Issue 4, Volume 11

First Semester in Review: 2014

Eighth graders enjoy floor hockey unit

Story by Tristan George

Last week, eighth grade students participated in one of the more popular gym activities in Wellness class: floor hockey. Students at Clay enjoyed floor hockey for many reasons. 

“I like to play floor hockey because I get to play the whole time, and because I get to play the duration of gym class, I get a good workout in," Tyler Trent, eighth grade, said.

In most gym activities that involve teams, some students play much more than others because there can only be a certain amount of students on the playing field at a time.  For example, in basketball, there can only be 10 students on the court at a time, 5 per team.  With floor hockey, however, there are no substitutes, so everyone can play the entire time.  

In addition, Clay students like floor hockey because it gives kids a chance to learn how to use teamwork. They have to work together to move the ball up the court to get a shot in order to score a goal and win a game.

Students also like to play floor hockey because there is an element of competition.  Eighth graders that have been participating in floor hockey are playing in a tournament against the other teams in their class.

“I like playing hockey because it allows me to be a part of a team,” Cooper Biggs, eighth grade, said. 

Anika Antony, Kate Matich, Cara Sajdyk, Sophie Oliphant, Claire Given, Ali Orme, eighth graders, get ready to compete in a floor hockey game. Photo by Emily Speidel

Last week, eighth graders competed in the floor hockey tournament. This week, they are learning how to ballroom dance. 

Eighth graders showcase the Amendments of the Constitution through fashion

Eighth grade sciences classes combine their physics knowledge to create hot air balloons

Issue 3, Volume 11

Eighth graders celebrate following the Clay Way with donuts

Students study, create volcanoes in seventh grade science

Eighth grade basketball plays Mt. Vernon in season opener

Issue 2, Volume 11

Boys tennis, boys cross country, eighth grade volleyball celebrate with Walk of Champions

Clay observes Red Ribbon Week

by Uday Lomada

Walk around Clay Middle on Red Day and you’d find kids decked-out in red, while others were just wearing red shirt or pants. But all of them wore red for the same thing: to support Red Ribbon Week. 

Red Ribbon Week is a national week to inform the public about the dangers of drugs and drug abuse. It takes place all over the United States and is observed during the month of October. 

Red Ribbon Week started back when an agent by the name of Enrique S. Camarena was killed. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, he was born on July 26, 1947 and lived in Mexico until he joined the Marine Corps. After serving for two years, he worked as a Narcotics Investigator for the El Centro Police Department and decided to start working for the DEA. 

He worked to find drug dealers, and in early 1985, he was close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline. However, he was kidnapped on February 7, 1985 and killed.

Shortly after he died, the Congressman, Duncan Hunter, and Henry Lozano launched Camarena Clubs in Calexico, Calif., Camarena's home town. These became widely popular and spread all over the nation. It became so popular that there was a campaign for it and the president of the U.S formalized it.

The National Family Partnership now sponsors Red Ribbon Week and gets more than eight million people to wear a red ribbon or support the event that now takes place in October.

For more than 20 years, Clay has participated in Red Ribbon Week. It is organized byt he guidance department. Red Ribbon Week is an time to teach kids about the effects of drugs and drug overdose.

Students over the years have been supporting this movement. 

We have been doing Red Ribbon Week since 1988. Even though not many people know about the origins of this movement, we still teach the dangers of drugs to the students here. Officer Dewalt helps us out in that,” Lisa Bellamy, Student Services Coordinator and Guidance Counselor, said.

To go with Red Ribbon Week, Clay has incorporated the dress-up schedule to get students enthusiastic about Red Ribbon Week and saying no to drugs.

“I enjoy teaching the students about drugs and watching them signs slips to pledge to be drug free, but also enjoy it when they dress up for Red Ribbon week,” Bellamy said.

The guidance department set up a photo booth during lunch during Red Ribbon Week. Photo by Uday Lomada 

One of the dress up days for Red Ribbon Week was "red out" day. Photo by Uday Lomada

Students prepare for the "Super Bowl" of physics challenges

By Jaala Al-Haffar

He calls it the “Super Bowl” of all challenge labs. 

