TMS Klutzes on Crutches by Christine Allison, Emily Scarcella, and Melisa Tupkusic

Everyone has their moment, a time that they would like to go back and have a chance to do over. For most of the students pictured above, all on crutches, in casts, or both, the moments they would like to do over involve some careless accidents that they feel pretty silly talking about now. In a recent interview, we learned that Gina Valenti, an eighth grader, earned her injury by showing her team spirit at cheerleading practice. She ended up breaking her arm. To begin his wonderful year at Tyrrell, 6th grader Nick Welton broke his foot when he fell off the bleachers in the school gym. Eighth grader, Jenna Roberts fractured her ankle three times in the 6th grade, and now had to get her ankle re-broken to heal it properly. She hasn’t been too lucky in the past! Eighth grade student council representative, Domenic Setaro, after trying hard to come up with an exotic explanation for his injury, revealed that he hurt himself in a scooter accident. And finally, Tyrrell athletic standout, Carly Venditti, a girl well known for her smooth moves on the softball field, tripped over her own two feet while walking down a slightly sloped ramp. This act earned her a pair of nice, new crutches, and a few weeks rest. At this point, all of these students laugh about their injuries, and are shining light on their experiences with crutches by decorating them with vibrant colored duct tape.
So, what does the person who has to deal with these students day in and day out have to say about the matter? The school nurse, Mrs. Monroe, says, “The injured students all came in like a whirlwind! I have never seen this many injured children in such a short time!” Now she only wonders how they will all fit into the school elevator! It’s a sure fact that the students here at Tyrrell haven’t been too careful. It leads a person to wonder...do all middle school students own two left feet? Let’s hope not. And let’s hope that all of our good-natured klutzes on crutches have a speedy recovery! Thanks to all of them for agreeing to this article!

Spotlight on...Mr. Rocca by Angie Santos

How would you like to peek inside Mr.Rocca’s bright and imaginative mind? We all know that he makes science fun; but do we know the real Mr. Rocca? What’s his favorite sports team,? What does he like to do in his spare time? Continue on to sneak into this science teacher’s life outside of school.
As I sat down with Mr. Rocca I started off with an easy question, “What do you like to do outside of school?” I figured this fantastic teacher would respond with something related to fishing, and I was correct. “ I like to go fishing and spend time with my kids outdoors,” he responded. Then, since we always see Mr. Rocca eating, I was wondering what his favorite food might be. He answered, “Too many to name!” I glanced around the room and remembered that even though he’s a science teacher, Mr. Rocca is also a human man! Since all guys like sports, and I knew that Mr.Rocca coached baseball for a while, I cared to ask him what his favorite baseball team was. He replied, “Boston Red Sox!” Finally to conclude the interview I wanted to ask a random question. “If you had a narwhal what would you name it?” It didn’t take him long to respond with a well-fitting name, “Hope”. There you have it, a few simple, but possibly unanswered questions answered by Mr. Rocca.

Splash into Science by Kaitlyn Lofgren & Emily Scarcella

Every year, 7th grade science teacher, Ms.Trovato, runs a fantastic extra-curricular trip to Florida called Splash into Science. It’s a five day educational vacation where students learn about how organisms interact and rely on each other throughout the environment.
One activity the students participate in is visiting a turtle hospital. The students learn about how the turtles were injured, how workers rescued the turtles from danger, and how they nursed them back to health. Students actually get to feed the turtles and examine their x-rays!
After sitting down to talk with Ms. Trovato, we found that the highlight of the trip for the students is swimming with the dolphins. This activity takes place at Island Dolphin Care Center where they study anatomy, physiology, and mammal behavior. Ms.Trovato also added that the trip was fun, educational, and beneficial to all. The overall life lesson learned on the trip is to respect all of life and the planet we call home.

