Opinion

The Giver versus To Kill A Mockingbird

January 6, 2010
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Many students seemed to have fallen in love with The Giver at the end of 6th grade. However, some students seem to be slightly underwhelmed by Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. many students seem to be waiting for the extraordinary occurrences and lessons learned that were there in The Giver, but thus far, To Kill A Mockingbird has not quite delivered. Last year, when the 6th grade read The Giver, it was all that they talked about. But with to Kill A Mockingbird, it’s just “another book that we’re reading.” Do the 7th grade English teachers need to pick another edge-of-your seat book? Well, some say yes and some say no. It would be good to have a more entertaining book to read, but, at the same time, To Kill a Mockingbird has many good lessons. Another 7th grader has the opinion that a more interesting and engaging book would be better. So, does the 7th grade find another good book like The Giver, or do they keep To Kill A Mockingbird, and pull out the lessons more? It’s  your call: comment below to weigh in.

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“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

December 17, 2009
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“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

Eighth graders: I know that besides winter break, all everyone is thinking and stressing about right now is next year. We’re about to enter four extremely critical years of our lives; how can we not be concerned? As you walk the hallways of the Middle School, you must realize that next year, you’ll be walking around an entirely new campus–and in some cases, an entirely new school. It’s time to think about what high school you’re going to attend. The first decision we eighth graders have to make is whether we want to stay at MKA or not. Many students have been at MKA since Brookside, so some may want a change. For the same reason, others feel close to MKA and want to stay through high school. The students who want to change schools are required to send in applications, take entrance exams, and visit schools, which is a hassle as it is, even without all the schoolwork that eighth graders get to begin with. Those of you who are staying at MKA shouldn’t think that there’s nothing you can do to plan for high school. MKA provides the rare chance for you to visit Upper School for a

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Cézanne: Influencial and Innovative

December 15, 2009
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Cézanne: Influencial and Innovative

For ten years the Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has been working to create a “master” exhibit. It has succeeded by working closely with the Baltimore Museum to create the exclusive Cézanne exhibit. This exhibit is the most important collection that has ever been showcased at the museum in its 95 years of existence. The Cézanne exhibit is extremely unique  in that it not only displays the works of Cézanne, but also the works of artists that were influenced by him. Cézanne, who’s that? Cézanne was a French artist who revolutionized art during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. During this period, artists were judged on how well they could replicate the subject of their art. Cézanne had a different belief, a new approach. He decided to depict the subject the way that it made him feel, his perception. At first there was shock among the artistic community, an apple does not look like that. Slowly people started to understand and slowly his new technique gained traction. He began to influence other artists of the time and he continues to do so to this day. The chief curator of this exhibit, Gail Stavitski,  chose to organize it by

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Adam Lambert: AMA Performance Inappropriate? I Think Not

December 15, 2009
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Adam Lambert: AMA Performance Inappropriate? I Think Not

Recently, pop sensation Adam Lambert has come under fire for his performance at the American Music Awards.  After watching the AMAs, I came to find that there was a double standard.  After Lambert’s performance, he was supposed to have appeared on Good Morning America three days later.  Instead, they cancelled Lambert and booked Chris Brown.  As reporter Travis Ellington said, “ABC would rather have a convicted felon perform on their show than an openly gay male.”  For all those people who criticized him, what about the infamous kiss between Britiney Spears and Madonna at the 2003 MTV VMAs?  Where was the huge public outcry about that?  Or what about Lady Gaga?  I don’t think many of the things she does on stage would be classified as PG.  Parents who complain about the kiss should note when acts like Lambert go on and decide if they wants their kids to watch it.  They knew he was coming on beforehand and should have expected an “exuberant” performance.  What do you think?  Leave a comment.

