Destructible, or Delectable?

by Tyrone Whitick, 8th Grade Reporter

When you think of school lunch, what comes to mind? Yuck? Nasty? Dirty? Mmm? Yummy? Can I have seconds?

I surveyed 72 of P.S. 214X students involved in the Morningside/PAZ after school Program on this very issue. Here are the results.

According to the survey, only 26% of the students hated school lunch, 39% liked school lunch, and 35% liked school lunch sometimes—depending on what was being offered.

Mary Ogunji, of class 801, had this to say, “I like the chicken, the chicken fingers, the cheese sticks, the chicken nuggets, the pizza too, but I don’t like the beef patties.” D’ora Crute, of class 702, believes, “If the meat was cooked more, school lunch would be perfect. And, if they got rid of the cheeseburgers.”

Additionally, I polled students on whether or not they thought the cooks received enough appreciation for all their hard work preparing three meals a day for 214X students. All of the students polled agreed that the cooks were underappreciated in our school for their services. Ms. Dorenda Townsend, School Aid, adds, “No kid says thank you to them.”

Lastly, food waste is a big issue at our school. According to Xavier Fernandez, of class 804, “They can stop waste by not eating.”

Winter Awards Ceremony and Honor Roll Requirements

by Ms. M. Maehara, LHT Facilitator

It’s that time again! The Awards Ceremony Town Hall meetings, where the very best of the best students in the universe are honored for their accomplishments in academics and other school-wide activities, will take place on December 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th.

Making the Honor Roll, is by far the most coveted recognition. The following are the Honor Roll requirements by school:

Early Childhood and Elementary School:

• Gold-all level 4’s in all subject on report card
• Silver-overall all level 3’s or better in all subjects on report card
• Bronze-overall level 3’s or better and only one level 2 in subjects on report card

Middle School:

• Gold-95% average in the four core subjects, no grade less than an 85%, and satisfactory conduct
• Silver-90-94% average in the four core subjects, no grade less than an 80%, and satisfactory conduct
• Bronze-85-89% average in the four core subjects, no grade less than a 75%, and satisfactory conduct

 

 

Peer Mediation In the Middle School

by Jesus Rodriduez, 8th Grade Reporter

Student problems are no longer an issue in P.S. 214X thanks to Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution (PMCR), a program that gives students a chance to help their peers with the problems they are having with one another.

Students who are interested in becoming a peer mediator have to apply and partake in two rounds of interviews. The first round of interviews are with the PMCR coaches; the second round of interviews are with Mr. David Cintron, Principal. Following the interview sessions, Mr. Cintron makes the final decision about who has made the cut and will be peer mediators for the year.

PMCR has been a big hit in part due to its intensive selection process when it comes to choosing mediators. Additionally, peer mediators receive many demanding training sessions and have to make many sacrifices in order to be successful.

Coaches work closely with the peer mediators and also recruit more candidates to become future mediators. The two coaches of the PMCR program are Michael Puckering, Dean of the Elementary School, and Gislaine Augustine, PBIS Coordinator. These coaches are extremely dedicated and committed to the goals of PMCR.

The ground rules of any mediation include: one mic, no put-downs/offensive comments (because we don’t want to have the conflict escalate into a bigger issue), and most importantly confidentiality—what is said during a mediation stays within the mediation. Finally, during a mediation, disputants agree to work closely and cooperatively with their peer mediator to resolve the problem. By the end of the mediation, disputants should have come up with a solution, or agreement, to their conflict.

Now in its second year at P.S. 214X, the PMCR program has solved over 120 cases. Positive results of the program include a significant decrease in the number of suspensions. Furthermore, students in the middle school and beyond are excited about being able to solve their own conflicts in a peaceful way with the assistance of their peers.

Students should not be scared to apply for a position as a mediator for the program, or even to attend a mediation to resolve a conflict that they are having.

As Mr. Puckering passes onto his peer mediators, I pass onto you, “Do the right things and the right things will happen.”