The Bulldog Chronicles

The Bulldog Chronicles

Spring 2022 - Summer 2022

James H. Vernon School
2021-2022 School Year

Second Edition 2022

My Time at Vernon

A Letter to Vernon

By Madeline Matthews

The Grades at a Glance

Hello! I'm Madeline F. Mathews, a senior 6th grader here at Vernon. For all of you going into a new grade soon enough, I'd like to tell you a bit about them! Throughout this article, I'll be telling you all about my favorite things about the grades, the projects, and all the joys! I also interviewed some really great teachers to get their input! I really hope you enjoy it!
3rd grade:
Welcome third graders! Vernon is an incredible school, and I know that you will like it a lot! During 3rd grade, loads of new things come flying at you, like multiplication and division. Third grade is essential, and I know you'll love it. I was able to interview my own teacher from third grade, Mrs. Friedman! Some people might call her no fun Freidman, but she is anything but! So, let's jump right in! First question, what was her absolute favorite part of third grade? Mrs. Friedman answered that she loved teaching multiplication and loved doing the multiplication Super Bowl. If you don't know what the multiplication super bowl is, here's a quick overview! To break it down to the basics, the multiplication super bowl is when all of the third-grade classes are their own teams and put their knowledge to the test. Two of the classes go into one of their rooms and look at the board to find a multiplication fact. Whoever answers the fastest, and much more importantly, correctly, gets the point for their team. The team with the most points wins! Next, I asked what the main projects for third grade were. She said that it was the multiplication super bowl (see description above). Her other favorite was the wax museum. This is where you choose a person and do a biography project about them.

Dear Vernon,

I’m speechless. I’ve been with you for grades three through six. You have a special place in my heart. Take two lefts and a right, you’ll find it. Every single student who has stepped into your lush halls will miss you dearly. We’ve done a lot together, we’ve laughed, we’ve been disappointed, we’ve turned in stuff, and we’ve procrastinated. But I’m sorry to say I have to move on. It’s not you; it’s me. I have to go to high school and expand my knowledge. You have given me so much, and I appreciate it, but I must move on. I know it must be hard to take in, but I know you’ll be fine without me. The staff here has also played a huge role in you. You have helped so many different students in so many different ways. Please, I am sorry, I really am. I know you’ll find hundreds of more kids, but all of us have to move on to new horizons in the sixth grade. It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just that we have to go on with our lives, which sadly means leaving you. I am sorry that this sounds sappy, but these are my true feelings. Please don’t take it personally, you were a great school, and we will all miss you. I’ll miss sitting in your chairs, getting lost in your halls, and submitting things at the last minute in your classrooms. I know that you’ll be around and see much more, but sadly, you just won’t be able to see much more of us.

Miss you,
A sixth grader

Vernon Spotlight

My Time at Vernon Continued

4th Grade:
Hi there, 4th graders! I hope you enjoyed 3rd grade, but you know the rounds now that you're settled in. I loved the fourth grade, and my teacher made everything so fun and easy to learn! My teacher was Mrs. Horch, and I interviewed her to ask her a couple of questions to help introduce you to the new grade! So kids going into fourth grade, listen up! First off, what was her favorite part of fourth grade? Mrs. Horch said the American Revolution project. What is the American Revolution project, you may ask? The American revolution project is when you get to pick a person from the American Revolution and research them!

For example, Layyfette, you would research him and make flashcards about him. The highlight of this project is probably the bottle buddy! The bottle buddy represents your person except using a bottle as a part of the body. It was really fun to make, and I still have mine! Next, I asked what the main projects in fourth grade were? The answer is the American Revolution project and the Native American project. The Native American project is when you choose something that the Native Americans had, like dream catchers, research them, and build your own model. After that, I asked what her favorite subject to teach was. And she said, all of them! I don't blame her either. Every single lesson Mrs. Horch taught me was so much fun, and I remember everything. Lastly, Mrs. Horch said that fourth grade is exceptional and unique because we learn all about New York State. Mrs. Horch is 100% correct! Fourth grade was an incredible year, and I miss it so much!

