Christopher Columbus Middle School

 

Contents

Dear CCMS Community 1

Spotlight 2

CCMS on the Issues 3

What’s Up at CCMS? 4

The Sports Page 5

Diverity Dinner Photos 6

The Critics Corner 7

Mad for Music 8

Fashion Fun 9

April 2013Volume 2, Issue 2

Mrs. Lalama - Co-AdvisorMr. Giblin - Co-Advisor

Dear CCMS Community,With three quarters of the school year

already past, we are very excited to present the second issue of the year. We have some very enthusiastic reporters who did some great reporting and opinion writing. Mrs. Lalama and I would like to thank the students for all of their hard work in their reporting.

Again, none of this would be possible without the support from the administration, staff, teachers and

parents. The articles within could not be written without the hard work of everyone involved to host the activities and events that our students report on.

This issue and past issues of the Columbus Columns can be found online at the CCMS web site. Please visit the link to download your copy. Please share with families and friends, too!

http://clifton.k12.nj.us/schools/columbus

C Columbusolumns

create your own at wordle.net

-Mrs. Lalama & Mr. Giblin

CCMS Columns Page 2 of 9SpotlightWinter BreakAmanda Stetz

It’shere!It’sfinallyhere!ItwasFebruary18,2013anditwasfinallyFebruarybreak!Whetheryouwentshopping,hung out with friends or just stayed home, everyone can agree this break was great! During February break, one hot thing to do was going ice skating! I noticed a bunch of people went to Floyd Hall Arena in Montclair. Another great thing to do was beat the cold. You got it; some students here went on a vacation for their February break, to Florida or somewhere warm with family to escape the cold. For teachers, February break was an awesome break from work. A time to relax and spend time with family, maybe even grade some papers… However you spent your February break, I know we all enjoyed a week off from coming to school. Now try to hang in there until spring break!

Ms. Chapanian joins the Christopher Columbus Middle School staff this year as an ESL Teacher.Thisisherfirstfull-time teaching job after spending over three years as a Substitute Teacher in the Cliffside Park School District. Before teaching children, she worked at Bergen County Community College teaching TOEFL, Accent Reduction I and II. She feels this teaching experience has prepared her to teach middle school students. “Being a former ESL student myself is an experience that has shaped my career as an ESL teacher,” said Ms. Chapanian as she explained how she knows how some students mayfeellearningEnglishforthefirsttime.Sheistri-lingualandisfluentinArabic,Armenian,andEnglish.Shehasanadvantagein helping her students better because she can empathize with them. Ms. Chapanian has many interests outside of teaching but she spends much of her time learning more so she can help make her ESL students’ lives easier as they learn English. She would also like to “enhance CCMS by providing the communication necessary between her students’ Arabic speaking parents and the school. This would create a bridge between this organization and those parents in need of her assistance”. If you see Ms. Chapanian around the school, make sure to say hello and make her feel welcome at CCMS because she hopes to make herself available to all students.

Welcome to CCMS, Ms. Chapanian!Max Dubac

Many problems occur in our lives every day, whether it occursinsideoroutsideofschoolandtheyaredifficulttodealwith many times. So, there is one counselor here at CCMS that studentscanconfideinandgotoforhelpandthatisMrs.Vakil.

Mrs. Vakil helps kids with all kinds of problems, such as personal, bullying, school and home. She is very nice and is always there to help. Many of the problems she deals with are from Facebook and other social issues involving school matters. Never before have we had so many people use the Internet and other devices to bully and hurt others. That is why Mrs. Vakil listens thoroughly and gives advice on what is the best way to solve the problem.

Without special people in our school like Mrs. Vakil, childrenmightfinditdifficulttogetadviceorhelp.Theywouldnothaveanyonetoconfideinabouttheirproblems.Soifyouever see her in the halls, thank her for all she’s done to help the kids of CCMS.

