THE RETURN OF THE EYE

Sectional Champions!

By: Brittney Corrado, Danielle Shehee, and Ryan Pepera

October 27, 2020

The varsity girls soccer team had an outstanding win against the Loudonville Redbirds last Thursday, October 22.

Loudonville had a record of 10-6-2 going into this sectional final game, and the Canes entered at 6-7-2. Even though they were underdogs, the Canes came into the game prepared, determined, and hungry.

The first goal did not take long and was scored by Adriana Rodriguez off of a rebounded, corner kick.

The Redbirds then scored two goals, but Emily Gerry’s goal off of the 15-yard line brought the score to a 2-2 tie at the end of the first half.

During the second half, two more goals by each team knotted the score at 4-4 at the end of regulation. This is when the game got very interesting.

In the first 15-minute overtime, both teams went scoreless.

Similarly, the second 15-minute overtime followed the same script. No goal, no winner!

After the second overtime, both teams made four out of their five penalty kicks in sudden death, to which no winner had been established to this point.

However, this all changed when senior Ella Fowler made her penalty kick, while the Redbirds’ player missed her attempt.

Ball game!

The girls never gave up nor gave in, and this sectional championship is one that they will remember for many years to come.

How did this team persevere? Senior captain, Kelsey Bruzek, gave us this answer: “Our team has a lot of potential to make it farther than ever before. We must continue to use the motto ‘Mind over matter’ to keep advancing.”

“Mind over matter” equals mental toughness, and these girls showed it during this epically-long, playoff contest.

Great job, girls!

Fun Halloween Activities!

By: Ella Fowler, Morgan Blechschmid, and Jaiden Basinger

October 27, 2020

As Halloween is quickly approaching, the month of October is the perfect time to start getting festive and having some Fall fun!

Having fun this year can be a little difficult due to the safety precautions enforced to keep us safe from COVID-19, but who said that we cannot have some fun?

Some activities to do this season can include at-home entertainment, going to Fall festivals, haunted houses, and so much more!

Some Halloween activities for your family can include places such as Mapleside Farms, Red Wagon Farm, Forest of Screams, and Akron’s Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory.

Mapleside Farms in Brunswick has various-themed weekends, and their location includes a pumpkin village, apple house, bakery, corn maze, hayride, sack slide, and much more.

Fall Festivals | Mapleside

Mapleside Farms

The Pumpkin Village is a series of events with over 20 special attractions that allows you to have the finest, Fall-family experience. The Pumpkin Village is open every weekend.

When visiting Mapleside Farms during their Pumpkin Village events, you can do various activities such as corn mazes, apple picking, a big slide, ice cream, jump park, etc.

Another amazing, family-fun place is Red Wagon Farm in Columbia Station. Their activities include a Pumpkin festival (with pumpkin picking), corn mazes, food stands, trick-or-treating, and an event called “Friday Funday”.

Red Wagon Farm

You can also do activities such as strawberry picking and visiting their farmers market that has many offerings such as local vegetables, fruits, flowers, potted plants, bedding plants, poultry, maple syrup, eggs, honey, pork, baked goods, dairy products, grass-fed beef, and more.

For a little “thrill,” Forest of Screams Haunted Hayride and walking trail is in Medina, but anyone under 15 years of age will need to be accompanied by an adult. It opened on September 25 of this year, and it is a very event-filled place that has 58-acres of haunted, scary land.

Forest of Screams' is a longtime dream for Medina businessman — Forest of Screams

Akron’s Schoolhouse and Laboratory opened up about three weeks ago. They have a very good food truck with a wide variety of options. Additionally, the props are frightening and the actors experienced.

Schoolhouse and Laboratory

For those who want to stay at home during this Fall season, there are plenty of fun activities to do as well.

Some of these activities include carving or decorating pumpkins, making Halloween treats, and binge watching scary movies such as American Horror Story, the original Halloween (featuring Michael Myers), and Disney movies like Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloweentown, and others. You can find all of these movies on Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu.

