The Red and White Fall 2017Overbrook School for the Blind High School Newspaper

Gabby is dressed in costume for Philadelphia's annual New Year's Day Parade

What's a Mummer?By Gabby Z.

A mummer is a person who is disguised or dressed up as someone they’re not. In German, the word mummer means mask. A mummer is any man, woman, or child who participates in song and dance each January 1st in the annual Philadelphia New Year's Day Parade. To be a mummer, you must be a member of a club in one of five divisions of the parade which are called Comic, Wench Brigade, Fancy, String Band, and Fancy Brigade.

Each club member devotes their time for an entire year to theme, costumes, floats, music and endless rehearsals to prepare. They prepare fancy costumes, dancing routines, and build movable scenery which takes months to complete. They do this in their clubhouses which are mostly located on or near 2nd Street. This area is called Two Street by some local South Philadelphia residents. In the past, the parade route was mainly on Broad Street, but it now starts in Center City and they now walk down Broad Street to Washington Avenue. The highlight of the day is at City Hall where judges determine the winner of each division for best music, performance, routine, and costumes.

It is believed to be the oldest Folk Festival in the United States. The first parade was held on January 1, 1901. Trilby was the name of the first band which was created in the 1930s. The Mummers theme song is called Oh Dem Golden Slippers, but we know it as the Mummers Strut. It was written by James A. Bland in 1879.

The division I am involved with is called the String Bands. The string band instruments feature banjos, saxophones, double bass drums, and glockenspiel, which are bells. String Band divisions perform mostly in military drill style. String-band performances are now the most elaborate of the parade. I love being a part of this group because of the style of music, the costumes, the sequins, and the feathers. Being a mummer has taught me to be myself and not someone anybody else wants me to be. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends and love celebrating each year.Please come and experience the magic this year on Broad Street. See you there on New Year’s Day!

Jessica uses video equipment to make a video for Blindness Awareness Month

Who Loves Donuts and Coffee?!By Jessica B.

Our favorite store to buy breakfast is changing its name! Dunkin’ Donuts is thinking about getting rid of the word “Donuts” from their name. They are trying this out in a few stores in California in the summer and fall of 2017. In 2018, they will consider changing their name to Dunkin’ for all their stores. They are doing this because they have more breakfast foods than just coffee and donuts. I think the name change sounds weird because we’re all used to saying Dunkin’ Donuts. We all know we love Dunkin’s coffee and all that sugary stuff so I think people will still buy their food.

Students from Mrs. Whartnaby's and Ms. Worsley's classes traveled to the Delaware Theatre Company to see Mr. Sapienza star in Something Wicked This Way Comes

Batman vs SupermanBy Angel

Let's kick things off with who would win in a match between Batman and Superman and who is cooler. First thing's first - their powers. Superman has laser vision and he can hurt you with his eyes. He is also able to fly. Superman's weakness is kryptonite. Superman does not kill no matter what. An enemy of Superman is General Zod. He killed Superman's parents. One of the cool things about Superman is that he can hear you whisper through walls. Superman's real name is Clark Kent.

Now for Batman. He lives in Gotham City. Batman likes to fight crime. He has a lot of gadgets in his belt, including the Batclaw and Batarang. People call him the world's greatest detective because he can solve crimes and he can get information at any second. His parents died when he was 8 years old. They were murdered. He has a butler named Alfred. He does a lot of fighting styles in the Batcave. Batman is also a person who is rich and he has a lot of money.

The superhero who is better in my opinion is Batman. This is because he is a better fighter. Superman just has a bunch of powers and he thinks he cannot be hurt. Batman is better because he has a bunch of gadgets and he can use them on Superman. Who do you think is the better superhero?

How to be a TeenagerMrs. Whartnaby, Ms. Donna and Miss. Kelsey’s class wrote about 10 Ways to Be a Teenager

and 10 Ways Not to Be a Teenager. Here is what some of the students said:

10 Ways to Be a Teenager:

• Wake up early and turn your music up really loud to wake everyone up -Shamirah

• Sleep during the day and stay awake through the night -Tierra

• Stop everything you are doing as soon as you hear your phone vibrate -Janna

• Post every event on snapchat -Tamir

• Post daily on Instagram -Shahdirah

• Don’t do your homework and say your dog ate it -Shamirah

• Put headphones on and act like you are listening to music when someone is trying to talk to you -Tierra

• Tell your parents that you learned a lot at school even though you don’t remember what your teacher was talking about – Janna

• Keep asking your parents for money -Tamir

• Watch Netflix and eat a big bowl of popcorn -Shahdirah

10 Ways Not to be a Teenager

• Go to bed early -Shamirah

• Pay bills and live in your own house -Tierra

• Talk about different parts of your body that hurt -Janna

• Work at a boring 9 to 5 job -Tamir

•Eat candy as much as you can -Shahdirah

• Do things on your own -Shamirah

• Get to work on time -Tierra

• When talking to someone younger than you and always start off the conversations with, “Back in my day” -Janna

• Don’t have a curfew -Tamir

• Run around the house screaming -Shahdirah

Link to Video: Meghan Brings the BeatBy Meghan

In this video, Meghan is learning to control the computer using her eyes. There is a strip under the monitor that reads her eye movements. The game she is playing has 6 squares and each one is a different instrument. When she looks at a square, it turns on that instrument. The instrument plays until she looks at it again and then the instrument turns off. I think Meghan is ready for a "jam session" with her brother. What do you think?

"Son of the Mob"By Louis T.

This is a story about Vince who meets a girl. He falls in love with her, but their families makes it hard for them to be together.

