Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

Bret Harte Pioneer IN THIS ISSUE… News Continuation of Challenge Day and Oratorical Fest Page 2 Features Americas Finest News Source, The Onion Page 3 Better Know a Teacher Mr. Ostrom Page 4 Doubts about Einstein’s Space Time Theory Page 6

On Monday, January 13, Challenge Day was held from 8:50 to about 2:55 in the gym for all 7th graders. Ms. Pena, a therapist for our school, says, “Challenge Day is a program for 7th grade students. Every child is invited and it’s basically to help the students build self esteem, to decrease violence in the school or bullying." Mr. Hughes thinks Challenge Day contributes to Bret Harte’s work against bullying and violence. "Challenge Day is an experience for students to better understand each other, how they are hurt and hurt each other, and build community to prevent bullying," he said. According to Mr. Hughes, we did not have this program last year because it was too expensive for Bret Harte at the time, but after receiving a grant from the district specified for the 7th graders to be a part of it, we now have done Challenge Day. At the beginning of Challenge Day, the students registered, were greeted, and got to meet everyone in the gym. During Challenge Day the students participated in large and small group activities. Ms. Pena says the program consist of many things such as music or dance. She explains it as "fun" and "a great program for kids." She also added her experience with past challenge days. “I've went to one of the programs and I really enjoyed the process, there’s about 20-25 adult volunteers from the school and outside community program, its a very well structured program, really great for kids,” she said. Continued On Page 2…

Students Become Emotional At First Ever Challenge Day At Bret Harte By Claire Chao

The Oratorical Fest took place in the cafeteria Friday, January 17, during 2nd period. The sixth grade competition was based on interpretation, expression, articulation, and stage presence in memoriam of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The judges were Marcel Jones, Ms. Harris, Ms. Loera, and Ms. Peña. Marcel Jones, a UC Berkeley student, said they were looking for, “Someone who seems to relate to the material.” The competitors were: Maya Nichols with the poem “Standing Tall” by Jamie McKenzie, Eleanor Wikstrom interpreted the poem “The Million Man March” by Maya Angelou. Anthony Powell recited “America’s Greatest Farmer” by George Washington Carver. Ben Schneider rapped “Young and Positive,” and Hezekiah Pemberton presented “The Ballad or the Landlord” by Langston Hughes. Daniela Benitez recited an original poem entitled; “Freedom” and a group made up of Donald Tyler, Junior Maile, Hezekiah Haylett also went up with “Standing Tall”. Continued On Page 2…

Students Perform At Bret Harte Oratorical Fest By Valentina Legaspi & Adriana Villegas

Mr. Brown’s Boys Men Of Color performing during the Oratorical Fest Photo%Credit:%Valentina%Legaspi%

News Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

In first place came Eleanor Wikstrom with 152 points. Maya Nichols in second with 151 and in third place with 149 points was Hezekiah Pemberton. 8th graders Jocelyn Gomez and Amari Padilla co-hosted the Oratorical Fest. Jocelyn Gomez said, “The Oratorical Fest is a good way for kids to develop public speaking skills…Most of them did pretty good you can tell that some of them were pretty nervous, but they still did pretty good. 7th grader, Roman Romo supported this by saying, “I felt a little bit nervous because there were a lot of kids. Once you were there performing everything came off.” Although it was only a 6th grade competition, that did not stop 7th and 8th graders from participating. Mr. Brown’s Boys and Men of color recited “One Today” from the Inauguration of President Obama by Richard Blanco. 8th grader, T.J. Lackey said, “We did this to prove how much we appreciate black history month.” Roman explained that they worked really hard on their piece as well, “We started December 1st and we did it until [Jan. 17] now… probably 8 weeks,” Jocelyn Gomez was happy that we “Brought this tradition back to this school.”