5th Grade:
5th grade is fantastic! When you enter this grade, you are introduced to the magic of having two teachers! I was fortunate to have Mr. Sommo (who teaches math and science) and Mrs. Pugh (who teaches ELA and social studies). I was able to interview them as well! First off, what is their favorite part of 5th grade? Mrs. Pugh said, watching her student's writing progress and Mr. Sommo said the wind turbine project. The wind turbine project is a super fun project that everyone gets to do in 5th grade! Basically, you get to learn all about wind turbines and build your own! You get to bring in materials from home and use them along with other resources to create your own functional turbine! There's a catch; your turbine should be able to lift up a weight! You have to design a mechanism to bring up the weight along with building it. All in all, it is really fun and educational! Next, what are the main projects in 5th grade? For Mrs. Pugh, her main projects were the entrepreneur project (where you get to design your own business), the explorer project (where you get to research and learn all about an explorer), and the president's project (where you get assigned a president and write about them)! For Mr. Sommo, it was the PSEG project (when you get to make a video for PSEG explaining the importance of conserving electricity), the turbine project (see above), and the squid project (when you get a certain amount of playing cards and an inch of tape that you use to make a tower for an inflatable squid. Listen, you'll love Squiddy!). Lastly, there are some things that they'd like to add. Mrs. Pugh said 5th grade is the best grade, and Mr. Sommo is very excited to see the students back in school. 5th grade helps you learn a lot of new things and helps prepare you for the many teachers you'll get! 5th grade, as Mrs. Pugh said, is genuinely awesome.

By Madeline Matthews

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6th Grade:
Sixth grade is a sad year, you are going to leave Vernon very soon, but that's not all. There are loads of upsides to 6th grade; it is an excellent grade to be in! In 6th grade, you have a teacher for every subject, so I interviewed my homeroom teacher, Mr. Youngs. So, the first question, "What is your favorite part of 6th grade?" Mr. Youngs said that he loved working with his students every day! Secondly, "What are the main projects for 6th-grade social studies?" He said the ancient civilizations project and the bare book. I can tell you personally that the bare book, it's a fantastic project. Basically, what it is, is a book that is full of essays. Each page has one of your essays on it with a picture so that you can see them at a glance. Third, "What is your favorite thing to teach?" He said the Hebrews. He knows lots about them and has lots of exciting and interesting stories to tell. And boy, is he right! Lastly, I asked if he had anything to add? He says that he really enjoys teaching the sixth graders everything he knows. Thanks, Mr. Youngs!

This ends my time at Vernon, but we all had unforgettable memories and times here. For all of you, future James H. Vernon 6th-graders, this school truly is the best school in the nation, and I am going to miss it. Thank you to all the teachers and staff for helping to create such an exceptional place to learn and grow. Thank you also to Dr. Vacchio and Ms. Menuzzo for leading us all and making Vernon the best school in the nation in the one and only beautiful Oyster Bay. Finally, thank you to all the parents for contributing to our phenomenal experiences over the last four years.

Vernon Spotlight

Celiacopoly

By Guest Journalist Dylan Blind

Dylan Blind is a 4th Grade student in Ms. Ghicas and Ms. Pellettiere's class at James H. Vernon. She is a brilliant person who has created two extraordinary Atlantis projects this year! Her first one focused on Breast Cancer in men. Her family has been affected by it, and she wanted to shed light on the importance of knowing that it is a type of cancer that can affect both men and women. Her second Atlantis project somehow hit even closer to home for Dylan. After having long running issues with stomach pains in December, she found out that she had Celiac Disease. She is the only blood relative in her family that has it. Celiac Disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. She thought this was an excellent opportunity to learn more about what it is and what she can do about it, and how things have changed over the last 30 years.

Dylan spoke about how stomach aches were the biggest red flag when she and her family knew something was not right and that they needed to go to the doctor. That's when she had several tests run, including a blood test that revealed what had been ailing her all along. Dylan and her family took immediate action to help get Dylan to a healthier place. Her diet was what completely changed, and it almost instantly started to make Dylan feel so much better. Her blood test confirmed that all her once high levels went back to normal levels. Dylan explained that she was not able to eat things like chicken nuggets, pasta, anything that is breaded, certain desserts, and other foods that we all eat regularly. As mentioned above, it is anything that has wheat, rye, or barley in it is something that she can no longer have. Dylan explained that it was difficult at first to make such an enormous change like that, but eventually, the more she has learned about the different food options it has allowed her to have a relatively easy time finding foods to eat.

Dylan took this serious moment in her life and created a board game to make light of the situation while simultaneously sharing frequently asked questions, facts about Celiac Disease, and food facts. One of the craziest facts that Dylan learned in her research was the Banana diet that was once used to treat Celiac Disease in children. Sadly, this terrible diet caused the death of over 3,000 kids as they had to consume around 20 bananas a day. The game itself isn't as long as the inspiration for it, Monopoly. It can be played by up to four people and takes about 15 minutes.

