JHT February 2012

John hopkins Middle school st. petersburg, Florida

INSIDE

About usThe J.Hop Times is produced four times a year by

journalism students. For more news on John Hopkins, check out the J.Hop Times online at:

http://jhoptimes.pcsb.org

J.HOP TIMESJHT

February 15, 2012

Photo by KEITH MILLER/J.HOP TIMESDid you know that some students go to school with their family? Ms. Hedeen and her daughter Alyssa Hedeen hang out in the J.Hop studio during a photo shoot featuring families on campus. To see more check out pages 8 and 9.

Cover photo

Photo by KAYLEE GROMOLL/J.HOP TIMESA lot of kids hate math class.With the iPads the time will now pass.They’re fun and cool.Way better than the textbooks at school.Math is bearable at _______.Think you know the last word to this limerick? Find the answer on page 14 and try your hand at other limericks about school news.

Photo by DOMINIC ROSADO/J.HOP TIMESOn Jan. 26, Mr. Butts plays the piano as he instructs his first period chorus class. Chorus is one of the many focus classes offered at J.Hop. To see more cool things happening around campus, check out the magnet spotlight on page 6.

Page 2 February 15, 2012

Survival Guide for Bad Gifts

By JAZMON ARNOLD

There is nothing worse than waking up Christmas morning and seeing a gift you do not like under the tree. Tiayanna Tsakalos, seventh grade, has been there, done that, and doesn’t want to go back. She is not the biggest cat fan, so when her mother got her a “kitty cat” T-shirt she figured she’d let her mom know how she felt about it, so that she wouldn’t do it again. Conn Thibodeau, seventh grade, says his bad gifts usually consist of clothes from his aunt “thinks he likes.” He usually acts “happy when I get bad gifts because I don’t want them to feel bad.” Evan Skinner, sixth grade, has a similar approach. He says he hates getting socks as a gift, but when this happens he acts as though he likes it. “I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”

Here are some tips on the best ways to react when you find yourself in this oh-so-uncomfortable situation and what to do with the bad gifts afterwards.

If you receive a gift that you cannot use, maybe someone else can. One thing you could do is donate it to your local charity, places like Goodwill and such.

A reason you might not get the gifts you like could be because no one knows what you want. So this go-round maybe drop little subtle hints and just hope they get the idea.

If you really don’t like the gift, don’t be shy. In a polite way let the other person know how feel about that gift, so they don’t do it again as Tiayanna Tsakalos suggested.

You could also just suck it up because getting it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Conn Thibodeau suggests “My advice for getting a bad gift would have to be just be thankful because time and money was spent getting you a gift.”

How to deal with those dust collectors

Cartoon by DEONTREY JAMES/J.HOP TIMES

What is the worst gift you have ever received?From who and when?

Photos and reporting by LATARIA ADAMS, BREONTE HYMAN, MIASHIA WALKER and JAKIA WILSON/J.HOP TIMES

“A puzzle from my granddad because I was ungrateful and I get on his nerves.”

-La’shia Olive 6th grade

“The worst gift I have ever received was some ugly shoes from my mom on my birthday.”

-Elijah Williams 6th grade

“My grandmother knit me a pair of socks and they have rhinestones, sparkles and reindeer. They look gaudy and girly.”

-Mya Nowicki7th grade

“Some shoes from my uncle because they weren’t my type, and I got them for my birthday.”

-Jakari Dorns 7th grade

“A shirt with a fire truck on it, for Christmas.”

-Marquel Kittles 7th grade

“The worst gift I have ever received was a homemade sweater from my grandma on my birthday.”

-Precious Thomas8th grade

Special ReportPage 3J.HoP Times

By MYESHA HALL

Eighth-grade guidance counselor Ms. Tucker said stress can affect students physically. It can give you headaches and make you think you’re sick. Accord-ing to bhia.org, a medical advice website, stress can lead to depression, sleep problems, high blood pressure, ulcers, nausea, loss of appetite, muscle tension, migraines, drug and alcohol use and excessive nervousness.

“Everyone needs to learn how to relax and find their happy place because stress can kill,” Ms. Tucker said.

To cope with stress, Ms. Tucker recommends students stop holding ev-erything in, talk to someone and “let it out.”

Graph by MYESHA HALL/J.HOP TIMES

She gives these tips to prevent stress:

• Stay focused on the things that matter.

• Stay organized.• Avoid peer conflicts, gossip,

fighting. • Attempt to stay positive.

For your health

By MYESHA HALL

Stress is defined as a state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain, according to Webster’s Diction-ary. Many students here at John Hopkins Middle School know that definition well.

In a survey of 100 students, 58 percent said teachers were the cause of their stress. Nineteen percent did not identify a specific thing that stressed them out, instead they circled other. About one of five students surveyed said that rude students are the cause of their stress.

Eighth-grader Kayne Russell said, “Teachers are the cause of my stress because they’re always in your face when you need your own room.”

Ms. Kolhoff, Spanish teacher, was surprised to hear that so many students said that teachers are the cause of their stress. “I would hope that if a student had a problem with me or needed help that they would come and talk to me so we could work it out,” Ms. Kolhoff said. “Teachers are here to help students, not give them stress.”

Ms. Tucker, eighth-grade guidance counselor, was also surprised students think that teachers are the cause of their stress. “I thought they would say that classwork or homework would be the cause of their stress. It kind of sounds like displaced blame to me,” she said.

Ms. Williams, language arts teacher, agreed. “I don’t think that teachers are the cause of their

stress. I think that they are overwhelmed with the work that they’re getting and because teachers are giving them the work they think that teachers are the cause of their stress.”

Emily Rivera, seventh grade, said, “Too much work stresses me out, but I usually get help from my parents or my teachers.”

Teachers do things to try to help students manage their classwork and not get stressed out. Mrs.Gonzalez-Wright, a Spanish teacher, said she tries

to keep assignments short and give tests a second time to make sure her students have a chance to get a higher grade. Ms. Bell, sixth grade reading teacher, said she tries to help students avoid stress by going over the class schedule and a timeline, so her students know when things are due.

Ms. Williams said that in order to get students to feel comfortable in her classroom she tries to “build a community, talk with them and find out their issues.”

But school isn’t the only thing that leads to stress for J.Hop students. Autumn Devero, a seventh-grader, said, “When my dad left, I was stressed and it brought my grades down to Ds and Fs.”

Dominic Rosado and Tyler Holt contributed to this story.

“Everyone needs to learn how to relax and find their happy place because

stress can kill.”

-Ms. Tucker, eighth grade guidance counselor

Under pressure

“Teachers are here to help students, not give them stress.”

-Ms. Kolhoff, Spanish teacher

Graph by MYESHA HALL/J.HOP TIMES


Around J.Hop

Reported by BRITTANY WEDDLE and GISELLE ZAYASPhotos by JORDYAN DOWNING and GISELLE ZAYAS

What do you think about homeroom? Do you think it’s a good idea?

