The Webster Voice

Where the Red Fern Grows Book Review

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

By: Mileidi V.

I read this amazing book called Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. This book is the best book in the world! However, some people might say it’s the worst book ever because it's so sad.

This book is about a boy named Billy and his two hound puppies, Little Ann and Old Dan. They loved each other and they always hunted together but sometimes when they hunted they would sometimes run into some trouble. The three of them had many wonderful adventures together.

So if like dogs and adventure books, you want to read Where the Red Fern Grows. It's a good choice and you will love the book.

Imperfect

2010-04-19T09:30:00.002-07:00

By Paola S.

I'm not a perfect girl.

My hair doesn't stay in place and I spill things a lot. I'm pretty clumsy and sometimes I have a broken heart. My friends and I sometimes fight and maybe some days nothing goes right.

When I think about people, we really aren't that perfect. Really, nobody is. When I remember this, I just sit down and think how amazing life truly because way deep inside of us, we really aren't what we look like, and maybe just maybe, I like being imperfect.

I like being me.

My Two Best Friends

2010-04-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

By Valeria O.

My best friend's name is Joclin Ortes. She is funny weird, hyper and a good friend. She helps me with every thing but the guy I love because she thinks he's a jerk, but that’s not going to stop our friendship cause she and I are together for up's and down's.

My second best friend's name is Sahara Avero. She is my crazy best friend forever. We are like crazy and hyper twins. We have been in through a lot together. We've known each other since pre-k and we stopped hanging out so much because I moved schools. In 6th grade we saw each other again and we said to each other, "don't I know you?" and we started hanging out. It was then I met her BFF, Joclin Ortes, and from that day on we've all been best friends.

Some Love Advice

2010-04-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

By Mariko R. and Lori J.

First of all, girls, here are some types of guy you should know about.

The hot and cold crush is when he flirts with you and walks you to class but when he is with his friends he flirts with other girls.

The label hater is when you have a long, personal conversations and text every night before bed, but when you invite him to dance or to a party he acts like you are trying to smother him and force him into a serious relationship.

The repeat hookup is when he acts into you and when you hook up, it is amazing, so you are bummed when doesn’t text you afterward to ask you out. But then he pursues you again and you hook up, hoping this time the connection will last.

The on again, off again BF is, most of the time, an awesome boyfriend, but your relationships is still filled fights that lead to angry breakups. You always make up but the cycle starts over again.

For the hot and cold crush they just get over it and go out with someone else.

Here's our advice for what to do about them:

For the label hater just say that you thought that it was going to be fun and they can hangout with whomever they want to. Then don't call them again.

For the repeat hookup you should just hangout instead of just hooking up. They obviously aren't worth your time.

For the on again and off again BF, just break up with him. Give it a couple of months--while you go out with that cutie in English class-- and then see if he is still interesting enough to go out with. If not, move on.

Our real advice? Find a guy who isn't in any of these categories.

Alice in Wonderland Review

2010-04-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

By Simone F.

Alice in Wonderland is a movie written by Linda Wolverton and directed by Tim Burton. The main characters are Alice who's played by Mia Wasikowska, Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp, Red Queen played by Helena Bonham Carter, and the White Queen played by Anne Hathaway.

The movie is about a nineteen year old girl named Alice who's trying to fulfill her destiny in Wonderland. In order to fulfill her destiny she has to first go through a series of adventures. When Alice was seven years old she had been to Wonderland in her dreams, but now as a young adult she's really there. The whole time Alice is there she believes she's in a dream but in reality she's not.

Alice is forced to go to a garden party with her mother, which turns out to be her own engagement party. When Alice is proposed to she decides to walk into the garden and consider the marriage proposal. Alice spots an unusual rabbit in the garden, follows it and falls down the rabbit's hole.

The hole leads her to an unusual room, where she finds a key, a drink that makes her smaller, and a cake that increases her size. After getting the key and shrinking down to use a small door, she soon finds herself in a huge garden. Alice then runs into the White Rabbit again, a Dormouse, a Dodo bird, and the Tweedles. The White Rabbit tells Alice that he has ran into her at the right time, but Alice believes they are talking about a different Alice. So they decide to take Alice to the Absalom Caterpillar so he could figure everything out, everyone then finds out that she is the right Alice. Alice eventually figures out that her destiny is to slay the Jabberwocky on Frabjous Day, and to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

I really enjoyed the film Alice in Wonderland and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure and fantasy.

