Fall 2015
Middle School Welcomes Spanish Students Get to Know
the New Teachers
By Belle Greenberg Have you ever gone to a new school and not know anybody? It’s pretty scary. Imagine how much scarier it would be when you don’t even speak the same language! That’s exactly how our seven Spanish visitors felt when they set foot in our American school for the first time. “Schools in Spain are very different because in Spain the children have classes and the teachers go to that class,” said Mateo Rodriguez, the only male student who attended our school. “Here in America, you have the lockers and you have to go the class of the teacher.” “I came to learn English and about the American culture and to have fun,” said Celia del Vigo, one of the Spanish students. “I came to America because our English classes are in high school,” said Julia Zabaleta, one of the Spanish students. “But if you really wanted to learn English, you can take extra curricular activities and English classes. Our teacher used to teach here so she brought us and we can learn what we learn in high school.” Being from another country, let alone another continent, the schools, you can imagine, are very different than MCDS. They have different classes, buildings, even different daily routines. “America is so different,” said Alba Gutierres Mateo, another Spanish student. “The schools, the people, the food, is all different.” “School here is very different,” said Julia. “For example, we don’t have the lockers like you do. In fact,
By Ilan Zenatti
The Spanish students pose with their MCDS hosts.
we don’t even have lockers! The whole building is much smaller.” MCDS teachers and students welcomed every Spanish student with a friendly and encouraging smile and a gentle approach. The greeting made it a whole lot easier for the students to learn and understand our way of learning. “The people are very nice and I think that the teach-
There’s No "I" In "Debate Team" By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
with additional reporting by Belle Greenberg, Ilan Zenatti and Rachel Hodes --------------------On September 28, we had a debate team visit our school. This wasn’t just a regular debate team. The team’s members all came from Rwanda. Rwanda is a very small country located in Africa. Rwanda is best known for one of the biggest genocides in history in 1994. The point of this organization is to make people who have dealt many feelings inside and couldn’t even say a word have a voice. In perspective to 9/11, the genocide was pretty
By Rachel Hodes
sulting Director of Technology Services.
Tech changes over summer “This summer the internet speed was tripled,” said Dennis Cody, the head of the IT department. “Since the internet was improved it seems like the wifi is faster,” said Donna Lenaghan, Con-
ers are very good too,” said Lucia Iglesias. The Spanish students were accompanied by Maria Lizama, the student's’ guardian and chaperone for the trip. “In only three weeks, my English has improved a lot,” said Lucia. “Maybe in a year, for example, I could be able to speak it very, very well.”
Continued on page 2
much one hundred days of 9/11 occurring every single day. You may have had to live next to someone that killed your whole family and live without doing something for the rest of your life! The simple answer to why this happened is shocking. In Rwanda there are two main ethnic groups out of three. The Hutus and the Tutsis. To be classified as a Tutsi you needed a long nose and a long stature. To be a Hutu you need a wide nose and a shorter frame. What happened during the genocide was Hutus started spreading propaganda that the Tutsis were trying to enslave them. When their president's plane got shot down, resulting in his death, the genocide began. More than 800,000 people were murdered in their homes, churches, schools, and any where else.
Over the summer, our school’s internet was improved along with the website we use to get all our homework and grades from.
Photo by Mr. Fallik
There have been many teachers that have taught here over the years at Miami Country Day School. Most have been loved by the students and a lot of teachers have fallen in love with this school and stayed. The new teachers who have recently arrived here and are looking forward to staying. One of the new teachers is Mr. Muhlig. Mr. Muhlig taught here 11 years ago. Then he took a break and moved to Ocala to raise his two sons. Before he left, he taught middle school and upper school. Mr. Muhlig has taught in other schools apart from this one. He taught in a Catholic school in Ocala and also in plenty of public schools in New York, Ticonderoga, Springfield, and Massachusetts. Throughout his years as a teacher, he learned that if you wanted to be remembered by the kids, you have to go off topic and do other things apart from teaching.
According to Ms. Lenaghan and Dennis Cody, IT needed to improve on the internet because of the amount of electronics needed to be hooked up to the wifi and internet. When you think about it, if there is a room with 20 students, that is already 20 computers that need the internet plus hundreds of other people that are using their computers and phones. So there needs to be a good power source.
Continued on page 3
Photo by Mr. Fallik
MS students learn a traditional dance from a visiting debate team from Rwanda. The members consist of Jish, Monique, Clemence and Maya. They were accompanied by Jean Michel, their supervisor and mentor. They are a youth based organization that focuses on debates about real issues. They were selected to be on the team after submitting an
essay to the company. Two kids were chosen to be on the team out of a variety of school to go on an American debate tour. Continued on page 4
We HOPE you'll join! By Hannah Amoils
Kids all over the world, not only in South Africa are suffering to simply stay alive. Some of the horrible diseases that cause these deaths includes AIDS and malnutrition. The HOPE club came to Country Day in 2010 when Ryan Amoils started it in his eighth grade year. Ethan Gale, cousins to the Amoils family carried it out last year now to be followed by Han-
nah and soon Tyler Gale will take it up.
It all started in 2003 when Maya Amoils, Hannah and Ryan Amoils’s cousin, visited her aunt and uncle who lived and owned a resort that is about five minutes away from an orphanage that is going through lots of deaths in South Africa. On the way to her aunt and uncles resort she saw all these people walking around with no shoes and walking into their so called “homes” which are mud blocks. Continued on page 4
Around MCDS
New middle school faculty Page 2
By Ilan Zenatti
Continued from front page “I love to see the people that I had taught eleven years ago grow and change into grown adults,” said Mr. Muhlig, who now teaches seventh grade math. “I came back to Florida to support my favorite football teams; the Hurricanes and the Dolphins. I also came back to teach.” Ms. Clement, an English teacher, has been teaching here since this school year started. Since the first day, she has really liked this school. She has taught history and has taught in a school in Hawaii called Punahou, a charter school in Connecticut, and an American school in London. Another teacher that has come to middle school is Mrs. Hernandez, a new Spanish teacher. She has taught upper school. She has been in the upper school for six years and has taught in another school called Highland Park High school. The only other subject she has taught besides Spanish is social studies.
“I decided to teach the middle school because I thought I would love to experience what it is like to teach middle school here at Miami Country Day School,” said Mrs. Hernandez. “This school is the best so far and I love the middle school enthusiasm. Teaching runs in my family and I never get bored when teaching and that every day my love for teaching increases.”
