Mu Sochua

By Shelby M.  

The 9th graders and some 8th graders had the opportunity to hear a woman from Cambodia talk about the work she does in her country. Mu Sochua lived in Cambodia until she was 18 years old. At that time, the Khmer Rouge took control of the government. Sochua told us that during the “three years, nine months, and twenty-eight days” that the Khmer Rouge was in power, 1.7 million Cambodians died. Their deaths can be attributed to starvation, exhaustion, exposure to the elements, and landmines. Although Mu Sochua was able to leave for France to continue her education, her family died under the Khmer Rouge. Her mission is to help the Cambodian people out of the lasting effects of the Khmer’s tyrannous rule. She told us that four million of the 14 million Cambodians earn less than $.50 a day. In Cambodia, there are 100,000 prostitutes. Of the 100,000, 70% are trafficked. The other 30% become prostitutes to support their families. The trafficked women are kidnapped from Cambodia and are forced into prostitution in another country, such as Vietnam. Of the 70,000 forced prostitutes, 40% are under 16 years old. When we asked what we can do, she told us that we need to create better economic opportunities, prosecute traffickers, and declare child prostitution a violation of human rights. We need to get the United Nations involved, in order to help the Cambodians. As a member of Parliament, Mu Sochua’s mission is to help the Cambodian people realize that they can have a voice against the government, that they don’t have to live in poverty and deprivation. In the Cambodian culture, the krama is like a scarf. However, it has many uses that are essential to both men and women’s lifestyle. To do our part, the ninth grade is going to create an event called “Krama,” to raise money for Cambodian rights. This event will hopefully take place this spring. Mu Sochua truly influenced the way that we look at life and how we take for granted what we have. We hope that our event will raise awareness of human rights in Cambodia.

Below is an audio clip of an interview with Mu Sochua on the Brian Lehrer Show:





Here is an article from the New Canaan News about our meeting with Mu Sochua.


Here is a link to Sochua's blog: 
http://sochua.wordpress.com/

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

By Mayze T.

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:13. I got dressed, packed my backpack, and ran out the door. My mom was waiting for me in the car. We drove to Penn Station, a trip of about one hour, and boarded our train. When we sat down, we heard the passengers in front of us. “We want to prove that old people can be sane too!”one of them was saying. I whispered to my mom, “They’re going to the rally!” and she nodded. From then on, it was a three hour train ride before we finally arrived at our destination, Washington D.C. After leaving Union Station, we tried to find a taxi. We waited in line for about a half an hour, before finally getting a cab. I was dressed as Waldo and was getting some strange looks. One man even hopped out of his car to take a picture of me! We took the cab to our hotel, and on the way, we could see lines of people walking in costume, carrying signs. Once at the hotel, we checked our bags. Then we attempted to find a cab. There were no empty cabs. We walked around for a bit, but every cab was full.When we finally found a taxi, we embarked for the rally. Traffic was at a standstill, and on the streets coming up to the rally we saw tons of people in costume, carrying ridiculous signs. “Zombie party – we want politicians with BRAINS!” and “This is not a sign” were two of my favorites. I wasn’t the only Waldo either; we saw two or three other people in the same costume, along with Hogwarts students, Sarah Palin, giant bananas, and – the most fantastic one of all – the capsule that brought up the Chilean miners. When we left the cab, we walked up the street. There were some policemen out presumably to make sure that the rally didn’t get out of control. They too were enjoying the rally, laughing at the signs and costumes that people had. Even though we arrived a bit late, we managed to cut in through one of the side streets and found ourselves in the first quarter of the audience. Next to us was a group of people wearing the “Rally to Restore Sanity” logo shirts. John Legend played first. Unfortunately, we could not hear him, and we did not know that he was the one playing. Next up were the hosts of Mythbusters, who proceeded to stage what was, presumably, the largest “wave” ever done at a political rally. Finally –finally– Jon Stewart came on stage, followed by Stephen Colbert. Not that we could hear them, or see them. It didn’t matter, anyway. The point of this rally was not to listen to Stewart and Colbert, and the point of this rally was not to mock the rallies created with serious intent. The point of the rally was to bring together like-minded people; to bring together people who don’t want to blow tiny issues out of proportion; to bring together people who can talk about issues and think about them; and, most importantly, to bring together people of both parties, from all across the country, who just want a little sanity.


Here is Jon Stewart's wrap up of the rally, as shown on C-SPAN:

(video courtesy of youtube)

Ask Colbster

One of my friend’s ex boyfriends, that I have known all my life, hates me, calls me a brat, and announces to the class that he hates me. What should I do? Help!