Mrs. Vakil: Our Crisis CounselorAbigail Nelken & Nicole Shubaderov

Super Bowl Commercials: Visually Entertaining and Thought-Provoking

Abigail Nelken

Did you watch the Super Bowl or did you just tune in to watch the commercials? The phenomenal commercials, as always, have entertained their fans for many years. The most memorable commercials were: The Pistachio Gangham Style, Taco Bell, Go Daddy, and Pepsi.

If you did not see the Pistachio Gangham Style commer-cial, Psy was in a green suit riding a pistachio nut as if it was a horse. In the Taco Bell commercial, there was older people living life “to the fullest”.

The number one commercial according to different surveys was Pistachio Gangham Style. Do you know the reason why? Psy is originally famous for the Gangham Style video. These beloved commercials make up a huge part of the Super Bowl each year. Many people who watch the Super Bowl look forward toviewingthecommercials,justtogetalaugh.Butthisisfine,as long as you have a good time.

CCMS Columns CCMS on the Issues Page 3 of 9Hookah Pens: Are They Safe?

Max DubacHookah pens are the latest

trend and what some kids seem to be raving about. The question is, are they safe? Most think that smoking hookah pens isn’t a threat to one’s health, but the ingredients inside the water are what are toxic to the body. The risks are similar to smoking cigarettes. No matter what people say, hookah pens are not safe!

Hookah pens are sold in most convenient stores, and if you are under 18 years old, you will not be able to buy them. Unfortunately, kids under 18 are getting their hands on these pens. Smoking hookah is no better than smoking cigarettes, and put simply, they are not good for you. These “pens” may smell like blueberry, strawberry or other scents, but their ingredients may cause cancer and heart disease, and be as addictive as cigarettes. These toxic ingredients can cause a hookah pen smoker to move on to smoking real cigarettes or to become a smoker of both hookah and cigarettes. Hookah pen smokers inhale more smoke than smoking a cigarette, and the smoke also contains charcoal or wood cinder which increase the risk of illnesses, and letting others smoke from the same pen you’re using can increase the risk of contracting tuberculosis, hepatitis, or meningitis.

So remember, hookah pens are not healthy alternatives to cigarettes. Even though they seem like a cool substitute, don’t fool yourself into thinking that nothing will happen to your body because it doesn’t contain nicotine.

Pennies, nickels and dollars are money, but how much does it cost to make this money? And who uses pennies any way? According to WiseGeek.org, it costs $0.024 to make one penny, which means the United States Mint is losing money every time a penny is made.

Now for nickels, they cost about 11 cents to make. Again, that makes no sense at all! In the midst of this bad economy,keepingthesecoinsaroundmakesnofinancialsense.

There is also a problem with dollars. They are bad to makeformanyreasons.Thefirstreasonisthegerms.Doyouknow how long a dollar is in circulation before it is replaced? It is in circulation for over 18 months. It is gross to think about how many people touch it, where it falls and who steps on it. If we used dollar coins instead, it would take less time to get out of circulation. It would cost less but what makes it even better is the dollar coins are already in circulation, so all we have to do is take away the bill and use the coins that are already made.

If we lose the penny, the nickel and the dollar bill then will the economy will go down? Well, it will not; it will make the economy better. If you want proof we used to have a half cent coin that disappeared in the 1900’s and no one cared.

Here is some information from the Federal Reserve System:$1 and $2 bills cost 5.2 cents per bill to make. $5 and $10 bills cost 8.5 cents per bill to make, $20 and $50 bills cost 9.2 cents per bill to make. $100 bills cost 7.7 cents per bill to make.

Does this make “cents” to you?

Pennies and Nickels: The Worst Coins EverMelissa Spigelman

Have you heard all of the news about pollution? If you have you probably also heard about water pollution. Well this takes place in the Memorial Park pond. When I walk by the pond I always see wrappers in the water. One big thing always starts out with something little. For example, if one person throws garbage on the ground, people will see that and think its alright to throw their garbage there also. Soon enough the entire pond couldbefilledwithgarbage. One way to stop pollution is to put up signs that say, “Don’t pollute.” Tell people to stop polluting and littering. If you don’t help it won’t be long until this world will be full of garbage. So don’t be shy, please spread the word. Just sharing your opinion with your friends about their littering may be one way to help stop pollution. So make sure you pitch in to help keep our park clean!