Most of these teachers have either come from other states and most have just moved here to middle school from upper school to make new memories and to also experience what it is like to teach middle school. So far the new teachers are loving it and are looking forward to an amazing year. Over the summer, a new position was created by the middle school. This new position is the assistant director of middle school. This position was created by the school in general to help Mr. Mathes with directing middle school as it is tough to direct it when you are only one to to do the job. The person chosen for that position was Ms. Cabrera. She was hired by a committee of people who chose her to be in this position.
honors, and I still do in addition to being the assistant director, but I did not have to keep my advisory from last year,” said Ms. Cabrera said. “I had to sacrifice most of my summer to prepare for the new school year. It is worth it and I love spending time helping parents and students with their problems. I also love walking into classrooms and seeing all the faces of the children.”
Poet visits MCDS “I used to teach eighth grade Spanish
By Alex Harris, Miami Herald
Upper left: Mrs. Clement; Lower right: Mr. Mofsky
Spirit Competition By Zac Babil
Printed with permission. The very first assignment in Richard Blanco’s MFA creative writing class was to write a poem about America. Twenty years later, he received the same assignment from President Barack Obama, to be read at his second inauguration on Jan. 21, 2013. “Don’t worry, Obama,” he said he remembered thinking, “I’ve got this.” On Wednesday, Blanco spoke to high school students at Miami Country Day School, just outside of Miami Shores. The private school paid him a fee for his day-long session with the students. He discussed his 2014 memoir, “The Prince of Los Cocuyos: a Miami childhood.” The book details his Cuban roots -- " he was born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents -- " and his Miami upbringing. He moved to the United States when he was 45 days old and grew up in Westchester, graduating from Christopher Columbus High and Florida International University. “My life is literally an open book that you’ve read,’’ he told the students. Blanco is one of five inaugural poets in U.S. history. He was the first Latino, first gay and youngest inaugural poet (44 at the time). He read his poem, “One Today,’’ an homage to immigrants, at the inauguration. Blanco, who jokes that he was “made in Cuba, assembled in Madrid and imported to the U.S.,” said every author has a central obsession around which his or her body of work revolves. For Blanco, that’s the idea of home. His work explores what he calls his navigation between two imaginary worlds: the old world of Cuba and the Brady Bunch-esque view Blanco held of Anglo America. This dichotomy is starkest in Blanco’s vivid description in his memoir of grocery shopping at Winn-Dixie -- “the most Anglo place out there” -- and local bodegas.
Photo by Ilan Zenatti
Our Middle School Spirit Competition will take place the entire year. Don’t worry there will still be a Spirit Week and it is happening November 2nd through 6th, with the party on the 5th and field day on the 6th. The Red, White and Blue teams consist of a total of eighteen teams, six in each color and each having their own individual team names and great captains. The captains for the Red Team are Helena Perez, Sofia Gomez, Jacob White, Ananda Naves, Ethan Mayer-Perez and Dylan Turk. The captains for the White Team are Tatiana Barnes, Connor Sazant, Renee Mandel, Amaris Rios, Matthew Allen and Hannah Amoils. The captains for the Blue Team are Jack Finvarb, Stevie Port, Layla Goldberg, Cat Giacian, Sean Finny and Zac Babil. The winning Spirit Week Team will be rewarded by Mr. Finny’s infamous pancake breakfast.
Walter Michot MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Richard Blanco, the poet from President Obama's second inauguration, talks to students at MCDS. “I was finally in Winn-Dixie. The air conditioning there smelled as crisp and clean as Lysol, each of the 10 checkout lines was numbered with an illuminated sign, and the cashiers all wore pressed polyester uniforms. Instead of worn squares of dingy linoleum, the polished terrazzo floors gleamed and soft violin music rained from the speakers in the ceiling. I was finally in America,” he read to the students. Within Winn Dixie’s hallowed walls were the stereotypically American junk foods he said he craved: Oreos, Crunchberry cereal and best of all, Easy Cheese. “My favorite thing about speaking to a Miami audience is I don’t have to explain Winn-Dixie,” he told the crowd. The descriptions of Cuban culture resonated with the students. Chiara Settineri, a 16-year-old
junior whose mother’s side of the family is Cuban, said Blanco’s description of his grandmother rang true with her. “The way she spoke and the Cuban ideals remind me of my family,” she said. Blanco, 47, showed students photos of key locations in his book, including Lincoln Road, the old department store, Burdines, and the nowdefunct Jewish Miami Beach deli, Wolfie’s. Students asked Blanco about his relationship with Cuba -- "Blanco read his poem, Matters of the Sea, at the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana in August. He said he felt a “cautious optimism’’ among the Cuban people. Continued on page 5
This year we are also starting many new traditions. One new tradition is the spirit wall. This will be a wall in the hallway that at the end of each school year will be painted the color of the winning team with each member of that team being able to sign it. Another tradition we will begin is Spirit Fridays in which we will encourage students to wear Spirit Polos that represent their team each Friday. The final new tradition is the Captain’s Challenge. The captains of the winning team (red, white and blue) will be able to dare or challenge the captains of the other two teams to do something. This year’s Spirit Competition will be the best yet and by far the most memorable ever. Be sure to check the website www.mcdspirit.com (password: mcdspride) for event results, important updates and other Spirit Competition information.
Around MCDS
Tech changes at MCDS
Page 3
Photo by Rachel Hodes
Seventh grader Helena Cardillo Ramos does schoolwork on the new internet system.
By Rachel Hodes
Continued from page 1 After much deliberation, it was settled in April of 2015 that there was going to be a new wifi source with better connection.
extensive enough and last year for the ERB’s where everyone has to use their computers that year it went bad because of the coverage with the wifi was not strong enough,” said Mr. Mathes, the head of the middle school. “So over the summer, the school invested a huge amount of money and so now it is impossible to exhaust the wifi, everyone can be on it.”
had interviews and surveys students and faculty and parents, they said this is what everyone wants and you know this is where your meeting their expectations and this is where you have room to expand upon,” Jimmy Cudzilo, the director of data and websites. “So the public website you find information on about the school that has been completely redesigned.”
“So last year we hired some consultants to come in and look at our technology, we
“The website is much easier to access because there is only one login,” said
Kristi Romanaik, “Student can see their grades and assignments for each class and teachers can find students very easily. “ “It is so easy like a one stop shop,” said Ms. Pekoc, the seventh grade science teacher. “Everything you need to find is there.” Many people think that the new wifi is doing it’s job. Although others may disagree, it’s definitely an improvement that will continuously get better.
