Dragon's of Deltora Adventure

By Emily

This new computer game is called Dragon's of Deltora Adventure. It is about a man trying to find jewels. You must find six jewels before you fall or hit a spark of fire. You can't hit a spark of fire or fall off the course. If you do, you go back to the beginning of the course. There are four levels of the game. You can choose the level you would like to play. The game is on the Scholastic website. It's easy to play and fun.

You can link to it below:

http://www.scholastic.com/deltora/games/dragonsgame.htm

Holiday Wish Lists

By Isabella

Emma - wants Uggs and is giving someone itunes giftcards.

Samantha - wants Uggs and is giving some one sweatshirt.

Georgia - wants Uggs, footed pjs ,and a Snuggie. She is giving someone a scarf.

Johnny - wants man Uggs and is not getting anyone anything.

Alison - wants Uggs and is giving someone a pocketbook.

Ava - wants a wig and a life-size zebra and is giving out homemade stuff.

Spencer - wants an ipod Touch and is giving someone socks.

Emily - wants a waffle maker and is giving someone a scarf.

Lana - wants an ipod Touch and is getting someone the new Cobra Starship cd.

Our Biggest Fan

By Spencer

Dear Anita Prentice,

Thank you so much for all the comments you leave on the site. All of us here at the blog love to hear the wonderful feedback you leave us. Whenever I write a story, I love to hear from the blog's biggest fan. So from all of us here at the Cougar Times, we say thanks. Also we wish you happy holidays and a great new year.

P.S.
Here's a link to Mrs. Prentice's own blog. She is the Garrison School Board president. http://www.gufs.org/blogs/aprentice

President Obama's Speech to West Point

By Spencer

On Dec. 1 2009, President Obama gave a speech at West Point about the future of the war in Afghanistan. President Obama said he will be sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan by the summer, and within 18 months they will start to come home. The first wave of troops will go in to target the Taliban in Afghanistan and the border of Pakistan. They will go to push back the Taliban's progress that has been gained over the last few years. They hope to establish a bigger security force in Afghanistan, so when they leave, the Afghanistan army and security force can defend their country for themselves.

I thought the President's speech was extraordinary because he talked about the history of the war from the beginning, most of which I had forgotten or had not known. He also directed part of his speech toward the people of Afghanistan. Talking to them directly, he explained we were not there to take their country but to end terrorism. Lastly when he was done he shook most of the hands of the 2010 graduates of West Point, who will most likely be going to Afghanistan when they graduate. I thought that his speech was most inspiring to the cadets.

If you want to see the whole speech, here's a link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/01/new-way-forward-presidents-address

The Hunger Games: A Must-Read for the Holidays!

By PennThe Hunger Games, a New York Times bestseller, has exceeded expectations. I strongly recommend this book for anyone over 11. It offers a rare combination of well-developed characters and suspenseful action.

The story takes place in future North America. But don't write it off as the type of book where everyone has jet packs and is happy. The actual plot is quite the opposite. In this dystopia, life is harsh and grueling. Food is scarce and starvation is not an uncommon occurrence. The main character, 16-year-old Katnis Everden, is the eldest of two sisters in a poor family. Her father died in a mining accident a few years ago, leaving her mother in a state of disrepair.

Katnis manages to put food on the table through her father's art of hunting. However, worse terrors await the children of Panem: the Hunger Games, which pin 24 competitors into an arena of harsh and dangerous environments. These games are used to remind the citizens of Panem that the government has complete control over them. When Katnis' younger sister is picked for the games, Katnis volunteers in order to save her, and let the games begin.

Holiday Dance

By Lana
The holidays are just around the corner, and so is the Holiday Dance. It will be held on Friday, December 19. It is a formal dance, so make sure to wear something nice. The eighth-grade officers recently sent out a poll on whether the dance should be held in the gymnasium or the cafeteria. The results should be in by the end of this week. But either way, it should be a great dance!

Thanksgiving Visits, Getaways

By Isabella and Spencer

I'm staying home, and my grandmother is coming.-Kaan, 7th grade

I'm going to Florida with family and seeing "The Blind Side" and "New Moon."-Kelsey, 6th grade

Going to Grandma's house with relatives and having Thanksgiving dinner.-Georgia, 8th grade

I'm going to Mexico on a cruise with my mom and dad.-Jason, 6th grade

Staying home and looking forward to eating a lot of food.-Tim, 8th grade

Looking forward to seeing relatives, and staying home this year-Jack, 6th grade

Looking forward to going to aunt's house. I've been going to my aunt's house for almost 20 years now. Looking forward to having very little responsibilities, eating lots of foods, watching many movies, and hoping to get some time to act like a kid again.-Mr. Berger, Middle School English teacher

8th Graders' Ready For Philly!

