Roar v2 1415

R.O.A.R. Welcome to the Winter Edition of R.O.A.R.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam.

This crisp winter air is full of it.

The words of John Burroughs from his essay, Winter Sunshine, seem quite appropriate to introduce the second edition of R.O.A.R. Tightly accompanied by a winter’s chill, we move deeper into the school year with a new array of perspectives to share in our winter edition. As I extend an invitation to you to explore our quarterly magazine, our publication is a compilation of literary submissions, stories and photographs from our students as well as current happenings in and around the West Hollow school community.

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As I hope this message reaches everyone well, stay warm, keep the feedback coming and I hope you continue to enjoy the experience!

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Milton K. Strong, Principal THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF WEST HOLLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL CREATIVE ARTS & WRITING CLUB ADVISORS

MS. BROSNAN & MS. SARROSICK

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Winter Book Reviews

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Silent Echo Book Review

by Jasmine Blaj, Grade 7

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I recently read Silent Echo, a novel by Elisa Freilich. The book is about a girl named Portia who has been mute (unable to speak) for the first 16 years of her life. All of a sudden, she gets her voice back. When she first speaks, she finds out that she is a siren.

According to legend, sirens would sing a song that would lure sailors to the shore. The sailors would follow the sound with their ships, crash on the jagged rocks on the shore line and die.

I enjoyed this book because it is just so beautiful. There is also a really good love triangle. I would recommend this book to avid readers who aren’t afraid of a challenge, because it’s a difficult book. It was really musical and it really is a beautiful story.

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Book Review: The Blood Of Olympus

By Abigail Athan, Grade 6

Do you like Greek mythology? Author Rick Riordon? Books that you can’t let out of the grasp of your clenched hands? Then The Blood of Olympus is probably perfect for you!

The Blood of Olympus is the 5th and final book of the Heroes of Olympus series. It picks up where the last book, The House of Hades, ended. The seven demigods have to find and defeat Mother Earth, or Gaea. She is not at all friendly. In fact, she wants to kill the gods and eat blood from two of the demigods! YIKES! The seven demigods know that two of them are going to die. And after months of being together, it’s hard to let go. So before they set out to defeat Gaea, they decide to make a potion for two demigods to cheat death.

Leo, on the other hand, has an idea of his own. When stranded on an island in The House of Hades, Leo met the love of his life, Calypso. Calypso has been cursed and can’t leave the island. But Leo plans to go back to the island to save her, even if it means leaving his friends and facing possible death.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, Nico, Reyna, and the satyr Coach Hedge are trying to bring the Athena Parthenos statue to Camp Half Blood -- the demigods’ lives depend on it. You see, the statue can be used to mend the bond between the Greek and Roman demigods who have been fighting for eons. In order to defeat Gaea, they will have to stop fighting.

As you can see, The Blood Of Olympus is a fantastic book for people who love adventure, surprises, and even a little humor. Don’t waste your time; as one West Hollow teacher says, “life’s too short to read bad books” -- go get The Blood Of Olympus now!

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Movie Review: “Into the Woods” By: Neeya Shetty, Grade 6

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“Into the Woods” is a musical Oilm rated PG that’s based on the hit Broadway musical. The movie features Meryl Streep as the witch, Emily Blunt as the Baker’s wife, James Corden as the Baker, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Daniel Huttlestone as Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood and Johnny Depp as the Wolf.

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The witch next door to the baker and his wife put a spell on their house, since the baker’s father had stolen from the witch’s garden. The witch decided to put an extra curse on the baker’s family by putting an end to their family tree -­‐-­‐ the baker and his wife could not have a child. The only way the baker and his wife can lift the spell and have a child is if they produce for the witch “a cow as white as milk, hair as yellow as corn, a cape as red as blood, and a slipper made out of pure gold” by the third midnight. The two set out in search of those items. During their quest, they meet Cinderella, Jack, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and other interesting characters.

The Oirst half of the story resembled any typical fairy tale, and the second half had an interesting twist. If I were to rate this movie, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. I think all middle schoolers, especially those who like music, would enjoy the movie.

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Illustration for Into the Woods Review

by Matthew Rubenfeld Grade 8

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Mocking Jay Movie Review

By Jillian Martin, Grade 6

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The third movie of the Hunger Games book series was fantastic.

It was full of riots in the districts and bombings.

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Anyone who read the books will deOinitely be pleased; the producers and director did a great job capturing the essence of the book and not changing major details of the story.

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In the middle of the 3rd Quarter Quell, Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee were rescued from the games and taken to district 13 by none other than the gamemaker himself. Katniss had no idea of this elaborate scheme to make her the Mockingjay. She was not even aware that district 13 still existed. As far as she knew, it had been bombed several years before by the capital during the uprising. She is outraged that Haymitch did not save Peeta and angry that he broke the promise he made to her.

