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Volume 89, Number 1 White Plains, New York 10605 november/December 2012

ELECTION FEVER SWEEPS THE NATION By: Robert Marotta

Election Day, November 6th 2012, has come and gone yielding Barack Obama as the winner of his second term. This election was held between the republican ticket which consisted of Mitt Romney and his vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, and the democratic ticket which consisted of Barack Obama and his vice president Joe Biden. Obama won with a total of 332 electoral votes. He also won the popular vote with 50.8%.

Obama led the campaign with a good lead up until the first presidential debate which Mitt Romney won. After this, the race became much tighter. Then Obama won the second election and gained back most of his lead again. Source: Nate Silver @NewYorkTimes.com According to USA Today, voters in New Jersey were allowed to cast in their votes using e-mail. Also, for the first time, candidates spent over one billion dollars in campaigning, which totaled to 5.8 billion dollars. And

more interestingly, two astronauts on the International Space Station casted in their votes from space.

This election was not just for the president, there were other elections. For example, some were for the Senate and House of Representatives. In our congressional district, the 18th

district, challenger Sean Patrick Maloney, the democrat, defeated the republican Nan Hayworth. Kirsten Gillibrand defeated the republican Wendy Long.

A Hero Among Us By Gabby Nobile This month we witnessed one of our ordinary ELA teachers turn into a life-saving hero. In the 8th grade cafeteria someone began to choke while eating her lunch. Students began to gather around unsure of what to do. Mr. Reis immediately sprang into action and began the Heimlich maneuver. The girl stopped choking and began to breathe normally again. Mr. Reis was congratulated as he

escorted her to the nurse’s office. Everyone began to clap and cheer. When we asked Mr. Reis what he had to say about this event he said, “It is important for everyone to stay calm during an emergency like this. Also, everyone should take a CPR course.” We should be thankful that Mr. Reis was there at the time. He is now considered a hero in our school and community.

Highlands Scholastic Book Fair

By: Ms. Chrisine Ciofolo It is that time of year already. THE BOOKFAIR IS COMING!!! Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the library December 10 – 14. All ELA classes will be scheduled to visit the fair. During the book fair the library will not be available for individual students to come down and work during ROAR periods or lunch/recess time. Classes that are scheduled for library/lab time will come down with teachers as usual. Do stop by and check out our books! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and see you at the fair.

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Fall’s New Hits Introduce New Artists and Returning Stars By Danielle Herman This fall’s new music offers a wide variety of new albums and singles for everyone’s tastes, including rock bands, pop stars, and even Korean singers. Green Day and No Doubt, two of the ‘90’s and early 2000’s biggest bands, both released new albums recently. No Doubt’s Push and Shove is the group’s first album in eleven years, and ended up somewhat successful with its hit song, “Settle Down.” Green Day has a series of three new albums, two of which have already been released (¡Uno! and ¡Dos!). ¡Uno! features lots of high energy rock songs, while ¡Dos! has many slower-paced ballads. ¡Tré! will be released on December 11th. In addition to these albums, Green Day’s new single, “The Forgotten,” will be featured in the new movie, The

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Pop singer Ke$ha recently released a new single, “Die Young.” This upbeat single is the first from her untitled new album that will come out either this winter or fall. Other new singles include Psy’s “Gangnam Style,”

Bruno Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven,” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” Although its lyrics are in Korean, “Gangnam Style” has quickly gained popularity throughout the US and spent several weeks in one of the top ten spots on the Billboard 100. In addition, new albums include Taylor Swift’s Red—which includes her hit single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Maroon 5’s Overexposed, and P!nk’s The Truth About Love. Maroon 5 will be going on tour for their new album, and will visit Madison Square Garden on February 16th, 2013.

Poet’s Corner Fall

Leaves swirl down

Falling from the trees

Leaving them bare

And cold with despair.

Hats and scarves and gloves come out

Searching for a place stay

Landing on chilly children

That go out to play.

Autumn is the time to change

Along with everything around us

Drifting apart and falling together

Learning the ways of life and death.

The Courier White Plains Middle School

EDITORIAL BOARD AND STAFF

Editors-in-Chief

Danielle Herman-Highlands Christopher Kozlow-Eastview

Managing Editor

Gabby Nobile

Associate Editor Open

Features Editor

Open

Webmaster Chris Kozlow Copyeditor

Robert Marotta

Art and Layout Editors

Open

Sports Editor John Petrozzi

News Editor Agon Shehu

Photography Editor

Danielle Herman

Office Manager Camilo Villavincencio

Circulation Editor

Gabby Nobile

Staff and Contributors Ms. Christine Ciofolo

Advisor

Mr. Ricardo Vela

Editorial Policy Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board and, unless otherwise noted, are written by members of the staff. The editorial board solicits responsible commentaries and letters-to-the-editor, but reserves the right to edit for style, grammar or space limitations. Letters and commentaries containing obscenity or libelous comments will not be published. All letters must be signed or they will not be published, however your name can be withheld upon request.

courierwpms@gmail.com

Courier Seeks More Staff

Come join The Courier! We are looking for more writers

and photographers to expand our staff!

