THE RETURN OF THE EYE

Staff Profile: Mr. Meehan

By: Daylun Armstrong

*Math Teacher*

Why did you decide to be a teacher?

“I did it for the money and to torture children (all in good-joking fun, of course).”

How do you deal with a stressful day?

“I’m a person who goes with the flow, so not everyday is stressful, but some of them are, and I deal with them by just telling myself it’s just one of those days.”

What is your most interesting, high school memory?

“I’ve forgotten more than I remember, but I had quite an enjoyable time in high school. I won the best actor’s award in my school play. High school was also where I met my wife.”

If you could change your career, what would it be?

“An Engineering Sales Rep (the job I had before becoming a teacher): It was a lot of work but very rewarding. I enjoyed the technical aspect of it.”

What was your biggest setback in life?

“Life has been what I’ve made of it; I still haven’t had those setbacks happen yet.”

If you could change one thing about our school, what would it be?

“I wish they (the district) would have built a new high school when they built the other new building; I’m not sure why they didn’t.”

A Fight to the Finish

By: Destiny Cannon and Izabella Hotz

January 31, 2020

The boys varsity basketball team faced off against the Fairport Harbor Skippers with a starting lineup of senior Tristan Peggs, sophomore Maceo Pytel, freshman Jaiden Bassinger, sophomore Areon Cowling, and freshman Anthony Starr.

Coach Jerrod Karl shared his thoughts going into the game. “We just gotta play physical…we have to make this team feel uncomfortable.”

He also stated that a key part of this game will be to, “…keep the kids up and focus on the positives.”

The game started with the tip-off by Cowling, setting a highly-energetic tone for the rest of the quarter. The team worked and fought hard, but the defense struggled as they trailed at the end of the first quarter, 18-11.

The second quarter was back-and-forth with stints of great offense and other stints of great defense. However, finding both at the same was difficult.

The passing and opportunities for easy shots were there, but they were just not falling consistently. Towards the end of this quarter, the chemistry started to fade and communication broke down.

The score at halftime was the Skippers 36 and the Hurricanes 26.

Halftime featured a performance by the cheer squads, dancing to a mashup of popular songs.

The team came into the third quarter with focus and determination as well as an aggressive attitude, overall. However, after two technical fouls, they started to lose their concentration, becoming less physical and much less aggressive.

The quarter ended with the Canes trailing 60-36.

The fourth quarter presented an opportunity to come back as the defense and offense seemed to both click at the same time. Although the Canes outscored the Skippers 30-17, the deficit was too big to overcome.

Peggs shooting a free throw in the fourth quarter

Basinger played a key role in the last quarter with explosive energy and by helping to rally the team together. He finished with 25 points. Patel added 23 points.

A 77-66 defeat hurts, but the Canes understand that they need to play four quarters of high-energy and fundamental basketball.

Their next game is Tuesday, February 4, as they travel to face the Lutheran West Longhorns.

GIVING BACK

By: Morghan Blechschmid, Jonathan Drake, and Lexi Jenkins

January 30, 2020

On Thursday, January 30, the AVID 9 class went on a field trip to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB) to help out with the packaging and preparing of food for homeless people.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank works to make sure that everybody in our surrounding communities has nutritious foods on a daily basis. The GCFB is a non-profit organization, working only for the benefits of others who need assistance.

Mr. Jonathon Holko (AVID 9 teacher) said in an interview, “Instead of worrying about ourselves, helping others is the greatest way to show love and humanity.”

The GCFB is the largest hunger-relief organization in Northeast Ohio, having served more than 350,000 people in 2019 in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Ashland, and Richland counties.

When asked why he believes giving back is so important, Holko said, “Because none of us got to where we are without others helping us. Sometimes, people need a little jump start in life to feel confident and to give them hope and optimism.”

In 2018-2019, the GCFB provided application assistance to more than 33,000 eligible people in Northeast Ohio through their SNAP (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program) outreach efforts.

