Adapted from the original Newsletter by Alexiandria Cintron, Kathy Chiam, Nicole Castiblanco and Erick CriolloNovember, 2012
View original by downloading newsletter
SOS CORNER:
Are you in control of
your own destiny? The answer to this question lies in seven letters; C-O-N-T-R-O-L!
Do you set goals and plan how you will achieve them or do you fly by the seat
of your pants? A disciplined step by step approach ensures you will maximize your
potential, and increase the percentage of your power to accomplish. I know that this may seem like more work,
like the transposing notebook I am always on you about starting. However, no
one ever said that the process would be easy. It all lies in how comfortable
you are being uncomfortable. Continuing
to challenge yourself is the key to self management and growth. Don’t let your
fear of failure prevent you from doing what is necessary. Let the thought of
failure motivate you. Small accomplishments will build the confidence you need
to set your own course. During this thanksgiving season, we should take the
time to look at the big, and realize how fortunate we are to have the ability
to fulfill our potential. Don’t allow time to keep passing you by. Grab the
bull by the horns today and begin your journey.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Model U.N
Diplomacy
has been a recurring theme throughout history. With tension building around the
world, this strategy must be employed to insure the safety of mankind. In order
to maintain peace for all people and to promote diplomatic relations, the U.N
was formed in 1945, after World War II. Originally, there were 51 member
states, now an impressive 193 member states including the United States of
America. The Model U.N. (MUN), run by Mr. Harper, is dedicated to educating the
youth about how world diplomacy works. Through a mock conference, each school
is assigned a member state to represent as its delegation to the United
Nations. The United Nations has multiple bodies, with two students assigned to
each. Some include the Human Rights Committee and the Security Council.
Students spend
months researching their specific topic and aim towards writing a position
paper and presenting it. In May, a mock conference is held in New York City, where
students from all over the world gather and discuss their various topics. They
engage in debates and ultimately draft resolutions. Last year, BCCHS
represented the magnificent country of Guatemala. Currently, we have not been
assigned a country. Nevertheless, we have started the club and are educating
some of our newer members about the role of The United Nations. Model U.N. is a
brilliant choice when looking for a club. Realizing that the world of tomorrow
is essentially controlled by you can be a powerful motivator to get involved.
If anyone has any questions, you can contact Mr. Harper, Ms. Lau, or Mr.
Sparrow.
-Jowel Uddin
Bond Returns
Daniel Craig executes James Bond
with intensity and magnitude. Skyfall introduces a story to the public that has
been described as Craig's best Bond film. 007’s new mission involves working
with a small group of agents in order to restore the role and reputation of the
M16 Sam Mendes, director of
American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, teams up with cinematographer Roger
Deakins, Shawshank Redemption and O Brother Where Art Thou?, to present the
public with a new visually stunning film that reminds us of some of the other
best Bond films. Through their collaboration, another fantastic film has been
made.
Released November 9th, Skyfall has
already made a total of $669.2 Million a result of both international and sales
within North America. With this, Skyfall is a definite must see, and will be
remembered for its visually stunning shots, cast, and story. . Roger Ebert gives Sky Fall 4/4 stars.
-Gabriel Sommers
Red Cross Report
This year the Red Cross Club will be
extremely busy and we would love to have your support. We are hosting our
annual Blood Drive on December 19th. If you are 16 and over, please try your
best to give blood. You will be rewarded with 6-7 hours of community service
and more importantly, you will be doing a good deed for society.
I hope everyone was safe during
Hurricane Sandy. We are trying to raise money in order to help out those in
need. We will be hosting bake sales,
Backpack Competitions, and additional activities. There will be further
information released at a later date.
There will be people coming around with wrist bands and measles pins to
sell during the school day. All of the money goes to a good cause! If you are
in need of more community service, you can volunteer for hurricane relief
online with the American Red Cross, any events that you participate in, we will
give you community service credit. Keep your ears open for upcoming Red Cross
events!
-Joanne Yu &
Imani Nicholas
Baruch Wrestling
Baruch Wrestling is unlike any other
sports team. Compared to my other experiences with sports teams, wrestling
takes up all of my free time. As of now, my life only consists of two things;
school and wrestling. I wish I could squeeze some more activities into my week,
but now that wrestling season started there is absolutely no time for anything.
Don’t get me wrong, I really love what I’m doing and I will never consider dropping
the sport. Wrestling has taught me how to effectively use my time. The time I
would usually use to watch television or play video games is now being used to
do my homework and study. This has also led to me becoming a more diligent
worker. Baruch Wrestling has done more than change my time management and work
ethic. It also became the catalyst which gave my whole lifestyle a much needed
180 degree turn. Before wrestling, I ate whatever I wanted without thinking
about the repercussions. These decisions made me overweight and unhealthy in a
very short amount of time. In fact at one point I weighed over 200 pounds, but
now I work out everyday and eat a balanced diet. These small changes not only
led to me feeling much better physically, but it also turned my 200 pounds into
182 pounds and most importantly, a better me.
-Ayo Summers
A Promising Team Arises
Baruch’s boys’ basketball team has never lacked talent.
Each year, a fresh crop of boys stepped onto the court with a new multitude of
skills and experience. Unfortunately, each year’s success remained paltry as
the team struggled to find substantial wins. This year, it’s a similar story. A
very talented group steps on the court with the hope of rising well above the
team’s past. With seniors that have four years of experience, and underclassmen
with a lot of potential, the Blue Devils are teeming with the promise of a
winning season. Perhaps
the evidence for the word “teeming” lies in the coach Howard Soskind’s struggle
to assemble a team this year. With only twelve spots available, Soskind knew it
would be a long process cutting students off the team. But Soskind, an ideological
man to say the least, was not concerned with making a team that could jump high
or dunk the ball. He was concerned with putting together a team that would stay
intense throughout the whole season. A team always looking to work and improve.