Why or why not?

“Well it can be boring at times and sometimes I like it because some-times you really don’t do anything, like when the eighth-graders do their writing FCAT. It could be a good idea because it could be like a punishment, but it could be bad because it cuts into some of your favorite classes.”-Riley Corlett, 7th grade

“It’s good ‘cause we are getting prepared for FCAT.”-Elijah Henry, 6th grade

“It’s ok, but there’s nothing too special about it. It cuts off time for my other classes.”-Yolaila Palacios, 7th grade

“I think homeroom is boring.”-Antwann Evans, 8th grade

“It’s boring because we don’t really do anything in there [and] it changes the schedule.”-Maya Leonavicius, 7th grade

“It’s boring, because none of my friends are there [and] if we do it for the whole six weeks, it’s gonna mess up our school time.”-Alexis Williams, 8th grade

Photo by SIERRA LEVY/J.HOP TIMES

By SARAH POHL, ALEXUS BARNHART and KEVON BUXTON

At the start of the year, students had to go to their homeroom for Trojan PRIDE lessons, but it didn’t last long. In the beginning of January, home-rooms were brought back; and with them, a different bell schedule for every day of the week.

According to a schedule from Mr. Brown, students will go to homeroom for 20 minutes on Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons during the fourth marking period.

“It’s too confusing,” said sixth-grader Jonathon Gilbert.

On homeroom days, every class is shortened by four minutes and the lunch schedule shifts. Seventh-grader Sherroy Williams said, “It takes up some of our class time, like if we want to make up work. It stops me from making my grades better.”

The first two homerooms focused on Drop Everything and Read, and future homerooms will focus on Trojan PRIDE Expectation meet-ings and FCAT test-taking strategies. Homerooms are also designed to get students accustomed to going to their FCAT testing site.

“We decided that our students needed time to improve on their FCAT skills,” said J.Hop principal Mr. Brown.

Not all teachers are convinced homeroom can do that. “(It will not help), not with the test; you get that from your years of schooling, not

what you do in a little group,” said eighth-grade history teacher Mrs. McRobert.

Some teachers are bothered by the new bell schedule. “I think it’s bad procedure to change the schedule mid-year,” said Ms. Trapani, seventh-grade science teacher.

Homerooms cause confusion

Photo by ALEX PEREKHODKO/J.HOP TIMES(Above) On Jan. 26 students drop everything to read for the last 20 minutes of school during homeroom. Students are split up by their last names for homeroom. This is the classroom that they are going to be taking FCAT in.(Below) Students go to homeroom at the end of the day on Thursdays and the start of the day on Mondays. “I think it’s great because kids get extra reading time,” said seventh-grade math teacher Mr. Williams.

Photo by KAYLEE GROMOLL/J.HOP TIMES

Page 5J.HoP Times

Around J.Hop

By TYLER HOLTState lawmakers are trying to make physical education in grades 6 through

8 an elective rather than a requirement with SB 1644. If passed, new rules for gym class would go into effect as soon as next year.

Several students think passing the bill is a bad idea. “We need our kids to be fit,” said seventh-grader Jamal Dorsey.

Ms. Kelly Bennett, a nurse at Pediatric Health Care Alliance, P.A. in St. Pe-tersburg, said schools, as well as parents, are responsible for teaching students healthy habits. Gym class is one way students learn to incorporate exercise into their daily lives. If students don’t exercise, she said they may end up with high cholesterol and “… obesity, which leads to diabetes and then heart conditions.”

Ms. Bennett also said that gym helps relieve stress and that it’s a good dis-traction from the tests and difficulties that come with school work.

Seventh-grader Dannaija Sawyer said students need gym in their schedules so they can get a break. “Gym is the only fun thing about school,” she said.

Sixth-grader Ivy Mcreynolds said she would miss listening to her mp3 player, since gym is the only class where she’s allowed to do that.

Seventh-grader Antwon Cummings likes sports and said he doesn’t want gym to to go away. “I want to become a football player,” said Antwon.

Teachers think taking gym away is wrong for different reasons. “We are a society that doesn’t move and our children don’t move,” said

reading teacher Ms. Bell. Gym class in school is a place where students have to do physical activity.

“It teaches [you] how to stay fit,” said Coach Starling. “It teaches how to wind down at the end of the day.”

Gym classs “helps burn off excess energy,” said Coach Moraniec, who thinks that if students have good exercise habits, it will carry on to adulthood.

If the bill does pass and gym is no longer a requirement, Coach Moraniec rec-ommends that students participate in an after school activity or a youth group to stay fit.

If gym becomes an elective, some gym teachers will have to leave the school, according to J.Hop Principal Mr. Brown. He said kids wouldn’t get enough exercise if gym was taken out of schools. “I can’t say I’m fond of it. Most of our kids are sitting in front of the TV and video games,” Mr. Brown said.

By ROMESHA SMITHThe gym at J.Hop was closed for three weeks

during November and December because of student misbehavior, according to Mr. Brown.

“Gym was in classrooms because of the lack of the students’ cooperation in the gym and that think-ing the gym is a luxury,” said Mr. Brown.

Mr. Vasallo and Mr. Latimore said moving gym classes to classrooms was a group effort and an administrative decision, but Mr. Brown said it was dictated by the students. The administrative team had been planning on closing the gym the week before Thanksgiving break. “It isn’t something we want to do,” said Mr. Brown. “We just want the students to know that the gym isn’t a place to go to skip class.”

Administrators Mr. Vasallo, Ms. Fields and Mr. Brown announced during an assembly that the gym was closing. “Nobody wants gym in classrooms,” said seventh-grader Jaylyn Kimbrough.

That includes J.Hop teachers.“I hate inside (classroom) gym because I’m a

gym teacher and gym should not be held in class-rooms,” said Coach Starling. He said kids con-stantly skip, or they don’t dress out and that’s what led to gym being in classrooms. He also said when the students first came in the classrooms they didn’t like it, “but it’s their fault we’re in here anyway.”

Ms. Kolhoff said she didn’t think the gym need-ed to close for everyone, but the skippers needed consequences. “I know how and why they closed the gym, but it’s sad that the students couldn’t play sports and be active, but there were so many stu-dents not using the gym how they’re supposed to,” said Ms. Kolhoff.

Jaylyn said it was “boring” to have gym class in a traditional classroom. “We’ve already got seven classes inside,” he said. “All we do is word searches every day.”

Seventh-grader Ayzhiah Lawson said she thinks the gym being closed is bad because you can play around in gym but not in the classroom.

Eighth-grader Matthew Brinson said that he was upset with the gym being closed because “now I can’t skip and talk to my friends. Well I can but the teacher tells us to be quiet.”

Eighth-grade assistant principal Ms. Wilson said if kids are still skipping in the gym it would be closed a second time. “We are going to have teach-ers in the hallways trying to get students into class,” she said.

The gym reopened Jan. 3. Now, teachers take attendance before going outside, and according to Coach Starling, skipping is down.

