Save the Date!

the

McGinnis Newsletter

Halloween Songs

1. The Ramones - Pet Cemetery No good list could be complete without a Ramones song, The Ramones are a punk band that started in Queens NY in 1974, they have many great and famous songs,

but this song stands out as a Halloween song. This song was

written because Stephen King wrote a story about Joey Ramone, so to return the favor, the Ramones wrote Pet Cemetery. 2. Alice Cooper - Welcome to my Nightmare Alice Cooper is known to be a cool dude with some creepy songs, but this song was one of Cooper's biggest hits and even got on the TV show, The Muppets. The actual band Alice Cooper started in 1969 and is still going today. This song, like all the songs on this list, has a cool Halloween vibe and makes any Halloween party a good one. This song was written in a boy named Stevens Nightmare, it is all one big story of this kids nightmare. 3. Marilyn Manson - This is Halloween Marilyn Manson formed in 1989 and has made some extremely creepy music, He covered this movie score. If you have watched the movie Nightmare Before Christmas you have heard this song as the main scene. It’s the town people singing the song, but Manson put an awesome vibe on this and totally rocked this classic hit.

Getting to know Mrs. Espana Recently we had the chance to sit down with Mrs. Espana and interview her. Since Mrs. Espana is new to our school, I'm sure many of you want to know more about her. After speaking to her we have came to the conclusion that she is a passionate, strong minded, and astonishing woman. We believe that she will make this school become one of the most successful schools in this district. Although she is a very busy woman, she took the time to sit down with us, which showed us that she cares about the students in our school and what’s happening around our school. I believe that it’s very important that we, the students, know more about our new principal

Interview continued on page 2.

PTO Meeting November 17, 2015

Covered Dish November 20, 2015 Bring a covered dish to share with all.

No School November 26 & 27 Celebrate Thanksgiving with your family.

F A L L 2 0 1 5

PTO Meeting, Student of the Month and Staff Member of the Month Ceremony.

By: Matthew Zaleski

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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Interview with Mrs. Espana By: Samantha Aguillon and Ashley Perez

Now that you have been here for a few weeks, how do you like it at McGinnis? “I love the kids and staff, they have been very welcoming.’’ When asked if it was hard getting used to our school, Mrs.

Espana told us that it was kind of tough getting used to the district and school, but she has enjoyed every minute of it.

Where did you work before you came to McGinnis? “I was a vice-principal for about 10 years at East Orange Performing Arts School - grades 6 through 12 and also I worked

in Elizabeth school”. When asked which she liked better, vice-principal or principal, she told us that both jobs require a lot of responsibility and dedication, as they’re both pretty intense jobs.

What is the biggest problem you would consider is happening in McGinnis School?

The biggest problem would have to be the climate [how people feel]. Some teachers feel they aren’t getting the respect they deserve. The exact words that came from her are “I'm not perfect, I make a lot of mistakes and that's why I need my team to help me along the way”. Teamwork is very important based on her words. She believes kids are very passionate and great; they just need to put a bit more effort in their work and believe they can do whatever they want if put their mind to it.

What are some of your favorite things in Perth Amboy so far?

She really enjoys the availability of Spanish food. She had avena for the first time ever and loved it very much. She loves being surrounded by her culture. She was born in New York, but is Cuban and Ecuadorian.

Are there any new and exciting things or events that the students in McGinnis can look forward to this school

year? The new principal would love to have more social events, raffles, and family events, which would help students, become

motivated. She is also looking forward to the 8th grade dance and would love for it to be an unforgettable moment, since she loves dances.

Did you always want to be an educator growing up? If not what did you want to be? Mrs. Espana didn’t always want to be an educator; she wanted to be a Broadway actress and dancer. She taught dance

classes, but in college her mom suggested to try out the career of a teacher in which she got really interested and decide to stick to it.

Where did you grow up during your childhood and do you have any siblings? Mrs. Espana grew up in Elizabeth and has one sister that's 3 years younger than her. Her sister is also a teacher and

teaches first grade.

Where did you go to high school and did you play any sports? She went to Elizabeth High School and graduated in the year 1990. She did dance in her school and participated in the

school musical theater, cheerleading, and was sophomore president.

October is college month at McGinnis. Where did you go to college? She attended Kean University - she got her BA and masters there.

Do you have any advice for the students at McGinnis? Is there a message you would like to send to the students of

McGinnis? “Strive to be the best person you can be. DREAM big. There are a lot of opportunities we are giving to you and we want

you take them and accomplish whatever you want to be. The opportunities are there, it’s only matter of time before you decide to take them. You are creating the road of where you want to be during middle school. In high school you create it and then college you take off ” In conclusion, Mrs. Espana is new to Perth Amboy but has experience from her previous jobs. She is also a mother of two children, around the same age as us. She has succeeded in being a successful adult. It was an honor interviewing her. She must’ve been very busy, and for her to make time in her busy schedule for us was really great. It showed that she wants to get more involved with the students. It was a pleasure getting to know more about our new principal, and we hope that we helped you if you wanted to learn more about who’s going to be taking our school towards success.

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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Fun Facts

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outbouquettablesfilledwithfoodandalsoedibleofferingswereputouttokeepunwelcomespiritsfromtheirhomes.Inlatercenturiespeoplestarteddressingasghostsandothergruesomecreatures,performinganticsinexchangeforfoodanddrink.Sortofhownowkidsdressincostumesandgodoortodooraskingforcandy.Thisisanoldcustom,sooldthatitdatesbacktotheMiddleAgesandwasknownasmumming-thisisalsothoughttobetherootsoftrick-or-treating.Inrecenttimesoftrick-or-treatingbythe20thcenturyinIrishandScottishcommunities,prankshadbecometheHalloweenactivitychoiceforrowdyyoungpeople/teenagers,andsometimesamountingtomorethan$100,000indamageseachyearinmajormetropolitanareas.