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Students didn’t know what to expect before the event. 7th grader Ray Wahab says, “ I thought it was gonna be fun.” Others, like 7th grader Alicia Matias and 7th grader Morgan Pearson both say there first thought was that it would be “boring” Many students very much enjoyed Challenge Day, and was very overwhelmed with emotions like 7th grader Danielle Mumma, "We got out of our comfort zone and just let it all out by crying, it was emotional but nice ." During Challenge Day many activities were done that really opened up students, such as getting into groups and talking about things that has impacted the students. Matias says, “I was glad I was there because it really helped me to see other kids who go through a lot, and me not knowing,” 7th grader Vtee Kheng says at the end of the day it was sad because they talked about what was going on in their lives,” 7th grader Jenny Kwan says she liked Challenge Day. “You can let go of your feelings and it makes you feel better in the inside after you’re done crying and you just let it all out,” Kwan said. Many students said they learned a lot from the day. “I learned not to judge other people because I don't know what its like to be

Winner Eleanor Wikstrom reciting “The Million Man March” at the Oratorical Fest. Photo%Credit:%Valentina%Legaspi%

Students Become Emotional At First Ever Challenge Day At Bret Harte

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Students Perform at Bret Harte Oratorical Fest Continued from page 1…

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in their shoes I don't know what they’ve been or are going through,” Mathis said. Danielle Mumma said she had also taken away the same lesson, “We learned to be ourselves and not to judge people so quick because we didn't know what they've been through.” Kheng agreed, “I learned that I shouldn't judge anyone before I get to know them.” 7th grader Asia Hardiman said, "I learned to always keep moving forward and keep your head up" For Matias, her favorite activity was when there was a line on the floor and the instructor would say something that students could relate to and if the student has been through it or are going through it they cross the line. She says it gave her comfort knowing that some people aren't alone with their issues, and that a lot of people going threw things feel alone and by doing this students know they're not alone, there are people who can relate. Kheng agrees this was his favorite activity as well, "I liked it because I learn not to mess with anyone now that I see what they are going through." Pearson says her favorite activity was when the students had gotten up and danced. . Ray Wahab and Roman Romo both say their favorite activity was when they had gotten into small groups and discussed things that impacted their lives or someone who had passed away in your life. "It was my favorite because it shows that other people also had a family member that they really love pass away,” Wahab said. Mr. Hughes says he has seen many students “improve” after this program, “I have seen several students change as a result as well as say that they feel like it was a positive experience to have that kind of space to express themselves and understand where other people. are coming from,” he said.

Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

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Do you find newspapers boring? Do you find yourself dozing off while reading an article you know absolutely nothing about? Do you feel the need to laugh while reading a newspaper? Then why not check out The Onion. The Onion is an actual newspaper and website that combines satire, inappropriate humor and real life topics to create hilarious and clever articles. Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson in Chicago, Illinois founded The Onion in 1988. In an interview with Wiki news, former Onion president, Sean Mills, said Christopher Johnson’s uncle came up with the name for the newspaper while eating a onion sandwich. “He (Tim Keck) told me…literally that his (Christopher Johnson) uncle said he

should call it The Onion when he saw him and Chris Johnson eating an onion sandwich.” Said Mills. Since the Onion staff’s food budget was so low, they would have to resort to eating plain white bread and onions, which is why Johnson’s uncle was eating an onion sandwich. At first, The Onion was a big success in major university towns, such as Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. After the creation of its website in 1996, The Onion gained attention across the U.S. Part of what has made The Onion so popular, is the style of humor it has. One style of humor that adds to the experience is Deadpan. Deadpan is a type of humor in which the comedian tells the joke without changing his or her facial expressions and body language. Basically, if you have seen someone tell a joke while looking bored or uninterested, that’s

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Deadpan. Now, Deadpan works a little differently when written. The way The Onion pulls it off is that the writers report and portrays the fake articles the paper is known for, as real and legitimate stories. Some of these stories include, “Man Worried About Drug Dealer Who’s Not Picking Up Phone,” “Mannequin Must Think He’s Some Pretty Hot S***,” and, “‘We’ll Be Moving Shortly’ Says Train Conductor Waiting For Workers To Remove Dead Body From Tracks.” Another type of humor The Onion uses well is news satire. Satire

itself is when you take something that you would normally find sad, angering, tragic, unfortunate, etc., and make it into something funny. The Onion writers expand upon this by taking the style of satire and focusing it mainly on fake news. One way The Onion uses news satire, is by writing articles that make fun of people’s (especially politics) stupidity and behavior. Some examples of these articles include, “Woman Takes Short Half-Hour Break From Being Feminist To Enjoy TV Show,” “Generous Military Sends $800 In Disability To Man Who Wakes Up Screaming Every Night,” and, “Man Briefly Forgets Hotel Staff Are Not Human.” Aside from written articles, The Onion also features video reviews, a funny horoscope, a more legitimate website called the A.V. Club, and much more.

