By: Anayah Flowers, Daylun Armstrong, and Haley Schaldach
Key Club is an international, student-led organization in many high schools, including Brooklyn High School. Students so far this year have participated in many different volunteer opportunities.
“I think it’s nice; not only do we get to help others, but we also have fun while giving back to the community and gain more experience while doing so,” said Serena Barile (a junior member of BHS Key Club).
Recently, BHS Key Club members hosted a canned food drive that raised over a thousand cans. These cans were given to our local community (Brooklyn Cares Project and the Brooklyn Acres).
On Saturday, December 7, the annual Cookies & Cocoa with Santa took place, and students had the opportunity to help with arts and crafts while enjoying some treats. This event was held at the Old Brooklyn Decanus Center.
Key Club is always looking for new members to help spread philanthropic ideas throughout BHS and the community. If you are interested in joining the next meeting, it will be held after winter break in Ms. Barber’s room (194). We hope to see you there!
By: Delaney David, Gino Pallotta, and Jaden Majewski
December 6, 2019
After losing their opener, the Brooklyn varsity boys basketball team was looking for a win. They were determined to notch their first victory at home game against Cuyahoga Heights in an early CVC battle.
The starting players were Jamiar Tate, Tristan Peggs, Dean Day, Tyler Elzholz, and Jaiden Basinger.
The Hurricane defense was good, but they gave up the first points to Cuyahoga Heights and were down early.
After the initial bucket, Brooklyn started to go back and forth with the enemy team. When Jaiden Basinger made two three-pointers, the Redskins scored right back. At the end of the quarter, the score was 9-8 with the Hurricanes only down by one.
Cuyahoga Heights started the second quarter extremely well; an easy basket was made against Brooklyn. The Canes tried to get their rhythm back with Tristan Peggs picking up some baskets, but the Redskins kept the pressure on, and the half ended 25-16.
The third quarter saw Brooklyn trying to catch up, but the game stayed in favor of the visitors. The score difference kept getting bigger with the quarter ending 35-23.
In the fourth quarter, Brooklyn lost all of their steam, and the Redskins did not let up. The game ended 49-35 with the Canes on the losing end.
When Coach Karl (head varsity coach) was asked if he was proud of how his team played, he responded: “I am proud, but I know that we can do better. We need to improve on defense, offense, and the shots that we take.”
Their next game will be on December 10 at Brooklyn High School against Richmond Heights.
By: Izabella Hotz, Morgan Blechschmid, and Gabriella Fowler
December 4, 2019
{Lady Canes and Spartans during the national anthem}
On a cold Wednesday evening, the Brooklyn High School Lady Canes basketball team played the Richmond Heights Spartans and came out victorious 38-25.
The Lady Canes opened the game strong with freshman Jenna Young scoring within 30 seconds of the opening tip. This faded quickly, however, with scoring going back and forth for the rest of the first period.
The first quarter ended with a score of 7-4 in favor of Richmond Heights. Two points each were scored by freshman Jenna Young and senior Marshay Smith.
The second period started stronger with Junior Kelsey Bruzek scoring within the first 10 seconds of the period. The rest of the period went similarly to the first, leapfrogging back and forth.
The second period ended with a score of 21-14 in favor of Richmond Heights with a total of six points scored by junior Kelsey Bruzek, two points by Marshay Smith, and two by freshman Genesis Caraballo.
The third period started with significantly more energy, both on and off the court, and this resulted in some amazing play. The entire period, the Lady Canes defended the Spartans against scoring any points.
At the end of the third period, the Lady Canes had a lead of 30 – 21 with six points scored by senior Alexandra Nieves, two by Marshay Smith, four by Kelsey Bruzek, and four by freshman Shariah Gailes.
The fourth period started and ended with an amazing amount of energy from the whole team. There were lots of foul shots by both teams, but the skill was still amazing.
The game ended with a bang, and the girls played hard and got a well-deserved win by a score of 38-25.
After the game, we spoke to head Coach Scott Urig.
“Overall, the outcome of the game, I was very happy with the win, and for a young team, things were going wrong in the first half, and I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I was really proud of how they played in the 3rd quarter and 4th quarter especially,” said Coach Urig.
“We had a very emotional, very physical, and very fast-paced game on Monday, and we came out a little sluggish. As the game came on, we kind of got our legs underneath us and were able to continue to pick up the effort,” he said.
Assistant Coach Rachel Ranc explained how they played very well today.
“We [had] a rough start and came out really slow, but I think we had a lot of energy off the bench, and it picked us up. We had a lot of people contribute [and it] was a team effort. In the second half, we picked it up, and we are going to keep getting better and better.”
“We are more of a team, everyone gets along, great chemistry, and our defense has gotten a lot better, way more aggressive, and offensively, we are playing good when we want to.”
By: Alaysia Curry, Danielle Shehee, and Jessica Strimpel
The Brooklyn High School debate club is preparing for their third debate on whether all athletes should stand for the National Anthem.
The debate club’s first two debates of the year revolved around banning the fast-food industry and America staying out of other nation’s wars.
This past Tuesday, the club members met to prepare for their upcoming debate. They focused on assigning roles and structuring their work to produce quality, researched arguments.
