the journal jams

JOURNALJOHN ADAMS MIDDLE SCHOOLJUNE 2019

THEJAMSVOLUME 1 : ISSUE 4

Eighth Graders Bid Farewell to JAMSRed Nose Day Gets Messy for Teachers

BROADWAY COMES TO SANTA MONICA: JAMS IS SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

“We hope to have it complet-ed by the Fall of 2020. It will be beautiful.” - Mr. Richardson

Auditorium of the Future

Ever wondered why we don’t use the auditorium? Well, it is a mystery to many JAMS students. Here is some background: the auditorium was hit by an earthquake in 2014 and while this 4.4 magnitude earth-quake wasn’t that strong compared to others, something went wrong. One of the beams supporting the structure broke, which caused it to crash down in pieces. By the time people realized what happened, it was too late to re-pair it. When the building was built in 1937, they did not have the same earthquake build-ing standards as today. This was a reason it did not withstand the earthquake in 2014. In the fall of 2020, we will have a brand new auditorium. It will be an aston-ishing 11,823 square feet in size and a peak

The Fight For Your Transportation Dollar

Exit Interview Anxiety

By WILLIAM GASPARINO

height of 35 feet. Our auditorium will consist of a lobby, a seating hall with approximate-ly 600 seats, a stage, back-of-house areas, and an orchestral area. They will use the auditorium for music, theater, performanc-es, and school assemblies. The new audi-torium will be the heart of our school and bring us together as one unique community.

By SPENCER KAGAN

Lately, the motorized vehicle trend has heated up and it may be here to stay. Uber has ‘jumped’ in head first with their new mo-torized Jump bikes and scooters to try and stay on top of this in-dustry. They’ve invested millions and have made 11.3 billion from this small branch of their transportation empire. Uber’s strategy is to do everything in their pow-er to stop their compe-tition. They’ve slashed prices to undercut com-petitors and they’ve started losing money per ride in pursuit of market domination. This style of marketing has been great for students, as the big names get cheap-

Exit interviews are a long running tradition here at JAMS. Every year the 8th graders have to be interviewed by members of the community. These interviews deter-mine whether or not the incoming ninth graders can go to promotion. The adults ask about their experience at JAMS and what they have learned in their time here. Ques-tions asked include: describe yourself, name an adult influence, what is your favorite sub-ject, a challenge you’ve overcome, etc. Ac-cording to most students, their interviewers

The JAMS JournalVOLUME 1: ISSUE 4

Published by the students of John Adams Middle School2425 16th StreetSanta Monica, CA 90405STAFF: Sophia Canny, Pablo Cruz Arroyo, Alasia Dennis, Desmond Gabre-ski, Rebekka Garcia, Luisa Gonzalez, Vincent Gonzalez, Max Harrison, Holden Hendrickson, Kaley Jigamian, Spencer Kagan, Ruby Kingscote, Liam Larwood, Kendra Martinez, Edgar Mendez, Ana Luiza Milk, Derek Napier, Dillon Newman, Sinead O’Callahan, Elleanor Quist, Crystal Ramos, Tyler Strang, Zachary Swerdlow, Esme Urbaniak, Joy Elizabeth Vine, Noah ZuckerDESIGN EDITOR: Ashley Steen

Niko Bardacke

William Gasparino

Mia Subin

Cyrus Valenza

er and cheaper. To stay competitive, compa-nies reduce prices so they can entice consum-ers to try their service and keep them loyal. Another way companies like Uber

have been trying to win over consum-ers is with innova-tions. For a while, the scooters and bikes had to be dropped of at charging spots, but Uber realized if Jump bikes and scooters can be dropped off any-where, they’d be much more convenient. Thanks to capi-

talism, students have access to cheap-er transportation that’s more versatile.

have been very friendly and understanding. A few said they wouldn’t mind doing it again. There are two days of of interviews. The days were May 22 and May 23 in the library. Stu-dents receive a call slip with their name and time typically one or two days before. They learn how to properly handshake in adviso-ry and prepare with peers during the days leading up to the event. With students being told to “dress to impress,” the event feels like something special for the students and staff.