Since The Onion writes its articles as if they were real news. Many real news sources have actually mistaken The Onion as a real news source. According to rawstory.com, Fox Nation, a part of the Fox News Network, accidently cited an Onion article in which Obama writes a 75,000-word article where he complains about America as real news. In September 2009, Bangladeshi newspapers The Daily Manab Zamin and the New Nation translated an Onion article in which Neil Armstrong held a news conference where he explained that the Apollo 11 moon landing was an elaborate hoax, according to BBC news. Both newspapers apologized for the mistake. So, if you ever feel like you need to laugh, check out The Onion. You won’t be disappointed.

America’s Finest News Source By Andres Avila

Bret Harte Celebrates Black History Month By Mohamed Alawdi

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Black history month is a month celebrated on the month of February for recognizing all the African American people who contributed to society like, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman. It began in 1916 and was called “Negro History Week” from 1940-1960 but then got changed to black history month 1960. The harvest historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the association for the study of Negro life and study. Their goal was to bring awareness to the large ignored role of black people played in America and world history. Black history month is for embracing African American culture. It is also to educate black people about their cultural background and instill them with a sense of pride in their race. 6th grader Ules says, “Black history month is important

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because it’s my culture. They did a lot to get free and we struggled to get what they wanted”. Carter G. Woodson invented black History Month in February because of two major people, President Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and Frederick Douglass, one of the nation's leading abolitionists. 6th grade Math teacher, Ms. Parnell says, “I’m able to reflect on the history and what is needed to make the world a better place, regarding Black history month” Black history month is now recognized and widely celebrated by the entire nation. The Study of African American Life and History continues to promote, preserve and research black history and culture year-round. 8th grade Xavier battle say black history month is important to him, “because I can recognize the people that had a big part in history.” Mr. Brown, responded, “Black history month is an opportunity for recognizing and learning about the contributions of African Americans in our society. Often these contributions are overlooked.

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Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

Better Know A Student Zakey Surrell By Meyoko Everett

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Q: What is the weirdest nickname you ever had and who gave it to you? A: Key key and my aunt gave it to me. Q: What is your best friend’s name and what did he/she do to be your best friend? A: I don't have a best friend I just have hecka turn up buddies. Q: What is the most excited thing you do you do on your free time? A: Turn up spend time with family and friends.

Better Know A Teacher Mr. Ostrom By Ashley Torres

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Q: Why did you start teaching science? A: I have always loved science. It was you know my favorite subject well my second favorite subject after PE in high school and I have always been very curious about why things are the way they are and since I have that curiosity I decided to pass it on to other people. Q: What is your first name? A: Mister. Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? A: The super power to make it so all humans would respect each other and respect the earth including animals, because it would make this place a whole lot

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Q: What do you like about this school and why? A: The fights, my friends and some teachers. Q: Who is your date on Valentine’s Day and why did you choose her? A: The mystery girl initials are V.A. Q: what do you rate yourself? A: 1,000 Q: Who do you think is the best teacher here is and why? A: Ms. Morris because she’s nice and fun.

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better place to live. Q: When you were little what did you want to do when you grew up? A: I always thought that being an astronaut would be kind of cool. Q: What are the top 5 things on your bucket list? A:1:Go to Antarctica because not many have been there. 2:Go visit democratic republic of the condo (DRC). 3:Ride my bike across the United States. 4:I’d like to be head person for united people. 5:I’d like to have more time to work on my bucket list. Q: Do you have any favorite students? A: Yes.

Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

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It’s that time of year again. People all around Bret Harte are making their New Years resolutions. Some people try to stop the bad habits, but other students don’t make resolutions or just give up on theirs. Some students have been successful in keeping their resolutions. 8th grader Michael Adeyeye is one of them. “One of my resolutions is being more involved in my family and friends because I wasn’t doing that last year.” He was able to keep his resolution through constant reminders. “I keep my resolution by doing different things to help me remind myself about my resolution. To complete it I worked very

