The Middle School Perkiomen School, Pennsburg, PA

EYE

Volume 15 Issue 1

Surprise!

Family Day October 17, 2009

What‟s Inside:

by Jasmine Cora

The new school year has brought many changes and surprises. Some were hard to adapt to but only a little while through the year and already most people have. The changes will make our school better academically and more appealing to others. Hard work, a great deal of money, and a lot of time were put into everything, but all that paid off in the long run. Every year, Perkiomen has been getting better and better but this is definitely going to be the best one yet.

● Surprise p. 1

Robbie‟s has had a complete transformation and renovation. It was just a regular place to hang out with friends and to get a quick bite to eat but now it‟s a cool hangout with new tables, chairs and much more. There is even a place to chill and watch TV on an upgraded television. It has become a great place to relax after challenging classes. “It‟s so much better than the old Robbie‟s, what a great improvement! I love the new décor.” -Katherine Dix

The Middle School Eye is a medium to air the concerns of middle school students. We hope you like our new format; the EYE is now available electronically! Thanks, Mrs. Sweeney, for putting the publication together. If you have a comment or a submission, please email our student editor, [email protected], or our faculty advisors, [email protected], or [email protected].

Fifth and sixth grade used to be together in one classroom with the same people, the whole day. Now, they are treated more like the rest of the Middle School. They go to different classrooms throughout the day and they see different teachers and students. “I like it and you don‟t have to worry about messy desks because there is no one room and there is no one desk.” Madeline Naylor

● New Students’ Thoughts p. 2 ● Ice Breakers p.2 ● Hot Topics p. 3, 4, 5 ● New England Hiking Trip p. 3 ● Perk Students Relive Past Cultures p. 6 ● Running for Goals p .7 ● Soccer Kicks p. 8 ● Trout in the Classroom p. 8

The EYE would like to thank all of its contributors!

The dress code was pretty strict and the teachers really didn‟t give much of a break. Last year, however, we were allowed to wear a Perkiomen sweatshirt. Now, including that, we can wear khaki shorts in selected months. It really lets the students be cooler in the hot weather and gives everyone more of a choice. When you wear shorts, you can even wear sneakers! “We have a freedom of choice and are not limited.” -Andy Yang 1

New Students’ Thoughts by Julia Liverton

Perkiomen is a school that you dream about going to because it is so wonderful. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful here at Perk; the teachers, the headmaster, the students, and the homework is even fun sometimes! Everybody has made tons of friends easily. There is also a lot to do on Perkiomen‟s campus to enjoy. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when I step onto the campus. “My old school didn‟t even have a gym and Perkiomen has that plus such a nice campus. I also like how you switch classes instead of having only one teacher.” –Johnnie Williams “It‟s a great school and I like the smaller classes.” –Dylan Pine “Everyone is friendly and the students are too!” –Oscar Lee

Food, Laughs, and Whacks By Beau Tang

The 8th grade welcome back party was hosted by my family. It was great to have all of my friends from last year gathered, and getting to be friends with the new students.

Beau‟s mom arranged for mini-golfing in September

Games and BBQ By Gabrielle Molnar

Everyone contributed great food to the dinner. We had food, laughs, and whacks. Did I forget to mention that we had a jousting pit? When we weren‟t hitting each other with big foam Q-tips we were bouncing around and laughing or playing some hoops or tag in the dark.

Seventh Grade Gathering The seventh graders, most of whom knew each other quite well from previous years, welcomed their new classmate, Dylan Pine. The gathering was held at the Parlin home and featured grilled shish kabob, snickerdoodles and blueberry buckle cake. Gabbing , volleyball, basketball, and exploring the neighborhood kept everyone busy.

The 5th and 6th grade middle school class attended a party held at Isabel Barone‟s house. The party was for the new kids to meet their classmates and for the parents to get a chance to meet each other too. The boys played wiffle ball while the girls talked about school. Everyone played Capture the Flag, Twister and Cops and Robbers. We ate a delicious meal of chicken and BBQ pork and every family either brought a side dish for dinner or a dessert. All of the food was very good. We would like to thank the Barone family for hosting the party. We would also like to welcome all the new 5th and 6th graders: Cameron, Gabrielle, Isabel, Johnnie, Julia, Lauren and Miles.