-Don’t want to lose a friend

Hey “Don't want to lose a friend"

I know it's hard when boys are mean and rude. You kind of have to roll with the punches, showing them their meanness has no effect on you. If it’s really bothering you, confront the boy and ask him what his problem is and what you ever did! You always have the option of talking to a teacher or Mrs. Platt if it gets out of control. Good luck!

-Colbster

I have a friend that doesn’t trust me with a stupid little thing or anything else! Should I trust her? HELP

-Anonymous

Hola! Basically mistrust comes from past betrayal. Your friend might just have fear of trusting people because of past experiences. I know it can be frustrating, but you really have to be open-minded to your friend and show her that you can be trusted.

-Colbster

Any tips for surviving Upper School?

-Anonymous

Ni Hao! My best tip for surviving the Upper School is staying on top of your class assignments. Procrastinating only adds to stress and tension, and believe me, Upper School is so much more enjoyable when you aren’t stressed! Most of all, just try to enjoy Upper School, because it’s a lot of fun and is a truly unique experience.

-Colbster

What’s something that will help me to complete my homework faster?

LOL

-an anonymous boy

Anonymous boy,

1. Never get a Facebook page

2. Never get an AIM

Facebook and AIM are HUGE distractions, and I find that when not used, homework can be completed a millions times faster. If you already have a Facebook page and/or an AIM and find yourself easily distracted, ask your Mom or Dad to change your password, and not allow you to go on until all your homework is done. Eighth periods and study halls are also great times to get a head start on your homework, so you’ll be less stressed at night. Good luck!

-Colbster

A Declaration of Grievance and Change

IN CLASS, OCTOBER 21, 2010 

BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 

NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL STUDENT BODY  

A Declaration of Grievance and Change  

IN 7 McDONOUGH HISTORY CLASS ASSEMBLED.  

All men are put upon this earth with the same rights and the same being to freedom, happiness, and the pursuit of justice. If this be true, we must obey the rights of others and ourselves in agreement that all citizens of any community are created equal; and it is thus that we send this most urgent complaint to those who disrespect our honor and unjustly represent our rights (administrative staff of New Canaan Country School). We have dealt with appallingly vile and abominable suffering at the hand of tyranny for too long. With the utmost glee, I am pleased to inform you that upon your regrettable comportment, our humble people have concluded our only option is to demand change from your grisly school. If the administration is unwilling to heed our cries for justice, we have no choice but to remove, revolt, and relieve you of your role as dictator. If students can do what they want when they want, they will pay more attention in class. They will pay more attention because they will be in a comfortable environment and not have to worry about anything. If you listen to us I am sure we will get better grades, and New Canaan Country School will be a place where everyone will be excited to go. Many people such as Mr. Delehaunty or Mr. Bazemore may argue that there are many good reasons not to change any of the rules. They may insist that it would be silly to have recess after each class because the students would be all rallied up and not focused during class. Mr. Delehaunty or Mr. Bazemore may say that it would be crazy for kids to be able to wear whatever they want to school. They may argue that this is absurd because kids may come in with inappropriate clothing giving off a bad message when visitors come to tour the school. Lastly, they might disagree that there should be free seating at all times because people’s feelings will be hurt, and that is not what NCCS is about. However, Mr. Delehaunty and Mr. Bazemore’s arguments are fatuous. Certain changes at NCCS would help the students benefit in many ways. For instance, shorter classes would give students more time to relax and have a break in between classes. More class electives would give kids more freedom to do things that they enjoy and they would excel in subject matters that they find interesting. Students sit on metal chairs all day; if there were more comfortable chairs, kids would feel calmer and more at home. For many people it is hard to find this special trait and it would be advantageous to have more electives such as cooking or hip-hop class. Moreover, it would benefit us if the school had Apple computers instead of Dells. More than 70% of the students with laptops have Macintosh computers, and we all feel that teachers are wasting too much time explaining how to use the Dells. Everyone already knows how to use the Macintosh computers. To the person who is reading this, you should know that NCCS students have borne the burden for too long! There are simply too many concerning issues with the school and on behalf of the students, we declare that you must fix them! Long enough have the rock hard chairs and the eight hour school days been tolerated by us. Our complaints are simple, easy to accept and I hope that all of you, students of NCCS, appreciate this when we say that these suggestions should be met not just

because we want them to but because we have taken these endless rules for countless years and now we have had enough. If these needs are not met, we will be forced to remove ourselves from this community, declaring independence from the tyranny of Country School’s regime. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of our Cougar mascot, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. For starters, since third grade, every night has been dedicated to endless hours of homework. Restless nights after endless days have led to unhealthy students, which does not only hurt us but hurts the school’s reputation. Rules have to be set for the amount of homework given in each subject and limited to only fifteen minutes. Students are trying but our voices aren’t being heard. In addition, every student has a hidden talent; it is the teachers’ roles to help us uncover these hidden caches.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

NCCS raised $1901.13 for UNICEF!!!

