Fam and Football Beats by Dustin Colgan [grade 8], John Ruzzano [grade 8], Johnny

Suarez [grade 8], Colin Walters [grae 8]

Aye, aye we made it

Turkey stuffing—that’s my favorite

Chicken and ham—eat it with my hands

Cranberry sauce—eat it out the can

Standing the whole day with my fam

Thanksgiving the best—that’s a no brain

After we eat—watch the football game

Apple pie helps me stay—on my grind

After I eat I feel like I’m gonna die

If I don’t have food don’t be surprised if I cry

I love food—that’s a given

If you touch my food, you will never be forgiven

So I’m’a end this rap with

Have a good Thanksgiving

Sch

ool L

iteracy Magazin

e

By Julia Thompson [grade 8]

-Shel Silverstein

Fall 2014Fall 2014Fall 2014

Pumpkin Pie Rhyme Time by William Evers [grade 8] and James Conza [grade 8]

I cannot lie—I eat pumpkin pie

I put cranberry sauce on my turkey jerky!

Then the pilgrims came—the party was the same

Then Squanto came with a big dish of fish

Then made a wish

To get rhubarb pie—with some Rye

So no one would die—Then I wish I could fly

Then passed by stuffing—which made me huffing and

puffing

For some mashed potatoes.

Turkey on my Plate Rap by Samantha Zeh [grade 8] and Gianna Revella [grade 8]

Turkey on my plate—Gravy with my steak

Goblin’ in the background cause I think he wants my

plate

I start runnin’—He starts squawkin’

We’re on the ground fightin’ then he starts bitin’

Later that day the turkey ran away

My great plate never got no steak

Gobble.

Graffiti Art by Dominic Reyes [grade 8]

Editor’s Note

This fall issue of the DDMS magazine “Ferry Tales and Lit

Bits” was created as a tribute to the famous children’s poet Shel

Silverstein. His work is creative, out of the box, unique, and

inspirational. The press club has put together poems and pictures

inspired by his excellent and enjoyably quirky children’s book

“Falling Up” and some illustrations by Shel himself along with a

few other fun contributions from some talented writers and artists.

I had the privilege of editing and organizing this special

FALLing up edition of our school magazine with the help of Mrs.

Strocchia and the press club. This magazine is a first for both our

school this year and myself. It was wonderful experience to see what

goes into putting our magazine together first hand. It made me

appreciate the final product all the more. I am very proud of what

the press club, our teachers, and I have worked hard to create and I

hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Table of contents

his art was ignored, he continued with his work

and forever changed impressionist art. Two of

the ways he left an impact on art was with his

unusual painting style and creative color

palette.

Claude Monet painted in a time when

artists worked in their studios and painted

things perfectly life-like. Monet did not work

this way. He preferred painting outdoors and

captured things on canvas the way he saw

them. This is why Monet’s art isn’t focused

and precise, but general, almost splotchy. This

way of painting wasn’t accepted and changed

the way many people looked at art and how

impressionist art was received. Monet’s

unique painting style is only one of the many

ways he forever impacted the art world.

Another way Claude Monet impacted the

way art was seen was with his innovative color

palette. Monet figured out that light changes

color, and used this in his paintings. In his

paintings he made his objects reflect the colors

they normally would to make them look the

way the eye would receive them. This was

something very contemporary and was very

different from the traditional way. Monet also

used complimentary colors that would make

each other stand out. He used this starting in

the 1870’s, as he also avoided black. Monet’s

color variations were

in every way

creative and has

recreated the old

way of painting

colors, again

impacting art as we

know it.

Claude Monet

was an amazing

artist in the eyes

of millions, and continues to affect artists work

today. He was innovative in a way that is still

impressive today, which is something which

would be said in 150 years. Monet impacted art

in so many ways and his amazing use of color and

one of a king painting style are only two of them.

Coco Chanel

by Samantha Zeh [grade 8]

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel or as the world knows

her, Coco Chanel, is a very important person in the

fashion world. Coco was born August 19, 1883.

Growing up Coco had a

childhood anything but

stylish and elegant.

Chanel was raised by

nuns in an orphanage.