Special thanks to Tangs, Parlins and Barones for their hospitality. 2

Julia visited the elephants in Africa.

Brad on a zipline in Costa Rica.

Hannah went to the shore.

New England Hiking Trip by Ben Jaindl

Katherine getting to know Curly.

The final part of our trip was at Hog Island, Maine. We explore the island and went sea kayaking. We ended our trip back in Williamstown, Massachusetts and ate at a good restaurant.

Over the summer, I participated in a two week camping trip called Overland. There were 12 kids and two counselors involved in the hike. We spent our first night on Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. At the summit I was able to see four states: Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts After Mount Greylock, we drove to the Green Mountains in Vermont. We hiked to the summit of Mount Mansfeld, the highest peak in the state. We also took a tour of the Ben and Jerry‟s ice cream factory in Waterbury, Vermont. The next adventure led to our most challenging hike, Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire. We had to hike in the rain over large boulders and climb up onto rock ledges. I fell through what I thought was a bridge crossing over a body of water. I ended up being knee deep in mud. Our final peak was Mount Washington. It was strange to see snow in July.

Our hikes had us sleeping in lean-tos (garage-like buildings) and tents. We were responsible for all parts of camping. Everybody was assigned different foods and cooking supplies as well as camp gear and journaling. Counselors were responsible for the first aid gear. Overall I enjoyed this adventure. I got to meet kids from other states. My favorite part of the trip was getting up to Mount Washington, the highest peak in New England. It felt like a big accomplishment. My least favorite part of the trip was hiking for miles covered in mud. I would recommend this trip to kids who like to hike and be outdoors.

Emma biking in Vermont.

Miles L. in Delaware 3

Sarah worked at a sheep farm.

Eric and Lauren at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

“I went to Costa Rica.” -Alex Hess “We went to the beach in Longport. We went swimming.” - Eric Parlin “I went to Gettysburg and toured the National Park. I saw Little Round Top where you can see a lot of the park.” - Gabrielle Molnar

Dorita hiking in Valley Green, PA.

“I did a synchronized swimming routine at Lauren Cola‟s house.” -Isabel Barone “I went on an African Safari with my nanny. We saw a two-hour-old baby elephant.” -Julia Liverton “I went on a two week hiking trip.” -Ben Jaindl

“I went to Brigantine, NJ for a week.” -Anthony Cassel

“Went in the ocean at Ocean City.” -Duncan MacIntyre

“I went to the shore.” - Eric Cola

“I went to the Philadelphia Zoo, a wonderful zoo with a wide variety of mammals, fish, birds, insects, and reptiles.” -Cameron Klavon

“I went to a month-long music camp in New York and learned to play the cello.” - Dagny Barone “I went to the American Idol concert with my friend Ashley and we met the contestants!” -Sarah Bauer “Over the summer, I went to Nicaragua for three weeks to study Spanish.” -Olivia Weis “I went to the beach and saw my aunt. We went to the boardwalk.” -Hannah Tompkins

Anthony enjoyed riding his ATV.

“This summer I went to Wildwood and we saw sharks and dolphins.” -Johnnie Williams “I went to the beach in Delaware for a baseball tournament.” -Miles Longstreth “I got stung on my foot by a jellyfish in SC on my first day there.” -Kyra Paul-Fowler “I went to Costa Rica. I saw world surfing championships.” -Brad Heinzinger

Olivia standing in front of one of the hundreds of hieroglyphs dating back thousands of years, on the island of Omitepe, Niacaragua.

Alex in Costa Rica, Arenal Volcano erupting in the background. 4

More Hot Topic Summer Fun

Maddie and Mindi at the Outer Banks. Tristan took his advanced Scuba certification this summer. Eric Parlin and Dad.

