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Taylor Hurd, above in the yellow floral dress, commemorates Black History Month with a dance performance with other eighth-grade dancers during an assembly in February hosted by the Diversity Club. -Photo courtesy of Yearbook Club

What’s Inside this Issue of the

Knightly News

What’s Hot Community NewsKnight Lounge PoetrySports Wrap Newbery Book Titles

Tips for Practicing Internet Safety

Lilly Ann Alonzo Knightly News Staff

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow?! Oh no! Since Christmas break we have been bombarded with snow storm after snow storm. It all started on a normal Friday on the 7th of January. During fifth period an early dismissal was called for that day. At first it was a gift from God. Sudden snow storms gave FMS a reason to rejoice! Missing ninth and tenth period was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Our first snow day came on Wednesday, January 12. The snow days gave kids a chance to study for midterms and catch up home work, play video games and, of course, sleep. Some kids caught up with their friends and enjoyed the fluffy white stuff that fell from the sky. Some kids spent most of their time on their phones while others did absolutely nothing. Divine Coleman, a seventh-grader, said he spent a lot of time in his bed. “All I did was slept,’’ said Coleman. Ayanna Forskin, a seventh-grader, said she relaxed by us-ing her computer. “I was on the computer most of the time, playing strategy games and adventure games,’’ said Forskin. “Those are the best! Anything is better than homew ork.” Although they won’t admit it, teachers also enjoyed the break from their students. But as the snow days became more and more frequent, and school time was lost Franklin township students had to face the consequences of no school. Daze continued on page 4

Snow Days Leaves FMS in

Snow Daze

Brianna Rodrigues, a member of the 2010-11 Championship FMS Girls Basketball Team, prepares for a game.

Inside, checkout a championship edition of the Sports Wrap-Up.

CHAMPIONS The Girls Basketball Team brought

another trophy to Franklin Middle School, giving

students back-to-back championships after an

undefeated season.

Alyshia HerculesZoya Ali

Knightly News Staff As students in middle school, staying in touch with our friends is a crucial element in our social lives. Once we get home from school, all we’re thinking about is Facebook, texting and calling our friends, listening to music, hanging out and playing sports. As teenagers we also love staying on top of all the new styles and technology espe-cially when it comes to cell phones. Do you want the top five cell phones from the top cell phone companies in the country? Well you just got lucky. Here we present to you the Knightly News’ Top 5 phones from cellu-lar phone companies: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile. PhoNeS continued on page 4

Alyshia Hercules Knightly News Staff

Some people will shrug their shoulders or roll their eyes at the thought of it, but internet safety needs to be a part of our lives. Regardless of your opin-ion, we as a community know too well it could be a matter of life or death. In early Fall of 2010, our com munity was left devastated and depressed following a shoot-ing at a party. It was something many never would have never expected in our area. But why did it happen? It was later found the tragic dispute was caused by a simple blog page taken too far. That’s right: it all was connected to a blog called “Franklin vs. Plain-field” on a popular social net-working website. What started out as a play-ful exchange of who had the better community and football team, turned into a big brawl at a local party. By the end of the night, Alex Ortega, 18, a Plain-field resident, was arrested for shooting his gun into a crowd of people, leaving one Franklin

resident dead. As we go into the summer, here are a few tips from Nets-martz.org, a website ran by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. avoiD goSSiPiNg. Don’t be the one who has to run to their computer to post the last-est gossip about that one per-son you don’t like. igNore aND rePort cyber-bullieS. If you receive a threatening message report it and tell an adult. You don’t have to accept being a victim. DoN’t be a byStaND-er. If one of your friends is doing the cyber-bullying speak up! Tell your friend to knock it off and stop harassing other people. If it continues, report it or tell an adult. cleaN uP your Pro-file. Take down any reveal-ing or inappropriate pictures and posts from your past. Some colleges look at old posts to see what kind of character you have. tiPS continued on page 2

Congratulations Knights! SPORTS WRAP

Danica Antes, Ricki Bates, Desiree Davis, Tyler Drew, Sierra Gibson, Alexandra Jackson, Adreana Miller, Amiya Rankins, Brianna Rodrigues, Tahirah Scott, Ariane Thurin, Mary Trossi, Jaeda Wildgoose, Managers: Lauren Colon, Ruchael McNair, Laura Thow, Italia Rice with head coach Nicole Monfasani(Some members of the team are not pictured)