By Lana

Always wanted to go and I'm very exicited!-Georgia

Looking foward to going and learning about the history that took place there.-Megan


Unfortunately, I won't be going to Philadelphia, but I will be going on a Caribbean Cruise, which I am very excited about!-Emma

Go Where the Wild Things Are

By Spencer

When the movie "Where the Wild Things Are," directed by Spike Jonze, came out in theaters October 16, it got mixed reviews. Some people truly adored it and other critics hated it. When I saw the movie on October 17, I thought it was a masterpiece. The movie was rated PG, but there were a lot of scenes too emotional for many young viewers, I thought. Most critics thought the movie was too dark and too sad. From my personal experience, I thought the "wild things" were Max's emotions. In the story, there are a lot of emotional things in his life, like a divorce between his parents (they are not together in the movie), his sister's friends wrecking his snow fort and hurting him and his sister not doing anything about it. In all, I thought the movie was extremely good. Also, it stayed true to the storyline most of the time. Lastly, I think that you should not take kids younger than 8 to this movie
partly because they will not get it and it's too dark.

Update on School Absences

By Staff

We've noticed that some of our classmates who got the flu have been out for just a day or two over the last week while others have been out for several days at a time. It seems to be affecting people differently.

School Superintendent Gloira Colucci sent an email to parents today updating them on the number of illnesses that have been reported this week. Here is her latest report:

While we had a relatively low number of clustered illnesses last week, we did experience an increased number of absences on Monday. Today's absentee list is still a long one, but the numbers are down from Monday. Our school nurse, Judy Dunstan reports that there are still a variety of reasons for the absences and parents are being cautious. The elementary grades have more presumed H1N1 cases while several middle school school parents are also reporting cases of strep throats as well as bad colds and coughs. We advise parents to check in with your practioners to rule out other viruses or bacterial infections and get the appropriate medication. We continue to monitor the number and types of illnesses and clean and disinfect surfaces throughout the day and in the evening. We are also in daily contact with the Putnam County Health Department.

For more health information, visit:

GUFS Flu Update Resource Page
http://www.gufs.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=ddde0890-c2de-476a-a5a0-cf20fd77305f

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/

Putnam County Health Department
http://www.putnamcountyny.com/health/

Philly Trip Postponed

By Staff

School Principal Mrs. Impellittiere announced today that, in light of the number of eighth-grade students who are absent, Mrs. Foppiano was able to reschedule the trip to Philadelphia to NOVEMBER 23. The eighth graders WILL NOT be going to Philadelphia tomorrow, November 5, but will be going on November 23. All times for departure and returning are the same. Eighth graders were disappointed because they were looking forward to the trip but also like the new date because it runs right into the Thanksgiving break.

Look Out! Headless Horseman Hayride 2009

By Isabella

Calling all Middle Schoolers!!! The haunted hayride is coming up, and it's going to be very scary. Click on the link below to see just how scary. For all the students who are not in Middle School, this is for you too. I've heard that it gets more scary every day. The sixth, seventh and eighth graders are going on the night of Friday Oct. 23. We'll be traveling to Ulster County, NY. Hopefully we won't have to leave early like last year!

http://www.headlesshorseman.com/index.php

Top 20 Albums

By Spencer

Hey all you Garrison School Blog fans, I thought this would be cool for my first official blog. Here are the Top 20 albums bought this week (Oct. 19-Oct 24).

Well, enjoy!

And if you want to see the full Billboard 200 list, click on the link:

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billboard-200

No.1 Crazy Love By Michael Buble

No.2 Sonic Boom By Kiss

No.3 American Ride By Toby Keith

No.4 Love Is The Answer By Barbra Streisand

No.5 The Blueprint 3 By Jay-z

No.6 Doin' My Thing By Luke Bryan

No.7 Memoirs of an Imperfect Abgel By Mariah Carey

No.8 The Time Of Our Lives (EP) By Miley Cyrus

No.9 This Is Us by Backstreet Boys

No.10 Dear Agony By Breaking Benjamin

No.11 Brand New Eyes By Paramore

No.12 Black Gives Way To Blue By Alice In Chains

No.13 I Look To You By Whitney Houston

No.14 Still By BeBe and CeCe Winans

No.15 Forget And Not Slow Down By Relient K

No. 16 Backspacer By Pearl Jam

No.17 Fearless By Taylor Swift

No.18 Your Songs By Harry Connick

No.19 Revolution By Miranda Lambert

No. 20 Celebration By Madonna

Welcome Back to School--and a New Cougar Times!