ESL students share their experiences
“The wifi was a real problem last year and the previous years because it was not
Kristina Zivenko What a surprising, but a confusing situation! One day, my father decided to move my entire family to another country. My mother agreed with him, and that was it" we moved to Miami. I was living in Russia, in Moscow. My name is Kristina and I was born in Russia. Upon my arrival to the United States, I was feeling uncomfortable and concerned, but later on I understood that I really liked to live here. The Russian education system is different from the American system. Specifically, in my country many schools have classes from seven am until six pm. More over, we have nine subjects at school. So far, I like everything about America, but mostly
I like that people are very polite, friendly, and hospitable here. I am studying at MCDS now. I believe that it is an honor to be accepted to this wonderful school. I really like the teachers that have passion for teaching, the challenging subjects, and the diversity of the student population at this school.
I appreciate that our teachers respect and support us. I have met so many outgoing friends at MCDS. For these reasons, I think it is a very superb and academic school, where you can get an excellent education. By the way, I cannot see anything unsatisfactory with this school. At the same time, I would like to embrace American traditions. I want to discover my talents and build new skills. Finally, my future goals are to get a first class education and to find a path to an interesting job. Vladyslav Tsukanov
Coming to live in a foreign country is a very difficult step that people take in life. The biggest challenge is to communicate in the language of that country. I was excited when I found out that my family was moving to Miami. My name is Vlad Tsukanov. I am 11years old. I am from Ukraine. I speak three languages: Russian, Ukrainian, and I am learning English.
I have been in the U.S.A. for less than two months. As you can see, I have been at MCDS for a very short time. I love the school and the people here. Even though I still cannot speak English very well, I am having a good time at my new school. The ESOL class is helping me to adjust to my new school and to improve my English. My family moved to the U.S.A. because my mom and dad are working here. I also wanted to go to school in this country so that I will have a
better future. I hope I can accomplish all my dreams. Helena Ramos While traveling to a new country may be an exciting and rewarding experience, moving to a new country for good could be a very stressful and demanding journey. Coming back to live in the United States was the hardest experience I have had so far. I was nervous and worried at the beginning, but this transition was also somehow pleasant. My name is Helena Cardillo Ramos. I was born in Miami on August 20th, 2002. When I was five years old, I moved to Brazil. I lived in São Paulo for seven years. Now, I am 13 years old. Continued on next page
H.O.P.E.
Page 4
clean water. More than one million adults and children Continued from page 1 die every year from HIV and AIDS in Africa. This organization is dedicated to She felt so bad for these the kids suffering in South kids considering she was Africa. We often take adabout to go stay in these vantage of what we have wonderful resort in the midand don't realize how fortudle of the mountains, while nate we are. We are told at the same time, about five this every time we have an minutes away, assembly but kids are suf- "More than one we don't refering to simmillion adults ally take it in. ply stay alive. She suddenly and children die This club is told her mom dedicated to to pull over so every year from giving back she could inHIV and AIDS in and helping teract with these kids. these unfortuAfrica." My first time nate kids. She at HOPE was bonded so when I was well with the four years old, and I even kids, that the next year she go to this day, donating lots raised money at her school of clothes and art supplies. and the next year brought My brother also started a about three friends with her whole soccer team there and built a whole school! with all of our soccer jerseys from MCDS! I hope Maya even got a story on you guys can help these “Good Morning, America”, amazing people. as well as influenced the whole Amoils family and HOPE is setup to start the lots of other people to help next time we have a club out! assembly so I “hope” you will come and support! ReMany children don't have member that just a little bit the resources and or money can make a huge difference to buy nutritional food and in these children's lives!
By Hannah Amoils
- Hannah Amoils
ESL students' stories Continued from page 3 Helena Ramos I moved to the U.S.A. because of my father’s business. I think this decision has been beneficial so far, since I have more possibilities here than in São Paulo. Miami is the opposite from São Paulo. For instance, it is cleaner, safer, and more organized. However, it is much hotter. My first school here was Ada Merritt K-8 Center. At first, I felt uncomfortable at my new school because my English skills were not advanced. Communicating with the people around me was a real challenge. Later on, I started to appreciate being there more, since I was receiving a strong academic education. Miami Country Day is very different from my previous school in Brazil. In fact, there is more diversity here. Furthermore, the teachers are welcoming, kind, and full of
passion. MCDS supports and accepts who I really am. Every time I walk on campus, I feel like I am in a movie set where the director might appear and shout “Cut!” This is my dream school. Although I enjoy being here, I still long for my family and friends in Brazil. In summary, I don’t want to leave anything behind, I want to grow up with both cultures. I have realized that I want to be a Brazilian here, and an American over there. Anita Rivella
Moving to Miami was an unexpected experience. I never thought I would move again in my life! My name is Anita, I am in eighth grade, and just moved to Miami. I was born in Switzerland, and later on I moved to a friendly island in the Caribbean called St. Maarten. Less than a year ago, my mom considered the possibility of moving to the United States. She thought that by moving here I could have a better
education, and also I could visit my family more. I respect my mom’s decision, but I would have appreciated staying in St. Maarten. Moving to Miami has been a big challenge, not only because of the diversity of the people, but also because the academic system is very different from there. The things I enjoy most about this school are that the teachers are thoughtful, and the students are kind. The lessons here are very interesting and I have already learned a lot from the couple of weeks I have been in this school. Everybody has been welcoming at MCDS. My objectives here are to discover a new city, and get good grades. Although I miss all my friends and family, I hope my path takes me back to them. I am sure that by coming to this school it will give me a great experience and the possibility of realizing my goals.
Students speak with Rwandan debaters
Continued from page 1 is justice or forgiveness more important regarding the 1994 genocide? The members debate In addition to this, they about many topics. generally only get 15 Some including social, minutes to come up educational, political with an argument beideas and conflicts that fore the debate begins. affect them and their society. There is only The team has been to one prompt given for 17 different universithe whole year that is ties in 15 different released in December states some of which and gets branched off include the following: of for the rest of the California, Washingyear. This year it will ton, Texas, and Florida. be the following topic: The team has not vis-
ited any other country but the United States, but they have plans to further visit into Europe in as little as 2016. The team has worked very hard and done very well. For them to come to MCDS and speak about their experiences was an amazing opportunity for everyone who got to hear them!
Richard Blanco visits
By Alex Harris, Miami Herald Continued from page 2 He also discussed his coming to terms with his sexuality, or, as the question was phrased in Spanish, “Coming out of the armoire.” He came out when he was 24, the same year he began writing. “There’s a period where you’re out to yourself, but not the world,” Blanco told the students. “It was like the pink elephant in the room no one wanted to talk about.” Joshua Hug, a 16-year-old senior at the school, said the passages about Blanco’s sexuality were important to the narrative of the memoir. “It drove some of his decisions,” Hug said. “He wasn’t able to fully be himself until the truth was out.” Miami represents the perfect blend of two integral aspects to his personality, Blanco said: the Latino and gay side. He sees his identity as a mirage that’s constantly shifting on the horizon, something that he had always considered out of the American norm. At the inauguration, he realized that his story isn’t the outlier of American stories, but it’s essence. “I felt finally that I belonged in America in a way I never thought I could,” he said.
