Cheaters Never Win

This January, students at Florida State University were punished for their actions.  The twenty students were punished for cheating on a music test.  These twenty students were also on the football team, which forced the university to suspend them from playing in the bowl game against Kentucky University.  This was no ordinary test either, it was a final exam.  The students cheated by taking the online test.  But the students knew somehow that the teacher didn’t change the answers.  Some people think that it’s the teachers fault and that they should have taken more responsibility on the tests they create.  The suspension also includes five games.

In most people’s opinion, the students deserve their punishment for their actions.  Also, some may think they didn’t get enough punishment.  The majority thinks that they deserve what they got and hopefully have realized that cheating is wrong.  Also, Florida State University lost in their bowl game to the University of Kentucky.  The majority of the team were Freshman and did not have much college football experience, and they let their team down.  The real ones who let their team down, however, are the ones who cheated.  I feel bad for the Head Coach at FSU.  He was embarrassed and disgraced by twenty members of the team.  So, a message to all of the students reading this:  When you cheat, you will face serious consequences.

Q & A with Mr.Mattson

Q: How did your first game go?

A: The first, I expected the girls would do well. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did.

Q: How do you like coaching so far?

A: I couldn’t be happier. The girls had coached well before they got to me. They are really good basketball players. They are serious about the sport and they have fun. We’ve got 9 eight graders and 5 seventh graders. 2 of the seventh graders are starters.I don’t know much about the league and the other schools ability because this is my first year coaching girls basketball in Raleigh. I expect that we are going to have major competition. I think it will push the girls to get better.

Q: Where did you coach before here?

A:Northern Wisconsin in a small town called Fredric. A graduating class had 50 kids if they were lucky,so the team didn’t have a lot of talent to choose from. Here at Wakefield there are over a 1000 students so in the tryouts there were 30 girls trying out for the team.

Q: Was it difficult to choose the players for this year?

A: The first 10 girls that made the team easily stood out. The remaining 4 that were chosen required a lot of thought and discussion between me and our other coach Mr.Williams. It never feels good to cut anyone who wants to play. I am sure it is even harder on the girls. I hope that they keep playing and practice their skills then come again next year.

Q: Do you plan on coaching next year?

A: Yeah I do, I love basketball and the kids are wonderful.

Peeps Page Issue #1

This page is all about the readers. You write to me solutions to a situation and I choose fifteen to twenty different answers from you. I will also have weekly polls about school, sports, holidays and sometimes just whatever I think of. You readers can also email me new ideas for polls. This space your reading now is where the results for last weeks polls will go. Since this is my first ever issue of for this website I don’t have any answers for any polls. You can also write in what you thought of this page.

Heres the first situation I’m throwing the readers way: Imagine you arrived at Jellybeans a little late Friday night. You had asked you “guy friend” if he wanted to meet you there and he said no. Well when you get inside and you’re getting your skates, you see your “guy friend” couple skating with one of your best friends. What would you do?

Now I have a question for you readers: If one of your friends spread a horrible rumor about you what would you do?

Now your probably asking yourself how do I submit my opinion? Well get your email address or your parents email and send me your solution to macy@whatsupwakefield.com But please try to keep it clean, thats all I’m asking. So remember to read Whats up Wakefield online at www.whatsupwakefield.com read Peeps Page, submit your answers to me and check out the rest of the site. Peace.

Organization Tips

Tired of not being able to find anything in your binder?Getting late grades on homework because you can’t find it? Just plain unorganized?Well no longer!! Here are some tips that’ll get you organized!

1.Clean it out!

*Get rid of everything you don’t need.

*If you aren’t sure about the paper/item put it in a labeled folder in your locker.

*Things from a month ago should probably be thrown out, but make sure with your teacher if you really don’t know at all.( Use your common sense but don’t trash everything.)

*NEVER stuff your folder or binder with random papers. You’ll never see it again. Take time to organize it.

*Put things in size order.(Big to small.)

*Put a shelf in your locker to make space for books and folders. Put up awhite board to write down reminders, dates, or appointments.

*Write down all important dates in your agenda.

*Don’t fold or rip your paper, EVER!!!

*Get 1 big binder and separate it into sections, if you can handle it. If not get 1and a half inch binders for each subject.

*You could also share binders like a 2 inch binder for math, science, and Language arts.

*Clean out junk er=very other week to stay organized.