Dylan is furthering her quest to spread awareness by giving a speech to the entire Vernon school on May 16th. She hopes to spread awareness about how it affects your body, how to change your diet, and any symptoms to be aware of. She isn't going to stop there, though. Her family and News12 are also talking about doing an interview. It will air throughout the tristate area. Dylan is really excited and a little nervous. She knows that sharing her experience and everything that she has learned is essential and could possibly help countless kids and families. Dylan is a phenomenal student and researcher, and we cannot wait to see how she wants to change the world in such a positive and impactful way next.

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What's Going On in Vernon

6th Grade Ancient Civilization Project

By: Tamara Isakharov, Silas Miller, and Madeline Mathews

Have you ever wondered how people once lived? People lived for thousands of years in small groups that would travel around and were made up of about 100 people. But after farming was discovered, people could live in one place. This was enormous, and it meant more people could live together in a more complex society. Out of this sprung the first civilizations. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, just to name a few. These were the building blocks of our modern world. It is good to look back at it and learn how this revolution transformed technology from sticks and stones to civilization and the stars. So the 6th-graders are learning about this period with the first civilizations—specifically Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, the Hebrews, and Greece.

Now, about the project itself. The project consists of many steps, but the results are outstanding! First of all, you first have to choose your topic. One of the most popular topics is working on the Greek, Roman, or Egyptian Gods! The topics are all over time, just like mentioned above. Of course, there are various topics for each time period, like for China, there is not only the Great Wall but also inventions! After you pick one of these topics, you have to do some research. You have to use two books and two websites at the very minimum, but you could always use more. You will use this information to write a report that has to be three pages. If it is a bit longer, that is okay. Afterward, the real fun begins. You get to make a 3D model based on your topic! You can get extra credit if you dress up. Also, afterward, you make a 3-4 minute flipgrid presentation explaining your topic. This whole project is one of the most exciting during your time in Vernon.

As you can see, the 6th graders have a humongous amount of choices, which means numerous opportunities to show their creativity. Being able to look back into ancient history with this project will help all of us understand and appreciate the past. Every single student has put in their best effort. In addition to the 3D model, oral video presentation, and a written report, this project really sparks a whole new interest in the past. It helps create a solid foundation of what lives were like then to help make the world we live in today. It is also a phenomenal project to work on as a whole grade because you learn so much more about topics you otherwise would have just some baseline knowledge of.

When it comes to the end of the project, you get to dress up in an outfit that best represents your topic. After all the time and effort that is put in, it's a great way to end the project and showcase all your hard work. The sixth-grade hallway is transformed into different time periods that you genuinely feel like you are there in some aspects. It is a great project, and all students are Vernon should really be excited to know that in just a few short years, they will also get to participate in this fantastic project to sort of end their time at Vernon. A very special thank you to Mr. Youngs, the sixth-grade social studies teacher, for helping this project become a reality!

What's Going on in Vernon

Maker Space

By: Mateo Reyes

A Thank You to the Vernon Security Guards

Wax Museum

By: Hailey Vidro

By: Mateo Reyes

Maker space is a really fun thing in Vernon. That's why every grade in Vernon gets a turn. So I'm going to tell you facts and many more things about maker space. Maker space is an entertaining part of the school that allows you to be creative as can be! The teachers are Mrs. Loring and Ms. Taylor. They are really nice and teach us a lot about safety and different STEM programs! Do you know all the details of maker space? Well, I'm going to tell you about it, so get ready for some points. Maker space is located in the 5th-grade hallway. Typically when I go, the 5th-graders are at lunch. The maker space is in a small-ish room you can see from the outside. They fit a lot of stuff in there that we are all able to use for our projects. Maker space is a fun thing that we get to do in school. When your teacher says, "We have maker space today!" Everyone is always excited to enjoy it and create something unique. Here is about maker space, so the first thing is that there are tables labeled, so you know where to sit. Maker space has been around for a while now. There is paint, cardboard and boxes, tons of maker materials, glue, tape, and so much more. Really anything you could ever want to create with, they most likely have within reason. If you haven't been to maker space before, get ready because it is a really great time to allow your creative juices to flow!

Well, what would Vernon be without security guards? They keep our school safe! And they watch over us so we can learn, be safe, and stay healthy! Without security guards, there would be no one to watch over the cameras or to help outside when students or teachers need them!