Around MCDS
Congratulations Core Values Award Winners!
Page 5
Honor, Wisdom, Respect and Compassion 6th Grade: Michael Puglise 7th Grade: Romain Vinois 8th Grade: Milani McCormack
Photo by Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
Around MCDS
MS faculty entertains students Page 6
Compiled by Belle Greenberg
Mrs. Lewis describes her experience with the faculty follies: "When Bill Creeden was the Head of School in 1989, we did not have a Faculty Endowment to finance conferences and educational courses for faculty, so we came up with the faculty diving a shown to raise money for the Endowment. We were a much smaller school back then, but faculty from all three divisions proMrs. Alfonso vided entertainment rocks the bass! and Faculty Follies became a reality. We put on the show for one night and raised $3,500. We ran it for three years until members of the faculty and staff got so busy, we couldn’t find a date to resurrect the show. It was so exciting to have Mr. Mathes ask the middle school faculty to entertain the students in our division because our students have to see all facets of their teachers, and we, as teachers, love to have fun as well." Mr. Muhlig said: "This was a lot of fun! Kids like to see their teacher make a fool of themselves sometimes!"
Mrs. Avalos and Pops perform a hilarious skit in front of the entire middle school. Mr. Robert said: "It was great to participate in the faculty show. We had a blast and I look forward to doing it again soon!"
time! Hope we can do it again."
Mrs. Avalos said: "The faculty follies was the most fun I have had in a long
Mr. Mathes said: "I think it is important for students to see that teachers are
Nurse Fran said: "Enjoyed showing the student’s the lighter side of Nurse Fran."
Photo by Belle Greenberg
human and like to have fun. I’m glad the teachers had fun and the students enjoyed it. This sort of thing goes a long way toward bonding us as one community, adults and kids."
Around MCDS
Club raises funds for cancer research By Oliver Zigel
At Miami Country Day School, we have a club that is dear to my heart. It is called the Cancer Care Awareness Club. It is a club that was started to raise funds for sarcoma cancers but has now become a supporter of all different kinds of cancers. It was originally created to raise money for the Wendy Walk. The club was inspired by a strong woman named Wendy Landes. Here’s why.
Pops on new Arts Center
In 2008, Wendy Landes, the inspiration for
Interview by Ananda NavesPenkwitt How do you think that the new PAC will affect the teachers and why? and how will this affect drama specifically? We will have the capability to put on more performances. The fine arts teachers will be in one, state-of-the-art, location, so collaboration will be much more convenient. With all the new space will there be any new classes for drama? Among other "new class" ideas, we are working towards the possibility of offering a musical theatre elective. That's just one of many possibilities with the new Center for the Arts. How do you think that the new PAC will affect you? Ever since I started working at MCDS, it has been a dream to have all of my students experience what a "real stage" is like. Since 2008 I have asked my students, to close their eyes and imagine a world with a big stage, fly lines, dressing rooms, green rooms, spacious wings lots of room backstage, a sprawling, comfortable audience area with a fantastic view from every seat, etc. and so on. Now, on the contrary, I will soon tell them to open their eyes to actually see and experience all of those things! It's hard to describe how inspired I am by just the thought of that, of the life changing experience our students will have. What are the hopes for the building? Certainly, one hope is to enhance our community and the city. Another would be that we are the venue destination and host for other schools, competitions, and theatrical and music events. The Center for the Arts will also be a beautiful place to exhibit the incredible art and photography that is created here by our students and art instructors. Outside artists will also want to display their artwork. It's my belief (and I'm not alone on this) that the Center for the Arts will attract like-minded students who will take the opportunity to explore, learn, and/or hone their craft, much more seriously. How do you think the transition will go? FLAWLESSLY, of course! Nary a glitch, monkey-wrench, or slightest complaint from anyone. (Ahem!) Change can sometimes bring out the best in people. I understand you had a lot to do with what your room will look like. Can you describe it? My classroom will be a black box type of room. It will have battens (bars that hold up lighting necessities) all along the ceiling-ample lighting. It will be a large open space conducive to many seating and staging arrangements. There will not be a permanent stage built in the classroom. Not having a built in stage frees up the space and allows for more activities, set-ups, and options in general. And, unlike my current quarters, there will be a rest room within 1 mile! Is there anything else you want to add? I am so grateful and feel blessed to be here at MCDS and to be a part of its history. Thank you Maggie Avalos, Steve Mathes, and all of my students forever! Also, thank you and Mr. Fallik for this opportunity to express my feelings and opinions!
the Wendy Walk, was told that she had a large tumor in her body and that it may lead to cancer. Soon after, Wendy was diagnosed with stage four liposarcoma cancer. In 2010, a walk was started by Wendy’s three children; Ali, Matt, and Jackie. The walk was meant to help raise awareness for cancer patients. The Wendy Walk has gone worldwide and takes place annually in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. In 2013, after a long and very heroic battle with liposarcoma, Wendy passed away. The 2016 walk will honor Wendy in the walk’s seventh year.
In 2014, Wendy’s eighth grade niece, Kayla Rosen, started a club at Miami Country Day School called the Wendy Walk club to help raise more funds towards liposarcoma research. This club’s main goal is to help raise money for cancer research. At the end of last year the club had made about $2,000 with funds from just bake sales. I am very confident that we can raise even more this year. While the club supports all different types of cancers, all of the profits made at school will go to the non-profit organization Wendy Walk.
This year, the new sponsor suggested broadening the club's horizons and calling it the Cancer Care Awareness Club to show that they support all sorts of cancers. If you know someone who has ever been affected by cancer and you would like to help make a difference, then the Cancer Care Awareness Club is a great place for you to come and make a difference. Club meetings take place in Mr. Muhlig’s room, which is room M-217, and the club meets during club meeting time, which is generally on Wednesdays. We hope you can come and help them during these club meetings to help make a difference.
