May 2023 Issue 12

BVMS Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week

By Ana Fertig

May 9-12 marked the annual teacher appreciation week here at BVMS, where students show gratitude towards their teachers. As the end of the year approaches and the school year is coming to a wrap, many students wanted to thank their teachers for their hard work. While we will be celebrating our teachers here at Beverly Vista Middle School, Teacher Appreciation Week is a national holiday celebrated throughout the United States. Students may express gratitude towards their teacher by writing notes, gifting them with items, or expressing their appreciation verbally. This week is about showing appreciation for our excellent teachers and staff at Beverly Vista Middle School. This week was also about showing your teachers and staff that you care about all they do for you and making the school a better place and a safe place for the students. Students should also try their best to listen to their teachers and staff as much as possible so they show their teachers and staff as much respect as they deserve.

The BVMS Production of Frozen, Jr.

By Ariela Tehrani

The Frozen cast has done a marvelous job! Their show was absolutely fantastic and so fun and creative.

The cast displayed plenty of energy and character. Each role seemed just like the movie but with a twist. All of the performers who sang had great vocals; you can see them expressing themselves on stage throughout their singing.

There were many scenes while someone was dancing, doing a cartwheel, or even a fantastic twirl. The dancers hit every move perfectly without a single flaw.

The show was a perfect length. It was around an hour and a half. A fifteen-minute intermission was also a great time to use the restroom, drink water, grab a bite, leave your seat, etc.

Before the show, they sell snacks, candy, and drinks to munch on during the show. You can also enter a raffle to win cool treats and prizes. They announce the winners of the raffle after the performance.

The Frozen production was so entertaining to watch, and it was an excellent experience. I hope everyone got a chance to watch and enjoy it!

Six Things You Will Need Next School Year

By Daria Serheyeva

Erasable pen

Pencils and pens are both great for writing. Pencil can easily be erased, and pen writing is usually neat. Erasable pens combine the best of both worlds — they are not permanent and more visible than pencils. This pen type is perfect for anything, for example, notes, drawing small sketches when you are bored, and passing notes to your friend so they can erase the words with some friction.

Ruler

Rulers can always come in handy, and they are one of the most essential items for school. Straight lines look much better than squiggly lines, and math class almost always requires drawing some lines. For some reason, many people do not have rulers, even though they are usually very cheap. Rulers make life easier.

An Exciting Book to Read

Although books are sometimes dull, having an interesting book at the start of the year may be helpful. Firstly, it is a good pass time during class, if you are done with your work. Secondly, it helps improve vocabulary. Also, quietly reading in the library is a decent way to spend lunchtime if you have nothing else to do. Overall, having a book on hand is helpful if you are bored, especially if there is no internet.

Highlighters

They are a lifesaver when it comes to taking notes or annotating something. Highlighters allow you to color code different things and make notes easier to read. CER assignments also usually require at least three different highlighters, so having them already might make it more comfortable. I like using pastel highlighters because normal ones are often too bright. Buying something with a softer color can make notes look nicer. Highlighters tend to bleed through paper, so it is essential not to ruin it.

Mints

Most people carry around gum, even though it is not allowed at school, but there is an alternative. Mints can do almost the same things as gum, like sharing them with friends or fixing bad breath. The main advantage is that they are less likely to be taken away at school. They also do not need to be thrown away, so they are more convenient during class. Switching from gum to mints means less need to be sneaky.

Peppermint Essential Oil

My favorite on this list is what helped me stay awake in those classes that felt incredibly long and boring. Peppermint oil can be applied to the skin, and it creates a cooling effect, which for some reason, helps a lot to stay awake and be most focused. It is far from necessary, but this oil is often beneficial, especially if you are always tired.

How to Bring your Grades Up Fast

By Simone Simonton

Have you ever gone to school and five of your classes dropped to C's and D's because of your failed tests? I have some tips to help you recover from these bad grades to make new and improved ones before your report card comes in.

First, you need to find something that motivates you. Find an activity that will allow you to think things through and have a relationship with studying and working hard. If you do well on your science test, you get that hoodie you always wanted and set goals for yourself to help you work harder.

To earn a good grade, you must participate in class, follow directions carefully, and do your work correctly. Make sure to raise your hand to answer questions even though you still determine if you have the current answer.

