Phoenix Central School District—Student Newsletter

OCTOBER 2016

OCTOBER Calendar

October 6—

Open House @ 6:45PM

October 7th—

5-week report cutoff

October 10—

Columbus Day

(NO SCHOOL!)

October 21-22 & 28- 29 —

Screamwood Forest

@ 6-11PM

October 24—

Red Ribbon Week

(See PAGE 4 for more

information)

Mr. Bailer is the new principal

of the high school. His office is

located in the main office and

his door is always open for

s t u d e n t s a n d s t a f f !

The education requirements

f o r M r . B a i l e r ’ s j o b

are a master’s degree

and a 2-year Certificate of Ad-

vanced Studies (CAS). That’s 8

years of college! Mr. Bailer

went to SUNY Oswego for 6

years and then SUNY Cortland

for 2 years.

Mr. Bailer has some great

things planned for this year.

He wants to build positive

relationships with students,

staff, and parents. He wants to

understand the culture

tha t e x i s t s her e and

find ways to improve JCB.

If you ever see Mr. Bailer, he

will make you smile. If you are

having a bad day, he is the

type of person who can turn

your frown upside down.

Don’t be scared to talk to him.

I know it might seem scary at

first, but once you talk to him,

you will ask yourself “Why was

I so scared to talk to him?”

Trust me, he will try

to solve your problem in the

b e s t w a y p o s s i b l e .

S o m e i n t e r e s t i n g f a c t s

about Mr. Bai ler are…

~He really was not thinking that

he wanted to grow up to be a

principal—he wanted to be an

a r c h i t e c t o r

an actor on Broadway!

~Mr. Bailer has 2 sons who go to

MAM, and his wife works at the

elementary school! He likes that

this district is a small

community and he believes this

j o b w a s t h e r i g h t

opportunity at the right time!

~Mr. Bailer’s favorite color is

purple and his favorite movie is

Meet our New Principal: Mr. Bailer!

By: Shania Meaker

D e a d P o e t s S o c i e t y .

~If anyone mentions marching

a r o u n d M r . B a i l e r , h e

automatically thinks of the 76

trombones that came marching in

f r o m T h e M u s i c M a n .

~Mr. Bailer’s hobbies are

kickboxing, theater, and learning

piano. He also loves sports.

Shania’s selfie with Mr. Bailer!!

Faculty who contributed to this newspaper: Ms. Dufour, Mr. Fredenburg, Mr. Hurlbutt, Mrs. Lathrop, Mr. Musso, Ms. Neiss, Ms. Porrino, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Spereno, Ms. St. John, Ms. Weigert

Students who contributed to this newspaper: Breanna Backus, DJ Burgess, Caity George, Sam Guthrie, Shania Meaker, Marissa Moore, Sean Sievers, Sarah Thorn, and Tameka Stobart

Here is a handy list of important JCB websites! *STUDENT COUNCIL PAGE http://jcbstudentcouncil.weebly.com *Softball http://phoenixfirebirdssoftball.weebly.com/ *Football www.phoenixfirebirds.net *Wrestling http://www.cnywrestling.com/iii/teams/Phoenix/ *JCB Yearbook Jcbyearbook.weebly.com *Girls Tennis http://phoenixgirlstennis.weebly.com/ *Girls Basketball http://jcbgirlsbasketball.weebly.com/ *National Honor Society http://jcbnhs.weebly.com/ *JCB Physical Education http://jcbphysed.weebly.com/ *JCB Library http://jcblibrary.weebly.com/ *JCB computer labs website: http://jcblabs.weebly.com/ *JCB Guidance Office http://www.phoenixcsd.org/Schools/John-C-Birdlebough-High-School/Guidance-Office *Schooltool https://phoenix.schooltool.cnyric.org/SchoolToolWeb/Default.aspx *Castle Learning http://corp.castlelearning.com/ College Info—*https://www.hesc.ny.gov/ Career Exploration — *http://public.careercruising.com (Students needs username and password from guidance)

Screamwood Forest

By: Tameka Stobart

The school year has started, along with it, many

clubs have also started, such as

The Literary Club, the student newspaper,

the French and Spanish clubs, etc.

