Panther Press Newspaper

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OAK HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL 130 WHEELER ROAD NEWTON, MA 02459

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Mayor Visits Oak Hill, Provides insight into Public Office

By Henry w.

(617) 559-9200

Newton’s Mayor Warren visited Oak Hill’s eighth grade class to share his experiences and thoughts about public office and the importance of civic engagement.

Mayor Warren’s visit, organized by 8th grade social studies teachers, Carol Kappel and Jamin Bercaw, complimented a recent United States government unit. Mayor Warren shared his formative experience as a student at Newton North, which ignited his interest in civic engagement.

While at North, Warren experienced a disagreement between black and white students. Due to this disagreement, Warren learned early on the importance of conflict resolution to settle .

differences. As Mayor of Newton, he applies that same cooperation he learned early on to receive public support needed to give Newton Public School students a better education. Being Mayor has its share of challenges. He reports, “The biggest challenge is the sheer number of people coming in with problems each day.” Warren believes problem solving both big and small is most rewarding to him.

Warren emphasizes the importance of students getting involved in the community.

As middle school students Warren states, “ The Youth Commission allows students to interact with me on a regular basis.” The Youth Commission allows students to have a voice in government.

Warren believes the more students and government interacts with each other, the better. Students are the future leaders of the nation, so it is important to establish a voice in our community.

Oak Hill Highlights 

Mayor Visits Oak Hill

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Oak Hill basketball

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GSA @Oak hill

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MLK Celebration

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ELL Students Share

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Literature Review

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Game Review

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Vacation Survey

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Powerful play rockets boys basketball to important win By henry W. The recent energy level of Oak Hill basketball team was stellar in a recent game against Day Middle School. The Oak Hill team moved fast and scored easily as they got a 3-point lead against Day in the 1st quarter.

This was important, because they had the lead over Day for the first time in a decade. The practice beforehand was focused on zone defense, which worked like magic, and being good enough to win. The drills were nonstop and very testing of the players. Each

player had to work very hard to get to this game ready. Ben A., who felt confident of his team’s lead, exclaims, “We got this in the bag!” Dan C., who hit lay-up after lay-up, led the first quarter in points. In the second quarter, the team put more focus on defense. This paid off, because while Day only scored two baskets, Oak Hill scored 15 points by the end of the 2nd quarter. In the third quarter, River Y.

played incredible offense and Edi P. had great shooting. The 4th quarter came and it was crunch time. Only holding the lead by eight points, the team had to pull it together. And pull it together they did, scoring 19 points to Day’s 13, ending the game at 63-49. For the first time in a decade, Oak Hill had beaten Day!

GSA @ Oak Hill

By Mitch G. The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), a club at Oak Hill, works to raise awareness about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) rights and issues. Individuals who identify as GLBT are often targeted for bullying and cyber-bullying.

The GSA works to educate

the Oak Hill community on understanding human dif-

ferences.

GSA meets on days 1 and 4 during 2nd extension. Students in all grades are welcome to join. Recently, GSA sold bracelets at the play Bye Bye Birdie. This was a huge success! GSA also attended a GLISSEN conference at MIT on Saturday, March 22. This conference taught students and teachers how to make our school a safer, bully-free environment. Finally, the GSA plans to hold a Public Service Announcement (PSA)

contest in May. This contest provides an outlet for students to express the importance of accepting and understanding human differences. Join the GSA soon!

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Bye Bye Birdie Bye Bye Birdie, a recent musical held by Oak Hill students. Bye Bye Birdie is about a popular music star, Conrad Birdie, who is drafted into the army in the 1960’s. Before he leaves for the army, he causes trouble in a small town. Many people have auditioned and practiced to make this musical possible, so they all should give themselves a pat on the back.

Mr. Cutler has worked hard to make this show come true, and has also taught students all the songs.

Ms. Boehm, a former 8th Grade

special education teacher at Oak Hill, has choreographed the play, and has

done a fantastic job. Ms. Deschaines is the technical theater director and works in the back stage and stage

crew, along with the other students working there. Mrs. Talvacchia works with the costumes, and makes sure the costumes for the cast are appropriate for the role. Everyone has done a great job! The story is executed perfectly by the actors and the play really was a must-see. Good luck future actors and behind the scenes magicians!.We hope to see you in Broadway and Hollywood in a few (well, maybe a bit more than few) years.

Oak Hill Student Participates in State-wide Martin Luther King Contest Hannah P. In December, Ms. Trunk, Oak Hill’s art teacher, had students participate in a statewide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest. The contest was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorable “I Have a Dream” speech. Students composed posters relating to the work Dr. King did to fight against racial injustice, such as his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech. Before starting the poster, students studied civil rights in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Ms. Trunk also said her students studied African art, history and culture. The winning poster at Oak Hill was designed and illustrated by Julie S.. Contests like these will help carry Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy for years to come.