Have fun!

Take pictures!

Meet new people!

Be a part of your

school community! Meetings are held every Thursday at Highlands or Eastview. Highland Meetings in Room 6 Eastview Meetings in Room 239 Check your school’s announcements or bulletin for the latest meeting location or ask one of the editors.

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MOVIE REVIEW

The Dark Knight Rises: A Detailed Analysis

(Contains Spoilers) By Chris Kozlow

The Dark Knight Rises, the long-anticipated, epic conclusion to the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, ended the series with a bang when it came out on July 20th. The Dark Knight Rises tied up many loose ends and story lines that have been going on throughout the trilogy. For example, the theme of The Dark Knight was and I quote, “Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” The end of this movie shows Batman “dying” when he carried the bomb over the water to save the city from a nuclear explosion. This shows that Batman died a hero. The Joker said in The Dark Knight, “You are truly incorruptible…” But when it is revealed that Batman lives, it brings up questions like whether he will truly die as a hero or someday become the villain. Although it is

unlikely that Bruce Wayne will become the villain, you should still give it some thought.

Batman/Bruce Wayne has vowed to never kill anyone. This makes me wonder if killing someone is ever worth it. Of course killing is never a good thing, but to protect a whole city from Bane and Talia al Ghul, it could result in the saving of lives with the cost of one or in this case two lives. It is similar to what the Joker was saying in the previous film, “You’re going to have to

break your one rule.” Batman responded, “I’m thinking about it.” This shows that Batman would consider killing someone in order to save Gotham. Although Batman spared the Joker, he almost killed him. In the end of The Dark Knight Rises, Batman beat Bane almost to the point of death. The end result was Catwoman killing Bane while Talia al Ghul was killed in the crash with the truck. Batman still debated with himself on whether he should break his one rule, to save Gotham from chaos or to end up with a nuclear disaster.

Overall, The Dark Knight Rises is an excellent conclusion to the critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy. Out of ten, I give it a 9.8. The only thing we should wonder about know is, since this is over what is to become of the Batman franchise now?

BOOK REVIEW

Autumn X D D R F H E O Q U S L Z U F Z F S S R F J F P E X A C Y A A W S H Q O E C E F U P Y H B B H L L J I H E L N L Q I V Q Y E K R U T M G L V Z C W A P D U A O K X O S J Y Z A E Z O V L P P T R N A L X W I A Z R Y H Z T J W Y A H S E N S G I Y N L L A F K T M P D E V N E I R I L O R C O A G U Q C J L E G E Q E C H S A H O A S V S N R O C A N S T N R Q R L M U S H P M E Z P D S I V J B H T D V C F O E I M V W M I C V K Y P Y B M Q V Q S N V Z D I O P B I P U M P K I N S J S U V R W Q A K V G E Y O C T O B E R V C D F A E G S R S M W R N M U T U A P M H M W C N T D K N R N S U L W U H Z K S O V H S A O N Y L L I H C U V R V E Z E O K F H J A S K I G M U D D A V P G I V L G H N H U G A L R Q A L F Q M E A L A M W Z T U D C Y E J I Z Y J O X R B B E Z D T A I Q U H F S Z E G N X Y P S U L G B P

ACORNS APPLES AUTUMN CHILLY FALL

GLOVES HALLOWEEN

HATS LEAVES

NOVEMBER

OCTOBER PUMPKINS SCARVES SCHOOL SEASON

SEPTEMBER SWEATERS

THANKSGIVING TREES TURKEY

THE LITTLE MERMAID

CAST LIST

Congrats to Everyone who Auditioned!!

Remember, if you are NOT on the list – we would love for you to still be involved. Consider being part of the SET CREW or STAGE CREW!

“Love the Art in Yourself, not Yourself in the Art”

MANDATORY FIRST FULL CAST REHEARSAL

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17TH – 2:35-ROOM 261 HIGHLANDS Ariel - Ashley Smith Pilot -Jaylin Slaughter Carlotta - Kristen Cignarella Prince Eric – Sergio Flores Chef Louis - Alexander Sanchez Seahorse – AJ Scapoli Flotsam - Frank Scapoli Sebastian- Harrison O’Callaghan Flounder - Dennis Heffernan Scuttle – Jessamyn Ingram Grimsby - Austin Burns Tentacles – Gabriella Nobile, Nicolette Dominguez Jetsam - Damian Vignone Ursula – Shayna Berglas King Triton – Dominick Cardon Mersisters - Kelly Ainsworth, Julia Golden, Sophie Hamlin, Cassia Schuler, Emily Tumminia, Alanna Williams

ENSEMBLE There are many different groups – Gulls, Chefs, Sailors, Sea Chorus, Sea

Creatures, Merfolk and Lagoon Animals Nicole Abato Jacob Furry Jenna Reilly Dylan Bange Kimberly Gardner Harriet Rose-Barwick Sydney Barest Morgan Hricay Amy Rosenblatt Imani Brown Bethany Iodice Carly Seymour Devin Burns Leah Levine Lindsay Smith Zoe Crawley Kira Lichtblau Paulina Snyder Allison Cunney Spencer Lodes Noelle Spano Brianna Etienne Maya Lynch Maeve Staab Megan Fay Ashly Mejia Anna Tender Samantha Fazio Samantha Pilla Renee Torres Casey Furry Sophia Rainone Prasida Unni Diana Velasquez

Book Review: The Mark Of Athena by Rick Riordan By Camilo Villavicencio

The Mark of Athena is a fantasy book and the third installment of the Heroes of Olympus series written by the bestselling author Rick Riordan. It was published October 7th, 2012.