Soundtrack - Nightmare Before Christmas [2 LP] - Amazon.com Music

Pumpkin ideas - Halloween pumpkin carving ideas

There are many fun things to do on Halloween night, but how could anyone forget about passing out candy? Passing out candy has been a tradition for roughly 90 years. It became more popular after the war (World War II) than soul cakes were, so kids began to receive those sweets instead. So, unless soul cakes make a comeback, you can expect candy for many more years!

6 Things You Should Pass Out Instead of Candy This Halloween | LoveToKnow

Pick something to do, and have fun this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

Staff Spotlight: Ms. Marquardt

*Paraprofessional*

By: Valery Warner, Tyler Elzholz, and Kelsey Bruzek

October 27, 2020

For this week’s staff spotlight, Ms. Erin Marquardt was chosen to be featured. She is a paraprofessional here at the BCSD.

We asked Miss Marquardt a few questions to get to know her on a more personal level.

Q.) Where did you go to college, and why did you go there?

A.) “I went to Remington College because I wanted to be a medical assistant.”

Q.) Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

A.) “I was born in Cleveland and grew up in Brooklyn.”

Q.) Where did you go to high school, and what activities did you participate in during high school?

A.) “I went to high school here in Brooklyn. I was one of the captains of our volleyball team. I sat on the bench in basketball; Mr. Verba can attest to my lack of skill in basketball. I also participated in Hurricettes.”

Q.) What hobbies are you interested in outside of work?

A.) “I like to garden and do landscaping work during the summer. I also like to read when I have time. I love spending time with my family and going to my children’s sporting events.”

Q.) What inspired you to be a paraprofessional? Was being a paraprofessional your first choice of work?

A.) “It was not my first choice, but having my own children, I realized that I wanted to work with other kids.”

Q.) What is your favorite part of your job?

A.) “The best part of my job is working with special needs students and making a difference in their lives. It is enjoying getting to watch them grow over the years.”

Thank you for all that you do here at the BCSD! Your help around our district does not go unnoticed, and the student body looks up to you as a role model and as someone to come to when a helping hand is necessary.

We appreciate you, Ms. Marquardt.

Welcome Back, Brooklyn High School Marching Band

By: Ariana Rojak, Laila Schwin, Aiden Nelson, and Alisha Bains

October 21, 2020

With the current state of the world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many events have been put on hold for a considerable amount of time. The Brooklyn marching band was no exception to this.

However, with thought and multiple conversations, the marching band returned, most notably for the recent October 9th parade.

Excited to hear the music once again, Mr. Sullivan, BHS’s band teacher and marching band advisor, answered some questions on how the band has changed since the pandemic and what we will see in the future.

Q: How is social distancing being enforced for marching band events?

A: “We flipped the room to give us more options for rehearsing inside, while being socially-distanced. To give you an idea of what that entailed, we marked every seat in the auditorium with tape, measuring in all directions along the way, to ensure everyone is meeting the requirements from the county board of health. This took us from over 1,000 available seats in the auditorium down to just over 150. Many of these things were quite new to our students and challenging at times, but in true Brooklyn Marching Band fashion, we rolled with it and moved forward.”

Q: What band events are currently going on?

A: “Due to the regulations from the OHSAA and the state, marching bands are not permitted to travel to ANY events. Because of this, we were unable to attend any of the away games as a guest band. In the past, we’ve performed at various marching band festivals throughout the area: The Medina Band Show, the North Royalton Parade of Bands, the Parma Marching Band Spectacular, etc. These were all major moments in our season, an opportunity to see other bands and highlight our own. All of this year’s performances have been at Brooklyn Memorial Stadium. And although this is not ideal, we’ve been lucky to play and perform. Many band programs never had band camp. We did. Nationwide, many students missed out on an entire season or even a final season of the activities they love. But, Mr. Verba did an outstanding job of putting together a schedule providing us the opportunity to perform in the midst of all the instability and unknowns this season. With the help and support of Dr. Caleris and Mr. Hare, we were able to add events to supplement some of our missed away performances. We held a Playoff Parade on October 9th, and we’re hosting our annual Instant Replay Skull Session on Wednesday, October 28th, before we cap off the season on the 30th against Fairport Harbor.”