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Mario Party 4 Review (GameCube/Wii)

By Lucas B. Mario Party 4 is the fourth game in the Mario Party series, and is the first for the GameCube, which plays perfectly on an original Wii model. The game has eight characters you can play as: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Waluigi. The game has one of the better Mario Party stories of the games I’ve played. So here it goes: It is your character’s birthday ( whoever you’re playing the Story Mode as), and five classic Mario characters ( Toad, Goomba, Shy Guy, Boo, and Koopa Troopa), have shown up on top of the legendary Party Cube to celebrate it. Each character built their own board. There are five boards in all: Toad’s Midway Madness, Goomba’s Greedy Gala, Shy Guy’s Jungle Jam, Boo’s Haunted Bash, and Koopa’s Seaside Soiree. Each board is played for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 turns, but in the Story Mode it is always 15. Each turn, after everyone has rolled the Dice Block, a minigame happens.

There are a grand total of 62 minigames in this title, and they are divided up into 4 Player, 2 Vs 2, 1 Vs 3, Battle, Bowser, Story, and Bonus. The Bowser minigames are uncommon. There are three of them: Balloon Of Doom, Darts Of Doom, and Fruits Of Doom. These are all 4 Player minigames that do not have a winner. Instead, the player who gets last place must give up all their items, all their coins, or 1 Power Star.

For the most part, I found all of the minigames fun.

In the Story Mode, you play through a board map as a single player, and you must place first to move forward. I cannot tell you how many times I had to restart the turn because of an unlucky roll. After winning the board game, the guide character ( whoever the board is named after) will challenge you to a Story minigame to get their present. If you win, you will receive a present, and then you can choose another map to play. If you lose, you try again.

The multiplayer in this game is very fun. I played a 10-turn game of Shy Guy’s Jungle Jam with my younger sister. Her favorite aspect of the board was making a wish to the Shy Guy statue.

Overall, here are my ratings for Mario Party 4: Story: 8/10 Graphics: 10/10 Controls: 9/10 Music: 7/10 Humor: 10/10 Level Design: 10/10 Game Size: 7/10 Multiplayer: 8/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Ending: 10/10 Overall: 88/100 Many people consider this the best Mario Party game ever. I think Mario Party 9 is a whopping 1 point better. However, if you have a GameCube or a backwards-compatible Wii, I think you should buy it, especially if you are Mario Party fan.

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The Fault In Our Stars Review

By Mitch G. The Fault In Our Stars has spread like wildfire in young adult fiction. John Green creates a realistic main character, supporting cast and setting, making the reader feel as if they were in the story with Hazel, a female teenager living with cancer. Why is this story so popular?

The book starts off with Hazel, a teenage girl with cancer, meeting Augustus, a survivor of cancer himself (at the price of part of his leg). They fall in love, and go to Amsterdam to meet an obscure writer that wrote Hazel’s favorite book. the plot on its own is very interesting. It takes you to a museum, to a meeting with the author, and reveals a heart wrenching plot twist. Overall, the reader will always want to know what's going to be on the next pager if it is an intense moment, and will not be bored if there is a less intense moment in the book.

Our main character, Hazel Grace, is a teenager with cancer (getting repetitive, huh?). She starts off as an antisocial with depression, and was put in a cancer support group to help her with her depression.

The character is a well thought out representation of those with cancer. Hazel shows how cancer can affect people.

Her meeting with Augustus was sadly predictable and not exactly to her character. Its just another version of the instantaneously fall in love for no particular reason cliche. Her antisocial be-

havior didn't stop her from talking to him without a hint of shyness.

Another problem with the character is that she didn't evolve by the end of the story.

At the end of the story, she was the same Hazel Grace that she was at the beginning of the story. This was disappointing, because Augustus beliefs had deeply affected her when she originally found him, but it clearly didn’t change her whatsoever.

Augustus is Hazel’s love interest. On the outside, he is a charismatic person who seems to be quite intelligent. Sadly, he isn’t as good a character as he may seem. Augustus is always trying too hard to (try to) be clever. Most of the time, he makes comments that are just there to be comments. No reason. And his cigarette metaphor idea is just the same way.

Just another way to be clever. He isn’t a flat out bad character. In fact, in some parts he is very enjoyable to read. he can be a compassionate, loving character. Overall, he isn’t an annoyance, but he could’ve been better.

The Young Adult fiction genre is slowly expanding to new heights. First the Hunger Games, and now moving on to a more realistic book. The Fault In Our Stars, even with its own problems, still can amaze and inspire.