Pollution in the ParkCarlos Martinez

What’s Up at CCMS? Page 4 of 9

NJASK TestingWioleta Dlugopolski, Victoria Salmeri and Megan Roach

CCMS Columns

It’s the time of the year when you practice, practice, practice! Every teacher tries to prepare their students as best as best as they can.They try to give the best advice and try to help kids be ready for when the test arrives. NJASK stands for the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge. It consists of two parts, language art skills and mathematic skills. This test is given to determine the students’ability to comprehend and understand components of Math and Language Arts. To pass this test you must get ascoreof200topassandbeconsideredproficient.Youneedascoreof250tobeconsideredadvanceproficient. It is known that next year is the last year of the paper format for the NJASK Test. For elementary students it will be phased out by 2014 and there will be a new test called the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). It will be a digital assessment so results will be instantly available. The NJASK can put students under a lot of pressure and stress. Here are some tips to help students keep calm, relaxed and be prepared:

-Get a good night sleep -Eat a good and healthy breakfast so you are ready for the day-Pack your backpack the day before

As you may have heard, on Thursday, March 14, 2013, CCMShelditsfifthannualFamilyMathNightthisyear.Ifyouwent, you could have earned great prizes such as pencils, erasers and coupons to Applebee’s or Chevy’s. How did you earn these cool prizes? Just by doing math problems! One fun activity was Penny Droppers! For this activity, you had to drop as many water drops on the penny as you can before the water spills off. Everyone who participated counted their drops to see who was victorious and receive a prize! Or you could play a game with skill and danger like Mancala. This skillful game tests your knowledge and skill using marbles and rocks in order to win. The more marbles or rocks you have, you win!

This is a great night out for you and your family to share some fun and earn prizes. So do not forget, during Family Math Night there is plenty to do, many games to play and prizes to be won, as well as some snacks to feed your brain. Onceyou’redoneandthenightisover,youcangetyourfivemathpointsfromamathteacher.Youhaveofficiallycompletedyour challenges of the night and can admire everything you’ve learned during the night. I know we will use our 5 extra points!

Mrs. Parian, the Math Literacy Coach said, “This was myfifthyearatCCMSandourFamilyMathNighthasgrownfrom about 60 people to this past October with over 300 participants!!! It is extremely exciting to me to be a part of this living, growing event! Our 8th grade students have so much to offer by being volunteers and are setting a good example for our younger students and their siblings. Our teachers make a world of difference by working with the families and guiding them to articulate their great math ideas using mathematical vocabulary. It thrills me to watch the children work through problems with their parents and friends and feel proud of their journey!”

Family Math NightAbigail Nelken & Nicole Shubaderov

Amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Amazing. That’s exactly what you are if you made it to the spelling bee. In every Language Arts Literacy class, the students had a spelling bee in their class to make it to the next step in the contest. The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all took part in this. In every class, only two people made it to the next round in the spelling bee. After competing against their classmates, the remaining people went to compete in the auditorium in CCMS. All that spelling probably made everyone dizzy! But one person, of course, had to win. And that person was (drum roll please!) Mohammed Mutahar, a seventh grader! Congratulations! It takes a lot of concentration to win a spelling bee, and that is exactly what he has! Concentration. C-O-N-C-E-N-T-R-AT-I-O-N. Concentration. Good job to all the people who participated in the spelling bee, even if you didn’t make it to the next step. Keep spelling!