All in One Gym

At 1pm on Saturday,  kicked off the 2nd Annual Network Basketball Club Showtime. There were 14 schools but scince there were so many schools the meet split the schools in half. The first 7 schools started at 1pm and the second goup started at 3pm. The schools were called by the amount of student participating that group. The first school called was Baucom, I missed there preformance because i was late. The second group called was North Forest Pines and Forest Pines combined.The young students did trick such as spinning the balls on there fingers, dribbiling two balls at a time, and catching the ball from behind their backs. The announcer then called the 3rd graders to the floor, happily a large group of 3rd grader cmae bouncing down the bleacher ready to show their skills. Sanford Creek, came after the 3rd graders, I was completely amazed at the skills the young student had. After Sanford Creek the announcer called 4th grade. Cary Elementary. Then came Rolesville Elementary, which is asurprisingly small group. The last grade called to the floor was 5th grade,the 5th grade students came down the bleachers carrying two basketballs this undoubtably caused an intrest in the crowd. Later Jouner Elementary was called I think this was the smallest school there. All of the students came to the floor after Jouner. From where I was standing all of the students looked really crowded. Barwell Elementary was also called but I am not sure when.

      I only stated for the  first show because my younger brother gose to Forest Pines Elementary.

Exclusive Interview with Mrs. Stegner

1. What is something you are looking forward to?

Baby in April

2. What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is purple

3. What sports do you like?

Field Hockey

4. Is there something people do not know about you?

She was the teacher of the year 2 years ago.

5. How many years have you been teaching at Wakefield Middle School?

Five Years

6. If you weren’t a teacher what other job would you want?

Nurse

7. What is you favorite Song?

“Amazed” by Lone-star

8. Where did you live when you were growing up?

Marathon, New York and Buffalo, New York

9. Do you have a favorite sport team?

No favorite sport team.

10. Have you taught at any other schools other then Wakefield Middle School?

One other school

11. Do you have a hobby?

Yes, knitting, walking, and hanging with family.

12. What is a goal you have for this year?

Educate to become a great mom.

13. Do you have a favorite restaurant?

Lostres Maguyes

14. What is your favorite season?

Fall

15. Do you have a favorite movie?

Monalisa Smile

16. IS there a place you want to vist?

Italy

17. What is your favorite thing to do at school?

Teach

18. What collage did you go to?

Niagara University, NY under grad and Capella University, NY grad

19. Is there a place you enjoy to go?

Home

20. What teacher should we interview next?

Mrs. LaFayette

Battle of the Books Q & A

Question: How long have you been running Battle of the Books at WMS?

Answer: 4 years

Question: What type of students should be involved in Battle of the Books?

Answer: Anyone interested in reading and likes competition

Question: What would be the best way to prepare for a Battle of the Books meet?

Answer: Read and review as many books as possible out of 26

Question: How do you organize the books participants read?

Answer: A committee decides the list of books

Question: What is the average amount of books students who participate in Battle of the Books read?

Answer: About 10 books

Question: On average how many students participate in Battle of the Books?

Answer: 12 to 16 students

Question: What is the best strategy to win a Battle of the Books meet?

Answer: Having each students be an expert on certain books

Question: What is your favorite book you have recently read?

Answer: Twilight and The City of Ember

Question: Is there any genre that most of the Battle of the Books books are in?

Answer: No it is a mix of all genres

Question: What has been the most suspenseful Battle of the Books meet?

Answer: We were very close in points the year before last year

New Vacation Spots

School is very stressful and we all deserve a break. During this winter break there are lads of places to go. Warm, cold, wet, dry it doesn’t matter where you go. Two amazing places to go are Disney World and the North Carolina Mountains.

Disney World is the experience of a lifetime. With rides, animals, and multicultural fun there is nothing else you can ask for. At Disney World there are three main kingdoms, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot which are all loads of fun. There are also many other areas that contain different activities. Disney World is a fantastic experience and everyone should go there at least once in their life.

The Mountains of North Carolina are very beautiful and hold many mysteries. You can drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, visit blowing rock, and hike up a mountain. You can also go skiing or snowboarding in the fluffy white snow. There are many wonders in the mountains to enjoy.

I loved going to both of these places and would like to go there anytime. These are just two good places to explore, but there are also many more places with other adventures

New Hot Gifts

Well we’re now in the holiday season again, the time to give and receive cool new gifts. There are a lot of new things this year that can be enjoyed by everyone. Phones, music, games these are just some types of gifts. The new Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, iPod nano, and the new LG Voyager phone are all exciting new gifts for this holiday season.

The Xbox 360 contains a hard drive, DVD player, music player, and HD component cable which lets you start gaming in high definition. The Xbox 360 also has the ability to connect online and play against other gamers around the world. Many new games have been released including the new Halo 3 which is loads of fun. All of these can be used and played if you get the Xbox 360.

The Nintendo Wii is a new revolutionizing gaming system. The Wii uses physical movement to control your actions on the game. For example Wii Sports, a game that comes with a Wii, allows you to play Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling, and Boxing. When you play Tennis you swing the Wii remote as if you are swinging a tennis racket instead of pressing down buttons and moving a control stick. The whole family can use the Wii for all of its games and other abilities such as a DVD player and going online to many different channels. The Nintendo Wii is a new hands-on game system that should redefine the word Video Game.