Stop Bullying at TMS by Matt Mastropietro

All throughout the school year at Tyrrell Middle School, there has been some bullying going on. Kids are getting treated unfairly. Bullies are using bad language and beating up kids that are not their size. The guidance counselors say that if you are getting bullied you should tell your teacher, principal, guidance counselors, or a family member right away. If you don’t tell them right away then the bullying will keep on happening and it will get worse. Some kids in other schools that are getting bullied have suicidal thoughts it gets so bad. Tyrrell Middle School is trying hard to get rid of all bullies. Every year, guidance counselors Ms. Hoveland and Ms. Buzzelli come to all classes and tell students about bullying and what to do if they are being bullied. Remember their advice...if someone is bullying you, you should just ignore them or give them the cold shoulder and walk away. Then be sure to report this problem to someone who could help you. If you don’t let anyone know about the problem, how can they help? Stand up for yourself and others who are being bothered by bullies and report the problem immediately. Bullying is a very serious thing, and you should take it seriously.

Author Visits TMS by Gabby Leary

Earlier this year, Jackie Davis, the author of Where the Ground Meets the Sky, came to visit Tyrrell Middle School. The videos and pictures she prepared for us were very interesting! The presentation included some very powerful video of the atomic bomb dropping. Ms. Davis also included pictures of Gabby, the girl that inspired her to write the book. Davis described Gabby as a smart, independent young women. When writing the book, Davis took those qualities into consideration when she developed the character of Hazel.
The students were surprised to hear that Ms. Davis described herself as the “world’s biggest liar.” What she really meant was that she was a great storyteller. She said that the lying had started when she was little. When she was about six and her brother was about four years old, she convinced him that their cat could talk, but only when her brother wasn’t in the room. She said that she was such a good liar that sometimes she made herself believe that the cat could really talk! The students enjoyed learning how bending the truth can sometimes lead to great stories.

The Halloween Dance That Wasn't by Steve Urbanski

This year’s DARE Halloween Dance has officially been canceled. There was a lot of stress debating whether there would be a dance or not. The dance was originally scheduled for Sunday, October 30th. Students excitedly decorated for the dance Friday after school. Who could possibly have known that the day before the dance we would be hit with a major snowstorm named Alfred? Can you believe a snowstorm in October?
The storm not only caused the dance to be cancelled, but also school was cancelled for three days! Some students and teachers were left without power for over a week.
After all the decorations were put up and ready, they got taken down for no one to witness. The dance was re-scheduled and then re-cancelled because of a scheduling problem. Yes, the dance was gone for good. Many people were disappointed with the decision, but it was final... and it was the end of the Halloween Dance that never came to be.

TMS Looks for a Little R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Saranda Alka

In the beginning of the marking period, Ms. Hovland introduced the T.M.S. Respect Program to students! This program rewards students for random acts of kindness. If a student is caught doing something good such picking up someone’s books or helping a teacher, he or she would be given a yellow sticky note which then gets turned in for a rewards bracelet. These bracelets come in a variety of colors such as blue and black or brown, black, and green! Do you know how many bracelets have been given out so far? Approximately 130! About two times a marking period, students with bracelets get rewarded. These rewards include going first for lunch, getting on the bus first, and doing some sort of fun activity after lunch. So help a friend, or even a stranger, and you just might just earn a RESPECT bracelet!

Edmodo by Brian Barker & Joe Daddona

This year, Tyrrell has stretched the importance of Edmodo, a site where students and teachers can talk about anything school related such as homework and class work. On this site teachers can reward badges to students for exceptional grades, for replying to a classmate, for helping a classmate, or for just signing up for Edmodo. Also, on the upper right side of the page there is a feature called notifications. These notifications are handy because they can include new grades, upcoming events, news alerts, and assignment comments from teachers. This helps students to get organized and be up-to-date on school activities and homework. Many teachers at TMS are using Edmodo this year as a way to stay connected to their students.