When asked about his view on homelessness in the Greater Cleveland area, Matt Jackson (Volunteer Experience Manager at the GCFB) said, “Our outreach team works with a lot of organizations in the community that is geared towards helping the homeless, not just with food help, but connecting to other resources as well. We know that homelessness is a contributing factor to hunger and vice versa. Everything is connected, and here at the food bank, we do push to connect people to other modes of help as well.”

While at the GCFB, the AVID 9 students worked together to prepare food bags to be passed out to homeless people, and everyone had to work together to make sure that everything was done correctly. The students had to make sure that everybody was constantly on the same page to ensure that the process flowed smoothly.

“So, we literally couldn’t do as much as we do without our volunteer support. Our volunteer effort helps us save about 2.2 million dollars each year that we are able to reinvest into supporting our program. Last year, about 350,000 individuals made over 50 million meals,” stated Jackson.

Holko said, “This field trip was important because it’s good for students to get outside of their comfort zones and to get outside of the school to assist others. We talk on a regular basis that when you think you have it bad, somebody else always has it worse.”

If you ever have the chance to come out and volunteer, the GCFB is always taking volunteers, and your work truly does help.

The work is pretty easy for how much of an impact it will have on people’s lives.

Serving others is our calling.

Hockey Continues to Struggle

By: Daylun Armstrong, Valery Warner, and Jaden Majewski

January 31, 2020

It was an unfortunate loss for the Hurricanes hockey team yesterday against Chagrin Falls, falling 5-2.

The Hurricanes put up a tough fight for the first two periods, with the score tied at 1-1 after one and 2-2 after two.

In the last period, Chagrin Falls blanked the Canes 3-0, finishing the game with defensive dominance.

Both of the Hurricanes goals were scored by senior Gavin Supek.

When asked what went wrong, Supek answered, “Not being able to get the puck out of the zone and getting shots on the other team’s goalie.”

Despite not winning, Mr. Jason Supek (assistant coach) still has seen an improvement from the team. “The fact that the team did not give up and that they fought until the end is what will stand out to me.”

The Canes have not given up hope and will still continue to fight and strive for improvement.

If you want to see the Hurricanes in action, their next game (Senior Night) is Thursday, February 6, against the Normandy Invaders at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Canes Take Down the Spartans

By: Haley Schaldach, Savannah David, and Alaysia Curry

January 29, 2020

The Lady Hurricanes faced Richmond Heights last Wednesday and came out with a 55-14 victory. The win improved the team’s record to 8-9.

To start off the game, freshman Shariah Gailes scored within the first few seconds and then freshman Jenna Young followed it up with a basket of her own.

The offensive onslaught continued and gave the Canes a 24-3 first quarter lead.

While the offense cooled off, the fast and opportunistic defense did not. After holding the Lady Spartans to only three points in the first quarter, the visitors only managed to score three points in the second quarter as well.

Brooklyn went into halftime leading 31-6.

In the beginning of the third quarter, sophomore Savannah David scored three points. Gailes and freshman Genesis Caraballo consistency scored, too.

Additionally, the defense yet again only gave up three points to push the margin to 43-9 at the conclusion of the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, David, senior Haley Connors, and sophomore Jaida Dominguez contributed to the scoring.

The 55-14 final score was a complete team effort, both offensively and defensively.

The Lady Canes look to keep up the momentum and their winning streak of three games alive as they host the Lutheran West Longhorns on Saturday, February 1.

Brooklyn Moving Into the New Age

By: Gino Pallotta, Ariana Rojak, and Danielle Shehee

January 31, 2020

Image result for stats of a student in high school that is able to use chromebooks in school

Many schools around the country have embraced technology and have become one-to-one; this means that every student has a Chromebook or a similar device. With so many classes using Chromebooks, is it possible for Brooklyn to join the movement?

Students will be able to keep track of school-work much easier, do missing work much quicker, and develop technology skills that colleges and career jobs require.

Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Michelle Kalish, who is leading the charge to make Brooklyn a one-to-one district, had plenty to say on this matter. The following is our sit-down interview with her.

How are Chromebooks useful in the classrooms?

“It is important for students to have access to technology because college and many careers have requirements for technology. Being able to develop those skills is important.”

What restrictions will the Chromebooks have?

