Letter From the Editors

Who doesn't love to read about current events? You can get yourself up to date and know what is going on. On The Cougar Times, we always make sure you're "up to date." If you want to read about fashion, health, advice, news and more, check out our website.

During the past couple of months, a lot of events have occurred. The winter concerts were well-performed, health concerns have arisen, fashions have changed just as fast as seasons, questions have been asked and answers have been given. Do you want to read about a man who actually went to the North Pole? Do you want to learn about what is happening on the sports teams? Do you also want to learn about what happened at the holiday dance?

What you want to know, you can always ask. Comment as much as you want on our website. The site is written by its staff and reviewed by its readers. If you would like something changed, comment on the article you wish to change. If you have any ideas, post what you wish. And be sure to participate in our Reader Polls!

--Lianna and Chloe

Stay Healthy: Tips From School Nurse Mrs. Dunstan

By Chloe

How do you stay healthy working with sick children?
"I think it's because I've worked with children for a long time. My body has built an immunity. I think if you are a healthy person, you can stay healthy."

If someone had a cold, what would you say?
"Do not ride on an airplane! It will be painful because of the plane's movements."

What can you say about Staph/MRSA?
"Watch for any sore or open area in the skin. See your doctor if you have a cut not healing well."

What is the best way to stay healthy?
"Exercise, eat right and sleep. Wash your hands frequently."

Do you recommend that students get flu shots?
"Yes, I think it's a good idea. Get plenty of rest and eat right."

Fashion Passion: Students Bundle Up in Style

By Lindy

Winter is here at Garrison, and students and teachers are bundling up, preparing for the cold weather. Even boys who prefer shorts year-round are sporting jeans and khakis. The girls are putting on layers as well. When I say layers, however, I literally mean, layers.

Layers seem to always be in style no matter what time of year. You’ll see a vest over a t-shirt covering a long-sleeved shirt. Camisoles are also being worn, showing through under trendy long-sleeved button-ups or even a t-shirt. Camisoles are great for any time of the year and the great thing is, you can get them at almost any clothing store. Some of these stores include Hollister, Abercrombie, Aeropostale and many others. Olivia sports a maroon camisole while she's working in the school store in the breezeway. Even boys have the layered look down, though mostly the t-shirt is over under armor instead of a well-fitting long-sleeved shirt.

For the most part, jeans are almost always present in the winter because there aren’t that many fashionable pants that would keep you warm in the frigid weather. Though of course, there is your choice of light wash or dark wash. In the winter, the best wash to be worn would be the dark wash. This gives the jeans a more wintery feeling, and they stand out more against the snow. Please, don’t even ask where jeans are sold. Anywhere from American Eagle to a sporty store like Modell’s could carry jeans. If you really want some specifics, however, I suggest American Eagle (AE), Wet Seal, Old Navy and Banana Republic. Honestly though, jeans can be found even in the clothing section of Walmart.

As far as jackets go, to look good and be warm at the same time isn’t exactly easy. Vests are always good as long as they don’t look like life preservers, though even a vest like that can be saved by what you are wearing underneath. It seems the coats that are really in style for the girls are long, wool coats with two rows of buttons on the front. These give the wearer a more sophisticated look, even if they wear the coat with jeans.

The other jacket that's made its mark on the Garrison girls is the jacket with fur lining on the rim of the hood. These jackets, I predict, will be around for a long time. Their classic look never goes out of style.

For the boys, they go for the thinner, loose-fitting type. This includes fleeces and raincoats with some sort of interior lining. Some of them simply wear sweatshirts outside.

Another fashion statement shown by the Garrison Middle School is that of prints. Liz with Elle wears a blue and white button-up shirt with vertical stripes running up and down the shirt. Another girl sporting stripes this winter is Maddie, wearing a three-color striped t-shirt and a striped sweater over that, along with jeans.

That's a secret if you want to wear prints. Do not wear prints on your pants if you have prints on your shirt. Otherwise, the look is too busy and the outfits tend not to match. Always make sure that if you have lots of prints and designs on one article of clothing, prints and designs aren’t displayed anywhere else. This tip does not apply to jewelry or shoes as long as the jewelry and shoes complete the look.

You can find jewelry almost anywhere, but if you are really looking for a specific piece, try Claire's, or even the jewelry section of Kohl's or Macy's. Some great shoe stores are Payless and Modell's. Zumiez and Zappos have wide selections.

Here’s a resource list:

. Aeropostale
. Abercrombie
. Hollister
. American Eagle
. Banana Republic
. H & M
. Wet Seal
. Charlotte Ruse
. Old Navy
. Pac Sun
. Zumiez
. Gap (for teens)
. Delia's
. DSW
. Nike
. Forever 21
. Zappos
. Claire's

Cougars Tear Up the Ice

By Robby

January 25 was a memorable night for Middle School students who spent the evening skating, learning to skate and drinking hot cocoa on the annual ice skating trip to Bear Mountain. At around 7:15 p.m., a Garrison School District bus headed off into the streets. It was a crisp night with a temperature of about 30 degrees. Many students from grades 6-8 participated in this field trip. Seventh-grader Avery and friend Kieran, a seventh-grader at Masters who formerly attended Garrison, agreed the field trip was alot of fun, though it was pretty crowded with students from another school also skating.