By NOAH ZUCKER

ADVISOR:Mr. Miranda

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Do you have news or ideas to share with The JAMS Journal staff? Email us at [email protected]

Rendering of the new facility. For more information about the Facility Improvement Projects visit:http://fip.smmusd.org/johnadams.html

June 20192 The JAMS Journal John Adams Middle School

What is Project-Based Learning?By MIA SUBIN

HOMEWORK: Cancel It!

Summer School

Summer is a time to hang out with friends, have fun at the beach and go on va-cation with family. However, for some students, it is time to get ahead in certain subjects. Math is a common choice. When talking to Adam Romero, an eighth-grader, he said: “I did summer school in fourth grade, because I wanted to get a little bit better at math.” Perla Perry, a seventh-grader, said that she did summer school in fifth grade since she also needed help with math. For Dylan Mills, a sixth grader, he said that “I did sum-

mer school from third to fifth grade in math because I have dyslexia.” Most students don’t like summer school for many rea-sons but overall summer school has many benefits like getting ahead and help with a subject.

For many outgoing eighth graders, they have a decision to make: they can ei-ther go to SAMOHI or they can do Project-Based Learn-ing at Olympic High School. Project Based Learning, or PBL, is an individual learning plan that allows the students to learn in a real-world context. For Project-Based Learning students, school starts at 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mon-day-Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Three days a week students are in classrooms learning through real-world problem which aligns with California state standards. Two days a week students will “leave to learn.” Leave to learn is an opportunity to learn off campus while en-gaging with a mentor in a field of work they are interested in. Additionally, if a stu-dent is interested in music, taking another language other

classes at SAMOHI if they are held during fifth or sixth period. Many students want to play a sport in high school and they still can if they participate in PBL. Since all sports are held sixth period, students can walk or ride the bus to SAMO so they can participate. Students that do PBL can also participate in SAMO’s pep rallies and school dances. Even though students are not attending school on the SAMO campus, they will still get a San-ta Monica High School diploma. If students want small-er class sizes or an individual learning plan Project-Based Learning would be a great pick, but if students want larger class sizes, SAMO is the way to go. Thankfully, our district has adopted this program so stu-dents are able to choose classes that fit their style of learning.than Spanish 1, or if they want

to get into higher math than al-gebra 1, students may still take

best. Most teens do not get enough sleep; one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights.” Third, students in more financially stable households have advantages. They can af-ford things needed for home-work like printers and com-puters. Lower income families could be at a disadvantage as they may not have these things. Some people say teach-ers only have student’s attention a few hours so homework is helpful. These people are wrong because studies have shown that homework does not increase test scores, and too much home-work can even lower test scores. With all the evi-dence against it, and an appar-ent dislike by most students, it doesn’t make sense why homework is still such a sta-ple part of schools in America.

ly worsen test scores, why do teachers still assign it? Second, homework usually isn’t done well since students are already tired from

school. Students usually get up at 6 or 7am. As the National Sleep Foundation says, ”Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function

Homework is one of the most important parts of American education. It’s been around since the 1940s, but why is it so important? Why do we have to spend so much time during our free time doing work we already learned in class? If you’re like me, then you think it’s unfair, and it needs to end. First, homework has little educational value. Natalie Wolchover of The Huffington Post says,” According to Rich-ard Walker, an educational psy-chologist at Sydney University, data shows that in countries where more time is spent on homework, students score low-er on a standardized test called the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.” If spending too much time on homework can actual-

“Students are able to be at the center of their learning and get to work on something that has real-world issues.”-Ms. Field

“In my opinion, any opportunity for extra learning in a smaller setting is beneficial for students.”

-Mr. Turrise

Oscar D. completes work during advisory so he doesn’t have to take it home for homework.

OPINION By DESMOND GABRESKI

Messy Fun for a Good Cause

Students smash cupcakes in teachers’ faces to raise money for Red Nose Day, a campaign to end child poverty.

By MIA SUBIN

Olympic High, site of the new PBL program.

