Cool Photos by Stephanie Thomas

Senior vs Faculty Basketball game

    The seniors recently played a game against some faculty members. They wanted to revive a tradition that hasn’t happened in a while. The faculty won 35-34. Here are some opinions about the game:


   “It was great to start off a new tradition from one of our old traditions and to see the students and faculty have a good time together, “said Frank Morelli, a player for the faculty team.

   Some highlights from the game were when the faculty jumped out to a 20-5 lead behind amazing shooting by Coach Hammond, but the students came roaring back cheered on by their fans from the rest of the upper school. And of course a little bit of help from the refs and scorekeepers. Even the refs added a few buckets of their own.

    A good time was had by all and it was a perfect ending to spring fling.

Hunger Game Movie Review

This movie was well-anticipated, and after seeing it twice, it was worth the wait and all the advertisement it got. The movie stays mostly true to the book with barely any differences. It starts off with Katniss Everdeen’s daily life style before the reaping (a drawing to see which male and which female participates in the annual Hunger Games). She hunts with her best friend and potential love interest Gale for food which is limited in their district. Her sister is drawn for the Hunger Games, and a traumatized Katniss volunteers for her. The Hunger Games take two people from each district, totaling twenty four, and they must fight in an arena where they fight to the death. She along with Peeta Mellark is selected. The movie focuses on Katniss in the arena. The sound is amazing and the way it was shot really makes you seem like you’re in the movie. It’s really cool even for someone who hasn’t read the books and not that difficult to understand even if you didn’t. It’s sold more tickets than Twilight, and you should definitely check it out. 

How to Take the Perfect Photo

To take a perfect photo you need to make sure everything is perfect. So here are some tips to help you take the perfect photo!

You need to make sure that your background is very vibrant but very formal. What I mean by this is that make sure your background is very contrasting to make your object stand out, but make sure your background doesn’t have any cars, people, poles, banners, hobos or trees that aren’t the object of your photo.

If you are taking a picture of an object, make sure you are level with the object you are taking a picture of. It’s like you are looking that object in the eye.

Make sure you know your flash’s range. So then if you are taking a picture of something and you are using your flash, if your object is out of range of your flash it will not get the object and the object will remain dark.

Lastly, be a picture director. Don’t be afraid of moving around the object or adjusting yourself. You want to be at a good angle where you can see the object clearly or give the picture some spunk.

That’s it! By following these steps, I’m sure you will have the perfect photo. 

Soccer Interview: Abbi Khan

     Abbi Khan is an avid soccer player that participates in many soccer opportunities outside of the Westchester Community. She has invested most of her time in this sport, and it has paid off because now she is very successful at soccer.

MSB: What extracurricular activity do you participate in?

Abbi: I participate in soccer with the YMCA challenge soccer and CCSC.

MSB: How many years have you participated in this activity?

Abbi: I have participated in it for 5 years.

MSB: Do you see an improvement in the year that you have participated in the activity?

Abbi: Yes, I have improved my speed and I have scored more goals.

MSB: What is your record of goals?

Abbi: My record is 3 goals in one game.

MSB: Have you won any major awards?

Abbi: I won MVP last year.

MSB: What is your number?

Abbi: 15, but it is not my favorite number.

MSB: Is there anything that you would say to people that are interested in participating in soccer?

Abbi: It is fun and we want players, if they would like to work hard.

8th Grade Interviews

Jack Argo

MSB: What is your favorite thing about Middle School?

Jack:  The freedom.

MSB: What are you planning to play this year?

Jack: Basketball and soccer.

MSB: How long have you been here?

Jack: Since kindergarten.

MSB: What is your favorite quote?

Jack: Eat or be Eaten.

Wildcats in the Community: Swimming in Talent

By: Laney Henley

In this issue I will be writing about Jane Nunn. Jane is a seventh grader who is involved in the Westchester community along with being highly involved in the swimming community.  Jane is highly active in swimming and is also very successful in her competitions. She is a very active person in her swimming and schoolwork, and is also very nice and welcoming to all of her friends even with her busy schedule.