Dear every child in the Garrison School,

We are the new staff of the Cougar Times for the 2009-2010 school year. We'd like to introduce ourselves:

Lana, 8th grade, Art & Design Director

"I am new to the Garrison School district and am now a part of the school blog. I love to write. I hope to make the blog really interesting for everyone in the whole school to read."

Isabella, 7th grade, News & Features Editor

"Hey. I have never blogged before so this is my first time. I am writing for our school online newspaper. I am interested in blogging because I can say what's on my mind and share with everyone. My goal is to have more people look at the site."

Emily, 7th grade, Polls & Gadgets Editor

"Hello! I just started to blog. This is my first blog. I have always loved writing, and I especially love writing about current events. This interests me because I love to write. I would like to inform people about the school and other current events such as sports, youth center events and field trips."

Spencer, 7th grade, Sports & Entertainment Editor

"Hi. I'm a new member of the Garrison School journalism community. I really have no idea why I signed up for this elective other than the fact that it looked very interesting. I hope that by the end of this year more people will read the blog. I will bring more fun ideas to the blog like music reviews and other cool stuff."

The end of the Cougar Times as the graduation bell chimes...

By Chloe

We're so close to being finished with the Garrison School, which means that we're finished with this year's Cougar Times. We've covered topics ranging from the Holiday dance in 2007 to the 8th-grade Boston trip in 2009.

We've improved in our writing, as well as the topics we've chosen. I think our writing has matured and become more sophisticated. I've enjoyed interviewing people about various topics. My favorite interview was the sports one about how students love to play on teams.

I have so many favorite stories that my fellow students have written that I find it difficult to choose the one I like best. Some stories took time to write and research, but in the end, they all turned out great.

Mrs. Rowe has helped us every step of the way. She's helped us come up with ideas, edit our writing, and much more! Without her, there wouldn't be a Cougar Times. We're all thankful that she's helped us come so far! I can't believe so much time has passed!

Adviser's note: A huge congratulations to the Cougar Times staff on creating such a great newsblog, rich in voice and style! They have worked hard on their interviewing and writing skills and have learned to edit their work for enjoyable reading on the web. The site has a sophisticated design as well that should be commended. All the best as they continue in their many pursuits in high school and beyond!--Mrs. Rowe

Backyard Escapes: Summer Reading List

By Noah

Keep in mind that this list comes from a huge fan of young adult fantasy. You might like mystery, or sci-fi, but if you like fantasy or are interested in giving it a try, this is the booklist for you.

1: Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, by Rick Riordan

2: My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George

3: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein

4: The Chronicles of Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis

5: The Inkheart series, by Cornelia Funke

6: The Eragon Cycle, by Christopher Paolini

7: Redwall, by Brian Jacques

8: The Ranger's Apprentice, by John Flanagan

9: The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin

10: Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer

Where are some popular summer vacation spots?

By Chloe

Jackson, 7th- Spain

Connor,7th- Lake Placid

Tim S, 7th- England

David, 7th- Washington D.C

Margaret, 6th- Summer Sleep away camp in Virginia

Samantha, 6th- Vermont

Peter, 6th- New Jersey

John, 6th- Niagra Falls

Cameron, 6th- home

Ramsery, 6th- Sanibel Island

Tucker, 6th- Rhode Island

Lindy, 8th- Art Camp

Catherine, 6th- Washington D.C.

Richard, 8th- Alaska

Russell, 7th- Maine

Collin, 7th- Ohio

Manny, 8th- Florida

Nicolette, 3rd- California

Emily, 3rd- Lake George

Briget, 3rd- Montawk

Olivia, 8th- West Point

Hannah, 8th- Sleepaway camp in Massachusetts and summer house in Maine

Kady, 8th- Portugal, North Carolina, and New York City

Ali, 8th-Florida and New Hampshire

Emmanuelle, 6th- Fort Lauderdale

Spencer, 6th- Maine

Serena, 6th- Germany

Megan, 6th- Niagra Falls

Get Lost: Fantasy Book Reviews

By Noah

Hello, this is Noah, the newest member of the blog. I like a lot of books, with fantasy being among my favorite genres. Here are some fantasy books or series I really like.