TheJack-O-Lantern

EveryOctober,carvedpumpkinspeeroutfromporchesanddoorstepsintheUnitedStatesandothercountriesoftheworld.Buthowdiditallstart?Thepracticeofdecoratingjack-O-lanternscamefromanoldIrishfolktaleaboutamannamedStingyJack,whooriginatedinIreland,wherelargeturnipsandpotatoesservedasanearlycanvas.IrishimmigrantsbroughtthetraditiontoAmerica,homeofthepumpkin,anditbecameaskyrocketinghiteversince,andisusedeveryOctober.

5 Facts you didn’t know about Halloween

1) The first Jack-O-Lanterns were made out of turnips. 2) Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas. 3) Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween. 4) The owl is a popular Halloween image. In medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die. 5) The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Narm Carver, who broke the world record in 1993 with an 836-pound pumpkin.

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HalloweenisoneofAmerica'smostfavoriteholidays,butwhat'stherealstorybehindthetricksortreatsofHalloween?We'llfindoutalltheanswerstoyourquestionshere!

HowItAllStarted

Halloweengotitsrootsintheancient,pre-christian

CelticfestivalofSamhain,whichwascelebratedonthenightofOctober31;whichiswhywecelebrateHalloweenonthatexactdate.TheCeltswholivedover2,000yearsagointheareathatwenowknowasIreland,theUnitedKingdomandNorthernFranceusedtobelievethedeadwouldreturntoearth.WhentheyreturnedonSamhain(October31)thelivingwouldgatheraroundtheirvillageandlightbonfires,offersacrificesandpaytheirduestothedeceased.

FunFact

Noonereallyknowswhereandwhenthephrase"trick-or-treat"startedbutithasbeenacustomeversinceHalloweencolonizedovertoAmerica.

Duringsomeofthesecelebrationsvillagerswoulddisguisethemselvesincostumesmadeofanimalskinstodriveawayphantomvisitors(ghosts).Somevillagerswouldalsoset

By: Quiana Mendez

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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4 of the Scariest Places in the World The Princess Theatre The Princess Theatre in Melbourne, Australia is said to be haunted by a man named Frederick Federici. Fred Federici was an Italian Opera singer who was famous during his time (which was in the 1800’s). One night during a show, Federici sang his last note as he descended through a trapdoor in the stage. When he got to the bottom, he had a heart attack and died at 37. He was taken to a dressing room, where a doctor was unable to revive him. Ever since, the theatre’s staff, actors (and actresses) have reported seeing a ghostly figure during the evening dress rehearsal.

Screaming Tunnel The Screaming Tunnel is located in the northwest corner of

Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. The legend tells of the tunnel being haunted by a young girl. She had escaped a burning farm building with all of her clothes on fire. She tried running through the tunnel, hoping that she would discover help on the other side. Unfortunately, she was burned alive and died in the tunnel. This is how the legend ends: If you light a match inside the tunnel, you will be able to hear the girl’s screaming (hence “The Screaming Tunnel”).

Shades of Death Road Otherwise known as “Shades”, this road in Warren County, New Jersey, is about 7 miles long, and is a very popular tourist site. There are many folklores and legends of why this place has its name. One tells of many car accidents occurring there, because of its winding and twisting geography. It is also told that a lake there, named “Cat Hollow”, had many wild cats that would attack tourists as they drove through. All of these people now “haunt” the road as a warning to the people who visit, like they don’t want to let another soul be confined to the shadows.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum This museum in Cambodia used to be a high school. I was then turned into a jail where most of the classroom walls were hollowed out to make cells for prisoners. Many prisoners died there, and later it was turned into a museum for tourists. The prisoners were tortured. Many of them died, and the museum keeps their skulls in cabinets, for people to see. As of 1999, there have been 79 victims of the jail on record. Tourists say that while walking through the museum, they can picture the prisoners in their cells, waiting to rot away into nothingness.

By: Vanessa Mendoza

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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How are you going to survive Middle School?

Do you want advice? Do you want to pass middle school? Wake up! You may not know it yet, but as the years go by, the more important every moment is. One day, I started fifth grade. Now, all of a sudden my eighth grade teachers are talking about graduation. This whole thing, middle school, is going to end quickly. Time is going to fly! That’s why I’, telling you – wake up! Don’t slack off. Don’t forget. Don’t submit sloppy, lazy work to the teacher and tell them, “I did my very best on this.” Study. Learn. Benefit. Stay low, don’t cause drama or give in to it. These are some of the defining years of your life. Don’t waste them by ditching class to go socialize in the hallways or bathroom. So, do you really want some advice on how to successfully make it through McGinnis School? My advice is - wake up!

By: Daniel Jimenez

Middle school is basically the craziest years that will occur in your life. Huge transitions take place that change your life completely. You’re not little kids anymore. You’re growing up. It is a lot to handle with keeping grades up and pursuing other school activities or dealing with any issues. A main piece of advice that I would always keep in mind is to have a goal, a goal that would benefit you in the future. For instance, my mindset was to stay focused with my grades. On top of that I was doing extra after school things like cheerleading and gymnastics. It was hard, but I was still able to end each school year with straight A’s. Learn how to prioritize what’s important. So from my experience, here is advice on how to make it through middle school. I believe an important thing about school is dealing with teachers. They all expect and want different things from you as a student. Following their rules will make your life so much easier. Even if they accuse you of doing something you didn’t do, talking back won’t get you anywhere but detention. Some teachers are way easier to pass than others. Don’t expect them all to lay the work right in front of you. YOU need to do the work. One main rule that you should seriously follow is not talking when the teacher is. It’s very disrespectful and the teacher is most likely trying to tell you something that will benefit you. Save whatever you have to say for later. Besides, you shouldn’t be there to talk – you should be there to learn. Remember that the teachers are there to help you, and although you still might get aggravated with a few of them, they are there to teach you.

