Issue 1 BEAVER BUGLE 2022-23

Beaver Bugle

About this publication

Vol 2, Issue 1, Winter 2022

Alameda, CA

The Bugle is written and published by students at Wood Middle School. New editions are available in print and online.

Meet Mr. Picciotto, Wood's New AP

Student Council

by Hannah, Madeline, Natalia (7th)

Where did you grow up?
"I was born in Hong Kong which is now part of China. And when I was 2 years old my family and I moved to Italy. My dad was Italian and, so he wanted me to grow up in his homeland."
How do you feel about Wood?
"I really like the school. I have been and are continuing to enjoy meeting students and supporting them in the ways that I can, collaborating with Ms. Dwyer and working with the staff to really shine a light on what's great about Wood and to play a role to make Wood an even better school."
Have you worked at any other schools?
"I have been working at schools my whole life. I was a classroom teacher for many years. I started in New York city and then in the mid 90's I moved to California, and I taught Middle school and High school. This is my 3rd year as a school administrator."

by Mae and Meridian (8th)

Hello wood middle schoolers! From September 27th to the 29th, a student council vote took place. Here are some of the running council member statements in preparation for the election. 8th grader Roxy, is running for the role of president. In an interview, she states,” My goal is to emphasize student involvement. I’d make a good president because I’m a dedicated student, I have good relationships with peers and teachers, and I have good leadership.” Wise words from our current president. After reviewing some campaign videos, we have concluded that video campaigns provide many ways to share your ideas and plans for future presidency, secretary, treasurer, etc. “I am determined, responsible, and an open minded leader.” Ella, an 8th grade runner up for the presidential occupation, states. And a vice president runner up, Chloe, says “I’ve already had experience with student council. I know that elementary school is different, but that just shows that I know how some things play out.” Plenty of good reasoning from Chloe. After 3 days of open voting, the polls have been counted and our new student council is decided!

What's it like working at a new school?
"Well, I always try to listen a lot when I'm in a new environment, and ask a lot of questions to understand how things work and what's going well, and maybe what possible areas of improvement there are. As a school administrator I have experience. But I think change happens slowly, and change happens when you have a group of people who are all excited for that change and are willing to make the effort to make those changes. Rather than someone who is the principal or vice principal saying this is what we need to do."
Do you know of any upcoming events that you might want to go to at wood?
"I was excited for back to school night unfortunately I was on leave so I missed it. I love attending athletic events. So I'm excited for basketball and volleyball."
What's your favorite color?
"Probably Blue."
What languages do you speak?
"I grew up speaking English. My mom was English. I grew up in Italy so I also grew up Italian. My fathers first language was French. So I grew up speaking English, Italian, and French. I started to pick up Spanish in college."

Mr. Picciotto has 4 dogs: Max, Lily, Biscuit, and Blue. (photo courtesy Mr. Picciotto)

Creative campaign posters helped students decide who to vote for.

Stay Connected

"One of the best parts of this job is watching students grow and change. I want all students to give them selves permission to bloom into their next best selves." Ms.Dwyer

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💙 Meet Your Counselors: Ro and Ms. Mojica 💛

by Hannah, Madeline, Natalia and Naiya (7th)

Counselor Ro agreed to answer some questions.

What’s it like being a new Counselor?
"Being a new counselor. It is a lot of work, It can be stressful. But it's also fulfilling."

How do you like Wood?
"I love wood students, I love their diversity, I love their creativity and I love that it’s near the beach."

Are you from CA? What city?
"I am. I'm from San Diego."

What’s your favorite color?
"I have a lot. I am going to say mustard yellow. And like a maroon red. Yeah, fall colors."

Where did you go to college?
"For my undergrad I went to San Diego state. For my masters I went to SF state."

Where did you grow up?
"I grew up in San Diego pretty much all of my life."

What’s your favorite sports team?
"Oh, Warriors for sure. Warriors and Angle city football club, women's soccer."

Ms. Mojica is now the eighth grade counselor here at Wood! She prepares the eighth graders for high school and beyond. This means that she makes sure they do all they can at Wood, so they’re ready for the great challenges of high school.

Ms. Mojica has always enjoyed helping people. She used to work with children a lot, Even when she was a kid! She always enjoys coming to work, and talking with us. Besides all that, Ms. Mojica likes all shades of blue!