The Lord of The Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien

This book series is what I consider the grandfather of modern fantasy. The books were published in the 1950s, but many people still read them today. As you probably know, the three books were made into a series of movies. The movies are very good, but I think they don't compare to the books for a good story. The series is about a hobbit named Frodo and his quest to destroy a ring of Evil. Hobbits are odd creatures, about half as tall as humans. Frodo and his eight companions all have to try to destroy a Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron. The Ring gives Sauron his power, and the only place it can be destroyed is Mount Doom, right in the center of Sauron's lands.

One of the things I like most about this series is that the author gives a lot of detail about the characters, the places, and the movement of the Fellowship of the Ring, as the group of nine is called. Also, the story gets interesting, and the plot thickens when the Fellowship is separated. The end of the series is very climatic, and it gets a bit scary when Frodo finally makes it to Mordor, Sauron's kingdom. This is a great book series.



Redwall
by Brian Jacques

This book series first started in 1988. The first book was a huge success, and many more soon followed. The book series is about peaceful animals, who live in an Abbey named Redwall, located in Mossflower Wood. The animals used for goodbeasts are usually small prey animals, like mice, hares, hedgehogs, badgers and moles. The bad guys are often portrayed by vermin or predators, like rats, weasels, wildcats and foxes. In almost every book, the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey are besieged by the bad guys, and the Abbeybeasts must keep the vermin from entering the walls of the Abbey.

The Abbey is protected by the guiding spirit of Martin the Warrior. Martin helped free all the good creatures from an evil wildcat named Tsarmina. Redwall Abbey was then built on top of where Tsarmina's palace had been. During times of trouble, his spirit comes for guidance in the dreams of an Abbeybeast.

I really like how descriptively Jacques writes. He originally wrote his books for blind children, so his works have always been very descriptive. I also like the way Jacques makes the reader feel like he or she is actually right inside the books. He is a very good author.

Back From Boston

By Lianna

This spring the eighth grade class of '09 went on its annual trip to Boston. We have all been looking forward to this trip since our kindergarten days. Finally being able to go to Boston with our class was a very exciting experience for all of us.

On Thursday we had to be at the school at 5:30 in the morning. I had to wake up at 4:45 to straighten my hair, brush my teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast and walk to the school from my friend's house. As anyone who knows me well knows, I am unable to function without a full 10 hours of sleep. So it was a very unpleasant morning.

When we arrived in Boston, we did the historical parts first. We took a walk along the Freedom Trail and then we went to a cemetery where we saw the graves of Samuel Adams, Mother Goose and John Hancock. We also went to the Old North Church and heard the story of Paul Revere. After seeing a few more historically significant sites, we went to eat lunch at Quincy Market. The chaperons handed out a meal voucher to everyone and we were free to go wherever we wanted to eat, as long as it was within a reasonable distance. I went with several friends to get pizza.

Next we went to the New England Aquarium, which is one of the most prominent aquariums in the country. This really was an incredible experience. There was a 200,000-gallon tank going through the aquarium that simulated a coral reef. In the tank were all different fish species, a sting ray, a giant sea turtle and several sharks. We spent about two hours there and then we headed off to our hotel in Brockton, which was an hour away from Boston.

We each spent about an hour in our rooms and then we went to the boat dance. The dance took place on the boat The Spirit of Boston. There were tons of people there from different schools. We ate dinner and danced around. It was pretty uneventful, but very fun, with the exception of heavy winds, bad music being blasted in our ears and creepy fedora-wearing boys.

The dance lasted for three and a half hours. We went back to our hotels at 10:30. Everyone had to go in their rooms and we were not permitted to leave them until the morning. They had duct tape put on our doors so they would know if anyone left their rooms. I was in a room with my friends Kady and Hannah. We were so exhausted from waking up early that morning that we went to sleep at a very reasonable time. Before that, we just watched television and ate candy.

In order to get to our first stop on time, we had to wake up in the morning at 6:00. At this point, we were practically dead from the sleep deprivation. I had to drink three cups of coffee to be able to function. We ate breakfast at the hotel's buffet. In order to get to our first stop of the day on time, we needed to leave by 8:00, which we did.