Actually focusing on school is what should be done as soon as you walk into the building every morning. When your teacher is explaining/teaching, just sit and listen. Learn. Even raise your hand once in a while if you know the answer. Participate in the class discussions. For future reference, write down everything you feel is important, you might need it later to study. Speaking of writing down is prepared to class! Have what you need, ready to be used for class. You’re not serious about your education if you can’t even remember to bring a pencil to class. Most teachers can’t stand always having to stop class to give a student a pencil. Also, your work isn’t a competition with everyone else. Take your time – no one cares who finishes first. If you don’t understand the work, ask the teacher for extra help. Next, here is some advice on the social aspect of middle school. When problems start with other kids, the main thing to do is mind your own business. The more people in the issue, the bigger the problem gets. Do not make yourself involved in someone else’s problem. It’s all unnecessary drama that you don’t need in your life. It’s perfectly fine to have a lot of friends, but don’t make them all your best friend and tell them every little thing about you. You can’t trust everyone. As for relationships, you have to keep in mind that you’re still in middle school. Relationships really aren’t important a this point – they might seem like it, but they’re not. Focus on school. So if you want a boyfriend/girlfriend, go right ahead. Just don’t let it affect your schoolwork, because it is another responsibility. Lastly, after school there are sports and clubs to join. For sports, I know that your average has to be a C or higher in order to try out and stay on the team. In my opinion I think it’s a good idea to join after school activities. Though if you are going to do it, you have to be committed to what you’re doing. Your grades are a very important part of being in school. They’re what lead to your future. Middle school is a preparation for high school. It’s important to always stay focused, because especially in high school, you have to be focused and have your act together. So why not start now? This is my advice to you on how to live the rest of your middle school years wisely.

By: Savannah Frasier

Throughout my three full years of experience at McGinnis, I would say it’s a good school. The teachers will help you with anything you need – homework, tests, retakes, anything. However, you have to be confident in yourself and in the decisions you make throughout these precious years. There are always going to be rude, immature and disrespectful kids who don’t care about their future and would rather be joking around, not knowing they’re only hurting themselves. Don’t be one of those kids. If you never give up, work hard and reach for your goals, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.

By: Angely Diaz

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Advice to Students from Students In McGinnis you have some responsibilities:

1. Do your work. Basically you’re hear to learn, not to cause drama. 2. DON’T cause drama. Seriously guys, it’s pretty irrelevant and petty. It’s not cool to fight someone just because you

feel like it. 3. Stand up for yourself. That doesn’t mean fight everyone that upsets you. Just stand your ground. Remember, if you

don’t mess with people, they won’t mess with you. Ultimately if they do, just ignore it because it’s not worth getting suspended or expelled. Petty drama is not worth it. If the issue really bothers you, then tell someone.

4. Finally, chill out. Try not to stress yourself out too much. That doesn’t mean you can slack out either - try your best and remember, you have teachers that care and that are willing to help you. So, there’s no excuse for you to flunk the school year.

By: Emily Morales

I have a lot of advice to give to the 5th, 6th and even the 7th graders. If you're in fifth grade and you’re asking yourself, “How is the rest of the year going to go for me? Will I make any new friends?” Well, in 5th grade, that’s exactly the type of questions that I used to ask myself. My advice to the fifth graders is to not worry so much about what’s going to happen next. For me I used to get in trouble a lot. It was for so many stupid and meaningless things. I got called to the guidance counselor so many times to the point where the counselor already knew my name in the 3rd week of fifth grade. The point is that you shouldn't worry about what others are doing and you should especially not worry about what others are thinking. You should just do your own thing. Join clubs and make new friends and try to make honor roll because it feels good when you get up on that stage and the principal hands you your certificate and your mom is proud and looking at you with a bright smile on her face.

When I entered sixth grade I completely changed. I was really competitive and everything was a race between my sister and me. That year I wanted to make my mom proud because I would always notice that my sister would bring many certificates and achievements home while I probably brought one every three months. In sixth grade I was really into reading and writing so my grades went up pretty easily. Basically, the point of this is that you should try your hardest to make your parents proud. You also shouldn't underestimate yourself - I mean you could do a lot of things if you just put you mind to it.

Lastly, in 7th grade I got put into a class where I didn't know anybody. But then I became friends with two incredibly smart people and somehow, as crazy as it sounds, they made me smarter. People change people, and from that moment on I love going to the library to read and study and I was doing pretty well academically. But the thing is that there was a lot of drama that year. I would always somehow be included but I knew that I had friends who would always have my back. Try to not hang out with the wrong crowd and make your expectations and goals high so when you get there, your reward will be much bigger. Overall these past few years were awesome. Remember that school comes first because how well you do this year will determine how well you'll do next year. Set goals for the future, but don't think about the future too much and don't dwell on the past, just focus on the present.

By: Lisa Gomez

I really don’t know how to start this, so I’m just going to assume you didn’t really know how your year at

McGinnis was going to go this year. Now that we have a brand new principal, I know it’s going to be a lot better, especially for all the kids in the younger grades. I know no one has a perfect life, so I’m not expecting y’all to listen to this over and over again, “You only have to worry about SCHOOL, and this SCHOOL year is going to be great! Do your best!” I know that usually only puts more stress on everyone. But I also know that if you try your best in school, life will work itself out. There is a lot of advice I could give you, and a lot of it will be because I know it’s going to happen and you need to be ready! One thing I am really passionate about is drama. I hate it so passionately. It makes the whole year go to crap and that’s not helpful to anyone at all. Please, please, please don’t get into fights or scrambles with your friends. If people change, it’s okay! No one is going to stay the same forever. Especially now in your lives, everyone is going through changes, trying to find who they are and what they are good at! Also, don’t judge people based on their actions, because they could have the best intentions and something might have just went wrong. Learn to forgive and forget, like my grandmother always says. I hope you all have a wonderful school year! Do your best, make me proud!

