THE RETURN OF THE EYE

Cast Preview: Newsies

By: Izabella Hotz and Destiny Cannon

March 9, 2020

The Brooklyn High School production of Newsies is coming fast, with opening night this Thursday, March 12. The cast, pit, and crew have been working extremely hard to put this show together.

Auditions started the first week of November, and ever since then, the show has been built from the ground with vocal work, choreography, and intense scene-work sessions. The cast is so far doing very well and features numerous talented dancers, vocalists, and actors.

Recently, the cast performed a snippet of the song “Brooklyn’s Here” for the Fox 8 ‘Cool School of the Week,’ highlighting the countless hours put into even just one song.

poster for the Brooklyn production of *Newsies*

Even though the stress of opening night is building, the cast has so far done a good job of staying relatively collected and productive. With constant, daily practice, each number and scene are improving, creating what looks to be a stellar show.

The director of choreography and the overall cast, Mrs. Kimberly Cipriani, shared a few of her thoughts on the show: “We know everything, but now, we’re in the cleaning phase of putting everything together with the pit and crew…. I think most of our actors realize that we are [less than] a week away, and they are all putting in a lot of hard work right now and trying their best.”

This musical is a more ensemble-type show, which means there is a big emphasis more on the group as a whole than just one or two people, which means that every person really has to step up and be amazing.

“It’s all about teenagers and young people getting their voices heard. It’s also an exciting dance show and has lots of fun singing,” added Cipriani.

One of the cast members, junior Serena Barile, stated: “My favorite part is hearing all the songs and seeing all the dancing that everyone does and just seeing people smile and coming together.”

The dates for the show are Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m; Friday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday, March 14, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Come out and support all of the students involved in this year’s production, Newsies.

BHS Named as Fox 8’s ‘Cool School of the Week’

By: Jessica Strimpel, Normeze Rivera, and Anayah Flowers

March 9, 2020

Brooklyn High School was just named Fox 8’s ‘Cool School of the Week’. BHS defeated Rocky River High School and Orange High School to get the nomination, and it was all based on online voting.

On Wednesday, March 4, Fox 8 traveled to the school to interview the students and staff of BHS. All wore their blue and gold gear to represent their school spirit.

Two students, Andrew Coyne and Kelsey Bruzek (pictured above), were chosen to go downtown to the Fox 8 studio. They had the opportunity to meet the news anchors and speak on Fox 8’s morning news show.

“It felt really cool to be on the set. It was smaller than I imagined, but the technology that’s used is incredible. I felt like I was a star,” stated an empathic Bruzek.

She also commented on how being the Fox 8 ‘Cool School of the Week’ has helped BHS: “Brooklyn being on Fox 8 shows that we’re more than just a place where kids go to get educated. This segment will give people an inside look at the amazing things we do…”

Mr. Bill Wingler, BHS principal, was touched by this honor. “I felt tremendous pride that the residents of Brooklyn voted with such energy and enthusiasm… The community engagement in Brooklyn is the reason why this school is such a great place to be a student. I am also very proud of the many great events we have here, and I was excited to share this with the news. Fox 8 wanted to film students doing positive things that they normally do. They filmed the play, Hurricane Cafe, and AVID 9. This showed the diverse things Brooklyn students do to give back to their fellow students and how unified our school is.”

Many students are involved in extracurricular activities which Fox 8 showed in their segment. Also, the students of BHS pride themselves on making an impact in the community.

“Brooklyn is a close-knit community, and the Fox 8 news story gets the word about the many great things we are doing here. The news often portrays schools in a negative light, and this story shows the truth about the great things we do here,” added Wingler.

The BHS staff and students are proud to be Fox 8’s ‘Cool School of the Week’ and hope to, one day, be chosen again.

Stay Healthy: An Easy Guide

By: Gino Pallotta, Ariana Rojak, and Danielle Shehee

March 9, 2020

Due to the coronavirus, people are more worried about hygiene. Thankfully, avoiding getting sick is simple.

It is important to remember to wash your hands and put on hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available. Hand sanitizer is not a replacement for washing your hands, for washing your hands is more effective.

The face is extremely important to avoid getting sick because most diseases enter the body through the face. Make sure to avoid touching your face; touching your face allows the spread of new germs.

Making sure you are taking care of yourself is an important part of life, and it is important to dodging disease. Take showers at least once a day, and eat fruits and vegetables to have a balanced diet.

Staying healthy is a two-way street, so make sure to take precautions to be safe for others. Cough and sneeze in your shoulder or inner-elbow instead of your hand, and if you get sick, wear a medical mask as it lowers the chance of the infection spreading.