Veronica AcevedoJuliana ArdilaKim BarralagaKelsea Chang

Jasmine BladesJaime RudbartClaire DundonAmber Folnagy

Jade HallAshley Jankowski

Erin KellyJoanna Khater

Samantha LlanosSara Nesbitt

Julianna KostyEmily Riha

Rickelle SingletonNia Wadlington

Alaina UrgiDenise Rojas

Girls Soccer 2010-11 Roster

David Anderson Hunter Black

Benjamin Hilliman Edwin Valle

Marques ChambersDwight BrittonNadir Sweeney

Troy ByrdQuadir Howard

Nile UzzellMarius Torres

Alhassan FofanahKingston Uka

Al-Jahad Weston Alusine Fofanah

Amari Taylor

Murad UzzellJoshua Dorvil

Richie GonzalezTom KowalskyJohn Goldwire Amir MayerAlexis Bodre

Devante BrownTimothy Bradley

Somti AnyaRussell GernertRassod Dukes

Ryan ClarkNick Russo

Joshua Davis Diante Miller

Jabuild PittmanRyan AndrewsEvan Berger

Kea Shawn Wright Akili Jemmott

Ishmael Shyllon Pace Carey

Jaquail LewisVictor ManagesBryan MartinezHandris Kamara

Korey Cox Tyree JamisonHassan Kalon

Anthony Brown

Coaches Ja’mon Dunn & Daryn Plummer

FMS Football 2010 Roster

Maison Archer, Kendall Armanie, Shanelle Bailey,Ahmed Beizaeipour, Melanie Brown, Sasha Camana, Aditya Chauhan, Daijonae Clemons, Pranov Desai,

Morgan Dey, Toyin Fadahunsi, Grace Glad, Hillary Gooding, Ashna Hinduja, Zyasia Hoagland, Avery Jones, Camille Jones,

Danielle Kraft, Michael Lance, Stan Lysenko, Christina Miles, Joseph Richter, Christian Rosikiewicz, Karron Nasir Ruffin, Heather Scafidi, Thierry Tonaus,

Maria Vivas, Danielle Zahirny, Jasmine Maria Karina Rodriguez

Cross-Country 2010 Roster

Sharon-Rose Alonzo Ashley BerryToneya Byrd

Alexis CollazoSheryl Dalal

Gabrielle EricksonDestani Gourdine

Najja Hudson

Kiana HuntAmanda Jordan

Sara KohutEbunoluwa Osuntuyi

Italia RiceAshley RuppSarah Smith

Shamila Ubah-Herrera

FMS Field Hockey 2010 Roster

Coach Melissa Vaccaro

Patrick AugusteJulian DelgadoAdetayo Ebo

Franco EchevarriaKyle Fehrman

Carlin FernandezCole Freda

Filip GaliettiAlex John

Tom JournetMasood KarimiJustin MarquezBobby Morgan

Herrol MorrisonJack Nierenberg

Ronak PatelOscar Ramirez

Paul Srour

FMS Boys Soccer 2010 Roster

All Sports Wrap photos courtesy of the

FMS Yearbook Club

Coach Sean Cox

Coach Marianne Carpenter

Coaches Nicole Monfasani and Justin Miller

GeT YouR HAIR AND NAILS RIGHT! What’s Hot What’s Hot Students want more at FMS Dances

Spring Break Wishes

Walk to the right ‘cause you know it’s right.

