January 2010 Issue 1

January 2010 Issue 1

A Word from Our Student Council By: Sonia Hussain, Ibel Galvez, and Shoshana Beitchman During the first week of November, the students of NMS elected the new Student Council. Steven Baldizon s ticket, which consisted of Jack Kahn and Michael Thoennes as Vice Presidents, Sam Kramer as Secretary, Leah Francis as Treasurer, and Ellie Zambrano as Spirit Leader, won the election. The President and the Vice Presidents were interviewed for this article. Q: What is the first thing you did as President/Vice President? Steven: I celebrated with the student body-you could hear the chants, Steven, Steven! It was pretty amazing. On a professional level, he mentioned that, We re still planning things for school. Jack: I cheered. Michael: I congratulated Steven and gave him and Jack high-fives. Q: What made you want to run? Steven: The spirit of competition. I wanted to be a very known person. Jack: I wanted to have a say in the school. He told us he wanted to be able to change things. Michael: I have a couple ideas I want to put in the school. Q: What entertaining events can we all look forward to that you guys are a part of? Steven: We are planning a Spirit Week because a lot of people like that. And some pep rallies here and there. Jack: We re going to try to have pep rallies. We re going to emphasize the talent show to get more people to perform. They re also going to do fundraisers. Michael: The first thing we are planning on doing is a full-on spirit week. Q: What advice do you have for the students who will be running for Student Council positions next year? Steven: Campaign, campaign, campaign. And if you campaign well, you should be happy with the outcome. Jack: Assume nobody knows who you are. And try to get somebody well known as the face of your organization. Once you re elected, listen to what people say and try to do it. Michael: Get your name out there. The more times you say it, the more people will remember it. Get someone everyone knows as your president. We are all looking forward to the great events that our Student Council is planning. Good luck guys!

The Good Things about Volunteering Many times, people think volunteering is just helping the needy, but there is something I have to say about that. Volunteering is helping the community, like a school, a day care, or even the park. Also, it helps you to get involved in your community and helps you to meet new people and experience different places and things. This is what it does for you. It helps you earn community service hours for high school. These hours can help you get into a good college and get a good scholarship. It shows that you are involved in, and care about, your community. So, stop hesitating! Don t be a procrastinator! Help out and do what you can, because volunteering is really important! Poll: What do you think of our school logo, the Sharks? Of students polled at Nautilus, 70% think that the shark logo is cool, 28% think it is ok, and 2% say they don t like it. The shark represents our school by saying that it is fierce and aggressive. I personally think the shark is really cool and that we should not change it. If we had the choice, my opinion, and most of the kids in the school, would say not to change it. According to this poll, the students think the logo is fine the way it is. I say, Go Sharks! By: Maria P. and Naomi Vallejos

The Snowflake By Ibel Galvez-* As I walk down my street, I can feel a slight chill in the evening breeze I look up, towards the sky I can see clouds glowing, As if they are hiding something A beautiful secret lies within I continue on my journey home, Wondering When it will happen Suddenly, I feel a soft, Tickling sensation On my cheek I pause and begin to smile, It Has come The soft sensation is cool on my face But soon it warms up, Becoming a tiny droplet of water Then the sky opens up Letting a flow of these White pieces of heaven, Flutter down On their way down from the clouds, They dance Soaring through the chilled air, A flurry of white Hundreds of snowflakes Fall to the ground around me And on me Winter has arrived

Let s get to know our teacher of the year! By: Shoshana Beitchman, Ibel Galvez, and Sonia Hussain This year s Teacher of the Year is Mr. Quesada! He is a pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry teacher. Q: Where did you grow up? [I was] born in Cuba, came when I was four. Raised in Little Havana and Westchester. Q: Where did you go to college? Miami-Dade and Florida International University. Q: How many years have you been working at NMS? Since 1995. Q: What made you decide to be a teacher? I wanted to do something in which I could be creative and make people happy. Q: Were you always interested in math? I like science and math is the language of science. Q: What was your favorite subject in school? P.E. Q: What was your worst subject in school? History. Q: What s your favorite food? Lasagna. Q: Do you have any kids? Two, [they are] four and ten. Q: What did you do when you found out you were Teacher of the Year? Called my wife.

Behind the Scenes By Sonia Hussain Pots, pans, Bowls, and dishes. People scurry Left and right, In and out. Platters raised, They dodge from Side to side. One person Is the chef of the evening. She leaves The least often, Only to greet the newest of arrivals. She glides from Stove to counter To fridge and back, Stirring, dicing, slicing, Pots of broths boil. Raw materials Turn into trays of Joy. The carnival goes on Until the last goodnight is bid. Then the stove goes to sleep, The counters take a bath,

To be continued By: Naomi Vallejos Note: This story will come to you in installments. Read every issue to find out what happens next! Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a mansion. Her name was Gaby, she was 11 years old, and she had everything she wanted. She didn t realize it until one day She would always ask for things, and she would always get them. If she didn t get what she wanted, she threw a tantrum, then afterwards, she would get what she wanted. One day, she asked her Dad, Can I get the new iphone? No, he exclaimed in anger. She cried and cried. This time, her dad didn t fall for it. She was confused, and she wondered why she wasn t getting what she wanted. She thought for a while and asked, Daddy, can I have a laptop? No, he exclaimed again in anger. The tantrum started again. When she finally stopped crying she asked, But why? Gaby, you always get everything you ask for and I ve had enough! But I want an iphone, I want a laptop, she whined, getting more and more upset. I ve had enough of this nonsense, said her father. I m taking you home. It was a mission to get Gaby into the car, but her father finally did. When they got home, her father said he was taking all the unnecessary stuff from her room and returning it to the store. I ll make you appreciate what you have, he said. And until then, you will be going to public school. Gaby s mouth dropped open but no words came out. She was in shock. To be continued

Contributing Writers Sonia Husain Ibel Galvez Shoshana Beitchman Naomi Vallejos Maria P. Graphic Design and Layout Artists Stephany Arbelaez Leticia Hutchinson Iona Gordon Yaneliz Royce Diana Escorcia - Sharks Logo Design Editors in Chief Ms. Hoyer Ms. Fernandez