By: Caeli Cheow

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Ricochet

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water because fresh water was not a choice of drink. This spread a number of fatal diseases that could not be treated. Many men, women, and children were in front of the king’s castle in the evenings, moaning and pounding the gigantic doors. They asked “Why?" Why?” in reference to their downgraded conditions. The king looked down upon them as peasants, and did not care to listen. I can remember watching this scene from your highness’s castle, wondering what kind of a person would ignore the desperate cries of his people this way.

Your highness did not amend his ways. Everyday, the people would bang against his doors in loud cries of desperation. The king had reached his breaking point. I can so very clearly remember him barking at the guards, ordering them to shoot everything that was breathing. The guards all refused to take part in such a transaction, but your highness did not take no for an answer. The mad man took one of his guard’s rifles by force and capped him in the face with it. He marched outside, only to find his people surprised he had actually come out. He then loaded the rifle and blew everyone in sight to Kingdom Come. I remember I was frightened, and I saw no remorse in his face.

I recall the night after the incident. The screaming king woke me up with his loud cries. He yelled at the very top of his lungs and appeared to go into a state of panic. He thought more people were banging on the door that night, as he claimed more people started to bang on his giant door-loudly. I peeked into the main room, watching him pace nervously. He cried, “STOP! STOP THAT RICOCHETING RIGHT NOW!!!” This man is absolutely moonstruck, I thought to myself. I saw him make the most dramatic tantrum I’d ever seen, until your highness collapsed under his own power. I then proceeded to see the troubled people, but I was perplexed. I looked out a window to find out that there was no one there... By: Daniel Jimenez Cruz

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A mad man. Oh, yes! What a mad man he truly was. Your highness was nothing more than a foul beast, a weak link in society. An atrocious tyranny occurred in the country that he ruled with such dissatisfaction and disinterest. Your highness was an erroneous villain, one who fooled the people of his country right away. Never have I witnessed a human being get his way like him, but I myself questioned if he was part demon. He was nothing more than the heir to the throne until the unfortunate death of his beloved father. I was able to see your highness grow to be a man, as I was one of the king’s subjects. A sick, twisted man.

Your highness was a gifted orator and a master at psyching out his royal subjects as well as the people of his humble country. He was the most charismatic leader we had ever bestowed our eyes upon, and this would lead the people to think of him as a virtuous king. He talked about bringing the golden age to our nation as well as working his hardest to make our country gleam with success. He said he would find ways to give the poor riches and create an empire the other nations could not top. Oh, he was indeed a mastermind! No one brought up any faults, as they all saw him as the perfect king. I now know that he was anything but…

Weeks fluttered by, and soon they turned into months. Your highness was hyped up to be the figure our country needed. However, this perfect king soon turned into an abominable dictator. I haven’t got the slightest clue as to why he did what he did. Did something change inside of him? Did his heart turn into cold stone? Nevertheless, every single one of his promises was a defective, deficient lie. He became lazy and tormenting, giving his loyal subjects a harder time every day. Your highness seemed disinterested in running his own kingdom, as the conditions did not change for the better, but for the worse. Men resulted to crime in streets because of the lack of jobs to feed their family. Many, many died of starvation, as the food shipment was the king’s job to organize. Water was scarce, as some people drank pungent, fallacious

Scary Stories

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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The Cipher

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A young lady approached the glasses he threw, examining them. She noticed they were now cracked, but not majorly broken, somehow. “Durable…” she whispered to herself. She then bursted out of the room, once again leaving a perplexing look on their faces. The adolescent that messed with Autumn then stared at the door from his seat; fixing his hair slightly, and really thinking about what he did. The girl scurried to Autumn’s whereabouts, which was not too far actually. She found him sitting near the library entrance, where that small corner and the doors are. She politely asked, “I apologize for getting in the way of your, moment. I wanted to return these to you.” She then put the glasses near his hand, where he was crouched up in a ball there, weeping. He moved his arm slightly out of the way of his eyes, to see who it was. It was an unfamiliar face, for some reason. He knew everyone in his class. There was Samantha, Genesis, Mia, etc. She was not one of those people. Even him dozing off into the abyss of his mind during class, he still did not even notice her. “A-are, you from another class?” Autumn asked, as he got up, wiping the tears off his face, and putting back on his glasses. “Yes.” she kindly responded. “I know those jerks, got on your bad side. It’s forgivable.”

“Well, thanks. That really meant a lot to hear that from someone that actually, um, cares.” She giggled hearing that, following up with a smile. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, clearly. Possibly, she was, under that light blue sweater she had on. She was wearing glasses as well, ironically. Autumn quickly got attached to her, for some reason. He felt this feeling before, but it never lasted long enough. He was ready to break the ice. He patted his knees down, taking off the debris on his pants, and his asked, “What’s your-” Once again, his words were cut off by the bell. He saw her lips move, but no words came out, of how outrageously loud the bell was. She ran off, dropping some kind of paper in the process. He figured she was saying farewell, or goodbye. He then noticed the piece of paper, folded into countless folds. He didn’t have time to open it up, since he had to dash home. He was very curious about her whereabouts, more concerned than curious. He had to run some errands before he got to do his own thing, however.