“We will have firewalls and content filters. This will prohibit students from searching inappropriate sites. Nothing is foolproof, but we can see what students are searching. Chromebooks will be school only; students won’t be taking them home.”

What happens if a student breaks a Chromebook?

“That depends. There are different levels of device damage. There are accidental damages, and we will probably wave the fee the first time. Repeated damages, however, there will be a talk. Finally, there is the possibility of taking the Chromebook away.”

How much would it cost for Brooklyn to become a one-to-one school?

“It depends. There are many variations for one-to-one options. There is the technology backbone; can the Internet take everyone? The first part is upgrading the Internet. Then, buy the Chromebooks. That can vary because we want a more robust computer. We have to have conversations with students, staff, teachers, and parents.”`

She also wanted to explain the ideal plan for how students would get the Chromebooks. A freshman would get a Chromebook, and they would keep the same Chromebook until he/she graduates.

If there is community and school-wide support, our school could be the future of education.

The Honorable Life of Kobe Bryant

By: Normeze Rivera, Jessica Strimpel, and Anayah Flowers

January 31, 2020

Kobe Bryant lived a very honorable life with tremendous accomplishments in the world of professional basketball.

Unfortunately, his life tragically ended on January 26, 2020, in an unexpected helicopter crash in which nine people died, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

In an earlier interview with The Washington Post, Bryant said this about his daughter Gianna: “On my hip from the day she was born until now, my second one, she’ll never leave my side. Never. She’s just always right there. Always, every picture.”

Bryant was drafted directly into the NBA right after high school at the age of 17. Kobe won 5 championships, had 18 All-Star Game appearances, 4 All-Star Game MVP awards, 2 NBA Finals MVP Awards, and a singular regular-season MVP award.

Kobe also had two Olympic gold medals as well.

His last game was in April of 2016, a 60-point farewell game in which both of his numbers were retired, 8 and 24.

He finished his career with 33,643 points.

Bryant’s accomplishments branched further than sports when his short film, “Dear Basketball” won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It was created based on a poem written by Bryant in 2015 and served as his announcement of retirement from his legendary basketball career.

Not only was Bryant a very significant figure in the NBA, but he also was an outstanding father to his four daughters. He prided himself in protecting and caring for his family at all times.

Reporter, Elle Duncan, said when meeting Bryant, he instantly started talking about her baby bump and said, “Just be grateful you’ve been given that gift; girls are amazing.”

When asked how Bryant felt about having more girls, he said: “I would have five more girls if I could..I’m a girl dad. I love the challenge of raising women.”

Kobe Bryant’s legacy as a father, NBA legend, Olympic gold medalist, and Oscar-winner has impacted the world greatly, and he will forever be remembered.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant will be missed dearly.

Wrestling Tri-Meets

By: Ella Fowler, Serena Barile, and Delaney David

January 24, 2020

Last Thursday and Friday, the wrestling team participated in two tri-meets; Thursday’s tri-meet was at Beachwood, and Friday’s meet was at Hawken.

This season has been very eventful as they have participated in many tournaments such as Cobos Insurance Classic, North Coast Classic, multiple tri-meets, duals, and invitationals. Although the lack of wrestlers on the team has set them back, they all have done well, and it helps to have the support of their captain, senior Eric Khay.

Five out of the eight wrestlers on the team participated in the tri-meet at Beachwood High School on January 23. The other teams were the Beachwood Bisons and the St. Ignatius Wildcats.

The Hurricane wrestlers for this event were Brandon Deighton, Joe Dennis, Eric Khay, Dylan Elliott, and Tyler Kebbel.

Freshman Brandon Deighton started out the meet with a 2-0 loss but is improving and is very hopeful for the rest of this season and beyond.

Freshman Joe Dennis took a forfeit due to the other team not having a 106 weight-class wrestler.

Eric Khay had an unbelievably-amazing 2-0 win in only the first period, ending with a pin.

Junior Dylan Elliott came out with a 2-0 loss.

In addition, freshman Tyler Kebbel lost, 7-4, but he stood out by showing his hard work later with a 6-2 win.

