Student Life

The 8th Grade College Trip

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Day One: City Tavern and the University of Pennsylvania

We got to eat at a historic restaurant where the food was served on tableware just like the olden days, with pewter mugs, candlelight, and waitresses dressed in clothes from the 1700s. Afterward, we were treated to a special a capella performance at the University of Pennsylvania. At the Franklin Institute, we explored the different science exhibits.

Day Two: The story of a big stuffed dog

We did sightseeing in The College of New Jersey and checked out the Constitution Center, where we attended a cutting-edge multimedia presentation of our nation's history. Afterward, we spent the evening at a Dave & Busters, where two students, Lara DiStasio and Nina Pollatos, won a huge stuffed animal, among other prizes. It needed its own seat on the bus ride home!

Day Three: Ms. Lasher makes a new buddy on the bus!

As you can see, Ms. Lasher warmed up to our newest passenger! The trip was a success. We got to see the college campus at Rowan University, shared good times with our classmates, ate lots of great food, and in general had a lot of fun!

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Middle Life at OBHS

By Soloman Khan

Oyster Bay High School is one of a kind in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich school district. It is the only high school in the district, and it takes students from seventh grade to twelfth. It’s a good school with a wide variety of activities, clubs, and classes. I’m writing here to tell you about what the lower grades think of the school.

"The students are good to each other, and the teachers are encouraging."

Seventh graders come to Oyster Bay High School from James H. Vernon School, excited about new experiences they will have in high school. After classes being separated by teacher in Vernon, students are free to mingle with each other a little more, and this is aided by the many clubs and performances the school organizes. One anonymous student stated, “I loved Mr. A. last year, and this year I’ve been enjoying English.” It can be a little intimidating at first, but most of the students in the other grades are welcoming, and in time, the newest arrivals are acclimated. They’re fairly busy at the start of school anyway, so they don’t have much time to worry about much else.

I was one of those newest arrivals last year, and from my perspective, eighth grade isn’t much different. The material we learn is harder, but not a lot tougher. We have the same classes as before, with minor changes in the schedule.

One of the only new things is that we get to be on the other side of the window, looking at the seventh graders as they get adjusted to a new school. As eighth graders, most students like the school a little better. That sentiment is the same for most eighth graders across the board.

Oyster Bay High School isn’t as crowded as many other high schools, with between 750 and 800 students. That may seem like a lot, and it is, but not nearly as much as some schools which can have as many as three thousand students in a school of equal size. This gives students more space to move and learn, and improves the high school experience at Oyster Bay overall.

Speaking from recent experience, I can say that middle school in Oyster Bay High School is enjoyable for most students. The students are good to each other, and the teachers are encouraging. This, combined with the multitude of interesting classes and clubs, gives the kids that come here memories that they cherish, and provides them with valuable life lessons.

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Breakfast at OBHS

By Sophia Dean

It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but how often do you really think about it? Numerous sources describe the various benefits of eating breakfast every morning before school; yet still, many students disregard this fact and come to school in the morning on an empty stomach.

As previously mentioned, there are countless sources and studies that portray the positive results eating breakfast has on students. For instance, one source, the Nutrition Consortium of NY State, says that children who eat a well-balanced breakfast or morning meal in general “show improved academic performance [and] demonstrate a longer attention span.” Furthermore, the same article also mentioned that “Children also score better on tests if they have had a healthy breakfast beforehand.” (www.sparkepe.org)

Therefore, it is extremely important that people, especially students, eat breakfast of any kind in the mornings. The absence of a morning meal can cause a lack of concentration, which is clearly not the ideal situation when you are trying to learn. Moreover, other articles of the same topic state that those who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese as they get older. In that same fashion, Christy C. Tangney, Ph.D., expert of diet and nutrition at Rush University Medical Center, says, ‘“Of more concern is that an association has been found between skipping breakfast and other risky behaviors like smoking, and experimenting with drugs and alcohol.’” (www.rush.edu) Based in this information, it can be said that eating in the morning can truly save you from future health issues.

According to a survey I recently conducted on 84 OBHS seventh grade students, nearly 25% claim that they never eat breakfast during the school week. In addition, another estimated 20% state that they only eat breakfast if they have time before school.

