INTERESTED IN JOINING THE NEWSPAPER? SEE MRS. DE VITO IN 325A!

The Academy Times Staff Members:

Niya Barden Katelynn Bunsee Ashley Celis Maria Coulson Tracy Datus

Samuel Dorielan Kyrie Faulcon Atiya Jackson Jazmin Quinones Stacy Saint Paul Sarah Singh Talia Sutera Senior Editor: Keren Lebron Arts & Music Editor: Meghan Flynn Photographer: Cecilia Puga

Advisor: Mrs. De Vito

Upcoming Important Dates at

Rahway Academy

12/24/-1/4 Winter Break No School

1/19 Martin Luther King Day No School

1/21 School Photos - Clubs and Candid

PTO Meeting, 7pm

1/28 Annual Faculty Recital and Art Show

1/31 CJMEA All Region Band Auditions

2/4 Project MEMA Student Chamber Music

2/16 Presidents Day No School

2/18 PTO Meeting, 7pm

2/20 PBSIS Tricky Tray

2/26 Black History Month Celebration,

6:30-8:30pm

2/27 Black History Month Celebration

Builders Club Gives Back to the Community

F r o m t h e

P r i n c i p a l ’ s P e n

Greetings Parents and Guardians:

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” seems to reso-

nate through the sacred halls of the Academy. Children

are excited about our Winter Wonderland Dance and the

joy that winter brings. I trust that during our very lengthy

break you will continue the pursuit of academic excel-

lence. Some items you may want to consider to keep our

youngsters academically challenged include: visits to the

library, minimum of 20 minutes of reading per day, utiliz-

ing web-based math programs, and tasking children to

write about something of interest or something they read.

With your continued support, our children will flourish and

excel as model, productive, and socially sound students.

The Builders Club collected canned goods

to make multiple gift baskets for families

in need in Rahway for Thanksgiving.

R A H W A Y 7 T H A N D 8 T H G R A D E A C A D E M Y

The Academy Times December 2014 Volume 3 Issue 2

By: Keren Lebron

Throughout the whole month of November, there

was a competition going on in the Academy. Stu-

dents were running against each other hoping to

earn a spot as representatives in the student gov-

ernment. Before elections, each candidate took

campaigns the extra mile. They persuaded voters,

Academy students, with posters and speeches.

Students voted on November 20th and our final

votes were announced. Winners pictured on the

right include Treasurer, Chris Bonisisio, 8th Grade

Vice President, Keren Lebron, President, Meghan

Flynn, 8th Grade Vice President, Keren Lebron, 7th

Grade Vice President, Angela Peters, and Record-

ing Secretary, Imani Griffin. Even though different

students were going for the same position, they all

had the same vision, to make positive changes for

the students and our school. Congratulations to all

candidates and to those who represent us and our

opinions.

New Year’s Resolutions

By: Jazmin Quinones

The new year is almost

upon us! Along with eve-

ry new year comes New

Year’s resolutions. My

resolution is to be more

organized this year! The

following are resolutions

from Rahway Academy

staff and students.

“My New Year’s resolu-

tion is to do better in

Math.” - Thomas Rufalo

“I hope to eat healthier

in the new year.” - Ms.

Alarcon

“I want to work out

more.” - David Brown

“I want to improve my

football and basketball

skills.” - Bryan Burnett

“I want to be healthier in

the new year.” - Mr.

Kuenze

Decking the Doors By: Katelynn Bunsee

For the holiday season, Rahway

High School has a door decorat-

ing contest. Each homeroom

decorates their door and re-

ceives either a prize or a party.

Rahway Academy is having its

own door decorating contest

this year! Each homeroom is

welcome to participate.

There is a lot of great competi-

tion out there! So students

need to think outside of the box

and come up with a unique

idea! The only rule is that what-

ever items are used need to be

home made and not pur-

chased.

The judges will be Ms. Salcito

and Ms. Mallick. The judging

will be done on December

22nd. The homeroom with the

winning door will win a pizza

party!

Some doors are completed

already. Ms. Swisstack’s stu-

dents created a sports-themed

Christmas tree while Mr. Pe-

tersen’s homeroom did a snow-

man theme. Festive doors are

popping up everywhere in the

Academy. Good luck to all of

the participants!

Student Council Elections

P a g e 2 T h e A c a d e m y T i m e s

The Band Bulletin By: Meghan Flynn

Supporting Project MEMA This year students in 7th & 8th grade Concert Band are on a mission to aid students in Moshi, Tanzania through Project MEMA. Project MEMA is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides supplies such as clothes, shoes, food, sports items, etc. to two schools in Moshi, Tanzania. They have reno-vated those schools by improving bathrooms, painting murals, building playground areas and adding desks and chairs for the students to name a few. The organization is based out of Boston, Massachusetts and only has three workers TOTAL. What we Academy students are doing to help, along with the Builder’s Club, is collecting 24 pack colored crayons, stickers, wooden handled jump ropes, red pens, and manual pencil sharpeners for these students, as requested by Amy Wendell, MEMA Coordinator. We are also hosting a support recital on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at 7pm. All we ask of you, the attendee, is to give a $2 donation that goes directly to Project MEMA. If you would like to give money or items to this ex-

traordinary cause, please see Mrs. Spatz or Mrs. Van Wyk in the Band Room for a pledge sheet.

