Balboa Times Spring 2011 page 1: academics page 2: student life page 3: sports page 4: clubs page 5: staff highlights page 6: student highlights/dear jason page 7: fun and games
Academics mr. powers s class by: erinn beattie At Balboa there are many levels of math. One level in 8th grade is Algebra 1 and is taught by Mr. Powers. He makes learning interesting by providing a fun and crazy environment. He gives out gold bricks or paper rectangles if you get a perfect score on a quiz or test. Mr. Powers has his students play the Math Bowl and the Red Baron Math Tournament, both fun ways to review and practice for the upcoming tests. He challenges his students on a daily basis and makes math easier to understand. He also opens his classroom before the eight thirty bell, at break, and lunch offering extra help to those who need it. Mr. Powers gives everybody a chance to learn, succeed, and provides a fun math experience. home arts/home economics by: brooke warn This week in Home arts, the students are finishing up their Hand Craft projects which include a teddy bear and giant football. In a few weeks, they will start cooking. Some of the items they will be making are mini tostadas, cupcakes, cookies, and spaghetti. This is a class made for 7th and 8th graders only, so if you re in 6th grade you can choose this as an elective next year! Have fun!!! magic mountain honor roll trip by: shay darrington Hey, do you like Six Flags Magic Mountain? I bet you do!! Did you know that you can go there just for getting good grades? If you make Honor Roll for the first three quarters of the year, you get to go to Magic Mountain! Isn t that awesome?! You get to hang out with all your friends that go, just have fun, and the best part is: there is no chaperone following you around! You have to pay to go, but it s less than a regular ticket, and if you re the last one to the bus to go home, you have to help the bus driver clean the bus when you get back to school. But if you didn t get on Honor Roll the first or second quarter, unfortunately you don t get to go. But 6th and 7th graders can always try again next year! Try your absolute hardest to get on Honor Roll, and like I said before, it s really fun!! Good luck!
student life 6th grade student life by: matthew santoyo Hello 6th Graders. I am sure you are having a wonderful time here at Balboa. But what if I told you, you had two more years to be enthusiastic to come to Balboa every day? And you could get more into it! Well, that is what will happen next year when you become 7th graders. You get to have a more diverse choice of electives. There are Computers, Wood, Industrial Tech., Home Economics, and of course, Yearbook! All of which are just a few of the electives you can take in 7th grade. You may not get a whole extravaganza dedicated to the 7th grade, but you do get to join the 8th grader for dances next year as 7th graders! As best stated by an Anonymous 6th grader here at Balboa, I can t wait for 7th grade! Keep working hard for the rest of your 6th grade year and good luck in 7th grade! 8th grade student life by: tiffany alamillo ATTENTION ALL 8th GRADERS!!! This is your last semester EVER here at Balboa. So try your hardest and make it last, because high school is a whole different ball game. To this day you have just been taking baby steps. This semester you will be enjoying many fun activities to wrap up the year. These activities include 8th grade beach day, the 8th grade dance, and last but not least the 8th grade celebration. So let s make this last semester here at Balboa memorable and something that you ll never forget! 7th grade student life by: hailie mace Hi 7th graders! The second semester is almost over, so work hard to get great grades and make Honor Roll so you can go on the Magic Mountain trip. Next year, you guys will be the big dogs of the school, so now it s your turn to be the role models of Balboa Middle School. Don t be scared of the new classes you will have. You will all do great. Just think; in 2 years you will be in high school! So enjoy every moment of Middle School! Have a great year and keep working hard to be successful. upcoming events may 18 - magic mountain honor roll trip may 27 - last day to use street lockers june 10-8th grade dance june 13-8th grade beach day june 14-8th grade celebration
sports basketball by: marissa chavira The Balboa boys and girls basketball teams have had a successful season once again. Head coach for the boy s team was Mr. Anter and he has done a fantastic job this year with the team. The boy s team consisted of all 8th graders except for one 7th grade boy. As for the girls, their team consisted of all 8th graders except for three 7th grade girls, and they have had a great season as well. Their head Coach Wendy Mace has helped lead them to a great season with few losses. Good job Balboa! sports by: hannah drake Do you ever think about how fortunate we are to have such a variety of sports at Balboa? Many schools don t offer sports, so we are very lucky. The sports we offer are girls and boys basketball, girls volleyball, rugby, boys and girls field hockey, golf, and wrestling. Sadly, other schools don t get the benefits of having many sports. Sports keep our kids in shape, give them something to do after school, and give them something to be a part of. You also get to make many new friends if you join a sports team. If you are in 6th or 7th grade, you have a lot to look forward to next year! Also I d like to give a big thank you to the adults and teachers who volunteer their time to help out and coach our teams! We couldn t have done it without you! :) physical education by: maddie zerg We started off the new semester with some new classes, teachers, and P.E. units. Right now, Mr. Martinez is doing field games, Mr. Ellison, ping pong and badminton, Mr. Espitia, weight training, Mrs. Brady, golf, and Mrs. Espitia hockey. Martin Mijares, a P.E. TA, says, I like the teachers. They re funny and they like to joke around a lot. Sometimes, I get to join in with the students during their units. He also cleans up after the activities such as soccer and basketball.hope you all like your new teachers and PE units. Keep up the good grades and keep on making those miles! (:
clubs Followers 24/7 by: lisette poindexter Followers 24/7 is a really great group that informs us about God and what he does for us. Karli Christenson agrees with this as she says, They are just teaching about Jesus, what he came to do, and to spread the word of God to others. I like how Followers has really cool speakers, and how they relate to us. Every week, a new speaker comes to Followers 24/7 and talks about interesting experiences and relationships with God. People can come to enjoy the delicious snacks, inspiring speeches, and overall amazing experience. Everyone is welcome. Come at lunch every Thursday in room 33 (Mrs. Garza s room) for an immensely excellent time. drama club by: olivia gamez One of the many clubs here at Balboa is the Drama Club. The Drama Club is run by Mrs. Chapin and Mrs. Chapin s daughter Lizzy Chapin. Drama Club started last year here at Balboa. Right now the Drama Club is working on a play called Annie. A Drama Club member, Haley Barks, stated, Drama Club is a fun and exciting way to meet people. Meetings are 2 or 3 times a week after school. The play Annie is going to be in late May. battle of the books by: diego kress Battle of the Books is a fun educational program for students at balboa to read books and at the same time hang out with friends. There are many students that participate and many say that it is a great experience and that it is fun. This year Battle of the Books was great. Many people have said that they loved doing it and that it was a great experience. From all the practice of reading books Balboa did great in the competition. Congratulations to all the people who participated in Battle of the Books and keep on reading!