From vision to reality
The Center for the Arts begins to take shape. By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
The new Center of the Arts has riled up a lot of attention in the past two years. The center will feature a 650-seat theater with a performance stage and orchestra pit as well as new classrooms for music, art, drama and ceramics. The advisories of the performing and visual art teachers will relocate to the new building. “If they have a advisory in there, they will be able to park in the Spectrum parking lot,” said Mr. Mathes, the director of the middle school. “But honestly, the garage is adjacent to it, where everyone will be parking anyway. In terms of advisory, the students who have those teachers as advisors are going to have to walk a greater distance. There is no way around it. We’ll let them bring their backpacks (as we do now) if they’re far away.” Mr. Mathes points out that there will be a schedule change because of the distance. Mr. Mathes explains that there will be a covered pathway leading to the building, and golf carts will be available to students and teachers who might be hurt and can't make the walk. Talk of the building started in 2011 when the new ‘master plan’ for the school was put together. “When we did our strategic planning, the Center of the Arts emerged as the number one priority for the school,” said Dr. Davies, the Head of School. “For the last couple of years, we’ve been working on identifying an architect, a construction company and working on the funding for the Center for the Arts. Currently we’re in a campaign to raise $16.5 million for the Center for the Arts.” “We have raised almost $10 million to date with a lead gift of $1 million from our Campaign Chair and his family,” said Sheryl Piper, Director of Development, Alumni Parent and member of the MCDS community for 27 years. The Center will be used by all students and will have an amazing theater, a box office, and a dance studio. We will also partner with the community to attend local plays and performances. “It is the number one initiative for John Davies,” said Sean Clancy, Trustee, Development Committee Chair, Alumni Parent, and a member of the MCDS Community since 1991. “To support our mission, the completion of this building is important. The reason being that our existing facilities for the arts program are way outdated. Originally these facilities were for a student population of 450 students and now we’re a population of over 1200 students. The Center for the Arts will house all of the arts taught at the school; visual arts, performing arts, music, theater, dance. It will also include classroom and exhibit space. So again, to fulfill our mission and support the six potentials we address for our students, we need to have this transformational building completed.” “I'm very excited for the new Center for the Arts because it's something that the school has been working on for a while and I think it will turn out great,” said Emanuelle Hart, a drama student who has attended Miami Country Day for nine years. “I do think that the campus will improve with the new building because there will be all new equipment, a new stage, and better classrooms for us (the students) to learn about the arts.” Dr. Davies said it still hasn't been determined how the current art facilities will be used when the Center for the Arts is completed. He said, “One possibility is particularly for the smaller children is that they could use the stage for what ever they might want to do in a smaller venue.” “The Garner Center stage will still be used for certain things, mainly lower school events, but occasionally we might want to use it for a smaller audience, or if we have two events at the same time,” said Mr. Mathes. Mrs. Mahoney explained that her classroom will have way more space and even be located near the canal with indoor and outdoor facilities. All of the art teachers are super excited and ready for the project to be completed! If you would like to donate money or have any more questions or comments, please refer to the website below: http://campaign.miamicountryday.org
Photo by Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
Construction is underway for the Center for the Arts and new parking garage.
From campaign.miamicountryday.org
The future building will be located north of the current campus along the canal.
From campaign.miamicountryday.org
The beautiful new building will include a large theater, classrooms, and exhibit space.
MS student tours the wild west! By Joshua Respler
This summer, I visited national and state parks in Utah and Arizona, with my grandparents and my cousin, Hannah. I found that the American southwest is a beautiful place with amazing geologic wonders that took millions of years to take shape. Zion National Park On our first day, we started from Las Vegas. We filled our water bottles and got in the car. We were all excited to see the scenery and interesting shapes in the rocks. After a few hours along the road, we finally got to Zion. We got to see the patterns in the rock, the mesas, (uprisings in the earth with a flat top, smaller than a plateau, but bigger than a butte) and other mind blowing rock formations. Zion was once partially underwater and had many rivers and streams that shaped out the park over millions of years. Rain, rivers, streams, waterfalls, and other things still continue to erode Zion. We got to see so many remnants of how it was like even before the dinosaurs. Zion was very very special, but this was only the first stop. Grand Canyon National Park The next morning, we drove south into Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. We drove for most of the day, and by 6:00 PM, we got to the lodge. We ate dinner with a milliondollar-view of the canyon out the window. The
next day I got to see the vibrant red rock, the shapes in the rock, and all of the different layers of earth that was deposited over millions of years. The Grand Canyon was carved out by the Green and Colorado rivers. Over millions of years, the rivers slightly eroded and cut through the rock every day, but very little. Now, people like me come to visit the 1-mile deep canyon that is still being eroded right now! I visited the North Rim of the park, but the South Rim is also famous and a hot spot to visit. I may have not seen the sights of the South Rim from the ground and up close, but at least I got to see it from the plane! Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
On the way to our next stop, after seeing the Grand Canyon, we drove up to Utah right on the border of Utah and Arizona to see Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park! The park is very nice, and properly named. The sand is rich orange-pink and and has dunes ranging from small to big all over. On the way to the look out, we saw an amazing variety of plants and bees living in the chaparral. There were interesting mountains in front of us and behind us. In fact, those mountains helped in the process of how the dunes and their rich color came to be. You see, the Navajo Sandstone, the most common sandstone there that was either red, orange, pink, or white, and was named after the ancient tribe that lived there, over millions of years, was eroded into fine grains of sand and was picked up by the wind. The passes in the mountains funneled the wind with the sand, and soon died out when it had gone through the mountain pass. Then, once the wind died out, it dropped the sand down into the desert, to be formed in such a way that is so interesting and beautiful. Bryce Canyon National Park Next stop, Bryce Canyon National Park, which was more of an Amphitheater in the middle of the small park, but an amount of awesome small and large hikes and lookouts in the south and north parts of the park. Once we got
Photos from national parks around the country.