Finally, if you get sick, know the ways to recover. Get plenty of sleep, take the right medicine, stay inside your house, drink plenty of water, and avoid exerting yourself physically.

Image result for the coronavirus

Mrs. Victor, BHS nurse, stated that approximately 30 to 40 kids go home every month, and most of these students could have avoided getting sick.

“Don’t touch other people, cover your coughs, and always make sure to wash your hands,” stated Victor.

Make sure to follow these tips to stay away from sickness.

*Sources

Pit Band Preview: Newsies

By: Lexi Jenkins, Jonathan Drake, and Morgan Blechshmid

March 9, 2020

With the upcoming production of the Brooklyn Drama Department’s play Newsies, Director of Bands Sean Sullivan was interviewed about his concerns and opinions on the readiness of the pit band.

Students in the orchestra meet multiple times every week to rehearse. Pit members play a crucial role in the play; they set the mood for the scenes as well as the pace.

Sullivan stated the following: “I love the process; the thing about a musical is that the tunes move the story forward, and you can’t take out one tune and have it stand alone.”

Students show great amounts of responsibility as they attend every practice. They know how important it is that they are completely ready, down to every last detail by the time opening night rolls around.

“The process of everything being put together and watching not only the pit but the cast and crew grow and get from Point A to Point B and what we present to the public [is really amazing to watch],” added Sullivan.

This year’s play contains the most unstopped music that our school has ever produced in a musical.

Sullivan added, “The only other show I can think of that has this much-uninterrupted music is Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

When you are in the play (either as cast, crew, or pit), you learn that nothing will work without everybody contributing as one. Everybody needs each other in order for the process to flow smoothly. Everyone participating in the production of the play work together to achieve a common goal within only a few months. That goal, of course, is to put on an amazing play this year and to put their all into what they present.

Come out and enjoy the play at 7:00 p.m. on March 12-13 and at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on March 14.

Break a leg!

Boys’ Basketball Recap

By: Haley Schaldach, Savannah David, and Alaysia Curry

March 9, 2020

This year, the boys’ basketball team gave it their all but sadly only won 4 out of 23 games. Even though the boy’s team only won four games, they improved throughout the year.

The four games the boys won were against Grand Valley, Berkshire, Lake Ridge Academy, and Trinity.

At the beginning of the season, they played Trinity and lost, 70- 57. Towards the end of the season, their last home game, the team played Trinity once again and defeated them, 72- 57.

They boys played their best basketball at the end of the season winning back-to-back games to conclude the regular season.

Coach Jerrod Karl acknowledged this progress and knows what it will take to get to the next level.

“The way you do the little things is how you do everything. Once our program understands this, we will see drastic changes. We started to get glimpses of these changes at the end of the season this year. We definitely pushed our players to their limits. It was clear by the pushback by some of the players. Change is never comfortable, so the pushback we received indicated that the change of holding players to a higher expectation was evident.”

Even though this season may have not been the best for the boys, the improvement was noticeable.

The offseason preparation will play a key role in next year’s success.

Wrestling Sectionals

By: Ella Fowler, Delaney David, and Serena Barile

February 29, 2020

This past Saturday, the Hurricanes wrestling team participated in the sectional tournament at Independence High School.

The other teams that participated were the Cuyahoga Heights Redskins, the Fairview Warriors, the Columbia Raiders, the Wellington Dukes, the Independence Blue Devils, and the Villa Angela Saint Joseph Vikings.

Joe Dennis, Eric Khay, Dylan Elliot, and Tyler Kebbel were the Hurricane wrestlers for this event.

Elliott (a junior), unfortunately, lost his first match of the day ending with 5-0 defeat. He also lost his next and final match 9-0.

Kebbel (a freshman) started off with a 19-3 loss and then was defeated in his second match (2-0) as well.

Dennis (another freshman) started sectionals with a 2-0 loss, followed by a 16-0 defeat. However, he refused to quit and won his third and final match 7-4. This victory earned him a fifth place finish and a spot in the upcoming district tournament.

Joining Dennis is senior captain Eric Khay. He lost his first two matches 2-0 and 8-2, but after collecting his composure, he ended his sectional tournament with two wins, 4-0 and 6-2. He placed third in his weight class and will advance.

The district tournament will take place at Garfield Heights High School on March 6-7. The time has yet to be announced.

Cheer on your Hurricanes wrestlers, and wish them the best of luck.

Staff Profile: Mrs. Hansen

By: Morgan Blechschmid

*Statistics & Functions Teacher*

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

A: “I became a teacher because Mr. Lathrop was my Math teacher in 7th-12th grade, and he also drove my bus. We did math homework every single day.”