My Trip to Mexico

2010-04-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

By Edgar A.

During spring break I went to Mexico to see my grandma. We had packed up all are clothes and went straight to the airport.

When we had arrived at the Mexican airport we waited for our family to pick us up from the section where you pick up the people that arrived. I saw my grandma and cousin approaching to us. I gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They were really happy when they saw us.

We drove and saw the outside of Mexico where you can see statues, the houses, and lots of cities. You can always see people selling goods and lots of Mexican toys that are really fun to use for the little children that live there. We arrived at my other grandma’s house to go see her and I walked straight to the door and she was making some tasty food. All of my family members were sitting there they were really surprised to see us.

We went to really amazing places there. I loved the candy that was there because when I eat some I feel like I'm home. We went to this big festival called “Festival of the Horses” where there were lots of rides and music and lots of tasty food and drinks. I got on a horse and it was really exciting but I was a bit scared because I was leaning over the edge of the horse.

We had arrived at my grandma’s house and I fell in a deep sleep. The other days were really cool like the parties and all that stuff. So when the week was over it was sad because we had to leave my grandma. She was crying I gave her a big hug and a big kiss in the cheek and I made her feel much better.

So we arrived in Los Angeles and my mom and I were already missing Mexico. I was getting really sick because of the powerful air conditioner on the airplanes. I started to feel a bit sick my head was hurting and I couldn’t go to school. The next day I had a pile of make up work and I wished I had never gone to Mexico.

Save Our P.E. Field!!!!

2010-04-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

The LAUSD Board of Education approved, on Tuesday April 13, to pave between 1.5 and 2.0 acres of Webster's P.E. field in order to create a parking lot for 80 school busses. This was done unbeknownst to the school, unbeknownst to the neighborhood, and unbeknownst to the community.

Can you imagine the impact this will have on our community? The air pollution? Noise? Ugliness of school busses and busses driving down our streets? Not to mention that it is unethical and unconscionable to, in Los Angeles, take green grass away from children in order to create a parking lot.

Please contact Ramon Cortinez, our superintendant, and Steve Zimmer, our board member, to let them know that we won't allow this to happen! You can also contact the rest of the board and let them know that it's disgraceful for them to have voted on this without asking our input by checking with the principal, faculty, and staff, polling the community, or doing any research whatsoever.

Please support us in our grass roots efforts to keep our P.E. field for our students. For more information, please email Kendra Wallace, principal of DWMS or follow our blog.

Love Hurts

2010-04-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Valeria O.

Why does love hurt? Once you think you have it, it just slips away. If the guy you love says that he loves you, what should you do? Should you believe him or not?

If you think that if you like a guy or go out with him you would love him, well, that’s totally wrong . You love a guy when you know him for a long time. You love a guy when he's the kind of person you want to be with for your rest of your life.

I fell in love with a guy who’s bad in school and mean to me sometimes. He's mean to my friends all the times. What should I do? Well I guess if I love him I should be with him. But is that really the best idea?

Why does love hurt?

Interview with Mr. C

2010-04-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Veronica S.

Mr. Catanzariti's hometown is Los Angeles but the rest of his family is from Italy. He speaks fluent Italian. Mr C., as he is affectionately known here at Webster, has been teaching at here for four years. He has taught soccer at Webster for three years and took the boys’ soccer team to the finals, winning second place. He and Mr. Crespo took the girls’ soccer team to the finals and also got second place. Mr. C also took St. Jorwen’s seventh graders to the finals and won the champion in the LAUSD cup.

Mr. C grew up fixing bicycles, then cars, and now loves to fix up old houses. Mr.Catanzariti loves teaching math at Webster, because, as he always says, "math equals money."

The Great Train Robbery Review

2010-04-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Yosef T.

In teeming Victorian London, where lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side, one mysterious man navigates both worlds with perfect ease. Rich, handsome, and ingenious Edward Pierce charms the most prominent of the well to do as he cunningly orchestrates the crime of the century.

Who would suspect that a gentleman of breeding could mastermind the daring theft of a fortune in gold? Who could predict the consequences of committing the extraordinary robbery aboard the pride of England’s industrial era, the mighty steam locomotive? Based on fact, as lively as legend, and studded with all the suspense and style of Michael Crichton at his best. This book is a classic caper novel set a decade before the age of dynamite, yet explosive nonetheless.

April's Breakfast and Lunch Menu

2010-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

By Naila A.