One less class: Lawmakers might get rid of gym as a requirement

Photo by LAZARRE LESTER/ J.HOP TIMESStudents run pacer sprints in the gym at J.Hop during their regular gym class. Coach Starling said they run sprints to test their endurance. State legislators are considering cutting the gym class requirement next school year.

School officials blame skippers for gym closure

Photo by CHELSEY CHEN/J.HOP TIMESThe gym sat empty for the beginning of 2012 as students had to meet in classrooms to do book work instead of playing in the gym. Students who were skipping class and not dressing out caused the gym closing.

Photo by CHELSEY CHEN/J.HOP TIMESThe gym was closed for three weeks in November and Decem-ber because a lot of students were using the gym to skip class. Students were redirected to classrooms to learn about health.


Campus Talent

Magnet Focus Spotlight

Photo by KENYA HOWARD/J.HOP TIMESCarlos Lovett, sixth grade, practices playing the piano on Jan.17 downstairs in Building 5 during first period Piano 2 class. He says it’s one of his favorite classes. “It’s fun, we get to learn new things,” said Carlos.

Photo by LATAVIA NELSON/J.HOP TIMESSeventh-grader Jamie Loomas, left, and sixth-grad-ers Jakob Lewis and Kevin Lai in the band room on Jan. 17. The students practice their music on their guitars during second period. Kevin said, “it’s alot more fun than my other classes, and I like music.”

Photo by DOMINIC ROSADO/J.HOP TIMESOn Jan. 26, Mr. Butts teaches his first period cho-rus class. Some of the students in the chorus focus perform in All State competitions.

By MYAH ALVAREZ

Students crowd around Jordan Shorter upstairs in the hallway of Building 5. “Gimmee a beat,” the eighth-grader says. Someone starts to beat box and Jordan begins.

“Ima gangsta’ I ’on stunt, my hatas I’on brush my teeth. I just eat steak and potatoes.”

Students nod their heads, erupt with laughter and say, “keep goin’, keep goin.’ ”

Whether in the cafeteria, corner of a classroom or the hallway, Jordan is always rapping.

“It’s the easiest way to express myself and get things off my chest, and to entertain people,” said Jordan, who has been rapping since he was eight-years-old.

Jordan mostly raps about the crazy things he sees, including “two people calling each other friends or brothers and sisters, then they hate each other or be fighting. That ain’t cool.”

Jordan records his raps and then puts them on Facebook and YouTube. He said when he raps people say “that was raw, you did that thing, you did that boy.” Jordan takes his rapping seriously; he even records at his own house or at a friend’s house.

“Awesome’’ is how Keyonna Peterson, an eithgh-grader, describes Jordan’s rapping.

Eighth-grader Bre’Asia Lynn also draws crowds around her.

“Now he wanna photo, but I told him no though, he blowing up my phone and I told him that’s a no-no, and he call me everyday, every-day, everyday,” Bre’Asia rapped.

Bre’Asia started rapping last summer. Her topics include money, clothes, what she does in school and what she and her friends do on the weekend.

She records herself, but she only watches it on her TV with her friends. She raps for fun, and she does it whenever she feels like it. Bre’Asia said a lot people say “Danngg, she’s raw!’’ when they hear her.

Students see similarities between rappers at J.Hop and famous rappers. “She’s like Nicki Minaj,” said Keyonna.

Photo by SIERRA TAYLOR/J.HOP TIMESBre’asia Lynn, eighth-grader, stands in the hallway of Building 5, on Jan. 26 as she looks over a Spanish rap she wrote. She is a known J.Hop rapper to the school. “BEJ! That’s the name of my rapping group,” she said.

J.Hop student rappers

Photo by SIERRA TAYLOR/J.HOP TIMESOn Jan. 26 Jordan Shorter, eighth-grader, sits in his 2nd period class writing a rap. He calls himself a rapper hoping one day he’ll get big. “I may not be famous now,” he said. “But one day I will be!”

Page 7J.HoP Times

Campus Heroes

Mr. Morris - Head Plant OperatorMr. Morris is the head plant operator. He makes sure the school is clean and safe,

and that everything works properly. He has worked for J.Hop for 23 years and for the school system for 31 years. Mr. Morris said he likes working at J.Hop because of “the friendship, the people. And I love coming to work.”

“If the A/C is broken, he makes sure it’s fixed,” Mr. Brown said. “He is in charge of his staff so they clean the classrooms, and deals with the fire marshal if there is a fire.”

Photo by DOMINIC ROSADO/J.HOP TIMESOn Jan. 24, Mr. Morris operates a machine that is used to clean the campus. His job is to man-age the janitorial staff of J.Hop.

By ALEX PEREKHODKO

The J.Hop Times wanted to know who Mr. Brown, our principal, thinks is important to our school. He said the support staff people, who work behind the scenes, are the school’s unnoticed heroes.

Mr. Brown sees unnoticed heroes in support staff

Ms. Maxwell - Bookkeeper Ms. Maxwell manages the money for J.Hop. She is in charge of purchasing supplies

for teachers, ordering books and whatever Mr. Brown needs. At the end of the day, she said she reports her whole day back to Mr. Brown.

She has worked at J.Hop for 29 years and has worked in the school system for 35 years. In high school she took a test that determined that she liked math so she went into finance. “I like my job, is the main thing, and the people I work with. Another positive thing is I live 10 minutes from home,” said Ms. Maxwell.

Mr. Brown said it’s very important to have Ms. Maxwell at J.Hop. “If Ms. Maxwell wasn’t here there wouldn’t be any purchasing of anything … there would be an ex-treme freeze in purchasing of goods, and the payment of things that have already been purchased. She can’t not be here,” said Mr. Brown.

Photo by ALEX PEREKHODKO/J.HOP TIMESMs. Maxwell looks through files in her office. She keeps track of the money being spent and received.

Ms. Dew - Food Service ManagerMs. Dew is in command of the nutrition at J.Hop. Without her there might not be

any food in the cafeteria or in the vending machines. As food service manager, she orders the cafeteria food and prepares it with her staff.

She has worked at this school for nine years and for the school system for 19 years. She said she likes a lot of things about J.Hop. “I like the students. I like the fact that J.Hop has so many avenues. And I like that teachers care about the students.”

Photo by ALEX PEREKHODKO/J.HOP TIMESMs. Dew, the cafeteria manager, separates boxes of items to put into the freezer. She said one of the cool things about J.Hop is, “We are the only middle school that has a vending machine.”

Photo by ALEX PEREKHODKO/J.HOP TIMESMrs. Yeazell, the data management technician at J.Hop, talks to Assistant Principal Ms. Fields and Officer Niles. “I was asked to do the job by former Principal Kevin Gordan who is now the dean at St. Pete College,” she said.

Mrs. Yeazell - Data Management TechnicianMrs. Yeazell “enrolls kids into school, she makes sure the report cards are right and

prints them. She also does FTE, things [that] depend on how much money our school makes. And she balances how much money the school gets,” said Mr. Brown.