Members of the club follow the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Format. This structured format offers an equal representation of both negative and affirmative perspectives.
Junior Andrew Badza, a second-year member of the debate club, was asked what is the most exciting part of the debate club: “I am excited about the competition and arguing (nicely).”
When Andrew was asked what he would like for people to learn from the debate club, he expressed that it is important to know how to structure a debate: “It can be helpful in writing and overall arguing.”
Eighth-grade student Abdullah Abu-Mathkour, who is a first-year member of the debate club, was asked about the impact that the debate club has had on him: “It helps me express how I feel about certain topics in a different format.”
The club has helped students understand how to structure arguments and has also helped with their critical thinking and writing skills.
This third debate will take place on Tuesday, December 10.
On Monday, December 2, the girls varsity basketball team came into warm ups full of energy, ready for their non-league contest against the Fairview Warriors. They were focused on their shots and ready for the game. The starting five were Alexandra Nieves, Kelsey Bruzek, Genesis Caraballo, Shariah Gailes, and Jenna Young.
{Varsity girls warming up}
In the first quarter, Fairview made the first basket of the game. Kelsey Bruzek then scored the first points for the Lady Canes. Jenna Young soon after made two free throws to put the Hurricanes up by two. After a scoring drought for Brooklyn, Fairview led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter.
After baskets by Genesis Caraballo, Shariah Gailes, Delaney David, and Jaida Dominguez, the Hurricanes regained the lead 16-12. But after another scoring drought, the young Canes faced a 24-16 halftime deficit.
{Brooklyn scoring to make it a little closer}
After an 11-6 third quarter edge, Fairview went into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, looking to put the Hurricanes away. However, Coach Urig’s scrappy bunch refused to give up and fought back.
Kelsey Bruzek and Genesis Caraballo willed the Canes back. Within the final two minutes of the contest, Fairview clung to a one-point lead, 39-38.
In the last 30 seconds of the game, a Fairview player made a three pointer and another made one free throw. The final score was 43-38 in favor of the Warriors.
After the game, Coach Urig said, “We need to work on our half court execution and half court offense. It’s a learning process for the younger ones.”
When asked what he is going to do next practice, Coach Urig responded: “Definitely need to work on half court offense. Probably get some shots up because we have a short turn-around with another game on Wednesday. So, it’d be more of a mental practice rather than physical.”
At first, the team wasn’t doing too well, but during the last two quarters, they came back and fought hard. In the end, the Lady Canes played a great game.
Next up: Wednesday, December 4 at home against Richmond Heights.
Why did you decide to become a teacher? “My youngest brother had a learning disability, and my parents wanted me to help him because I understood how to help him; it was fun and very beneficial.”
How do you deal with a stressful situation? “Look at solving the problem and focus on the solution(s).”
What is your most interesting, high school memory? “In high school, I walked off of the football field for the last time instead of jogging, and I realized that I accomplished more than I thought possible.”
If you could have a different job, what would it be? “Anything that involves working with people so maybe a lawyer or coach.”
What was your funniest teaching moment? “Nothing specific, but sometimes, something funny happens in class, and I laugh as hard as the kids.”
What was your biggest setback in life? “I found out that I had a herniated disk in my back, and it was the most pain I have ever felt. I would come to class and have to lay down on a towel on the dirty floor, flat on my stomach because it was the most comfortable position for me.”
If you could change one thing in the school, what would it be ? “I’d like to see seven periods in a day but have a longer school day; maybe change up the schedule a bit.”
Do you have any advice for the students of Brooklyn? “Just give your best effort every time; your actions earn you your reputation.”
(In this photo both teams can be seen lined up for the Pledge of Allegiance before the game)
The Brooklyn girls varsity basketball team had their first game of the season on Saturday, November 23, where they faced off against Open Door. After the Lady Canes struggled with one win and 22 losses last season, they hoped to do better this year.
Delaney David said, “I was confident [in my team] but also a little nervous because our team is very young and short compared to other teams.”
The first quarter got off to a great start with our starting players: Alexandra Nieves, Kelsey Bruzek, Marshay Smith, Jaida Dominguez, and Shariah Gailes. There were two noticeable star players, Shariah Gailes and Genesis Caraballo.
David also said, “I think everyone played well for their first game, [but] there is stuff we need to improve on. [We need to improve on] practicing at game speed, practicing our plays more, and being more focused.”
The first-quarter ended with Brooklyn being in the lead 9-7.
It was a close call for most of the quarter, but our Lady Canes picked it up towards the end of the second quarter and were in the lead with a halftime score of 21-12.
The girls did extremely good during the third quarter; they communicated well with one another, moved quickly, and were very focused. The score after the third quarter was 43-16.
Finally, the fourth quarter ended with a final score of 55-19.
After a great game with a lot of valiant effort shown from both teams, Brooklyn’s Lady Caneswere victorious. With the struggles they faced last season, this was a well-deserved comeback for Brooklyn, and the girls worked hard to get here.
To keep up this winning streak, the girls need to continue putting in lots of effort during practice and need to work hard to improve not only as a team but as individual players.
Their next game is Tuesday, November 26 at Hawken High School.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 