By: Normeze Rivera, Anayah Flowers, and Jessica Strimpel
February 22, 2020
The Lady Hurricanes faced off against the Lutheran East Falcons on Saturday and unfortunately lost 68-39, ending their 2019-2020 season.
Lutheran East is the third seed in the North Ridgeville, Division III District. The Falcons are considered the “Cinderella Candidate” in the district because they had such a strong regular season.
The Falcons finished their regular season with a record of 18-3. They have won impressive games against Hoban, Cleveland Central Catholic, and Orange.
The game started with freshman Genesis Caraballo scoring the first points. Shortly after, fellow freshman Jenna Young made another shot. Caraballo then made another basket closing the first quarter with the Lady Canes trailing.
Caraballo started the second quarter off by making both her foul shots. Junior Kelsey Bruzek then made a bucket followed by Caraballo, again, knocking down two free throws.
This, however, was most of the first-half offense as the Lady Falcons took a 36-12 lead into halftime.
The second half of the game started with Bruzek making a basket. Then, freshman Delaney David made a three-pointer and followed it up with another made basket. Bruzek made a foul shot, along with yet another three by David. Senior Alexandra Nieves closed off the third quarter by making a basket with the score of 62-25 in favor of the Lady Falcons.
Caraballo made the first basket of the fourth quarter by connecting on a three-pointer. She later scored two more baskets. Gwen Spaliatsos made a basket, followed by a three-pointer by sophomore Savannah David. Freshman Shariah Gailes finished the game by making a layup as the buzzer sounded. The Lady Falcons won the game with a final score of 68-39.
When asked how she felt about this being her last game in high school and what being a part of the Lady Canes has taught her, Nieves stated the following: “It taught me to make every moment worth it because at the end of the day, we have to all come together.”
Coach Urig on how he felt the team changed from last season: “This season, we experienced some success, which was nice to see. We also had everyone healthy for the whole year. Last year, we had a lot of injuries which wore down the team. I just think our overall confidence on the floor has improved. I think defensively we got a lot better… I tell the girls that we’re so much more aggressive on the floor and that’s good to see.”
The Hurricanes finished the season with a 10-13 overall record (7-9 in the CVC).
It was not the finish that they wanted, but the future is bright.
By: Gino Pallotta, Danielle Shehee, and Ariana Rojak
February 21, 2020
The Brooklyn School is ending the month of February with its annual Right-to-Read Week. The theme this year was: “It’s a jungle out there! Read to survive!”
Each day had a different mini-theme to make each day unique.
*Tuesday: Read and Relax
*Wednesday: Animal Accessory
*Thursday: Animal Print
*Friday: Don’t Forget Your Reading Buddy
To further encourage kids to read, each student was given a banana bookmark in order to log how much they read each night. Then, the students gave the bookmarks to their teachers to share their accomplishments.
Mrs. Mary Ellen Ryan, who is a second grade English teacher, said, “It gets them excited about reading. The theme could make them curious about animals or the topic for the year. This goes beyond just reading the book by yourself; many activities are done.”
On Friday, the Brooklyn School held a sendoff assembly for the week titled, The Principal’s Challenge. This assembly had games, an important announcement, and an uplifting speech by the principal.
At the beginning of the assembly, Principal Cristin Cicco talked to the students about how they should respectfully treat their peers, and they should always try to cheer each other up.
After she finished, there was an announcement that Mr. Brian Hare and Mr. Taylor Smith are going to take over the assistant principal role for the next six weeks.
After that, students’ names were drawn from a book. The students who were drawn played games which included a banana race, escape the snakes, and a jungle run. An even luckier few were rewarded by throwing pies into Cicco’s face.
The students greatly enjoyed this year’s Right-to-Read Week. From the daily themes to the games, this event was a massive success.
The chapters of the National Art Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and National Honor Society held their induction for the new nominees.
Left to right: Mr. Christopher Kaspar, Mr. Chris Ross, and Mrs. Jacalyn Holko.
The ceremony started with introductions by Principal William Wingler and both past and current members of the societies. The heads of the organizations are Mr. Christopher Kaspar for the National Art Honor Society, Mr. Chris Ross for the National Honor Society, and Mrs. Jacalyn Holko for the first year of the Spanish Honor Society.
The returning members as well as the directors gave speeches on what the societies are and some of the qualifications for being eligible.
