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This year the cheerleaders have been doing great, especially the 6^th and 7^th graders. I talked to some 6^th grade cheerleaders to see what they thought of their first year.

Mia S. said, "It is very hard, and you have to practice a lot." Cristina R. agreed and added, "It is hard, but you have to listen to Ms. Leiken. If you work hard and pay attention, it can be a lot of fun." "Cheerleading is fun," said Stephanie J. "It has been a good experience to try out."

I went to some of the boy’s basketball home games to both watch the boys play and the girls cheer. Mostly they do great. But sometimes, I saw some of the cheerleaders mess up. They don’t give up. They just keep going.

The cheerleaders have to go through a lot of work like practicing everyday, going to all the games at home or away, and getting everyone excited at the Pep Rallies.

The 6^th grade cheerleaders are Mia S., Stephanie Johnson, Cristina R., Marissa K., and Nikki D. These girls have been working very hard for their first year.

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Serving Up Another Season
By Tara B.

Many girls and boys tried out for volleyball this year. There are two teams for the girls, one for the 6^th and 7^th graders and another one for the 8^th graders. There is only one team for the boys.

The try-outs were held Friday, February 4 (boys) and Saturday, February 5 (girls). Mrs. Engel said the qualities she wants in players are the ability to work as a team, to serve and bump the ball, and to follow coaching instructions.

Kaitlynn N., 6^th grader, said that she was very excited about this season and that she can’t wait for practices to begin. Mrs. Engel is eager for this season to start and wants to see all the girls and boys get in some great games.

Boys Team            6^th & 7^th Grade Girls            8^th Grade Girls

Brendan F.            Kelly M.            Natalie W.

Matt M.            Stephanie J.            Kristyna Z.

Nathan S.            Jenna S.            Heidi S.

Kyle L.            Lauren K.            Rachel K.

Zach Z.            Kaitlynn N.            Stephanie D.

Brandon H.            Vicky L.            Sylvia S.

Zachary C.            Amanda B.            Michella C.

Billy T.            Sabrina S.            Katie N.

Eric C.            Jacqueline C.            Val K.

Ryan C.            Julia W.            Dana Y.

Anthony D.            Judy P.            Tricia H.

Patrick P.            Tess F.            Brianne F.

Peter D.            Jennifer L.            Amanda M.

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There's Always Next Year
By Ashley L.

I finally made a basket all the way from Peacock's free throw line. It made me happy that everybody was happy for me.

I tried out for basketball last fall because I wanted to make my mom and dad proud of me. I got better at shooting by going home after school and practicing in my back yard for about an hour or more.

When I went to two of the practices, I worked on how to play basketball better. I had to learn many game skills. I had to play man-on-man and two-on-two defenses. It wasn’t that hard.

At the next practice, I tried to show the coaches, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Poremba, how good I could be. They thought I was doing well until we had to play man-on-man defense. That was hard. I had gotten better because I had practiced but not better enough.

When I started to shoot the freethrow, everyone was yelling, "Come on, you can do it!" I was so scared. I threw the ball, but it didn’t go in at first. I tried again–and finally made it!

I wanted my parents to be proud of me for making the team, but that didn't happen. Even though I was unhappy, it was ok. I can try again next year.

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Sports around the clock
By Geo N.

NBA            The Bull’s have been having a great season so far.  As of Feb. 3^rd, their record is 22-21.  The best team in the Western Conference right now is the San Antonio Spurs, with a record of 37-10. The best in the Eastern Conference is the Miami Heat, with Shaquille O’Neal and a record of 33-14. Many teams that weren’t so good last year are now top teams.

NFL            Super Bowl XXXIX pitted the New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles. At the end, the Patriots won 24-21 with Deion Branch taking the MVP award.  He had 11 catches for 133 yards. Donovan McNabb, Eagles quarterback threw three interceptions. In another corner, the NFL rushing leader, Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys, walked away from the game of football after 15 seasons. Also, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, got Rookie of the Year by winning all of his starts during the regular season.

MLB            Sammy Sosa has been traded! After many years of being a Cub and many incidents last season, Sammy left with a bad reputation.  Sammy is now with the Baltimore Orioles. The Cubs have signed Jerry Hairston and Jeromy Burnitz

NHL            There have been many problems in hockey this year. The season hasn’t started yet because of a dispute between the players and the league over the salary cap issue. The league wants a cap to keep getting good players and making teams more competitive.  But the players don’t like having a limit to salary negotiations.  This dispute will go on for a long time, and there might not even be a 2004-05 NHL season.  Neither side is ready to compromise enough to save the season.

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