Girls' Basketball Nets New Coach

By Nicklas

The Lady Cougars have now started their basketball season with their new coach, Mrs. Kuchera. She has been working with the girls and practicing almost every day after school. They are only a few games into the season, but they are doing very well. I sat down and asked some of the team members to ask them how the team is going and what it is like to be on the team.

"We are now practicing very hard," says Eryn. "We are getting a lot better. I think that we can improve by continuing to work very hard."

"We've been having a great time on the team," says Lindy. "I love playing with the rest of the team members. We are having a great season."

Poll: What Do You Want on Hot Lunch Day?

By Richard

The Cougar Times surveyed students in grades 4-8 on what they would like to see added to the Hot Lunch menu. Here's what they said: French Fries got the most votes with 52. Coming in second was Other with 32 votes. Third was Salad Bar with 30 votes. The meal that came in fourth was Chicken Fingers with 26 votes. Finally, Veggie Burgers had 5 votes. Some people who voted Other also put what they would have wanted. Some people wanted to keep the hot lunches we already had, and some people put other choices, including pancakes, soda, hamburgers, plain tacos, cheeseburgers and cinnamon buns.

Parent Spotlight: Andrew Revkin Saves Environment One Article at a Time

By Simon

Andrew Revkin is the lead environmental reporter for the New York Times. He writes and photographs. "My job is to keep track of changes in the world, mainly in the environment, that can benefit or harm humans, including our own actions," he explains. He deals with subjects such as people fishing too much or earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. His main interest and work now is with global warming. He says, "I also write about the politics of the environment, which can get very heated sometimes!" Revkin has two sons. His youngest, Jack, is in fourth grade at Garrison.

Revkin has been interested in writing since he was a kid. He enjoyed writing fictional stories about superheroes. He also loved to be outside and interacting with nature (following animal tracks, snorkeling and other nature-related activities.) He read stories about people surviving in the wild. When he was in high school he worked on a "goofy" newspaper that was mostly fiction. When he was about 25, he started to write real stories.

Revkin said he started writing about global warming because he is keen on working with issues that have big consequences for life as we know it. He believes "we're turning up a thermostat that is very, very hard to turn back."

Revkin not only talks the talk, he also walks the walk. He plants trees and turns off lights "religiously" when not in use. He drives "as little as possible," commutes via mass transit and uses video hookups instead of traveling. Revkin also votes for "candidates who care about the environment."

Revkin has been to the Arctic three times. After visiting the Arctic he wrote a children’s book about the Polar ice caps and melting glaciers called "The North Pole Was Here." It’s about man’s effect on the atmosphere and the rapid melting of the glaciers.

I asked Revkin if he enjoyed his job. He answered that it was "great much of the time, exhausting much of the time and really draining and awful once in a while." He pointed out that the 9/11 attacks, the crash of TWA Flight 800 in '96 and the tsunami of 2004 were especially difficult periods.

Revkin has won many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award and an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award. He has also appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR and CNN.

Editorial: Perfect Attendance Awards Not Necessary

By Maddie

Perfect Attendance Awards--students want them, and parents strongly encourage them, but are they encouraging sick children to spread their germs?

As most know, Perfect Attendance Awards are certificates that award kids for perfect attendance and for the absence of tardiness. Every quarter these sheets are signed by Mrs. I and handed out to those students in our school who did not miss school at all for the time period. But what I am wondering, and questioning is, are they necessary?

I am aware that teachers and members of the School Board want our children to attend and enjoy school, but is there a line that we should draw? I believe so, and I strongly think that these certificates are not at all necessary.

I do not want to take the joy out of the students who work hard to stay healthy and on top of their school work, and stay in school, by taking away their certificates to prove it. But if that is the only way that we can keep infected and sick kids from getting worse and getting their classmates sick, then I believe these awards shouldn’t be distributed.

With that said, I really don’t believe it is necessary to go that far, but how can we keep the kids that do risk their health by going to school, realize that their health is a more important factor? I am only asking to have students be aware when they need to spend that day or two in bed, though they may be eager to spend that time with their friends.

To all those children that stay in school, try to be healthy, do their homework, and on top of that live a life outside school, I believe we should all model after you, but I don’t think, and I think that you should know, you don’t need an award to show all of your personal success. So with that said, Perfect Attendance Awards are not needed at The Garrison Union Free School, but there is no reason we should take them away without trying to fix the problem. So stay healthy, and do your best.