Inductees for the National Art Honor Society
Each chapter introduced the inductees with slides explaining various information on the selected students. They then signed their names in their respective books and received certificates and/or candles.
Every induction ceremony concluded with an oath, and once all three were finished, there was a small reception in the lobby of the auditorium with sweets.
The ceremonies were formal but delivered with care. Each slide was compiled to show off the inductees’ talents and achievements, and the National Honor Society’s induction even included teacher’s remarks about each inductee.
Inductees for the National Honor Society
Mr. Kaspar stated, “[I’m] proud that they have dedicated their time and skills to grow and to become better artists.”
We spoke to a few inductees the night of the ceremony, and all of them told us that it was very honoring and humbling to receive this honor.
Junior Spanish inductee Jessica Strimpel said, “It feels like all my hard work is paying off.”
Inductees for the Spanish National Honor Society
Mr. Ross mentioned that, “It’s my 14th year as a counselor, so it’s cool to see everybody grow. I’m just there to be their cheerleader.”
Mrs. Holko had her own thoughts on the progress of her students, sharing, “For me, it’s exciting to watch them come back and explain to me what they’ve done with the language. I always like to hear those success stories.”
This was a big night for the inductees, and the faculty here at BHS is extremely proud of their students.
Everyone inducted should be proud of how far they have come.
By: Haley Schaldach, Savannah David, and Alaysia Curry
February 21, 2020
With 100 days until graduation, BHS’s AVID 12 class planned a celebratory spirit day for all seniors.
The idea started a week ago when the class thought about how quickly graduation day is approaching. This sparked the question: “What if we celebrated our 100 days until graduation?”
With only a week of preparation, the AVID 12 class planned a celebratory day where all of the seniors would get party hats to show how close graduation is.
AVID 12 teacher Mrs. Holko stated, “I thought it was a fun and simple way to celebrate the school day.”
Holko brought the class’s idea to Mr. Wingler (principal) and explained how it would be a way to bring awareness to the seniors that their hard work and high school careers will soon be coming to an end.
After getting the idea approved, the class went to work. After Holko purchased roughly 120 hats, the students spent a period decorating and fixing the hats to make them more festive for the occasion.
Wingler definitely felt the vibe: “I love it! Whatever makes the kids smiling and happy to be here at school is cool.”
AVID 12 students showcasing their hats
The end of this school year is coming up quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it will be over.
Little things like this are a great way to not only congratulate our seniors but a great way to motivate them to keep up their hard work as they prepare for their futures.
Yesterday, the Hurricanes wrestling team participated in a quad meet at Valley Forge High School.
The other teams that participated were the Valley Forge Patriots, the Garfield Heights Bulldogs, and the Brush Arcs.
Joe Dennis, Eric Khay, Dylan Elliot, Tyler Kebbel, and Brandon Deighton were the Hurricane wrestlers for this event.
Dennis (a freshman) unfortunately lost his first and only match of the day with a 7-0 defeat.
Khay (senior captain) then went out and won both of his matches for the meet. He was victorious 4-1 and 2-0.
Kebbel (a freshman) started off with a 2-1 loss but then persevered and earned a 4-0 win later on.
Elliot (a junior) put all of his heart into showcasing himself by winning both of his matches. The first one resulted in a 2-0 win, and the second one tallied an 11-2 win.
Deighton (another freshman) took a 2-0 loss but is showing a lot of improvement and is very hopeful for a successful future in this sport.
Thursday’s meet showed how dedicated and hard working the wrestlers are.
Their next goal is to advance far in the upcoming sectionals, which will take place on February 29 at Independence High School.
Cheer on your Hurricanes wrestlers and wish them the best of luck.
By: Morgan Blechschmid, Jonathan Drake, and Lexi Jenkins
February 18, 2020
This past Tuesday, the Brooklyn Hurricanes varsity basketball team faced off against the Trinity Trojans for their last home game of the season. However, this was not their first time going up against Trinity; they played them on the road in early January and lost 70-57.
The starters were Tristian Peggs, Maceo Pytel, Tyler Elzholz, Jamiar Tate, and Stephen Slawinski. Notable players who put forth amazing efforts throughout the game were freshmen Calvin Gore and Jaiden Basinger.
