Category Archives: Featured

Snow Ball Drew 70 Students!

Posted on by Leave a comment

By Molly Flynn

I stepped into the fire department banquet hall. People’s dancing shoes were already tapping the ground to the beat. Streamers and snowflakes hung from the ceilings. Demogorgons from Stranger Things stood tall near backdrops. And in the very middle, a sign read: “BBES Snowball ‘26.” 

On January 15, BBES had our second annual formal dance. There was loads of dancing (including some teachers), plenty of food, and nostalgic ‘80s music from our DJ, Mr. Leprotto.

There were 70 students there—even more than last year! The eighth grade won attendance points for 100% attendance before anyone else. The eighth grade also won points for the most dancing. The best way to dance is to not care about everyone else in the room. Just be yourself, and everyone else will follow. Besides loads of dancing, there were games like mini bowling and mini cornhole.

But my overall favorite part was a spirit week leading up to the dance. Each day, the class that dressed up the most got points towards Battle of the Classes. Battle of the Classes, run by the phys ed teacher, Mr. Pulcine, is a competition in which students complete challenges and spirit weeks to earn points for their class. The eighth grade won with 60 points! Second was sixth grade with 47. Third was fifth with 41, and in fourth was 7th with 36. Also part of Spirit Week was a rock, paper, scissors challenge. All students received a Hawaiian lei; if you won, you kept it; if you lost, you gave it away. Once again, the eighth grade took the victory with about 60 leis. 

For the last day of spirit week, we had a pep rally where teachers selected kids for challenges. There was a tic-tac-toe relay, a hula hoop race, scooter racing, hungry, hungry hippos, and the most entertaining of all, musical chairs.

As you can imagine, the eighth grade won the week with a total of 60 points. If you were there, you would know how grand their celebration was. “We believe that we will win” was practically screamed. We honored Ms. Covert and Ms. Acerra. But most of all, we celebrated together. Not only were all grade levels happy with their scores, but it also brought people together. Each grade level had to join together to beat the others. That is the most important thing a school can achieve. 

Eighth Grade Wins Battle of the Classes!
Video courtesy of Ms. Acerra

Getting to Know Mr. Pulcine 

Posted on by Leave a comment

By Ravi Koyen

We all know the new gym teacher, Thomas Pulcine. Have you ever wondered about his past and background? Mr. P came to the school this year, but it feels like he’s been here forever because of the impact he’s had on the school and students. Here is an interview I conducted with Mr. P by email earlier this year:

Q: Where are you from/where do you live now?

A: I grew up in Hazlet, New Jersey, my whole life, and that is where my wife and I bought our first home

Q: Where have you previously taught?

A: I taught in Hazlet for four years as a classroom teacher, but I wanted to become a Physical Education teacher. I left Hazlet for College Achieve as a PE teacher for one year, then came to Bradley.  

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: Sports and fitness are my passion. I go to the gym and walk often with my dog. I play softball, pickleball, bowling, and volleyball throughout the week. Besides sports, I love watching movies with my wife. 

Q: What is your favorite sport to play and to watch?

A: Football and baseball are my favorite sports by far. I would rather watch football at my house, but go to a baseball game any day. I also enjoy going to hockey games. 

Q: What sport did you play in high school?

A: I played baseball, football, and basketball in high school. I was lucky and fortunate enough to play baseball in college, too. 

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: For college, I went to Pfeiffer University, Ocean County College, and New Jersey City University. 

Q: What made you want to be a teacher?

A: My mom suggested it. I knew I wanted to still be a part of sports, and my mom mentioned coaching and teaching. I love what I do.

Q: Where did you learn to dance?

A: My dance moves are all natural!!! It is funny, when I was younger, I was shy and would have never danced in front of anyone. As I got older, I learned not to care as much and be scared to be yourself. I want my students to see that and feel the same way.

Q: What’s a fun fact about you?

A: A fun fact about me is that I am a good cook. I like to try new recipes. 

Thanks to Mr. P for sharing his story. We are looking forward to more years ahead!

Who Came First: Gregory or the Eggs? A Chicken Update.

Posted on by Leave a comment

By Lily McClaren

Now that we have 30 new hens’ eggs incubating in the science lab (ready to hatch around June 4), we thought it would be a good time to check in on our old friends, the 18 chickens born at BBES last May.

 I interviewed Ms. Jessica Mack and her daughter Kyra Tobia to find out how our chickens are doing! 