STUDENT COUNCIL REPORT by Evyn Callahan

Once again, the Student Council began the year by voting for homeroom representatives. These representatives meet every other week with advisors-Mrs. Azzara and Mrs. DiDominzio, and President Domenic Setaro. The first event Student Council members were involved in was the TMS Open House. Three dedicated representatives from each team volunteered to go back to school for two hours for both of the Open House days. They were there asking anybody and everybody to buy a raffle tickets to raise money for school activities. The winner of the raffle would win a gift card.
After that, the Student Council helped with the sale of pencil grams which were a huge hit! Throughout all the grades, they sold all of their 1,000 pencils. The Halloween themed pencils were sold at all lunch waves by Student Council representatives for 25 cents each. Any student who bought one could send a pencil and a note to anyone else in the school. Even some of the teachers were found writing with their Halloween themed pencils!
Student Council is also involved in the canned food drive which is going extremely well this year. The Student Council is hoping to get at least 4,000 cans this year. The most the school has donated in previous years is 3,500 cans which is a hard number to beat. But with good motivation like a pizza party for the winning homeroom, the TMS students might just meet their goal! Student Council members thank everyone for supporting their activities so far, and are hoping for other activities this year to do as well as these events.

Performing "Miss Awful" by Zoe Beckley & TuAnh Nguyen

Earlier this year, the Granite and Marble reading classes performed a reader’s theater based on Miss Awful by Arthur Cavanaugh. In the story, Roger, a carefree third grader, is shocked when his friendly and joyous teacher, Miss Wilson, goes to Omaha for a family emergency. She is then replaced by a strict teacher, Miss Orville, who disciplines the children, and is just awful. In the end, Roger finally realizes life isn’t meant to be all fun and games, and he improves his spelling skills.
The students acted out the lively characters such as Roger, Miss Orville, or, if they chose not to have a speaking part, made up the mothers and the students or brought in props. It was a fun way for the students to have the experience of theater and to enjoy a break from the regular classroom routine.

Grade 7 Visits Egypt by Serena Charbonneau

Students in Ms. Wry’s social studies classes just finished the most exciting project of the year! Last month, Ms. Wry, the peppy, fun-loving teacher everybody adores was so excited when she informed her students that they would be doing a project called “Journey Through Time”. Basically, students had to create a travel journal with entries describing their time in Egypt.
This month-long project turned out to be very time consuming, and counted as a test grade. In addition to the journal, students had to create a visual. Luckily, they had many options to consider, such as, illustrating each journal entry, creating a visual of the mummification process, creating a model of a mummy/sarcophagus, death mask, or pyramid. The Egypt project will require students to work solo, and much of it will be done at home. The purpose of this extraordinary, unique project was to help students understand daily life in Ancient Egypt. The 7th grade students loved doing the Egypt project!

TMS Chess Club by Ryan Fishbein

In late September, TMS kicked off its Chess Club. This after-school activity meets every Tuesday and is supervised by Mr. Toller. After the buses are called, club members go to Mr. Toller’s room and play chess until 3:30. Chess is a game that involves both strategy and thinking ahead. Most people discount the game because it takes a long time to learn. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes a great way to pass time. Chess isn’t the only thing that happens in Room 200. The students in the club have introduced a new game called Bug House. This game really gets the students pumped up because it’s fast moving and entertaining. The game still involves chess, but it’s more like team chess. Each time a player takes a piece, they can pass it to a person on their team to use on their board. All Chess Club members would agree that this game is a lot of fun!

Writing Memoirs by Kayla Mayo

Have you ever tried to turn a mere, vague memory into an entire story? Recently, in Ms. Mumley’s writing classes, students have been wracking their brains to remember the perfect childhood memory. They started out by thinking of some of their favorite memories and adding the key elements of an actual story. Once their memories had a theme, climax, and turning point they began to put in details everywhere. They wrote in “the zone” for forty five minutes non-stop and turned a memory of a few sentences into a three-paged story. Ms. Mumley assigned this project for the students to learn how to elaborate and experiment with a different writing style. Soon enough, these students will have a beautiful memoir about a part of their lives that they might have otherwise forgotten.

TMS Celebrates Hispanic Month by Nick Comeau & Zach Lepore

Earlier this Fall, Spanish classes had an exciting visit from Frank Riviera and his daughter Liliana. We thank our Spanish teachers Senorita Martineau, Senora Didominzio, Senora Daniels, and Senora Romero for planning this great event.
The Rivieras came to the Tyrrell auditorium to share their Latin American culture with us through music. They brought in many instruments native to Latin America. They sang and played many songs corresponding with the types of things we are learning in our Spanish classes such as numbers, months, and days of the week. It was an awesome experience being able to sing in a different language, but hard at times because we had to pay attention to the exotic tones in their voices. This activity was very interactive. Students were able to get up, play instruments, and sing along with the Rivieras. Students can’t wait until next year when hopefully the Rivieras can make a return visit.