The Spelling BeeAbigail Nelken & Nicole Shubaderov

Are CCMS students smoking hookah? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. There are discussions between students if smoking hookah is bad for you. According to Cancer.org’s website about hookahpens,“thescientificevidenceisclearthathookahisnota safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.” As I continue reading the article, it states that, “hookah smoke, like cigarette smoke containssignificantamountofcancer-causingingredients,suchas arsenic, cobalt, chromium and lead. It also generates heart-disease-causing carbon monoxide in amounts equal to or greater than cigarette smoke and it has the same addictive properties as cigarettes. Since people share hookah pens, it can increase the risk of contracting diseases, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, or meningitis.” Moreover, I checked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about hookahs and this group concurs with Cancer.org. However, according to the CDC, “Did you know that a one hour long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette? Maybe now with this evidence the students might think twice about using hookah pens. There is nothing cool about them. They cost money and the stores that sell them tounderagestudentsshouldfacefinesbecausewearetalkingabout the health of students. If they get caught in school, they will have to face the consequences of their actions. Hookah is illegal to people under the age of 18, so why are you ruining your health so early? So, my advice is to save your money and buy a tablet, a new bag or a video game and stop spending your money on something that will eventually harm you!

Hookah Pens: Not for WritingShelsea Jara

Page 5 of 9CCMS Columns The Sports Page

The Pep Rally held in February in the John Greco Auditorium was a huge success. The Christopher Columbus Middle School Dance Crew, Girls Basketball team, and the Boys Basketball team made everyone pumped for the CCMS vs. WWMS basketball game later that night at Clifton High School. The CCMS Dancers were led by their talented teacher and dance choreographer, Mrs. DeStefano. All the players of the Girls Basketball team and the Boys Basketball team were introduced on stage and the dancers entertained the crowd to bring out everyone’s school spirit. The athletes were dressed in their uniforms, the coaches were ready for the games that evening, and the dance crew wore CCMS colors, face paint, had silver hair, and were ready to motivate the crowd. AsamemberoftheCCMSDanceCrew,Isawfirst-handhow hard Mrs. DeStefano trained us to get the crew ready for the pep rally. Practices were held at seven twenty in the morning or at three in the afternoon for many weeks. Mrs. DeStefano came prepared to teach us new dance steps and work us hard. While the basketball teams practiced every day, most dancers worked on their moves at home, like I did. Like a coach, Mrs. DeStefano motivated the crew to learn moves over the weekend and come back on Monday doing the move like we were professionals. She never gave up on us, and we knew she never would. We were so lucky to have a dance coach like her to help us even if we did annoy her at times; she made the whole thing happen! The entire day proved to be a success for most of the teams. The CCMS Boys Basketball team coached by Mr. DeStefano was victorious, but the CCMS Girls Basketball team coached by Ms. Cevallos fell short of a win by 9 points. The CCMS Dance Crew’s performance at the pep rally was something many kids were talking about for a while. It was a great experience for many!

CCMS Pep RallyMax Dubac

The CCMS Boys Basketball team had a strong season led by their coach, Mr. DeStefano. The team’s record was 8 wins and 5 losses. The lead scorer and MVP was Eugene Figueroa, who scored a total of 172 points and his game high was 27 points! The team is made up of Harton Stephenson (Shooting Guard), Eugene Figueroa (Power Forward), Joshwah Leonard (Small Forward), Kevin Inoa (Center), Jason Rodriguez (Small Forward), Anthony Rodriguez (Shooting Guard), Kiuny Perez (Point Guard), Tyler Lee (Point Guard), Edward Davis (Point Guard), Devin Mack (Small Forward/Guard), Yousef Ijbara (Center/Forward), Justino Cantu (Shooting Guard), and Hazem Atallah (Water boy). These excel-lentplayerswerecoachedbyMr.DeStefano,whosefirstyearasthe team’s coach proved to be a successful one! Last year, they only had 2 wins, and now ended their season will 8 successful wins. The team’s captain was Harton Stephenson, who scored 116pointsthisseason,“6gamesindoublefigures”,andwastheOffensive Player of the Year.