Joe Dennis later had a 2-0 loss, Eric Khay had a 2-2 pin loss, and Dylan Elliott ended with a 6-2 loss.

The losing match against Beachwood ended up with a team score of 45-12, and St. Ignatius beat the Hurricanes with a score of 54-6.

One day later, Joe Dennis, Dylan Elliott, Sofia Collins, Tyler Kebbel, and Eric Khay participated in another tri-meet at Hawken High School against the Hawken Hawks and the West Geauga Wolverines.

Eric Khay started off the tri-meet with a win of 11-6 and later a 4-1 win.

Unfortunately, the losses were Tyler Kebbel with a 2-2 pin, Joe Dennis 25-10, Dylan Elliott a 3-8 pin, Joe Dennis a 2-0 pin, Dylan Elliott a 7-1 pin, Sofia Collins a 14-0 pin, and Tyler Kebbel a 2-0 pin.

Thursday’s and Friday’s meets resulted in a very hopeful remainder of the season due to these wrestlers really showing their strengths on the mat. Even though the losses mounted up, improvement was made by every wrestler.

You can help support your wrestling team by cheering them on at the CVC championships at Cuyahoga Heights High School on Friday, January 31 (6:00) and Saturday, February 1 (TBA).

Staff Profile: Mr. Abramovic

By: Haley Schaldach

*Science/Math/AVID Teacher*

Why did you decide to be a teacher?

“Originally, I was an accounting major, but I was not happy. I decided I wanted to explore other options. I shadowed as a teacher for a week while in college and taught a couple of lessons. I really enjoyed working with the kids and discovered that’s what I wanted to do.”

How do you deal with a stressful day?

“First, I start off and pet my cat, Malibu. Usually, I would go home and talk to a colleague or anyone who will listen. Then, I reflect on how I can do something differently. I can’t change the way a student acts, but I can change the way I handle something.”

What is your most interesting, high school memory?

-“I’ve always been interested in learning different languages. During high school, I learned three different languages. First, I learned German, then Spanish, and then Japanese.”

If you could change your career, what would it be?

“I love my job. If anything, I would stick with education. I would move to be a guidance counselor or a college professor to teach education.”

What is your funniest, teaching memory?

“When we used to have a transparency, I needed to tell an Intervention Specialist something without the kids knowing what I was saying. Without knowing, I grabbed something to cover my face as I talked. I did not realize that it was a transparency until afterward. They saw everything.”

What was your biggest setback in life?

“I didn’t really have any big setbacks. All the things that happened led me here. I did not have setbacks, but there were many learning experiences.”

If you could change one thing about our school, what would it be?

“I am happy with how things are, but if I could change one thing, I would love to see students participating (100 percent) during school events.”

The Stress Students Face In The Education System

By: Daylun Armstrong, Valery Warner, and Jaden Majewski

January 27, 2020

In today’s world, stress, depression, and anxiety are the leading, negative factors for high school students. We surveyed a number of Brooklyn High School students about the pressures and stresses of school.

The main, recurring issues these students were identifying with were the excess amounts of homework, teaching styles, difficult course work, and testing.

This is not uncommon. According to a new NPR poll conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, homework was a leading cause of stress.

We talked to Mr. Brian Hare (Assistant Principal at BHS) about the stresses that students are feeling and asked how we as a new generation can try to create changes to benefit our education system.

Hare recognizes that mental health is an important issue that should be focused on. According to studies done by the National Institute of Mental Health, “Adolescent depression in schools is on the rise.”

Programs introduced at BHS in order to promote a more positive and open environment for students are the Leadership Program, AVID, Freshman Seminar, and new social groups where students can express themselves and talk about issues (school and home-related).

To combat the issues with certain teaching styles, Hare stated, “We [administration] go into classrooms and provide feedback on instruction, student involvement, and the styles of teaching that are most effective for all students.”

Another resource that is available at BHS is the “Stay Safe. Speak Up!” campaign. This campaign allows students (anonymous or not) to voice their concerns and ask for help about issues they are having. There is a link on the Brooklyn City Schools website if you feel that you need to speak up.

