The Jag Rag -- Berry's Student Newspaper

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:...