I sat down with Coach DeStefano and talked about his firstseasonwiththeteam.Heexplainedtomethathe“wantsa player who can shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, mainly play de-fense, and someone who plays with the whole team”. Coach D. thinks the team improved a lot, but players must make sure to attend games and practices, and listen to their coach because players shouldn’t think they know everything. Coach D. and the team told me that Union Hill was the hardest competition. Union Hill beat CCMS, and was the only team that beat them twice with veryclosescores;thefirstgameby1pointandthesecondgameby 4 points.

This season, CCMS beat the undefeated Passaic basket-ball team. CCMS was losing by 14 points with 6 minutes left. Surprisingly, Coach D. was the calm one and the Passaic coach was ejectedfromthegame!CCMSwonwithafullcourtpress.Thefi-nal score was Passaic with 47 points and CCMS with 49 points. Ed-ward Davis and Yousef Ijbara were the two players who helped a lot by scoring 10 points off of the bench combined! Another good game for Coach D. and the team was against WWMS. CCMS was winning20to5inthefirstquarter,andthefivestartersscoredbetween8and10points!ThefinalscorewasCCMS60andWWMS48. Coach D. said, “I’m very proud of the boys and what they ac-complished. It was a lot of fun to work with them.” Sixth and seventh graders, you have eight months to work out and get ready for next season’s tryouts!

The CCMS Boys Basketball Team and Mr. DeStefano

Max Dubac

 

“All the single ladies, all the single ladies, put your hands up!” Singles ladies was one of several songs sung at the Super Bowl halftime show. On February 3, 2013, the XLVII or 47th Super Bowl in football history was played between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the end of the second quarter, Baltimore was beating San Francisco 14 to 3. It was now halftime, time for Beyonce to take the stage. This year was Beyonce’s second time performing at a Super Bowl halftime show in her career. Beyonce performance started with her singing “Crazy in Love” accompanied by a spectacular light display. Later on, she also sang “End of Time” and“BabyBoy.”Forthegrandfinale,Destiny’sChild(Beyonce’sold music group including Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams) strutted onto the stage to perform “Single Ladies” to the world. By the end of the show, viewers were left shocked and pumped up. This was a truly, amazing halftime show!

Superbowl Half Time Show: Spectacular!Amanda Stetz

CCMS Columns Diversity Dinner Photos Page 6 of 9

The Diversity Dinner was held in the CCMS cafeteria. There are many different cultures within CCMS, so it has become a tradition to hold the Diversity Dinner to showcase and celebrate the variety of cultures at CCMS. Guests are asked to bring a plate of food from their own culture to share with the other visitors. As you can see from the photos that our reporters took, there was a large collection of students and families that came to celebrate the diversity in Clifton and at CCMS. Hopefully we will see you there next year!

CCMS Columns The Critics Corner Page 7 of 9

Divergent by Veronica RothLooking for the next Hunger Games? Well here it is! In Beatrice Prior’s life, the world is

separated into 5 factions. Each faction stands for a different characteristic that its citizens represent intheirwaysoflife,includinghowtheydress,actandtalk.Thefivefactionsare:Candor(Honesty),Abnegation(Selflessness),Erudite(Knowledge),Amity(Peace),andDauntless(Courage).WhenBeatriceturns 16 she must choose the faction she will live in for the rest of her life. That choice means deciding what her family wants or who she really is. Beatrice is also trying to hide her deadly secret, revealing it means disaster. Overall, I think this an amazing book. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. There were a great amount of twists and turns to keep reading this novel interesting. The best part is that Divergent becomes a movie in 2014! There is no going wrong with Divergent!