staff highlights mr. herternstein by: myan aharon-ezer Mr. Hertenstein teaches 7th grade math. In fact, he has been teaching at Balboa for 15 years. Mr. H has a wife and three kids, named Kade, Riley, and Brady. On his free time he likes to hang out with family and go camping. His favorite kind of cleaning supplies is Lysol, and his favorite type of clothing is cotton. Mr. H s most enjoyable type of movie is any movie including Justin Bieber. He would name his next child Biefer Swendenkai and his favorite person is A.E. Mrs. zgliniec by: athena stamakinley Mrs.Zgliniec is a creative writing, language arts, reading, and social studies teacher. Her class consists mostly of fun creative projects that every student enjoys. She also likes eating out and biking with her husband. When she was a child she did gymnastics and cheerleading. As she got older, she coached both. Her favorite colors are purple and green. She uses a teaching style that helps you learn in a fun environment. Mrs.Zgliniec is a handson teacher, and when you don t understand something she ll reassure you and explain it in a different way. Mrs. Zgliniec was definitely the best teacher I ve ever had. mrs. brady by: jenna selvey Mrs. Brady, a P.E. teacher for six years here at Balboa, is a funny, nice, and caring adult on our campus. She likes to dance, hike, and hang out with her family outside of school. Mrs. Brady likes to teach second period P.E. the best because the class sizes are smaller. She doesn t like the afternoon as much because there are more kids. In the beginning of her career at Balboa, she taught Language Arts, World Geography, and Avid, but now she prefers P.E. because its outdoors and keeps her in shape. Overall, Mrs. Brady is a hard working teacher who enjoys her job and likes to teach.
student highlights & dear jason david peterson by: ethan bates David Peterson is a 7th grader here at Balboa. If he could be a chicken or a rooster, he would be a rooster. David likes English food and he likes to listen to the Beatles. David is Swedish and English. He really hates Justin Bieber and what he does in his spare time is play video games. If you see him, say hi! karissa baucom by: kori poindexter Karissa Baucom is a 7th grader here at Balboa. The class she enjoys the most is her homeroom, ASB. Her favorite teacher is Mr. Hertenstein. Her least favorite color is brown, and her favorite exotic animal is a monkey. When asked what her favorite band/singer was, Karissa said she didn t have a favorite and that she likes all types of music, but when asked what her favorite movie was she said She s the Man. She is a friendly person and is very fun! Dear Jason, I have a lot of projects I have to do before a deadline. How and where do I get started? - PROCRASINATOR PATTY Dear PROCRASINATOR PATTY, First of all, just GET STARTED try doing the projects due more sooner but still work on the other projects a little bit so that way you don t have any stress. Dear Jason, I am SO bored at lunch and I there is nothing to do, please help me. - BORED BRYAN Dear BORED BRYAN, I used to be like you, so I can help you out. There are clubs you can join and teachers that let you hang out in their classrooms, giving you the opportunity to hang out with new and different people. There 1310 kids at this school that can make your break or lunch exciting. Dear Jason, I feel awkward at school, my parents are not at home at all, my grades are slipping, and everybody seems to avoid me. PLEASE HELP!!! -WEIRDO WYATT Dear WEIRDO WYATT, You are in a tough spot, try talking to your counselor; they are there to help you even if I can t.
Fun and games! K J Y L G P G Y U V Y J T C X S E R U W O H P U B I I X U W A D R L V F L W B H E N O S D V E L by Hannah Drake Random facts President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with 350 words per minute. 1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue. O H F B C M S R S L W O O C U V A V N H G S E W M L G D N R L E I L I E BLOOM CHICK FLOWERS GRASS GREEN GROW PUDDLE RABBIT SPROUT SUNSHINE The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache. The can opener was invented 48 years after the can. An iceberg contains more heat than a lit match. riddles~ Imagine you are in a boat, in the middle of the sea. Suddenly, you are surrounded by hungry sharks, just waiting to feed on you. How can you put an end to this? Is it legal for a man living in North Carolina to be buried in South Carolina? Brainteasers: 1. The letter n. 2. The stars brainteasers~ What is in seasons, seconds, centuries and minutes but not in decades, years, or days? They come out at night without being fetched, and disappear by day without being stolen. What are they? Riddles: 1. Stop imagining! 2. No! He is alive.