News & Features

The Phoenix Inquirer is Back and Better than Ever!

The 2016-17 school year has been a very interesting year for The Phoenix Inquirer. From service issues to social media, this year represented a year of growth and change for the newspaper. First of all, as the new school year started, we have gotten a bunch of new members in all three grades, plus our first members from the Class of 2023. And while we did lose some newspaper legends (such as Julian Brenman ‘20, Evan Sweitzer ‘20, and Liam Giszter ‘21), it has been made up with all of our newest members. In the first months of the new school year, the “new”spaper got to work immediately, publishing tons of new content, and by also entertaining the rest of the Middle School through videos and assembly announcements. From “Hexudoku” to “PhoenixTechTips,” the month also had tons of new series and debuts from new members. Shortly after, home.friendscentral.org shut down….


No Picture

History Repeats Itself: A Historical Comparison

Note: This article is a comparison between two events and talks about a potential war; this war is only hypothetical and is not likely to happen. Not long ago on December 19, 2016, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Turkey. This may not seem like a big deal, and hopefully is not, but the situation eerily reminds some people of an event that unfolded more than a hundred years ago. For those who have not taken eighth grade Social Studies yet, the event mentioned was the cause of World War I. The archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Bosnia, which lead Austria-Hungary to declare war against Serbia. Alliances were then involved. However, World War III is not likely to be a product of the recent assassination. Relations between Russia and Turkey have actually improved since the incident. A chilling video exists of it, but I would not recommend…


Top Google Searches of 2016

2017 has just started, and over the past year, there have been so many Google searches in the USA. From memes to sports to news stories to the election, here are a bunch of lists of the top Google Searches of 2016. I’ll finish everything off with the top 10 Google searches worldwide. I have found this information from www.google.com/trends/hottrends. If you don’t know what anything is please feel free to look it up. DISCLAIMER: This is not a list of “Top _____”, but a list of “Top Google searches of _____”. Top Memes 5. SpongeBob Caveman 4. Dat Boi 3. Pokémon Go 2. “Darn” Daniel 1. Harambe Top Songs 5. One Dance 4. Panda 3. Black Beatles 2. Purple Rain 1. Formation Top Video Games 5. Warcraft 4. Battlefield 1 3. Overwatch 2. Agar.io 1. Slither.io Top TV Shows 5. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story 4….


No Picture

Turtle Talk with Terry: 5th Edition

Terry is a Red Eared Slider turtle owned by Ms. Sims. Red Eared Sliders (also known as Red Eared Terrapins) are found throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountain. Did you know that these turtles can hibernate? They don’t fully hibernate like bears, but instead, they brumate. The difference is the turtles become much less active, but also get air outside of the water. They usually start to brumate around October and through the winter. They become active again around March or April.


No Picture

Chillin’ with Dylan

Interview by Mekkhi Gardner ‘20 Revisions by Julian B-Man ‘20 Questions answered by Dylan Mitchell ‘19 Hello, my name is Mekkhi, and I am here with Dylan Mitchell, a recent graduate of the Middle School here at Friends’ Central. Now in the Upper School, and now serving as the “Adjunct Content  Advisor” for The Phoenix Inquirer, he is here to answer some commonly asked questions eighth graders have about the transition to ninth grade. Here’s what he had to offer: MG: How often do you study [for tests, or in general] in Upper School? DMr: Make sure that you always take notes and study them every night. You also want to find the right kind of study method that suits you, and although it’s different for most people it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that works for you. MG: What should I do if I’m having trouble in Middle…


No Picture

Quilt for a Cause

Recently, Middle and Upper School Art teacher and seventh grade advisor Ms. Caroline J. Maw-Deis, along with the the assistance of Service-thru-ART, other students, community members, and faculty, crocheted and knit a quilt–for a cause. FCS woodshop and music-media teacher Diego Luzuriaga has not been feeling his best lately. So, if you put the pieces together, you will figure out the quilt was made for Mr. L.



No Picture

From “Spirit Week” to Spirit Weak

  As announced in assembly, via email, and on the bulletin board, three weeks ago was “Spirit Week” at FCS. That Friday, we were invited to wear our pajamas, Tuesday we were encouraged to dress as a character, Wednesday was lumberjack impersonation day, and Thursday was an all-black attire day. We ended Spirit Week on Friday by wearing our schools’ colors: blue, gray and white. However, under the observation of many, lots of folks have turned Spirit Week into “Spirit Weak.”


No Picture

Campus Crannies: First Edition

As many of us know, below the right side of the middle school building lies a semi-creepy walk-out basement containing 4 classrooms, a couple of small group instruction rooms, a powder room, the lost and found, as well as spaces for storage and mechanical supplies. However, have you ever wondered what is below the left side addition of the building? Well, if you are thinking “no,” you are not alone, as that thought has never crossed my mind either. But, last Thursday, that all changed. (Dun, dun, dun…)



Skip to toolbar