Ya gotta give

respect to get

respect

Community news

Ayanna ForskinTaylor Jordan

Knightly News Staff Your hair style is one of the first things people notice when they meet you. There are many different hair styles you can choose from. Lady Gaga is one of the few people whose hair is one of the most exciting things about them. Hair can be any color, style, or length.Wouldn’t you want your hair to be exciting? One of our hair how-to tips is to change it up. Stars like Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga always have different hairstyles every time you see them. If you have straight hair all the time maybe curling it once in a while would be nice. Or, if you have curly hair you might want to try straightening in now and again. Alexis Gibson, a seventh-grader, thinks changing your hairstyle is a good idea. “I think people should change their hair every now and then,’’ she said. “ I think bangs look the best.” Do you have trouble making your hair look cool? Sometimes adding strik-ing colors can make your hair look really noticeable! Lighter hair goes good with darker colors, like black or hot pink. Darker colors and light hair makes your hair stand out, so that people’s eyes are instantly drawn to it! Darker hair goes good with lighter colors, but

be careful! Some colors aren’t visible on dark hair. Taylor Jordan, a seventh-grader, has experienced this problem. “My hair is really dark, and one time I dyed it dark purple and nobody could see it!” Colors like pink and blue are usually always visible, unless you get a cheap spray or dye. There are many different types of hair products to choose from. When you color your hair, you can get easy perma-nent hair dye or impermanent hair spray. With hair spray, all you have to do is spray it on and you’re good to go. Hair dye is a little more difficult to put on, but it comes with clear directions too. Be careful with dye because you don’t want to pick a color you won’t want later. Like if you have dark hair and you decide you want to dye your hair a very light color, you may have

to bleach it. Some people think that boys shouldn’t really care about their hair, since guy’s hair is usually short and easy to han-dle. Kendall Armani, a seventh-grader, never takes the time to do his. He says, “I just leave my hair like it is, I don’t even think about it, really.” But who says all guys don’t care about their hair? Mo-hawks are becoming popular for guys. Just like any other hairstyle, you can add color to it, which is popular with Mo-hawks. No matter what kinds of hairstyles you like make sure it defines your personality per-fectly. Stars like Nicki Minaj always have a different hair-style because their attitude is always different. Be sure that no one tries to change your style no matter what it is.

Ayanna ForskinTaylor JordanGhalia Dhrimi

Knightly News Staff The 2011 Valentines Dance was filled with lots of food and good times with friends but left many students either wanting more or, in many cases, home. At the dance, there were things like snacks, fun music, and a lot of people to hang out with. A lot of people went to the dance and they went in style. You could find almost anything there, including skirts, skinny jeans, hooded sweat shirts and tons of cute accessories. Despite the cool clothing and accessories, some people thought many of the students who attended the event didn’t dress appropriately for the occasion. What did people think of the dance? What did people expect of the dance when they decided to go? Why didn’t people go? Some people thought the dance was a big success. Dana Hilton, seventh-grade, said she thought the dance was enjoyable. “The dance was fun because

I got to hang out with my friends all night,” said Hilton. “I loved it!” However, some people have a different opinion. Shayna Sorrells, seventh-grade, thought there could have been better selections made by the Deejay. “The dance was okay but the music was kind of bad though,’’ she said. “It was the same kind of music over and over again.” Yvette Bedeau also felt the music needed more variety. “ The music was really wack,” she said. “I didn’t like it at all!” There were some students who felt that the affair called for more formal attire. Taylor Jordan, seventh-grade, thought people should’ve worn more dressy things. “I mean, it’s a Valentines Dance!” said Jordan. “ People should be wearing dresses and even a corny tie would’ve been nice. But a lot of people just wore jeans.” I also agree, I think that people should have at least tried to look a little cooler. Some people just stayed in

their clothes they wore for school, which looked totally boring. Even though a lot of people went to the dance, there were also a lot of people who didn’t go. But why? Russell Gernert, eighth-grade, immediately thought it would be bad. “I thought it would be really wack,” he said. Jacey Guye, eighth-grade, shared Gernert’s thoughts. “I didn’t even think about going,” he said. “It just screamed ‘I’m boring!’” Overall, I think the dance was pretty bad. Most people just stood around and did nothing, or ate the whole time. The music was really bad and there was always the same kind of music, the DJ could’ve played the same song over and over and it still would’ve had the same effect. Let’s hope the upcoming dances will be more exciting.