Go Green for Gardening Club

Find Ms. Mojica in the main office and find Counselor Ro in the Media Center

by Sody and Sophia (8th)

Come down and join us after school, every Friday from 3:15-4:15 for the Gardening Club! We grow delicious fruits and vegetables and community service hours are included! Ms. Nettles, sixth grade science teacher, is the coordinator of this club. Students from 6th-8th are welcome. Of course, Gardening Club includes hard work so wear shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. We would really love the extra support from our fellow peers. Help make Wood Middle School’s campus beautiful!

Join the Club (literally)

Wood has many clubs during lunch or after school, including running club, GSA and playcreation

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🏃🏼‍♀️ Running Club Sprints into Action

by Audrey (8th)

Running club starts at 3:15 every other Monday. You can sign up by getting a paper from Mr. Ponsaran at room 206. Running club activities include running on the beach, doing alley sprints, and working on field events such as Shot-put, Long jump, and Javelin. Running club was made to prepare students for track and field season, so if you are interested in joining track, or just enjoy running, joining running club is a great option.

🌈 GSA Brings Everyone Together

Play Creation Sets the Stage for Fun 🎭

by Mae (8th)

Play creation has been working on “Follow the Screams” for a while. This year, the play might actually be ready to be performed--hopefully in January. The exact date isn’t set.
Without giving away too many spoilers, the play is about a girl named Natasha getting kidnapped, and her friends, Jaden, Ivy, and Star, searching for her. We get to see what the relationships are like, and we even get to see sneak peeks and more of the kidnappers point of view.

Student interviews and Mr. Moreno explain more.

by Lucy (8)

GSA otherwise known as gay straight alliance or gender sexuality alliance is a club here at WMS. Ms. Costigan opens her classroom (portable C4) every Wednesday during lunch. Students can hang out with friends, eat, and listen to music. People come to GSA to feel accepted and included. GSA is a safe space for everyone at school to have fun and be themselves.

The point is to let kids of all identities feel welcome. GSA helps kids with their mental health, wellness, and their performance in school. It also has its own student council, including president, vice president, and secretary. Everyone is welcome-come join!

Lucy (8) and Hannah (7) feature in this year's play creation.

Lucy (8): “I play Emily, Natasha's sister. I like the idea of the play, I think it’s really interesting. I like the dark tones to it, it gives the villains more depth to their emotions and backstories.”

Mr. Moreno, Drama and English teacher:“I have been working on the play since 2020, and while there is still work to be done, It’s really shaping into something to be proud of and I am excited to perform it.”

Health Matters

"PE is the best because it makes your mind and body feel and look amazing," Mr. Redmond said when asked about health and exercising.

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SLEEP

A Student's Worst Nightmare

Relax in Paradise 🏝

by Meridian (8th)

Now we all know middle schoolers could stay up all night and not have a single thought of closing their eyes. But it’s truly not good mentally or physically. Sleep allows your body to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert. Take that away and you'll be drained all day. Eighth grader, Mae, states in an interview, “I think I feel better when I get more sleep… getting less sleep makes me feel tired and cranky.” Sleep has many benefits for your body, it improves your mood, reduces stress, helps you do better in school and at work, makes you smarter, and helps you get sick less. Interviewee Lucy suggests “...white noise and rain sounds,” to help sleep troubles. Now when you're awake in bed at 10 at night, remember if you go to bed now you’ll have a better day in the morning. Don’t let the bed bugs bite!

by Madeline (7th)

Paradise is the spot you can go to if you need a break! If you’re ever in a bad mood, or something happened and you're feeling down, paradise is for you. To go to paradise, you’ll have to ask your teacher first. You're allowed to stay as long as you want, but as long as you're not disrupting the class. Some of the favorite paradises are Mr. V’s, Ms. Zainiab’s, Mrs. Horowitz's and Mrs. Scott’s. Even though those paradises are the most loved, all paradises are awesome!

Photo credit to Meridian, of 8th grader Mae sleeping

Sleep is very important especially for students to stay focused, improve concentration, and improve your school performance. Students should receive on average 8 - 10 hours every night.

How much sleep do you get?

Lamar's Self Care Corner

This section focusses on ways to stay
healthy and mindful.