As the DMT of the school, Mrs. Yeazell does state reporting, which is very impor-tant because it earns money for the school. If there is a mistake, the school may lose money. She has worked for the school for seven years and for the school system for eight years.Mrs.Yeazell said what she likes about J.Hop is “it’s always an exciting place, never boring, and I like the staff and students.”

Page 8 Campus Spotlight

By WILLIAM KERN, IMANI LASSITER and KEITH MILLER

Do the dishes. Clean your room. Walk the dog. These are the kinds of things parents tell kids to do at home. Now imagine having your parent at school and telling you to complete class work, be good in class and get good grades. For several students at John Hopkins this is the reality. Their relatives are teachers at the school.

A different side

Seventh-grader Malachi Walker’s grandparents work at John Hopkins. His grandma is Mrs. Gist, seventh grade math teacher, and his grandfather is Mr. Gist, eighth-grade math teacher. He actually had Mrs. Gist as a teacher last year. Mrs. Gist said having Malachi in her class allowed her to see a different side of her grandson. “He caught on quickly in math and he liked to quiz me on different ways to do math problems,” said Mrs. Gist.

But she said it wasn’t always easy. “There were times when I thought he knew a problem and he didn’t know it and I wanted to pop him on the head,” she said.

Mr. Gist likes that his grandson goes to John Hopkins, so he can “keep an eye on him.”

Malachi said one of the good things about his grand-par-ents working here is he is able to get lunch money when he needs it, but having his grandma as his teacher was “awk-ward” sometimes.

Lunch buddies

Sixth-grader Alyssa Hedeen is the daughter of eighth grade reading teacher Mrs. Hedeen. “It’s fun having her here,” Mrs. Hedeen said. Alyssa says she likes to hang in her mom’s class and help out. “Before and after school she helps me with everything—setting things up, making sure every-thing works and stapling papers,” Ms. Hedeen said.

Alyssa said it’s not always easy having a mom as a teacher. “She gets mad when I get bad grades. It feels like, oh gosh. I hope I get good grades, and whenever I get bad

grades my teacher tells her in person.” When Alyssa gets good grades she is rewarded by getting to eat lunch in her mom’s class.Ms. Hedeen said she thinks her daughter may end up being a teacher like her “because she likes telling people what to do.”

‘She came out of nowhere’

Kasamba Kokayi is in the seventh grade, and his mom Ms. Hardison teaches sixth and seventh grade math here at John Hopkins. “It’s funny that he doesn’t like people to know he is my son because he thinks the teachers would have a higher expectation of him,” said Ms.Hardison.

Kasamba doesn’t have his mom as a math teacher, but he does have Spanish class down the hall from her. That has led to interesting moments. “Like a week ago I was running re-ally fast to Mr. Blowers’ drama class and she came out of no were and said stop,” said Kasamba.

Ms. Hardison said, “I don’t think there are any challenges (to Kasamba attending the same school). For me, I think it’s a bonus.”

It’s a family thing

On Jan. 18 Mr. and Mrs. Gist stand in the TV production studio with their grandson, seventh-grader Malachi Walker.

On Jan. 18 mother Ms. Hedeen and daughter Alyssa Hedeen, sixth grade, stand side by side in the J.Hop studio.

On Jan. 18 Ms. Hardison and her son seventh-grader Kasamba Kokayi laugh together.

Page 9Campus Spotlight

grades my teacher tells her in person.” When Alyssa gets good grades she is rewarded by getting to eat lunch in her mom’s class.Ms. Hedeen said she thinks her daughter may end up being a teacher like her “because she likes telling people what to do.”

‘She came out of nowhere’

Kasamba Kokayi is in the seventh grade, and his mom Ms. Hardison teaches sixth and seventh grade math here at John Hopkins. “It’s funny that he doesn’t like people to know he is my son because he thinks the teachers would have a higher expectation of him,” said Ms.Hardison.

Kasamba doesn’t have his mom as a math teacher, but he does have Spanish class down the hall from her. That has led to interesting moments. “Like a week ago I was running re-ally fast to Mr. Blowers’ drama class and she came out of no were and said stop,” said Kasamba.

Ms. Hardison said, “I don’t think there are any challenges (to Kasamba attending the same school). For me, I think it’s a bonus.”

Helping hands

Seventh and eighth grade language arts teacher Mrs. Williams has a daughter in the sixth grade, Paris Williams. She said one challenge about having her daughter attend the same school she works at is that teachers’ “expectations are higher for your kid.”

“If I do one little thing wrong they want to say, ‘Do you want to go to your mom’s room?’ or they say, ‘I’m emailing your mom,” Paris said.

But she likes having her mom nearby so she can talk to her if she’s having a bad day.

Mrs. Williams likes having her daughter to help her in her classroom each morning with cleaning the desks and board. “I pay her in candy,” Mrs. Williams said.

But Paris says she doesn’t plan to follow in her mom’s footsteps. “Being a teacher is too much work,” she said.

Better communication

Geography teacher Mrs. Lynch has a daughter named Cierra Lynch who is in the seventh grade. Mrs. Lynch says she likes having her daughter here at J.Hop so she can “com-municate with her teachers.”

Mrs. Lynch said once she caught her daughter screaming and yelling in the hall. “I felt embarrassed,” she said. Cierra said she has only been caught once by her parent for not be-ing on time because she was talking to her friends.

She likes her parent being a teacher so she can stay after school.

Jordyan Dowing, Alicia Lopez, Veronica Marcano andLatavia Nelson contributed to this story.

On Jan. 18 Ms. Hardison and her son seventh-grader Kasamba Kokayi laugh together.

On Jan. 18 mother and daughter Mrs. Williams and Paris Williams show their affectionate side while hugging each other in the J.Hop studio.

On Jan. 18 mother Mrs. Lynch and daughter Cierra Lynch hug it out in the J.Hop studio.

Photos by KEITH MILLER, IMANI LASSITER and WILLIAM KERN/J.HOP TIMES


Community Heroes

By DEONDRICK WILLIAMS

When I walk into my grandma’s house she always has a smile on her face. The smell of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and pork chops fill the air. I know I’m at my grandma’s house because I hear the TV with Family Feud, Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. When I walk in the door she some-times asks, “How those grades?” My grandma is my hero because she has always been there to take care of me.

My grandma, Maria Ross, feels good when I make good grades because it means I’m actually trying to do something with my life. My mom and grandma are very supportive when it comes to grades, and if I do well, then I get money or can go any-where I want on weekends. When I get good grades, it makes me feel good about myself because I know I’m actually trying to do some-thing with my life.

When my grandmother was growing up, she wanted to go to college, but her father said no. “He wanted me to go to a certain college, but I wanted to go to a different college,” she said. The way that my grandmother said it

made it sound like it didn’t really affect her because she still got a good job and has a nice life.