The first quarter started strong. The Trojans connected on the first basket of the night, followed closely by Basinger nailing a three-pointer as the first score for the Hurricanes. Pytel also scored a layup in a solid, beginning effort. The final score of the first quarter was 14-8 in favor of the Hurricanes.
The second quarter carried on similarly to the first with a lot of back-and-forth tempo. Both teams carried themselves well and had a great defense but also managed to knock down timely shots as well. Basinger made another three-pointer about halfway through the quarter, and Gore hit a layup towards the end. Pytel also contributed more buckets for the Canes as they went into halftime with a 36-26 lead.
Freshman Anthony Starr, “I thought the team played great. We came out from the start wanting to win this game no matter what.”
At the beginning of the third quarter, Gore attempted to jump and score a basket but slipped and took a hard fall to the ground appearing to have injured his hip. He stayed there for a few moments but got back up with only a small look of discomfort and continued playing just as hard. Shortly after the fall, Gore scored three more points as the Canes closed out the third quarter, leading the Trojans 53-37.
During the fourth quarter, the intensity picked up as the Canes were determined to close this one out. Our student cheering section made sure to keep our team’s spirits up by cheering loudly throughout the game.
About halfway through the quarter, after much encouragement from the students, senior Elliot Loy checked into the game and quickly scored a point. There were many fouls called for both teams, leading to an abundance of foul shots. The final score of the game was 72-57 with the Hurricanes sealing the revenge.
Basinger led the Hurricanes scoring effort with a game-high 26 points. Pytel added 18 points with Gore adding 15 points.
As the last home game for the Hurricanes, this victory meant a lot for everybody including the students. The Hurricanes persevered and played their hardest.
Make sure to come out and support the boys as they begin tournament play on Tuesday, February 25 at Warrensville Heights High School. Tip-off is at 7:00.
“I became a teacher because my happiest moments in school when I was younger was when I was involved in music, and I wanted to give other students the same opportunity to express themselves. I then became a counselor because I enjoy giving advice and being someone people can trust to talk to.”
*How do you deal with a stressful situation?
“Keep my calm, focus on the solution, and then stress out after the fact.”
*What is your most interesting, high school memory?
“I got the lead in the spring musical and had to learn how to tap dance.”
*If you could have a different job, what would it be?
“Chef or Broadway actor because I love to cook and watch people eat my cooking, but I also love to perform and bring joy to other people in a live theater because I like to have that interaction with the audience.”
*What was your funniest, teaching moment?
“When a mouse came into my classroom (deathly afraid of rodents) and I had to call my principal to come remove it.”
*What was your biggest setback in life?
“The struggles of having children with my past marriage but having my children now makes the gift of life (and them) much more special.”
*If you could change one thing in the school, what would it be?
“The apathy of certain students and some staff.”
*Do you have any advice for the students of Brooklyn?
“Enjoy the benefits of living in a small town and a small school district, and it does not matter what you do in the future as long as you have a plan.”
This year, the yearbook will be created by a class for the first time ever. Led by Mrs. Jacinta Bader, Mrs. Joanne Becker, and the students, they are putting together the yearbook by taking photos, advertising, and deciding on layouts.
This class seems to be starting the trend of student-led classes being introduced to BHS, along with the journalism class. Both classes enable students to become independent and responsible for their own work as well as to help them develop teamwork skills.
The students are also developing skills in marketing, selling, and advertising, as they need to incorporate all three to get the yearbook to sell.
The goal of the class, according to Principal Bill Wingler, is ”to create a yearbook that’s student-led and student-edited so that it truly represents what the students believe should be in the yearbook”.
He also wants the yearbook to be “giving a good picture of what’s going on at the high school”.
Wingler told us that his inspiration behind these classes are based upon his high school experience, saying: “I’m not a good ‘sit-and-listen’ person. I don’t like lecture-based instruction. I feel like a good percentage of students aren’t engaged in the classrooms. So, next year, we are adding seven-to-nine new classes with the same idea [student-led, active].”
So far, the yearbook class has been photographing most events and outings involving the high school, such as sporting events, the International Festival, etc.
The class has been working extremely hard to put the yearbook together, but the biggest factor is the price. Right now, the yearbook’s pricing was driven down significantly through their use of advertising, which required students to contact local businesses about advertising opportunities.
Bader said that “ …it took us [the class] a while to figure out the programming, but now, it is all getting put in place. It is awesome; we are using the theme of ‘The Roaring Twenties,’ and everything is really coming together.”
