Sports Dedication by Meg Y.

Most kids at CMS play a sport. But how do they stay healthy, keep their social life, and keep their grades up with it all going on? Here are some tips to keep you ready for anything that may come your way while in the zone.

1. Over- Working

Don't overwork yourself and train so much that you can't move. Feel comfortable with what you do but don't stop giving it your all. If a friend brags that they practice eight hours a week, and you practice five, don't try to make the leap and kill yourself in the process. Maybe add half an hour and work your way up. And if someone else can do a lot of practice and games and keep up with their school work, good for them. But if you can't, remember that grades come first. Chances of you becoming a professional athlete are slim, so grades are a part of your future too.

2. Free Time

Everyone wants some time to just chill or hang out with a friend, but with activities including homework, sports games and practices, and maybe an instrument, some kids just don't have the time. Try and keep areas of your schedule clear, in case you need to relax or by a birthday gift. If you are beginning to slack off with homework, remember that you need time to do it too.

3. Sleep

Huh, that thing we call SLEEP is important right? So if you are a hardcore player, you need even more than others, not less. Staying up late does not count as a smart thing to do. Homework should not be done at eleven thirty. Everyone needs at least eight hours of sleep a night, cause sleeping in the pool, on the field, or in the classroom (Oops!) is not going to make your teacher or coach very happy. So remember that sleeping is GOOD, not a waste of time.

4. Staying healthy

When you sprain an ankle, you can tell you aren't healthy enough to play, but when you are sick with a fever, many kids will just get out there and do it. Not a good decision. Just because you are healthy on the outside, remember that what’s on the inside that counts, so keep healthy. When you’re sick, going to practice and games will only one, make you feel worse, and two, get everyone else sick. Repeatedly touching the basketball and coughing in your hands is not sanitary, so please, keep it clean.

5. Eating Right

Junk food. We all love it, and know how bad it is for us. I'm not saying banish it to the basement, I'm saying MODERATION. Stuffing yourself with sugar cereal before a game is not healthy. Try a smoothie, whole grain cereal, oatmeal, bananas and yogurt. Anything with protein and carbohydrates to keep you going in the game, race, at school. Whenever it is, just eat right. Oh wait one last thing about food, Sports drinks. Things like Gatorade and PowerAde don't aid you that much. They have important electrolytes, but are full of hard to digest sugars. Though you thing vitamin water is ok, it may not be. It too has lots of sugars. In all, water is the best choice of drink, but if you need an extra boost, try Ultima, a powered drink with little sugars and great taste, plus, less waste from multiple disposable bottles. You just add it into your reusable bottle.

I hope this has given you some insight on how to live right and stay in the game.

"Mamma Mia" Review by Julie N.

Hey! I'm Julie N. I went on vacation to NYC over last April Break- yay! I saw the Broadway show “Mamma Mia” and reviewed it by 5 categories; Humor, Dancing, Singing, Acting, and Costumes & Scenery. Enjoy!

• HUMOR
• GRADE: B/B-
• EXPLANATION: Some Jokes were said with the wrong personality, left people slightly confused whether to laugh or not. Although, at least half were delivered wonderfully, and were laugh out loud funny.
• DANCING
• GRADE: A
• EXPLANATION: All dancers were perfectly synchronized with the music and each other, which made the audience want to get up on their feet and move. It was very upbeat and quick.
• SINGING
• GRADE: A-
• EXPLANATION: All actors and actresses were very carefully chosen. The harmonies were wonderful and each dancer and background singer had amazing voices. The lead, playing Sophie, was very talented and could sing without music or backup vocals just as well.
• COSTUMES AND SCENERY
• GRADE B/B+
• EXPLANATION: Most costumes really brought out the character. On the other hand, in one scene, all dancers were wearing flashy clothing while two or three were wearing more country-ish styles, which weren’t part of the story. This didn’t make much sense. The lighting was used very thoughtfully to create mood.
• ACTING
• GRADE A+
• EXPLANATION: Phenomenal acting. Sophie was astounding and put in all of her emotion, as all others did. With one of the leads who played Sky, being an understudy, acted his heart out on stage, as all cast members did. <><>

London Calling Book Review by Isabel F.

