TMS OPENS SCHOOL STORE By Autumn Briglia & Regan Richard

              At the end of October, Tyrrell Take-Out, the new Tyrrell school store had its grand opening.  Mrs. Tansley got things started with a ribbon cutting ceremony.      Students flooded the store in hopes of being the first to see what items were on sale there. And they were happy to find a good variety of things being sold.  Presently, there are many school supplies being sold  -   pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, index cards, loose leaf paper, binders, Wite-Out tape, rulers, poster boards, glue sticks, and more.  The store also carries some fun items such as puzzle cubes, hacky sacks, and critter clip-ons.  Tyrrell Take-Out just started carrying the very popular multi-colored para-cord bracelets, and they sold out in just two days!

             The eighth grade Project Explore students are responsible for ordering,    stocking, pricing, and keeping the inventory for the store.  They also take care of     customers along with help from the Project Explore sixth and seventh graders. As the year progresses, there will be additional items added to the store, like customized    Tyrrell items such as hats, water bottles, tee-shirts, book covers, etc. 

               Tyrrell Take-Out is open during Monday, Wednesday, and Friday lunch waves.  If you need supplies for  either your classes or projects, the school store is sure to have everything you need. The Project Explore students will be happy to assist you with your purchases, and will  finalize your transaction with a required receipt. Profits from the school store will go directly into the school activity fund, so when you support the store, you are helping all students at Tyrrell Middle School.  So why not stop by and do some shopping? Can’t wait to see you all there!

Spotlight on… Mr. Jones By Jessica Bylyku & Selina Capozzi

Ever wonder what goes on behind the wacky world of Mr. Jones? Well,  as two of his former students, we sat down with our favorite teacher and got the truth about what makes him tick. What are his dreams? What does he do to relax? What’s his happiest memory? The answers are coming right up, and they just might surprise you!

Early one morning, we got together with sixth grade science teacher Mr. Jones to discover just what goes on in Mr. Jones’s creative mind. When asked what he does to relax, Mr. Jones casually said, “I love to just hang out with family and spend time with those I love. I also go on Facebook!” After laughing some, we went to the next question, asking what his dreams were. “I would love to just explore the world and the natural phenomenon. I want to be a role model and make a difference for my kids.” Then, we asked him what his happiest memory was. After giving it some thought he said, “The birth of my three kids has to be the happiest time of my life. They are my everything, and I crave them when I’m away.” We asked Mr. Jones if there was anything else he wanted to share with us. “I grew up in     Wolcott and have been teaching science for seven years. I love teaching, and the middle school atmosphere!” Also, Mr. Jones has a gecko spotted lizard named Miss Chewy in his room! Full of corny jokes, booming laughter, and  buckets of fun, we think it’s finally time to put a spotlight on Mr. Jones!

John’s “Running Dream” By Caitlin Mahoney & Jillian Noack

              In September, Tyrrell students greatly enjoyed a visit from John Tartaglio, a double AK amputee.  He told everyone his story, and how he’s overcome his obstacles along the way.  When John was a junior in high school, he was perfectly      normal, athletic,  and healthy… that is until he developed a rare

infection,  which less than forty people had ever had before him.  Because of this, doctors were forced to amputate his two legs.

             Although the process was very difficult for the young athlete, with a lot of perseverance and hope, John began to set small goals for himself  -  ones that he knew he had a good chance  of achieving.  One of these goals included walking to receive his high school diploma on his graduation day.  After that came many races, a college degree, and several triathlons.  Lastly, his final goal was to complete the 26.2 mile long New York City Marathon.  Using his “running legs”, John finally completed the long course.

             During John Tartaglio’s presentation, Tyrrell kids were definitely inspired by his accomplishments.  John was even able to teach us how to set our own goals.  His main tip was to start small, and do something that is possible to achieve.  From there, keep building on.  Also, in the school-wide assembly, we discussed this year’s One School One Read book, The Running Dream.  We analyzed the similarities and differences between John’s experiences and the book’s main character, Jessica’s experiences.  For sure, all of the Tyrrell students enjoyed the assembly run by our guest speaker, John Tartaglio.

Unity Day By Gabby Hamel & Wenting Zheng

             On Wednesday, October 10th, Tyrrell students fluorescently united with schools all across the country in the fight against bullying.   October is Bullying Awareness Month, and  Unity Day is the day kids and staff wore orange to show bullying victims they were not alone.

              This cause is so important, that Tyrrell’s participation in Unity Day was actually on TV news! “You should be able to be yourself,” says MiNasia Lewis in her interview with Fox News. She made clear that no one should have to be afraid  to come to school, because they are never alone. The Tyrrell guidance department got Unity Day started, and asked everyone in the building to wear orange. The students at TMS are certainly lucky to have guidance counselors like Mrs. Buzzelli and Mrs. Bishopric who are aware of problems with bullying, and have good advice to give to students who are having problems with   bullying. It is important to know that Tyrrell is a safe place to come to school, and a safe place for everyone to just be themselves.  Everyone thanks Mrs. Buzzelli and Mrs. Bishopric for all they do for us.  Thank you also to all the students and teachers that participated in this truly inspiring day.  They all help make Tyrrell a great place to be every day

TMS Florida Trip... By Evan Guerrera & Alex Hale

              This year the students of the 7th grade have an extraordinary opportunity. They have the chance to visit the great state of Florida and what it has to offer their growing minds. The trip which is run by seventh grade science teacher Ms. Trovato, will last for a full five days, and include pure learning and adventure! Here is a taste of what students will experience. First, they will have the time of their lives swimming with dolphins!  Snorkeling at a reef is also included on this trip! As an added bonus, the students will be able to explore the Everglades at night! They will surely have a  blast exploring the vast landscape!

                So, we hope we’ve convinced you to consider embarking on this journey of learning and fun.  If you do    decide to take the trip the Florida this June, it will surely be an experience of a lifetime!  And if you don’t get to go this year, maybe you’ll catch it next time around!

The Discovery Program By Gillian Farina & Caitlin Frosolone

Learning about your teachers and peers is truly interesting, so that’s why TMS   started the new Mentor/Mentee program. Students are put into small groups, depending on their grade and homeroom, with various teachers called mentors. With these teachers,  students learn about making goals, bullying, and improving their lives as they grow up to be mature adults. The strategies they learn will help them through the rest of middle school, through high school, and even through college. Our guidance counselors were thoughtful, and set up Naviance accounts on the computers for students so that they could interact with them and help them if something is bothering them. There are many activities on the website related to setting goals,    understanding bullying, and finding ways to become better students. Our teachers want us to respect, and be         respected by others, and that is another reason for the Discovery Program. You see, when you learn new things about other people, you sometimes end up learning new things about yourself.

Children’s Books Josh Lavallee & Billy Platt

The students in 7th grade at Tyrrell Middle School are going back to their roots and doing something special in writing class this year. They’re creating children’s books! This assignment might be for a grade, but it’s definitely a fun one. The students will work from rough to final drafts, then go on the computer and make their ideas come to life. They’ll use their written copies to make the text on the pages, and they can add pictures   already found on the program, or draw their own pictures and scan them into the computer. Their projects will get saved into the online system, so whoever goes on the  program can see some great examples of children’s books. This is one project students will definitely enjoy doing, and one they will not soon forget.