When he entered his home, he immediately noticed, his parent’s

car wasn’t on the driveway, nor the curb. The house was hollow. “You guys in here?” he hollered. No response. He was thinking; “It’s too early to go trick or treating… besides, my brother was going to stay over and hang out with me when I stayed.” he thought to himself. He searched all the house’s contents. He realized they’re obviously not here. He layed down on the couch, opened up the folded paper that the mistress dropped, and read the words, no wait, the sequence of letters in his mind:

EH IHDUIHPP

He was perplexed what he observed. He thought it was a bunch of careless grammar at first, but then he thought, what if, just what if, it was some kind of secret language. He remembered immediately, the ciphers. Atbash, Caesar, and the A1Z26 ciphers, made specifically to make a secret message. He turned over the paper to see if anything else was noted down. He found this: NZHP GSV NLLM It was a cipher, guaranteed. He knew how to decode them… with a certain paper that specifically referenced him the formula to decode them. He went upstairs to his room, opened his window, and stared outside.

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Tonight, the moon was going to be full. Ironically, the same night would be Halloween, where all the boys and girls go out. People expect werewolf’s to awaken, or skeletons to arise, and do their little spooky dance. However, tonight, that will not be the case. Focus your attention onto this certain, young man; autumn. The hope of tonight will rely on Autumn’s decisions, for Salem will be in peril, as the moon rises tonight… Otherwise, the world.

“Not even a nibble…”

Chaos is going in Autumn’s eighth period class. A substitute teacher was present, trying to order the students to behave themselves. Autumn, avoiding the class going berserk, is in his usual corner, playing ‘Fishingmon’, trying to get his hopes high on getting a rare ¨mon”. Everyone was in some kind of costume, as the school allowed it, for some dumb reason. He was the only one who didn’t wear it, for he didn’t find Halloween “fun” anymore.

“I should be working on tonight’s homework, so I don’t need to later… Nah, who am I kidding?” Autumn murmurs to himself. His interests were most found in the love of dialogue, and literature. Regardless that eighth period is literature class; his favorite class, he figures nothing will count today. Ultimately making him think it’s a free day for him. He’s very intelligent, and not just in that subject. He is aware of his capabilities, but he tends to use them for certain situations of distress. An adolescent, reminding him of a certain stereotype, approaches Autumn, sarcastically asking; “Still playing your nerd-a-con game?” “Yes, and thank you.” Autumn kindly responds. “Quit being such an outcast already.” “You’re kind of being’ a jerk, let me be.” “Keep your comments to yourself!” The adolescent figured he would be in an endless argument, so he took action, and snatched the handheld from his hands. He knew it would make him mad, and that’s what he exactly wanted; his reaction to be everso blood boiling and in rage. His reflexes could not react fast enough, regardless they’re cat-like reflexes.

“H-hey! Quit being such a jerk already! Hand me that back! I didn’t even get to-”

He was cut off. He paused, to witness the adolescent remove the cartridge from the handheld. Autumn was stunned in rage, holding every last bit of it into his innocent mind. He knew if he showed any sort of emotions, it would show weakness. He cannot outrage. It would humiliate him, ultimately making a fool out of himself. He held back tears, as he quietly told the boy, “Nice one...¨

“Here’s your game back,” the boy said, “enjoy.” After leaving Autumn with his one last taunt, the boy then walked away, with a satisfied look on his face, regardless he didn’t snap. Autumn let out a sigh, and got up to walk over to his desk in the corner. He then realized, people were already sitting at his desk, so he then asked the teacher where to sit. She unresponsively pointed to a seat near her, but he refused. Suddenly, he then snapped, mentally. There’s no way he’s putting himself in a position where he will embarrass himself. He was sick to put up with everyone’s careless act, and so he simply walked out of the room. On his way out, he threw his glasses across the room, out of rage. Everyone had a surprised look on their face, it wasn’t funny anymore to them. They started to feel bad all of a sudden.

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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The Cipher Continued

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The sun was nearly down. This worried Autumn greatly, so much time has passed though. He paused for a second… why was time killed so quickly? It’s like staying up one second, then when you close your eyes just for a moment, it’s suddenly morning. He observed the sunset’s sky, noticing the moon was out early. This is nothing new, since the moon is usually seen in the morning, but it was evening.

His real concern of why this was so odd is, he never noticed this. Nobody did. The moon actually comes up around eight. In this case, it was six. If the moon was up two hours early, then either his time reference was wrong, or they already left. He ran out, majorly baffled and worried, and he was right. He was certain his time was correct, sharp noon. Something wasn’t right. ¨Now that I think of it, when the bell rang, it felt way too early. Wasn’t it still the first half of the class?” He pondered. He had to be up to date with this change of time, because time was everything to him. His agenda would be completely off if he took too long, or did a chore too fast. Not only that. but he was expecting his weekly episode of Necromancer’s Shrine. He went up to a stranger dressed in full Native American costume and asked, ¨Sir, what is the time? ¨ He gave Autumn no response, like he was talking to a brick wall. Autumn hated to be ignored once he requested something. It was incredibly rude. Before beginning to rant at this Navajo’s ignorance, Autumn turned his attention to where he was heading, an enormous tent, full of other people. It almost looked like, a Halloween party. Exactly! That’s where he could look. Autumn headed onward to the tent, trying to barrage through the people taller than him. Sadly, he was merely five foot, in eighth grade.

Autumn was welcomed by a beautiful girl, with a cheerful mood, telling him, ¨Welcome, to the Devil Festival! Enjoy your stay!¨ followed up with a wink and a giggle. Autumn was all of a sudden wanting to have a good time, after hearing the cute girl’s welcoming. He did note one thing, everyone looked like they were hypnotized; zombies waking up from their eternal slumber. He could care less, since the pantry of food was all sweets, and Japanese goods. He was going to get stuffed, and enjoy it. He then remembered, this is not the Halloween he remembered. He’s mature now, for the most part. And he wanted to stay focused.