Q: What are your goals for the band this year?

A: “Regardless of the situation or scenario, our goals are always the same. We’re going to move forward and keep playing. We have a long tradition of excellence in Brooklyn, and we plan to uphold that tradition and carry on. It may be difficult at times. It may be challenging. Things might look a little different. For instance, if we can’t fit on stage for a performance, we’ll take it to the field house. If we can’t accommodate an entire audience on concert night, we’ll split it up into multiple nights. The music entertainment industry has taken a huge hit during this pandemic. It may not be exactly the same, but you need to start somewhere. Adapting and moving forward is essential to the survival of the arts.”

Q: How does having to wear masks directly affect the band while they are playing and marching?

A: “The actual requirements from the state dictate that each student is to wear their mask when necessary during rehearsals, transitions, and performances. If a student is exerting themselves physically or playing an instrument, they may take down their mask, while maintaining six-foot social distancing. It is absolutely necessary for students to be more sensitive to and aware of these precautions. It is a challenge when something new is established. We introduced the requirements and moved on. Our students are doing an awesome job of being proactive and thoughtful. For the portions of our show in which the students are not playing, marching or dancing, we ask that they keep the masks up, unless it begins to affect them physically. Just like everyone else, we are adapting and getting better each day at each rehearsal.”

Q: Is the band smaller this year due to the virus?

A: “The virus has had an effect on participation in activities across the board. We’re somewhat smaller than we have been over the last five years or so, but our band students have stepped up as leaders; the student leadership core of the group is very strong, and the parent and community support has not diminished. When I started teaching in Brooklyn in 1999, there were 34 kids in the marching band. Our numbers are still well beyond that, and the future is looking bright.”

Despite the potential risks and the changes made for social distancing, we are glad that the marching band is back and playing for us, and it seems that everyone in the band is excited, too.

Our only hope is that the next performance or parade will be even better than the last one(s).

March on!

Keep Fighting, Boys!

By: Brittney Corrado, Ryan Pepera, and Danielle Shehee

October 20, 2020

The Brooklyn Hurricanes football team played against the Mapleton Mounties this past Friday. Unfortunately, the game did not go as planned as the Hurricanes suffered a home defeat by a score of 50-6.

The winless Hurricanes were looking for a fast start, but the offense struggled out of the gate, and the defense spent too much time on the field. After the first quarter, the Mounties jumped out to a 16-point, early lead which has become an uncomfortable theme for the Hurricanes this year.

The second quarter did not fare any better as the Mounties kept scoring on offense and making stops on defense.

However, one bright spot for the young Hurricanes came when quarterback Jacob Sullivan hit Areon Cowling for a 43-yard completion. This then set up a Dominic Barry two-yard touchdown run right before the half.

Unfortunately, this was the only scoring for the Hurricanes who lost by a large margin for the second week in a row.

If there is any solace, the Hurricanes blanked the Mounties in the fourth quarter, so hopefully, this little amount of confidence will blossom in practice this week as they get ready to travel to Lutheran West High School to visit the Longhorns this Friday evening.

With the weather expected to be beautiful this Friday, take a short trip out to Lutheran West and support our football team.

Go Canes!

Social Media Influence on Society

By: Ella Fowler, Morgan Blechschmid, and Jaiden Basinger

October 20, 2020

The positives. – Addison Hodges Blog

Social media plays major roles in society today. Some of the roles include how younger kids see their body image, mental health, and others, and we all know that there are both negatives and positives to these.

Major influencers on social media tend to target younger kids, and sometimes, the positive is outweighed by the negativity.

The Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year-olds how social media platforms impacted their health and well-being. This survey led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image, and loneliness.