Even though there were only twelve spots available, Soskind decided to keep
thirteen. Perhaps his motive was to keep the players engaged, so no one could
slack off without losing a jersey to the thirteenth man. Perhaps he believed
that each and every one of the thirteen people could come to practice and the
games prepared to work with an unyielding passion. Either way, Coach Howard
Soskind’s choice to keep thirteen boys shows the promise of this year’s team –
the talent is bursting out of the team’s seams. It is simply up to the Baruch
players to rise to the occasion and prove they deserve their spot on the team.
Along with the Baruch community’s support, it is highly possible that this year
a new precedent will be set for future Baruchians. Success only exists in terms
of hard work, intensity, and dedication.
Girls Basketball Opener
The
beginning of the season has begun. With practice every day and having new Coach
Jessenia. Although this is the first year she is coaching the team, we got
acquainted to her practices fairly quick. We worked on handling skills and
offense/defense drills. We had our first scrimmage on November 12th
against a school from Queens. Although we didn't have a crowd to cheer us on,
we still played hard, with our returnees, Miyna, Sydney, Patty, Mikaela and
Alexis starting the game. The score was kept tied for almost the first 2
quarters but as the second half came around we pushed hard and the intensity
level increased which led to a team win by 20. Everyone got a chance to play
and show their talent by making 3 pointers and getting rebounds. We may not
have started off as strong as we thought for our first scrimmage but we will
keep that in mind for our first game of the season. Come support us on Monday,
November 26th at 4:30 p.m. at the Baruch College gym against Washington
Irving.
-
Kathy Chiam
Baruch Wrestling Needs You!
Head Coach Frank Portella’s catchphrase this season is:
“We are winning the City Tournament on February 10th!” He often
follows up with asking, “Who will be an
individual City Champ this year?” Coach is ecstatic about how many people we have
on the team. Currently, Baruch Wrestling has at least one athlete per weight
class from 99 lbs. to 220 lbs. In fact,
the only weight class we are missing is 285. In order to fill that spot, we
need a wrestler at least 210 pounds. Prior
to this year, Baruch Wrestling started every competition down by 30 points;
that meant that every school we competed against had a 30-point advantage! Now
it’s time for Baruch Wrestling to turn the tides on other schools and start
matches with the advantage! Don’t fret if you’re worried about being good at
wrestling, we have had over ten new wrestlers who just two weeks ago had no
idea how to wrestle, but by working hard and committing themselves they’re
almost ready for their first competition. Baruch Wrestling has six assistant
coaches who pay close attention to each of us, and help guide us through the
process of becoming a wrestler. The first few days of wrestling is always the
most challenging, but if you really stick with it and never quit you can become
an important part of this team too. Remember, seniors Isaiah Blake and Paul Schoenberg
didn’t become city champions over night. So don’t let the excuse of, “I’ll try
it next year,” or “I might not be good at it,” discourage you. Join Baruch
Wrestling and help us win the City title while learning life skills that can
only be taught on the mat. Baruch Wrestling needs you! For information email frank@BaruchWrestling.com
-Matthew
Quinones
Fundraising Journey
Fundraising is a major issue for all
our athletic teams. It is not easy to raise the funds necessary to run a good
program. A major draw on our budget is our gym rental from Baruch College. This
leaves little money for official and tournament fees, uniforms, and other
necessary equipment. The girl’s basketball team started to collect plastic
bottles. Even though the girls only raised 40 dollars in one month, the team is
looking forward to getting a new game ball. The team is going to think of some
more fundraising ideas to get new uniforms for next season. Don't forget to
bring in your bottles and cans. The competition ends on December 17th. The
girl’s first game is on November 26th. Please come out to
support.
-Mikaela
Bordonaro
What’s up with the National Honor Society?
We’re working hard! Last year, the induction of new
members and celebration of graduating members set the stage for a new
year. We have been meeting every Friday
at 7:45AM to organize and prepare for upcoming events. Every member of NHS has
worked hard to reach this point, so now we’re ready to set things in motion.
We
will always be achieving new tasks throughout the year, but recently we have
been firing up our annual Halloween Candy Bag Sale! We are making sure this
year is organized and successful, so we’re making these bags extra special. For
the low price of $2.00/bag, you can send your friends or teachers a handmade,
thoughtful, and “Halloween-y” delight. We designed the bags so that each one
has enough chocolate candies as well as non-chocolate ones, such as Skittles
and Twizzlers. In addition, we also snuck in a spooky surprise that everyone
loves…but you’ll have to buy one to see!
Later
on, we are planning on doing a whole bunch of helpful community service.
National Honor Society lives for achieving worthwhile goals by helping others
in our community; we encourage you to do the same. This includes volunteering
at senior homes, cleaning parks/beaches, and fundraising money for needy
organizations that help the less fortunate. We are also starting to dive into
new things, but we’re not ready to announce them yet. Stick with us and you’ll
see!
- Molly McGill
Rough Preseason Start
We have opened up our preseason
losing our first three contests. During these games, the team has demonstrated
the ability to succeed. Unfortunately we have not committed for the entire 32
minutes. Lapses in defense, missed
lay-ups, not running hard, are examples of behaviors that need attention. We
need to improve our chemistry and confidence. With a more disciplined approach
at practice, we hope to achieve our potential this season. Pre season for us is
not about winning or the points. It’s about getting better. I think the team
has a good chance of making the playoff this year. The real test will be Tuesday,
November 27th when we play ICE in the season opener. Come out and
support!
- Peter Lok
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