Insurgent by Veronica RothChoicescankill.Justask16yearoldBeatricePrior.Onechoiceturnsintoasacrifice.A

sacrificebecomesaloss.Alossbecomesaburden.Andaburdenbecomesabattle.Onechoicecandestroy you. This awe-inspiring sequel to Divergent transports readers into a fallen world. This novel fulfilledmyhighhopesinabookaftertheoriginal.Fromthesecondyouturnpastthecoveryouwillbecome immersed in this offbeat world. This is a must read for anyone seeking action, drama, or romance. Make the right choice, read Insurgent.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan Trust no one; especially if your name is Sadie or Carter Kane. In the novel The Red Pyramid, Egyptian myths come to life. Sadie and Carter discover they are descendents of The House of Life, amysteriousgroupofEgyptianmagicianstrainedtofightthe[Egyptian]Gods.SadieandCarteraredestinedtodiscovertheirpowersandfindamonstrousevilbeforeitfindsthem.Thisadventurousnovelcombines today’s world with ancient history. In my opinion this was an interesting book to read but I struggledtokeepfocusduringsometediouschapters.Theauthor,RickRiordan[AuthorofthePercyJacksonseries.]packsapunchinhiswriting.Long-timefanswon’tbedisappointed.

Book ReviewsAmanda Stetz

It’s all about CharacterBy: Frank Outlaw

Submitted by: Mr. D’Andrea

Watch your thoughts; they become words.Watch your words; they become actions.Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they be come character.Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Great VacationsBrisa DeLeon

Most people don’t go anywhere on their vacation because they don’t know where to go. Here are some great vacation spots. You can go to Paris, France. It has museums galore, a lot of shopping stores, and busy cafes. Great for people watching! New York, New York has inspiring architecture and amazing art scenes. You can go and watch Broadway plays, spend a day in Central park and walk through the city’s different, diverse streets. Rome, Italy has a history with monuments and churches. There you can enjoy the culture and have a delicious plate of pasta and a taste of gelato or ice cream. The last place I recommend is Orlando, Florida. In Orlando, youcanfindwildrollercoasters,waterslides,andthemeparks.Also check out Walt Disney World because your kid would cer-tainly love to go there. Now these are just some places I recommend. However, there are plenty of other places for vacation.

CCMS Columns Mad for Music Page 8 of 9

The strings All City Orchestra was completely astonishing. The performance incorporated the talented students from the elementary schools, middle schools and the high school. It was a spectacular recital. I personally think that the highlight of the night was the high school’s performance. They made no errors. From the bowing to the tempo, it was just mind blowing how they perfected their music skills. Furthermore, the middle schools and elementary schools were also impressive for the music level. At the end of the night, students, teachers, parents and visitors left with a wonderful impression of the concert and will talk about the music pieces from the show for a long time. Bravìsimo!

All City OrchestraJesus Estrada

All City BandAbigail Nelken & Nicole Shubaderov

Have you heard of All-City Band? Well, if you haven’t I’ll tell you what it is. All-City Band is the concert where the best people in band play to show off there skills. Althought even if you are not accepted, it does not mean that you are not a good player. OnApril3,2013,fifth,sixth,seventh,eighthandhigh school students performed at Clifton High School. The concert started at 7:00 p.m. All the students were ready for their big performance. In only about an hour, everyone got to play on stage. All the musicians did a phenomenal job during theconcert,anddefinitelyimpressedtheaudience.Eachbandmember practiced for a long time, and thanks to their directors, the concert was a success! And don’t forget, if you didn’t make it this year, just keep practicing!

Everyday there is probably someone in the world listening to the Harlem Shake. But does anyone really know whereitallstartedandwhoinventedit?Wellifyouwanttofindout then keep reading. TheHarlemShakewascreatedbyfiveyoungAustralianteenagers that were dancing in a room to a dance track called “Harlem Shake” and uploaded their dance onto Youtube. Once it went viral, other people started making their own videos.It was so popular that it almost got out of hand! Many kids were getting suspended from doing the inappropriate moves during school and somepeoplewereevenfiredfromtheirjobs.Somepeoplethinkthat it is harmless fun, but some people think that the Harlem Shake dance should not be tolerated. In my opinion, I think that it is fun and is probably a good workout, but it is not a good idea to do it when it will interfere with school or work.

The Harlem ShakeMegan Roach

The All-City Orchestra practiced with Jeff Grogin, the music director of the New Jersey Youth Symphony.