Obviously, this is the negative, but what about the positive?

For example, a sample of nine-to-ten year-olds in 2018 took part in a brain development study for social media. Scrolling through Instagram and texting were associated with some positive effects, including increased physical activity, less family conflict, and fewer sleep problems.

Additionally, some of the other positives to social media is to connect people with others and to give them virtual communication. People can make friends, post photos, and connect with others quickly and easily. This is really beneficial for family members who live far away or for those who are on a business trip that covers a two-week span.

Social media also is an information-beacon when it comes to gathering information about current events, sports, history, etc. In today’s pandemic, students are using technology more than ever, and the information that they seek is readily available and easy to find in a timely manner.

What it comes down to is that social media can play a positive role in today’s society. The negative aspects of social media are brought up a lot, but we need to realize the positives and the ways that it helps society.

Just like everything else, if social media is used for good, it can have a lasting impact.

Be smart and be careful, but do not assume the worst.

Staff Spotlight: Mr. Keller

*Teacher: Elementary School Music*

By: Valery Warner, Tyler Elzholz, and Kelsey Bruzek

October 20, 2020

Brooklyn Elementary’s own Bryan Keller has been chosen as the center of attention for this week’s staff spotlight.

We asked Mr. Keller several questions to get to know him on a personal level.

Q.) Where did you go to college, and why did you decide to go there?

A.) “I attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. I really liked the layout of the campus and the small, close-knit music department.”

Q.) Was teaching music your first career choice?

A.) “Yes and no. I originally wanted to be a private drum teacher and a gigging musician after college. However, after earning my Bachelors in Music Education, I decided to give teaching in a public school a try for a while. Twenty-five years later, here I am.”

Q.) Where did you grow up, and where were you born?

A.) “I was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania (just south of Harrisburg). My parents still live in the house I grew up in.”

Q.) What was your biggest setback during your teaching career?

A.) “Not sure it was a “setback,” but I actually almost quit teaching after my third year. I was working in South Carolina, and I wasn’t enjoying myself at all. I was about to accept a job at State Farm when I got offered the position here in Brooklyn.”

Q.) What activities did you participate in during high school?

A.) “In high school, I participated in all band activities (marching band, concert band, jazz band, and pep band). I also played the drum set for our school musicals and was in the orchestra for three years.”

Q.) What hobbies are you interested in when you are not teaching?

A.) “Outside of school, my main priority is spending time with my family. As far as hobbies, I am the drummer and band leader of Funkology, an 11-piece band that plays events around the Cleveland area. I also love to golf, and I’m a huge Miami Dolphins fan.”

[Editor’s note: We like dolphins, too…just not the NFL Dolphins. Go Browns!]

Q.) What inspired you to get into music?

A.) “What inspired me to get into music? I remember being four or five-years-old and banging on my cousin’s drum set every time my family visited my aunt. I have never wanted to do anything else with my life. I love to teach music, but I also love to perform in front of people.”

It was great catching up with Mr. Keller, who was our music teacher back in elementary school. We wish him well in the rest of his teaching career, and we request to see him perform in Funkology.

Saturday Night Lights – Playoff Edition

By: Danielle Shehee, Brittney Corrado, and Ryan Pepera

October 13, 2020

Brooklyn’s varsity football team played their 2020 OHSAA playoff game away last Saturday against the Genoa Comets. From the very beginning, the young Hurricanes were outmatched and lost the contest, 55-0.

The boys had a rough first quarter. Offensively, they were not clicking, and the defense gave up too many big plays. At the end of the first quarter, the Hurricanes found themselves down 25-0 against a very strong and worth opponent.

In the second quarter, the Hurricanes were able to slow down the Comets and were only outscored in the period 10-0, which brought the halftime score to 35-0. went pretty similarly. The Comet’s defense was stout, keeping the visiting ‘Canes off of the scoreboard.

The second half was very similar to the first half in which the Comets scored and played solid defense, while the Hurricanes struggled to do anything right.