Ms. Mack said the family kept around half of the 18 BBES chickens, and gave the rest to some of their friends. The Tobias, who have a small farm in Colts Neck, also kept the names the students gave to the chickens and roosters, including Gregory, the biggest and the leader of the flock; Peanut Butter; Jelly; Oreo; and Chi Chi, the smallest rooster in the flock. The Tobias have a coop behind their house with about 25 chickens in total. The BBES chickens are now adults, and many of them have laid eggs.

This means that some of the 30 eggs incubating in the science lab could be the offspring of our BBES chickens,  Ms. Mack said.

Ms. Mack said the adult chickens are thriving in their coop, and they get along with all the other chickens her family has, but there is one rooster that wakes her up every morning at 4:30 AM. Some of the chickens are very friendly from being around all the BBES students for their first two weeks of life, but some hate to be touched. Kyra has a harness to walk the friendly chickens!

The chickens eat pellets with calcium and nutrients. Chickens need this type of feed because it takes a lot of nutrients to create eggs. They also get a snack of dried mealworms, which they really enjoy. There’s a lot of protein in them for health. Also, they get a natural dewormer containing cayenne pepper, chili powder, sage, and regular pepper. It’s an all-natural dewormer. Chickens can’t taste anything spicy. However, the spice inside them gets rid of the parasites. 

It sounds like our feathered friends from BBES have found the perfect “forever home!” From early morning wake-up calls to walks on a harness, these chickens are living their best lives. Even though they’ve moved on from our school, they are still healthy, happy, and growing strong. We are so glad to hear that Gregory and the rest of the flock are doing well, and we’ll be on the lookout for Gregory Junior in a few weeks. 

Photos courtesy of Ms. Mack

Breaker Boys Shine in Soccer Season

Posted on by 2 comments

By Ravi Koyen

The Bradley Beach boys soccer team has made a comeback! This season was special because it was one of our best seasons. We secured fifth place, and, at one point, we were in second place for a few weeks. For the past two years, the team had not won any games, but this year we won four! We finished the year with a 4 and 4 record.

At halftime, the first game of the season against Lavallette, the boys were tied 1-1. They went on to score five straight goals, winning 6-1. The next game was against Neptune City. It was a really close game, the boys winning 3-2, going into overtime. The team celebrated so energetically on the bus ride back.

The team consisted of five sixth graders, four seventh graders, and five eighth graders. The coach is Mr. Pulcine, who is also the new PE teacher. What the coach would always say at the games and practices, and when our team was in doubt, was, “Let’s do what we do best and be aggressive!” 

The game moment with the most suspense was definitely when we were tied with Neptune City with a little less than five minutes on the clock. Jared Walker, a sixth grader, scored the winning goal, giving Bradley a 3-2 victory on September 26. Jared also scored multiple hat tricks against Avon and Sea Girt. Another standout player is Brandon Victoria-Angel, who scored a goal against H.W. Mountz off a free kick and scored two headers against Bay Head. 

The team’s hardest game was probably against Sea Girt, as they had a lot of skilled players. However, we had a very good comeback, scoring three goals in the second half. Unfortunately, we still lost 6-3.

The team will lose some key players to high school next year, but there are many who will be back. Along with Jared are Keno Stewart, Alex Rojas-Quiroz, Gael Reyes Ruiz, and me (Ravi Koyen), all seventh-grade starters who will take on a leadership role next year, Mr. P said. The sixth graders who started are Dylan Ruiz Garcia, Zareth Montoya Merino, Jeremy Rodriguez Toruno, and Joshua Roa Mancilla, who now have more experience for next year. So, even with saying goodbye to five eighth graders who all played prominent roles, next year’s Breakers are heading in the right direction for another successful season. 

Boost your Playlist with Classic Rock Recs

Posted on by 2 comments

By Arianna Galloway

Have you ever wanted to expand the music you listen to? Well, I have the perfect suggestion for you: classic rock. It’s rebellious, raw, and, most of all, classic! 

Classic rock is an energetic genre of music with its famous guitar riffs and vocals, and rebellious themes. The term describes the era from the 1960s to the 1980s, but the 70s are considered the golden age of classic rock. Some classic rock radio stations even play songs from the 90s. 

Some of the most well-known bands are Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Kiss, and AC/DC. But there are many more. I first started listening to classic rock when my mom played it in the car. I loved the energetic, upbeat tunes, and now I have a whole playlist. I think this genre of music is great for expanding your music style and is much better than the brainrot songs that many kids listen to today.