June 2019 3The JAMS Journal John Adams Middle School

California Junior Scholarship Fed-eration, CJSF, is California’s oldest honor society. It emphasizes academics, scholar-ship and citizen-ship for middle school. The pur-pose of CJSF is to reward students for academic ex-cellence, being a caring citizen, and giving back to the commu-nity. One way CJSF helps out our school is they help kids learn good citizenship. CJSF only al-lows 7th and 8th graders to apply and they need to have mostly ‘As’ on their semes-ter report cards with good work habits. The application pro-cess for eighth graders happens twice, once in the fall and spring. Seventh graders apply in the spring semester. Students must fill out

an application and attach their report card. CJSF have a couple of meetings each semes-ter during lunch. When students are a part of CJSF they must maintain their good grades

and work on their extra service hours. Towards the end of the year they have a rewards trip to Knotts berry farm. Knotts is a pref-ered destination for their reward because they have reasonable prices compared to other amusements parks. It is also small-er and easier for the chaperones to keep an eye on the kids. At the end of the year eighth graders receive special recognition at promotion in the program and/

or on their promotion certificate for the amount of semesters they qualified for CJSF.

Emily Santiago’s short story, “Rainbow Val-

ley,” was adapted into a play and performed by volunteer ac-tors. “Rainbow Valley” was fea-

tured during A Day of Unreason-

able Conversation on March 25 at the Get-

ty Center. The lead role was played by Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz. Emily even got to meet actress America Ferrera (photo above). - Elleanor Quist

From Page to Stage

Emily Santiago poses with the cast of her play.

Danielle C. and Harlow I. ride Super Scream at Knott’s Berry Farm

Lilly B. as Dora Baily

The JAMS school musical, Singin’ in the Rain, ran from May 3 to May 5. This play told the sto-ry of the struggle to transition to talking pictures from silent film. Silent film star Don Lockwood (played by Maxine Grossman and Raeva Vasisht) has the help of Cosmo Brown (Dylan Bruce and Jet Lipman) and Kathy Seldan (Sadie Lovette and Ava Lowe) to figure out just how to teach Lina Lamont (Jackie Oram and Rebekka Raphling) how to talk in the movies. - Elleanor Quist

Singin’ Snapshots

STUDENTS EXCEL IN CJSFBy LUISA GONZALEZ


Snacks...UnmaskedThe JAMS community likes lots of different foods and drinks. From Takis to Iced Tea, to any type of Cheetos, JAMS students love these foods like a robber loves cash. The thing is, none of these foods are healthy for students to eat occasionally, let alone every day. It’s a sad fact, but over FIFTY percent of people don’t know what’s in some of their favorite foods. That’s why this article is about to unmask all of your favorite foods for what they truly are. -Dillon Newman

The average Arizona Iced Tea has

69 grams of sugar, that’s more

than three Pop Tarts!

Hot Cheetos are known to cause gas-

tritis, or an inflamed stomach lining.

The average bag of Takis contains

37% of the recommended sodium

and 45% of the recommended

saturated fat.

The ES21 chemical in Doritos, an

MSG flavor enhancer, is also used

in cigarettes and animal food.

BHT, an additive used to preserve

freshness in Rice Krispie Treats, is

banned in Australia, Japan, Canada,

New Zealand, and throughout Europe.

Back in August of 2018, the city of Santa Monica enforced a ban on single-use plastics. This ban has spread to other cities in California such as San Di-ego, Sacramento, Nevada City, and Los Angeles. Single-use plastic regulations ban plas-tic utensils, lids, cups, bowls, stirring sticks and much more. For local businesses that still want to distribute these items, they still can; instead of mak-ing cups and stirring sticks out of plastic, they can be made out of biodegradable material like paper, cotton, wool, and wood. There are many things students

at John Adams can do to help the environment, like the sci-ence recycling program. In this program, students are educated on what to do and what not to do about recycling. Then, stu-dents build something to make people interested in recycling while educating them on the subject. People have been build-ing things like basketball hoops, tubes and tunnels, and boxes out of cans, plastics, and paper.

“I think it’s very helpful because it teaches us about the dangers of not recycling.” -Melanie T.

Kelsey D. and Elizabeth M. hold their colorful recycling project.

Staying SustainableBy JOY VINE

The average Milky Way bar has

over 20 grams of sugar, as well as

having hydrogenated palm kernel

oil, which is bad for our hearts.

