The Jag Rag -- Berry's Student Newspaper

by Lexi Beard, Jag Rag staff writer Every Super Bowl has its Most Valuable Player. Every Oscars Awards show gives out Best Actor and Best Actress awards. In Alabama’s schools, one educator is named Teacher of the Year, and one of Berry’s own is in the running. Mrs. Becca Besch, who teaches language arts on Team 7-3 was recently named Berry Middle School’s Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Besch then went one to win Teacher of the Year for the entire Hoover school district. Currently, she is working on her portfolio to compete against fifteen other teachers across the state to see who will ultimately be named Alabama’s Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year. This is not the first time that Mrs. Besch, who has been teaching for more than twenty years, has received recognition for her work in the classroom. Prior to coming to Alabama, she was named a district Teacher of the Year in Louisiana. Mrs. Besch said she has received a great deal of support while working on her portfolio, a...

By Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer Berry’s table tennis teams claimed yet another championship after winning the state tournament in Trussville on November 1. Berry has now won 6 consecutive championships. Coach Shellnut, who coaches both the boys' and girls' table tennis teams, said the boys and girls had to hold off stiff competition in order to earn their most recent titles. “It was really close this year. We played just well enough to win,” he said. Eighth-grader Adam P. was named MVP of the boys' team, while eighth-grader Sage S. received the honor for the girls' team. The other members of the boys' team are Kaushik D, Sam W, Ocean C, Alex P, Connor K, and Nicholas B. The other members of the girls' team are Gracie M, Klara T, Kate J, Emma G, and Emma F.

by Lexie Beard, Jag Rag staff writer The Berry band and choir programs will be holding their annual winter concerts this month. The band will have its concert on Tuesday, December 10 starting at 6:30 p.m. in the main gym. The choir concert will be held at the Spain Park High School performance theater on Monday, December 16 starting at 6 p.m. Admission to both concerts is free. Both the band and the choir will perform holiday music at each concert.

by Lexie Beard, Jag Rag staff writer Berry’s Scholars’ Bowl is starting up again this year. Ms. Badio and Mr. Potts are the sponsors for Berry's Scholars Bowl team and have been doing it for a long time as well. Ms. Badio, the sponsor of the eighth-grade team, has been sponsoring for over five years, and Mr. Potts, the sponsor of the seventh-grade team, has been sponsoring for ten years. Students interested in joining the Scholars’ Bowl team have to go through a try-out process. “We sit down and get to know the students,” said Mr. Potts. “We do a try out where I sit down and have a little sheet of questions-” The sponsors ask the students questions from previous years to see what they can do. “I would rather people buzz in and get most of the questions right than people who don’t buzz at all,” Mr. Potts added. Ms. Badio has the same approach in the sense that she wants people who try, rather than not do anything. Practices are held every Monday and a match every Tuesday during the ...

"My favorite part is math, and the thing I like least is science." -- Jamiya C. "My favorite part is having more freedom than in elementary school, and I don't have a least favorite part." -- Dunia H. "I like that we're able to serve our own lunch, but I don't really like having to keep track of multiple lockers." -- Winston O.

by Kamara Granger, Jag Rag staff member Berry recently kicked off its annual reading challenge. This year, Berry students are challenged to read a total of 12,000 books, an average of about 10 books per student. If Berry meets its goal, the whole school will go to the Alabama Theater to see a movie in May. Last year, students were treated to a private viewing of Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse . In addition to the overall school challenge, students can participate in the genre challenge. To complete the genre challenge, students will need to read 20 books from a variety of genres, including adventure, mystery, an autobiography, and an online e-book. Berry media specialist Ms.Hewitt says that books can introduce readers to new things and ideas and help one become a better person. “As individuals, we benefit from the reading experience by learning new words, new experiences, and new ways of thinking through the books that we read,” she said. “I hope that everyone at Berry contin...

by Parker Gallik, Jag Rag staff writer The eighth-grade football team recently wrapped up its season, and even though they fell short of winning a championship, Coach Bowden said he was proud of the effort and teamwork his players displayed. “I really like their togetherness,” Coach Bowden said. “I believe they are all gonna stick together and keep representing Berry and Spain Park Football in a positive manner.” Coach Bowden said he was pleased with the progress the team made over the course of the season. “I believe they have worked hard to continue building a solid foundation of football skills and are on the right track to be a big part of good things at Spain Park High School Football over the next four years,” he said. When asked what the team’s toughest challenge was, Coach Bowden replied that each week and each opponent presented its own unique challenges. He also noted that the team had its fair share of injuries, but that players stepped up when the opportunities arose. Bowd...

by Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer Kittens, explosions, lasers, and burritos are but a small part of the strategic and spectacularly crafted game of Exploding Kittens. Exploding Kittens is a family-friendly card game that boasts funny cards with equally entertaining art, excitable strategy mixed with a bit of chance, and laughs all around. When it was first released to the public in late 2015, it was the most-funded Kickstarter project ever, and even now it still holds ninth place for the number of funds raised on the site. It was created by partners Elan Lee, Matthew Inman, and Shane Small. It is priced at $20 on Amazon , and many people have given it positive reviews. It also claims to be rather easy for anyone to play, regardless of age. It comes with a clear set of instructions, and easy-to-follow instructional tutorials can be on the Exploding Kittens website . While Exploding Kittens does provide a fun, enthralling way to stay entertained, you do need to have at least two...

by Lexie Beard, Jag Rag staff writer Who’s got spirit? Next week, Berry students and staff will get their opportunity to display their school spirit by participating in Spirit Week. Spirit Week activities will include dress up days and a pep rally. Monday will be Dress as Your Future Self, Tuesday will be Tacky Tuesday, Wednesday will be Dress Up as Your Favorite Book, Movie, or TV Character. On Thursday, which is also the day of the pep rally, everyone will be encouraged to dress in school colors with the sixth grade dressing in white, seventh grade in blue, and eighth grade in black. Spirit Week will conclude on Friday with Pajama Day.

by Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer It’s time again for another entertaining concert of epic, musical proportions! The end of the school year is creeping up quickly, and the band students at Berry are fired up and ready to end it with a bang with their Spring Concert this Thursday! The performance will take place in Berry Middle School’s competition gym and is scheduled to start at approximately 6:30 p.m. The upcoming concert comes on the heels of the band’s recent trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where the seventh- and eighth-grade bands performed in a nationwide competition. They showcased their talent at Seymour High School and received their awards at a ceremony the following day in Dollywood. The eighth-grade band achieved a “superior” score, ranking second in the middle school concert band category, and the 7th-grade band received an “excellent” score. The seventh- and eighth-grade bands will each play the musical numbers they performed on the trip, along with an...

Author Matt de la Pena speaks to Berry students during an assembly by Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer Author Matt de la Pena capped Berry’s Multicultural Week on March 22 by speaking to Berry students about his life and his writing. In addition, he held a writing workshop for several lucky students. De la Pena is a very accomplished author who has won multiple awards for his books, including becoming the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery Medal for his book Last Stop on Market Street , and getting one of his books, Miguel and the Grand Harmony, turned into an animated Disney movie ( Coco ). In this exclusive interview, you will have the privilege of learning what encouraged him to be a writer, why he loved basketball as a child, and finally, what he considers to be his greatest accomplishment (quick hint: it’s not being a writer!). Q: What inspired you to become a writer? A: “I grew up in a working-class community, and I wanted to tell the stories of neighborhoods l...

Members of the Berry theater department pose for a photo at this year's ThesFest. By Mason W., Jag Rag staff writer Drama, drama, and more drama! This year’s state thespian festival, commonly known as ThesFest, was filled with fun dramatical acts and turned out to be a big success for Berry, with many students receiving high ratings for their performances. This year’s festival was held Saturday, Feb. 16 at Vestavia Hills High School. Forty acting troupes performed at the event, with eight of them being junior (middle school) troupes. The following students received a superior rating on their monologue performance: Sydni T., Sadie G., Garner S., Ellen J., Adie C., and Caroline F. Caroline F., along with Kaycee L., also received a superior rating in the musical solo category. Zoey H., Miriam G., and Cordelia F. received an excellent rating for their monologues. Cordelia F., along with Ameer E., also received a superior rating for her musical solo. The the...

By Alex Roberts, Jag Rag staff writer Berry Middle School once again honored veterans who have and are currently serving in the military by holding its annual Veterans Day Assembly last Friday. Ms. Ward, the social studies teacher on team 7-3, organized the event, which included speeches from members of the student council and performances by the choir and band. Students then introduced family members who have served or are currently serving in the military, and a slideshow featuring photographs of veterans related to students and faculty members was played. Faculty members who have served in the military were also recognized. Mr. Chris Darden, a retired major general in the U.S. Army Reserve, was the guest speaker at this year’s assembly. Darden, who served in the military from 1966 until 2004, now owns a real estate and construction company in Birmingham, Alabama. A reception was held afterward in the media center for the veterans who attended the assembly as well a...