Are you tired of waiting until the day of to see what's for breakfast or lunch? Well don't be tired any more! We have the breakfast and lunch menu link right here for you! Just be sure to go to the Secondary Menu, so you're not looking at what the elementary students are going to be eating.

Now you don't have to wait to come to school to figure out what you're going to eat!

An Interview with Mr. Stewart

2010-04-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

By Quentin K. and Jonathan Y.

We interviewed Mr. Stewart and learned a lot of things about him. He is a normal guy. Here are some of the things he said:

Q. When and where were you born?

A. May 6, 1977 in Virginia.

Q. Do you have any kids?

A. No.

Q. What is your job title?

A. I am a teacher.

Q. How long have you worked at Webster?

A. This is my first year.

Q. What do you like best about Webster?

A. The students.

Q. What do you like to do outside of school?

A. I like painting, surfing, and reading.

Q. What music do you like best?

A. Rock ‘n’ roll

Q.What is one thing you want people to know about you?

A. I really enjoy teaching.

Q. Is this the only school you’ve ever taught at?

A. No, I have taught at Palms Middle School

As you see Mr. Stewart is a normal guy. We guess a lot of teachers like reading. Also he likes surfing so that’s cool.

Holidays at Webster

2010-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

By Edgar A.

Daniel Webster Middle School celebrates lots of holidays by having Spirit Week, which is when we have activities at lunchtime related to whichever holiday is coming up.

When Halloween was approaching, leadership sets up all the decorations and music electronics in the outdoor stage. There were lots of activities to play: the first was to wrap up teachers in toilet paper, the second activity was to put all the pieces of a picture together with only tape and a stapler. Another one was to dip your face in a big bowl of pudding and get the most treats out of the bowl. I actually did this and it was hard! The last activity was to pass a water balloon to each other and take one step back for each pass. The day before Halloween we had a costume contest, which had lots of categories. They were:funniest, most creative, and of course scariest, and the winner of each category got a ribbon.

The leadership class always set up dances for each holidays and they are very fun like the Holloween dance, Winter Dance, Valentines dance and much more.

These are some of the holidays we celebrate at Daniel Webster Middle School.

The History of Hello Kitty

2010-04-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

By Simone F.

Hello Kitty has been around for many years, but do we know the history of her? For instance, who created her, where she came from, and many other curiosities.

Hello Kitty was created in Japan in 1974. A designer named Ikuko Shimizu designed her. The parent company of Hello Kitty is Sanrio, a Japanese company in Tokyo. Sanrio is a Japanese company that designs and licenses cute characters. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories. Sanrio's best known character is Hello Kitty.

Sanrio introduced Hello Kitty to the world in 1975. Hello Kitty is more than meets the eye; she isn't just a cute kitten. She's enriched deep in Japanese traditions. The Manecki Neko cat is somewhat a blueprint for the Hello Kitty frame. The Manecki Neko cat is a common Asian sculpture used for good luck and prosperity.

Hello Kitty's popularity has contributed to more than half of Sanrio's annual sales. She has 22,000 products of vast categories. Hello Kitty has been around for several years. She is currently 35 years old, but has managed to keep her kitten-like face.

Valentine’s Day Dance Review

2010-03-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

By Naila A.

Even though the leadership class worked really hard on the decorations and preparation for the dance, it was not the best. While some kids danced with friends, others just sat around and watched them dance. I asked people what they thought about the dance. Some said it was fun and others said they were better when they were at Daniels Den. People that did dance danced to New Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha and more.

In my opinion this dance was okay— not the best but not the worst. Suggestions to make it better are better songs, and lights off and more smoke. Even without these things Ms. Strong and the leadership class work really hard.

Haiti's Earthquake

2010-02-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

By Valeria O.

Right here at Webster Middle School everybody helped to raise money for the poor kids and adults in Haiti. 310,000 people died and 630,000 people were seriously injured. There were kids, adults, and animals that died. It was all over the news, and, every day they interviewed people that live in Haiti and how they feel during the earthquake and after it.

I interviewed Webster students about their thoughts regarding Haiti’s earthquake. Here is what they had to say:

Q: How do you feel about the earthquake?
A: Joselynn, a seventh grader, said that she feels bad because a lot of people died.

Q: What would you like to do to help?
A: Naila a seventh grader said that she said that she would like to donate money to them. She ended up donating $10.