MSN: In which extra -curricular activity do you participate?

Jane: I swim at High Point swim club and am an active member.

MSN: How many years have you participated in?

Jane: Three years competitively, but I have been swimming since I could first be put in water.

MSN: Do you see an improvement in your performance with the years that you have been doing the sport?

Jane: Yes. The harder you work, the more improvement you’ll see. I’ve worked pretty hard.

MSN: What are your best times or scores that you have done?

Jane: In the division 200 freestyle my fastest time is 2:15, in 50 meter freestyle my time is :28, and in 500 meter freestyle my fastest time is 6:15.

MSN: Have you won any major awards?

Jane: Yes, I won Coaches Award in 2010, also won the highest Participant in Swim a Lap, and I have lots of ribbons.

MSN: Do you have any important things that you want to tell everyone about swimming?

Jane: Come swim, we need more swimmers.

Wildcats in the Community: The Horse Whisperer

By: Laney Henley

MSN: In which extracurricular activity do you participate?

Rachael O.: I participate in Horseback riding at Ledford Farms in Greensboro.

MSN: How many years have you participated in this activity?

Rachael O.: I have participated in it for two and a half years.

MSN: Do you see an improvement in the year that you have participated in the activity?

Rachael O.: Yes, when I went to Cathy’s barn I learned important details that I worked on and now I am better in my showing.

MSN: Have you won any major awards?

MSN: I have won to Reserve Championships at Sedgefield. A Reserve Championship is a second place in the Championship round.

MSN: What would you say to people interested in horseback riding?

Rachael O.: Horseback riding is harder than it looks!

Story of the Week: Blue Betsy Hood

By: Tori Ayodele

Once upon a time was a little blonde headed girl named Blue Betsy Hood. She was small with wobbly arms and legs had long hair. Today the girl’s father made a peanut butter cookie recipe for his papa. But who would deliver the cookies?

“I will deliver it!” exclaimed Blue. So she grabbed the basket and put on her hood.  On her way to Grandpa’s, a wolf smelled the peanut butter cookies and fell in love. He was utterly hunger and wanted something to eat so he ran to a log house where an old man was watching TV. The old man took  a look at the wolf and gasped.

“Grandpa! Open the door!”Blue knocked on the door. She heard a coughing and opened the door. Grandpa’s room was wide open and it was blue and beautiful . Grandpa was muttering something.   “BLUE ACHOO! BLUE, MY DARLING!! ACHOOO!!! COME IN ‘ERE! I UH ACHOO NEEDDDD YOUU!!!”  and so Blue ran into her grandpa’s room and noticed he was a Wolf. She gasped and pulled the covers. “You’re a…WOLF!” and the wolf yelled and took a bite of the air. Quickly , Blue ran and opened the closet and untied Grandpa.  Then a lady walking close by came in and rescued Blue. She chained the wolf up with a collar and leash and allowed Blue to escape and live happily ever after.

The End

Kathryn's Hair

If you dye your hair,

Have you ever wondered how your life would change if you changed your hair color? Well I just dyed my hair reddish brown, but it’s still the same as dying it any other color than your natural color.

For one thing if you don’t tell anyone and then just walk into school, it’s going to be a big deal. That’s what I did and I noticed it gets you so much attention. I didn’t mean to get so much attention. It just happens when you change your hair color in such a small school.

Everyone starts to talk either good or bad. Some people say that they love my hair so do I but some people say that it looks bad, but I like it and that’s all that matters.

April's Fools Jokes

There are some really funny April Fools jokes that you can try to do. There are many great ideas that are really funny and pretty easy!

Here are just a few:

Spilled Polish

Get a bottle of nail polish and some wax paper. Pour out all of the nail polish onto the wax paper. Wait for it to dry and then peel it off the paper. Now you can put it anywhere you want and people will think you stained their things with polish!