So many teenagers experience these difficulties in school, and fortunately, our administration values students’ opinions and tries to strive to make BHS a stable and enjoyable environment for all.

If you or someone you know wants to talk about the issues they/you are experiencing, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center. You can also text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.

Additional communication can be made to 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.

Finally, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Even though it may not be easy, always remember you are never alone in any struggle that you may be facing. Help is readily available!

SPOTLIGHT OPENING AT THE SCULPTURE CENTER

By: Izabella Hotz and Destiny Cannon

January 27, 2020

On Friday, January 24, the Sculpture Center opened two new galleries, featuring artists Nate Riccuto and Lisa Walcott. Their collections are named Sitting Flesh (Riccuto) and Sink in (Walcott).

The reception included drinks and snacks, along with a relaxed atmosphere and other artwork.

At their openings, they spoke about their collections and how to interact with them. The first to speak was Riccuto on Sitting Flesh.

Riccuto is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and is the current Instructor of Glass at Ohio State University.

In his words, his collection is for him, “… a way for me to play with materials and space. And I think it means a lot to actually be able to use a gallery space like this and to throw all these things out there… they have all these specific intentions that I put in them but then other people get to walk around and discover things and come up with completely new things.”

The goal of this collection was to create a playful and homemade environment, as well as to make people think about how they interact with the world around them, using curious surfaces and seemingly mobile installations.

His advice for aspiring artists was, “Take personal connection seriously because people will help you if they like you and if you’re generous and sincere with them… and apply two as many things as you can. That’s a really important thing to just make a priority of getting your work out there.”

Walcott is a Holland, Michigan based artist and a graduate from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She used not just stationary art but moving art as well as water installations.

In her own words, her collection is, “… about the composition of everyday life. It’s the mark that maybe your socks make on the floor. Or that your sleeve makes as it falls out of the dresser and reminds you of maybe water falling down. I like to try to imagine sometimes what an object would look like animated and what it would look like in kind of a surreal or imaginary manner, so that’s what I kind of played with in this work.”

She mentioned to us that in this collection, she often attempted to display a mood that is nearly impossible to capture and explore the things that someone may overlook and show it in a fantastical way.

She tries to portray a world where everything you do makes a mark, almost like your entire life is a drawing.

Walcott’s advice to aspiring artists is, “Allow yourself to fail because you learn a lot when you don’t make exactly what you wanted to do or when things don’t work out as you expected. Continue to show up and make the work because it can be easy to give up, but continuing to have an art practice causes good things to happen.”

Overall, these two collections were extremely immersive, with many installations to walk through and ideas that would not necessarily come up without a prompt.

These galleries will be up until March 20, and we recommend visiting them.

A Hard Loss for the Hurricanes

By: Morghan Blechschmid, Jonathan Drake, and Lexi Jenkins

January 23, 2020

Coming off of a win against Stow in their previous game, the hockey team was looking to carry momentum into their match against Lakewood. Unfortunately, the momentum was short-lived.

The Canes started Jason Edmonds, Aaron Wrost, Jacob Peña, Colin Pope, Ian Krall, and Derek Wrost.

In a back-and-forth defensive battle, both teams struggled to score in the first period. However, Lakewood managed their first goal on a power play near the conclusion of the period, leading 1-0.

In the second period, Aaron Wrost scored the tying goal for the Canes, but the tie did not last too long as the Rangers scored two more goals before the period was over, bringing the score to 3-1.

The third and final period was not favorable to the Canes as the Rangers outscored them 7-0, winning the game 10-1.

The Hurricanes did their best, as they were down a very valuable player. Their defense wore down and the offense struggled.

Senior Riley Beni said, “…We’ve had our ups and downs, but we work as a team, so I think we will get better.”

Coach Mike Wrost stated, “When we scored a goal, our team kinda let up a little bit, and Lakewood did not. We couldn’t get the puck past our blue line and that’s what led to them scoring the other seven goals.”

The next game will be on Saturday, January 25, against the Stow High School Bulldogs.

The match will begin at 6:45. Good luck, Canes!