Farewell to Honor Guard

This fall, six students from the 8th grade Con-cert Band, including myself, had a little taste of High School Marching Band life. We represented the Band by carrying the Rahway HS Bands banner, the Ameri-can Flag, the NJ Flag (I carried that!), and a fake rifle to ‘guard.’ We traveled to two home games and four competitions with the Marching Band and endured cold extremities, wind, flags slapping in our faces, missing rifles, bathroom stalls without doors, missing plumes, long bus rides, and a whole lot of fun. The experience of marching with high school students was something I’ll never forget. We saw our freshmen friends, and met upperclassmen too. Sadly our season ended, but with a bang. We went to our Annual Rah-way Band Bash on Saturday, November 8th, then trav-eled to Allentown, Pennsylvania on Sunday the 9th to march the Band to victory at Nationals. The Marching Band took 15th place with a score of 88.6. This has truly been an experience to remember.

On Friday November 28, 2014 select mem-bers of the Rahway Academy 8th Grade Concert band per-formed classic Christ-mas songs for the Rah-way community, at the first ever “Winter Wonderland.” This new Rahway tradition had special appearances by Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from Frozen, storytell-ing, student perfor-mances, special artis-tic performances, and ice skating! We braved the frigid temperatures and winds to bring cheer to our communi-ty. We played many different songs from “Jingle Bells” to “Silent Night.” All of these pieces were set in a va-riety of chamber en-sembles from flute choir to quartets and trios. To provide this joy to young and old through our music-making surely warmed our hearts.

WINTER FUN

P a g e 3

V o l u m e 3 , i s s u e 2

By: Samuel Dorielan

We have a lot of clubs here at Rahway 7th and 8th Grade Acad-

emy. One club that is important to talk about is The Fitness

Club! I think this is a great club to join. I had a discussion with

the person who is in charge of the club, Ms. Diaz. “We have a

slogan called Commit to Fit,” she said. Ms. Diaz told me that

they work on Zumba (a workout that involves dancing), kick-

boxing, yoga, and more. She also told me that they talk about

nutrition and being healthy. Ms. Diaz also told me she was

working on a field trip to Rebounderz which is a trampoline

gym! They meet every Tuesday either in the afternoon or morn-

ing. If you think that this club is interesting talk to Ms. Diaz.

She is always accepting new members!

Academy Students Commit to Fit

By: Keren Lebron and Stacey Saint Paul

Stunning dresses and masquerade masks were the

focus of our first annual Masquerade Dance at Rahway

Academy. The PBSIS Committee held the dance on October

30th in the cafeteria. Students and family members had light re-

freshments and have fun on the dance floor. All the money earned

from the dance will go to PBSIS which holds special school events

and prizes for our students at the Academy. There was a competition

made up by students and certain teachers of “who wore it best.”

Everyone had a blast starting from students showing off their dance

moves on the dance floor (which was easy because most of the

songs explain what to do) to Mr. Johnson taking selfies with Ms.

Quinn. Everyone that attended was dressed very appropriate for the

theme. Overall the Masquerade Dance was an incredible night full of

happiness, lots of dancing, and a whole bunch of fun. Throughout

the year our dances will get better and better so do not miss out on

our Winter Wonderland Dance on December 19th!

Academy Masquerade Party

By: Attiya Jackson

The month of December is filled with numerous festive

holidays. The Christmas season is “the most wonderful

time of the year.” Christmas Day is December 25, the day

on which presents are shared. The birthday of Jesus Christ

is celebrated all around the world. To me, Christmas is

about sharing and giving presents bundled with love.

Hanukkah is another wonderful holiday. Hanukkah begins

at sunset on Tuesday December 16 this year and ends on

December 24. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of

Lights and the Feast of Dedication. It is an eight day holi-

day celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple. I in-

-terviewed a student who celebrates both Christmas and

Hanukkah. One Rahway Academy student said, “I person-

ally like Hanukkah better because it goes on for over a

week. However, both holidays are exciting!”

There is another holiday in December called Kwanza. It is

celebrated December 26 through January 1 this year. It

is a celebration of family, community, and culture. The

celebration honors African heritage in African American

culture. It focuses on feasting and gift-giving.

With all of these wonderful holidays upon us, I hope that

everyone has a great time with friends and family. Have a

Holly Jolly Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy

Kwanza!

Celebrating Holiday Traditions