No Picture

News & Features November 4, 2015

Christopher Columbus Revealed: The Deadly Truth Behind the Classic Story

WARNING! IF YOU LIKE THE “TRUE” COLUMBUS STORY, DON’T READ THIS. The True Story On October 12th every year, we celebrate (and have a day off for) Columbus Day, where we remember the story of Christopher Columbus, the humble explorer, sailing straight from Spain to discover America. Wait, time out. That’s not right. That’s not the real story. Though Columbus did come to America, his crimes – that many are oblivious to – are many. The truth is: Christopher Columbus was a greedy, lying, killing, racist jerk. Why? Well, let’s start with the beginning: why he wanted to travel west. The Beginning: The Fooling of Ferdinand Back in old 1492, Christopher Columbus was financed for his journeys by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Columbus wanted a new path of trading with India, and not for the happiness of other people, but for the great and powerful substance that…

No Picture

News & Features, Photos October 28, 2015

Field Trips Galore!

If the corridors of Friends’ Central have seemed quiet and empty over the past couple of weeks, don’t worry; nothing bad happened. The seventh and eighth graders were on field trips! While the seventh grade was on their annual trip to Echo Hill Outdoor School, eighth graders explored the wonders of Washington DC. Some of the activities the seventh graders participated in at Echo Hill were boating, swimming, zip-lining, hosting an outdoor “cook-out,” playing classic field games, and going on a night hike. There were other activities, but too many to name. Most of the previous grades that went to Echo Hill have raved about the Outdoor School’s famous home-cooked cornbread. An anonymous seventh grader admitted, “The cornbread was really good.” Beach time before leaving Echo Hill pic.twitter.com/R5RtIilvdJ — FCS at Echo Hill (@EchoHillFCS) October 2, 2015 A great week FCS! pic.twitter.com/oHrtPGGSCv — FCS at Echo Hill (@EchoHillFCS) October 2,…

No Picture

Opinions October 20, 2015

Top 15 Mario Games

This year is Mario’s 30th Anniversary. The original Super Mario Bros game came out thirty years ago (1985), so I’m going to write a Top 15 list on all the best Mario games! I would’ve done Top 30, but after a long pause, I realized that I had not played 30 Mario Games (yet). So I divided thirty in half and created a Top 15 list. #15: Mario Kart DS (DS, 2005) This game was almost deleted, but I decided that it should stay. Mario Kart DS is a incredibly confusing game, and it was the first Mario Kart game I ever played. For those who don’t know, the Mario Kart series has 11 games, and the whole plot or premise is to race other players (either friends or CPUs) to win characters and stages. This game has tons of wacky stages to race in–some that are not used anymore…

No Picture

News & Features October 20, 2015

Let’s Honor Connor!

Imagine this: You are sent to a foreign country with only basic to intermediate skills in this foreign country’s language. You must leave all of your friends, say goodbye to your family, and go to a new school. Well, for Liu Zhi Hao, better known as “Connor” at FCS, this situation is a reality. In the summer of 2014, Connor embarked on the journey of a lifetime: moving to the United States from China. Connor told me that he moved here to study. At first, he was a student at Valley Forge Military Academy. Liu said, “My parents wanted me to become a man at that school. However, I didn’t enjoy it. So, I came to Friends’ Central School instead. I feel this school fits my personality more, and there is a larger variety of subjects I can study. It is very exciting for me to learn another language. Sometimes…

No Picture

News & Features October 20, 2015

Turtle Talk with Terry

Hello, turtle lovers! I am excited to share today’s turtle fact: According to SparkPeople.com,  “Turtles cannot project their tongues out of their mouths. Flapping the loose skin under their chin or throat moves air over the Jacobsen’s organ and allows them to smell.” Fascinating! Stay tuned for next week’s turtle fact!

No Picture

Opinions October 14, 2015

Top 25 Snack Foods

Hello everybody! This is Charlie Szwartz and Tucker Wolfson doing our first ever Top 25! What a historic moment! When kids usually get home from school, they head right to their kitchen, open the snack cabinet, and chow down on their favorite snack. But the only problem here… What should they eat? We met with a world class snack food committee (a.k.a. ourselves) and came up with the Top 25 Snack Foods Ever Created. Remember: This is just our opinion. It’s not all set in black and white. Everyone has their own opinion. So, LET’S GET STARTED HERE! #25: Cheese Sticks Number 25 on our list, cheese sticks! Cheese sticks happen to be in many lunch boxes around the world, and is a kid’s favorite for cheese snacks. They’re cheesy, stringy, and delicious! #24: Trail Mix One of the healthiest snacks around, trail mix is a mixture of nuts, fruit,…

No Picture

News & Features, Opinions October 13, 2015

Haiku? More like “BYE”-ku!

At the beginning of the one-to-one iPad program last year, there was an application that has been recently discontinued: Haiku Learning. It has been replaced by Veracross and eBackpack. This was a decision made by Mr. Crowley (Director of Technology), Mrs. Quinn (Middle School Principal), Miss Schwobel (Technology Coordinator & Librarian), and other officials last summer. One of the interesting things about this choice is that FCS was using Veracross during the 2013-2014 school year, but thought Haiku would be a better program in the long run. However, after returning from a Veracross conference this summer, Mr. Crowley learned about new Veracross features and amenities that were not available when the school had used it. After sharing this information with fellow staff members, Miss Schwobel said “it was a no brainer” to switch back to Veracross. Miss Schwoebel shared, “Throughout last school year, we, the Tech Department, had been getting…

Skip to toolbar