One of her legendary

looks is the Chanel

sweater. This sweater

came along because one

day Chanel was cold, so

she stopped by a store

and bought a man’s polo player sweater to wear.

As you could imagine, since it was made for a mat

to wear, it did not fit Coco. So Coco rolled up the

sleeves and put on a belt to tighten it around her

waist. Coco thought

that the look would

work for other

women, and she was

right. After she

introduced the look

to other women it

became very popular

and many women

wore it. That is the

story of the Chanel

sweater and how it

came about.

Turning Failure into Success Pg.2: “If at first you

don’t succeed” -by

Matthew Hollay and an

article about a strange

delicacy by Gabriel

Valenzuela

Pg.3+4: Celebrating

Shel Silverstein

Pg. 5+6: How the

French Changed the

World

-Claude Monet 1899; Photo by Nadar

by Julia Thompson [grade 8]

ENTER THIS DESERTED HOUSE But please walk softly as you do.

Frogs dwell here and crickets too.

Ain’t no ceiling, only blue.

Jays dwell here and Sunbeams too.

Floors are flowers– take a few

Ferns grow here and daisies too.

Swoosh, whoosh–too-whit, too-woo

Bats dwell here and hoot owls too.

Ha-ha-ha, hee-hee, hoo-hoooo

Gnomes dwell here and goblins too.

And my child, I thought you knew

I dwell here… and so do you

“Owl”by Julia Thompson [grade 8] -Shel Silverstein

“Le Fish” by Caroline Toomer [grade 8]

“Just keep swimming!”

- Dory - Finding Nemo

Strange, Bizarre and Delicious! Fugu(pufferfish)

~by Gabriel Valenzuela [grade 8]

Majestically, a puffer fish glides through the water, holding a poison that is not easily treated and has

no antidote to this day. A man walks up to the fish tank and tells the chef that he wants a puffer fish. The chef,

who has only served this dish once agrees. The chef prepares the puffer fish and hands it to the hungry man.

The hungry man licks his lips as he takes a piece of the fish and pops it in his mouth. This man will soon fall

victim to the deadly tetrodotoxin and the fish will have its revenge. As we all know, revenge is a dish best

served cold. Fugu is highly poisonous, there are so many rules and regulations about preparing them, and

tetrodotoxin is not easily treated so why would this young man want to eat this dangerous dish?

Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in its organs. Tetrodotoxin paralyzes the mus-

cles while the victim remains fully conscious. The victim is unable to breathe and eventually dies from as-

phyxiation. Fugu is 1200 times deadlier than cyanide and there is no known antidote to this day.

Since 1958, fugu chefs must earn a license to prepare and sell fugu to the public. This involves a two-

or three year apprenticeship. The licensing examination process consists of a written test, a fish identification

test, and a practical test. They also prepare and eat the fish themselves. Only about 35 percent of applicants

pass. One small miscalculation results in the death of the applicant .

The symptoms from ingesting a lethal dose of tetrodotoxin may include dizziness, exhaustion, head-

aches, nausea, or difficulty breathing. The victim remains conscious, but can

not speak or move. There is no known antidote, and the treatment consists of

emptying the stomach, feeding the victim activated charcoal to bind the toxin,

and putting the victim on life support until the poison has worn off.

Puffer fish has been eaten for hundreds of years. Although it is deadly

there will always be one person who will eat this dish. We must trust that the

chefs who prepare this dish are qualified because if they aren’t a life might be

lost.

How the French Changed the World:

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec

by Miriam Denhalter [grade 8]

Henri de Toulouse

Lautrec influenced

many people around

the world by

demonstrating that no

matter what obstacles

appear and what people

expect of you, does not

mean you should stop

doing what you love.

When Henri was a

small boy, he took into

drawing despite his

ancestors’ reputations of being wealthy

gentlemen who consisted of brave soldiers and

noble horsemen. Not everyone was very fond of

his choice to become an artist. His father in

particular had a peculiar personality and did not

support Henri at all. As Henri grew, he

developed an incurable bone disease in both his

legs, thus confining him to his bed all the time.

