May-June 2022 Issue 6
May-June 2022 Issue 6
BVMS Pep Rallies Pump Us Up
By Siena Goldman
As any student at Beverly Vista Middle School knows, we have a great variety of sports to choose from. Sports are a perfect way to make friends, get exercise, and more. Our athletes deserve a fun way to up their spirits. What better way to pep them up than have a pep rally?
Pep rallies at BVMS are always fun, whether you are participating in it as an athlete or not. Personally, I have been both the audience and the athletes, and it is so fun being the athlete. The feeling that your whole school is rooting for you gives you the spirit you need to win your game. Even when you are in the audience, you can still feel the energy from your fellow students around you.
The activities that take place in the pep rallies generate lots of school spirit and pride! Games like the water game, the flour game, and more really get students and athletes excited and riled to play. This is what school spirit is all about. Even the Pupsters Cheer squad makes outstanding performances.
The best part of the pep rallies is at the very end when the hired DJ will play a really good song and they will pop the ribbon cannons. The cannons shoot green, white, and black streamers into the air and it looks magical. Students and athletes run around and collect the streamers. It is a great part and puts the pep in the pep rally.
Given these points, pep rallies at BVMS show school spirit, offer fun activities and show wondrous things all around you. It is a fun way of showing school pride. It gives students a taste of what BVMS athletics are really about.
Finals Are A Stressful Time
By Adriana Hakimian
Finals can be very stressful for students and it takes up so much stress in the students' brains. Students have so much to catch up on and some teachers are giving homework and not just a final which is not fair at all in my opinion. Teachers, if you want to give a final to your students please don’t assign them homework as well because that can be mind-stressing for students to do it all at the same time.
Staying up late is what students do if they have too much work. Which leads to waking up late and not being at school at the time. At the same time finals are important because teachers need to know what you have learned all year and not played around all year. I am not debating over that, I am debating over the fact that they give homework at the same time as finals time.
Some teachers are giving finals the day after a weekend which is totally to debate about. Students have already worked so hard over the week and now their only break has to be more stress. Multitasking is not a fun thing to do if you think about it, teachers. Lots of students when their grades get lowered after finals really is stressing to them because that is all they think about over the summer.
Are Finals Really Necessary?
By Siena Goldman
Every year, students in most parts of the United States take huge tests called finals. They are major parts of our grades and, here at BVMS, depending on the class, they depend on our honors placement. In my opinion, finals should be banned because they cause unnecessary stress, they don’t prove anything, and they put a lot of pressure on students who care about their grades.
First, finals are unnecessary because of their unneeded stress. Studies have shown that stress caused by finals can lead to poor academic performance and can hinder work ineffectiveness (nyu.edu). Personally, the stress I was feeling when I was taking the math final, Spanish final, and more was unbelievably difficult. Studying for three hours straight, having to miss out on fun activities, and having your brain be stretched to its utmost extent is definitely not enjoyable.
Second, these difficult tests don’t really determine much. Statistics have shown that students put under pressure with finals tend to do worse in school performance than if they weren’t having a final at all (nyu.edu).
Third, finals put a lot of pressure on hardworking students. The pressure put on parents and teachers to succeed in the final really takes a toll on them. Not only is it stressful, but it keeps them from doing things like sports, being with friends, and more fun things. Most of my friends spend their time in class during lunch because they want to do well for their mid-term. While this is good, they are missing out on good opportunities that happen outside. There has to be a healthy balance between them and the finals prevent that.
All in all, finals are unnecessary because they cause stress, they are difficult, and they put a lot of pressure on hardworking students. Finals have a complicated toll on students that they don’t deserve and that is why they are unnecessary.
The BVMS Sixth Grade Soccer Squad Loses but Wins with Determination
By Jake Shampansky, Jacob Pinchuck, and Ben Hacker
The BVMS soccer squad has started the season guns blazing winning three out of their four games playing their heart out every minute of every game, but let us get in-depth about the team and learn about the players and the strong connection of the Beverly Vista Middle school 6th-grade soccer team.
The first team practice was an instant success with all the players having a strong bond on and off the pitch. The first game came upon the team facing off against their rivals Culver City. This game was heated as players already played with or against each other in previous matches. Both teams were not playing to win but not to lose. The ref blew the whistle and the game began. In the first half, it was a rough yet even game for both sides, but Culver City had the upper hand with a 1-0 lead on the BVMS soccer squad. Neither team was stopping the momentum any time soon. With a puff of a whistle, the second half was upon us. In a blink of an eye, a corner kick was for your fellow bulldogs. Ben Hacker wiped up a good corner kick straight to Jacob Pinchuk who kicked the ball in the air straight to the bottom left corner to give the bulldogs a hopeful 1-1 tie.
In the next play, the Culver City team had a twenty-yard bomb top corner giving no chance to the goalie. The score was two to one with about ten minutes left in the game. Then all of a sudden Jacob Pinchuk got the ball, then played it forward to Jake Shampansky who had a shot with a save from the goalie but Ben Hacker came ASAP to score the rebound to give the BVMS soccer squad a winnable 2-2 game. Then the next few minutes passed with both having possession of the ball, but then with a minute left the Culver City team scored a goal to win the game in the last minute.
This loss did not bring the squad down in fact it motivated us to play our hardest. Join us next week to hear our results and special 1-1 interviews with the players!
Will the 6th Grade Soccer Squad go all the Way?