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An International Perspective: First Days at Oak Hill Hannah P. Victor B., Jimmy C. The Hunger Games. The Dobook theirthat names sound familiar? has stirred the heartsThey of might sound familiar because they are two of the many English Language Learners (ELL) students here both the younger AND older audi-at Oak Hill! Both students share their experiences coming to a new

ence. This one book has grown a

Victorhuge B.,fananbase. eighth Oak Withgrader a movieatfor the Hill, came to original book complete and anotherof 2010. Victor Oak Hill from Brazil in December the making, buzz to learn Engcameone to already Americain because he the wanted around this book lives on was after already the lish, and because his mother in America. climax of its success.

What do peoVictor described his first few days at Oak Hill. He work of art? said, ple “It think was about weirdthis because I couldn’t understand Favorite part much.” He added, “Normally, my mother would Some people thought it translate everything for me,” but since his mother was the already active start, yet was not at thought school with him, Victor others the beginning was learned to rely on friends to translate words.

Victor stated, “Oak boring and Katniss' dramatic and Hill isselfless totally different from Brazil.”

He reported sacrifice is when the book that the school’s start and endagreed times were different. starts pumping.

Everyone thing:hot Thisinbook wasn't just the afternoon, Sinceonit one is very Brazil during a violent war story.

For every school was from 7a.m to 12p.m., so classes were actionVictor scene, would go home muchadrenaline shorter. pumping After school theresoccer was a dramatic some-Although comparand play with hisand friends. times tear-jerking scene. This book ing schoolwork in Brazil to Oak Hill, Victor said, can hold a variety of audiences, “The from workthe is romantic basically teenager the same.”

According to Victo the tor, his friends at Oak Hill Everymainly consist of other young survival specialist.

ELL students, and during lunch one's favorite scene came fromthey the all sit together.

Whilecertain speaking toscene eachthey other, type of pre- it never matters if they made errors in English, because ferred. No two opinions were the they were all in the same same.boat.

What left an impression of people Victor recallsAalot funny storysaid in ithiswas first days at Oak the harsh environment and Hill. Before starting, he wastreatgiven a tour of the Others was the schoolment. by an adultsaid at itOak Hill.actions At the end of the of the civilians of the Capitol, treattour, Victor’s mother, who accompanied Victor ing the game as a reality show. But told him to tell the adult to have a happy New Year, if there was a single scene that peobut Victor no.it His mother, ple hadsaid noted, had to be the not understanding why he was refusing to wish the adult a happy New death of a beloved character.

Year,Rue. kept on urging him. Victor continued to say no. What Victor’s power mother not understand was The emotional thatdid Katniss that Victor couldn’t say, “Have a happy New Year.” presented caused an entire rebelNo wonder some people yet inlion!

English.

“It was really funny,” Victor recalls. this was a powerful Victorthought believes without the scene. support of his new So many had loved her, and Katniss' friends and Ms. Galey, a former teaching assistant at song and decorations moved everyOak Hill, he would not have been able to communione, even the most cruel dictators. cate and understand people at Oak Hill. He is very Legacy thankful for allWill of the people who were there to help this book live on? him inWill his The firstHunger days atGames Oak Hill and America. be named

Jimmy C., another eighth grader at Oak Hill, came to America from China on September 21st, 2011. Jimmy reports that his first days at Oak Hill he “felt bad” because he had no friends. Soon he became friends with Victor and the other ELL students. Whenever Jimmy needed something to be translated, Victor would translate for him. Jimmy reports that schools in America are very different compared to schools in China. In China, Jimmy had to wake up at 6 a.m. to get ready for school, and school was from 8a.m to 5:30p.m. In China, there were a lot more kids in the classrooms than at Oak Hill. When in China Jimmy would play basketball with his friends after school and now in the States he plays basketball, tennis, piano, and ping pong after school. Jimmy likes his school in China more because most of his childhood friends were there and they were all able to communicate with each other in the same language, but he also thinks Oak Hill is pretty cool.

Jimmy recalls a memorable experience during his first days at Oak Hill during Heath class.

The class was discussing the topic of drugs and alcohol use, and back then, Jimmy’s English wasn’t as good as it is today. Instead of saying “using drugs” Jimmy repeatedly said, “eating drugs.” Jimmy says the whole class burst out laughing. Now, Jimmy really enjoys it here at Oak Hill and says that everyone is open and welcoming toward him. Although his English isn’t as good as many of the students here at Oak Hill, he is still able to help his friends in one thing: their Chinese homework.

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Newspaper Staff: Aviva G. Hannah P. Henry W. Mitch G. Michael G. Lucas B. Newton South Intern: Peter K. Newspaper Advisor: Ms. Comiskey Thank you for reading our newspaper!