Our first stop happened to be a Boston Duck Tour. On this tour, we drove around Boston in a bus. The bus doubled as a boat, so we were also able to drive the bus through Boston Harbor. We had a very funny bus driver. He called us all "little quackers". The tour was very informative.

Then we went to a tower. I don't know the exact name of this tower, but I think we had a lot of fun there. We took an elevator up to the top and looked out through the many windows. They also offered little electronic, hand-held tours.

We had lunch in the mall. Again, we were given meal vouchers and were set free to get whatever we wanted. I got a turkey wrap and an iced tea. Since we had some spare time, all of the girls went into Sephora, a cosmetics store, and used their free samples. We all left the mall looking very glamorous.

The most memorable part of the mall, I think was the anime convention. People were dressed up as their favorite anime characters and gathered together to discuss anime. There were hundreds of people there. Some of the characters I recognized were Pikachu from Pokemon and Chihiro and No-Face from the Miyazaki film Spirited Away. It was a little scary, but very entertaining.

Next, we headed off to Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox play baseball. I know absolutely nothing about baseball, but I still enjoyed the tour. However, it was embarrassing when the tour guide randomly called on me to answer a question about the Red Sox and I didn't know what the answer was. Everyone laughed at me.

That was our last stop. We began the drive home after that. To keep us entertained on the 4-hour bus ride, we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Dark Knight--two of my favorite movies. We also stopped at McDonald's on the way back for dinner--not one of my favorite restaurants.

Finally, we arrived back in Garrison at about 8 pm. Each person was given a little plastic bag containing things from our trip. My favorite thing from the bag was a photograph of us at the Duck Tour. I looked miserable, since I was so tired, but I really like the picture aside from that.

Although going on this trip meant a lot of planning and fundraising, it was definitely worth it in the end. It was a very fun and exciting two days, and a great way to end our last year at Garrison.

Boston Trip: Great Expectations

Boston Duck Tour

By Lianna & Nicklas

Libby: Fun with my besties.

Ander: The vivid history and the hotel's pool (if it has one).

Drew: Fenway Park, to mock the Red Sox fans.

Nick: The duck tours.

Ali: The aquarium.

Connor: Absolutely nothing.

Sarah: The dinner-dance cruise.

Simon: The city of Boston.

Jake: The duck tour.

Richard: The bus ride.

Justin: The bus ride.

Phil: Playing video games.

Elizabeth: The dinner-dance cruise.

Eryn: Fenway Park.

Lindy: The duck tour.

Field Reports

By Chloe

Interview with Montsy, 8th Grade:
Do you like being on the softball team?
“Yes, we have a fun time.”
How are you doing this year?
“We won one game, but forefeit our last.”

Interview with Sarah, 7th Grade:
Do you like being on the softball team?
“Yeah, I like to play on the softball team with Coach Disch.”
How do you think you all are doing?
“We all try very hard.”

Interview with Avery, 8th Grade:
Do you like being on the lacrosse team?
“Yes, I love the glory and the fame of winning a game, the fire within my soul. There’s a passion I have for lacrosse.”
What do you think of the team?
“The team is unbeatable, the dream team.”
What’s your favorite part of lacrosse?
“The teamwork.”

Chloe's Movie Picks

Amazing movies:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (PG-13)

Titanic (PG-13)

The Wizard of Oz (G)

The Little Mermaid (G)

Scoop (PG-13)

All Harry Potter Movies (PG/PG-13)

The Ring (PG-13)

The Dark Knight (PG-13)

Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet (PG-13)

Scary Movie 3+4 (PG-13)

The Bad Seed (NR)

Practical Magic (PG-13)

Whatever you do, don't see these movies:

Norbit (PG-13)

Pretty much everything on the Disney Channel

Epic Movie (PG-13)

No Reservations (PG-13)

Ghosts of Girlfriends' Past (PG-13) (Matthew McConaughey ruins this movie.)

The Bookworm Confessions

By Chloe & Lianna

Chloe...

I always look forward to the moment when I can come home from my hectic day and relax. This is usually around 10:30. p.m. I've spent the last few hours after school at dance.

My house is full of lights from the porch, the windows and the automatic light sensors from the neighbors' home. I like to look up at the sky to see if there are any stars out.