Ask Me: The Best Advice on Everything From Relationships to Classes

Anonymous student-to-student advice.

Q. My friend likes this guy, but I think he’s obnoxious. How do I tell her?

A. My best advice to you would be to tell your friend that you don’t have any problem with her liking him but you’d rather not be around him all the time. Let her know your feelings about this boy and I’m sure she'll understand.

Q. I have problems fitting in with the rest of my grade. How can I fix this?

A. Try signing up for sports with other people that you enjoy. This way, you can all hang out together. Chances are, you have problems fitting in because people don’t know much about you.

Q. There are so many more assignments then last year! We have two or more tests at a time and six classes! How do I deal with it?

A. The problem here is that you are stressing out. You should plan out your time so that you know when you have to start and when you will finish to make time for other things. Don’t sign up for extra-curricular activities if you think they are going to interfere with your work, unless of course you think you could handle it. If you get stuck on some homework or maybe get a few bad grades, talk to your teachers and find out what you can do to raise them. If you stick with these tips, your grades will improve and your stress level will go down!

Students may leave questions in The Cougar Times Advice Box in the school hallway to be answered in a future posting.

Band & Chorus Winter Concert Sings

By Lianna

On the night of December 7, 2007, families and friends piled into the gymnasium to see the annual Band and Chorus Concert, directed by Mrs. Bresnan. First up was the beginning band. They played "Take Five", "Hot Cross Buns", "Au Claire de la Lune", "Oats Peas Beans", "Dreidel", "Good King Wenceslas", and "Jingle Bells". For their first time in concert, they played excellently.

Next up was the fifth-grade band with "Winter’s Sleigh Ride", "Hanukkah is Here" and "African Noel". The last group in the band portion of the concert was the advanced band. They played "Incantation and Ritual", "Dance of the Reed Flutes", and "And to All a Good Night". All of the band members played their songs fantastically; they were right on beat throughout every song.

Afterwards, the fourth- and fifth-grade chorus performed. They sang "The Spirit of Hanukkah", "Be a Candle of Hope", and "Este es la Navidad", which they sang most of in Spanish. Last came the Middle School chorus. They sang "One More Candle", "Peaceful Night, and "A Bit of Holiday Cheer". During "One More Candle", Kady and Lindy accompanied the chorus on the violin and pennywhistle. "A Bit of Holiday Cheer" turned out to be a Show Choir piece, with a dance choreographed by Liz. Drew accompanied on percussion for both choruses. Art Labriola played along on the piano throughout the entire concert, as did Peter Rundquist on bass.

There's No Business Like Snow Business

By Eryn

On December 18, the children from grades K-3 put on a spectacular winter concert, titled “There’s No Business Like Snow Business.” It was led by Mrs. Bresnan, music teacher, with musical appearances by parents Art Labriola on piano and Pete Rundquist on bass and student Drew on drums. Some songs were "Suzy Snowflake," "Hot Cup of Cocoa" and "Penguin Polka."

Holiday Dance

By Maddie and Olivia

On December 14, 2007, the Middle School students danced, ate and had fun at the annual winter semi-formal. Mrs. Johnson-Ebright, Ms. Hunt and Ms. Nastazi joined us as chaperones.

When we looked at the outfits of the students this year, the colors ranged from classic black to pink polka dots! Some specific styles were the classic short party dress and the popular bubble dress. Both dresses are cut at the knee or higher, but the classic short cut is a flowy dress, while the bubble dress hems inside the dress creating a bubble of fabric. The guys were wearing the semi-casual collared shirt and trousers, but some wore jeans and a t-shirt. So you can conclude that girls get more into the dressing up, compared to guys.

Some students said they weren’t so thrilled with the dance because they wanted different music styles, or they were disappointed with the turnout. So we encourage you all to enjoy the next dance with your friends.

School Store Opens

By Eryn

This year, The Garrison School has decided to partake in the elective school store again. School store is an elective where students can sell school supplies such as pens, pencils, highlighters and water bottles. However, some students argue that the prices are too high. An example of this is water bottles for $5.00, and a bumper sticker for $2.50. Yet, there are some upsides of the school store. Where else can you find pencils for 25 cents and pens for 50 cents? If you wish to discuss this matter with Mrs. I, you can take it up with her in the main office.

Boys' Soccer Scores Winning Season

By Nicklas

The boys' soccer team made a record for never losing a game this season. They had two ties, eight wins and no losses. This was amazing! To find out about the team and their highly successful season, I sat down with several of the team members.

"This season we went completely undefeated," says Matthew. "Being on the team was a great experience. Being on the soccer team was awesome!"

Poem: Once in the Night

By the Sixth-grade Poetry Unit

Once in the night
As the moonlight shown bright
The clouds said goodnight
And the owl took its flight

Morning soon came
And as the sun rose
All the people woke up
And all the trees froze

Student Art

Hudson, 2nd Grade

Bryant, 8th Grade