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La Liga is a Spanish soccer league in Spain. Wikipedia.com states that it was founded in 1929,and it has 20 teams participating. The confederation of the league is UEFA. It is one of the best and strongest soccer leagues in Europe. Since the 1950s, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the league. Barcelona is the current champion of the league. Real Madrid has a record of 32 titles and Barcelona is in second place with 22 titles, and Atletico Madrid has the third place with 9 titles. The all time scorers are Telmo Zarra with 251 goals, Hugo Sanchez with 234 goals, and Raul Gonzalez with 228 goals. All of these players have retired or left the league. 8th grader Kristofer Ramos is a fan of La League. ”It’s a good league with teams that have different strategies. This league has lot of good teams, which bring good games and challenges to other teams. I like Barcelona because they touch the ball and attack as a team and defend well. I think the best player is Messi because he doesn’t stop trying and he puts his best effort in every game and never puts down the team,” said Ramos. Wikipedia claims that, ”The biggest stadium in La Liga is the Camp Nou. The Camp Nou is located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The Camp Nou is the home stadium of the Futbol Club Barcelona since 1957. It has a capacity of 99,786 spectators making it the biggest in La Liga and in Europe and the 11th in the world. The second biggest stadium in La Liga Is the Santiago Bernabeu.”

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The Santiago Bernabeu is located in Madrid, Spain. The Santiago Bernabeu has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since 1947. It has a capacity of 85,454 spectators. The third biggest stadium in La Liga is the Mestalla Stadium. The Mestalla Stadium is located in Valencia, Spain. The Mestalla Stadium is the home stadium of Valencia. It has a capacity of 55,000 spectators. 8th grader Fredy Pablo is also a big fan, ”It’s a great league it has a lot of great players like Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo. La Liga is one of the best leagues and soccer players want to go to it. Barcelona because it has my two favorite players Messi and Neymar. Messi of course and I don’t care if Ronaldo won the Ballon D’or Messi won four and Ronaldo only has two. Barcelona’s Camp Nou because it has the most capacity,” Pablo said.

Is La Liga Worth Watching? By Luis Martinez

Keeping New Years Resolutions

By Leanne Peou & Ashley Torres

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hard and kept remembering to do my resolution,” he said. Another student who successfully accomplish their resolutions is 7th grader Danielle Mumma. ”One of my resolution is to be more fit and work out more than last year it would make my life better because I will maintain the habit to live longer. I try and keep my resolution, I usually put it in my phone under reminders so I don’t forget .I keep it by knowing the result when I do. I complete it by pushing myself to achieve it,” she said. Sometimes people say that they are going to

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start the year new and fresh, but they don't stick to their resolutions. One of those students is 8th grader TJ Lackey he said, “I wanted to get a 4.0 but I didn’t because I wasn't really focused.” Another 8th grader, Kalin Pon-Tate said, “Last year I did, I promised myself I was going to convince my mom to give me the guest room in the house, because it was so much better. I didn't accomplish it because, my mom is a very hard person to persuade.” 8th grader Derek Gonzalez, "I've forgotten about a few resolutions in the past so I never really got to do them. "

Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

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By Jess Hutcheson Einstein's theory of relativity vs. what a few scientists are observing in space and think may contradict him. People think Einstein was one of the smartest people who ever lived. Also, he is most famous for his theory of relativity. They even preserved his brain to study. But Einstein might have been really wrong. We live in a landscape of space-time. It’s invisible but we can sense it through gravity! If you could see space-time Einstein thought it was a smooth surface a little warped by planets and stars. Einstein called it relativity when planets and stars affected each other and everything else. But scientists now think that maybe space-time is not as smooth as Einstein thought. Before Einstein-Isaac Newton thought space and time were rigid separate properties of the universe-kind of like laws of god. But Einstein said no, space-time is

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one fabric, one whole thing, a continuum. Everything is a thread in the space-time fabric. Can we measure any of the interactions between the threads? There’s a super telescope in Spain. According to New Scientist: Breaking relativity: Celestial signals defy Einstein In 2005, the telescope picked up a burst of gamma radiation from a giant black hole. A black hole is, according to Wikipedia, a region of space-time from which gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping. Gamma rays are light from the cosmos with the most energy of any other kind of light ray. But the gamma radiation came in a weird way. The low energy part came before the high-energy part. This would not have happened if space-time was the smooth fabric of Einstein’s mind. So now scientists are thinking that space-time is there but it’s not smooth: it’s rough and bumpy. So this means, if even Einstein could be

Doubts on Einstein Theory

By Jess-Hutchson-Wilcox

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wrong, there’s always something new to discover. Space-time, the mystery fabric behind everything, might not be so smooth and orderly. This means that life is just not predictable. Regular people at Bret Harte should know that nothing could stay the same always. Einstein might be wrong and space-time might be choppy instead of smooth!