The class, while simple in theory, occupies a lot of time between design, unity, theming, and advertisements. There are a few newer features this year, such as senior quotes and advertisements created for local businesses.
The length of the yearbook will also be much different, and Bader mentioned that it will be 168 pages long, which is up from around 70 pages last year.
Overall, this class has been extremely productive and definitely student-led. At many other schools, the teachers and faculty make the phone calls and most of the big choices, but here at BHS, it is all about student decisions.
One of the many fliers around the school for the yearbook
The yearbook will be available for $43 through April 16, $48 from April 17-May 25, and then $59 from May 26-June 3.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase a yearbook, please contact Mrs. Jacinta Bader at (216) 485-8100, ext. 8503.
By: Gino Pallotta, Ariana Rojak, and Danielle Shehee
February 18, 2020
Last Wednesday, Brooklyn High School held the annual international festival with so many students celebrating different cultures.
This is BHS’s fifth consecutive international festival.
The beginning of the school day started normally, as the first two classes were regular, but in third period, all of the students were called down to the auditorium to watch the parade of nations.
The parade of nations started with an assembly, introducing all of the different cultures being represented.
During fourth period, cultural trivia games were played. After that, the groups got together and went to the four different stations.
Station one was international cooking where many staff members made food. Mr. Ross made Italian pasta, Ms. Narouze made stuffed grape leaves, Ms. Barber and Mr. Verba made crepes, Mr. Rademaker made an Irish dessert, and finally, Mrs. Jones made Swedish meatballs.
Freshman Jenna Young making an Irish dessert
Station two was the African-American presentation, talking about the importance of respecting African-American culture and its roots. Games were played to help those involved get a deeper understanding of the topic.
Station three were the country presentations where students walked around with a “passport” book and had to write three facts about 12 different countries of their choice. These countries had presenters who gave out information to write down.
Lastly, station four was dancing. Many students learned how to do many cultural dances; the tango and salsa were crowd favorites.
Science and ESL teacher Mr. Len Piechowski (event organizer) answered a few questions on the importance of this festival.
*How can the festival be a benefit to the students?
“We are living in a world that is becoming more and more global, and it is important for us to compete with other people in the world and also learn more about other people’s cultures.”
*How has the festival changed over the years?
“It has gotten bigger with more participants and more exciting and fun activities. It started off with just my ESL students, but it has grown to more of the other students as well.”
Thanks to Mr. P and the other staff members, as well as all student participants, for making this day possible.
The Hurricanes beat Lake Ridge Academy 83-56, and it was even more special being that it was senior night.
Dean Day, Elliot Loy, Jamiar Tate, Tristan Peggs, and Adiel Sanabria-Cruz were the seniors recognized prior to the game in front of their family, friends, and home crowd.
“I was happy that we could send our seniors out on a positive note. I’m glad we won the game in the fashion that we did because that is a memory our seniors will probably never forget,” Coach Jerrod Karl on the excitement of the victory.
The first quarter was a rocky start for the Canes with Lake Ridge taking the lead 19-2 early on. Although the first quarter ended with a score of 19-11 in favor of Lake Ridge, the Hurricanes were determined to come back.
The second quarter went much better for the Canes as they battled back to even the score at 31-31 at the half. They were able to knot the score with efficient offense and pressure defense.
In the second half, the Hurricanes played their best half of the season, clicking on both sides of the ball. Outscoring Lake Ridge 31-14 in the 3rd quarter set the tone for the fourth quarter (21-12) as they continued to step on the gas for a dominating and memorable win.
Freshman Jaiden Basinger led the scoring with 23 points. Fellow freshman Calvin Gore added 20 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore Tyler Elzholz scored 13 points and grabbed a season high 17 rebounds, and senior Tristan Peggs scored 11 points and added 4 steals.
Karl added, “Everyone in our program did their job! We were communicating on defense, we were in the correct spots on the press and in the helpside, and we were able to capitalize on the turnovers and convert those into transition points.”
Their next game is against Trinity, and according to Karl, “We cannot live in the past and be satisfied with the result from Friday night. Our goal was to win on senior night, and we accomplished that. Our goal now is to win two games in a row. The only way we do that is to carry the momentum that we have and clean up some of the mistakes on offense.”
The home game against Trinity is at 7:00 on Tuesday, February 18.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 