Stephanie Rios Knightly News Staff

Nail polish is one of the hot-test and most commonly seen fashion accessories. Typically nail polishes come in colored and clear versions, with gradients in between. Pinks and reds are the most common colors, but they also come in increasingly bright and vibrant colors of blue, green, metallic’s and every-thing in between. Nail polish can be used to ex-press yourself. The colors and the design can reflect many moods and feelings. Many girls enjoy using nail polish, as well as boys who would usually either use black polish or a clear coat. Nick Rossi, a seventh-grader, doesn’t get his nails done but knows how they smell after young ladies have then freshly done. “What I think about nails is that the smell of it reeks” Nick Rossi said. Ayanna Forskin, a seventh-grader, has a different per-spective. “Nail polish stands out,” she said. “It shows your personal-ity, you can express who you are and shows what you like.” Although he appreciates well-manicured nails, Rodney Point-Du-Jour, a language arts literacy teacher, said he would rather bite his nails off than put polish on them. “They look better on girls” said Point-Du-Jour.

Nicki Minaj, above, is obviously excited about her hair and nails. -Photo courtesy of Getty Images North America.

Serena Brown Knightly News

Of course on winter break, we had a blast with everyone with their new Christmas gifts on winter break. Everyone got new video games, iPods, phones, and other electronics. Now, spring is coming soon and that means its time for another break which is spring break. Every-one is looking forward for the spring break to come. But, there is one big problem: because of the snow days, the spring break will be cut short. How sad is that? “If we had spring break, then I would be on vacation,” said Lillian Alonzo, a seventh-grader. “But, I really want to have a full spring break so that we can have more free time if we didn’t have too much snow days.” Some other students said that they will play video games, go to a relative’s house, and rest in their rooms for the spring vacation. But, it will be disappointing that the spring break vacation will might be shorten because of the snow days. It was said that the spring break will might be cut from Mon.-Fri to Wed.-Fri. This is frustrating to most people, but they have to do it. It is now made as school law. Later, the news spread out. We will have a full spring break. That means no more worrying about a cut-off vaca-tion and you can have a nice time at your vacation. Hoo-ray! Samantha Llanos, an eighth-grader said she plans on doing nothing on her vacation. “On spring break, I like to relax and hang out with my friends,” she said. So, everyone will have fun on their spring vacation and rest throughout the whole week. Have a wonderful break!

Thank You!Principal Roberta Mitchell

Vice-Principal Nikkii TatumVice-Principal Michael Rich

Sunil FernandesMaha Ghanem

For your assistance and support

The Knightly News Volume III, Issue II

2010-11

ReportersLillian Alonzo

Divine Coleman Yvette Bedeau Rochelle Regis David Dequina Alexis Gibson

Nana Kissi Nick Rossi

Adrian FernandezAlyshia Hercules

Taylor Jordan Ayanna ForskinEmily Krempa

Rebecca LawrenceJordyn Williams Selena Brown

Brent PearlmanSamantha LlanosStephanie Rios

Zoya Ali Crystal Santos Ghalia Dhrimi

Claudia Carrillo

Adviser Rodney Point-Du-Jour

No Sweat Comfort

Looking for advice about

school?

Join us!The Knightly News needs

writers, photographers, poets, cartoonists...what-ever your interest, there’s a place for your voice to

be heard.

Dear Reader,

We here at the Knightly News are starting an advice

column where you can share your feelings, thoughts

or concerns about anything related to school.

When in need of advice please use a different name

so we can hide who you are and not embarrass any-

one.

There will be a box located in the cafeteria next to

the heaters and the Knight Token boxes. We will be

checking them every Friday and respond to school

issues and concerns.

Please keep your concerns to issues related to school

issues in relation to your classes and subjects.

Thanks,

The Knightly News Staff

Claudia CarrilloGhalia Dhrimi

Knightly News Staff What is the most comfortable clothing for students to wear in middle school? To the authors of this article, it means skinny jeans! We’re used to wearing them of course and that’s why it’s comfortable for us. However we know that everyone has a different idea of which clothing is comfortable for them. Most girls turn to jeans, sweat pants, leggings, skirts, shorts, and caprices for comfort. It depends on what is comfortable for you to wear. Dressing up is another way for students to express themselves. But have you noticed that when you walk around the school many people are wearing skinny jeans and leather jackets. Well that’s cause it’s in style and everyone is wearing it. Why? Well, they don’t want to stand out from others.