One club, in particular, is always in need of

members: Drama! One of the major fundraisers

this Fall, as many of you know, is Screamwood

Forest, a haunted trail. Whether you help as a

talented actor, or as a screamer, or if you help set up,

every person is appreciated.

If you cannot help with the event, you can still participate

by being a paying customer!

New and continued support of the program is always

appreciated; hope to see you there!

CONGRATS !!

Ryan Shafer and Spencer Evans qualified for the

Sectionals in Golf, which were held at Timber Banks

Country Club on Tuesday, October 4th. From there,

Ryan qualified and moved on!

The Phoenix Marching Firebirds have

been working very diligently through-

out their

competitive season. They have had 3

competitions so far with more to

come.

They placed first in the small school

2 division in their first competition at

ESM High School.

Their second competition was at

Baldwinsville High School where

Marching Band By: Sean Sievers

they placed third. Their

rivals, Johnson City and West-

moreland, took first and second.

In the Marching Firebird's third

competition, they placed second,

beating Union-Endicott and

closing the gap between them-

selves and Johnson City by

approximately a point!

JV Volleyball By: Caity George and Sarah Thorn

On Thursday, September 29th at 4:30, the Phoenix JV Volleyball team won all three sets against Solvay! In the first game, a great game was played by all with fan-tastic passing, setting, and hitting. In the second game, Phoenix made

an amazing comeback to win, and in the third game, Phoenix played an in-tense game to overtime with a f inal score of 29 to 27! Congratulations, ladies!

A pic from

the Dig Pink

Volleyball

game—where

over $1,000

was raised

for

breast

Varsity Volleyball

Freshman Prince and Princess: Trent Moran and Nicole Tulowiecki

Sophomore Prince and Princess: Matt Zogg and Erika Brown

Junior Prince and Princess: Ryan Shafer and Corinne Januszka

Senior King and Queen: Ned Greenough and Chloe Koegel

HOMECOMING COURT

SADD PRESENTS RED RIBBON WEEK (October 24-28)

~Monday will be Wear Red Day!

~Tuesday will be a hat day!

~Wednesday is Drug Awareness Day; there will be information tables and the NYS troopers at JCB

with the “drunk goggles.” SADD will have students sign a pledge that they will not do drugs; members

will be giving out candy and juice at lunch.

~On Thursday, David Flood (http://davidjflood.com/ ) will hang out at JCB for the whole day to talk with

students. He will discuss dignity/respect and drug/alcohol awareness and prevention.

~Friday will be Grim Reaper Day!

YOLO- BE DRUG FREE! #You Only Live Once”

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

*October 16th-My School Color Run at EJD-See Ms. Neiss for information

*NHS New Applicants pick up applications from Ms. Neiss Friday, October 7th in the library after school.

Applications are due to Ms. Neiss by Tuesday, October 18th.

*NHS-CROP Walk for Hunger--Sunday October 23rd at 1:00 PM. See Ms. Neiss for more details!

GUIDANCE

JCB will host the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) for interested juniors and

qualified sophomores on Wednesday, October 19th at 7:50 AM. This is an excellent

opportunity for our 4-year college bound students to become familiar with the type of

testing colleges use in determining whether students are admissible to their institution of

higher learning.

Pep Rally Shenanigans!

2016 HOCO!

CLUB INFORMATION

JCB News Club This club meets Thursdays after school in the library (and whenever else works for members). There

are no prerequisites, but creativity helps! We record the Friday announcements and film other

segments with the hopes of entertaining in addition to informing!

There is really no standard time commitment. Students can participate as little or as much as they

wish. Even if they just want to anchor for just one episode, they may do so.