My grandma has a few rules she insists on. “Clean your rooms, do your home-work, get good grades and stay out of trouble,” she said. “Those rules were enforced in my household when I was growing up and, that’s why I enforce them now.” I think those are good rules and those are the rules I live by too.

My grandma has helped my whole family and has helped me grow up to know what is right from wrong and that’s why she’s my hero. My mom, Devashawn Hillman, said my grandmother has been there for her whenever she needed. My grandma took care of me when I was little while my mom was at work, so my mom wouldn’t have to find a babysitter. She would even take care of my mom from time to time. “When I was sick, [she] would always be there for me to help me through it,” my mom said.

Because my grandma is my hero, I try my hardest to give her good news when I walk in and she asks, “How those grades?”

By KELSEA WALKER

My heroes are my grandparents because they’re actually more than my grandpar-ents; they’re now my parents, too. When I was in the fourth grade, they adopted me and my brother.

I have lived with them since I was seven. My brother has lived with him since he was three days old. They adopted us because I never knew my dad and my mom had some problems, so she could no longer take care of us.

My grandparents didn’t have to adopt me, but they did because they didn’t want to see me or my brother in a foster home. It was something that took awhile; it was a long process, but it was worth it to wait. It’s better to stay with people who you love and know than with strangers.

My grandparents are always there for me and supportive in anything I set my mind to. Not only do they attend our games for softball and baseball, but my grandpa also helps coach our teams.

Another reason I say my grandparents are my heros is because they support my dream of becoming a veterinarian. Any-time I don’t want to do my homework or I ask, “When I will ever need this?” they always find a way to tell me how I’d use it as a vet. My grandparents always try to push me so I can get better grades. They always ask me the same thing when I came home: “Do you have homework?” It does get annoying, but at I know it will

mean better grades and that will help me get into a better college.

Never knowing my dad and not seeing my mom anymore does make me a little sad sometimes, but I’m grateful to have my grandparents. Who knows where I would be today without them? Now I have things like a happy home, a nice place to live, a good education and a future that I may not have had if it wasn’t for them.

Photo by KELSEA WALKER/J.HOP TIMESEighth-grader Kelsea Walker’s grandparents Anne and John Walker saved her from going to a foster home and took her into their home when she was 7.

Always there

Forever grateful

Photo by DEONDRICK WILLIAMS/J.HOP TIMESMaria Ross, eighth-grader Deondrick Williams’ grandmother, cooks potatoes in her home in St. Petersburg. “Her cooking tastes like I am at a five-star restaurant,” Deondrick said.

Who is your hero and why?

“My mom, she takes care of me and gets me shoes and puts

money in my pocket.”-Carlo Jordan

6th grade

“Ms. Hoban is my hero because she is the most patient

teacher ever.”-Nile Jones 8th grade

“Martin Luther King Jr. is my hero be-

cause he inspires me to do great things.”

-Latrel Kato 7th grade

“Rodney Mullen is my hero because

he is a good skate-boarder.”

-Atticus Rodda6th grade

“My brother is my hero because he is

in the Marines.”-Brooke Kimball

6th grade

Photos and reporting by DELRICK BAKER, ZAC KENNEDY, ANTWOINE REID and GENESIS FELICIANO/J.HOP TIMES

Community HeroesPage 11J.HoP Times

By PEYTON MCGUIGAN

With a joke that gives everyone a chuckle, he makes anyone’s day just by the way he acts. My dad’s friend, Sherman Bywater, is my hero. When I think of Sherman I think of all the kind things that he does like charity work. He has a giving heart for anyone in need and is not a greedy person. He donates to many charities. He is happy with what he has.

Sherman was a paramedic in the middle of his life. What Sherman liked the most about being a paramedic was that he was able to save many lives. Sherman also worked at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, where he met Teddy Easterbrook. “Sherman changed my life by getting me to where I am today, owning my own gun business,” Teddy said.

But Sherman made mistakes when he was my age. He said a major life changing moment for him was when he was “straightened out” as a pre-teen. He describes himself back then as “way too rambunctious.” An officer nearly arrested him for a mess that he created at school. The officer was ready to arrest him but gave him one last chance to go back to the school and fix what he did, so Sherman cleaned up the mess and avoided being arrested. The officer was so glad he chose to help that Sherman wasn’t charged with anything. “That made me think that I need to change the way I act,” Sherman said.

Sherman’s been helping others ever since.Sherman has influenced me just like the officer influenced him. He has

taught me many things about being a great person. He taught me how to help my community. We raise money every Christmas and donate to charities for people without homes or money. These are just some of the things he showed me when helping others. I haven’t even scratched the surface of his kindness. He has done so many things. He is my hero and his name is Sherman.

Sincerity of an everyday hero

Photo by PEYTON MCGUIGAN/J.HOP TIMES

Sherman Bywater, right, celebrates his birthday at Twisted Cork Grill in St. Petersburg. He is a role model to eighth-grader Peyton McGuigan, who says he is like family.

Photo by KRYSTA MUEHLEYENDYCK/J.HOP TIMESLinda Vanoosting, leader of eighth-grader Krysta Muehleyndyck’s Girl Scout troop, organizes patches in the troop room on Jan. 16. She does this to help keep the troop room clean. “We just added new shelves so it is a lot more space to work with than we had before,” she said.

By KRYSTA MUEHLENDYCK

Every time I go to a Girl Scout event I am greeted with a smile by Mrs. Linda Vanoosting, who has red-dish brown hair and her own sense of style. Mrs. Linda is my Girl Scout Troop leader and my hero. She is the kind of person who never stops doing things for people.

Over the four years I’ve known her, she has helped us learn lots of new skills from advertising techniques to sewing to archery. “I enjoy watch-ing the girls do things that they don’t think they can do and watching their eyes light up,” said Mrs. Linda.

She goes out of her way to help us and is even running a snack food cart at her work to help us raise money for our trip to Tennessee this June, and for our 2013 trip.

I am not the only one who admires Mrs. Linda; other troop members agree. “She is a strong leader and she always tries to do what’s best for us,”

said Emily Wilson, eighth grade. “She is reliable and she can laugh at things and still be serious.”

She is the kind of person who is kind of strict with some things, but it is a good kind of strict. There are certain rules you need to follow, but she never passes up a chance to do something fun. When we are camp-ing the main rule is to leave the place cleaner than how you found it, but she lets us hang out in our tents and talk and enjoy ourselves.

We do all kinds of different activi-ties in our troop like go on trips, sell things, work events and go camping. “She helps us learn new skills and how to use them,” said eighth-grader Amber Nottoli, also part of the troop.

Mrs. Linda goes to the farthest lengths possible to do things for other people and for herself. She always puts other people first. Mrs. Linda is my hero because she cares about her-self and is kind to all people involved.

Changing girls’ lives


Community Heroes

By DE’JANIQUE BURDEN

Providing for a family of six is hard, but my mom is able to make it possible because she is a coupon queen. Kim Macon, A.K.A my mom, is my hero. She said she can usually save between $150 and $200 a week using her coupons if she sticks to her plan.

