November-December 2023 Issue 14

The BVMS Wellness Center Opens

By Andrew Azizollahi and Samuel Zuboff

The Wellness Center is a laid-back and chill place during the school day. We interviewed our fantastic school counselor, Ms. Hartley, to answer our questions about the Center.

What made you come up with the Wellness Center?

The Beverly Hills High School has a wellness center, which inspired the idea for one at BVMS. The school also wanted to implement it to help kids with mental health after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Who first had the idea for the Wellness Center?

Ms. Frank was the first to develop the idea at the high school, and Ms. Hartley wanted to implement it at the middle school, so they were its originators.

How should people ask to go to the Wellness Center?

When you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed during class. Our teacher is going to the Wellness Center for a test or other reasons. Usually, the teacher will give you a pass to go to the Wellness Center.

What are the cool features of the Wellness Center?

The Wellness Center has many fun features for kids. There is a tea cart, kinetic sand, and board games for you to play with your friends.

When was it decided to make the Wellness Center a Separate Building?

The decision was made in the fall of 2022. The new Wellness Center took a year to build. The old one, located in the library, is used as a classroom.

Do you have any goals that you want to achieve with the Wellness Center?

You can look forward to being invited to the Wellness Center during advisory. Ms. Hartley and other counselors also want to visit your classes to discuss mental wellness.

Are there any new features you are looking to implement in the near future?

Wellness Advisory: November 29, 2023. Maverick the Dog on Thursdays.

Should We Have Finals Week?

By Teja Wolfe

Finals week has affected students all over the globe. During finals week, stress levels rise, causing a lot of bad things to happen to students' mental health.

Some students experience burnout. They want to work hard to understand all the information they need to learn. They do not take any breaks, and after they study, they feel exhausted and brain-dead, which affects students' mental health.

Another thing that happens to students during finals week is sleep deprivation. Students have so much to review and relearn that they will likely stay up late and sometimes pull all-nighters. This can lead to students doubting themselves and their abilities, causing them to perform worse (Honors Society).

Finals week can add a lot of unnecessary stress for students. This can cause many mental health problems, which can be bad in the long run.

Advanced Band getting ready to perform

Photo Credit: Eli Yaghoubi

Beginning band in the background, getting ready to perform.

Photo Credit: Eli Yaghoubi

From the left: Dr. Bregy, President Margo, Mrs. Marcus, Mr. Pak, Dr. Skon, and Ms. Perkins

standing in front of the stage.

BVMS Orchestra and Band Winter Concert

By Eli Yaghoubi

BVMS had its winter concert on Thursday, December 7th. Students from the Beginning and Advanced Band and the Beginning and Advanced Orchestra played holiday songs in the auditorium. Students who were performing arrived at 5:30 pm to practice and set up. The event started at 6:30 pm in the auditorium.

The auditorium was very packed. Almost every seat was taken by a parent, student, or teacher. Several board members attended the concert, including President Margo and Mrs. Marcus. Mr. Klotzle attended, too, and the students were so happy to see him.

Dr. Skon started the night by making an announcement. Beginning Band performed first. They played four songs - "Hot Cross Buns," "Jingle Bells in B-Flat Major," "Good King Wenceslas in E-Flat Major," and "Dreydl," Dreidel. For many students in Beginning Band, this was their first time playing an instrument, being a part of a group of students, and performing on stage. They played many instruments, including Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, and Trumpet. They did a great job.

Next, the Beginning Orchestra class performed. They played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Jingle Bells in D Major," "Good King Wenceslas in G Major," and "Dayenu." Similar to Beginning Band students, this was the first time many students in this class were playing an instrument on stage in front of a large audience. They played many instruments, such as Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. They did a fantastic job.

After the Beginning Orchestra, the Advanced Band class performed. They played "Hanukkah Begins Tonight" and "Christmas Spectacular." Most of the students in this class had taken Beginning Band in 6th or 7th grade and had experience performing on stage. They played many instruments: Trumpet, French Horn, Saxophone, Tuba, and Percussion. The class did a great job working together and put on a great show.

