instead of guarding a pizzeria, the player is guarding a horror attraction made to honor the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. There is one new animatronic in the game named Spring Trap. The release day was anticlimactic because the game was hacked and released illegally on a website.
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ocksteady Studios and Warner Brothers
Interactive Studios will release Batman: Arkham Knight video game on June 2, 2015. One new feature of this game is the player will now have the ability as Batman to call the Batmobile. Many features that were included in earlier games are still used. For example, the
batarangs and the grapnel gun were kept. The new storyline is that Batman is at the peak of his ability and confronts the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow unites all of the villains to finally kill the Dark Knight. The player has to find Batman’s villains and fight them.
Mortal Combat X is scheduled for release on April 14, 2015. If you are looking for your favorite character in this video game, it might have been left out of this latest edition. Sektor, Noob Cyborg and Johnny Cage are missing. The energy meter and the game mode “Test your Luck”, however, are still in this edition. The story is the same style of process of elimination, and fight to the top, including new forces of good and evil. A new mode is added called “Living Towers”, which is an evolved form of the original Mortal Combat game. Now the battle conditions change every hour! That will really make the game interesting! All of these new games have great improvements in gameplay storyline. Look forward to these games and all the new features coming very soon. I know I am!
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Issue 4
April 2015
TECH: Protect yourself from hackers By Ethan Greenberg
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ne day you wake up to find out your iPhone has mysteriously been erased. You are locked out of your iCloud, Facebook, Instagram, and email account. You are now the victim of a hacker. Luckily, there are ways you can dramatically decrease your chances of being hacked. The best way to protect against hackers is it to change your passwords, and use different passwords to log in. Never use passwords like 1234, password, 0000, password1, or for that matter, your name. Even though these passwords are easy to remember and easy to keep track of, they are also easy to hack. Hackers use brute force attacks or wordlist attacks, meaning they generate every possible combination or run a list of commonly used passwords. Such obvious passwords make their scams easy to pull off. Another simple trick is to use numbers and symbols in place of letters or in combination with letters. This will make your accounts far more secure.
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You may be tempted to not reset your passwords because you are afraid you will forget them. You shouldn’t worry about forgetting. Password management applications like Keeper, by Keeper Security, and 1Password, by AngleBits Inc., can help you keep track of changing passwords. Keeper is free, while 1Password costs $49.99. However, the cost is worth it because you won’t have to pay for passwords to sync across devices. These applications securely store passwords. You just need to remember the one password to get in. You can also generate secure passwords with these applications.
These applications also allow you to make secure notes so you can note your security questions. Macs also come with a password utility called Keychain Utility, which stores passwords and secure notes. But if a hacker erases your Mac, there is no backup. With these new apps, the only password you will need to remember is the password to get into your email, and your password for the your password management application. Another way to protect your accounts is with 2- step verification. Two-step verification means you will get a text or phone call with a code which gives you access to a website. For instance, if you have a cell phone for 2step verification with Gmail, you will get an email prompt that says a verification code has been sent to your number. Your phone will then receive a text or call that contains a code that you type in to get into the account. This is useful because if anyone tries to get into your account, you will be alerted.
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Issue 4
April 2015
Continued from previous page To protect mobile devices you should use a passcode; this will encrypt the data and make it harder for someone to get into the phone. Last but not least, use common sense to reduce your chances of being hacked. If you get an email saying your account has been compromised, click the link then check the link in the search bar before typing in your account username and password. If the link seems suspicious, this is probably a phishing attack. A phishing attack is a hacker-created website that appears like a company’s account-password reset page. When people go that website, they are asked to type in their username and password, or for a survey to complete the download. Avoid these!
Lastly, never store passwords in unencrypted word documents. This is just asking for a hacker to find your passwords. Also, never fill out surveys or click links in spam. Never download from sites that ask for surveys to complete the download. If you follow this advice, you should dramatically decrease your odds of being hacked. These ideas may seem time-consuming and tedious, but they are worth it. Remember, secure passwords and common sense will protect you from most online hackers.
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Issue 4
April 2015
ARTS: Middle School Visits the Annenberg to see Lifeboat
Looking sharp: Middle schoolers outside the Annenberg.
Strawberries, anyone? Nicki and Ben at the show.
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n March 17 th, Bridges middle schoolers had the
opportunity to see the production of Lifeboat at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The play tells the true story of two British girls who are sent to Canada by their parents to escape the German bombing of war-torn London during World War II. Days into their journey, their ship, The City of Benares, is torpedoed and sank. The two girls, Bess and Beth, spend many terrifying hours in the freezing Atlantic waters, but in the end, survive to tell their story. Drama teacher Ryan Siebrasse organized the outing. While not everyone was crazy about the 2person performance, everyone had a good time, and learned something new.