Luckily, about 40% of students claim to eat breakfast every single day. Although it is not proven, based on the data collected by the survey, we may infer based on outside studies that the 40% of students in the seventh grade who always eat breakfast do better academically than if they did not.

"According to a survey I recently conducted on 84 OBHS seventh grade students, nearly 25% claim that they never eat breakfast during the school week."

Ultimately, it is clear that breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Nonetheless, more than half of the seventh grade fails to eat breakfast every day of the week, thus putting success and proper health slightly further from reach. So, eat your breakfast, kids!

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Birthday Wishes

By Kate Webster

This year, I joined the Birthday Wishes Club. Seventh through twelfth graders are welcome to come take part in the meeting, which take place once a month. At the meetings, we assemble birthday goody bags for kids in homeless shelters. Miss Badean, the advisor, purchases fun toys like Slinkies, pencils, and stickers to put inside the bags. Then other students wrap a box up with wrapping paper, and we put the bags in to be transported.

To raise money to buy the goody bag supplies, we hold bake sales almost every week. Club members are encouraged to bake treats or help run the sale. They are held after school in the lower gym lobby, and items are priced from fifty cents to one dollar.

If you are interested in joining the Birthday Wishes club, stop by Miss Badean's room to find out when the next meeting is!

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Paintball: An Overview

By Dylan Sattar

I believe I have a good understanding of paintball. In this article, I will be going over safety, equipment, and tips to do your best.

Safety is the most important thing when playing paintball. The biggest rule is to always have your nest down. You do not want to lose an eye by playing a game like paintball. Another safety rule is that when you are in the safe zone (the place with tables where you can refill on paintballs and air), you have to have your barrel cover on at all times, because in case you misfire, people in this zone will not have their masks on.

Equipment is important if you want to buy your own paintball marker. If you do not want to buy your paintball marker, you can rent one from the store. You may think the most important thing to buy is the paintball marker, but this is not true, as you also need to get a mask and a CO2 or compressed air tank. When you are first starting out, I would recommend a Tippmann 48 compressed air tank. As you get more into the hobby, you can upgrade to a carbon fiber tank. Any mask will do as long as you research it and make sure it is certified for safety. You will also need to get a barrel cover to protect other people in the safe zone and have a barrel made so you can clean the barrel of your marker easily.

"Safety is the most important thing when playing paintball."

One tip I would recommend for new players is, don't be afraid to get shot. The paintballs will hit hurt a lot more if you're hiding in the back of the map with no adrenaline. If you were running at the enemy team, with adrenaline pumping through your veins, the paintball will feel like a rubber band being flicked at you. I would also suggest bringing lots of water because you will be running a lot and you will get thirsty. Remember, if you are hit, you are out for the game, there are no respawns unless the referee specifically says there are.

To learn more about paintball, I would suggest searching up videos online. I hope this helps you.

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Field Hockey

By Victoria Vojvodich

During my seventh grade field hockey season, I had such a great time! I learned so many new things and made many new friends. My coach, Paula Norton, made the season so much better. She would always motivate us all to try our best.

We won one game out of the whole season, but every game we went out on to the field and did our best. Field hockey was something I looked forward to every day. I am so excited for next season, I can't wait to make many more memories!

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Drama at OBHS

By Ella Cortes

Here at Oyster Bay High School, there is a fine theater arts program, which has the potential to expand. This year alone, there have been three plays, and over the years, so many more. However, there's been a problem all this time in the theater program: there aren't enough boys trying out for roles. In the most recent play, there were only two boys in the entire show. Usually, this would not be a problem, but because of the absence of guys, we cannot do certain shows, such as Grease. Grease is a 1978 musical comedy film perfect for schools to perform, but as Mrs. Dissinger said, “You can't put a feminine voice on Danny Zuko.” And she's exactly right. If we tried to do Grease and ended up with only a few boys in a performance that needs strong male voices, we would run into problems. So guys, let's hear your best acting and singing chops!

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What's Your Favorite Thing about OBHS?