Nice job trick-or-treating!!!

See where our money goes:

$0.07 provides 50 kids with safe water for a day.

$2.00 buys 1 liter of therapeutic milk.

$19.00 buys three mosquito nets to protect kids from malaria.

$25.00 can give immunizations to a child against measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and tuberculosis.

$100.00 gives a water purification kit for ten families.

$250.00 provides a “school in a box” (school supplies).

What is String Theory?

By Ryan L.


What does String Theory mean? Is it some sort of complicated system that requires heavy math? Will it create a black hole and destroy us all? Is it a ball of yarn controlling the universe? Well, it does require some math but as far as the basics are concerned, it is fairly simple. On a guitar, the musical note that is produced by plucking a string varies by how the string is plucked and how much tension is in the string. Similarly, the subatomic particles observed in particle accelerators can be thought of as “excitation modes” of the elementary strings. In string theory, like a guitar, the string must be very tight to become excited. Elementary strings are floating in spacetime, but they are tightened by forces that require lots of math, so I won’t go into details. If string theory is to be quantum gravity, the strings’ length should be around a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter. This means that such strings cannot, unfortunately, be seen with today’s technology. There are many different kinds of string theory; each one has a different theory of the strings’ shape. Some theories say that the strings are closed loops, others say they float free; some include elemental fermions, subatomic particles smaller than a proton, neutron, or electron. There are 24 different kinds of elemental fermions. There are six quarks, six anti-quarks, six leptons, and six anti-leptons. In order for string theories to include fermions, there needs to be super-symmetry, which means that for every particle that transmits force (a boson), there has to be a fermion (a particle that makes up matter). Currently, super-symmetric particles have not been seen in particle accelerators because they are too large, but in the next ten years, evidence may be found that would make string theory much more realistic.

Indian Hip-Hop Ballet

By Caroline F.

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to perform a ballet piece. I was really excited because Megan McCool, a choreographer whom I really like, was creating the dance for us. I was excited also because performing onstage is the best part of ballet and is something that dancers my age need to take advantage of. However, when I heard what the piece was for, my excitement lowered; it was for an Indian beauty pageant, Miss India of CT, 2010. First of all, we are in the USA, not India. Second of all, it was a beauty pageant. Really? In spite of that, when I was given the full description of what we were doing, I decided to give it a try. The dance was a “cultural fusion” of ballet, classical Indian dance, and hip-hop, and we had dancers from all categories collaborating and working together. I didn’t think that the piece, Mere Dholna Sun, was going to work or come together by the show—but let me tell you, it did. The audience at the Palace Theater in Stamford, CT, went wild. They were clapping and shouting, and we got a sanding ovation. A group of the Indian singers even told McCool that it was the best part of the show. Despite all of this, and the fact that lots of people stopped by our dressing room to congratulate and compliment us, I didn’t realize the importance or significance of what I had just participated in. It dawned on me only when we were invited to perform the dance three more times: for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) state conference in Stamford, CT, for an international Indian cultural organization in New York, NY, and for the United Nations in New York, NY. I was dumbfounded—how could all of these big organizations, especially the United Nations, want the negligible little Ballet School of Stamford to perform for their big events? It is quite an honor to have had our dancing so highly recognized, and these performances and recognitions give lots of much needed publicity to my ballet school as well as have us give back to the community. I now realize that evryone’s got to take advantage of every single opportunity that is thrown at him or her, because it could turn out to be a lot more significant than you would think.

Pumpkin Day in the Eighth Grade

By James M.
 