Mouse Trap

This is really simple. Get a sticky note and put it on the light on the bottom of the computer mouse. Now no matter how hard the person tries to get the mouse to work, it won’t.


April Showers

If you have a sink with a sprayer, put a rubber band around the handle when nobody's looking. This automatically keeps the nozzle in spray-mode. Make sure the nozzle is pointing up. The next person to use the sink will get a spray!!

Soda Mix Up

When you are at a restaurant with a friend, ask for an extra straw and a few extra ketchup packets. When your friend is not looking, puncture the straw through one of the ketchup packets, and replace your friends straw with the ketchup straw. Watch and enjoy.

Now that I’ve shown you a few, come up with your own.

The Grammys

The biggest night of music, a night dedicated to music, occurred. The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were a month ago. Here’s an overview. The host: LL Cool J. Major winners include Adele, with a stunning six Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year (“Rolling in the Deep”) and Album of the Year (21). Other winners included Kanye West & Jay-Z, Skrillex, Foo Fighters, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Rihanna, Fergie, Kid Cudi (“All of the Lights”), and many others. Performers included Bruno Mars, a tribute to Etta James featuring Alicia Keys, several mentions of Whitney Houston, Nicki Minaj, Foo Fighters, Beach Boys, Taylor Swift, Foster the People, Adam Levine, Paul McCartney, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Coldplay. With lighting to mirror the song and band, amazing dance moves, new fashions, great openings, powerful performances, and lots and lots of suspense, it was an unforgettable night.


Personally, my favorite performance was Chris Brown, with spectacular dance moves and a new catchy track, with background dancers and colorful lights.

Music Review of the Week

Several new releases have come out recently on iTunes. In my opinion, they are well overdue, because practically no new releases came out since Christmas music in December until now. Without further ado, here’s the long list of new releases:

“Part of Me” by Katy Perry- A self empowering anthem released after Katy’s recent nasty divorce with Russel Brand. It’s a great song to listen to when you need a confidence boost. She performed it at the Grammy’s. Number one on the charts.

“Starships”* by Nicki Minaj- a bubblegum dance/ pop song resembling her previous hit “Super Bass”. It’s a great party song, or just a happy song that makes you want to dance.

*Parental Advisory

“Good Girl” by Carrie Underwood- A strong voiced country single about warning a good girl not to date another seemingly “good” boy, telling her she doesn’t know how “bad” he really is.

“What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction- I am SO excited about this one. One Direction has already blown up in Europe and Direction Infection has already hit America. The release of this was well overdue. This March, their full album will finally be released in the US. The song is a sweet, danceable song about a girl not knowing how beautiful she is. It’s a message that every girl will love. For a while, it was number 10 on the iTunes charts.

“Climax” by Usher- A well-awaited single from the R&B artist, resembling some of his earlier music, with a slow, soulful tone.

Student Voice: Screen Print

I think screen print on T-shirts should be allowed during school. There are lots of reasons teachers have given us for why screen print is prohibited. You say it is distracting, can be inappropriate and it violated the Code of Conduct “Respect you mind and body”. I say, however, that this is not really the case.

Many teachers say screen print can be distracting to both students and faculty. Any sort of clothing can be distracting and screen print is just as distracting as a sparkly top or a brand name dress. In middle school, kids own all sorts of clothes. Many times these clothes are not school appropriate, but even more often they are just cute little sayings or sports logos. Kids should be able to support their teams and express themselves. Unless the screen print as promiscuous leadings or bad words it is not necessarily bad for young teenagers to express themselves with clothing. Teachers often say every rule is based off the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct rule that applies to screen print is “Respect your mind and body”. Most screen print shirts are actually more modest than the clothing girls wear every day, and there are more options with less skin. You are respecting your body’s modesty more by covering up behind screen print, which is what all adults want out of their young teenagers.

The screen print has many valid and persuasive arguments for and against it, but I think there are more reasons to allow screen print than to forbid it.

