Backyard Photos by Shelby B.

Animal and Planet Club

The CMS Animal and Planet Club raised a total of $859.05 to help the Sterling Animal Shelter. Check out the article in the Concord Journal:

http://tinyurl.com/4ylrzgv

Cute Penguin video :)

It's being tickled. Go to 1:00 for the actual giggling.

Hehe the penguin

CHARLIE BROWN review by Isabel F.

“Happiness is…” seeing an amazing middle school production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, at least for the people who bought out every showing of CMS’ school musical on an April weekend. Starring Johnny Kilcoyne as the title character, Charlie Brown was a well-rehearsed and charming show that brought the audience to their feet by its end. The show is set up as a series of skits resembling different Peanuts comic strips with songs providing most of the dialogue. Initially I was confused by the lack of plot, but soon understood that although each vignette was unrelated to those preceding and succeeding it, there was an overarching narrative theme: Charlie Brown’s personal development from a “Failure Face” to a kid with "self-esteem." The lead actor perfectly captured both Charlie Brown's initial depression and indecision about almost everything to his decision to take some risks and grow as a person. The show was augmented by the spunky characters of the Peanuts gang: Lily Hamilton as Lucy, who was both sassy and touchingly vulnerable; Alec Yamartino as Snoopy, quirky and very much a canine as well as a lead character; Joel Wilshire as Linus, the Sage with a blanket; Sarah Hession-Kunz as Sally, alternately adorable and bratty; and Bryce Bjork as the piano-playing Schroeder. All these young actors added their characters’ voices to the play as each got the chance to star in their own skits. There were many fabulous members of the chorus who danced and sang their way through the play as part of an impressively large ensemble and the live musicians, complex choreography and hard working crew made the production feel very professional.

The more minor characters also had a chance to shine in numbers such as "Hurry Up Face" where Serena Sabine performed a charming solo. The entire ensemble gave a showstopper performance in "Edgar Allen Poe" where Erin Brady especially displayed powerhouse vocals. Giving many performers starring skits produced a good amount of variety in the show; you never got sick of a particular character or style. However, I was occasionally confused throughout the show, because I didn't know what was going on with some of the stories or how one number corresponded thematically to the previous one. Yet as I reflected on the show after it was over, I came to appreciate its unique charm and the enormous amount of work that went into the production. Peanuts is, after all, a comic strip, and short stories are where the characters were designed to be strongest. My prior knowledge of Peanuts and the dynamics of the relationships between characters helped me keep track of what was going on. I'm sure this was necessary to most of the audience members. I don't think the format of the show would have worked with anything less familiar, but since Schultz's comics are childhood classics, the cast pulled it off well.

I am graduating from CMS this June and know firsthand how meaningful Mr. Kevin Shancady's productions are for the CMS community each year. He always does his best to cast as many kids from each grade as possible and tries to find a valuable message in each play. Charlie Brown’s peers insult and underestimate him but through perseverance and courage, he stands up to the bullies and they come to realize what "a good man" Charlie Brown really is.

Book Review by Claire D.

THE BLUE BOTTLE

By Jill Sheeley

The Blue Bottle is one of my all time favorite books. It is about two girls with completely different personalities. One is an outgoing, popular person, the other a shy girl from a poor family. The summer brings a big adventure for both girls, with one moving to the Caribbean and the other leaving on the sailing trip of her life. Soon enough their paths cross one fateful day.

The Blue Bottle is an intense page-turner, not that fast-paced but still full of action. It describes the unique flavors of the Caribbean, delivering suspense, travel, and action to create a beautifully written masterpiece. Anyone who longs to go to the Caribbean one day will eat this book up like an ice cream sundae. Reading this makes you feel as if you are living with the characters, fighting through the adventure that they are. I would recommend The Blue Bottle to anyone that loves travel, suspense, and the warm setting of the tropical islands. For those who are searching for an adventure that will never cease to surprise you with fascinating twists and a unique setting, this is your lucky day!

REVIEW BY CLAIRE D.

THE SCHOOL MUSICAL OPENS APRIL 8TH!

Book your tickets now, because everyone is anticipating the opening night of Charlie Brown, the CMS school musical. Starring Johnny K. as Charlie, this spunky musical is sure to be entertaining. Interviews with the cast are to come, and reviews after the performances.