Running the Mile by Anthony DeLuco

The world’s fastest recorded time for the mile run by man, is 3:43.13, held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco on July 7, 1999. The fastest time for a woman, held by Sevetlana Masterkova of Russia is 4:12.56 on August 14, 1996. While the kids of Tyrrell Middle School ran it nowhere near that time, they sure did their best on a recent fitness test.
Each year in October this testing event takes place across the nation. While the 6th and 8th graders took part in the mile run at Wolcott High School, the 7th graders ran it around the soccer field in the back of the school.
The goals set for the boys are anywhere from 10 to 11 minutes depending on their age; and for the girls the goals set are anywhere from 11.5 to 12 minutes also depending on the age of the student. Most Tyrrell students are able to meet these goals.
The mile run is a test of fitness, that may not be much fun, but it is required by the state, and it does provide a challenge for sure. To improve their times, many students have started running just for fun!

Tyrrell Girls Soccer by Emily Cofrancesco & Megan Doubleday

The Tyrrell girls always gives it their all when they step out onto the soccer field. Soccer gives the girls something to look forward to after a long day at school. At practice they work hard, doing drills to improve their skills. The girls are like a family. They help each other on the field and off and are always motivating each other to do better. Mrs. Kotwicki coaches the girls as if they were her own daughters. She is a great coach and is always pushing the girls to do their best in games and in practice. Mia Hamm, a professional soccer player always says, “You can master soccer as long as you’re committed to the sport.” Now, after reading this article, and seeing what Tyrrell Soccer is all about, we encourage you to come down and tryout next year. We are always looking for some new talent.

TMS Boy Soccer by Brennan Zynda

With Mr. Terry as the coach, Matt DelBuono, Nick Roth, and Simon Kubrynski as the captains, the Tyrrell Boy’s Soccer Team is feared throughout the league. With Nick Roth in the goal, Matt Delbuono, Simon Kubrynski, Matt Finke, Tyler Lagasse, Nick Mango, Alex Hale, Collin Jenkins, Dan Kubrynski, along with Jake Audibert playing midfield and forward, and Brennan Zynda, Anthony Menillo, Connor Hillman, Donovan Bianchi, and Ryan Audibert on defense, they are hard to beat. The TMS team ended their season with an outstanding record of 4-5-0. Our coach will have to plan ahead knowing that we will be losing some fantastic eighth graders next year!

Cross Country by Joe Filippone & Preston Lavoie

“Huuu-uhhh-huuu-uhhh-huuu-uhhh,” is the sound you hear as the kids are draining the last of their energy trying to finish the 2.1 mile course. Why are they doing this? They are part of the Tyrrell Cross Country Team. The team either stays at Tyrrell or travels to other schools for an away meet. No matter where the Tornadoes run, the students always give it their all. To improve their running, students stay after school, and Mr. Goldstone makes it worth their while. The students that work hard at practices get what they put into it at meets. Everyone seems to improve their times meet after meet. Some members of the team run to keep in shape for other sports such as soccer, football, and basketball. Also, they hope to become faster, have better stamina, and keep good health. If this sounds like the right choice for you, then you should sign up next year.

TMS Volleyball by Justine Bracco

The TMS Volleyball Team has just ended an amazing season, losing only three games. Eighth grade co-captains Carly Venditti and Rachel Schippani definitely knew how to lead the team. The junior varsity team had a great season as well. Both teams worked together perfectly. Through September and October the girls worked tirelessly defeating teams from the region. But, being on the Tyrrell Volleyball Team is not all about work.. The team still had time for fun. On November 3rd they had a Family vs. Team Game followed by a party to celebrate the end of the season. Then on November 10th, they held a Teachers vs. Team Game which was a lot of fun for everyone. Thanks to all of the parents, teachers, and spectators for supporting volleyball at Tyrrell!