The iPod Video was released recently but for people who don’t want that much memory or want a smaller iPod they can get the new iPod Nano. With a totally new lay out, more colors, and the ability to watch videos this is now the smaller, wider, and a less capacity version iPod Video for a much lower price. So if you like to have a smaller music player in your pocket instead of a big one and don’t use all of the memory in the big music players then then get the new iPod Nano. Many people have already begun to enjoy it.

If you think that your phone has everything in it you haven’t seen anything yet. The new LG Voyager is an all in one device that contains a high definition external touch screen, a full keyboard, and is VZ navigator capable. It is also a music player and an all-in-one multimedia device. This device is $100 cheaper than the iPhone and has many similar abilities. The Voyager has all of your necessary needs and much more in a phone.

These are just some of the example of exciting gifts that are going to be great this holiday season. You can find many other new and cool gifts too. So when you’re getting someone a gift get them something that they will remember and have tons of fun with.

“I Am Legend” Makes Box-Office History

Perhaps one of the most anxiously awaited movies hit theaters on December 14. I Am Legend, based on the novel written by Richard Matheson, has been produced for the third time. The previews showing clips of this movie was not revealing like Spider-Man 3 but it did not show much. However, it was enough for movie-goers to sit on the edge of their seat. Anxiety filled the air on the day of its release and many shows were sold out throughout the country. In the first weekend alone, Legend grossed a record-breaking $76.5 million. Passing “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “King Kong”, and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, I Am Legend had become the biggest December opening in history. Also, Legend earned more money than the following four movies combined!

The movie begins with a news interview Dr. Kripper (Emma Thompson) who is speaking about a scientific breakthrough that she and a team of scientists have achieved. She has taken the Measles virus and genetically altered it so that it only attacks cancerous cells. The treatment has proven to be 100% effective on 10,109 clinical trials. The news anchor asks, “So you have actually cured cancer?”. “Yes. Yes, we have,” claims Dr. Kripper. But the next scene proves her statement wrong as we go back in present day, which is three years after the interview. We learn that a virus known as KV (Kripper Virus), had a kill rate of 90%. Over 9% were infected but did not die. Less than 1% remained completely immune to the virus, but were hunted and killed. Now, there remains only one immune human on Earth…
Lt. Col. Robert Neville is a brilliant virologist who just happens to be the last human on Earth. Alone for three years, his people skills are obviously rusty and he shows it during the film. However, Neville has a companion: “Man’s Best Friend” (ironic, huh), Sam. Sam is a three-year-old German Shepherd who was once belonged to Neville’s daughter, Marley. During the day, Neville and Sam gather food, exercise, and hunt. Also, he spends time in his laboratory in the basement of his home, in which he attempts to develop an anti-virus for KV. But at night, his objective is to survive as nocturnal “vampire-zombies” (a.k.a. “dark seekers”) roam the city, hungry for whoever is still alive.

“My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. I will be at the South Street Seaport everyday at mid-day, when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there… if anyone is out there… I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there’s anybody out there… anybody… please. You are not alone.”

I Am Legend has the best special effects that I have ever seen! When picturing a mental image of Manhattan, you see traffic, crowds of people, tourists, and lights. In Legend, you see none of this. You see abandoned cars that are rusting, weeds growing through concrete streets, weathered signs, an occasional deer, a demolished Brooklyn Bridge, and so much that you wouldn’t see unless the world is ending. One scene of the movie cost $5 million to produce, the most expensive scene to date in New York City.
I Am Legend is a science fiction movie but has a wide range of thematic elements. It was very touching, seeing the bond that Neville had with his dog. It was sad and depressing when seeing flashbacks of what happened when the virus spread. It made some people giggle at some of the jokes that Will Smith cracked at multiple times in the movie. But most of all, Legend will keep you at the edge of your seat and with your hands cupped over your ears. When you know something bad is going to happen…BOOM!…it happens and you still jump out of your seat.
After viewing this movie, it made me raise some questions.

• What did Neville do as the infected stayed trapped in Manhattan?
• Flashbacks leave big gaps. Why so? (One minute we’re finding out there is a cure for cancer, the next we find out how the infected are quarantined)
• Why can’t the “dark seekers” find Neville while they roam the city at night?

Overall, I thought I Am Legend was an excellent movie. It had the thematic elements that viewers are looking for, the special effects that keep getting better but it lacks answering the simple questions that viewers have. Will Smith had one of his best performances ever and played his character very well. Legend is definitely worth watching again so look out for it on DVD.

For questions, comments, storyline information, or to submit your rating, contact me at sean@whatsupwakefield.com.

MY RATING: A-

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