Hip-hop artists have sampled heavily from classic rock songs. Some famous songs you may know, like “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice, were sampled from classic rock. In that case, from “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.

There are so many good rock songs, but here are some to start with. In 1966, the Rolling Stones came out with the song “Paint it Black,” which has a very gritty and moody vibe. In 1986, New Jersey native Bon Jovi came out with “Livin’ On A Prayer” based on two people going through hard times, but still holding on. One last song to get you started is “Rock Bottom” by UFO, which has a great beat. Other artists I think are good are Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, Journey, and Cheap Trick.  All of these songs are catchy, and they express music in a way that you may not be used to.

I asked around the school, and I found quite a few classic rock fans. Our head custodian, Mr. Phil, said it’s his favorite genre of music. “They took pride in music back then; it was more raw,” he said.

Our principal/superintendent, Dr. Heidelberg, said, “I like how the drums, the bass, and the guitar come together to produce a sound that you can easily identify as rock music.” 

Renata, in seventh grade, is also a fan. “I got into classic rock from Stranger Things,” she said. “Classic rock makes me feel hyped up, and has a good vibe to it.”

Mrs. Fox, a middle school math teacher, said it reminds her of her childhood. “ My dad used to blast it in the house,” she smiled.

As a music lover, I have many favorite songs, but out of the ones that I gave earlier, my favorite is probably “Livin’ On A Prayer.” The reason is that while it’s showing a sad emotion, it’s still very upbeat. Classic rock makes me hyped because of the drums and electric guitar used in most songs.

Expanding your music may be hard, so that’s why I made a Spotify playlist for you to get you started. Let me know what you think in the comments. Rock on!

Students’ Lemonade Stand Prompts a Sweet Gift

Posted on by Leave a comment

By Molly Flynn

It was a sweltering August day, with temperatures reaching about 90 degrees, and tourists were flooding the streets. Julia Bianchi, Lillian McClaren, and I were bored out of our minds. Julia had the great idea of setting up a lemonade stand to make some extra cash. 

We started to prepare, taking lemons, sugar, and a lemon-printed tablecloth from Lily’s house for our stand on my front lawn. We took a massive sheet of paper from Lily’s basement and wrote “LEMONADE $1” in bright green. No one could read the writing in the blinding sunlight.

Julia then (again) had the great idea that since we are members of the National Junior Honor Society, we should donate the money for service hours. Lily and I agreed on one condition: we got to pick where the money went.

After a couple of minutes of researching random charities near us on Lily’s phone, we decided on Make-A-Wish. A castle only half an hour away would be perfect.

We added “All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Foundation” to our sign. Business started booming.

Our biggest donor was a Bradley local, Shannon Symons, who donated $100!

“I donated because, as a cancer survivor myself, I knew that what these kids were raising money for is important,” she said.

Read more

The IT Man: an Interview with Mr. Monterrosa

Posted on by 2 comments

By Milo Butler

Hey everybody! Do you ever think about our IT Coordinator, Mr. Monterrosa, and what he does? Well, that’s what I am here to tell you. 

He first became interested in computers during his freshman year of high school. He purchased a pre-built gaming desktop and immediately began upgrading its components. That led him, a year later, to build his own desktop from scratch. 

In a written interview with The Tides, Mr. Monterrosa said, “My favorite part about being the BBES school IT guy is the uncertainty the day will bring. Some days I will be troubleshooting a tech issue, and the next I will be playing basketball against the students.” 

Mr. Monterrosa began his job as our IT specialist in late July 2024. He came here after he graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He loves technology and helping others. Mr. Monterrosa says, “This job is extremely fulfilling, and helping others always makes me happy.”

Read more

Pirates, Paint, & Parties: a Year in Art Club

Posted on by One comment

By Delta Sorensen

This year, Art Club met every Wednesday after school in Mrs. DiZefalo’s classroom. There were 19 members in the third and fourth grades.

“Our first several projects were pirate-themed,” said Mrs. DiZefalo. “Students made wanted posters and gave themselves pirate nicknames. We also made watercolor gems and pirate ships.”

As a member of the Art Club, the thing I like most is that we made things out of clay and glazed our projects. We also made clay bowls for Mother’s Day. We also had parties.

I encourage all third and fourth-graders to join if they are able to because it is fun and educational.

« Older Entries