there, we went to Sunrise Point in the Amphitheater, one of the most famous lookouts in Bryce Canyon. It was nice to see all of the famous hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in the evening light, which made all of the rock that much more vibrant and rich red. The red, or other colors in the Navajo Sandstone come from the iron in the water that eroded it getting into the rock. The original color of the Navajo Sandstone is white. The next day, I toured the rest of the Amphitheater. Starting then, I began to really plan out what we would do and where we would go that day. The hoodoos in Bryce were extremely big. At one of the lookouts, Bryce Point, there were grottos in the wall of the mesa next to us, and an amazing view of an endless field of hoodoos. It was magnificent! And truly a geologic wonder. The Bryce hoodoos were made because of the high elevation of Bryce, the tallest point being Rainbow Point, at an elevation of 9,000+ ft. The water from the ice and snow that comes in this desert in winter seeps into the rock and freezes. Because it freezes, it gets harder and bigger, and it erodes and breaks out the rock connecting the land from the newlyformed spire over millions of years. That spire is a hoodoo. The most famous hoodoo, Thor’s Hammer, seen right up close at Sunset Point, is known for how its big top looks like a mallet. The top is bigger than the middle because for every eroded geologic structure, the outsides and outline rock is harder than the inside, and the middle erodes faster than the outside. Another point I saw, Inspiration Point, was very well named. It was a huge amount of enormous hoodoos from up close to as far as I could see! It was amazing! I hiked to see some of the oldest trees, called Bristlecone pine trees, and also to see a cave, a waterfall, and an exotic rock, eroded by some water. I also hiked from Sunset to Sunrise Points, where I got to see other views of Sunset. From there was a hike down to see Queen Victoria Hoodoo, which you can still see from Sunrise Point. Queen Victoria hoodoo is a rock formation that looks like Queen Victoria and her dog. Bryce Canyon was one of my favorite parks. Escalante National Monument Now, we were going to
drive through Escalante National Monument! Once we got there, the rock instantly turned white. For the rest of the national monument, the rocks were mostly white. We got to see deep canyons, valleys, and marks in the rock that proves that water was once there and eroding the rocks in certain lines. Those lines and patterns were kind of like Zion’s. Escalante was once underwater and eroded by the water and streams too. Escalante was like Zion in some ways, but it actually was like I was in a whole other world. The deep canyons below us, the mesas, the smooth rock eroded by the water over millions of years. It was all amazing! No wonder Bill Clinton made this a National Monument! Capitol Reef National Park After Escalante, we went to Capitol Reef National Park. Once there, I instantly saw the uprisings and mesas to my left, and saw some canyons to my right. The view was already spectacular! At night, the sky is very dark and has little light pollution, so the sky is filled with stars. The next morning, I got up and saw more of the mesas and uprisings in the earth. Uprisings in the earth form by the magma pushing the land up, or by plates clashing and rubbing against each other over millions of years. Capitol Reef is famous for not only its white, smooth, and eroded domes of rock that resemble the Capitol building, but also the Waterpocket Fold. The Waterpocket Fold is a huge uprising in the earth that instead of breaking off and forming a cliff, it folded over to make a magnificent and colorful geologic wonder. Continued on next page
Traveling through the West
Page 9
Continued from previous page Goblin Valley State Park We were on the way to the next stop, when we went to Goblin Valley State Park. There we saw interesting and weird rock formations, and more of the red sandstone. It makes sense because of the water that carried the iron making the color in the rock, and the water that eroded the rock to make them look like the goblins that they are named after. The park was really nice, and I liked seeing all of the different ways water can erode rock like this over millions of years. Every park was different, and Goblin Valley was one of the must-see southwestern parks. Arches National Park Arches National Park was our next stop! I was very excited to see so many arches. I had seen a few arches in the other parks, but not as big or exotic as these. Once I got there, I went to see the petrified sand dunes, which are not really petrified; they are just solidified sand dunes after being compressed and put together for millions of years. Then I went to see Fiery Furnace, a place with huge, red and orange boulders that are flat because they have ben eroded by water. They have some slot canyons in them that are formed by water rushing through the rock and eroding and forming a narrow slot canyon. Next I went to see Delicate Arch. Delicate Arch is so famous, it’s even on the Utah license plate! It was really cool to see the most famous arch from far away and by hiking up to see it closer. The La Sal Mountains are seen through Delicate Arch and throughout the park. One of its peaks is the second highest peak in Utah. The next day, I got to see more of Arches as I got to see Pothole Arch, which was formed by water eroding through the top of the cliff out the side; Baby Arch, named for its boulders in
it that looks like a baby, and so many more! One time, I even took a hike through a slot canyon with the eroded rock which is now sand on the floor. Once I got through the canyon, I saw Sand Dune Arch. I went into the backcountry to see Tower Arch and Eye of the Whale Arch, too! All these arches form here because of the sand deep in the earth there being pushed down by the weight of the crust, pushing the sand to the left and right, creating really cool rock formations, domes, and a valley named Salt Valley. Then, the water comes and erodes the middle, softer rock, creating an arch over millions of years. The arches can be as small and wide as a baseball bat, or as tall and wide as a 5 story building! The water turned out to erode more than 2,000 arches in the park! Canyonlands National Park Right next to Arches National Park was our next stop, Canyonlands National Park. There is a town just south of there, called Moab, which is where we stayed. Canyonlands has two sections: Islands in The Sky, named after the mesas and cliffs in it, and the Needles section, named after it’s needles and pipes, eroded by the water leaving the outsides of the rock standing. In both parks there are canyons, gigantic and small, everywhere, eroded by the rivers that flow there over millions of years. Some of the canyons even look like
dinosaur footprints! Canyonlands National Park has arches too. One of the most famous arches is Mesa Arch, which is at the edge of a mesa that you can hike to and see the awesome view looking through it. I did that hike in Islands in The Sky. In the Needles section, there are certain mesas and needles and even a row of mesas, uprisings, needles, and other amazing rock formations that took millions of years to be formed and eroded. Canyonlands National Park was really awesome to see. Dead Horse Point State Park Dead Horse State Park is right around Moab too. It is little, but breathtaking park. One of its few lookouts is one of the most famous lookouts in the whole southwest. It shows an island with a mesa on it and it has been cut of and eroded away from the main land by a river over millions of years. Later on, I even took a boat tour on that river. The state park is very nice and well worth going to. It is also on the way to the Islands in The Sky section in Canyonlands National Park. Dead Horse Point State Park has many legends and theories of how it got its name. The most popular story is that cowboys that had once been there were chasing horses into the canyon, but they could not get out and they died. Dead Horse Point State Park was one of my favorite parks. Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Since Zion National Park had more than one section, we decided to go to the Kolob Canyons section of Zion. There, we saw cool mountains, canyons, and cliffs, eroded by the water and pushed up by the tectonic plates for millions of years. It was cloudy there, but that just made the colors in the orangish-grayish rock come out more. We got to see some of the great rocks of the southwest there, and I really liked this section of Zion National Park. Paiute Wilderness While driving back to Las Vegas, we drove through the Paiute Wilderness, where we saw mountains that were formed by the crust being pushed together and pushing the crust up and breaking over millions of years. That explains the pointy tops of the mountains. I also got to see a plant that was related to the Yucca and Joshua Tree, both famous desert plants. The Paiute Wilderness is not famous and known much, but it is a diamond in the rough. This trip showed me how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful country. The American southwest is an historic and beautiful place to visit. These parks took millions of years to take shape, and I was lucky enough to see them all in over the course of just a few weeks. Millions of years in one summer! I can’t wait until next summer…
Golfers take a swing
Page 10
By Sabrina Cabarcos
This year’s 2015 Country Day golf teams have been doing well. The boys have four wins and three losses. The teams members include, Simone Colozza, Mack Torrence, Griffin Steutel, Michael Walker, and Lucas Zayden. For those out there who have a very little knowledge about the game, it is basically a club and ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Sports
coaches Josephine Frigerio, Anthony Haderer, Scott Matuza, and Mary Odio sure are. They’ve all been playing key roles in keeping both teams on track and ready to compete. As for the competition in our district, I have been informed that many of the teams played tough opponents. Some of these being Westminster Christian, SLAM (Sports Leadership & Management) Academy, Divine Savior, Chaminade, and many others. They girls have actually competed recently in an all day tournament in Palmetto, playing against stronger teams in our region such as Carlton and Ransom.