“I went to a Jonas Brothers Concert. It was fun because our seats were great and my mom even had fun.” -Lauren Cola “I coached at a lacrosse camp, took a course about international security, swam across a lake in Maine many times, and was a bridesmaid in my friend‟s wedding.” -Ms. Coons “I got a German Shepherd pup.” -Minuette Laessig “I went to the beach in Hawaii.” -Miles Johnston “I went to Knobbles and rode Phoenix 14 times.” Dylan Pine “I went to North Carolina with Mindi and her family.” -Maddy Faraco “I went on a twelve day bike tour in Vermont.” Emma Longstreth “I went to Cedar Point.” -Jackson Fu “I went to North Carolina with Maddy.” -Mindi Gallagher “I went to drama camp and performed being „perfectly complex..‟” -Timmy Turner

“I visited my grandmother‟s house which is tiny but beautiful. I played at the lake with my younger sister.” -Soo Hyun Coi “I went to China with my mom and dad; we went there to see bird nests. I think China is a good place to learn history.” -Louis Liao “I enjoyed the summer camp in the Perkiomen School; I met many students and teachers. And this is my first time studying in the United States. We went to many interesting places and played interesting games. The most important thing is I learned more English.” -Ben Zijie Wang “I got locked out of my house on my roof and had to jump into my front yard bush at three in the morning.” -Kyra Paul-Fowler “I had a sleepover with my four nieces and nephews three days before my birthday. I slept in the top bunk with my nephew in the bottom bunk.” Señor Hache “I went to Jamaica and climbed mountains.” Brianna White

“Traveled to Japan.” -Andy Yang

“My parents and I went to the beach. We built a tent which is really cool and nice in front of the shore. We ate a Korean barbeque called „Galbi‟ and also had Korean noodles. We all swam and had fun with cousins. We stayed at the beach for two days and it was really fun and an exciting summer.” -Paul Kim

“I went to a beach this summer and swam and did fishing.” -Josh Jung

“I went to the beach and it was really fun.” Jason Lee

“I went tubing and we found a rope swing and it was so fun.” -Dorita Deveney

“Nothing was fun or interesting because school was coming. Therefore I was nervous.” -Oscar Lee

“I watched a fire juggler drop his flaming baton in the river in Paris.” -Mr. Hauser “I found a friend on the internet that I hadn‟t seen or heard from in six years.” -Jasmine Cora

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Perk Students Relive Past Cultures On August 7-8th, several Perkiomen students participated in the 2009 Goschenhoppen Folk Festival in Frederick, Pennsylvania as apprentices. For those who have been to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, the Gosch Fest has been compared to this famous historical re-enactment arena, but has been described by some to be even more authentic. The Gosch Fest is unique in that young people are invited to participate by learning trades as they were done by Pennsylvania German immigrants in the Perkiomen Valley in the 18th and 19th centuries. Minuette Laessig was one Perkiomen student who participated for the first time, sewing clothes, and had a great time. “There were lots of things to do. It was really fun to see how they did what we do now, a long time ago.” Hannah Tompkins learned food preservation on Friday, and processing flax into linen cloth on Saturday. She had fun learning a lot each day. “The peaches were really good when we put spices on them and cooked them. I also dried corn.” Meghan MacIntyre had fun teaching children‟s games such as walking on stilts, spinning wooden tops, nine pins (similar to bowling) and more. Dagny Barone stitched quilts, an extremely detail-oriented and concentrationrequired activity. It hurt her fingers but, “It was surprisingly fun to be working with a bunch of old ladies.” Because quilting is so time-consuming, she learned to break the task down in her mind, considering each square as an accomplishment. Brad

Heinzinger helped to serve food to hungry participants and attendees of the festival, shucking and roasting corn on the cob on Friday, and keeping the condiment table stocked on Saturday. Perkiomen Upper School participants included Haley Schultz (18th century sausage-making) Anya Schultz (processing flax), Kate Wetzel and J.C. Wetzel (helping in the kitchen, and Jay Owens (helping to drive the horse drawn ice truck around the festival grounds). All of those students have been participating for years. One Perk alum, Alex Casadonte „01, is even a master craftsman now, after several years as an apprentice beginning in sixth grade. Alex demonstrates his knife-sharpening trade to festival attendees, and teaches apprentices of his own. If you missed the folk festival this year, don‟t despair. Students who are in the summer of their fifth grade or older can sign up for next year‟s festival which will take place on August 13-14, 2010. There is no fee to participate, and Pennsylvania German lunch fare is provided. See Mrs. Scherrer if you‟re interested. Or, for more information about the festival or Goschenhoppen historians, visit http://www.goschenhoppen.org.

Brad husks fresh corn.

Meghan teaches children‟s games.

Minuette practices her needlework.

Hannah slices peaches for cobbler.

Dagny concentrates on her quilting.