Photo: Joy Vine


More than half of JAMS students did something over spring break. This included a variety of things like domestic and international travel and attending camps. In a survey distributed before spring break, 47% of students said that they were going on vacation while 18% of students said they were going to a camp. Forty-one percent of the student body said they were staying home. Even though many people did something over spring break, only 23% said they were hanging out with friends. -Zachary Swerdlow and Crystal Ramos.

Spring Break DIVERSIONS

Billie W. holds the puppy she got during spring break.

Ms. Beeman and her family (Pablo, Nata-lia, and her husband Emilio) visit Disneyland in Anaheim.

Mae H. relaxes in the Dead Sea, located between Jordan and Isreal, reading her book.

Nia G. and Olivia R. still needed to wear warm clothes at the top of Mt. Baldy.

Oona S. stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest, and her family at their studio in New York City.

Isaac F. enjoys the Califor-nia sun after riding waves with his body board at a local beach.

Clairty S. is happy to be standing in front of the White House in Washington D.C.

Oliver R. and Lucas H. spent time in Mammoth.


Originally started under our last principal, Mr. Mayoral, JAMS Day has left a lasting impression on our school. During this day, JAMS students build friendships with new people as well as have fun and play games. This year’s event had people on their feet and moving. -Rebekka Garcia and Liam Larwood

JAMS DaY FUN

During the JAMS Day assembly, Darragh F., Oliver H., and Ryan G. hold up Axel W. and parade him around on

the field. Photo:Edgar Mendez

Ethan S. works on his paper rose during the craft

section of JAMS Day. Photo: Liam Larwood

Aleydis S. and Angie B. gather on the field to kick off JAMS Day. Photo: Edgar Mendez

Alyssa M. stays focused on making her

origami box. Photo: Rebekka Garcia

Seventh graders Ben D. tries to steal Lucas M.’s flag in this intense moment of cap-ture the flag. Photo: Mr.Miranda

Noemi T. and Avery B. listen for numbers in the bingo station at the gym. Photo: Crystal Ramos

Senna C. and Fynn H. help each other make a swan in the cafeteria’s craft station. Photo: Liam Larwood


Middle school is quickly coming to an end, and it has been a long three years of learning and sharing experiences with friends. Having homework on week-ends, adjusting to block schedule, and making new friends turned out to be very difficult. Some students would say being at JAMS is like riding a roller coast-er. There are ups, downs, and loops. Getting through those hard times is what makes you a better person. Congratulations class of 2019, we’re going to high school! -William Gasparino, Ruby Kingscote, Alasia Dennis, and Sinead O’Callahan

Goodbye Class of 2019

That was then,this is now.

Jeremiah G., Santino A., Edwardo M., and Camillo M. as Charlie’s Angels.

Tahlia P. tries to construct a structure using spaghetti with her classmates.

Valentina V. and Ash T.

Daniela M. and Janelly L. brainstorm ideas for their recycling projects.

6th Grade

8th Grade


What are you going to miss about JAMS?

“I’m going to miss the music program. I played orchastra all three years and am so fond of all the memories I made!” -Dylan H.

“I am going to miss goofing off in class with my friends. I’m also going to miss my friends going to different schools.” -Matilda S.

“I am going to miss my friends that aren’t attending SAMOHI. I will miss them and the memories we have made.” -Jamie B.

“I am going to miss the friends I made throughout the years, since I will be going to a private school.” -Diego G.

“I am going to miss the geome-try class and the memories I’ve made while sharing random things from my week.” -Naomi W.

“I am going to miss my teachers and the fun times I have shared with them during their classes.” -Anjali D.

Taj F. and Jack P.

Mr. K., Mae H., and Noemi T.

Valentina V. and Ash T.

Rebekah R. and Raeva V. act their hearts out in Singin’ in the Rain.

David G., Omar G., and Isaac S. attempt to play Egyptian Rat Slap with jumbo cards.

Taira S. carefully splits cardboard for her project.


The Bookmark

Ms. Jarvis’s Library Book Favorites

Sylvia K.Sixth GradeRestart by Gordon Korman

Ever wish your could just start your life all over again? Well, Chase Ambrose has this opportunity when he loses his memory. The only thing is that trying to create a new life is harder than he thinks, especially when he realizes he used to be the school’s biggest bully.