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If anyone had doubts about Katniss’s love for Peeta, they won’t anymore. This movie takes up right after that, and district 13 makes Katniss their Mockingjay. They hack into the main security system at the capital to broadcast shots of Katniss in different places to encourage other districts to “join the Oight.”

During one of the shots, she delivers a message to President Snow: “If we burn, you burn with us!” The end is shocking and will leave you angry/intrigued. I think it was fantastic and I can’t wait for part two! I would deOinitely recommend this movie; I really LOVED it.

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Illustration for Mockingjay article

by Jillian Martin Grade 6

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West Hollow's Annual Geography Bee Yields Repeat Winner!

By Talha Waseem, Grade 7 West Hollow's Geography Bee was very successful this year, with the same champion as last year, 7th grader Aaron Ichel.

Other contestants in the Binal competition, held January 22nd, included: Naomi Aguilar 8th grade Raif Ahmed 7th grade Abigail Athan 6th grade Elan Elgovisch 8th grade Christopher Fitzpatrick 6th grade Shrey Patel 7th grade Derek Peskin 6th grade (3rd place) Hunter Rudman 7th grade (runner up) Talha Waseem 7th grade

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Mr. Ricken, the 7th grade Social Studies teacher who organizes the Geography Bee, said,“I have been running the National Geographic Bee at West Hollow for 7 years. It is always a fun event but it is also highly competitive. The questions are extremely random, but each year’s winner has consistently demonstrated a wide range of knowledge. Aaron Ichel is West Hollow’s Lirst repeat champion."

Winners earn the opportunity to take a test scored by National Geographic; top scorers in New York state are invited to Albany for the state championship. The state winner is invited to the national championships hosted by Alex Trebek. Good luck, Aaron!

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Arts in Ed Memory Presentation

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By Cassandra Ye, Grade 7 & Jackie Zhao, Grade 7 What is memory? According to

the Merriam Webster dictionary, memory is “the power or process of remembering what has been learned.”

To put it simply, it’s thinking back to an action you have done or were present for. The brain does most of the work. But is it ever that simple?

Actually, yes. Although the brain is a very mysterious organ, it can make things easy. But you need to exercise your memory, or it (and your brain) will get rusty. There are some ways to help improve your memory and even recall the deLinitions of difLicult words and long strings of numbers.

West Hollow learned some great memory tricks during the recent Arts in Ed presentation by Mr. Z, a memory athlete and published author. Mr Z wowed his grade-­‐ level audiences by memorizing 30 or 40 student names in just a few minutes. He then shared great tips on memory training and improving grades.

For vocabulary development, Mr. Z taught us different ways of breaking a word apart and thinking of stories or images the word represents. He used the example gato, Spanish for cat. Gato sounds like “got toe,” so he suggested we imagine “a cat has got your toe” to memorize it. Amazing, right?! He also used the word misanthropic as an example.

Misanthropic means a hatred of humankind. If you think about it, you can break it down into mis, ant, thro, and pic. Now, as Mr. Z directed, picture someone named Miss Ant throwing a picture of humankind at the wall. With that detailed image in your mind, you’ll more likely remember the meaning of misanthropic.

Students were entertained and impressed with Mr. Z’s presentation, and are grateful to the PTA for arranging the visit.

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West Hollow Supports The Season of Giving

By Julia Katz, Grade 6

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The winter season can be very busy and costly. Sadly, some families, even some in West Hollow, are unable to afford food and presents. So the West Hollow community sponsored a food drive and a toy drive to support and help local families.

Illustration by Dallas Moore Grade 8

The food drive took place in the month of November before Thanksgiving. The sixth graders brought in canned yams, seventh graders brought in gravy, eighth graders brought in macaroni and cheese, and faculty and staff brought in cornbread mix. To encourage the students to bring in food, there was a competition between advisories in each grade to see who brought in the most. The advisories that won earned a celebratory bagel breakfast.

In the month of December, West Hollow held a toy drive for the upcoming holidays. All students had to do was bring in an unused toy to their advisory. “Santa and his Elves” from the Leaders Club came around and collected the toys, giving candy canes as a thank you.

Thanks to everyone at West Hollow that donated; we made a lot of families very happy this holiday season!

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Extraordinary Mathematicians of West Hollow

By Julia Katz and Jordan Katz, Grade 6

On January 9th, the 22nd Annual Suffolk Math Tournament took place. This competition was designed for high school students; however, some of our very own West Hollow students competed and placed very well!

In the Upper Division (11th and 12th grade level) West Hollow’s own Rinni Bhansali (8th grader) placed second! In the Lower Division, 8th grader Kyle Kampta placed 1st against 9th and 10th graders.

All students who participated did an outstanding job, and the faculty and administration of West Hollow applaud to Rinni and Kyle!

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Studio in Art Field Trip

by Jiachen Lee, Grade 8

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In November, Mrs. Brosnan’s Studio In Art class took a field trip

to a state wildlife preserve and the workshop of printmaker Dan Welden.