Vince Luca is the son of the mob boss in New York. Everyone in his family is a part of the mob including his mom, dad, and his brother. Vince starts dating a girl named Kendra. It turns out Kendra’s father is an FBI agent that is determined to put his dad behind bars. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Vince was at Kendra’s house and her dad comes home and Vince decides to jump out the window and starts running on the rooftops.

I would recommend this book for any teens that like romance. There is also a little bit of mystery and just as a warning, there is some violence. I would give this book 10/10 stars. As a bonus,there are two books. There is also a movie if you don’t want to read.

This fall, the Philadelphia Orchestra came to visit and put on a performance for all students at Overbrook

Events at OverbrookBy Ethan R.

What makes the events at Overbrook so special is that they only occur once a year. Each event is unique in its own way.

Are you ready for the fall dance at Overbrook? Join us on November 10 for popular music, wonderful food, and talking with your friends.

If you’re an athlete, then sign up for either wrestling or cheerleading this month. You’ll get to compete with a bunch of students from different schools in a lot of wrestling matches and cheer.

Don’t miss the holiday concert on December 7! You’ll get to see the Mixed Ensemble, Mixed choir, Encore Singers and Bell Choir perform.

We hope you enjoy the events at Overbrook.

Mary Todd LincolnBy Tierra H.

Everyone has heard of President Abraham Lincoln, but let's talk about his wife. She was born on December 13, 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky. She came from a family that owned slaves and her family did not want her to marry Abraham. Mary was one of the most unpopular first ladies in American history. No one thought she was worth Abraham's time even though she was a very huge influence on President Lincoln. Before Mary and Abraham officially got married, President Lincoln called off the wedding because he felt it wasn't right. Abraham and Mary finally got marreid when she was 23 years old. Then got married November 4, 1842. Mary and her husband had 4 sons named Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, William Willie Wallace Lincoln, and Thomas Tad Lincoln. Mary Todd Lincoln died on July 16, 1882 in Springfield, Illinois.

Mary Todd Lincoln was a woman with many different types of personalities. You would never know what to expect with Mary. Mary Todd Lincoln was an abusive wife, she chased Lincoln out of their house with a knife. Also since Mary was an abusive wife, she took the abuse to the next level by throwing firewood at President Lincoln's face. Mary was married to one of the most famous presidents in American history, but she was also a woman with many different, interesting personalities.

OCTOBER IS BLINDNESS AWARENESS MONTH:Link to OSB high school students reporting on Blindness Awareness Month!

Screen capture of the video splash screen.

DID YOU KNOW OCTOBER WAS BULLYING AWARENESS MONTH?

By Monae, Dante, Ashlee, Brysheen, Timothy, and Angela

Bullying is happening all across America. Nearly one third of American Teens are involved in bullying. Did you know that prevention is the number one way to stop bullying? We can prevent bullying by spreading kindness, spreading awareness about bullying, and standing up for what is right.

Our class has been learning about bullying prevention and ways to spread kindness. There is a motto we learned about...

“Before you speak, THINK”:

T- Is it True?

H- Is it helpful?

I- Is it Inspiring?

N- Is it Necessary?

K- Is it Kind?

We have been planning ways to spread kindness around our school and finding our own Mottos too. Here are some quotes to help spread kindness:

“Always have love even when people don’t show it back.” -Brysheen

“Treat others with respect and they will return the same respect back to you.” - Ashlee

“Being kind and being helpful is the way to go.” -Monae

“Help others” -Dante

“Spread kindness in every way you can.” -Brysheen

“Help anyone that you see.” -Ashlee

“It’s cool to be kind”

So remember to share kindness and stand up for what is right. -Main 211

A Social Media PSA

By Brandon W.

Having social media is fun, but you have to watch what you post on there. The reason why is because anyone can see it, even if you get the information on private. That includes applying for colleges and jobs. A group of students did not get into Harvard because they posted offensive things on Facebook. When you set your posts to private, people can still see them. They can do this by bypassing the settings. People can also screenshot the posts you type. Employers and college admissions use your social media profiles to find out about your online behavior. This is also known as social media screening and is it used a lot to decide if to hire a person. Social media is even sometimes used to fire someone. In order to have a good prospect of landing a job or being accepted into the college of your choice, you should avoid issues with spelling and grammar, swearing, embarrassing pictures and videos and hurtful and insulting comments. Instead employers want to see positive information, so they know you are the right fit for the job. The information is: you have a summary and profile picture that is professional, your traits and what you are interested in match up with the values of your future place of employment, all of your comments and responses are positive, you have the proper education and work experience. When in doubt about posting things to social media, if you do not want your future boss to read or see it, do not post it. If you already did, delete it.

Angel and Tierra complete questions on a reader's theater about September 11th

Milkshake Recipe

By Joey P.

A milk shake can be a good snack because people like to drink milk shakes.

This is how you make a milk shake:

Directions

In blender combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. You will need ½ cup of cold milk, ¼ cup of chocolate syrup, and 2 cups of ice cream. Once you mix it put it into cups, then put whipped cream and a cherry on top! Enjoy!

Calling All Students!

Our class is looking for students and classrooms who have ideas to share! If you have a poem, picture, drawing, article, class video, or anything else that you think could be newsworthy, please send it along to Ms. Worsley's class at eworsley@obs.org. We accept submissions from any department and would love to see more diversity in our paper! For our winter edition that will be posted in January 2018, we'd love to see the addition of a horoscope, Valentine's Day article, poems, a cartoon strip, a "how-to" article, and all the great things you're learning in your classes. We're open to new ideas as well.