Spanish Club/ Los españoles

~WHERE DOES THE CLUB MEET? Rm 223

~WHEN DOES THE CLUB MEET? Wednesdays, as needed

~ANY PREREQUISITES TO JOIN THE CLUB? Just bring an interest in Spanish language and culture

~WHAT SORT OF FUN THINGS DOES THE CLUB DO? Making crafts like calacas and sombreros, Preparing and enjoying food like homemade salsa and tamales,

~DOES WORKING WITH THE CLUB OFFER VOLUNTEER HOURS? Possibly, but not at this time

art club

This club meets in room 133 on various days depending on what is going on. We are going to try to meet on Tuesdays at least once a month.

We make crafts and learn about master artists and art techniques.

We will offer volunteer hours since we were asked to paint a mural and are often asked to help with the sets for the play and the musical.

Anyone interested in art can join the club- you do not have to be currently taking art.

The Lit Club

If you are in good academic standing and like to read and/or write, stop by room 277, after

school, on the first Thursday of each month. Our first meeting will be October 6th—we’d love

to see some new faces!

CLUB INFORMATION

DECA WHERE DOES THE CLUB MEET? Room 253 Mrs. Boatman’s Room

WHEN DOES THE CLUB MEET? Days vary, but students can always stay after and practice for competition.

NO PREREQUISITES TO JOIN THE CLUB!

WHAT SORT OF FUN THINGS DOES THE CLUB DO? Go to a regional competition in December and a state competition in March

SADD “ Students Against Destructive Decisions”

WHERE DOES THE CLUB MEET? Room 176 (Distance Learning room)

WHEN DOES THE CLUB MEET? 3rd Wednesday of each month

ANY PREREQUISITES TO JOIN THE CLUB? Student just has to read and sign an agreement

that they will try to change attitudes about bad decisions

WHAT SORT OF FUN THINGS DOES THE CLUB DO? Adopt a family at Christmas, feed the

homeless, visit the jail, Prom Promise, and have a Christmas party and an end of the year

party

DOES WORKING WITH THE CLUB OFFER VOLUNTEER HOURS? yes

Ski Club http://jcbskiclub.weebly.com/

-We take snow boarders in addition to skiers. The club is open to all high school students.

-If you ski/ride and you are not in Ski Club, you may still go on the Ski Trip to Vermont (usually the 1st weekend in March).

-Ski Club costs approximately $190 (I don’t have firm prices from the hill yet). That price covers a Thursday pass (good for the entire year including over breaks), 6 trips to Labrador, and 6 lessons if you want them. Equipment is extra.

~We start skiing on January 5th for 6 weeks

-More info will be coming; listen to the announcements. Or see Mr. Bryant for more information.

Yearbook

If you want a say as to WHAT and WHO goes in our ANNUAL Yearbook and are

concerned about HOW amazing it looks, stop by the Middle Library Computer

Lab on Wednesdays at 2:30!

Ms. Porrino and Mr. Wells could use a few helping hands!

CLUB INFORMATION

National Honor Society (NHS)

WHERE DOES THE CLUB MEET? In the Library

WHEN DOES THE CLUB MEET? 3rd Friday of the month

ANY PREREQUISITES TO JOIN THE CLUB? Must be invited dependent upon your Overall GPA, and then accepted by a faculty committee based on your Service, Leadership, Character, and Scholarship

WHAT SORT OF FUN THINGS DOES THE CLUB DO? Volunteer work in the community, Community Clean up, Service projects, CROP walk for hunger…etc.

DOES WORKING WITH THE CLUB OFFER VOLUNTEER HOURS? INDEED

School Newspaper

JCB, this is YOUR student newspaper. What do you want to see on these pages? Specific club or sport announcements? Student, club, and sport accomplishments? Interviews, surveys, student artwork or literary work? Movie, book, restaurant, or video game reviews? Photos of events going on around Phoenix and JCB?

See Ms. Epolito in Room 277 to suggest ideas for our newspaper.

NO MEETINGS!!

We produce on-line and hard copies of the paper at least four times a year!

Video Game Review By: DJ Burgess

This month I am reviewing “Beyond Good and

Evil.” It is a pretty old game, but it was just

put on the Xbox One, so I thought I would

review it.