Good luck to the cast from the CMS lit mag! :)

A Few of the French and Spanish Building Projects

8th Grade Contributors:

• Sachi W.
• Lily H.
• Lexi G.
• Joel S.
• Isabella S.
  

CCHS "The Producers" review by Fiona M.

CCHS put on the fabulous show, “The Producers”, the past two weekends. I went to see it on the first weekend. Hilarious and exciting, the plot follows two men working their way to Broadway fame in New York during the late fifties. One man, Max, is an old time pro, but unfavored by the crowds. The other is a nervous accountant, Leo. After Leo gets over his fright of encountering crazy Max and begins checking his bills, he carelessly makes a statement saying that you could make more money putting on a Broadway flop than a hit, giving Max a big idea. He convinces Leo to help him in his scheme and goes off to find the worst play and actors to produce this flop. Finally he finds the perfect one: a very politically incorrect show that glamorizes Nazi Germany, called “Springtime for Hitler.” The show goes on to introduce many more crazy characters and scenes, like the Swedish blonde Ulla, crazy old ladies, and many more hilarious situations. I would definitely recommend it to audiences who like a good laugh.

Giant Tsunami Sweeps Miles Inland on Japanese Coast: By Zoe D.

In the early morning of March 11^th, a giant wall of water crashed into the Japanese coast, uprooting everything in its path. The giant tsunami was the result of an 8.9 magnitute earthquake, and killed more than 2000 people. The 30 ft waves where a muddy brown from the soil they had washed over. Planes, and cars were tossed around like toys, and farmland across the coast was ruined. The tsunami hit Sendai Island, flooding everywhere. Fires broke out across the island as a result of ruptures of gas pipes, and they took 8 hours to extinguish. The nuclear power plants on the coast stopped working because the pump failed, and now energy is seeping into the ground at an uncontrollable rate. Citizens are being checked for radiation exposure. Over 3000 people are missing, but there have been many rescues. A man and his wife where coming back to their house to gather some of their belongings after the earthquake hit, when a huge wall of water swept away their house. The man’s wife was swept away to sea, but the man grabbed onto the roof of the house, which had come off, and floated off into the ocean with it. He was miles into the ocean, and stranded there for about 2 days, when a helicopter came and rescued him. He was taken to a hospital. Whirlpools were conjured up in the middle of the ocean, sucking in huge cruise ships and anything else around them. Bodies have been found along the coast, under the rubble of collapsed buildings, and lying on the streets. Overturned planes and cars litter the streets.

The American Red Cross and other organizations are working to help the devastated coast. You can help by donating money to fund raising programs.

DONATE TO THE RED CROSS

Mega-Earthquake Rattles Japan! By Claire D.

An earthquake that measured 8.9 struck Japan on March 11, devastating the country and triggering a giant tsunami.

You’re sitting on your couch at home, silently reading the newspaper, when suddenly, your furniture starts violently vibrating. Panic starts to kick in, and you flee from your rapidly collapsing house.

On March 11, a giant earthquake struck Japan. This earthquake measured an 8.9, making it the most powerful earthquake in Japan in record. The quake is the fifth-largest in the world since 1900, and it killed hundreds of people. Soon after the earthquake, a 23 foot tsunami hit the already devastated cities. The tsunami raced across the Pacific Ocean at 500 mph towards the coast of Japan, and when it crashed down on the shores, it kept going 6 miles inland. Around 2,000 bodies have already been found washed up from sea or hidden in the rubble, but the death toll is expected to run in the tens of thousands. This earthquake has devastated Japan, and the world will work hard to help Japan recover from the disaster.

10-year-old girl's Lady Gaga cover makes her famous!

Maria Aragon, a 10-year-old budding singer, covered Lady Gaga's new single "Born this Way" on piano and voice. She is very talented!

WATCH MARIA'S COVER

Not only does the YouTube video have over 22 million hits, Maria was invited to perform with Lady Gaga live in Toronto.

WATCH MARIA PERFORM WITH LADY GAGA

:)

Free-hand sketch by Jon T.