Even though the score was lopsided, junior Alex Hernandez found a little silver lining in the loss.

“Playing sports during a pandemic this year has truly been a crazy ride. You would have never thought we would be here, but I’m grateful we get to continue the things we love. Attitudes come and go. It’s a thing of sports, but I feel when we’re all locked in, we can be a great team,” stated Hernandez.

Asked about the youth on the football team, Hernandez responded as follows: “It’s always great to get new kids on the team as well; it’s a huge thing. And it’s great that every day, we can help them get better even with today’s global pandemic.”

The Hurricanes are ready to come back stronger next game against Mapleton on Friday (October 16) as they continue their regular season.

Good luck, boys!

Welcoming This Year’s Homecoming Court

By: Aiden Nelson, Ariana Rojak, Alisha Bains, and Laila Schwin

October 13, 2020

In the midst of a global pandemic, school events are limited and prevented for fear and risk of COVID-19 spreading. However, sometimes all it takes is some improvisation of the plans to ensure that all can still have fun and entertaining community events, while staying safe.

Although the pandemic has canceled the important aspects of homecoming like the dance, pep rally, and assembly events for the homecoming court, BHS will still have a king and queen this year and even some socially-distanced events for the court.

The candidates who are on the court for queen are as follows: Haylie Cox, Karolina DeJesus-Pastrana, Brianna Luonuansu, Farah Shaheen, and Jamari Walker.

Homecoming Queen candidates minus Jamari Walker

The candidates who are on the court for king are as follows: Stephen Chhan, Andrew Coyne, Alex Gere, Daniel Ileana, and Kevin Mei.

We emailed Mrs. Jacinta Bader, 8th grade English Language Arts teacher and homecoming advisor, to discuss the plans for this year’s homecoming events.

Q: How will the football game and crowning process for king and queen work this year?

A: “We will be crowning the king and queen at the football game on October 30. The court will parade with the band. The king and queen will be revealed by a rose, like we’ve done in the past. The only difference is that the court will need to be in separate cars, wearing masks, and socially-distanced on the field. We are going to try to have the crowning live on Instagram as well.”

Q: Will there be the usual type of events with the homecoming court, except socially-distanced?

A: “We are creating a meet-the-court video rather than having an all-school assembly. Spirit Week will be the week of October 26-30. To replace the pep assembly, we are putting together a video because the court participated in a BHS scavenger hunt that we recorded. We hope to get the athletic teams and band in the video, too.”

Although many of the events are canceled this year, the homecoming court and the spirit of the event remain, and the events for the court are sure-to-be just as fun as the ones in years’ past, even without the student body there for full support.

The improvised events are a good bit of normalcy in all of this, despite the circumstances.

Hopefully, next year, we can have the homecoming dance and all of the festivities back.

Good luck to all of the 2020 Homecoming candidates!

Same Old Browns? Not This Year!

By: Ella Fowler, Morgan Blechschmid, and Jaiden Basinger

October 13, 2020

So far, the Browns have had a great season unlike the past two decades, and this past Sunday, their winning ways continued with a 32-23 win against the Indianapolis Colts at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Injuries to Leonard, Castonzo keep Colts out of sync in loss | NFL | leadertelegram.com

The win propelled the Browns to a 4-1 start, Cleveland’s first 4-1 record since 1994. The loss dropped the Colts to 3-2.

Despite being down one of the best running backs in the game (Nick Chubb – sprained knee in the previous win over the Cowboys), the Browns still had a solid run game. The key leaders of the rushing game were Kareem Hunt (72 yards) and D’Ernest Johnson (32 yards).

Darius Leonard, one of the Colts star players, was also inactive due to an injury.

At the end of the first quarter, the Colts were beating the Browns 7-3. However, in the second quarter, the Browns put up 17 unanswered points with Kareem Hunt’s 2-yard TD run, Baker Mayfield’s 15-yard TD pass to Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins, and Cody Parkey 36-yard field goal. This resulted in the half ending with a 20-10 Browns’ lead.