However, this didn’t stop us from asking students what does comfortable clothing mean to them. Samantha Llanos, an eighth-grader, said she likes to wear very cushy clothing at are an ease to put on. “I like to wear big baggy sweat pants and baggy t-shirts with Uggs,’’ Llanos said. “There easy to put on.” Lourdes Alvis, a seventh-grader, also likes wearing baggy sweats but with a tank top that matches with her red Jordans. “You have to stay fresh if you want to look nice,” she said. But what do guys wear to be comfortable? When it comes to comfort, they have the same ideas. Justin Guadalupe, a seventh-grader, said he likes to wear sweat pants with baggy shirts. Maybe he wears that all the time because he’s always dancing.

Daze cont. from pg. 1. Sports teams had trouble re-scheduling games and clubs missed meetings. Sidewalks were almost never clear and kids daily had to trudge through snow that soon turned to ice. Reports of people slipping and sliding became frequent and the ridiculously cold weather caused many prob-lems in health. Kids have been out with the cold and a vari-ous viruses. Kids started to get tired of shoveling and having to make up work from teach-ers. Teachers started to get frustrated because they had to reschedule assignments and test. Wednesday February 2, 2011 freezing rain fell from the sky, freezing everything. The two feet of snow that was still on the ground the first snow storm several weeks before the rain, became so frozen you could skate on it. To drive was suicide. Thankfully, it seems the worst is over. Let’s just hope

PhoNeS cont. from pg. 1verizon

1. Apple iPhone 42. LG Octane3. Motorola droid 2 Global4. Motorola droid X5. LG EnV Touch

at&t1. Apple iPhone 42. Motorola Atrix 4G3. LG Vu Plus4. HTC Inspire 4G5. Samsung Focus

Sprint1. Samsung Epic 4G2. HTC EVO 4G3. RIM Blackberry Tour 96304. Samsung Transform5. Research In Motion Black-berry Style

t-Mobile1. LG dlite2. RIM Blackberry 97803. Samsung Nexus S4. T-mobile G25. T-Mobile MyTouch 4G

There you have it. Congratu-lations to all students who own

one of these amazing phones. There are many opinions about which cell phone company is the best. Some say Verizon is the best and while others favor AT&T. Samantha Llanos, eighth-grade, said she owns the Droid 2 global and is a Verizon cos-tumer. Llanos is happy with Verizon’s service. “Verizon is the best company,” said Llanos. “I think Verizon is the best company because they’re much more reliable and have more coverage than any other company.” Lanai Medley, seventh-grade, said she owns the EVO4G from Sprint. Although she is a Sprint customer, Lanai thinks AT&T is the best. “I think AT&T is the best be-cause they have nice phones and have better coverage,” she said. Ayanna Forskin, seventh-grade, owns the Psychic from T-Mobile. “I think T-Mobile is the best because they have good inter-net and great phones that in-clude good service,” she said.

as i Sleep by

Atiya GladdenAs I sleep by my window pain,I think of you and only you,Your kiss,Your touch, Your loveAnd your heart Over mineIt was love at first sightYou give me sad days and you give me bad daysAll I want is youAnd only youYou lighten my dayWith your crisp white smileI knew that I felll in love with a Boy I can cherish foreverAll I want is you And only youTo brighten my dayI love you….

tiPS cont. from pg. 1

guarD your SPace. Set your profile settings to pri-vate, don’t friend everyone you meet online and, don’t roll your eyes, make sure your parents have full access to your profile so they can keep an eye on you and other people who may try to take advantage of you. thiNK before you PoSt. Pictures of you wearing next to nothing, making kissy faces and flexing your muscles will draw some attention you don’t want. talK to your PareNtS, guarDiaN or aN aDult you truSt. They are not as uptight as you think. For more information about internet safety, check out www.netsmartz.org.

The Knight LoungeTry Drawing a Female Manga Head

Newbery Medal Recommended Reading

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the Ameri-can Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution

to American literature for children

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

Dark emperor and other Poems of the Night

by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen

one crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Make this year’s memories last forever

order your 2010-11

year-book toDay!!!

See Ms. Ghanem for more details