"This is the second time in over 30 years that Country Day has had the sport available for girls."
- Sabrina Cabarcos the teams starts off
Our girls team has become even bigger this year. The roster is composed of nine girls this year in which are, Sabrina Cabarcos, Danielle Geathers, Mary Hanson, Jacqueline Ludicke, Gabriella Palmisano, Kaylee Parizo, Mina Segall, and Sara Walker. This a drastically increase for the team, seeing as it is the second time in over 30 years that Country Day has had the sport available for girls. In addition to the new team members, this year there are also new coaches. You will often see them around campus taking on their school day jobs at country day. The head coach is Bryan Parizo, also known as Coach P. He isn’t new, but assistant
When practicing,
with a series of putting in drills that strengthen their skills on the green. After about a half hour of that they may either be instructed to hit some balls on the range for the rest of practice or continue improving upon their short games skill by chipping balls. They practices are held from four to five thirty everyday after school in the Miami Shores Country Club’s golfing facilities. The team has made a great effort this year and will continue to for hopefully the rest of MCDS history. The players are dedicated and the sport is thriving off of their spirits. Our golf team is really great this year and I hope you can all come out one day to support!
Sabrina Cabarcos is proud of the MCDS girls' golf team.
Owning the court By Belle Greenberg
Volleyball isn’t as easy as our talented group of athletes makes it look. Volleyball is a physically challenging sport. “I struggle with certain things, but there are This year, our Middle School Girls’ JV and Varsome things that are really easy,” said Jordan sity volleyball teams are kicking the season off Sheppard, one of the MS Varsity players. “But with a bang! overall it’s a great sport.” “I feel fully confident that we have a skilled and “You have to practalented group, and we’re tice,” said Sophia Gostgoing to be successful,” said frand, one of the MS Coach Smith, one of the players. “Sometimes, three coaches on the team. when you play a really “I think if, with all the talent good team, it’s harder. we have, if we continue to Their serves are harder work hard each day, I think to receive.” we have a very good chance The girls are a big at being very successful this team. Some of the girls year.” say they felt like a huge The girls practice until family. they perfect their skills, no “Yeah, it’s fun bematter how hard it is. After cause we’re all a team, watching a game, anyone and we all work tocan see why they love the gether, and it’s a great sport so much! feeling when you hit the “I chose to play volleyball ball and get a point for because I wanted to try Photos by Belle Greenberg your team,” said Sophia something new,” said Sophia Gosfrand. Cartolano, the MS Varsity 7th grader Leire de Zabala goes for “I like supporting captain. “I had always a set. everyone and playing as thought that volleyball was a team the most,” said really cool. So I tried it out and ever since then, Brooke Nieder, a player on the JV team. I’ve loved the sport.” “I do like playing volleyball because it’s really “My favorite part about volleyball is the feeling fun and interesting,” said Charlie Leoni, a player of an ace, when you serve and no one touches it,” on the JV team. said Sofia Nayor, a player on the MS Varsity team.
Going the distance
MCDS hires new aquatics director
Page 11
By Ilan Zenatti
Cross country team pushes themselves toward success. By Rachel Hodes
This year, our school’s Cross Country team is doing great. Our team expanded in size and in skill. Mr. Hayes, the head coach and the middle school Athletic Director, said his favorite practice run is two minute one minutes, because you get some good distance and speed (two minutes of race or faster pace followed by one minute of jogging). Mr. Hayes says that most challenging race we have had this year was Westman Sir Academy. It had a lot of hills and we had ran hills before that and we had hills after that so it was a stretch where we had three races in like ten days which is a lot.
Photo by Rachel Hodes
8th grader Klara Meyer is one of the stars of the team. great,” said Coach Karen, one of the assistant coaches. “I decided to be a coach here because I love to run and I wanted to share that with everybody. As I started running and getting better, I knew the proper mechanics of running and so many of the technical aspects of running and it was easier for me and I wanted to share that with other people”. “This year, I think the entire Junior Varsity team has improved,” said Janet Haas, an assistant coach.
According to Mr. Hayes, the most
“I have been very happy with the team’s performance this year, especially after a great race at Florida Runner’s in Titusville,” said David Batcheller, an assistant coach. “I expect great things going into district, regionals, and hopefully states and this being such a young team I expect great thing for years to come.”
MS swimmers give their all in the pool. By Ilan Zennati
Swimming this year has been great for the coaches and also the swimmers. Swimming is very demanding. You have to have endurance, technique, dedication and most of all, sportsmanship. Swimming rewards you a lot if you are dedicated to the sport. It will improve your endurance, your upper body strength, and your ability to go fast while being in water. The schools which we compete against are as far away as Marathon or even up to Hialeah. We mostly compete against private schools or schools that are close to our school, Most of the coaches in the swim team also coach our water polo team, like Coach Dave or Bryan, but some are completely new like our new aquatics director Coach Eric. “I am liking it a lot more than I thought I would,” said Coach Brian Garcia. “This is my personal best swim year.” “I noticed that the coaches were very dedicated to the children and that
they helped them get better as much as they could,” said a parent. “The swim team is really unified as most of the swimmers knew each other for more than two years and that they all have the same spirit and motivation.” “I have been swimming since I was six years old,” said swimmer Ramón Villamayor. “I love being in this swim team.” In a meet there are different events where each will require your strength in a stroke. Boys and girls are separated by events, but they practice together. There are no captains in swimming, as this is not a team sport. Swimming is an individual sport, which means that if you mess up it does not affect the other players. To see if your team won the match, the judges add up the times or the places. Whichever team has the lowest time when they add it up wins. So far we have only won games in which the middle school has participated in. You can get disqualified in this sport during meets. In other words, you
teams. “I have loved this pool since I came to coach,” said Coach Eric. “The swimmers have the thirst for knowledge and the desire to improve. They also have a whole lot of potential. The parents and the staff have been incredibly supportive.” “I feel lucky to know and work for someone who is in the same position as I am, being new to this place,” said Coach Bryan. “He is doing a good job,” said swimmer Ramon Villamayor. “I think that once he is really acquainted to our team. He will be one of the best coaches we have ever had.” “Eric Scheingoltz is a remarkable director he managed to get all the swimmers to unify and motivated,” said one of the swimmer’s parents.
improved boy from the middle school is probably Alex Levine, and for the girls in middle school it is Briana Espinosa, Ebba Larnholt and Taisa Strouse.
