The Jag Rag -- Berry's Student Newspaper

The Berry Middle School Table Tennis team won its fourth straight table tennis title at the 2017 Alabama Middle/High School Table Tennis Club Team Championships earlier this month. Members of the table tennis team are, front row, from left, Carson Wildmon, Matthew Brumbeloe, Sam Wasko, and Rami Kafeena; back row, from left, Zach Gray, Tyler Moore, and Taylor King. The team is coached by Coach Shelnutt. (Photo courtesy of Coach Shelnutt)

Students on 7-3 show their school spirit during the pep rally. (Photo by Mr. Carey) By Cecilia Pagan, Sarah Yi, and Lydia Faris, Jag Rag staff reporters Energy bounces around the Berry Middle School gym. Feet stomp and hands clap in rhythm and chants and cheers erupt from the bleachers. Music blares from the instruments of the band, and noise reaches a deafening level as Berry sports teams run triumphantly across the gym floor. This enthusiastic show of school spirit can only mean one thing -- it’s pep rally time! From left to right, 8-4 students Claire Stansell, Claire Dubois, and Savannah Oakman show off their togas during Spirit Week. (photo by Cecilia Pagan) Berry recently held its first Spirit Week and pep rally of the school year, using the occasion to raise awareness for the Hope for Autumn Foundation, which assists families battling childhood cancer and supports research for innovative cancer treatments. As with all spirit weeks, each day of the week was...

Mrs. Miller teaches a math lesson to her 6-1 students in the new outdoor classroom. by the Jag Rag staff writers What was once a bare, rocky patch of ground outside the east wing of the school has now been transformed into a learning oasis, thanks to the efforts of a Boy Scout and the fellow members of his troop. For his Eagle Scout project, Grady Freeman, a Boy Scout with Troop 69 and a former Berry Middle School student, designed and built the newest addition to the school, an outdoor classroom on the east side near the carpool area. The construction began over Labor Day weekend and was finished the following Saturday. Freeman’s fellow scouts as well as their parents pitched in to help Freeman with the project, digging holes, mixing and pouring concrete, and constructing the benches on site. “I hope that students and teachers will enjoy the classroom for many years to come,” said Freeman, who said that sixth-grade science teachers Mr. Hodge and Mrs. Howard initial...