Then, the Advanced Orchestra class performed. This class consists primarily of 7th and 8th graders since they took Beginning Band in 6th grade. They played "The Christmas Train" and "Light the Candles." They played many instruments, such as Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. The class did a fantastic job; everyone loved the night's final performance.

In summary, the winter concert was great! The next concert will be in March. I look forward to seeing you there.

What Should I Do After I Am Done Eating My Lunch?

By Eli Yaghoubi

After eating lunch, most students have at least 20 minutes of free time before going to class. Some students hang out with friends and talk, but many other unique options exist. Here is a list of things to try out during lunch if you have free time.

Play Soccer: A group of students play soccer and practice making goals. If you want to be a goalie, get there early because it is a favored position.

Go to the library: Students can read here or play video games. You cannot eat in the library, but can still play video games and have fun with friends none the less.

Check out a new club: There are many clubs on campus for you to check out. If you want to write articles for the school newspaper, we meet on

Wednesdays and always look for new students.

Play Football: You do not need to be on the BVMS flag football team to play football at lunch. If you like running and playing with a fun group of students, check it out.

Talk to someone new: Middle school is a time to talk to someone you may have not talked to before. If you see a student eating alone, introduce yourself and say hello. You may have something in common or may not, but it cannot hurt to meet someone new.

Mock Trial at BVMS

By Eli Yaghoubi

Congratulations to the BVMS Mock Trial team and the prosecution attorneys, Jion Jung and Sophia Bakshian, for an exceptional job.

This is BVMS’ second year having a Mock Trial team and its first year going to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Ms. Croft runs the Mock Trial club, including grades 6–8 students. Ms. Croft is also an English teacher at BVMS. Students had to try out for the team at the beginning of the school year, and Ms. Croft chose the team members. Some students represent attorneys, and some are witnesses. They all work together on a mock murder trial, and each person is assigned a specific role based on the story.

The Mock Trial team took a bus to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on Monday, November 6th, where the competition occurred. Interestingly, Ms. Croft was a student in the Mock Trial club. Mr. Lishman, a parent at BVMS, is an attorney who helps the team prepare for the big day. We are grateful for this instrumental help.

We took a bus from school to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. While on the bus, mock trial attorneys practiced what they would say in court. Everyone was excited and nervous. By the time we passed the security, nervous levels had dropped dramatically, and people felt very confident about the court case.

During the mock trial case, BVMS represented the plaintiff, and another school in Southern California represented the defense. Our team worked hard before and during the trial and gave it their all. The attorneys did a great job with their opening and closing arguments. The witnesses did a fantastic job answering questions on the stand. We all worked together as a team to win the case.

The team did a fantastic job and is moving on to round 2 on Monday, November 13.

Science Fair at BVMS

By Eli Yaghoubi

This year’s Science Fair for grades 6-12 was held at BVMS on Thursday, December 6. Students from BHHS and BVMS worked hard on their projects and presented today. Science Fair participants arrived at 3:30 pm to set up. Around 4:00 pm, judges came around, spoke with all the participants, and asked questions. Some students had up to five judges ask about their projects.

Family, friends, teachers, admin, Board of Education members, and city council members attended. Each grade received medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. If in the top 3 for their grade, students can move on to the country science fair in March.

I saw three projects at the science fair that did not win awards but impressed me. First, a student created an excellent marble run that was unique and very enjoyable to watch. Second, a student did a project on a volcano that showed one of the theories on how the dinosaurs went extinct. Sadly, when the volcano erupted, only a few drops of red food coloring dripped, and it did not turn out as expected. Third, a project named “Can people draw better than generative AI when given a prompt?” Two of three test cases showed that AI drew better, but the student drew better in one case. A machine graded The drawings on creativity, complexity, and neatness, so there may have been bias.

Overall, this year's Science Fair was incredible because many unique projects were on display. The winners will move on to the County Science Fair in March 2024.

I want to congratulate all the students who participated in the science fair. This year’s winners:

6th Grade

1st Place: Eli Yaghoubi

Audrey Rosenfeld

Suri Dardashti

2nd Place: Jacob Asher

Jacob Darvish

Ian Yashar

3rd Place: Sydney Egerman

Mia Avgi

Liora Manavi

7th Grade