Making waves “I started running about five years ago because I wanted to know that my body could still accomplish something
Eric Scheingoltz recently joined the MCDS family as the new aquatics director. Coach Eric came from New Jersey to Miami for a change in lifestyle and for new experiences. He previously coached at Columbia University in New York and Drew University in New Jersey. “I started competitive swimming when I was 11 and made it to junior nationals and to New York states," said Coach Eric. "I had amazing coaches who taught me all that I know. I am still in contact with my main coach. My time as a swimmer was cut short because of injuries, but I still am in love with the sport.” He started to teach lifeguards at the age of 15, but he hurt himself, which rendered him unable to continue swimming. After he recovered, he started coaching college
“I am liking it a lot more than I thought I would." - Coach Bryan
will get kicked out of a race if you did something wrong. For example, diving into the pool to early or doing an incorrect turn can get you disqualified. You have to pay very close attention and listen during practice to understand the rules. Don’t worry, though, because it is not that hard to remember and you will easily remember it. All in all, swimming is a great sport which demands endurance and technique. Many people have fallen in love with swimming. A sport is not defined by what you have to wear to compete, but by the sport itself. Why don’t you try out swimming for next year and see if it motivates you to continue the sport.
Photo by Ilan Zenatti
Coach Eric comes to MCDS from New Jersey.
Entertainment
90 minutes of 5 Seconds of Summer
By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
On September 13, Five Seconds of Summer, a popular pop-punk band, had their final concert here in Miami on their first world tour! My friend and I had the chance to attend and had the full 5SOS concert experience. The overall experience was amazing, and the crowd energy was constantly electric. The boys came out super excited, and the crowd was wild. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Luke Hemmings, bassist Calum Hood, lead guitarist, Michael Clifford, and drummer, Ashton Irwin. The concert included songs like “She’s Kinda Hot”, and “Jet Black Heart” off of the new album, “Sounds Good Feels Good”, the release date being October 23, 2015, as well as plenty from their old self titled album that was released the summer of 2014. The setlist on the tour had been the following songs: End Up Here, Out of My Limit, Heartbreak Girl, Voodoo Doll, Permanent Vacation, Don’t Stop, Disconnected, Long Way Home, Rejects, Heartache on the Big Screen, Wrapped
Around Your Finger, Amnesia, Beside You, Everything I Didn’t Say, American Idiot, Kiss Me Kiss Me, She Looks So Perfect, and as the encore, Good Girls, and lastly What I Like About You, with the exception of the release of new songs from the album. The boys spoke openly to the crowd as well as bickering among themselves during the concert. They made the crowd comfortable and gave off a really great party vibe. I really loved how comfortable they felt and the energy, almost community, feel that the crowd had. This particular performance had been the last on the tour and ended emotionally for the boys. Ashton gave a reminiscent speech at the end and the final bow moved the whole crowd. Once the concert was over the crew got on stage and everyone on the tour kicked out beach balls to the crowd. They posted a picture soon after with the comment, “Thank you for an amazing tour! Can’t wait for you to hear more music from ‘Sounds Good Feels Good’...” The concert ended with many tears of the girls and boys in the crowd but ultimately finished with a bang. Over 19,000 people were there to watch the boys and they seriously did not disappoint.
Pretty Little Li"A"rs.
By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
The Pretty Little Liars season finally ended with a huge shock! The fans finally got to know who "A" is. The show is about five girls. Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchelle), Hanna (Ashley Benson), Spencer (Troian Bellisero), and Allison (Sasha Pieters). I thought the last show was super. The suspense was perfect, and the ending was riveting. The ending surprised me. Turned out that "A" was a transgender, and the back story was very real and explainable. The producers, giving us such a complicated trip to finding out who ‘A’ was outdid themselves on the explanation and the unveiling of the character. In the first episode, Sasha dies. After a year of living in Iceland, Aria returns to Rosewood, PA, a fictional, mysterious town. The girls had grown apart, but when Aria comes back and the govern-
ment finds Alison's dead body in the DiLaurents’ old back yard, strange things start to happen. The girls receive their first text from ‘A’, the evil and mysterious person who ruins their lives, at Alison's funeral. Since that day the whole show involves the girls solving ‘A’s’ mystery. The ultimate question is, who is ‘A’? The girls meet many love interests throughout the show. Each relationship contains their own dramas, but one in particular raised eyebrows in the release. Emily ends up being lesbian and thrives throughout the show. I think this is incredibly important because nowadays we are a much more open community to gays, and it’s important to acknowledge this. My only criticism of the ending is that the futuristic effects were a bit much, especially since the show prides itself on being realistic. Nevertheless the show ended up fascinating the audience and pleasantly surprised us with hints to more seasons by showing clips of their future lives relating to a new mystery.
Going to Paper Towns 5 Seconds of Summer ended their 2015 world tour in Miami.
By Ananda Naves-Penkwitt
on a map by the map maker to ensure no one could steal their work. The most famous of these is called Aglow, located in New York. If anyone else had written Agloe on their map, the creator of the original would have proof that they stole their work since Agloe was not a real town. Because of how famous it got, Agloe is now real and located on many maps of New York. I thought that the movie overall was really good. It wasn't as good, though, as John Green's first release, "The Fault in Our Stars." "Paper Towns" contained a great underlying message, but it wasn’t as captivating. Cara DeLevigne did great acting, and Nat Wolff was amazing. The mystery in the movie was addicting. The director, Jake Schreier, did a great job, and the script was clever. The movie is definitely a must see!
Paper Towns is the second of two books written by John Green to come out as a movie. The movie premiered July 24, 2015 and stars Nat Wolff as Quentin and supermodel Cara DeLevingne as Margo, the mysterious popular girl around which the story revolves. The movie begins explaining that Quentin has had a crush on Margo for most of his life. One night she sneaks into his window asking for his help pranking her friends. Q (as he's known) obliges. The night comes to an end, and Q wakes up the next morning to no Margo. She had fled town and left clues for him to find her. The story is about Q's journey to find her before their prom night. The movie got its title from this mystery. Margo had camped out - Ananda Naves-Penkwitt at a paper town, a fake town added
"The mystery in the movie was addicting."