In the second half, safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. had a 47-yard pick six to give the Browns a 27-10 lead.

Momentum, however, did not last long as the Colts’ Isiah Rodgers returned the ensuing kick return for a 101-yard TD, narrowing the score to 27-17.

In the next possession, Mayfield threw an interception which led to a Colts’ field goal and a 27-20 Browns’ lead.

The Browns’s defense came up big with a safety and another interception which led to a late, Parkey field goal. This was all of the final scoring with the Browns winning the game, 32-23.

Next Sunday, the 4-1 Browns head to Pittsburgh to play their rivals. The Steelers, who are 4-0, will be ready for the much-anticipated matchup.

Here we go Brownies, here we go, woof woof!

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Kubinski

*Teacher: 4th Grade Science and Mathematics*

By: Valery Warner, Kelsey Bruzek, and Tyler Elzholz

October 13, 2020

Brooklyn Intermediate’s Lisa Kubinski (formally known as Miss Krall) has been chosen to be the center of attention for this week’s staff spotlight.

We asked Mrs. Kubinski a few questions to get to know her on a more personal level.

Q.) Where did you go to college, and why did you decide to go there?

A.) “John Carroll University – I loved that it had excellent reviews for my major (psychology). It was a small campus setting, and it was beautiful!”

Q.) If you had the choice, what would be the ideal grade level to teach?

A.) “I would love to teach multi-grade levels in the S.T.E.M. program.”

Q.) Was teaching your first career choice?

A.) “I changed careers (and went back to college later) to become a teacher. I originally worked for non-profits specializing in children with special needs. I currently hold an administrator’s license and might find myself as a principal or assistant principal one day.”

Q.) Where did you grow up, and where were you born?

A.) “Born in Cleveland and I grew up in Parma Heights.”

Q.) What was your biggest setback during your teaching career?

A.) “I cannot think of anything that sets me back. I have been very lucky to always be part of awesome teaching teams.”

Q.) What activities did you participate in during high school?

A.) “Name a committee and I was part of it. I did marching band (not a class), regular band, orchestra, choir, I was co-captain of the swim team senior year, musicals, theatre, campus ministry (I went to Padua), retreats, prom committee, etc.”

Q.) What hobbies are you interested in when you are not teaching?

A.) “[I enjoy] running, working out, biking, fostering kittens, crocheting, traveling, and hiking.”

It was a nice chance to catch up and reconnect with Mrs. Kubinski, who we knew as Miss Krall, our 7th grade science teacher. We all hope for the best as she continues in her teaching career here at the BCSD.

BHS Soccer is Back!

By: Danielle Shehee, Ryan Pepera, and Brittney Corrado

October 2, 2020

After a two-week break, the varsity girls soccer team had a home game against the Crestwood Red Devils this past Monday. The girls played a solid and intense game, and even though the contest came close to being rained out, they pulled through and gave their best.

The team of Kelsey Bruzek, Emily Gerry, Hailey Nguyen, Sofia Collins, Jaida Dominguez, Ella Fowler, Delaney David, Alyssa Todorovich, Katrina Gasper, Jenny Tran, and Andriana Rodriguez played great defense throughout the game, communicated well, and even did switches to try and confuse the Red Devils.

At the end of the first half, the scoreboard was locked in a 0-0 tie.

Although the Hurricanes were blanked in the first half by the Red Devil´s goalie, the girls did an excellent job of following through with their plays and dropping back when needed.

In the second half, the competitiveness continued.

With a somewhat lucky shot, the Red Devils scored the first and last goal of the game, leaving the Hurricanes on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat.

With the loss, the Hurricanes currently hold a record of 4-2-1.

“It was one of our best games. We lost very late in the game, and it challenged us skillswise to help prepare us for success for the next game,” stated Fowler.

The girls are excited for their next game tomorrow morning (11:00) against Brush. They plan on coming back from this loss and continuing their strong start to the season.

Go Canes!