The cast and crew of Berry's fall drama production, "Once Upon a Mattress" pose for a photo. By Jayden Watson, Jag Rag staff writer Berry Middle School students, with the help of drama teacher Mrs. Rowe, choir director Mrs. Gruenenfelder, and student teacher Mrs. Peyton, put on a performance of Once Upon A Mattress for the 2018 Berry Middle School fall musical. The cast and crew began practice on the play, loosely based on the story “The Princess and the Pea,” shortly after the start of the school year. When asked about the choice of production for this fall, Mrs. Rowe stated, “ We chose ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ because it's a fun twist on a story most people know, and because it had lots of roles for our very talented theatre students here at Berry.” The play, starring Ameer El-Fallah as Prince Dauntless and Kaycee Lark as Princess Winnifred, was performed three times during the weekend of Oct. 19-20 at the Spain Park Theater. Mrs. Rowe said...

One of Mr. Strong's interests outside of the classroom is traveling. Here, Mr. Strong (center) is touring PNC Park in Pittsburgh with fellow teachers Mr. Potts (left) and Mr. Carey (right). by Cecilia Pagan, Jag Rag staff writer As students we are surrounded by teachers, but what are some things teachers do besides teaching? The Berry Jag newspaper staff got the opportunity to interview one of the school’s many teachers, and received very interesting responses in return. The following questions were answered by 8-4 social studies teacher Mr. Strong. Q: What are some interesting hobbies or interests you have outside of school? A: “Target pistol shooting, the American Civil War.” Q: How did you get into the hobbies you do now? A: “Service in the U.S. Navy where I qualified as expert pistol marksman (when I was much younger), and a lifelong interest in reading about the Civil War, visiting battlefields, etc.” Q: Are there any hobbies you would like to try out? A:...

By Mason W., Jag Rag staff writer Time flies fast! The school year is almost over, but Berry Middle School is already looking toward next year, especially when it comes to the new crop of students who will call Berry home next year. Next Monday, the school will host its second annual transition night, which is aimed at helping new students and their parents learn about life at Berry. The first transition night was held last year.  These new students and their families will find out about the opportunities that students have to get involved at Berry, learn about school expectations, and meet the school’s counselors and principals. They will also get an opportunity to hear the school’s choir and band. The incoming students will also get a chance to take a tour of the school with Berry teachers and student helpers. Setting up the transition night event takes a lot of planning and work, said school principal Dr. Robbins. “We have a team of principals, counselors, and thirty teachers ...

The Berry   Girls'   Golf   team captured the Metro South championship this past Monday at Highland Park.  Eighth-grader Taylor T. was named most valuable player of the tournament. The team finished the season undefeated despite being the smallest team in the Metro South.  Pictured from left to right, Coach Pughsley, Haley L., Taylor T., and Riley A. 

The Berry boys' tennis team won its third-straight Metro South championship Monday night. The tournament was played here at Berry. In addition to the team's championship, Devin E. won the No. 2 seed championship, Walker J. won the No. 4 seed championship, and Sam W. and Taylor K. won the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds respectively. In addition, Brenton C. was the runner-up in the No. 1 seed championship. Pictured, front row, left to right, are Brand A., Walker J., Fox D., Rohan K., and Jack H; second row, left to right, Brenton C., Taylor K., Devin E., Sam W., and Coach Bowden. (Photo courtesy of Coach Bowden)

Kate C., left, and Morgan W., right, show off their medals from the recent Science Olympiad state regional competition. (Photo courtesy of Ms. Mangina) by Mason W., Jag Rag staff writer Lights! Camera! Science! Several young scientists from Berry Middle School definitely put on a show by competition in the Science Olympiad state regional competition on February 24. The competition was held on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. Despite going up against stiff competition, Berry students placed in several competitions. Morgan W. and Kate C. teamed up to take home the gold medal in “Crime Busters,” bronze in “Mystery Architecture,” and fourth place in ”Write It, Do It.” Kate C. also took bronze in "Rocks and Minerals" with her teammate Sam C., and Morgan W. and J.P. A. also won the bronze medal in “Ecology.” Kyla M. and Julianna C. placed fifth in “Anatomy and Physiology,” and Shawn M. along with J.P. A. and Sam C. came close to placing in the “Expe...

by Cecilia Pagan, Jag Rag Staff Writer Author K.B. Hoyle will be visiting Berry Middle School this Friday. Hoyle is the author of The Gateway, a fantasy series, which includes the novels The Six , The Oracle , and the White Thread , as well as the dystopian science fiction series The Breeder Cycle. Hoyle was a r ecipient of the Literary Classics Gold Award for YA Series and Seal of Approval in 2016 for The Gateway series and the recipient of the Bronze Award for YA Science Fiction and a 5-Star Review Seal from Readers' Favorites for The Breeder Cycle in 2016. What is it like being an author? What are the challenges? What inspires an author? The Jag Rag caught up with Hoyle before her visit to Berry to ask her those questions and more. Q: What is the most challenging or demanding thing about writing a book? A: To be honest, what is most challenging about writing a book, and what is most demanding about writing a book are two different things entirely. Most challeng...