Q: How do you deal with a stressful situation?

A: “I like to take long walks in the park, especially by water or water falls.”

Q: What is your most interesting, high school memory?

A: “I remember I played the flute in our high school band, and our band director wanted to take our show to a competition. We were the first band to get a superior rating at our high school in Columbus. All four years, I was in the high school band.”

Q: If you could have a different job, what would it be?

A: “I would be an organic gardener because I grow a lot of vegetables and things of that sort.”

Q: What was your biggest setback in life?

A: “When my parents got divorced, financial struggles came with that. I also did a lot of taking care of my elderly parents.”

Q: If you could change one thing in the school, what would it be?

A: “The students desire to press on and never give up; never give up in pursuit of [your] dreams in education.”

Q: Do you have any advice for the students of Brooklyn?

A: “Challenge yourself, engage in life, and get involved in high school; it goes fast.”

Women’s History Month: Susan B. Anthony

By: Jaden Majewski, Valery Warner, and Daylun Armstrong

March 4, 2020

“No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent.”

Throughout this month, we celebrate women. This month celebrates women’s contributions to history, culture, and society. In 1987, March was established as Women’s History Month in the United States of America.

Susan B. Anthony was one of the biggest activists during her 50 years of fighting for women’s rights. She was an American writer and lecturer who was one of the leading figures in the Women’s Voting Rights Movement.

Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts. She grew up in a Quaker household and was the second oldest out of eight children. Anthony was raised by her parents, Daniel and Lucy Read Anthony. She excelled at reading and writing by the age of three.

Her family moved from Massachusetts to Battensville, New York, in 1826. She attended three schools, including a boarding school in Philadelphia.

In 1839, she took a job in a Quaker seminary in New Rochelle, New York. From 1846 to 1849, she taught at an all-girls academy in Upstate New York.

In 1852, the Women’s New York State Temperance Society was formed by Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (American suffragist, social activist, and a leading figure of the early Women’s Rights Movement). This society fought and petitioned for women’s rights.

In 1869, Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, and in 1872, Anthony voted illegally in the presidential election. She was then arrested and fined $100, a fee that she never paid.

Anthony never gave up on her fight for women’s suffrage, and in 1905, she met with President Theodore Roosevelt to discuss an amendment that would give women the right to vote.

Unfortunately, this amendment (the 19th amendment) was not established until 14 years after Anthony had passed away in 1920. It is extremely important to know that the 19th amendment when passed did not include voting rights for Black women due to racism and discrimination. Many women of color had to fight for their own rights and create their own movements, which does not get talked about enough.

Pneumonia took Susan B. Anthony’s life on March 13, 1906, at the age of 86 in her Rochester home.

The words of Susan B. Anthony will always be remembered, “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.”

FUN FACTS

The U.S. Treasury Department recognized Anthony by putting her portrait on dollar coins in 1979, making her the first woman to have this honor.
In the early 1880s, Anthony published the first volume of History of Woman Suffrage; several more volumes would follow.
Anthony also helped Ida Husted Harper (American author, journalist, columnist, and suffragist) to record her own story, which resulted in the 1898 work The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony: A Story of the Evolution of the Status of Women.

Staff Profile: Mrs. Linger

By: Danielle Shehee

*Geometry/Algebra I Teacher*

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

“I came from a family of teachers; that’s what I knew growing up. I like to help students, both junior high and high school.”

Q: How do you deal with a stressful situation?

“I talk about it to my husband, daughter, and close friends. I also sit in my hot tub and play games on my phone to relax.”

Q: What is your most interesting, high school memory?

“In general, dressing up for spirit week with my classmates and teachers; it was always so fun to do.”

Q: If you could have a different job, what would it be?

“I would organize people’s houses and clean them. Their house can’t be too dirty, though.”

Q: What was your funniest, teaching moment?

“When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would have to run out of class because I was sick to my stomach and have to eat cheerios in front of everyone to feel better.”

Q: What was your biggest setback in life?

“My biggest challenge would be my health issues; they don’t set me back, they’re just difficult for me to deal with. I’m able to overcome them because God is on my side.”

Q: If you could change one thing in the school, what would it be?

“Students being able to persevere through difficult situations including academic situations.”

Q: Do you have any advice for the students of Brooklyn?

“Take advantage of what’s offered to you in a small school with teachers and principals able to help you.”