My Top 10 Songs for 2013Megan Roach

1. “When I was Your Man” by Bruno Mars2. “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore3. “Just Give Me a Reason” by Pink & Nate Ruess4. “Harlem Shake” by Baauer5. “Stay” by Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko6. “Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake ft Jay Z7. “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull ft Christina Aguilera8. “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift9. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragon10. “Heart Attack” Demi Lovato

CCMS Columns Fashion Fun Page 9 of 9

Spring HairstylesVictoria Columna and Ilona Maczka

There are so many cute hairstyles to wear this spring. Especially because it is a time period when you want to do something different, like a reawakening of yourself. So, why not do something creative and fun to your hair and it does not matterwhatlengthitis.Youonlyneedanextrafiveminutesinthe morning and you will look adorable. You can go to YouTube and search for a tutorial on “braid,” “French braid,” or “bun.” Watchitfirstafewtimesthenightbefore,practiceandtheninthe morning before school, you will do a great job! One of the styles that are classic and adorable is the braid. As you know there are many different types of braids, from the classic to the waterfall (no water!) The easiest braid you can do is the classic, which is you separate your hair into three section and then you fold/intertwine the three sections until you arrive at the end, then use the one-piece elastic, so it does not get caught in the metal part and break your hair. The fishtailbraidisverysimilarbutyoudivideyourhairintotwosec-tions. The many other braids can be seen on YouTube and these would look great in the spring and summer. Another fun style that is easy and quick is the bun. It is easy to do and looks nice. There are many types of clips, bands and hair ties that are sold in stores to make your bun look like a professional hairstylist did it. To make your bun, take your hair and put it up in a ponytail, then you are going to wrap your hair against the ponytail and secure it again. If you have any hair strands sticking out, use a couple of bobby pins to maintain it in place. One other bun suggestion would be to tie only the top half of your hair up and make a bow out of it. Cute!

Floral prints: This pattern is mostly used in the spring. It is a great way to introduce many colors without having to be too colorful! These floralprintsarewornbybothteensandadults!They can be found obviously on dresses, but also on jackets, handbags, pants, blouses, and evenshoes.Addingsomebrightflowerstosomebackgroundscanreallymakeoutfitsstandoutand pop.

Little White Dress: This dress is a women’s favorite! It is a very notice-able spring trend. It could be simple, or a cute short crocheted one, either way it is simple to accessorize. It can be as an elegant as you want and any color can be added to give it a little kick. If you add some colorful shoes and jewelry- you’re ready to go!

Belts and Accessories: Belts are the biggest rage this spring. There are skinny belts and even fat belts. They’re all a favorite. They go well together with dresses and even jeans. Accessories also play a big part. These shiny belts and some jewelry and bracelets can add a perfect effect on anyoutfit.Theyarefoundinallcolorsnot just black and white.

Stripes: Stripes are very popular for this spring. It’s going to be the new Fourth of July most worn item. Stripes can tell a lot of a person. It can make a man look a little taller without going over the edge. Stripes can be worn in many different ways. Men can wearthemforaclassicfitorinaveryelegant way. They can show a new life and a big style!

Converse: Converse is a very cool sneaker. It is not only for men but also for women! They come in all kinds of colors and styles. It’s very light weight and it lets the foot breathe. It is a perfect spring shoe!

Are you in Style with this Hot New Fashion? Megan Roach, Victoria Salmeri, and Wioleta Dlugopolski

Girls

BoysHave to get to School for the NJASKMohammed Mutaher

The wind rushing past my ears, I’m running Not even a minute to spare

Dustflying.Leavesfalling.Carsroaring.Getting breathless, can’t stop

School doors going to close Sweat dripping. Desperation building.

Going to be late on the big dayNot a good thing: Being lateOne block away. Have to try

One minute left. The bell is going to ringBig test today- It can’t wait Lost time sleeping in bed

Sweat dripping. Going to fall. Around the corner and close to the wall.

Jump inside the door- The bell rings. Am I ready for what the NJASK brings?