Meghan learns how to make cornhusk dolls. 6

Running for Goals By Maddy Faraco and Mindi Gallagher

This season of field hockey we have been working more on conditioning our bodies. We also have been running, exercising, and stretching more with the high school. The coaches this year are Mrs. Bock and Mrs. Edwards who are helping us get in shape from a lazy summer and strengthening our skills.

This year the team welcomes Kyra, Sophia, Brianna, Sarah, Olivia, and the returning members Katherine, Dagny, Emma, Dorita, Meghan, Hannah, Maddy , and Mindi. As a tradition, the team picks two returning eighth graders to become captains. The team this year picked Mindi and Maddy. The whole team is looking forward to a fresh fun season with new and old faces and plenty of wins as a team. So far, the returning players are enjoying another year, while the new players are getting the hang of the game. But everyone has improved already, especially with practicing stick work every day with shuttles and other useful drills. We are working on our shooting while Dorita gets to work on defending the goal. We do game situations such as the three-manweave and three on two. The three-man-weave is when there are three girls with the middle girl starting with the ball. The middle girl passes to either girl on

the outside, then runs behind the girl. Then the girl with the ball continues the pattern. Three on two means there are three offenders and two defenders. Mrs. Bock explains everything that we are doing

wrong or that we could improve on. We had play day on September 16th. We tied three games and won twice. All three ties were 0-0. The wins were 4-0 and 1-0. The goals were scored by Olivia, Maddy, Emma, Dagny, and Mindi. We also had a home game on the 18th of September against Westmont and we tied 0-0. Then we had an away game on the 21st of September against Kimberton and won 3-0. Goals were scored by Katherine, Olivia, and Mindi. Over all, this is going to be a great season!

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Soccer Kicks with input from Eric Cola and Brad Heinzinger

The boys have had an exhilarating start of the year! We have won most of our games until the most recent one. On playday, the team did great! We won our first game vs. Montgomery, with a score of 2-0. Jason and Louis scored. Our second game we won 3-1 against Kimberton. Miles Longstreth scored two of the goals and Jason also scored one. The next game we played was against Swain. We tied 0-0 and Dylan had an awesome shutout. The last game was against Wyndcroft and we walked away with a win! Miles Longstreth and Paul scored in that game. The team benefits from the fact that we have so many experienced players; JJ Lee, Anthony Cassel, Miles Johnston, Eric Cola, Beau Tang, Loui Liao, Jason Lee, Paul Kim, Brad Heinzinger, Ziggy Wang, and Ben Jaindl. Our new players are improving a lot and are showing great endurance. Miles Longstreth, Duncan MacIntyre, Tristan Hardinger,

Trout in the Classroom

Josh Jang, James Chen, Eric Parlin, Alex Hess, and Dylan Pine are the new players. Loui “bigfoot” can kick the ball really far. Tristan is a very effective goalie and Jason and Paul have excellent foot skills. Our team works together really well, passing the ball a lot with good defense. The defensive players, JJ, Ben, Ziggy, and James, are getting better at getting the ball up to the offensive area. Coach Segear played goalie on her college team, and now does a great job of teaching defense and goalie skills. Coach Romasco has taught the offense many new skills. The team‟s record is great so far, and we are hoping to continue it. Come out and cheer for the team! be released into the Unami Creek, the very river where Mr. Klavon learned to fish.

While in the tank, the students will work to maintain the water chemistry, clean and care for the This year, Mr. Klavon‟s science classes will be participat- trout, as well as learn about the features of our ening in the Trout in the Classroom project, a nationwide vironment that affect the success of these fish. program meant to teach students about coldwater conser- These topics will include the importance of bactevation and to foster continued interest in conservation, ria to aquatic envimanagement, and recreation activities in our rivers and ronments, the efstreams. fect of humans on In Pennsylvania, the program is managed through the state water quality, the Fish and Boat Commission in partnership with Trout features of healthy Unlimited and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. watersheds, as well as fishing and flyThe students will maintain a 55-gallon fish tank, located tying. in the Nallo Center, which will be the home to approximately 300 brook trout eggs. After hatching, the fry will be raised throughout the school year, until they reach a For more information, visit http:// length between two and four inches, after which they will www.fish.state.pa.us/education/tic/tic_index.htm. by Mr. Klavon

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