This was only an encouragement for him to

draw. He made the most of his time by drawing

and taking art lessons from his uncle. Henri’s

legs never seemed to be a burden on him. In

fact, Henri painted a piece of his father on a

horse when he was only sixteen years old. This

painting is now very famous amongst artists. He

also attended a prestigious art school in Paris at

the age of 18. He was known to be very highly

respected by his colleagues and teachers, despite

his young age. Henri is now an extremely well

known artist. He even has a museum dedicated

to him filled with over 600 of his drawings.

Henri has shown that even though there will be

great hardships in life, you should proceed to

work at what you love.

Avril Lavigne

by Madison Jorritsma [grade 8]

Avril Lavigne is an inspiration to the

world because she followed her dream.

She was just a small town girl from

Canada, born on September 27, 1984. She

looked up to her brother, Matt. If he did

something, she did it too. She started

playing hockey and people used to bully

her for it. She didn’t care though, that was

just her personality. People kept telling

her to wear more

revealing things,

but she doesn’t.

She wears a lot of

black and she dyes

her hair a lot. Avril

Lavigne made an

impact on society

because she

showed people that

it’s ok to be who

you are. She

didn’t let society

change her either.

Claude Monet

by Leila Elaro [grade 8]

Oscar-Claude, better known as Claude

Monet left a great impact on the art world and

will forever be remembered as one of the

greatest artists of his time. Even though many

doubted him and despite the fact that at times

If at first you don’t succeed...

Never Give Up!

by Matthew Hollay [grade 7] They always say that ‘if at first you don’t succeed…’

Don’t just give up!

If you got an F on a test,

make getting a better grade next time your quest.

If you don’t win a contest,

don’t think ‘Apparently, I’m not even close to the best’.

If you don’t make a sports team,

don’t just say ‘I’m terrible it seems’.

If you’re having trouble writing a speech,

remember that the words may not be far from reach.

If you get rejected from Harvard or Yale

don’t just give up and bail.

If a job doesn’t wish to have you

you don’t immediately have to switch to something new.

Now listen because I’m only going to say this one more

time;

never give up or you’ll never earn a dime.

-Shel Silverstein-Imagining

-Shel Silverstein-

Bear In There

- Shel Silverstein- Where the Sidewalk Ends

“ To me, freedom entitles you to

do something, NOT do nothing.”

Celebrating Shel Silverstein

“Shel Silverstein Portrait” by Anthony Ortiz-Myers [grade 8]

A Poetry Remix

“Help me please.” I think he’s a bit crazy. Now I lay me down to sleep. Soakin’ in the rain. Each time I see the upside down man. Each time I see the Scary Dark Man, I’m a little terrified and run for my life, but I can never outrun him. Eventually, he leaves. The latest one happened yesterday. I’m playing ball with my friends, the sun shining bright, when I saw him right behind me, laying down. I screamed at the top of my lungs, not even waiting for my friend to come, I ran. “Help me please.” But everyone just stared. “I think he’s a little bit crazy,” one whispered. I didn’t care I just ran. I ran, eventually backed up into a wall. The scary Dark Man laid on the ground, tormenting me. Then, clouds covered the sun, and I was soakin’ in the rain. And the scary Dark Man disappeared. Now I can lay me down to sleep. Silverstein Remix by Mathew Hollay [grade

When the daylight grows dim I talk

with him.

Ain’t no ceiling only blue jay’s dwell

here sunbeams too.

Peeked over a ledge were the blue

smoke curls.

So I’m all of love that could make it

today.

“Poor, poor, fool. Why can’t you

see she can love others as well as thee?”

Silverstein Remix by Flora Trost [grade 7]

Mrs. McTwitter the baby sitter.

That’s the dumbest way

I’ve seen,

To put on my shoes.

They’re looking a little bit

dull

Standing in the water.

Whoosh-shiver there they

go.

Silverstein Remix by Johnathan Jurgenson

[grade 8]

“Falling Up” Origami by Nimrod Chapo [grade 8] “Falling Up” by Shane Little [grade 8]

“Shadow Man” by Shane Little [grade 8]

FALLING UP I tripped on my shoelace

And I fell up- Up to the rooftops, Up over the town,

UP past the tree tops, Up over the mountains,

Up where the colors Blend into the sounds. But it go me so dizzy

When I looked around, I got sick to my stomach

And I threw down.