Without the security team, there would be no one to report back to Dr. Vacchio if they noticed anything. There would be no one to greet us in the morning and help us out of our cars. As well as help us at the end of the day with directing traffic, so we all get home safe. The school would be in utter chaos if there were no security guards! That's why we need security guards. Some have been working for a while, just to keep the kids of Vernon safe! They will protect Vernon and all its students and teachers like a sandwich that's perfect!

It's that time of year again! It's time for the famous third-grade wax museum! Third graders at Vernon get to participate in a school-wide favorite project that is a biography project about a famous person. Either historical or current. Third-graders spend weeks researching and learning all they can about the person they chose. They put together a project about them, and then finally, they plan out their outfit to look like the person they chose. Parents are invited to the museum where they can not only come to see their child but also go to each classroom and "activate" the wax museum kids to learn more about the person they chose. It is just like the movie night at the museum and one of the best projects I participated in at Vernon. Some examples of famous people are Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Jeff Bezos, Barak Obama, Elon Musk, Michael Jordan, and Queen Elizabeth, just to name a few. The wax museum teaches children about famous people in the past and present. Each class also gets the opportunity to see what their friend's projects were. It's kind of like a practice run. When I did the Wax Museum, I did Sacagawea. I spent several weeks reading books and researching her online. When it came time for the actual wax museum, I had to stand as still as possible until I was "activated." I also got to wear a costume and tried to look like her, and then once I was activated, I came to life and told whoever pressed the button all about Sacagawea's life.

A thank you from your security guards:
It's an honor and privilege to serve as your security team at such a great school here at Vernon. Our dedication to keeping all of the wonderful, kind, and talented students safe is a pride we take on a daily basis. We are looking forward to the nicer weather and the remainder of the school year with you all!
From,
Your Security Team

What's Going on in Vernon

The Best School in the Nation Events

By: Austin Grassi and Alex Karalis

Hi Everyone! We are here to talk about the one, the only, the BEST school in the nation...James H. Vernon School events! One of our crazy events is field day. Field day is a MONSTER DAY. There are running, jumping, and kicking games; one recent game is the sponge race. The best part about field day is the sportsmanship!

The next event is PARP. PARP stands for pick a reading partner. What is really fun about PARP is you get to submit book bucks, and you get prizes from getting picked from the book buck box. Each class receives a book buck box. They shuffle the boxes, and one kid gets chosen from a box and will get a prize. For example, you can get books or cool bookmarks and a cool toy!

Another fantastic event at the best school in the nation is THE PUMPKIN CONTEST. People around the whole school can participate in the contest. You will compete with everyone in the school. You cannot use real pumpkins, and this is an essential rule because they can be pretty gross. You can use plastic or Styrofoam pumpkins. This event is hosted by the library—a special shout-out to Ms. Dubon and Ms. McGee, the librarians. You have to use your idea from a book. For example, you can do The Cat in the Hat. There are two people who made this article, Austin Grassi and Alexander Karalis, and Alex was the third-place winner for the PUMPKIN contest!

Another event at the best school in the nation is THE SCHOOL PLAY of Madagascar. It was MAGICAL and a source of great entertainment. The acting was PHENOMENAL. They put a lot of work into memorizing the words, and they had a set to move around the extensive backgrounds and had to move a lot of big stuff. It was a lot of responsibility. We want to say thank you to Ms. Chiapardi and Mr. Costidis for helping the students learn the parts and stage crew to teach them where to paint the boards.

Bottle Buddy Project

By: Austin Grassi

I am sure all if not most of you have heard about the American Revolution. Well in the fourth grade you have a whole history unit that focuses on The American Revolution. It was how British America fought for independence from the British. This is a monumental moment in history. You have to make a bottle buddy project based on a historical figure at the end of the unit. I chose Nathen Hale. He was a spy for the patriots, as you will learn. You can choose to have your bottle buddy based on someone that fought for the patriots or someone for the red coats. You want to choose someone who played a pivotal role in the American Revolution and make them from a bottle. It is a fun project but can be a little challenging. While making your bottle buddy, you are essentially doing a biography on the person you chose to do for your bottle buddy. Once the unit and your bottle buddy project are done, all the fourth-grade students' families are invited to Vernon to see all the bottle buddies created. Each class has a display outside of the classroom. It is a really fun and educational project that allows you to learn a lot about different influential figures within the American Revolution.