He snapped out of it, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. Everyone was still dancing to the catchy music, that suddenly dimmed out, and turned into a rising pitched noise. It sounded like the noise the heat bugs make, but like waves of it. It was irritating his ears, like it was bribing him back to the enjoyment everyone else was having. He tried to look at who was operating the DJ set, doing it on purpose as well. Nobody else found the noise a nuisance. He walked up to the stage, and reached out to the outlet, to unplug the speakers. He was struggling to survive the screeching noise.

A man with a bizarre mask pattern halted him, picked him up by the neck, and threw him down the stage, roughly. Autumn gasped, trying to shake himself out of his clutches, but it was no use. The masked-man was completely taller than him. Autumn’s landing was harshly painful to his back, struggling to recover. The music was dimming down though, which was one pro in the devastating action the stranger did. The man then looked down from the stage, staring at Autumn, and scolded at him, ¨Your intentions are futile! Join the rest...¨ Autumn’s heartbeat was drastically rising, panting after hearing his horrifying voice. The man was a mutant alien, with no emotion in his voice. Autumn crawled backwards, trying to avoid any more trouble, but he

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bumped into something behind him. He turned around, looking who it was. Another masked stranger, wearing a white cloak, looked down and once again bellowed louder. ¨YOUR INTENTIONS ARE FUTILE, JOIN THE REST!¨ Autumn was horrifically spooked. He immediately ran, and fled outside the tent. He turned his head in the opposite direction to see the masked men levitating straight to him, quickly. The scene in his head felt like ghosts chasing him, after obtaining a treasure. He was cornered, after running out of breath. Autumn thought this was it, his own childish mind was bribed into his own fate. One of the masked men reached out to grab his face, but then he paused, and looked into the sky. The moon was out, full as ever. All of them stared into the moon’s glazing shine. It was shining brightly, with it’s vast white glow. It was like a stamp on an envelope of how it distracted them. They weren’t just observing the moon for the eye candy, they flew up to the moon’s rise. Autumn, frightened as ever, was too startled to even pay attention to where they were going. He started to run back home as quickly as he could. Panting faster, trying to avoid anyone else evicting him. ¨I’m not going to be the next victim, I’m not going to be the next victim...¨ he constantly told himself. He didn’t want to stop running, not now, not until he saw home. All he kept on seeing was more trees, the same trail of trees nature left behind to guide him. He slowed down, catching his breath, and looked at his surroundings once more. ¨What’s going on… I’m in an endless loop, ugh.¨ he reminded himself. He sat down into the grass, with a gloomed look on his face. The tears started coming again. He regretted attempting to be the man he wanted to be. Autumn was determined to be some kind of discoverer, regardless of what he was discovering. He looked up at the moon, gazing to its scenery as well. He didn’t want to give up now. He’s so far ahead, so much he knew, so much he found out. Now, he isn’t going to stop here. Getting back on his feet, he followed the moon, scurrying in the direction it rose at. It was his north star, his last hope to figure out this night’s reasoning. It was only the masked men that want this, everyone else… is a goner. A victim. A soul lost into the night. After seeing the same pine trees, he saw a light, a hill with a wooden porch, to get a perfect view of the moon. It was Skyview Hill. It’s possibly the only thing he can recognize by now. The ground was illuminated with a purple light, coming from none other than the masked men standing straight up. He peeked behind one of the tree’s base, trying to figure out what they were doing. One of the masked men pulled out a small medallion from their pocket, placing it in the center. They positioned themselves in a triangular shape, each corner where each person stood. They constantly bowed, kind of goofy at first, but then a vibration came to his head. His brain was facing pain, like he saw it coming. The medallion floated up, increasing its size into a strange tablet. The cultists started chanting,

Είμαστε σέχτα, είμαστε επικαλεστών του tragedy...

All Autumn understood was, tragedy. What tragedy are they

committing? Are they worshipping the legion of the pendants? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. The tablet though looked like some kind of certain, key item. Why else would they be doing this ridiculous movement to make this pendant glow. It was so cryptic about what the setting is, from the very beginning. Autumn was about to stand up and see the pattern about this movement, but then the vibration happened again, but only louder. He tumbled down to the floor, holding himself up with his last might. He arose his head from the ground and took a look at the

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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The Cipher Continued

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moon. The moon was getting closer to Earth. More specifically, directly at his radius.

He was witnessing the most life-threatening thing he can ever witness. He needed to stop the Moon’s crash course before everything here halted. He fully recovered from the fall and arose back up. He started slouching to the masked men, struggling to stay up as the vibration got stronger. One of the masked men noticed Autumn, and sprung up to the sky, floating back down to interrogate him. Autumn started to theorize that the men can control gravity at will. That is why they aren’t affected by the moon’s deadly aftermath. Autumn collapsed on himself again, giving up, more than giving in. His glasses fell as well, sliding near the masked man’s cloak. The masked men reached over to pick up the glasses, observing the crack it had from the past incident. The masked man placed the glasses back in his hands, as Autumn barely picked his head up. Autumn had the same feeling as he did with meeting the mysterious girl, way earlier. Only this time, more frightened, than satisfied.

“All you can do is watch. Hesitate to take any more actions.” he

faintly announced. “Do not interfere with our operation. Otherwise, you will face consequential fates.” Autumn was frozen in fear. All he saw was a statue of a person, looking down on him. He was the fallen pawn, and the statue was the almighty king.