He claims it’s the biggest day of the eighth grade year. 

Mr. Andrew Simon and the other eighth grade science teachers purposely withhold important information about physics labs to see what students’ minds can come up with and create. 

“It builds up the pressure and makes it more fun,” Billy Freudenthal, eighth grade, said. 

Chase Southard, another eighth grader said, “It makes the challenge more exciting and makes us look forward to it.”

This “Super Bowl” of physics lab will be the egg drop. 

The drop is going to be roughly six meters high. All eighth grade students have to come up with a creative way to drop the egg to the ground without causing it to shatter in pieces. The egg drop will take place on Thursday, October 17 during each science class. 

The lab teaches the students about force and how to change time by not focusing on the drop but on the time it takes to get to the concrete, and how to slow that down. 

Ms. Gretchen Smiley, eighth grade science teacher, says that she loves physics labs. Her favorite egg drop structure she has seen is, of course, the one all the science teachers made together. Mrs. Susan Fulp, eighth grade science teacher, says this challenge is one of her favorites throughout the whole year. 

Science teachers have been helping the students prepare for the lab by making them do similar projects but with potato chips.The teachers are looking forward to all the creativity that will come out of the students during the lab and the willingness from the students.

Sixth grade wellness students participate in track activities

Click photo below for large size

Seventh grade students participate in Survival Week

Mr. Mark Weaver, seventh grade science teacher, holds a cow tongue to show to the students. Students got the chance to taste maggots, crickets and pork. Photo by Avery Werner

by Logan Sandlin and Jacob Sager

On October 8, 2014 the smell of cinnamon apples with a hint of smoke wafted through the air. The sweet smell of honey was also floating around the fire. This was the smell of Survival Week.

During the week of October 6, the seventh grade science classrooms went to the outdoor lab and participated in Survival Week. Survival Week is a week-long history lesson of  America, and other countries that influenced the New World. It covers the time period between 1492 through the 1800's.

The week was filled with interactive activities in which students learned about the countries that inhabited early America, such as Spain, England, and France. The class of 2020, current seventh graders, participated in making necklaces, cooking bread, brewing tea, tasting honey, and rain dancing.

Many of the students that participated in Survival Week enjoyed it. 

“I think it’s a good time to experience what it was like in the olden days," William Gatte, seventh grade, said.

Many other students said that they also enjoyed it.

“It’s fun to learn what it’d be like without all the things we have today,” Ella Curtis, seventh grade, said.

Mr. Mark Weaver, seventh grade science teacher, runs Survival Week with the other science teachers, Mrs. Tracy Krause, and Mr. Sean McVey.

Mr. Weaver said, “I love running the event [Survival Week] with the other teachers.

“My favorite thing about Survival Week is getting outside and the fire,” Josh Snively, seventh grade, said.

Not only did students sit around the fire, they also got the chance to taste different foods. 

“My favorite food was the cinnamon apples. They were sweet and warm,” Griffin Hall, seventh grade, said.

All of those activities led up to the last day of Survival Week, Feast Day. 

“Feast day is my favorite day of the week. Feast day is tiring, I have to get up at 2 a.m to get the food ready,” Weaver said.

Feast day was Friday October, 10. They served foods such as pork, pig, insects, and other bugs. The students didn't have to try the food items, but Weaver recommended that the students should try it. 

Overall, most everyone enjoyed Survival Week. Michael McCollum said, “Survival week is great, and everything tastes good.” McCollum also said, “I like wearing my bandanna.”

Issue 1, Volume 11

Nominated staff take plunge in Ice Bucket Challenge

Students, staff participate in annual Clay Challenge

Photos by Emily Witucki, Emily Barthuly, Mitch Mercer, Thomas Dziwlik, Heidi Peng and Patrick Storm

A final photo goodbye to the Class of 2018

Eighth grade students celebrate award end of the year with awards ceremony