Once into the house, I put on my pajamas and begin working on my homework. When I finish, I pick up a book and read until I begin to see double. Then I close my eyes and go to sleep.

Sometimes I stay up until very early in the morning absorbed in a book. When you read a book, you get a break from the normal everyday routine. I enjoy escaping my mind, and going into the mind of someone else. When I read a book that has problems that are far from normal, I get to use my imagination.

When I'm ready for a new book, I take a trip to Barnes & Noble. There I cruise down to the young adult section. I look for a book that would be appealing to me. I look for mystery books usually.

My top-10 favorite books to read are:

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Ana's Story by Jenna Bush

Buchanan-Renard-Mackenna series by Julie Garwood

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Wake by Lisa McMann

Need by Carrie Jones

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Lianna...

MIS LIBROS FAVORITOS:

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

I like to read because reading allows you to escape from your own life and get involed in someone else's life whose life is probably much more interesting than your own.

When I look for books to read, I look at the cover and author's style of writing. If a cover is ugly and uninteresting, I probably will not give that book another look. If I see an interesting cover, I pick up the book and read the summary. I also look at the author's writing style because I cannot stand poorly written books. There are so many authors out there that are horrible in my opinion.

Spring Break Plans?

By Chloe

See you back in class on April 6 for the Make-up Snow Day! Then have a great spring break till we're back on April 13.

Here's where some of you will be spending the break.....

Sarah, 8th grade: Vermont

Montsy, 8th grade: Home

Collin, 7th grade: Maine

Sarah, 4th grade: Florida

Jake, 4th grade: Home

Brandon, 4th grade: Home

Aidan, 4th grade: Home

Harry Potter Takes on Twilight

By Lianna & Julie

V.

The winner is clear.

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling beats the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, 22 votes to 5 in a recent Cougar Times poll.

Says seventh-grader Sophia: "Harry Potter has more plot."

Eighth-grader Montsy agrees: "Harry Potter has better characters like Sirius Black and Draco Malfoy."

High School Picks

By Nicklas

So, where will all the 8th graders be next year?

Drum roll, please.....

James I. O'Neill High School

Chris
Maddie
Ali
Skye
Julie
Olivia
Montsy
Richard
Chloe
Skyler
Manny

Haldane High School

Frank
Matthew
Nicklas
Simon
Connor
Drew
Jake
Eryn
Lindy
Kady
Hannah
Sarah
Robby
Nicholas
Libby
Ander

The Masters School

Avery
Jack
Graydon
Lianna
Phillip
Casey
Elizabeth
Justin

In Conclusion: 2009 Science Fair Winners

By Chloe & Nicklas

The 2009 Science Fair was full of interesting projects. All the projects were very well presented. The projects were all different. Some were about onions, and some were about crystal. Congratulations to the following students whose projects will advance to the all-county competition:

Grades 2-4

Physics

Ethan, Mrs. Timmons' 4th grade: "Can magnetism flow through liquid in 3D?"

Biology

Eddie-Joe, Mrs. Moscati's 3rd grade: "How Does Television Affect Homework?"

Chemistry

Amanda, Mrs. Kuchera's 4th grade: "Does price affect which nail polish lasts longer?"

Grades 5-8 Winners

Earth Science

Tim, Mr. Berger's 7th grade: "What is the driving force behind ocean currents, water temperature or salinity?"

Physics

Kady, Ms. Akhondzadeh's 8th grade: "Which type of lightbulb, incandescent, compact fluorescent or LED, gives off the brightest light, most heat and has the most energy efficacy?"

Chemistry

Philip Disarro and Jack Revkin, Ms. Water's and Ms. Klubnick's 5th grade: "What liquid coating makes a bar of soap slide the fastest and farthest?"

Biology

Micah, Mr. Keegan's 6th grade: "How effective is Rooibos tea as an antimicrobial?"

Environment

Samantha, Mrs. MacEnroe's 7th grade: "What fertilizer pollutes our water system the most?"

Congratulations to the elementary and middle school science fair winners. You did a great job on your work!

A Day in the Life...

By Lianna

Thursday, March 12, 2009

8:10 AM

I am currently riding to school on the red bus. I woke up 20 minutes ago; I slept way late. All of the younger kids are screaming their heads off and being extremely irritating while us older kids are sitting in the back of the bus half asleep.