“W-why, why are you doing t-this…?” Autumn asked, as the vibration increased further. “Nobody was aware of the intentions we had. Foolish, average people only pay their respects to what Halloween has to offer. Nothing can make them understand, why this day was officially forged. Fear. To know the meaning of fear, and demonstrate how much fear, can control you.” The masked man explained. Never had Autumn took in so much, that it made it sound so believable. He was going to give in, and allow this terror to occur. The vibration at this point was so strong, it felt like an earthquake. It came to mind that today, just wasn’t his day. The chaos in the classroom, his family not showing up, the early rise of the night, his childish side getting to him at the festival, and now this. Autumn had one last option; the cipher. He opened up the paper he retrieved, and attempted to decode the letters. He couldn’t concentrate at all, resulting on the paper slipping out of his hand, with sudden gusts of wind pushing the paper near the tablet. The cultists stepped back in surprise, seeing the paper’s letters shifting through other letters. The entire ground radius around the tablet started glowing with runes across the scape. The magnitude was decreasing, as Autumn attempted to get back up. The letters on the floor started to spell out; DESTROY THE TABLET Autumn, with no hesitation, ran up to the tablet as quick as he could. He knew there was no time to think, analyze, or observe anymore. He had to approach things head on for now, instead of worrying about his surroundings. The cultists attempted to stop him, but they didn’t want to approach the tablet for some reason, since light started emitting from it, as it got chipped as well. Autumn, with all his force, punched the tablet forth directly at the moon. A bong sound followed as it slightly ricocheted off the moon, but chips of the tablet went flying, as the wind started pushing back, instead of forward for some reason. The moon slowly floated the opposite direction. Time felt like it was reverting backwards. “W-what are you doing?! You arrogant fool!” the masked man yelled. “Being brave!” Autumn responded with a grin. Regardless he had no idea what he was doing, all he could do is hope that what he read

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was the solution. The last few seconds before the moon was fully back into the sky, the tablet exploded with a combustion. Shards of the tablet flew in countless directions, some hitting Autumn and the masked men badly. It pierced through their masks, cracking them in the process. Autumn immediately turned to see what their identity was. Their faces looked completely pale, with tentacles hanging from their chin. Their eyes were countless, small teal hexagons, like a spider. On their forehead appeared to be their brain, with a blue greenish color. They almost looked like cthulhu's, just in an alien variation. They screeched in a very high pitched tone, almost like how the music’s pitch rose back at the festival. Immediately after they sprung up into the sky, and then faded away into space’s whereabouts. Autumn wished he had some way to trace their existence, since they looked very exotic. However, he only saw two of them. The third one was nowhere to be found… He picked himself up, and picked back up the paper. There were still words left on the paper, so he read the following.

Tonight, you’ve experienced what’s to come in a very long period of time. To everyone else, the events that occurred are only an illusion to the naked eye. You have so much ahead of your life, but you are not the chosen one. You were the curious one, only to witness this on this certain night. Never

interfere with us again, otherwise we will not hesitate to use force.

May your assistance be needed again one occasion.

Autumn turned around, trying to assume what really went on tonight. Questioning himself, why did it happen? What is the meaning of all of it? How was he lucky enough to see a living nightmare before his eyes? Autumn shook his head. Tonight is Halloween, maybe all of this was never in reality. He walked home, with the moon shining his path. “I hope she’s there, tomorrow…” Autumn murmured in sorrow.

By: Christopher Jimenez

Illustration By: Tiana Polanco

MCGINNIS NEWSLETTER FALL 2015

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Mommy Don’t You Recognize Me? It was the summer of 1997; an 11-year-old girl named Allison went to New York with her family since they had the

weekend off. Mom was a cashier, and Dad was a musician and his job isn’t really going that well. They decided to go to a Motel. It was 10:52 pm and everything was great. Allison was getting ready for bed while Mom and Dad were watching T.V. While Allison was just getting into bed she heard the sink running, she walked over to the kitchen but it was off. She shrugged her shoulders and went to her bed and when she opened her bedroom door, under her bed she saw two glowing green eyes. She rubbed her eyes and it was gone. She thought it was nothing and went to bed. The next day, it was 9:47 pm and Allison was on her phone. She heard the sink running, so she walked over and again the sink was off. She came back and just when she sat back down she heard a vase fall in the T.V room. Everybody came over and Dad blamed it on Allison. All of the sudden a single tear ran down her cheek and she ran into her bedroom and cried herself to sleep. It was Monday morning and Allison’s family left New York. They went home to New Jersey. That night Alison was talking to her friend on the phone. When she hung up and she heard the noise again she walked over to the kitchen and again there was nothing at the sink. When she walked over to her room, she saw a girl on the bed that looked just like her. She ran into the closet and then after what seems like five minutes, she heard a knock on her door she heard the door opening. Immediately Allison heard a calm soothing voice and then a cold sweat ran down her forehead. She grabbed her smooth pitch-black hair. Allison realized at that moment her mother was about to tuck the strange girl in bed instead of her. Mom saw the strange girl that looked exactly like Allison and right before she was about to tuck in the strange girl she said, “Mommy, there’s a monster in my closet”. Mom smiled and walked towards the closet. Allison started crying. As Mom opened the closet door, her face turned pale white as she stared at the real Allison. Allison told her “Mommy, there’s a monster on the bed!¨ By: Kimberly Gonzalez

What Happened To My Friends? At Harrison High there were a group of friends who did everything together. It was told that these friends were seen everywhere.

This group included 2 girls and 2 boys. The two girls were Amanda and Katy. Amanda was more of a feminine girl, meaning that she was more of a girly type. Amanda loved shopping and loved makeup. One thing about Amanda that everybody loved was that she was more outgoing. Unlike Amanda, Katy was more of a bookworm. Katy was a quiet girl who loved to read like no other.