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Childhood Obesity

November 25, 2009
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Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic throughout the entire world; in fact, it has the same threat intensity as global warming. The reason for this new epidemic is because of a lack of exercise and the high calorie, high sugar and high fat content in junk foods. Many kids go to school with money in their hand instead of a lunch bag on a regular basis.  School cafeteria lunches are made with many preservatives so that they can stay fresh in the bags that they are bought in. Also the foods, in many instances, are deep fried or baked, which raises their fat and calorie content. The amount of food that is put on a child’s plate is also important. Many of the lunch servers just grab a handful of food and put it on the plate, which can overfeed many children. Instead, their food needs to be portioned properly so that kids are not putting too much food or chemicals into their systems. There are many risks to bad eating habits. One is type two diabetes and another is high blood pressure. Type two diabetes is normally called  “adult diabetes,” but now is is being found in many more

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A Survival Experience

November 3, 2009
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A Survival Experience

Survival was about a month ago, though it feels like it was only a day. The hike in was vigorous and really tiring, but it was definitely worth it. When we got to campsite #1, we settled down and picked out the sites for our tents. We had no trouble putting the tent up, but when we started to settle in, we realized that there was no zipper on the tent. It stank. Flies swarmed our tent, and daddy long legs swooped down on us, but the experience was essentially perfect. Well, other than the toilets (*ugh*). We all got facials, even the boys. Speaking of boys,  the guys in my homeroom had a wonderful time preparing our skits. The skits were funny, although some got a little rough. They ranged from Jeopardy!: Survival Edition to the “Serial Killer of Round Valley.” We all had a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait until the spring when we go back for a day-long canoe trip. It’ll be so fun!

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Too Scary for Some

November 3, 2009
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I love Halloween. It was a few days ago, and I saw a lot of scary costumes. What was really frightening was that some of the scariest were on 6 year olds. Halloween has become more about who can get the bloodiest costume than how I seem to remember it when I was a youngster. Even little kids seem to be wearing scary costumes that have guts falling out, blood dripping and distorted faces. Costumes of chainsaw psychos for kids who are only seven greatly surpass the Frankenstein and “guy with knife in head” costumes that I saw when I was that age. It scares the pants off of me to see innocent little kids wearing Freddy Kruger claws. Parents need to find the borderline between saying, “Sure honey that’s fine,” letting their kids dress up as whatever they want, and making their  to be innocent little fairy princesses. There should be a definite N-O to being Octomom–now that’s scary. That’s all I’m saying. And I’m hoping that next year I won’t have nightmares of toddlers running around with maces and chainsaws.

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Shattered: The Story Of Steriods in Baseball

October 31, 2009
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Shattered: The Story Of Steriods in Baseball

When I was ten, baseball couldn’t have been more perfect. Everything about the game fascinated me. I loved to play it, watch it and read about the players who became my heroes. Even though baseball players could hit a ball 500 feet and throw 90 mph, I realized they were still human beings. I knew they made mistakes. I just didn’t realize how big those mistakes could be. October 1988: Washington Post baseball writer Thomas Boswell claims Jose Canseco is “the most conspicuous example of a player who has made himself great with steroids.”  Canseco denies the claims.  Canseco, the bronzed Oakland Athletic slugger, has just become the first player to hit 40 home runs and have 40 steals in a single season.  He goes on to win the MVP award at the end of the year.  This sets in motion the most devastating scandal ever to hit professional sports. Over its 141 year history, baseball has endured many hardships and weathered many scandals, from the notorious spitball era, when players would rub tobacco and dirt on the ball, making it impossible to see it, to the Black Sox scandal of 1919.  Baseball has come out damaged but intact.  It survived

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Cougar Call in your inbox?

September 24, 2009
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Cougar Call in your inbox?

Wondering why your Cougar Call isn’t showing up in your inbox? Of course you are! The Cougar Call is no longer a monthly PDF. To get the latest updates, go to the RSS feed icon in your address bar and click “Subscribe to this page,” or simply click the “Subscribe” link under the menu bar. Enjoy!

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