She has been couponing for the last six months and is so good at it that sometimes she will come out of the store with more than 100 things and she doesn’t pay a dime. My mom has influenced my life because she shows me that there is a way to save money without putting your items back.

“I started couponing because I have a big family, and I need to save money,” my mom said. When she does her couponing, she does it right. She uses web-

sites, newspaper ads, and she speaks to friends to get ideas. The websites she uses the most are couponshop-pinwitjane.com, coupondivas.com and couponaholics.net.

She has affected my life and others, like her co-workers. My mom’s boss, Adrianne Hester, said, “Kim always tries to teach me, but I always get it wrong. I think it’s awesome and a good way to save money.”

My mom has a huge stockpile of extra supplies. Her stockpile mostly consists of personal care products and cleaning products, but the item she has the most of is toothpaste: 25 tubes of all brands. Other top items include 20 dish detergents, 15 deodorants and 10 body washes and shampoos.

Her current stockpile also includes tissue, condition-er, cold medicine, vitamins, lipstick, lip gloss, lotion, makeup, floss, toothbrushes, feminine products, pens, hot chocolate, cereal, soup and frozen food items.

“Using coupons has really taught me how to appre-ciate the value of a dollar,” said my mom. It also really has taught me how to appreciate my mom because she’s not only saving money, but she’s also providing for me and the rest of my siblings.

By DIANA ROBLESOne morning, I looked a hot

mess. Then super mom came in and busted my door down. Super mom to the rescue! My mom helped me pick out cute clothes, put my make-up on beautifully and straightened my hair flawlessly. I looked from a hot mess to a super glam diva!

My hero is my mom, Eleanor Ro-bles. She loves me and she is always there when I need her. She gives me respect. She doesn’t yell, but instead she talks things out with me.

My mom takes care of a lot of things every day. She works at New Advantage as an accountant and comes home and immediately starts cleaning. My mom also takes classes at St. Petersburg College, and she is trying to get into the nurs-ing program. If she gets accepted, she’s going to quit work and put all her focus into school. I admire all the stuff she does for the family and that she still finds time to spare so we can hang out.

She does everything for me and my brothers. One time, my mom drove me all the way to Fort Myers just for me to see my best friend. I’m not spoiled, but my mom tries her hardest for me to have a good life. She gives me food to eat, a house to live in, a bed to sleep on, a dog to have as a friend and a lot more. “I think your mom is gor-geous, warm- hearted, caring, and loving and has a beautiful family,” said my aunt Anita..

She is so nice that one day I wanted to take a modeling and acting class. It was about $2,125. I asked my mom nicely, and she said yes!

One day, she said to me, “I would risk my life for you; I would jump in front of a bullet just to protect you.” I would do the same for my mom and so would my brother. “She does show it a lot because I know she loves me,” he said.

My mom would rather have me than a million dollars. I’m her everything, she tells me every day.

By T’SHYRA JOHNSONOne minute she is singing like a

Muppet. Thirty minutes later she is yelling, telling us to go to our room because we were playing too much.My hero is an African-American single mother. It’s my mom, Nikki Evans.

She has a good sense of humor. She cracks a lot of jokes and tries to get along with everybody in my family, even though we all have attitudes. She likes to help others and care for our friends and family, and she’s even kind to complete strangers. For Christmas, my mom and I gave away baggies filled with chocolate, peppermints,

sweets and personal care items to homeless people in our community.

She went to Boca Ciega High School and she loved writing and researching. She wanted to be a law-yer, but instead of being a lawyer she ended up working with handicapped people. I admire her for doing this job because it takes time and patience. She takes them to the gym, to do errands and helps them around the house.

When my mom was younger she made mistakes, like hanging with crowds that made her go down the wrong path. My mom used to sneak out of the house and steal my grand-ma’s car, but when I was born she changed her life around. She wants me to do the right thing and not make the mistakes she made as a kid. She tells me to treat people how I want to be treated and be respectful to all adults no matter what.

My mom takes good care of my siblings and me. She keeps us out of trouble and expects us to do well in school.She helps me with my attitude and shows me how to be respectful. She tells me to respect adults. If I do something bad she makes me take re-sponsibility. She wants me to succeed.

I love her very much, but some-times she can get an attitude and be very strict like a military teacher. I know that’s because she only wants the best for us. She teaches me how to do things right and learn from my mistakes. If she took care of you and did all the things I listed she would be your hero too.

Photo by T’SHYRA JOHNSON/J.HOP TIMESNikki Evans smiles outside her home on Jan. 27 in St. Petersburg. “She is my mom and my hero because she encourages me do the right thing. She also is caring, loving and a nice person,” eighth-grader T’Shyra Johnson said.

The coupon queenMy mom saves hundreds using her coupons

SuperMOM

An encouraging force

Photo by DIANA ROBLES/J.HOP TIMESEleanor Robles is at home doing her college schoolwork on Jan. 10. She may look like she’s 20 something, but she is in her mid thirties.

Kimberly Macon, mother of eighth-grader Dejanique Burden, sits with some of her items from her stockpile at her house on Jan. 17. Kim has this stockpile from clipping coupons to save money for her family. “Using coupons has really taught me how to appreciate the value of a dollar,” Kim said.

J.HoP Times Page 13

In the Community

By SIERRA LEVY

Five photography students from the J.Hop Times volunteered to help make portraits for those in need at the Mosley Motel during the annual Help Portrait event. Help Por-trait is an event in which professional photographers find somone in need, take their photo, print it and then give it to the family. This year at Help Portrait families got free food, clothes, and a movie by the pool, along with their portraits.

I’m Sierra Levy and I got to take pictures at Help Portrait. We got to take photos with professional Canon and Nikon cameras. We also got a chance to meet some really cool people, and see how they live and how small the places that they were living in were. It made me realize how lucky I am to have what I do. As I took their pictures, I really enjoyed letting the expressions in the photos show how the people were feel-ing The coolest part about doing this project was getting to meet different people and being able to hand them a picture and look at their facial expression and see them get happy. It makes me feel like I made a different in someone’s life.

Help Portrait opened our eyes

(Above) Residents at the Mosley Motel look at donated clothing and other items on Dec. 10 during the Help Portrait event held at the motel. Many people from all over the community donated clothing to residents at the Mosley. (Left) Eighth-grade photography student Antwoine Reid takes pictures at the Mosley during the Help Portrait event. “I like helping unfortunate people, and I like taking pictures of things that I haven’t experienced before,” said Antwoine.

(Above) Jerica McColley, a professional hair stylist, blow dries and styles a resident’s hair at the Mosley Motel before she got her picture taken during Help Portrait event. The make-up and hair room was located in an upstairs motel room.(Left) Professional photographers from the St. Petersburg area set up lights at the Mosley Motel on 34th Street N on Dec. 10 during the Help Portrait event. Help Portrait is a day when professional photographers give back with their talent, said Ms. Dietz, a journalism teacher at J.Hop who organized the event.

