Student Life | The Tides

Category Archives: Student Life

Butterball Bites off More than he Can Chew

Posted on January 22, 2024 by bbesthetides 3 comments

By Jackson Forman

“We have a fish problem,” Mrs. Sauer said frantically.

It was the afternoon of December 5. I was working on a Social Studies project in WIN when the science teacher ran in to ask for my help. I am known as “the fish guy” because I am an avid fisherman as well as a maker of fishing hooks.

The problem was with one of the tilapias in our aquaponics tank. He is bigger than the rest, and a lot more mean. He is everyone’s favorite. His name is Butterball. He had been pushing all of the other fish into a corner and attacking them. And on December 5, he tried to eat one of his tankmates.

Mrs. Sauer and I walked over to the tank, down in the primary hallway, and I saw Butterball with a fishtail hanging out of his mouth, struggling to breathe. I assumed Butterball was trying to eat another fish, either because he needed more to eat, or just because male tilapia can be very hostile.

I filled up a bin with tank water. Because the sink water is much colder than the tank water, if I were to get water from a sink or a water fountain, he would have gone into shock or could have even died. I had to use tank water because he was already acclimated to it. Now I had to net Butterball. Because it is such a big tank (90 gallons), and he is so small, it took a few minutes to get him in the net. Once I got him in the net, I put him in the bin. I could see that he was moving slower than usual. Now it was time to get the fish out of there.

Meet our Student Council Members

Posted on April 17, 2023 by bbesthetides Leave a comment

By Kaitlynn Cook

Have you ever wondered about our Student Council members for 2022-23? Here’s all you need to know about Molly Flynn, Nora Weber, Bob Foy, and Jalil Bessellieu.

Student Life

Dancing in the Parade

Posted on April 17, 2023 by bbesthetides 2 comments

By Molly Flynn

The streets lined with thousands of people, fire trucks honking, everyone celebrating the one and only St. Patrick. The Belmar St. Patrick’s Day is a fun parade celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. This year was their 50th Anniversary. Also this year, my dance school (The D’arcy School of Irish Dance) opened the parade and marched in it. Now let me tell you about the history of this parade.

Spotlight on Mr. Heidelberg

Posted on January 23, 2023 by bbesthetides 2 comments

By Max Gast

Our new superintendent and principal, Mr. Michael Heidelberg, used to be a swim instructor, and he found that he really liked to teach kids. When his friend informed him about a fifth-grade teaching position opening up in Perth Amboy, he became a fifth-grade teacher and has been moving up ever since.

In the past 20 years, Mr. Heidelberg has not only served as a fifth-grade teacher, but also a seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher, a high school English teacher, a technology coordinator, a middle school vice principal, a middle school principal, a director of curriculum and instruction, and a high school principal.

Student Council News

Posted on January 19, 2023 by bbesthetides 2 comments

A report by the Student Council president, Jalil Bessellieu

What a year the student council has had so far! From board meetings to spirit weeks, the Student Council has been hard at work. The year started with elections of new representatives for each 5th to 8th-grade class as of October 19, 2022.

We had some very challenging opponents like Kayleigh Cook, Aidan Murphy, Calvin Barratt, and Krystal Juarez Guzman. We each gave a campaign speech explaining why we were the best pick. We had the opportunity to set up posters in the hallways for encouragement. Overall it was a fun competition.

What I Need is Recess!

Posted on January 13, 2023 by bbesthetides One comment

Opinion

By Leah Twerell

When I started school this year, I was so excited to have recess with my friends to play volleyball, foursquare, and freeze tag. But then I got the announcement that middle schoolers would not have recess! Instead, we have WIN, which stands for “What I Need.”

But what I need is recess!

Not only is recess fun, it is also good for us. According to the CDC, the nation’s health protection agency, recess is part of a healthy lifestyle for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Supervised physical activity improves our memory, attention, and concentration; helps us stay on-task in the classroom; reduces disruptive behavior in the classroom; and improves our social and emotional development, for example, learning how to share and negotiate. In New Jersey, there is a law requiring at least 20 minutes of recess a day for students in grades K to 5. I’m not sure why it stops at fifth grade.

Raves for Kalahari: A Waterpark Review

Posted on November 15, 2022 by bbesthetides 5 comments

By Molly Flynn

Have you ever wanted to visit a fantastic waterpark? Or an amazing arcade? You should go to the Kalahari Hotel in the Poconos. The resort is named for the desert in Southern Africa known for its wildlife, which is pretty ironic because Kalahari (the region) is a desert and doesn’t have much water. I will review the shops, food, waterpark, arcade, and more.

One of my favorite parts of Kalahari was all the shops. My favorite was the grocery store. It had all types of fresh food like muffins, coffee, and other baked goods. It also stocked some of my favorite candies like Lindt Chocolate, Trolli gummies, and Starbursts. Of course, you can find staples like milk, eggs, sugar, and bread. Lastly, it offered cool merchandise like hoodies, hats, and shirts.

Another highlight of Kalahari is the superb food. They have a delicious Italian restaurant called Sortino’s. Some of the best food there is the crunchy bruschetta and the soft onion bread. Another fantastic thing there is the food near the arcade. They have delectable wings and fries. My favorite wings are the spicy, hot, crispy buffalo wings.

The waterpark is the main attraction of Kalahari. It has some killer rides. My favorite was the Screaming Hyena. You go into a purple tube and on the count of three, it drops you. It’s so fun, but water does go up your nose. Another very fun ride (considered the scariest ride) is the Wild Wildebeest. You go into a clover tube and then it lifts you ten feet on a ring that is sideways. This is one I haven’t gone on because it was closed, but the first VR waterslide is in Kalahari. Lastly, there was the Smoke That Thunders. It is one of the most thrilling rides there! It does three drops, then it brings you into a vast opening, and you rock back and forth.

Travel Pick: Aruba

Posted on March 20, 2022 by bbesthetides 4 comments

By Molly Flynn

Hi, I’m Molly, and I love traveling. My absolute favorite places to go are warm, beautiful Caribbean islands. This is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea east of North America. There are thousands of islands and 26 countries there, including the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Maarten, Saint Eustatius, and—my favorite—Aruba.

I’m going to tell you all about Aruba. I will break it down into parts: shops; food; pools and beaches; and miscellaneous.

Fidget Toys: A Review

Posted on March 8, 2022 by bbesthetides 3 comments

By Molly Flynn and Lillian McClaren

Do you have stress? Well here are some fidgets to relieve your stress. We love fidgets, so here is a fidget review! (Also these are just our personal opinions). If you’re wondering what a fidget is, a fidget is something you let your stress out on. You can use a stress ball, you squish it, and your stress is gone.

Acupressure Rings

Acupressure rings are small rings made with thin wire. To play with them, you slide them around your finger. You can get them in many colors. You can get them on Amazon, Learning Express, and many other stores. Now, most people really like these, but from my personal experience, it was not so great. Firstly, it cut my thumb, and also it could cut off circulation if the ring is too small. But sometimes it does feel nice, especially if your finger is cramped up.

Bun Stress Balls

Bun stress balls are stress balls that feel like they’re filled with foamy glue. They come in a traditional Asian food container and they are shaped and colored like a bun. I would give these 9/10. They are super squishy and great for stress. They are super cute and actually me (Molly) and my family made homemade buns, and I switched out the real bun for the fake one and it was super hilarious. The only downside is that they get dirty easily.

Flamingo Popit

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