Q: What do you think about the earthquake in Haiti?
A: Valeria a seventh grader says that it was really big and so sad because poor little kids died.

Q: What do you think about our fund raiser at Webster?
A: Jocelynn, a sixth grader, said that she thinks it’s cool because Haiti fundraising is not just on T.V but at school. It made it more real for her.

Q: How would you feel if you had family members that live in Haiti?
A: Henry, a sixth grader, said that he would be sad because his relatives could have died and he would not have been able to help them

Daniel Webster Middle School raised a total of $589.00 for Haiti. The classes that raised the most money by grade level is Ms. Choi (6th grade), Mr. Mandl (7th grade), and Mrs. Witham (8th grade). Great job, everybody!

Superflex and Flex

2010-02-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

By Mary Q. and Brittany C.

Superflex is an extra class that allows students to have some fun before lunch every day except Monday. In superflex you can play sports, learn about different cultures, or even cook foods from all around the world! Mr. Hernandez, one of our assistant principals, said that, “every student at Webster should be able to take a superflex at some point.” Superflex allows students to have a great opportunity to learn many different things that they won’t have a chance to learn in their regular classes. In order to get your superflex, you are summoned to the girls’ P.E. corrective room to choose the superflex you will be participating in for the next five weeks. In order to get into superflex you have to have good grades and keep them otherwise you will be put into flex.

Some of the superflexes that you can participate in are:

Soccer
Yoga
Fashion Design
Culture/cooking class
Frisbee golf
Running class-preparing for marathon
Walking class
Library practice
Sing-along class
Jazz band class

Flex, on the other hand, is for students that need extra help in some of the subjects such as English or Math. When you are in flex you learn more about the subjects that you need assistance in. Flex is also held before lunch, everyday except Monday, at the same time as superflex. Flex helps kids prepare for the CST tests that are happening in May. According to our beloved principal, Flex and Superflex “rock the house!”

Elite Fleet

2010-02-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

By Alexandra B.

At Daniel Webster Middle School we have something called Elite Fleet. This is an exclusive club that you get into by running a mile. Boys need to make it in 7:30 or less. Girls should make it in 8:30 or less. Webster’s fastest time is 5:30, run by Esteban Pereda, grade eight.

Many students make Elite Fleet. The trick to make it in time is to run at a slower pace where students can still breathe. The reason why some kids don’t make Elite Fleet is because they don’t try hard and walk most of the mile. A lot of kids walk half the mile and run the other. If they would just run the whole mile slowly they would make it in time.

Yearbook Presale

2010-02-19T13:53:00.001-08:00

By Quinten K.

Webster Yearbooks are on sale right now! This year we only ordered 200 Yearbooks, and only 140 are left. You can buy your Yearbook at the Student Store or from our Webster website at webstermiddle.org. So order yours today!

Weather

2010-02-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

By Edgar A.

It rained last week and a lot of people got wet. Everyone had umbrellas and wore raincoats. The wind was hard and at one point it started to rain hail. Everybody went outside to see it.

I interviewed our Teacher Librarian, Mrs. Bender, and she told me that ice was on top of her car last Tuesday morning when she was about to drive to work.

The rain left a terrible mess in some houses and now everything is awful because of the rain. When the rain stopped, everything was all wet. Luckily, the sun came out for a few days. The sky is clearer and the floor is full with big puddles in the area. Now the weather looks sunny. I am sad to tell you that it’s going to rain again tomorrow. So, you better bring an umbrella and a cozy coat wherever you go.

After School Soccer

2010-02-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

By Veronica S.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays there is soccer after school with Mr. Crespo and Mr. Catanzariti. Late buses and yummy snacks for the athletes are available. Soccer is played from 3:00 to 4:15. All students who attend Webster can join the fun!

Friends

2010-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

by Paola S.

There are people that are there for me, who help me with advice. They help me any way they can. They are the next best thing to parents, and when they smile it’s the best thing to wake me up when I see them at school. Everyone needs people like this, everyone needs someone to make them happy. Everyone needs a friend.

Welcome!

2010-02-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Webster Voice. We are excited to present our new blog to you.

Our name comes from the print newspaper here at Daniel Webster Middle School. The blog will showcase similar pieces as the newspaper does, sometimes even the same pieces—poetry, interviews, news around campus, and much more. There will also be updates regarding our school yearbook. “All the news that’s fit to print,” as they say.

We hope you’ll add us to your favorite blog list and keep coming back for more. We promise to work very hard for you!