10:00 AM

The eighth graders just got out of Math and Spanish. Math was unusually quiet today. We learned about trig functions (tangent, sine and cosine). In Spanish we learned the Spanish words for different body parts. We also watched a very humorous film in which a man walks around a mall and asks various shoppers if he can examine body parts such as the shoulder and the elbow. After he was done with that, he and his friend went to a taco bar and ordered tacos made of brains and tongues. Isn't that just lovely?

11:25 AM

I am now in the locker room after gym class, which is by far my least favorite class due to the fact that I am extremely uncoordinated. Our gym teacher had us do the dreaded "three-minute scores." Three-minute scores are a torture method designed by our gym teacher. Each quarter, he had everyone jump rope and run for three minutes straight while counting how many jump ropes we jump and how many cones we run around. This sounds fairly easy, but it is actually very frustrating. By the end of it, many of us can barely breath and the others gloat about how awesome they are. Then we have to shout out our scores in front of everyone, which is quite embarrassing. It is especially embarrassing for me because, as I mentioned before, I am extremely uncoordinated and my scores are always the lowest. Anyway, after the three-minute scores, I played beachball with two friends of mine. I was on a team by myself against two very skilled beachball players. This was an epic failure, because I am terrible at every sport in existence. The teams were made mainly for comedic purposes. We all wanted to see how terribly I would do. Well, now we're going to go to English class. Yay, Shakespeare.

12:40 PM

It is now recess, but instead of being outside like I would like to be, I am stuck in the English room with several other unfortunate souls who were stripped of their outdoor privileges. I was banned from going outside because of my lack of outerwear, though I could have easily walked a couple of feet down to the locker room to get it. Anyway, after gym we had English class, where we are reading the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night. We will be performing this play in several months. After English we went to the cafeteria for lunch. My friend and I got scolded for throwing handfuls of Lucky Charms at each other. Now I'm in the English room reading one of my favorite books, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult for the 100th time. In a few minutes, we will be going to Social Studies and Science.

2:10 PM

Now I'm in Science. I normally would not be able to write during this period, since we are always occupied with things of a scientific nature, but I have a few spare seconds because I finished copying my chart early. In Science, we are learning abouty acids, bases, neutral substances and which household solutions contain them. In Social Studies we watched a movie and read about World War I. I have come to the conclusion that World War I is the most pointless war in the history of the world, though it is very interesting to learn about. I'm leaving at the beginning of next period, but if I wasn't, I would be going to study hall.

3:10 PM

I am now on the train going to New York City. My mom and I are celebrating my grandmother's 85th birthday with her and my grandfather. We're all going to eat dinner at Olive Garden (I hate it there, but my grandfather wanted to go there for reasons unknown). Then, we're leaving el viejo behind. My mom, my grandma and I are going to see the Broadway play In the Heights. Normally I would be at ballet class in Beacon from 4:30 to 6:00, but today is an exception.

8:00 PM

I am now at the theatre with my mom and my grandmother. Olive Garden was terrible; I think I gained 10 pounds in one sitting. I should probably stop writing because the play is going to start in two seconds.

11:15 PM

I just got on the train going back home. The play was very good, which means something coming from me because I tend to despise all musicals. The only ones I like are West Side Story, the Wizard of Oz, and the Lion King. My mom and my grandma enjoyed it a ton, since it reminded them of how life was back in the day for them. They made many personal connections with it. Now I'm doing the dreaded homework.

1:30 AM

I am now home, and I just finished my homework. Yahootie. I should probably go to sleep now, since I have to wake up tomorrow at 6:00, but I'm not very tired. So I'm going to go watch That '70s Show.

2:00 AM

Now I am officially tired. Tomorrow won't be fun. Going to school with little sleep is not very fun. Now I'm going to sleep. Adios.

Congrats Cougar Contest Winners!

1st place, Middle School: Graydon

1st place, Elementary School: Kaelin

Finalist: Julie

Finalist: Skye

Special Report: All Wired Up

By The Cougar Times Staff

Nearly all of the 36 students in the Garrison School's eighth-grade class have their own cell phones, according to a survey by the Cougar Times. Many students in lower grades also carry cell phones.

Here are some of the types of cell phones and plans that students are using:

A Motorola Razr with unlimited texting and 500 minutes shared with siblings.

A Verizon LG Dare with unlimited texting and 500 calling minutes.

A yellow Verizon Chocolate with no texting and 500 minutes.

A Verizon EnV2 with unlimited texting and E-Z tip calculator.