Reading is Rewarding by Maia Regan & Taylor Riviezzo

The 6th grade Diamond and Platinum teams participate in a program called Team Read. The Team Read program gives students the opportunity to read and get rewarded for it. The program will continue throughout all marking periods during the school year. The first marking period reward is Game Day in which students can bring in their favorite games and enjoy them with some of their friends. The second marking period reward is Popcorn and a Movie (students’ choice). The third marking period reward is the Hot Dog Roast which will be enjoyed in the TMS picnic area. Finally, students meeting all reading goals will get to miss classes and go to the Woodtick Recreation Center for the day! With all these amazing, superb prizes, who wouldn’t push themselves to reach the 1,200-page goal?

Island Projects by Billy Platt, Michael Polzella & Tyler Sgrott

Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Garbus organized an activity called the Island Project. Mrs. Wright had groups, while Mrs. Garbus had students work alone. The Island Project was an assignment where students had to make up their own islands. The students were allowed to make an island however they wanted it to be, but had to include five landforms and five bodies of water that were named by something similar to the type of island they created. The students also had to write or type an oral presentation on the physical and human features of the island. They then had to present it in front of their class, and name all of their land-forms and bodies of water. If working in groups, they all had a turn to read. The students had an enjoyable time creating their own personal islands.

Camp Mataucha by Jillian Noack & Erin MacDonald

Did you know that the Diamond and Platinum team students in 6th Grade took a field- trip to Camp Mataucha in Watertown? Back in September, the students had fun swinging on ropes, walking on shaky logs, and competing against other groups to see who could build the highest structure with just paper and tape! Other fun games involved cup stacking, flipping tarps with your feet, and sliding on the huge slide! The reason we went on this trip was to build teamwork and team spirit. For example, the kids (about 20 at a time) had to all try to fit on a small, moving log! As you can tell, the 6th graders sure had a great time at Camp Mataucha!

"Just Once" Powerpoints & Storyboards by Lauren Robert & Julia Williams

Recently, the sixth grade reading classes created storyboards or Powerpoints to retell the short story, Just Once. The students had to include the characters, setting, conflict, three main ideas, climax, and resolution. The storyboards had to include lots of colorful drawings and the Powerpoints had to have many interesting effects. After students created their projects they had to present them in front of the class.
It was amazing how creative the projects were, and so different from one another. The unlimited choices in format, color schemes, and photos allowed the students to individualize their presentations. No two were exactly alike. Most students did very well with this challenge, and enjoyed the project tremendously!

Growing Plants in Water? by Taylor Dalton, Amanda Morelli & Wenting Zheng

Tyrrell’s 6th grade Project Explore students have researched, designed, and built systems to grow different kinds of plants without any soil. All the students had to research different hydroponic designs. It was a tough decision for them to choose between high and low priced designs, complicated and simple systems, and then decide how to add their own unique design. Some of the common materials in all of the designs are air pumps, air stones, seeds, water, small/medium sized containers, growing medium, duct tape, Styrofoam, and TLC. These systems are now all up and running in the Project Explore greenhouse. In each class period, the students have been checking and recording their plants’ growth. Some students have had to make changes to their systems in order to get their plants to grow better. Each week, most students have seen growth in their plants, and hopefully soon enough there will be a fully grown plant. All of the students have had to be very creative during this process, and have been enjoying this project. You should check out the hydroponic systems in the RM 113 greenhouse for yourself! They are pretty cool!

Capitalization Dark Marker by Gillian Farina, Caitlin Frosolone, & Kiana LaRock

Mrs. Nicol, Mrs. Rosa, Mrs. MJ, and Mrs. Uccello all found an interesting way to teach their students the rules of capitalization. They showed their students a video called “Dark Marker”. First, the video started off at a newspaper printing press where Dark Marker had taken over the publisher’s newspaper articles and made capitalization problems. The Dark Marker had stolen all the capital letters! The heroic team of office supplies helped defeat the Dark Marker. by traveling across the world using clues and fixing errors the Dark Marker had left behind. Luckily, the Dark Marker was defeated at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The team traveled back to the printing office and saved the day by fixing all of the errors on the publisher’s computer. This helped review all of the rules of capitalization (which can be very boring) in a fun way for students.