Also, take lots of notes and write down key notes to help you remember to study or go over something that you are unsure about and need to go over. You can use bullet points and other systems that keep you organized and clean.

Always ask for help even if you don't want it because there might be something that you have not learned and will be on your final that you did not go over, so raise your hand and say, "I don't do it!!!" so you can learn more about it.

When doing your homework, put your phone in another room to keep on working and not focus on social media and texting. This will help you not cram on a test, and you will turn in your homework at a good time and have the rest of your night to you and your phone.

A strategy to help you digest all of your work is to use the 25/5 method. For every twenty-five minutes of homework you do, you take a five-minute break to eat and relax so the information settles in your brain.

With all of this, to ensure you get a grade, there is a slight chance that you will fail.

The BVMS Band and Orchestra Pops Concert

Interview Ms. Valens

By Daria Serheyeva

On May 18, the band and orchestra classes had their final concert of the year. It consisted of well-known songs or music, like Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia. To learn more about the concert and the work before it, I interviewed the director and teacher of the band and orchestra, Ms. Vallens. Here is how it went:

Daria: When did everyone receive the music?

Ms. Vallens: The progressive groups got their music right after spring break, and the beginning groups got it about 3–4 weeks ago.

Daria: How much, in general, did everyone practice for the concert?

Ms.Vallens: It varies depending on how much people practice at home. In class, we practice four hours a week, but the beginning groups do not play their concert music all the time. The beginners spent about two hours a week for four weeks. Maybe more on the week of the concert.

Daria: Did everything go as planned? Were there any last-minute changes or problems?

Ms. Vallens: There were some last-minute changes; we made some adjustments to a couple of the pieces to highlight the parts that we were doing well. We ran out of time because we had less time to prepare than we had for the last concerts, so we cut out a few sections from some of the band music. I think the advanced orchestra played all their music as written, but everything else had some edits.

Daria: Do you think the concert was successful?

Ms. Vallens: I do think the concert was successful, and there are always things that, leading up to the concert, people are nervous about. I think that every section that I was a little bit nervous about went very well and that every group played to the best of their ability.

Daria: What would you like people to know about all the work and practice before the concert?

Ms. Vallens: I think that the more advanced the music gets, the more complicated it gets. In our class, it’s really different from a lot of other classes because the flute part is really different from the trumpet part, and the trombone part is really different from the percussion parts. We have to learn all of those different things at the same time, so we have to split our time a lot more. It’s almost like we have multiple sets of curriculum that we have to teach. There’s rhythm, notes, and style in one section that are different from another section, so the pieces get more and more complicated the more advanced the groups get.

Daria: Do you have any interesting stories to share related to the concert?

Ms. Vallens: We added our percussion coach, Andy, to some pieces for beginning orchestra and advanced orchestra because they don’t have percussionists in their class, and we also used him a little bit for beginning band to have more percussion in some of their pieces. When he first came to rehearse with both orchestras, who don’t normally hear percussion, they all kind of freaked out because having the drumset completely changes the feel of a piece. Someone literally stopped playing and turned around just to watch because it was so cool and so different from what we were normally doing.

Daria: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Ms. Vallens: I’m proud of the work we’ve done and the progress we’ve made this year. I think when people really practice, they can see that it pays off, and so I hope that not only will people work hard in class next year, but they will also take the time to practice outside of class so that we can learn more and more advanced music.

Wags and Walks Rescue Dog Shelter, Adoption Place, and Volunteer Work

By Grace Alexander

Wags and Walks is a rescue shelter that takes stray dogs from people who cannot care for their dogs and backyard breeders' dogs-they rescue family-friendly dogs. Backyard breeders do not take care of their dogs and breed them repeatedly in a dangerous way that can hurt them; backyard breeders are illegal!

To volunteer at Wags and Walks, you must attend a one-hour orientation which books out fast, so go to their website and sign-up for an available spot. Once you go through the orientation, you will need to take a Shadow Shift where a professional person who works there will show you how to handle the dogs and explain the systems they have in place. That will also only take about an hour.

As a volunteer, you get to pick a dog from the kennel room to walk. The goal is that dogs are walked and played with at least once every two hours. Volunteers like myself walk them often because there is a specific route we have to take the dogs, and the walk is only five minutes long. You can also take the dog into the yard, an enclosed area with fake turf, a bed, quite a few toys, and a dog house where they can play. The kennels on the ground are usually for medium to large dogs. Because of the kennel's size, you can go in there and cuddle the dog.