Upcoming Events at CMS! March and April 2011

REMAINDER OF MARCH

Friday the 18th- end of second trimester
Friday the 18th- Spaghetti Supper (6:30-9)
Tuesday the 22nd- Grade 7 ELA Long Composition MCAS
Wednesday the 23rd- All grades MCAS ELA Reading Comp. Session 1
Thursday the 24th- All grades MCAS ELA Reading Comp. Session 2
Monday the 28th- Report cards mailed out!

APRIL

Tuesday the 5th- National Spanish Exam for 8th graders
Thursday the 7th- House Huddles, all grades
Friday the 8th- opening of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! (7-9 pm)
Thursday the 14th- 7th grade exchange students leave for China
Monday the 18th-Friday the 22nd- April break!
Monday the 25th- 7th graders return from China
Tuesday the 26th- 8th graders leave for DC trip

Somalian Pirates

Danish family is taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean

Somali is now becoming known for it’s blood-thirsty pirates. On February 24th, three Danish children and their parents were taken hostage by Somali pirates while they were sailing in the Indian Ocean. The children were said to be from the ages of 12 and 16, and that two crew members were also taken hostage. As of last week, the EU’s anti-piracy naval force said that pirates are estimated to be holding 31 vessels and 688 hostages. Many of the vessels they target are cargo ships sailing near the Gulf of Aden.

The ship with the Danish family on it sent out a distress signal on Thursday. The Danes are the second non-commercial sailors taken by pirates in recent weeks. For an example, a group of Americans were seized earlier in February and four were shot when the US forces tried to rescue them. The pirates seem to be responding with increasing violence as navy forces try to rescue the hostages. Two Philippine sailors were murdered last month because the pirates were enraged at the attempted rescue.

This is becoming a serious issue. Somali gangs have recently hijacked a tanker with $200m worth of crude oil on board. To try to control the issue, international naval forces patrolling the area will try to free more hostages.

Original Story- BBC News
Re-Written By- Emily L.

Crazy Maniac Writes HP Chapter on Bathroom Wall

Harry Potter's awesome, but seriously, who spends their time doing this?

Snow Day Comic by Mattsen

Alumni Artwork by Zoe H-M.

Zoe, a tenth grader at CCHS and a CMS alum, is a talented artist who kindly lent her work to the lit blog!

"The Intergalactic Spy" (Part I) by Tyler L.

Michael sat cross-legged at the concert hall listening to the music. all of a sudden, his pager started beeping. He hated it when the pager interrupted interesting things, well granted it was a school concert but still. He hurried outside to answer his phone. It was Agent Glox, and he needed a lot of help in some Dsubjkfgjkhiovian Country. Michael hurriedly called his driver: he may have been an intergalactic spy, but he still couldn’t drive.

His driver came shortly and took him to the nearest spaceport where he got into his private space ship. It was a 200-foot tall affair with fusion generators that produced 7 million pounds of thrust. It glimmered in the late afternoon light, looking just like a typical cruiser (it was an undercover vehicle).

Michael strapped in and ignited the engines and took off in a roar of smoke. He felt the full pull of 10 g forces as he neared mach 9.9. He wondered what was going to happen to him this time.

As Michael neared the asteroid belt several lkuluian fighters began to close in and a transmission between the two ships began.

“Good morning Mr. Michael," the Ikuluian chief began. “It has come to my attention that you are going to prevent a large war from happening on planet Dsubjkfgkhiov, we need that war to happen and if it doesn’t, well lets not go there. Now if you turn around you and Earth will be left alone, if you refuse to cooperate then things won’t be too pretty.”

“Let me on my way!” demanded Michael. “ I am a member of the company of Intergalactic Spies, and it is a federal offense to keep me from going anywhere.”

“Once we’re done no one will be able to trace this unfortunate event to us. Open fire, men!” exclaimed the Ikuluian chief. There was a loud zapping in the vast atmosphere of space, and a cloud of smoke.


What will happen to Michael?! Tune in next time to Learn!

Student Artwork with Ms. Plante

In Ms. Plante's eighth grade art classes, students have been very busy lately! In one recent project, students had to choose which element (earth, air, wind, water, or fire) best represented their personality and illustrate themselves as that element. In another, students visually represented the famous poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.

Student contributors:
Alec Y.
Ashley Y.
Avalon O.
Joel S.
Kaleigh D.
Sachi W.