The main characters; Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Leo; are going to New Rome to create peace between the Greek and Roman demigods who have been at war against each other for nearly 2000 years. Arriving on their ship the Argo II, they get reunited with their missing friend Percy Jackson and Annabeth makes peace with the Roman camp leader, Reyna. Everything goes well until something terrible happens. The Argo II attacks New Rome, plaguing war against Camp Half -Blood (The camp for Greek demigods). At the same time Annabeth has to complete a quest that all her Athenian demigod relatives from each generation have died trying to complete: retrieving the lost statue of Athena.

The Mark of Athena is a humorous and delightful book. It is an action, adventure, and

fantasy book, but it isn’t a cheesy kind of fantasy. Rick Riordan used many myths and mythological creatures and characters cleverly in this book. They each have their own personality, which makes all of them unique in

their own way. This book was a nice well-paced story that changes narrators every few chapters, which helps engage the reader. Seeing what each character thought and their point of view of the situation was a nice touch. As the story progresses throughout the book, you begin to grow a connection with the main characters, which is very difficult to do, and the ending will make you sit at the end of your seat. To sum it up, the book is about a group of demigods trying to create peace with their enemies and

a girl attempting to complete a mission that no one has ever accomplished This book is great for all ages and is a definitely a book that, after the first couple of pages, you will love.

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vs. Images courtesy of uobusinessblogs.com and bloguin.com San Francisco Giants Triumph Over Detroit Tigers in 2012 MLB World Series By Danielle Herman

The San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four straight games to capture their second World Series title in the past three years. The Giants beat the Tigers in an exciting extra inning battle by a score of four to three in game four at Detroit’s Comerica Park. This was the Giants’ seventh

series victory in their celebrated franchise history.

The Giants’ Pablo Sandoval was named the series MVP (most valuable player) after getting off to a fast start in game one by hitting three home runs, which tied a series record. The key to the series was the Giants’ pitching staff

consistently shutting down the fierce Tigers batting line up. Over the course of the series, the Tigers amassed only six runs while the Giants collected a total of sixteen. It is said that good pitching always beats good hitting, which certainly proved to be true in this series.

Concussions in Football By: John Petrozzi As you may have heard, concussions are becoming more common in the sport of football. But what are concussions? Concussions are a brain injury that is often associated with dangerous play. A sudden hit to the head shakes the brain against the skull. The result is a concuss individual. Many players obtain concussions in the NFL. Notable concussions are Brett Farve’s last concussion, which ended his career. Another concussion is Kevin Kolb’s concussion that ended his time as a Philadelphia player. These concussions, however, were not caused by dangerous play. They were caused by the head of the victim hitting the hard surface of the field. The NFL feels that these concussions

would have been prevented if the players wore anti-concussion helmets. These are currently optional. The NFL is trying to equip all players with these helmets to prevent future injury. Other concussions occur as a result of dangerous play. Last year, the Cincinnati Browns and Pittsburg Steelers played against each other. Colt McCoy, the Browns’ quarterback, rolled out to the side in order to complete a pass. While looking for a receiver down field, he was hit by James Harrison. James Harrison used his head and momentum to hit his helmet against McCoy’s. The result was a major concussion. McCoy would not return to the game. In an effort to punish Harrison, NFL

commissioner Rodger Goodell suspended Harrison for one game; although many fell he should have been more severely punished. A recent event brought concussions to the public eye even more. Twelve time pro-bowler Junior Seau was found dead in his home. He committed suicide. It is believed that a series of unnoticed concussions caused him to kill himself. This tragedy has a good outcome though. His death led to the research of better protection for players. His death also raised awareness for concussions. Youth and professional, concussions are dangerous. We must be more vigilant to stop these injuries.

THE KEY CLUB & SAIL are sponsoring a Toys &Toiletries Drive

for

My Sister’s Place*

Please donate any new Toys & full size toiletries, gift cards, warm hats or gloves to this worthy cause. No stuffed animals will be

accepted.

We will be collecting all gifts November 27th- 3rd December 14th.

Pick-ups will be arranged on selected dates

For Information call Agnes Blazkiewicz/Harriet Helfenbein Tel: 422 2076 or 422 2151 * My Sister’s Place provides services for Victims of Domestic Violence.

Sample Care Package for My Sister’s Place

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