Crossing Guard Gratitude

Perla P.Seventh GradeThe Young Champion’s Mind: How to Think, Train, and Thrive Like an Elite Athlete by Jim Afremow

Are you an athlete? Are you feeling stressed about balancing the demands of practicing with your school work? Well this book can help you out!

Ms. JarvisJAMS LibrarianWhy’d They Wear That? by Sarah Albee

Ever look through your history book and wonder “why’d they wear that?” This book has the answers! Check out this book or other interesting fact-filled books in the non-fiction section!

Citli A.Eighth Grade7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens & 6 Most Important Deci-sions You’ll Ever Make by Sean Covey

For our students head-ing off to high school next year, here are two books that can help you get organized, help you work though problems, deal with change, and navigate your transition from middle school to high school.

By TYLER STRANG

Photos: Tyler Strang

Photos: Kaley Jigamian

Irma 18 years

Rick 5 years

Nora20 years

Norma 13 years

SAY “HELLO” AND

“THANK YOU” TO:

Victoria 20 years

Crossing guards have been a part of Santa Monica for many years, providing safe-ty for kids and helping them get to and from school everyday. Rick Neylan was once the re-gional manager for Adelphia cable. Since he retired from his job, Rick has been working as a crossing guard on Pearl and 20th street for the past five years. Meeting nice people and helping protect them from incoming traffic are his fa-vorite parts of the job. But it can be stressful sometimes. The thing that irritates Rick most is when cars don’t stop even when he blows his whistle and puts up his stop sign. Nora Farjadi has worked as a crossing guard full time for the past twenty years. She gains sat-isfaction from helping kids cross the street. Nora appreciates kids thanking her and admiring the work that she does for the com-

munity. Although she loves her job very much she gets stressed by traffic, adults and college kids, either being distracted and rude to her (I mean, who isn’t?). Overall she finds her job very satisfacto-ry and feels that she is accepted and important to the community. Norma Gomez, who once worked at her Dad’s jewelry store, has worked as a crossing guard for 13 years. At first, she saw it as a way to pass time, but Nor-ma now enjoys it very much. She meets many nice kids every day that give her praise for helping them cross. Norma feels stressed at times from traffic, which can happen often, but she finds a way to stay positive and enjoy her job. Irma and Victoria are two other amazing crossing guards in our community who both love their job very much. They only had time for a quick picture. The next time they stop traffic for you, don’t forget to say “thank you”.

By KALEY JIGAMIAN


Cheering for engineering

Did you know that Mr. Sato attended JAMS in the 1970s when it was called John Adams Junior High School (JA for short)? That’s right, JAMS was a junior high with 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Mr. Sato explained that the school has changed a lot, for both the better and worse. One of the things that made the original John Adams better, according to Mr. Sato, is that they used to sell the most amazing cookies. “One of the chang-es is that now they don’t give out Beetle cookies on Fridays. They were a quar-ter, and they would make them fresh in the cafeteria that morning!” he said. “They were super delicious.” According to Mr. Sato another great thing about the ‘old’ JAMS was that the gym

One of the most pop-ular electives at JAMS is engi-neering. Engineering is a course where you learn to apply sci-ence in the design of machines, structures or other things while participating in an entertaining environment. The teacher of the class, Mr. Sato, has a passion for teaching and helping his stu-dents reach their full potential. Mr. Sato lets his students build projects that seem fun to them while making sure they’re learning too. “I like to use their interests to help engage them as they create and construct their project,” he explained. It’s good that he’s letting them do projects that they enjoy be-cause that way students get to have fun while creating and assembling incredible designs. He also describes how engineering is a great class for

From Student to TeacherBy ANA LUIZA MILKBy ANA LUIZA MILK

Recently, the AVID program invited sev-eral guests to come into the classroom and talk to the class about their career. This is Dr. Cruz. He is a heart surgeon, or more specifically, a cardiologist. A cardiologist is someone who studies the heart and how it works. Here he is seen showing one of sev-eral human organs he brought into class!