Pumpkins come in many different shapes and sizes, but for the sixty-three eighth graders at Irwin Park, the golden pumpkin was all that mattered. After arriving at the park and learning about what the day had in store, we split into six teams: The Decepticons, The Brahmans, The Dalits, The Narwhals, The Winners, and last but not least, Gryffindor. After a day including various fun and team-building activities such as Halloween charades and a pumpkin relay, the six groups prepared for the climax of their day—The Tour de Pumpkin. In the first challenge of the tour, each team had to run a pumpkin up a hill, while each member of the team had his or her hand on the pumpkin. After a strong performance, The Decepticons took the lead. The next event's winner was determined by who could roll a pumpkin the closest to a flag in the ground. Each team chose a representative to roll their pumpkin. Gryffindor's Brandon Salvatore won the event, rolling his pumpkin 8 feet and 11 inches away from the flag. In the next event each team had to roll its pumpkin up a hill as fast as they could. Each team experimented with very different rolling techniques, but in the end, Gryffindor prevailed. With one event to go, Gryffindor thought they had it, but The Decepticons thought otherwise.

With only the pumpkin long roll left in the tour, The Decepticons had victory in their sights. With Christian Arntzen representing The Decepticons and living legend Corey Wieczoreck representing Gryffindor, everyone knew it was going to be a close match. The event was won by Sean McEwen, but Christian was the runner up. After the event was finished, we were all eager to find out what team was the winner. We soon found out that there was no winner—Gryffindor and The Decepticons were in a deadlock tie. It all came down to a sudden death pumpkin relay. Each member had to run a pumpkin to third base and back, and then pass it on to the next teammate in line. After everyone had gone, it came down to two of the fastest people in the 8th grade, Jack Lane and Corey Wieczoreck. Corey had a slight lead when he got the pumpkin, but it seemed as if Jack was closing the gap. Right before he stepped past the finish line, Corey looked over to his right and saw that Jack was behind him. Moments later, Gryffindor had won the race, as well as the whole tour. Gryffindor came out on top again, although this time instead of snatching the golden snitch, they snatched the golden pumpkin.

Untitled

By Alyssa T.

You stare at an almost blank screen thinking of what to

type

You start typing random things, realizing that it makes

no sense

Then you think of an idea

You start typing really fast not even bothering to correct

mistakes until it’s done

Sooner or later you have a finished product

You begin to ask yourself how this happened

Then you realize it wasn’t so hard

If you stare at a blank screen things will appear

I call this untitled because at first I did not know what to

type

Then I started typing out of nowhere

Realizing that I could write about

Wetness of the Undergrowth

By Avery L.

Rain, after a mighty storm,

glazed on the grassy field is a

happy sight, like an everlasting smile for miles and

miles.

The passion for this mighty sight explodes in

my mind, and festers like a diabolic scheme.

My glee lasts so long, floating gently through the

air.

The smiles on my face were manifold, sunlit

with joy and exultation.

I sigh a deep happy sigh of relief.

The secrets of nature show their beauty within the

sparkling crystals resting upon the undergrowth.

The water silently bends the mighty grass.

Halloween Hangover

On November 5 The Upper School class of 2011 had their first dance of the school year. The theme was "Hang on to Halloween". It went from 7pm-10pm. Being a Halloween dance, it was also a costume party. People came in costumes that ranged from fairies to gorillas, cowboys to graduates, and mice to mimes. There was also a DJ. He was the organizer of the costume contest. First, he split us up into 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Then he would call up each person from one grade at a time. If the dance attendants liked their costume, they would clap and cheer. If they got enough applause, they continued to the next round. Next, two 9th grade judges picked the top three costumes. Finally, the two who got the most applause won! The prizes were free seating for that person for one lunch period. Deciding was hard, but each grade came out with two winners. The winners were:

Seventh Grade - 

Brooke L. as a punk rocker

Kate C. as a pirate

Eighth Grade -

Grant G. as Michael Jackson

Julia M. as the Devil

Ninth Grade - 

Ryan L. as an archeologist

Vlady R. as a Slash

The Halloween dance was so much fun and we can’t wait for the next one. The ninth graders will have a tough job organizing a dance as good as that one, but they can definitely do it.

By Kate C.

Man Flies on Jetpack Over Swiss Town

By Alec B.  

Nov, 5th 2010, Bercher, Switzerland

A man, with the help of four Breitling engines, has successfully flown a jetpack. The jetpack, straight out of Hollywood movies like Thunderball (and who can forget the bounty hunter, Boba Fett?) has come off the big screen into real life. Swiss fusion engine scientist, Yves Rossy tried his prototype jetpack in civilian airspace. His training vastly differs from the risks; spending six years in the Swiss Air Force and another four for Swiss Airlines definitely gave him thumbs up from the locals and the Swiss government. His test worked wonderfully; he spent just over an hour and a half flying around the town and doing some 360 loops, making him look like he was having another day on a 4-engine fixed wing jetpack, over 8000 feet above the earth. As he came down in a parachute (the jetpack itself is still unable to stabilize a descent), he landed with precision and said he wanted to -go right back up. Even though strapped to four fusion engines that could blow him right out of the sky, several nations including China, Germany, and the United States want him to develop these jetpacks for use within the next twenty years. He said “to develop these things for weapons use is not what should be intended. This is travel for the future, not war of the future.”