Gallery Walk: Spotlight on Sean Jason Kelley

By: Izabella Hotz and Destiny Cannon

March 3, 2020

On Sunday, Sean Jason Kelley, a self-taught local artist, presented his work at the Heights Art Gallery. Kelley has worked on various projects around the Cleveland area and works out of his studio barn (in Cleveland) built in the 1890s.

Panoramic shot of the spotlight area featuring Kelley’s work

He has created sculptures for the Melt Bar and Grill headquarters, designed furniture for Friends of the Cleveland Kennel, and collaborated on community projects in Slavic Village, Collinwood, and the St. Clair/Superior neighborhoods.

Kelley believes that “…art is a necessity that should be offered and available to all.”

Kelley has also been active in other art forms such as working as a tattoo artist in not only Ohio but California as well for over 15 years. His approach to this work was heavily influenced by his years as a tattoo artist.

Panoramic shot of the main gallery featuring the *Point-Line-Pattern-Plane* collection

There were many other artists’ work showcased in the gallery in the Point-Line-Pattern-Plane, a collection of textile art pieces. This collection was curated by 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize winner Janice Lessman and featured Laurie Addis, Hildur Asgeirsdottir-Jonsson, Elena Brebenel, Rebecca Cross, Si-Yun Chang, Andrea Myers, Jessica Pinsky, and Katlin Shae.

The aim of this collection was to showcase the medium of fibers in vast contrast to the mixed media of Kelley. Lessman’s goal was to explore how artists use the language of textiles to create objects of beauty and meaning.

Rebecca Cross’s *Clintonia Elizabetaeus* (Elizabeth’s Lily)

Rebecca Cross’s *Oryzopis Aliceum* (Alice’s Rice)

Many of these works were based upon poems and nature, which was quite different from Kelley’s inspiration. In his artist statement about the collection, he said, “The animals have been rescued, adopted, and accepted as family. These thoughtful, sensitive hybrid beings are transformed from unknown, awkward creatures to lovable, family members. These creatures are exposed and transparent revealing their vulnerability with nothing to hide.”

Both collections are a mixture of bouncy and fun features as well as beautiful, thought-provoking ideas. This gallery was small, but the messages were wonderful, and we definitely recommend taking a tour.

The Point-Line-Pattern-Plane collection closed on March 1, but the spotlight on Kelley’s work will be open through March 15.

Softball Season is Almost Here

By: Ariana Rojak, Gino Pallotta, and Danielle Shehee

March 2, 2020

Softball season is starting soon with the first game scheduled for April 4, so the team and the coaches are excited to see what the season brings.

Their previous season’s record was not very good, but the team is hoping that the hard work in the off-season and the new faces spark a revival.

The team captains are seniors Sarah Young and Shelby Eperjese.

There are 17 total players this year, making both a varsity team and a junior varsity team potentially possible.

Eperjese on how she feels about the upcoming season: “We got a lot of good freshmen joining the team, and we already have a great infield. We need to be consistent and work together…last year, we didn’t play as a team well.”

Some notable home games are as follows: April 2 – Cardinal, April 7 – Richmond Heights, April 15 – Trinity, April 21 – Independence, April 28 – Cuyahoga Falls, and May 5 – Lutheran West.

With confidence soaring and the team’s excitement, this year’s season is sure to be excellent!

Crew Preview: Newsies

By: Jessica Strimpel, Anayah Flowers, and Normeze Rivera

March 2, 2020

The building crew at Brooklyn High School is preparing for the upcoming play Newsies. The students have been preparing for this performance since last December.

Students meet almost every day to work on their building and artwork projects which are used as props and scenery for the play. Crew members play a crucial role in a successful play by creating a better vision of the musical.

Crew leader Mr. Chris Kaspar stated the following: “The students have been doing very well. We have several different crew positions, and we have four crew leaders for the first time this year, also. We have a design crew, a building crew, a painting crew, and a makeup crew who all have different responsibilities in the play. This year, there are a total of 40 students involved in crew.”

Morganne Lee, first-year crew member, says she really enjoys the camaraderie: “Crew has been a lot of fun. My favorite parts are hanging out with friends and thinking of ways to make the set better. My first year of crew was really fun, and I made some new friends. I’ll be going back to the crew for the next couple of years.”

Junior Farah Shaheen, one of four student leaders, commented on her role in the group: “My role in crew is to write down what needs to be moved and when it has to be moved.”

Students show a lot of leadership when participating in crew. They learn to work together to achieve a common goal within just a few months.

“The students lead through experience. The more experience they have, the more likely they will step up into roles of leadership,” added Kaspar.

Newsies will be performed on March 12-14.

The crew has worked hard to make the play come to life, and we encourage you to come out and see the show!