By Benjamin Hacker, Jacob Pinchuk, and Jake Shampansky
The 6th-grade soccer squad has improved tremendously over the past few games. They started out with a loss but came through to do a lot better in their upcoming games. Now, as an add-on to this article, we have exclusive interviews with some of the players!
Coming off of a loss game two went as smoothly as with a light breeze from the Santa Ana winds. The team knew that the team would be worse than the first team but the 6th-grade bulldogs didn’t know how good they were going to be. When the ref blew the whistle the opposing team kicked and off and we instantly knew this was a walk in the park. Within the first thirty seconds, the Bulldogs scored. And then again, and again, and again until it was 10-0 in the first half! The second half started off with another goal. The game was already out of reach with no chance for a comeback. The Game ended with 17-0 as the scoreboard, but it was important for the Beverly Vista Bulldogs to physically and mentally prepare for the next game. After the one-sided affair the previous week against Culver City silver, the Beverly Vista 6th grade soccer team was ready for their game the next week, they did not play at Culver City but instead at Lennox. The Bulldogs got an early lead of 2-0 but decided to continue to put in their all to close out the game. Then all of a sudden a thunderbolt is struck from outside the box and puts the Bulldogs up by three, and they only needed to maintain this lead. With seconds remaining in the half, a mistake was made by the bulldogs on the left side, and a long shot created a questionable goal for St. Anastasia, and this did it for the 1st half. Going into the second half, the Bulldogs had a 3-1 lead and were determined not to give up any more goals, yet they also intended to score more. At the beginning of the second half the whistle was blown and then St. Anastasia had an indirect freekick in the 6-yard box. St. Anastasia missed and hit the crossbar, but had a second chance from a regular freekick at the top of the 18-yard box. The ball was kicked on the whistle and it was a great save from the Bulldogs goal-keeper, and straight after the BVMS soccer squad took the ball down the pitch and scored again! The game was a very balanced match and the game ended 4-1 as the final score.
Overall, the 6th-grade BVMS soccer squad has started their season with a 2-1 record and is expected to continue their winning streak. Stay tuned for more next week and hopefully more interviews.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR/ADVISOR
Dear Readers,
I want to let you know that this issue of the BVMS Barker has been written and edited entirely by students. Please forgive any errors in grammar or punctuation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this
issue. Have a wonderful summer and
Happy Reading.
Once on This Island Shines
By Siena Goldman and Gabriella Broumandi
The Beverly Vista Middle School musical production of Once on This Island was a remarkable performance of music and dance. The lights, sounds, and sets of the stage were a wondrous experience I will never forget. The notable work and effort that went into this show is truly admirable and emits plenty of school spirit.
Our school has many events, but musical theater is a great opportunity for young actors/actresses, talented student singers, and other people throughout the school. Classes like the art class created the sets, backgrounds, and decorations for the production. Wonderful, supportive parents worked on organizing the food, outfits, props, and more. It offers a sense of community and teamwork.
The remarkable setup and organization of the musical were definitely a winner. The seats, tickets, and posters were perfectly organized to fit the audience's needs. The prices were overall reasonable and it was a great way to raise money for the program as well.
Before I went to the musical, I had no idea there were students at BVMS with so much talent for dancing and singing. The characters’ voices were outstanding, the lines were all memorized, and the flips, turns, and choreography was divine. It was extremely entertaining and enjoyable to see twirls and twists.
All in all, the BVMS production of Once on This Island was a great musical experience. The music, songs, dances, sets, and more made this show an extraordinary event. It is an outstanding show, if you missed it, you missed out.
Electives At BVMS
By Liana Jensen, Siena Goldman, and Gabriella Broumandi
Do you ever struggle with the question, What elective should I take next year? If you don’t know what electives would be good or bad for you this article may help.
Here are a few electives that each of us has this semester: French 1a, Spanish, and journalism.
Journalism is a good class to take if you like writing, especially if you want to let people see your writing. If you want to be a strong writer then you should try it out.
French and Spanish are good language classes especially if you want to learn a new language. French and Spanish don’t have that much work to do, but just like other language classes, you have a test every Friday and you have a lot to learn by heart.
If you like playing an instrument, then you should take band. Band is a fun class if you want to excel in an instrument.
So if you like any of these electives then you should totally try them out!
Congratulations to Our Newly Elected ASB Officers
Pick Up Your Trash BVMS!
By Adriana Hakamian
This is Popoy. When you leave your trash lying around instead of taking a few steps to throw it away in the nearest trash can, he is the one who has to clean up after you because you were too lazy to do your part in keeping our school clean. Pick up your trash and put it where it belongs: IN THE TRASH CAN.
Keep The Restrooms Clean
By Shira Hoffman
Why do the BVMS bathrooms need to be cleaner? Our custodians work hard to clean our bathrooms, yet they are filthy. Guess whose fault that is? You guessed it—the BVMS middles school students.
Every time I go in, I try to find a clean stall, but all of them are dirty. Do you know why? Because the girls who went to the bathroom before me did not flush the toilet. I wonder if they do the same thing at home?
Often the mirrors are smeared with soap and water. The paper towels have been used up, and soap is nowhere to be found. After using the restroom, you need to wash your hands, but you can not do that without soap! The amount of times this has happened to me is beyond frustrating. I have had to go to entirely different restrooms to wash my hands but then had nothing to dry them! Students throw paper towels everywhere (that explains why there are never paper towels to use).
In conclusion, everyone should try to be cleaner in the restrooms, including me. I know I hate having to use a dirty bathroom. I will not even do it, so why should someone else use a dirty restroom?