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How to spot depression
Its not easy to spot depression but when you do, try these steps.

Different Types Of Depression And How To Spot Them
There are many different types of depression. Please seek out professional help if you think that you or your friend has one of these types of depression.

Bi-Polar 1 Disorder
Bi polar 1 disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder or manic depression. This is a type of disorder where someone has either “up” or “mania” episodes when there more energetic, More clumsy and less focus, Or “down” or “depression” episodes where there more sensitive, more depressed, and can't do average tasks. 2.5% Percent sufferers of bi-polar 1 disorder. About 6 million.

Bi-Polar 2 Disorder
Bi polar 2 disorder is a little more different than bi-polar 1 instead of “mania” or “up’’ episodes, people with bi-polar 2 have “Hyper-Mania'' episodes for “up” and “Manic Depression” episodes for “down”. The symptoms for hypomania are: having a exaggerated.

Major Depression
Major Depression Disorder is when someone feels depressed most of their day or multiple days. Some symptoms of Major Depression are: Loss of interest in activities, weight loss/gain, Feeling restless or agitated/ sluggish or lazy. And the worst part. Thoughts of suicide.

Atypical Depression
Atypical depression is the exact opposite of depression. It is considered to be a "specifier" that describes a pattern of depressive symptoms. Some symptoms of Atypical Depression are: Increased eating habits, Sleeping more than usual, and being sad most of the time, but improves when something good happens.

Psychotic Depression
Psychotic depression is another type of major depression but includes Psychosis. Some major symptoms of Psychotic Depression are: Hallucinations, Delusions. And some other form of break of reality. Some common forms of Psychotic depression are: Agitation, Anxiety, impairment and physical immobility.

Ask if they are okay.

Speak with an adult and be there for them after/during they get help.

Five Tips for feeling better:

1. Drink WATER
Water can actually boost your feelings! (studies have shown that water stimulates the flow nutrients and hormones)
2. Music
Music helps to process emotions/situations (basically like an emergency therapist)
3. Going Out With Friends
Going out with friends reduces feelings of stress and Anxiety. It makes some individuals feel way much better about themselves.
4. Learning something new
Sometimes Learning something new can affect your mood too. It helps boost Self-Confidence/Low Self Esteem.
5. Doing the things you love
Doing the things you love most helps most humans a lot. Studies have shown if you have hobbies, you are less likely to suffer from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression.

Classroom News

"We need to give honor to the ones before us," from Ms. Scott when asked about the player of the game assignment.

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Students Discover Players Who Changed the Game

By Ivy (8th)

The Project: "Players Who Changed the Game?"
I thought it was Players of the Game? Players Who Changed the Game and Players of the Game are similar projects. One of them is for 8th graders while the other is for 7th graders. This is Ms. Scott's first project of the year. The goal is for students to demonstrate understanding of Mastery level sportsmanship and skill.

Students must identify the responsibilities of a leader in physical activity. In this case, the 7th graders studied Major Taylor while 8th grade classes got to choose a person.

Major Taylor:

To start this project, Ms. Scott, the 7th and 8th grade P.E. teacher showed us documentaries of Major Taylor explaining how he changed the game. Taylor broke through the color lines of bicycle racing to become the world's first black cycling champion, and the first African American world champion of any sport. Yet despite his incredible accomplishments, few know his amazing story.

Students created a KWL chart (K= What I know, W= What I Wonder, L= What I Learned) of Major Taylor, then explored their own person.

INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIA L (8th)

What player did you choose and how did they “change the game?”
This student chose Serena Williams. Williams revolutionized women's tennis with a lethal mix of powerful serves, ground strokes and superb athleticism. She even became the most successful player in the Open Era by collecting 23 Grand Slam titles, the most recent coming in 2017.

Which part was fun?
This student enjoyed drawing her person because it wasn't challenging. Students were allowed to search up an image and copy it. She did this for her drawing, but she also added her own details and didn’t trace it. She also made sure to add colors and made it neat. To earn a 4, students had to make it extra pretty with clear attention to detail and skill. They also had to make it have clear symbols that show the connection between the person and the sport.

How could the project have been better?
The interviewee said that the project could have been better if we got a longer time period to work on it. This would have helped many people, but we needed to move on from this project. The instructions were straightforward and easy to understand.