Flats vs. Heels

Have you ever not known what shoes to wear to a party? Sometimes it takes forever to decide. Well it’s time to get some help. If you’re going to a casual party, your best bet is probably flats or wedges. Wedges are a type of heel that is easier to walk on than pencil heels which are harder to walk in than wedges. If you’re going to a casual party during the summer you should probably wear wedges that match the color of your dress, skirt, or swimsuit, but if you’re going to a party at night that’s kind of a dressy party you should wear heels. Then flats are a defiant for having during the school year. Flats match just about anything during spring and fall. You can wear flats with jeans, dresses, and skirts usually your flats match your shirt, dress or skirt. Well I hope this helps!

Best and Worst Valentine’s Day Gifts Ever

5 Worst Valentine’s Day Gifts Ever

Valentine’s Day’s coming up and most people are totally clueless on what to get their special someone. So, to enlighten our fellow shoppers, here are a few ideas of what you should get-and what you SHOULDN’T get.

1. A breakup. Because probably nothing hurts more on the day of L-O-V-E than getting your heart broken.

2. Knives or anything sharp. According to ancient philosophies, sharp objects are bad luck and “sever” the relationship.

3. Footie Pajama’s. No. Just no.

4. Socks. Do I even have to explain?

5. Exercise videos. It’s like saying, “I love you sweetie, but you need to lose weight, fatty.”

5 Best Valentine’s Day Gifts Ever

1. Chocolate. Because who doesn’t love chocolate? Except Leila, because she’s weird ;)

2. Stuffed Animals. Cute, cuddly, and adorable. Who’s not to love?

3. Cool phone cases. Or anything they need? Not only will they appreciate it and use it, it’ll show you they pay attention and listen 

4. Flowers. For girls, obviously. This classic gift any girl will appreciate.

5. Hugs and kisses. The best gifts ever aren’t material. End. Of. Story.

New Years Resolutions

The holidays are coming fast, and right after them comes New Year’s! We asked our fellow middle schoolers and teachers what their New Year’s resolutions are.


-After a long tedious conversation with Mike Bauman, he finally decided he wanted to get all his homework assignments in on time.

-Laney decided with a smile that she wants to try to work harder at everything she does 

- Tori answered quickly: To grow taller.

- Mr. Moe thought about this…and decided he wanted to get more sleep.

-Leila wants to be more successful on her many athletic teams

Black Box Theater

Middle and upper schoolers will be producing black box theatre productions. They will be doing a monologue, duo interpretation, or short skit. Some of the directors are Jamie English and Debbie Noyes. The monologue will be 3 to 5 minutes long. There will be one person for the monologue. The duo interpretation will be with two people and will be 8 to 12 minutes long. They will be communicating a poem, short story or play. They will not be using props. The short skit will be 5 to 7 minutes long. It will most likely be funny.

Michael Coltrane says, “It will be very interesting to see middle and upper school students performing in different skits instead of one play.”

This is the first time Westchester’s drama club is performing the Black Box Theater. Members hope to draw a large crowd at their February 10th performance at 7 pm.

Black Box Theater

Black Box Theater


Middle and upper schoolers will be producing black box theatre productions. They will be doing a monologue, duo interpretation, or short skit. Some of the directors are Jamie English and Debbie Noyes. The monologue will be 3 to 5 minutes long. There will be one person for the monologue. The duo interpretation will be with two people and will be 8 to 12 minutes long. They will be communicating a poem, short story or play. They will not be using props. The short skit will be 5 to 7 minutes long. It will most likely be funny.

Michael Coltrane says, “it will be very interesting to see middle and upper school students performing in different skits instead of one play.”

This is the first time Westchester’s drama club is performing the Black Box Theater. Members hope to draw a large crowd at their February 10 performance at 7 pm.

8th Grade Profiles

Montgomery Belk

MSB: What is your favorite thing about being in Middle School?

Monty: Being in eighth grade and having iPads.