would be open three days a week at night. “We would go after school to the gym in the after-

noon and we would be able to play volleyball and basketball,” he said. But, of course, the school has improved by a lot. He explained that now he thinks the teachers and staff are more diverse. He also said that the school lunches, in general,

are fresher and better quality. “Now you have better and more

choices,” he explained. Although we may not have the delicious Beetle cookies that Mr. Sato enjoyed back in the day, or we may not be able to use the gym after school for what-ever we want to use it for, we can say that JAMS has improved in many ways from

the junior high it used to be.

students because it teaches valu-able life skills. “They are graded primarily on effort. So, if you’re making an effort, but failing, you’re still learning. To do re-ally well in my class, you have to give a lot of effort, which will

result in success,” said Mr. Sato. But, learning how to demonstrate and give effort isn’t the only thing taught in the class. In fact, math has a lot to do with engineer-

ing. “Students get to measure, draw, cut, and assemble in my class. They begin to get really good at using measuring tools, which can help them later on.” Ultimately, engineer-ing is a great elective choice for those who have a mind for con-struction. So, if you’re ever stuck on which elective to choose, consider putting this spectacu-lar elective as your first choice.

AVID Activities

Look around! As part of AVID’s goal to cre-ate a more college friendly environment, Ms. Murphy’s AVID class gathered information from teachers to create these cool collegiate poster signs. Now, they’re all over the school. The signs include information such as which school the teacher went to as well as their graduate school and major areas of study.

The 8th grade AVID students of the month for both March and April are Cyrus V, Bianca V, Violet R., and Abigail R. These four students showed excellent work habits and were the best of the best for these two months. They have great grades and are diligent. They have less than five excused absences and sever-al other rigorous academic requirements.

By CYRUS VALENZA All photos: Cyrus Valenza

Photo: Ana Luiza Milk

1976

Photo: Ana Luiza Milk


Have you ever wondered what life might be like in another continent or coun-try? Did you know that there is a class at JAMS that can help with that? Ms. Beeman’s 5th-period class is interacting with Russia al-most every Friday. They have been doing this throughout the whole year using a text mes-saging program. They have a website where the students from both sides of the globe post different activities. For example, the first activity was to send a paragraph about yourself and your family. This way students

By HOLDEN HENDRICKSON

Lucas S. finishes up his Google document for Ms. Aviles’s social studies class. Photo: Derek Napier

Jordan S. and Brianna C. type their essays in Mr. Miranda’s ELA class. Photo: Mr. Miranda

By NICO CRUZ

Messages Across the Globe

Recently seventh graders have ac-quired new Chromebooks with a case and a charger. These devices also have a battery that lasts all day long and has a touch screen. The Chromebooks have website restrictions on almost everything non-school related is blocked, even classic computer games, such as the no internet dinosaur game. Some sev-enth graders love the new computer, saying it helps so much with homework, while others said the computer is a waste of space in their backpack and they never need it anyway. Theo Dowling says the Chromebooks were a great idea for the school. “I like the new Chromebooks because they allow technolog-ical advancements at school and make home-work much easier to complete,” Theo said. Others like Ryan Chen said, “I don’t like Chromebooks because they are quite heavy and take up too much space in my backpack.” A survey of seventh graders was conducted to determine how they feel about the new Chromebooks. Out of the 67 responses, sev-enth graders think remembering to charge the Chromebooks and the Chromebooks being too heavy in their backpack are the most chal-lenging parts about having them. Although there are issues with Chromebooks, 88% of seventh graders like the new computers. Seventh graders also believe the most bene-

CHROMEBOOKS COME TO THE 7th-GRADE CLASSROOMS

Zlata, a Russian student, tells Ms. Beeman’s class about his family and hobbies.

Ms. Beeman-Solano’s Language Arts class chat with students living in Russia

Jasmien B., Hannah S., and Natjedah D. use their Chromebooks for an online test. Photo:Mr. Miranda

in both countries can get to know each other better. Students can also interact with each other through the post. The school they are chatting with is in a city called Voronezh in southwestern Russia. This activity helps the Russian students with their English, so Ms. Beeman’s class is very careful with grammar and avoids mistakes to set a good example. It also teaches students about different cul-

tures and how their daily life is in a differ-ent country. These types of projects in our school are important because students need to know about different cultures and societ-ies. This could clear up stereotypes or mis-understandings of between the two cultures. Hopefully, teachers do more projects like this so students can have new experiences.

ficial part of the new Chromebooks is help-ing with homework and checking online as-signments and grades. Also, 69% of students use their Chromebooks outside of school. Overall, students feel the new Chrome-book are a great addition to future learning.