OAT

By Aisha M.

Sitting, apprehensive, we approach the vast mountain 

Slowly we exit the van and put on our packs 

Trek, Trek, Trek…we are getting closer 

Stairs…nothing but a bunch of flights of stairs 

Panting, Panting, Panting we climb the stairs 

Finally, beyond the tall tall trees, we spot…BLUE SKIES! 

We have reached the very top of the mountain! 

Looking down at all the things that were once smaller than us 

In taking the beautiful sights that were displayed before us 

Waking up early in the morning was very hard to do 

For last night, the wind blew 

Downhill, downhill we shall go 

As well as many up-hills that kept many of us at a reasonable pace 

More beautiful views we did see Mother Nature is so gorgeous, as pretty as can be 

The next morning was the last morning there 

Where did the time go? 

What’s that in the distance? Road! 

We have successfully completed the hike! 

That will be an experience that will forever stay in our hearts

Visitors

By Dawson J.

We are visitors to you, but we come not to disturb. 

We simply come to admire your beauty in silence. 

Your leaves turning from pre-school green to a blazing red fire. 

Your spider webs that live out in the open, 

And your spider webs that stay hidden, 

Waiting like a cat, ready to pounce on its prey. 

I wander off into my own little world, but I am still a visitor to yours.

I rest on one of Mother Nature’s benches. 

I take in the water-burdened leaves, sagging to the moist earth. 

I watch leaves spiraling to the ground, like helicopters 

Each one sun-lit and blinding. 

Do you mean to blind me? 

Have I wandered off where I shouldn’t? 

I ask myself, but know that there is no answer. 

And so I wander further into your world, 

And can only hope you will welcome me soon, 

As part of you.

Paul the Octopus Obituary

By Alec B. 

Paul the Oracle Octopus died in his German aquarium on October 26th. Paul became famous when he famously picked all of Germany’s wins in the 2010 World Cup, along with accurately predicting the wins of the 2008 Euro Cup. Paul was originally from England and was supposed to be the sponsor of the English 2018 World Cup bid. He has been given the posthumous title of Lord Protector of England, as well as honorary citizenship from Spain, France, Italy and Croatia. His trainer, Etienne Roquain, stated that following the World Cup, Paul became sick but died peacefully. He will be missed.


Below is a video of Paul the Octopus predicting the winner of the world cup:

Speak Now – Taylor Swift

By Sarah H.

Taylor Swift’s latest, and third, album is her best yet! The twenty-year-old’s music just gets better and better. She wrote every word to fourteen songs, every melody, every guitar piece, everything by herself, and, as she claims, “at three in the morning.” She also says the heartfelt album is a diary of her last two years. The title track, “Speak Now,” is one of her top songs – written about a friend hoping to crash her true love’s wedding. Other popular tracks are “Mine” and “Back to December” – written about Taylor Lautner – both released before to album. My personal favorites are “Haunted,” “Dear John,” (written about John Mayer) and “Mean.” All of the songs, ballads and melodies are beautifully composed, with very upbeat tracks and amazing vocals. I would recommend this passionate album to anyone who appreciates good vocals, great guitar pieces, and just genuinely good music.

Super-Tough Hockey Relation of Jesse James

By Mayze T. 

Ms. Elmore is the new seventh grade math teacher in the Upper School. She is usually found in Ms. Sherwin’s room, teaching her class, or doing a crazy project like the “Barbie Bungee Jumping.” She grew up in Long Island, where she played ice hockey. There weren’t any girls’ teams where she lived, so she played on the all-boys’ team. She has been teaching for about seventeen years, in places that range from New York to Michigan and Texas. She loves to travel around the country. She met her husband around the same time that she started teaching. He is now the head of the Upper School at GFA, the school that her eight-year-old daughter attends. She is an avid reader. Her favorite books include The Little Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit, All The King’s Men, The Book Thief, and To Kill a Mockingbird, and she has written two math and science books! She also enjoys listening to music and is a pianist herself. She enjoys playing pieces by Debussy and Michael Nyman (a more modern composer). Her movie of choice is “Billy Elliot”, which she has seen as both a play on Broadway and a movie. Why does she like it so much? “The dance and the storyline”, she says.