Photo by ANTWOINE REID/J.HOP TIMESEd Linsmier, a professional photographer in St. Petersburg, shows Kenya Howard, an eighth-grade student from John Hopkins, a picture that she took on the camera during the Help Portrait event. “I like it,” Kenya said. “I liked helping people because I usually don’t do that.”


Photo by DE’QONTON DAVIS/J.HOP TIMES




Rhyme TimeAnswer from front page: last. Mr. Williams, head of the math department, purchased iPads for the math teach-ers to check out for their classes. They have numerous math apps students can use.Answers this page: 1. stash 2. level 3. pile. 4. new 5. heal 6. hit 7. tins

1. Getting doughBy MIA BARTOLOMEI-NEGRON and SARAH POHL

The school needed to raise some cash.So we had a cookie dough bash.Eleven thousand was raised.The school should be praised.With a ton of money in our __________.

Approximately 100 students participated in our fall cookie dough fundraiser and raised more than $11,000 for the school.

2. The last wordBy TYLER HOLT and SARAH POHL

Students had to learn how to spell.Words like chickabiddy and dishevel.The spelling bee has arrived.The success simply thrived.Students will move on to the next __________.

John Hopkins hosted its first school-wide spelling be Jan. 31. Elgin Newton-Watkins, winner of the school bee will participate in the regional Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held at Admiral Faragut Academy on March 3.

6. Calzones no moreBy VIOLET BYRD

Calzones were everyone’s cafeteria favorite.But there weren’t enough staff members to hand make it.So they switched to pizzas to go.And some students said “no.” But recently they’ve become quite a __________.

The cafeteria staff used to make calzones from scratch, but had to stop because there isn’t enough staff for the time-consuming calzone making process. They’ve replaced the calzones with pizzas to go.

5. Life skillsBy JASMINE JONES

Social skills class is the best deal.In this class you have to be for real.Ms. Murphy leads by example because she helps in lots of ways.The students’ new social skills will help them every day.Ms. Murphy’s class will help you __________.

Ms. Murphy, one of our school’s violence prevention specialists, works with small groups of students once every two weeks to help them learn social skills like empathy, anger management, good decision making and how to improve their self-esteem.

3. Order in the courtBy JAY GANI

All rise welcome to the trial.We’ve all been waiting for this for awhile.Mock court in civics class will begin.In Mr. Martinez’s class, court session is in.Lawyers, witnesses and jurors put your evidence in a __________.

On Jan. 11, Mr. Martinez’s civics classes weren’t learning from books or worksheets. Instead, they participated in a mock trial.

Photo by KRYSTA MUEHLENDYCK/J.HOP TIMES


For more in depth reporting on these news stories visit http://jhoptimes.pcsb.org.

4. Monkeying aroundBy LAVANTAI BLAKE

Seventh-graders went to Lowry Park Zoo.When we got there, we didn’t know what to do.There were so many animals we’ve never seen before.The pigs got up and startedto snore.Because of this trip I learned something __________.

On Jan. 13, Ms. Trapani’s seventh-grade science classes went on a field trip to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.

Photo by DEONTREY JAMES/J.HOP TIMES

7. Write onBy LAZARRE LESTER

The school got a donation of pencils and pens.They separated them into teachers’ bins.They came in a very large box.It was as heavy as a box of rocks.And now the teachers can put them in ________.

Brown’s Trophies donated hundreds of pens and pencils to John Hopkins Middle School. The front office shared the donation with all teachers for all classrooms to enjoy.

Our news staff has created word puzzles to do.We’re using limericks to tell you what’s new.The first two lines must rhyme with the last.Give it a try. It’ll help the time pass.We know what the last line is, do you?

lim·er·ick noun (li-mə-rik, lim-rik) a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.

Page 15J.HoP Times

Opinions

Newsroom 3 Block Periods 1- 2Editor-in-Chief: Sarah PohlPhoto Editor: Sierra LevyWeb Editor: Kaylee GromellReporters: Myah Alvarez, Alexus Barnhart, Mia Bartolomei-Negron, Genesis Feliciano, Myesha Hall, Tyler Holt, Romesha Smith Senior Photographers: De’Qonton Davis, Kenya Howard, Chase Lewis, Latavia Nelson, Alex Perekhodko, Antwoine Reid, Dominic Rosado, Sierra Taylor

Newsroom 2 Period 3Charles Antongiorgi, Kendrick Auty, Jacob Bailey, Lavantai Blake, Dahlia Boone, De’Janique Burden, Kevon Buxton, Daesha Campbell, Chelsey Chen, Artiz Flowers, Brandon Garcia, Dakotah Haas, Samuel Herman, George Holloway, T’Shyra Johnson, William Kern, Imani Lassiter, Peyton Mcguigan, Keith Miller, Krysta Muehlendyck, Ashton Taylor, Quanasia Ware, Jakia Wilson, Elizabeth Wright

Newsroom 2 Period 4Greg Accola, Jazmon Arnold Dialvin Brown, Violet Byrd, Jordyan Downing, Jarret Gani, Deontrey James, Jasmine Jones, Marquez Landers, Lazarre Lester, Jalen Middleton, Alexandra Morells, Tyrik Robinson, Diana Robles, Hailey Vaughan, Kelsea Walker, Jacquel Waller, Devon Ware, Destinyi Watkins, Brittany Weddle, Deondrick Williams, Dorian Williams, Gisselle Zayas

Newsroom 1 Period 6Lataria Adams, Evan Akeman, Michael Babers, Timothy Baptiste, Allison Battaglia, Zachary Botham, Bailee Campbell, Stacy Cimone, Luna Clark, David Fitch, Timia Fonville, Guy Freeman, Damien Harris, Breonte Hyman, Nuriyjha Jackson, Amber Lemire, Alicia Lopez, Veronica Marcano, Vinson Melvin, Anna Paden, Deshayia Pennington, Jordan Pompey, Thomas Riggins, Qeara Smith, Anthony Solarte, Jealiany Sualeida, Rafael Tabera, Miashia Walker, Alexis Ware, Destiny Watts, Dante Wilkenson, Paris Williams, Destiny Young

Newsroom 1 Period 7Alycia Alcaraz, Delrick Baker, Darius Barlow, Ronald Britt, Kenshara Calhoun, Nijah Clark, Bianca Collins, Zhain Crawford, Meoshia Dillion, Nathan Glass, Travis Jones, Zachary Kennedy, Alexandriah Lawson, Tyrik Long, Tommy Mason, Zauria Mixon, Sarah Nouri, Kyrsha Page, SirElliott Roberts, Steven Roberts, Garret Shipman, Veronica Sierra, Samariz Soto, Kamara Swain, Faith Tinsley, Jalynn Williams

The opinions on this page are the opinions of the writers who try their best to get all sides of an issue before writing.