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Ashley Smith as Beth and Hannah Donaldson as Bess in “Lifeboat.�
Issue 4
April 2015
BOOK REVIEW: For a fun ride this summer, read Eragon By Joe Vassallo
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f you are looking for a good
book to read this summer, Eragon is the book for you. There are 2,835 pages in the series, and every word is worth reading. Eragon is the first book of a fantasy tetralogy called the Inheritance Cycle. It is written by Christopher Paolini, who began writing the series when he was just 15. This first book was published in June, 2002. The entire series has since sold 33.3 million copies worldwide, making Paolini one of the youngest and most successful authors on the planet. Paolini grew up in Southern California, and was home-schooled until he was 15, when he began to write Eragon. While the books are godlike, don’t bother seeing the movie; it has a rating of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Eragon is an incredibly good read, but many claim that Paolini stole some ideas from the Lord of the Rings series as well as Star Wars. They have a point. Both Eragon and LOTR contain generic fantasy themes such as dragons, elves, dwarves, swords, and magic. In addition, Eragon follows a story arc rather like Star Wars in a fantasy setting. Both Luke Skywalker and Eragon, the protagonist, live on a farm before their adventures begin. Eragon is approached by Brom, and told of the Dragon Riders; Luke is approached by Obi-Wan and told of the Jedi. Both of their uncles are killed by a large army. Each hero has a first teacher, Obi-Wan for Luke, and Brom for Eragon; each has a second teacher, Oromis and Yoda, who carry on where the first teachers leave off.
There are many other similarities and Paolini has been panned for borrowing from these other works so heavily. The story of Eragon begins when the 15year-old Eragon goes into the mysterious forest and finds a dragon egg. His uncle is killed, and his home is burned by the Ra’zac, after which Eragon runs off with Brom. After wandering the big desert for a couple of months, Eragon finds the rebel group called the Varden. He singlehandedly captures several cities, and in time, gets a vision from “the cripple who is whole,” Oromis. The entire series takes place in a fantasy world known as Alagaesia. In Alagaesia, as opposed to our world, there are Floating Crystal of Eoam and a field of living golden lilies, although, both in our world and in Alagaesia, there are complicated politics and dictators. Paolini’s writing style gives a very accurate picture of the geography of Alagaesia.
For example, he writes: “A vast expanse of dunes spread to the horizon like ripples on an ocean. Bursts of wind twirled the reddish gold sand into the air.” It’s easy to imagine this scene from how Paolini writes. Eragon is the hero, and is the son of Brom. Murtaugh is the sidekick in the beginning of Eragon but is captured and turned into one of the main enemies. Saphira is Eragon’s dragon. Galbotorix is the evil dictator. Arya is Eragon’s love interest and the queen of the elves after Islanzadí is slain at Urû'baen. Nasuada is the lead commander of the varden and later the queen of all Alagaesia after Galbotorix. This book is incredible; it is one of the first fantasy books I have read, and I experience nostalgia whenever I return to it. While Paolini could have been more creative and used fewer Star Wars references, I still like the story and the characters. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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Issue 4
April 2015
[Album Review] Swedish Newbie Takes on Dubstep By Maisy Van Lier Kraemer
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ecently an unknown artist, Exploding Soul, released an
unknown album. So why not review it? This unknown album is named Nyctophilia, and is one of the worst recordings to come out of dubstep in recent memory. What is Nyctophilia, you ask? Here is the formal definition: nyctophilia nyc·to·phil·i·a (nĭk'təә-fĭl'ē-əә) n. A preference for the night or darkness; also called scotophilia. What is the album? Simply put, it’s a very poor attempt at dubstep. It was made on a horrible program, probably costing no more than $4. Bottom line: If Exploring Soul loves the dark so much, they might as well stay in the dark, because making junk like this, there is no way they’re coming into the limelight anytime soon. Behind Exploding Soul is one guy, and we don’t know much about him, except his stage name and that he’s from Lund, Sweden. This is his first release on iTunes, and hopefully it will be his last. The first track, “Nyctophilia,” sounds like some creepy guy breathing down your neck in a deep voice. Then there’s the kicks and bass. It may have a good tempo, but it’s just too slow. When the chorus hits, the suspense builds and the beat gets faster, but then it all goes back to sounding really miserable. It’s super distorted, and every “wub” feels out of place from the breathing. Track two is called “Dissociative.” This song starts with an awful piano rendition, followed by a bass kick in the background that is just on beat. Then it goes to the chorus with a bunch of wubs following one another, but uncomfortably placed, as well as off-beat. Then after a while, there is one long tone that just sounds ear splitting. Everything in this song, like the last, is distorted. In the end, everything goes silent except for the piano, and it goes back to the chorus. Now for the final track, “Stalker.” This song isn’t as distorted as the others, but it has way more echo, with a noise that sounds like a creature screaming from a far-away cave. I am guessing that’s on purpose, and it’s supposed to sound like the track’s title: stalker. And while it’s admittedly creepy, this song is probably the best one. The bass kick starts out slow, but gets progressively more abundant, maintaining a steady beat.
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Wubs start fading in and out in the background, beginning the build-up to the chorus. The screams stop, but the kicks continue along with the background noise. The kicking stops, and the guitar breaks in. The wubs get louder and louder as the kicks grow faster, increasing the intensity. The chorus sounds good, with cymbal-like sounds at every other beat. The wubby noise transitions to guitar again. Then it all fades away right on a beat, while the wubs return, and that’s the end of the clip on Soundcloud. Is the album worth buying? Don’t bother. It’s not worth real money. But for those of you into dubstep who want to check it out, there is a link to the album on Exploding Soul’s Soundcloud playlist through Junodownload. You can also access the album by linking to iTunes through the band’s Twitter page. A free version is also available through Muzu. Now, you may want to ask me: Why didn’t I review the full versions of the songs? The truth is, I couldn’t sit through them. Forgive me. They were just that bad.