Dear Journal,How can I respectfully tell a teacher or ad-ministrator something without them feeling disrespected or misunderstanding me? - Sincerely Confused

Dear Confused, Explain what you think to the teacher or administrator by making whatever you are trying to say as clear as possible. Make sure you use a respectful tone so that they under-stand your intentions.

Dear Journal, This is probably a common thing, but I need advice on getting good grades, I get so ner-vous because I don’t want to fail my test. Do you have any suggestions? - Sincerely Nervous

Dear Nervous,Listen and always participate in class if you aren’t already. Take thorough notes during a class, and consider studying together with your friends. If you use these methods you will most likely have better grades than you have had before.

Dear Journal

State testing: two words that every student dreads. Over a four-to-five week pe-riod during April and May, all students think about is state testing. So, what’s the point of having state testing? Many say that the point of state testing is to give the state an account of how students, schools, and teachers are performing. For each grade level, the state has a standard that all students should be at. For the state, standardized testing is the only way where they can measure how every school in the state is performing based on one test. But the tests may not be accurate. When they take the test, students might be having a bad day or dealing with other things that might effect their scores. Students might not be interested in the subjects and don’t know that much about them. This causes the state to have a wrong assumption about them; they don’t know who the student is. All the students are to them is another string of numbers with a score next to it. A year of hard work may not be reflected in the test

if the student does poorly. To give a student and a school a score based on how they did on one test is unjust and should not happen. I feel state testing is a part of the school year that is completely unnecessary. How does the state even grade the test? Does someone actually look and read through ev-ery single student’s ELA essay or all their short responses? Since teachers don’t put state testing results in the gradebook, many students don’t try their best, causing their tests scores to not be accurate. Further-more, colleges never even look at state tests when they consider your application. There is no good reason why students should try, making the tests a complete waste of time. A month of school is partially wasted be-cause everyone is focused on the tests and can’t concentrate completely in their other classes. The stress and tension that every-one hates about state testing could easily be avoided if state testing just didn’t exist.

OPINION By NIKO BARDACKE

By NIKO BARDACKE AND VINCENT GONZALEZ

“And now it’s time to breathe.” That’s the phrase that starts our school day. But how many students actual-ly participate in mindfulness? Studies have shown that mind-fulness decreases stress and anxiety levels while helping fo-cus attention. Everything mind-fulness does can benefits us. So, why doesn’t everyone take part in mindfulness? “I think some people may not see the value in mindfulness or sometimes they just forget to do it and it doesn’t become part of their routine. One has to see the value in it to really be committed to the practice,” said sev-enth grade English teacher Mr. Miranda. He conducts mindfulness every day in his classes using a website called Headspace that engag-

Gabriela C. types out her answer during state testing.

es his students in the practice of mindfulness. The first step in this process starts

with the teachers. “Ongoing re-minders help but we also need to have teachers and staff to have proper, regular training. It’s a continuous process and in order to practice mindfulness everyday, it’s important that the teachers and staff value it so much that students pick up on that mindset,” said Mr. Miranda. The next step is for all students to put in effort. As long as they try, students will benefit from it. Many students say that mindfulness is boring. But as

mindfulness becomes a habit, students will begin to see value in it. In order for mind-fulness to be worthwhile, everyone needs to try it and commit to it throughout their lives.

Destress the Classroom with Mindfulness

Alexander A. writes his essay for the ELA performance task.

“Terrific” TestsIllustrations by Headspace


SIMILARSTYLESBy SOPHIE CANNY

Everyone has something that makes them unique, but trends influence style, so we often see people dressing similarly. From cool beanies to the checkered Vans takeover, there is al-ways something to draw people’s attention. We photographed many students who shared similar styles and rocked them.