Then there were Max and Jerry. Max was part of the football team and was more of a jock and liked going to parties. Jerry was more of a nice boy. He liked doing things his way. Everyone was so surprised of the fact that these four different people could get along as if they were all born together.

One day at school, they met at their lockers, which happened to be all in the same location. They went to class and started to play the game “Truth or Dare.” After playing the game for a while, Max came up with a dare. Forgetting that he was in class, Max screamed!

“This goes for all of us, not just one person. You can’t chicken out! Let’s all go to that haunted hospital on Berry St!” screamed Max.

The whole class stopped doing what they were doing and looked back at the little group of Max, Amanda, Jerry, and Katy. As the whole class went back to doing the work they were doing before, the little group agreed on going to the haunted hospital.

After class Katy, Max, Amanda, and Jerry went home to get dressed and prepared for what was coming for them. Not knowing what they were getting into they called each other and agreed on where they were going to meet up for this journey. Max and Amanda were not worried about a single thing, however on the other hand Jerry and Katy weren’t as pleased as the other two.

Later that evening, with darkness filling the sky, they found themselves standing on the corner of Berry St., the location of the hospital. They were prepared, having grabbed cameras and flashlights. These four adventurous teenagers were about to step into a whole new world.

When they first stepped foot into the spooky hospital, immediately their noses got the smell of retched dead bodies. Katy and Max were in the front while Jerry and Amanda were in the back, beyond frightened. The friends nervously continued down the dark, empty halls of the hospital. Suddenly they heard a scream. It scared them all half to death. They turned to see what was happening.

“He was right here when I turned around to look around! “Cried Amanda. “What happened Amanda?” Katy nervously asked, tears forming in her eyes. “Jerry is gone, but all I did was turn around!” screamed Amanda. “Max what do you think-- OMGGG he's gone!!” screamed Katy. Both boys were gone, and at this point the two girls didn’t want to be alone. Their fear made them shiver. Frightened, they stayed

together. Quickly, the girls looked for the path back, a way to get out of this awful hospital. Suddenly, the girls both screamed. Both girls nervously opened theirs eyes, but when they opened their eyes to reveal the truth, they too were both gone.

By: Damelis Brito

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Iamnotasuperstitiousperson.AndIcanonlybelievesomethingifIseeitwithmyowntwoeyes.Ioncethoughtthatghostswerefake,“Allmyth,notruth,”Iusedtosay.NowIknowallthatwaswrong.Horriblywrong.Thefearofbeingchased.Thesweatrunningdownmyface.Irememberitalltowell. (Afewyearsago) “HAHA!SHUTUPTHEO!”Iyelled,yetalsosmiling,withtherestofmyfriends.

"Inallseriousnessthatwasagreatjoke."saysSamuel(Samforshort)ashepulledoutalaptopfromhissatchelandstartedlookingupsomecornyjokes. "You'renotactuallygoingtolookupjokes,right?"laughedJohn."Nopejustseeinghowhorriblesomeofthemare."Heclosedhislaptopwithslightdisappointmentinhisvoice. "Wherewereyou,ba..." "Gotoffmylawn!!!"bellowedanoldmaninanger,cuttingoffTheo.

Eventuallywegottiredanddecidedtositinagazebo.Itlookedlikeitwasonthevergeofbreakingapart.Wemadeplanstogohomeafterrestingforabit.“Alright,Ithinkthat’senoughforme.”saidSamashejumpedofftheouterwallofthegazebo.Aloudthudechoedandthegroundshookafter.Afterafewsecondsthegroundcavedinandthegazebogottornapart.

“OHMYGOD!!!”yelledeveryonesimultaneouslyaswegotuptoseewhathappenedtoSam.“Samareyouokdownthere?”Isaidwithconcerninmyvoice.

“YeaIfellintoa20ft.holewithrubblefallingdownonmyheadandI'mfine!!!”Samsaidwithsarcasminhisvoice.Icouldn'tseehimthroughthecloudofdustthatemerged. “Sam,we’rejumpingdownthere!”IyelledasIrantowardtheholetogetarunningstart.

“Waitwhat!!!???”saidTheoandJohnasIstretchedmyarmsoutandpushedthemdowntoo.Threemorethudsechoedthroughthenight. “Ouchmyfoot,”complainedTheoinagony. “OhmanupTheo,”saidSamashegotup. “Ohfine,butwhenthisisdoneI’mgoingtoMickyD's”saidTheo“SHUTUP!”Iscreechfromthetopofmylungs. “FineokYESH!”saidTheoinafrustratingmanner. “Heyguys,Ifoundadoor!”yelledSam. “Awesome,maybeit'sthewayout!”Johnsaidexcitedly.Afterthatmomentweallgotupandwalkedtowardthedoor. “CREEEEEEEKKKKKK!”wentthedoorasIslowlyopenedit.“It'stodark!”winedTheoaswesteppedinfurther.“BANG!!!”goesthedoorbehindusasweenter. Samtookhisflashlightoutofhissatchelandturnediton.Asweturnedaroundtoseewhathadclosedthedoor,wesawwomenwithablackdressasifsheweregoingtoafuneral.Inoticedthatunderherfeettherewassmokeasblackasthenightsky.Shestartedtoslowlyfloattowardus,quickeningherpace,andthenshebegantoflytowardus. “RUUUNNNN!!!!”yelpedJohnasheturnedaroundreadytorun.EveryonebutSamranrightaway.Heranbutwasn'tfastenough.Bythetimeheturnedhewascaughtinthewomen'sgrasp.“ LETMEGO,LETM…”screamedSamashewasdraggedoffintoaroom. “SAM!!!!!!!!!!!”Johnyelled.

TO BE CONTINUED…

By: Lewis Pena

Torn Down