There are different levels of skills required to work with the dogs. There are three levels, Black Paw, Teal Paw, and Silver Paw. When you first start, you are Black Paw, so you can only walk Black Paw dogs. There are some exceptions where you can, interact with a Teal Paw. Some Teal Paws are Black Paws in the yard or their kennel, which means you can take them out to the yard even if you are a Black Paw. Teal and Silver Paws have locks on their kennel doors, so you must ask a staff member to unlock them. You must have a specific number of hours and take another shadow shift to move on to the proceeding type of paw. I am currently at Black Paw.

Once you take a dog for a walk or into the yard, you must mark by their name on the whiteboard what time they return (so the volunteers know when to take them out again) and if they peed or pooped (and what kind).

One of the many reasons I love it at Wags and Walks is that you do not have to schedule your visit. You can drop in any day of the week! They are open 365 days a year, even on holidays. The best part about this is that you can drop by and walk a few dogs even if you only have twenty minutes.

Any of your time helps! You can also foster one of their rescue dogs. That would enTAIL (pun intended) providing space in your life to care for the dog until they get adopted. It is usually about two-three months (when you foster, you foster for a minimum of two weeks, but you can foster longer if the dog does not get adopted. Don't worry, if you cannot foster that long, you do not have to. I had recently asked one of the staff members about a dog undergoing chemo, and they said he was doing much better and is with a foster. They also said that the people fostering him are going out of town next week, so he would be returning and getting a new foster until adoption, so don't let travel plans get in the way of fostering a dog. I highly recommend it if you can foster it because it dramatically improves the dog's quality of life. Could you imagine you or your friends' dog having to live in a kennel? I cannot. They would be much happier in a home. On their website, you can see more detail about how you can help to improve these fantastic dogs' lives.

You can also donate money to them or email them and ask if they need any supplies like old towels and things like that. Are you looking for a dog bed or a toy for your cute dog? Say no more. At Wags and Walks, there is a store where you can buy dog-related items, and the prophets go directly to the organization. You can also purchase things like shirts and dog collars there. Wags and Walks is a fantastic place to adopt if you want a dog.

If you can contribute in any way, please do so. These dogs deserve and have earned a happy life! This is a fantastic place to go, and you should check it out: Wags and Walks Website Link.

Summer Jobs For Teens

By Isabella Miller

Some teens might want to make money to go on a summer shopping spree during the summer. These jobs are easy and sometimes fun. We have a lot of time during the summer, so a fun job to make money is a perfect idea.

Babysitter/Pet sitter

This is a great job idea for teens; it is easy, and you could make plenty of money. Being a pet sitter is so much fun! You do not need to go anywhere; stay in your house with an extra dog, cat, or bird. It is lots of fun and super cute! Alternatively, just by babysitting your neighbor, you can take the child you are watching on a walk or to the park for 2 hours and get $30–40 each day, which is a lot for a kid. Being a babysitter or pet sitter is fun and easy, but there will be much pressure to ensure you do not lose or hurt the animal or child.

Collecting plastic

Every time you drink from a plastic bottle put it in a big bag. You can bring it to the county or even to Whole Foods, depending on how much plastic you have. You can save lots of money! This idea is easy and does not take much time, but it might take much time to drink all the water and put them in a bag. However, it is super easy; you do not need to work, and there is no pressure or worry about collecting plastic bottles.

Tutor younger kids.

If you are in 6–8th grade, you can tutor kids in 1-3rd, which is one of those easier but trickier jobs. You might not be able to get as much money from older tutors with a teaching degree. However, you could get around 10–15 dollars an hour per kid, so if a parent has three kids and you tutor all of them, you could get around 30-35 dollars an hour, which is plenty, and by the end of the summer you will have tons of money for the summer shopping sprees!

These jobs were easy, and you could make much money. There are so many fantastic ideas for getting easy money. Another job that should have been stated in the article is making slide presentations for Zoom meetings. So these were terrific, quick ideas for those shopping sprees with your friends.

BVMS BARKER Spring Semester Staff 2023

BVMS Barker

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