AVENGERS: ENDGAMEWhere did the dusted people go? What’s going to happen to Tony Stark? Who’s going to save the universe? These are questions all of us have been asking ourselves since last April, when we saw the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. Finally, the highly anticipated Aveng-ers: Endgame has come out. No one knew what was going to happen, nor were they prepared for it. Of course, fans made theories and memes sur-rounding the movie, like the meme that Ant-man was going to go up Thanos’s butt and then go giant mode. There was also the theories that pre-dicted Captain Mar-vel was going to save the universe and that the dusted people were just trapped in the soul stone. Some of these theo-ries were proven right and others were simply left at that: theories. Many were left heartbroken at the end of the movie when at least one of their favorites died. Endgame was definitely an emotional rollercoaster for the fans that had been waiting for its release. People could be laughing at the jokes, like when Fortnite popped up on the big screen, to crying when they watched some of their fa-vorites die. Regardless of how you felt while watching the movie, Endgame was a huge hit in the film industry.Even before it arrived in theaters, End-game was making money. It broke re-cords and became the movie to make the most money in pre-order tickets. But that wasn’t all, Endgame also broke box office records by earning $1.2 bil-

By KENDRA MARTINEZ

“I love you 3000.”-Tony Stark

lion opening weekend, making the Russo brothers the first directors to make three $1 billion movies. In just eleven days, Endgame made $2.18 billion, surpassing Titanic, which made that much money in forty-sev-en days. As of May 7, 2019, Endgame became the #2 highest grossing mov-ie of all time. It has a major chance to become #1 and make $3 billion.Many of our own students went to see Endgame opening weekend. It was all the buzz the Monday after, with

everyone talking about it what they saw and how they felt. With all the talk

about Endgame, many were trying to avoid spoilers. However, the spoiler ban was lifted Monday, May 6, 2019, so I am allowed to say the following, and let’s be honest if you haven’t seen Endgame by now are you really planning on seeing it? Unless you’re like Ms. Woo, who plans on re-watching the entire MCU during the summer and ending with Endgame. While watching Endgame, everyone was sad after the death of Aquaman and how he drowned. Everyone was happy when Shrek saved the day. Eighth grader Jack Perez went to see Endgame and said, “It was pretty decent.” Another eighth grader, Al-ice Knystautas, also saw Endgame and she said, “I liked it mostly.” The John Adams Wind Ensemble played the theme song for Avengers at their spring concert and did a fantastic job.

COOL JAMS: Teachers’ Favorite SongsBy EDGAR MENDEZ

Ms. Field“RESPECT”By Aretha FranklinReleased in 1967

Ms. Duff “Pale Blue Eyes”By The Velvet UndergroundReleased in 1969

Mr. Miranda “Don’t Dream It’s Over”By Crowded HouseReleased in 1986

Ms. Kapasi“Candy Rain”By Soul For RealReleased in 2010

Ms. Mathews“Bumpin’ on Sunset”By Wes MontgomeryReleased in 1974

Dr. Eure“Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”By McFadden & WhiteheadReleased in 1979

Ms. Jarvis“Shut Up + Dance”By Walk the MoonReleased in 2014

Mr. Bertone“Higher Ground”By OdeszaReleased in 2017


M a d L i b sA vacation is when you take a trip to some __________________ place with your __________________ family. ADJECTIVE ADJECTIVE Usually you go to a place that is near a/an __________________ or up on a/an __________________. A NOUN NOUNgood vacation is one where you can ride __________________ , play __________________ or go PLURAL NOUN GAMEhunting for __________________ . I like to spend my time ________________________ or PLURAL NOUN VERB ENDING IN “ING”________________________. When parents go on vacation, they spend their time eating three VERB ENDING IN “ING”__________________ a day, and fathers play golf, and mothers ________________________. Last PLURAL NOUN HOBBIE summer, my little brother fell in a/an __________________ and got poison __________________ all over NOUN TYPE OF PLANT his________________________. My family is going to go to (the) __________________, and I will practice PART OF THE BODY A PLACE________________________. Parents need vacations more than kids because parents are always very VERB ENDING IN “ING”__________________ and because they have to work__________________ hours every day all year making ADJECTIVE NUMBERenough __________________ to pay for the vacation. PLURAL NOUN

A v e n g e r s P u z z l e s

By DEREK NAPIER and MAX HARRISON


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