Valentine’s Day is coming up and if you have a special someone you can take the opportunity to show them how you feel. For a girl best friend a good idea is to get them a teddy bear, candy, something sweet. If you were getting your girlfriend something she would probably like something fuzzy like a teddy bear or jewelry. If your girlfriend can wear perfume you can go buy her some nice smelling perfume or lipstick. If you have a crush and never told them that you like them, this is your time. For a crush it would be a good idea to know her, find out what she needs something thoughtful so she knows you pay attention. You can get them a card, a small gift so they think you're very sweet and so it can show that you got feelings for that person and you. You can buy your crush a candygram or you can put your name on it or be a secret admirer. 7th grader Danielle Mumma thinks, “A boy should get me flowers” and 7th grader Keana Allen thinks, “A boy should get me flowers and chocolate.”

If your best friend is a boy you can get him a nice card. Another idea is to go to a movie theater after school or hang out after school somewhere because what’s better than having some fun time with your best friend? If you are getting your partner something for Valentine's Day and if it is a boy something like a hug or something more romantic than you’d get your best friend. If your boyfriend likes sports you can get them a jersey, snapback, or beanie of their favorite team. 7th grader Aaron Thomas, “I Think a girl should give me a hug, chocolate and balloons. Administrator Mr. Tang says, “A girl should give me a hug.” Some boys like cologne to smell good so that would be a nice gift if you want your boyfriend to smell a certain way or cologne he likes. Your boyfriend might just want food. For this you can make their favorite whether it is brownies, cake, or cupcakes.

Valentines Advice By Meyoko Everett

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Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

Dr.Harte If you don't know where to start attempt eating healthier, the key is in what you eat. Exercise a lot more if you get in the habit of exercising it can become more fun for you. Start off easy and remind yourself (how ever will be most effective, phone, planner, etc.) so it will become a routine.

Then just confront your mom and tell her that you don’t smoke weed. Prove it to her. If she doesn’t trust you it’s okay, just earn it.

Then just leave your friend alone and when something happens to them they will see that they should’ve listened. It will be your decision later on if you want to forgive them or not.

What you should do is just ignore them!! You shouldn’t care what people say about you because if you listen to them they will drive you crazy. Do what you want.

Just confront him and if he leaves you then you two weren’t meant to be. No one deserves to be cheated on if he didn’t realize what he had and didn’t appreciate you enough to be faithful then you need some time to be alone.

Why are people two faced? -So confused

What do I do when I found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me but I’m to scared to confront him and I don't want him to break up with me. Please help!! –Crybaby101

Everybody at school keeps making fun me cause I like to do guy stuff. What do I do? -Total Tomboy

There's this friend who’s hanging with the wrong crowd, I try telling her, but she just don't listen. What should I do? -Herowithaheart

My mom thinks I smoke weed but I don't, honestly. What should I do? -Mr.Cheezers

I dislike my weight I’ve been trying to go on a diet. I don't [know] where to start. Help me Dr. Harte. -Fatboy29

They try to be your friends but then they are just jealous of you so they try to talk crap about you, most of the time.

Features Issue #7

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February 5, 2014

February

J R B F B C D Z E T G S P O K M E R T L O A L O O G T G L T T L K W V O G R H Z L R M G P K A E E D N W D D O T A Y Y Y E T S H I J N E V S S E Y A B Z I F S K U A E R G H H B P I U O N E O O O C B S B Y K Y Z M N A R B M J R X Y D C M Y I M S G Y Z R C A N D Y B N V A N H K G Y G U J K B S E B R K U I F O C L H A K N K J R C F W P V R X D G F R A E O B U X J T A H S L F X T Y W H O P O K C Y K Z N H L R D M Y W I D C V N W O O D C H U C K U D E

ARROW BOW CANDY CARDS CUPID DOVES FEBRUARY FLOWERS TAKEN HEARTS LOVE SINGLE RELATIONSHIP

Pioneer Blue Staff Staff: Mohamed Alawdi Meyoko Everett Emily Huante-Palomino Jess Hutcheson-Wilcox Luis Martinez Leanne Peou ZamZam Shariff Advisor: Mr. Rukin

Editor-in-Chief: Adriana Villegas Senior Editor: Claire Chao News Editor: Andres Avila Features Editor: Ashley Torres Special Section Editor: Valentina Legaspi Sport Editor: Jordan Phal

Start from the arrow and go to the heart!!!! #Suffer

Start

Valentines