Here’s how you can be heardWrite a column or letter or draw a cartoon (keep it clean, no profanity or name calling.)Spell and fact-check your work. We reserve the right to correct any factual or grammatical mistakes. Sign your work and bring it to the newsroom, 5-113.

Note: There is no guarantee your work will be published.

John Hopkins Middle School701 16th St.S, St. Petersburg, FL33705

727-893-2400Principal: Barry Brown

Assistant principals: Christina Fields, Michael Vasallo, Nicole Wilson

JHTStaff

The J.Hop Times is produced four times a year by students at John Hopkins Middle School.

Journalism teachers: Jennifer Butkus, Luanne Dietz, Lottie WattsJournalism assistant: Jamie ImmellNewspaper designer: Kim KendaJourneys In Journalism coordinator: Cynda MortProgram development/marketing consultant: Jaye Ann Terry

Journalism advisory boardGelareh Asayesh (founder/Tampa Bay Times liaison, Journeys in Journalism), Barry Brown (Principal, John Hopkins), Stephen Buckley (Dean of Faculty, Poynter Institute), Beth Casey (attorney, Jenkins & Kaiser, P.A.), Ron Ciranna (Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, Pinellas County Schools), David Cook (Manager, TV Operations, Pinellas County Schools), Kathryn Cox (Director, Corporate Relations, Juvenile Services Program), Goliath Davis III (community volunteer), Stacey Endicott (Assistant Principal, Melrose Elementary), Krystle Fogarty (Center for the Applied Liberal Arts, Eckerd Col-lege), Gretchen Letterman (Editor, Tampa Bay Times tb-two* and Chair, Journeys inJournalism Advisory Board), Shrimatee Ojah-Maharaj (Manager, Planning and Economic Development/Business Assistance, City of St. Petersburg), Christine Porter (Principal, Melrose Elementary), Norm Smith (Associate, Eckerd College), Robert Vicari (Principal, Lakewood High), Michael Vasallo (Assistant Principal, John Hopkins Middle), Nancy Waclawek (Director, Tampa Bay Times Fund)

Volunteer: Joe Wailes

Some students from the journal-ism magnet program had a chance to tell a story about why fights in middle school start. We found out that students say the problem starts in the

streets and then goes into the school.It took five years, well it seemed like that!

But it really took three months for 15 student journalists to report, shoot, film, light, edit and produce a six-minute and 57-second video. We did five interviews that we had to tran-scribe. That means we had to write every in-terview word for word. Many of us had to stay after school to make sure we made deadline.

I had the job of being the producer, which meant I was in charge of bringing everything together from start to finish.

Journalism and photography have made me a different person.

For the first time, I love telling stories be-cause I can express myself through photos. It makes me want to come to school every day, and it has given me something that I’m really good at.

I like being able to tell stories without using words. I like being able to tell people things that are important in my life.

That’s how I came up with the idea of fights as the theme for our PBS project. They happen around me, in my neighborhood and at school. I thought it was important to tell this story because it shows people that when you do something in the neighborhood, it affects the school. It’s important for people to un-derstand why this happens (frustration, anger and problems at home) because if we don’t understand it, we can never solve the situation or problem.

I started journalism in the sixth grade, which is where I discovered photography. Taking photographs is like a meditating process for me; it lets me relax and no one is telling me to do this or do that.

I’m proud of my work. Seeing my photos in print, and finishing this PBS project, makes me feel like I can do anything. I have come a long way and I can’t stop now.

Seeing my finished projects make me feel like a millionaire.

From the Producer

DE’QONTON DAVIS

(Above) Ms. Lynch, a geogra-phy teacher, sits for an inter-view with reporter Antwoine Reid on Nov. 18. Ms. Lynch talked aout her experience with school violence and shared her thoughts on the neighborhood surrounding the school.(Left) Sixth-grader Sarah Nouri runs the camera while eighth-grade reporter Alexus Barnhart reviews her ques-tions for Officer Niles. Kenya Howard, eighth grade, sits in to test lighting on the set of the interview.


Photo by ANTWOINE REID/J.HOP TIMES

Photo by DE’QONTON DAVIS/J.HOP TIMES(Right) Journalism student William Kern holds a white chard to check white balance before an in-terview with Mr. Brown on Nov. 18. Mr. Brown was one of five interviews students did for a national PBS project video.


Principal Personality

Photos by SIERRA LEVY and DE’QONTON DAVIS/J.HOP TIMES

JHop Meeting:During meetings at J.Hop, Ms. Wilson likes to look professional. “I feel like it is professional to wear a suit,” she said.

Lounge Fit:When Ms. Wilson dresses to impress on campus, this is what she really wishes she was wearing. “I’m comfortable, and I could do whatever I want right now.”

Weekender:When Ms. Wilson hits the mall on a Sat-urday, you might find her undercover in a fashionable hat and accessories.

Big Boss: If Ms. Wilson had to get up early in the morning to go meet with her big boss in Largo, she said she would wear a skirt suit.

For more about Mrs. Wilson visit: http://jhoptimes.pcsb.org

By SARAH POHL

In January, Mrs. Wilson (perhaps the most fash-ionable of J.Hop princi-pals) visited Newsroom 3 for a press conference. She shared with us her thoughts on students, school and style.When you dress, how does it describe you?I think the way I dress does describe me because, be-lieve it or not, you can tell what I am feeling by what I’m dressed in. I believe when I come to work, I should look professional because I am professional. When I go to the beach, I’ll dress appropriate for that. Whatever you see me as, that’s what I am.Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?I like both. It depends on the situation. If it’s online and free shipping, then I don’t have to use my gas. Sometimes going to the mall is my stress reliever.Who makes the student dress code?That is district policy, they get input from the students and input from the staff and make the student code.What’s the best part of your job?The children, the kids, as-sisting kids and sharing my experiences with students because we all have our own story in life. I feel like that’s what I’m here for, to assist people. Not only do you guys learn a lot from me, I learn a lot from you.What’s the best thing about the students?The different personalities. Everybody brings their own personalities; and sometimes the personali-ties make me laugh, and sometimes they make me angry.

Principal Profile:Mrs. Wilson

By CHASE LEWIS

Ms. Wilson is known around school not only for being the seventh-grade assistant principal but also for her fashion. The J.Hop Times got an opportunity to see a variety of her outfits in a photo shoot on Jan. 9. Her favorite plac-es to shop are White House Black Market, The Limited and Express.

She said clothes help her express herself. “I think the way I dress does describe me because, believe it or not, you can tell what I am feeling by how I dress. I believe when I come to work, I should look professional because I am professional. When I go to the beach, I’ll dress appropriate for that. Whatever you see me as, that’s what I am,” said Ms. Wilson. She said her favorite outfit is the yellow sun dress because it makes her feel feminine.

She’s got style

Wilson Pick:If Ms. Wilson had to pick any outfit from her closet, this one would be her favorite. She calls it her “classy dress.”

JHT February 2012

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