A Verizon Venus with unlimited texting and camera.

A Samsung Verizon phone with unlimited texting to all Verizon phones and advanced Bluetooth.

A Verizon Venus phone with unlimited texting and calling and calculator feature.

An LG Dare Verizon phone with texting and web.

A Verizon enV2 with unlimited texting that can send more than 500 texts an hour.

A Chocolate Verizon with texting and web.

A Sony Ericsson w350i, AT&T phone with unlimited talk and unlimited texting.

The survey also found confusion over the rules governing cell phone usage at school. To help clear this up, we provide below the section on "Electronic Devices" found in the "Garrison Union Free School District Middle School Student/Parent Handbook:"

"Students are strongly discouraged from bringing cell phones, radios, beepers, CD players, laptops, cassette players, MP3 players (iPods), headphones, electronic games, laser pens/pointers, and other electronic devices as they are a distraction. Once students have arrived at school, all these devices must be put in students' lockers. Students, however, may use Walkman-type devices (with headphones) on the school bus on the way to and from school and during their own recess times. If students are using any of the other devices during the school day, they will be taken away and returned at the end of the school day. Students are responsible for any or all electronic devices. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items."

It's High School Decision Time!

By The Cougar Times Staff

Eighth-graders have a big decision to make in the coming weeks about which high school they want to attend.

Hear from eighth-graders about their choices:

For more information on the public high school choices, please click on the links below:

Haldane High School, Cold Spring

http://hs.haldaneschool.org/home.aspx

James I. O'Neill High School, Highland Falls

http://www.hffmcsd.org/oneill/hshome.htm

Attention Artists: Cougar Contest!

The Cougar Times Student Newsblog wants a new look for its website banner. We're looking for someone to draw a face of a cougar, the Garrison School's mascot, to serve as the website's main symbol. The winner will have his or her drawing used prominently on the newsblog with credit and will also receive a giftcard from iTunes or Starbucks. The contest is open to all Garrison School students. Drawings should be completed on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper in pencil in black-and-white or color. Please hand in submissions to Art Teacher Mrs. Forrest by Friday, Feb. 13. The winning drawing will be selected by the Cougar Times staff. If you have any questions, please post below or come talk to me. Thanks, and good luck! -Nicklas, art & design director

What's your New Year's resolution?

Compiled by Chloe and Lianna

"Get better grades and improve study habits." -Kady, 8

"Recycle more." -Jake, 8

"Build gardens." -Nick, 8

"Get taller. A lot taller." -Simon, 8

"Less cursing and talking in general." -Libby, 8

"Be more environment-conscious." -Eryn, 8

"Be less crabby and agressive when I wake up." -Richard, 8

"Wear less makeup." -Tucker, 6

"Eat more chocolate." -Graydon, 8

"Read lots of poetry." -Jaswant, 7

"My New Year's resolution is not to have a New Year's Resolution." -Gus, 3

"Give up candy." -Sophia, 3

"Whiten my teeth." -Chloe, 8

"Make my hair less poofy." -Phillip, 8

"Get a girlfriend." -Matthew, 4

"Snag a babe." -Brianna, 7

Photo by Mrs. Rowe

Entertainment Center

By Simon

Must Read

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

Here's a fairly entertaining book for anyone who enjoys a good, action-filled, plot-twisting, sci-fi story. The book takes place in Satellite City, "The City of The Future," which, not surprisingly, takes place in the future. The story revolves around an orphan boy who was found as a baby on Cosmonaut Hill and sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute For the Parentally Challenged where he was named, imaginatively enough, Cosmo Hill. At age 14, he realizes he has to get out or he will die soon from all the tests and experiments the staff puts him through at the institute. He finally makes it out and joins a group that fights supernatural creatures that only he and they can see. The book is a bit far-fetched at parts but is overall an interesting and fun story.

For more check out the Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Supernaturalist-Eoin-Colfer/dp/078685149X.

Must Watch

Flight of the Conchords, HBO

Yes, finally, the new season of Flight of the Conchords will be premiering on January 18. For those who don't watch the show (which is probably many), and for those who just want to touch up on their Conchords' knowledge, the show is about New Zealand's former fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo who move to New York City to become rich and famous. Although they struggle with their primary mission, they succeed in making friends (and enemies) and much more in the Big Apple. The show (obviously fiction) is more for those age 13 and older.