Five Themes of Geography Brochure by Spencer miers & Hailey Popovich

A little while back, you may have taken a stroll past one of the computer labs and seen many student typing furiously. You may have wondered what Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Garbus’s students were working on so diligently. Well, they were creating interesting, five-themes-of-geography brochures for social studies. The goal here was to learn about location, place, region, relationship (HEI), and movement. These students eagerly worked for three days and enjoyed this activity very much. Most students agreed that creating a mini-project for the geography themes made the topic more interesting and fun. Thanks Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Garbus for coming up with the idea!

Science Students Measure Up! by Evan Guerrera, Alex Hale & Dan Kubrynski

In Mrs. Bove-Virr’s and Mr. Jones`s science classes, students were given the challenge of designing a new classroom. This assignment was done to practice measuring, because students had to have the measurements the same as the actual room. All 6th graders were given a partially finished diagram of the science rooms which they had to complete by taking accurate measurements of the classrooms. After students finished the measuring, they got the opportunity to make their own designs for what they wanted their classrooms to look like. The only criteria was that they had to have the room seat 25 kids and they had to label what they drew in the key they created. Students worked exceptionally hard because they were told that it would be taken as a test grade; but they enjoyed the assignment and did a splendid job!

Sunshine State of Mind...a music review by Angelina Vaccarelli

“Sunshine State of Mind” by We the Kings is an album full of the type of music that makes you want to get up and dance. It’s pop music and has a lot of great beats. This is the perfect album to be listening to while at the beach. I would recommend this album for people in middle school, so around 11 to 15 years of age. I especially like the song “Friday is Forever”. I like this song because it makes me feel happy every time I listen to it. However, I do not like the song called “The View From Here” because it has a slow pace to it. I like songs that are happy and full of vibe. All together the album “Sunshine State of Mind” by We the Kings is a great mixture of music. Next time you are shopping for a new CD, why not give it a listen or check out We the Kings on You Tube?

Footloose...a movie review by Alyse DeLuca

This remake of the 1984 original Footloose will be sure to lift your spirits up. In the small southern town of Bolmont, dancing had been prohibited for five years when Ren MacCormack, played by Kenny Wormald moved into town from Boston. Kenny Wormald played an outstanding role as the troublemaker, Ren McCormack who tried to get the unfair law changed. While he tried to get the whole town to take a stand against this law, he fell in love with the pastor’s daughter, Ariel played by Julianne Hough. Miles Teller, as Willard, amused the audience as he struggled to learn to dance.
Although this movie was a little corny at times this movie was filled with incredible dancing, young love, and a little action. It’s a perfect movie for teens through adults. I would highly recommend this movie for a weekend night out or a girl’s night in. Although you might be considering saving this for Red Box, the sounds of the beats and stomping feet are more real when you’re actually in the theater. If you’re interested in musicals, then this movie will be right up your alley.

Dying to Meet You...a book review by Chloe Chance

I would have given the book Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise four and a half out of a possible five stars. I like this book especially around Halloween because it has a little bit of a creepy twist to it, and although the book is not very suspenseful, it does contain enough unanswered questions, mysteries, and letters to keep you reading on and on. I couldn’t put it down. It is a short and fun book, and it only took me about a week to read it. So you may wonder why I only gave this book a four and a half out of five? It was a nice book, but kind of short for me. I think the author could have made it more suspenseful. All in all, I loved this book. If you want to read it, I found it at the Wolcott Public Library.

Hawaii Five-O...TV review by Mike Christopher

If you're ever bored at 10 pm on Monday night, turn to CBS, and the Hawaiian police drama series Hawaii Five-O. This show is a remake from days gone by, but manages to still keep viewers interested in fighting crime in Honolulu. Alex O’Loughlin stars as Steve McGarret, a former US naval officer assigned to form an elite crime fighting team. Co-star, Scott Caan plays McGarret’s main sidekick Danno Williams. The show is based in Honolulu and includes beautiful scenery and lots of action. I really like and recommend this action-packed, funny, and entertaining show. Check it out for yourself!