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When we arrived at the wildlife preserve, Mrs. Brosnan gave us all seeds so we could feed birds along the way. We walked along a

tree-lined path, admiring the yellow and red leaves. We stopped at an area where there were thin branches that hung down

vertically and waited quietly for the birds to come to feed. They

landed gently, slowly nibbling away on the small seeds.

After that, we went to the printmaker’s workshop and watched as Mr. Welden took us

through the steps to make prints. First, we had to draw what we saw outside on a black surface that we put baby powder on. We used a wooden toothpick-like stick to “carve” out our

surroundings. After we had our designs down on the black surface, we put them under a box

that contained a bar that shone with a blue light. Then, we had to scrub off all the black, and we were left with a yellow surface. The designs we had carved were now elevated above the space around it and were a

reddish color. We put them under the boxes again. After that, we drew on the papers we would later transfer the prints on.

Mr. Welden placed the prints onto the picture we had drawn

and then placed that onto a board that pressed our prints. By the time we finished, it was time to leave the workshop.

The field trip was not only fun, but also very

educational. We learned that printmaking is an indirect form of art. We learned how to make

prints. We also learned to appreciate a different

type of art and were inspired by our surroundings and nature. We were also able to meet, spend time with, and see the art and process of an experienced printmaker.

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Winter Orchestra Concert a Feast For The Ears

By Sargam Choudhury, Grade 7

!This year at the Winter Orchestra Concert, the string musicians played four delightful songs that filled the audience with merriment and cheer.

The first song, “Oregon Trail,” was a short, sweet piece filled with mirth. The song was played in staccato quarter and half notes. “Oregon Trail” started and ended cleanly.

Their second song was a more mellow and tranquil piece, “Le Froid De L’Hiver” (French for “The Cold of the Winter.”) The piece was played in pizzicato - meaning the notes were plucked on the strings - by the Violin IIs and the Violas. The Violin Is played the smooth and rich melody, while the Cellos and Basses provided more harmony. The Violin Is were then joined by all the other instruments in arco –the notes were played with the bows. The warm, melodious piece concluded with a euphonious “D” chord and left the audience feeling calm and content.

The third song was an intense piece called “Afterburn.” This piece was played at a swift, constant speed, with striking chords and powerful eighth and sixteenth notes. The dynamics were very turbulent and tempestuous, changing from fortissimo (loud) to mezzo piano (moderately soft) within seconds. The piece ended with passion and fervor, reminding the audience of a crackling and sizzling winter fireplace.

The orchestra’s last song was their most challenging piece, the “James Bond Theme Song.” This song started with a tremendous amount of force, setting a mood of mystery. The entire piece was played in fortissimo, an impressive and grand end to a spectacular concert!

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Writers and Illustrators Staff: Abby Athan Jasmine Blaj Sargam Choudhury Paige Elberg Jordan Katz

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Julia Katz Jiachen Lee Jillian Martin Dallas Moore Matt Rubenfeld

Neeya Shetty Talha Waseem Cassandra Ye Jackie Zhao

Studio in Art at Starbucks By: Neeya Shetty, Grade 6

From December 6th to December 14th, artwork created by Mrs. Brosnan’s Studio in Art class was on display at the Starbucks on Rte 110 in Melville. The exhibit showcased the amazing talents of select West Hollow artists.

There were three different categories of artwork on display. Students made prints inspired by nature using the Solarplate technique. Master printmaker Dan Welden had inspired the students at his studio to create these wonderful pieces. Our artists also presented patterned black and white selfportraits. And colorful cornucopias against a black backdrop highlighted shading techniques that they learned in the class. It was an outstanding job!

To see the artwork that was displayed, follow this link: http://www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny.us/ page.cfm?p=976029

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The Counseling Corner 8th Graders Select Courses for High School

By Paige Elberg, Grade 8

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The high school guidance counselors recently visited West Hollow to talk to 8th graders about their schedules for next year. Here are some points to consider about choosing elective courses:

• Not all electives are available to freshmen.

• You can only take an elective once in your four years at the high school unless there are different parts. For example: Photography 1, Photography 2.

• You may not get your 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd, choice. Seniors pick Sirst!

• After the Sirst 3 years of high school, foreign language and math are optional and an elective Sills its place. If you continue these courses, it does not take up an elective spot; it just remains a regular class period.

• March 6th is elective deadline. Choose wisely! Schedules are Sinished by the March deadline and can’t be changed.

West Hollow will not have access to the high school schedules and can’t change them for you.

Half Hollow Hills Central Office Administration Mrs. Kelly Fallon, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Harrigan, Deputy Superintendent Mr. John O’Farrell, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Mrs. Mary Rettaliata, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Ms. Anne Marie Marrone Caliendo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities

Half Hollow Hills Board of Education

Mr. Eric Geringswald, President Mrs. Betty DeSabato, Vice President Mrs. Diana Acampora, Trustee Mr. Frank Grimaldi, Trustee Mr. David Kaston, Trustee Dr. Paul Peller, Trustee Mr. James Ptucha, Trustee

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