Overall the game is great. It’s an over the

shoulder 3rd person game. You play as a girl

named Jade who takes care of children whose

parents died during the war that is going on.

You are recruited to a rebel

organization that believes the Alpha

Sections, an elite armed force that is fighting

the war against aliens named

the Domz, is

actually working with the

Domz. You have to gather

evidence to prove this

and turn the

population against them.

Besides the main storyline, there are other mini

objectives in the game also—such as races, fighting

robbers, and (my favorite) wildlife photography.

Batman Vs Superman is essentially a

really cool Batman movie, trapped in a

boring Superman sequel, full of

scattered fights, plot devices, and

characters roughly shoehorned into it.

Failing at almost everything it even

attempts to bring to the table, the film

is two agonizing hours of painfully

bor ing , messy , and needles s

exposition that I’m not even

g o i n g t o t r y t o e x p l a i n .

The film is a very poor attempt to

c a t c h u p w i t h c o m p e t i t o r

Marvel Comics ; it tries to introduce

the Justice League, the Flash,

Aquaman, Cyborg, and Wonder

Woman, basically burning through

several movies’ worth of material.

The place where this movie seems to

fail most is in its title fight, which is

90% of the reason people came to see

the movie. The fight starts off with

Superman walking up to Batman

trying to reason with him, Batman

responds by cutting him off not even

halfway through his statement. I can

understand wanting to protect the

world from an alien with a lot of

destructive capability, but if you want

to win a fight with said alien, you

should really try to reach a peaceful

understanding or try to limit the

destruction. You can’t 1eve1 him in

the middle of a heavily populated city

and then claim it was the only way.

B a c k t o t h e f i g h t ,

it is choreographed well enough, with

Batman and Superman showing off

certain signature moves and special

tricks until Batman gains the upper

hand, pinning Superman down with a

kryptonite spear, giving birth to quite

possibly the worst ending to a fight

that has ever been created.

The climax of this fight is stupid and

tries to hurriedly wrap up the fight,

which clocks in at approximately 8-9

minutes.

The final “Doomsday fight” was terrible.

I hated the bad CGI that made

Doomsday look like Shrek’s lost

brother, I hated the lazy choreography:

PUNCH, PUNCH, PUNCH, FLY

OVER THERE, MORE PUNCHING,

a n d i t b o t h e r e d m e

t h a t t h e r e w a s p r a c t i c a l l y

NO BATMAN in the scene.

In short the movie is an overall

disappointment and just be glad I didn’t

try to explain the plot because JEEZ that

would be like a thirty-page essay. This

movie could have been so much better,

but they fell short. DC comics motto

s h o u l d b e “ D C C o m i c s ,

N e v e r l i v i n g u p t o y o u r

expectations.”

Movie Review By: Sam Guthrie

Fire by: Marissa Moore

Anger flickers through the body

Like a fire

Controlled, then wild

Flames swell and fall

White hot anger

Much like the heart of a flame

Small, yet dangerous

Burns those who brave it

Self control extinguishes it

Killing the fire as if nothing happened

Leaving embers of emotion

Do You Remember

By: Tameka Stobart

I remember how people always told us to

believe in ourselves, and how grownups

said,

"Ignorance is Bliss"

Ignorance is a plague

Destroying and eating away at sanity,

breaking down families

How is this bliss?

A feeling you get from love, a hug and a

kiss?

Not questioning is applauded, blindness

rewarded

Celebrated.

Like sticking pins in our eyes and crossing

our stitched hearts, ripping out the seams and

screams and watching the tears stream.

And as they drop and refuse to stop, we think

Think and express ourselves in paper and ink

And as the stakes and tides rise, we realize

"Why were we so blind?"

How were we so blind as to not stop and find

how to be kind and that they all lied

The Demons in our heads don't sleep

They reap our knowledge and rest as we

protest, they only become worse

Because why use sticks and stones when

words are so much stronger?