The critically acclaimed author of Tangerine, Edward Bloor, is back with another heartfelt mystery. This time Bloor delves into the spiritual world with the fascinating and twisty story of Martin, a miserable boy with a torn family, who attends a torturous prep school. He is content to spend eternity in the basement. But after inheriting an old cathedral radio from his newly passed and supposedly nutty Nana (whom he has always felt a “mystical” connection with), Martin starts to have realistic-incredibly realistic-dreams. These dreams (nightmares? reveries?) feature him traveling back to 1940 London, during Germany’s constant war bombing. He gets to know a boy named Jimmy, who is constantly pleading with Martin to “do his bit”. What does this mean? Why is Martin having these hallucinations? Are they hallucinations? Why now? To find the answer, read London Calling, an electrifying “history mystery” that is very tough to put down. <><>

The Best Ever Hot Fudge Sauce! By Julia N.

Melt in saucepan:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 square baking chocolate

Keep over low flame till smooth, and then add:

• ¼ cup of cocoa
• ¾ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of milk (or thin cream or evaporated can milk.)

Bring to boiling point, then remove from heat and add:

• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (it thickens as it heats up.) <><>

Movie Reviews by Hannah T.

There are many great new movies out these days. There are several Disney films and others that are huge hits with an audience for kids in middle school and high school. A great Disney film that hit theatres April 10^th was the Hannah Montana Movie starring Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lucas Till, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, and many other familiar actors and actresses. This movie is a wonderful PG rated comedy based on the hit T.V. series, Hannah Montana, where Miley Stewart heads home to Tennessee against her will. She struggles with her double life and now she must choose one, Hannah or Miley. Along the way she finds herself caught in romance, and some very sticky situations. This is a great movie for kids of all ages.

If you like romance, comedy and Zac Efron, then you should see 17 Again. It hit theatres April 17^th and got great reviews. This movie is rated PG-13 and stars Zac Efron, Sterling Knight, Hunter Parrish, Matthew Perry, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Leslie Mann. Matthew Perry plays Mike O’Donnell who is an adult who doesn’t have a very good life, he is divorcing his wife, and his kids (Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight) don’t trust him. He was a star in high school and wishes he could go back to the glory days, and his wish comes true. Zac Efron then plays Mike O’Donnell as a teen and goes back to high school with the help of his best friend Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon). He helps his kids and himself while becoming closer to his family. 17 Again is a great flick and is very funny.

Animation has gone up and overboard with Monsters vs. Aliens 3D. This movie is about a girl named Susan (voice of Reese Witherspoon) who is hit by a meteorite on her wedding, turned into a giant woman, and then joined with a group of monsters that have been gathered by the government over the years. The group is then rounded up to fight off aliens and save the world from imminent destruction. This animated film features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, and many more.

A good thriller movie out right now is Knowing. In this action film, a teacher opens up a time capsule that had been dug up at his son’s elementary school. In it are some predictions of bad events-earthquakes, crashes, events where a large amount of people died-some that have already occurred, some that will in the future, which lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold. It’s a great film directed by Alex Proyas, rated PG-13 starring Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, D.J. Maloney, Lara Robinson, and others. Catch all these great films in theatres now! <><>

Adam Lambert: Best Singer Ever! Article by Emma B.

This year, every single contestant on American Idol has amazing talent. However, one performer in particular seems to stand out from the rest of the bunch. His name is Adam Lambert. Not only does he have an amazing range and an unbelievable falsetto, he has stage presence. Since he has been doing musical theatre almost all of his life, Adam doesn’t just sing the songs, he performs them. He also adds diversity. Some contestants just keep singing the same types of songs, and although that can show artistry, it can be boring as well. On Motown week, Adam did a spectacular performance of “Tracks of my Tears” by Smokey Robinson, which is a very soft and high song and Adam made it even more so. On the other hand, on cinema week, he did a song called “Born to be Wild” which basically explains itself as being a crazy punk-ish song, which fits him very well. Although every contestant on American Idol is fantastic, Adam Lambert certainly has a major chance at winning this competition. <><>