MSB: What sports do you participate in?

Monty:  Cross Country.

MSB: How long have you been here?

Monty: Since kindergarten.

MSB: What is your favorite quote?

Monty: This toast tastes a lot like bread.

A poem

Big Mac


I want a double cheeseburger with the pickles on the side.

Tomatoes in the middle, ketchup and fries


With the fries all soggy, pickles in the jar

Without your personality, I don’t know who you are.


A half-eaten big mac sadly thrown away,

As I look into the trash can, I don’t know what to say.


It’s so very good, I cannot tell a lie,

About a double cheeseburger with ketchup and fries.


Waiting in line for the old man’s decision,

Oh my gosh he has poor sighted vision.


When I ordered, I said accidentally,

“May I please have a Ranch BLT”


DANG IT!

Instead I wanted a ……………..


Double cheeseburger with the pickles on the side,

Tomatoes in the middle, ketchup and fries

Typed by Laney Henley

8th Grade Interviews

Brett Bell

MSB: What is your favorite thing about Middle school?

Brett: The teachers.

MSB: What after school activities are you planning to participate in?

Brett: Baseball and Basketball.

MSB: How many years have you been going to Westchester?

Brett: This will be my third year.

MSB: What is your favorite quote?

Brett: “Shut-respectfully-up” –Mr. Burns.

The Holiday Poem

I’ve been excited about something upcoming;


It has to do with carols and candy canes;

A certain time is coming;

With excited children and snowy lanes.

We take a break from work and school;

We spend time with family and friends;

Smiling and laughing are the rules;

Lights and ornaments wait in tins.

After Thanksgiving dinner we gather around the tree;

And put our red, green and silver decorations to use;

We forget our fights, forget our worries;

It’s impossible to have the blues.

Daring each other to get under the mistletoe;

And just waiting for exams to be done;

We’re wearing scarves and waiting for snow;

And we’re sure to have fun.

When Christmastime has come ;

We start counting down the days;

And some are saying all they want for Christmas is someone;

We all celebrate in different ways.

The calendar says December;

Carols are being sung on the streets;

The tunes are songs everyone remembers;

And more memories are to come that we’ll keep.

Christmas time is finally here;

Some go to family, some go vacation, but there’s nothing better than home;

We’re all filled with cheer;

And Christmas will always bring light to your days wherever you roam.

"When will school be out?" A poem

I looked at the clock and wished for school to be over.
It was two o’ clock so I looked to Dover.

A smile on his face as it was time to go.

I looked around over to Joe.

All he was doing was picking his nose.

I looked over to Mary-Beth.

Who was throwing things at little Seth.

Candace and Candy were chewing gum.

While Curt and Wane, were having fun.

Sally Ruth Marble was tying her shoe.

Faith S. Sleuth was talking to Lou.

Henry was ready for bed.

And then Miss. Jones got up and said;

“Children, school is over.”

And they all ran out the door and stepping on Dover.

Under the Mistletoe is probably the most anticipated Justin Bieber album ever.  Released on November 1, it came out plenty of time before the holidays.  It is Justin Bieber’s first Christmas album. It features artists such as Mariah Carey, Usher, Busta Rhymes, Boyz II Men, and the Band Perry.  Justin Bieber is probably the number one teenage heartthrob right now, replacing the Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney era. However, he tried to target a different audience with this album. Most of his primary fans consist of screaming girls in their early teens with monster crushes on him. With this new album, he targets not only teens but young adults and even adults. With a deeper voice and songs about more mature love than just puppy love, this is already one of the biggest albums of 2011, and anticipated to be Bieber’s best album ever. The song topics consist of mostly songs about Christmas love, with remakes of popular, well-known Christmas carols such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” and “The Christmas Song.” It also has his own creations, such as the popular single “Mistletoe.”  According to the comments, most people either hate or love this album. Justin Bieber has been known for his Kidz-Bop little boy sound, and with this album, he has been successful in breaking out of this field.