By Leigh Nathan

I love going to Oyster Bay High School. Compared to all the other schools I have attended, OBHS is my personal favorite. My favorite thing about the high school is that I get to experience lots of different classes with a whole different teacher, so each teacher is teaching something different. I also like how you can have more freedom. You get to roam the halls by yourself, without a teacher having to walk with you. I'm in the seventh grade, and I've interviewed some students in my grade to tell me their opinions about the high school This is what they had to say:

"I really like how we have freedom and we can make our own smart choices. Also, I like how we have shorter classes, and the teachers are chill." -Paige Sweeney

"We get to chew gum in most classes, and I like the snack bar and vending machines." -Frances Myers

"I like being with my friends and the lunch." -Dominic Castiglione

"I like how we get to chew gum in some classes." -Anthony Fuschetto

"I like having my own schedule and the teacher." -Kate Webster

I also agree with these five students. There are many great qualities to OBHS, and I know that most of my fellow peers have great opinions about it too!

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Playing OB Baseball

By Noelle Boruta

Playing baseball was something I have been doing practically since I was born. When I was one year old, my brother would throw a small ball at me to see if I could catch the ball in my crib. Sooner or later, I started to catch the ball. So when T-ball came around, I was all for it.

Skip a couple of years and when AA Baseball or Softball season started, I chose baseball because I had been playing it the whole time. My parents did not know how to feel about my decision. Later, I got onto a travel boys' baseball team, the Bulldogs. I am still on this team today.

I signed up for it and thought they wouldn't let me play, but then when I was in my second period class, I got called down to the nurse's office. They basically told me that I could play, but I would have to go through some testing first. After the testing, I was able to play with the boys. The best part was, they knew I was good enough to play.

I love baseball, and I am proud to be the only girl playing for the Bulldogs in Oyster Bay. Go team!

When I was one year old, my brother would throw a small ball at me to see if I could catch the ball in my crib.

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Things Teachers Told You About Middle School...That Turned Out Not to Be True!

By Laura McKevitt

There are little white lies you are told all your life. Like, we’re told that if you drink coffee at a young age, it will stunt your growth. Also, the fact that Humpty Dumpty is an egg, though the rhyme never actually states that. Oh, or the fact that Jack and Rose couldn’t have possibly made it out alive in Titanic, when we all know that Jack could have easily grabbed something else to stay afloat on. Unfortunately, some of these untruths come from school. Here are just a few examples for your enjoyment:

“Cursive will be used later on in life.”

Besides the third grade, you’ll never need to use cursive again in your life; this is a fact you quickly learn in the fourth grade. “It’s easier to write in cursive, it is so much faster,” teachers may say. Well, it’s actually faster to never learn cursive and write your signature in a messy handwriting!

“You won’t be walking around with a calculator in your pocket all the time.”

This one is just to keep you doing your math work in your head instead of on a machine. Have they seen the way kids are glued to their cell phones? Of course students will carry around a calculator the rest of their lives! Granted, there are steps and procedures you can’t do in a calculator, but to say we won’t have one altogether just isn't true.

“Children should always wear a seatbelt.”

While this is definitely good advice, public transportation such as subways, school buses and trains don't always make a great effort to enforce this rule all the time.

“You should fix that habit now because they won’t let you do that next year.”

Teachers always say that we should learn to get into good habits now, as we won’t be able to get away with certain things the next year, but when you get to the next grade up, all they say is the same thing they did last year: “Learn how to do it now because you won’t be able to next year!” In the fifth grade, I was never allowed to go and get stuff from my backpack. The reason for this was that apparently, sixth graders wouldn’t be allowed to go back to their lockers if they forgot something for class. However, once I got to the sixth grade, I found that they let me go to my locker all the time!

“Now that you’re in high school, you will be treated like adults.”

Now, this one just goes too far. If we are acting immature, we are told, “You should be more mature because you’re in high school now.” Then again, if we want to take part in certain events, we find out we’re not allowed to because even though we are in the same building, we are not actually “high schoolers.” Well, which one is it? We have no problem with this mentality as long as teachers choose one and stick to it!

These were some things I realized throughout my middle grade years so far. I hope you enjoyed my top list of misconceptions I was taught in middle school!

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