PATRIOT PAGES ISSUE 1

November
December

2018 STUDENT OPINION: PATRIOT PALOOZA:

RED TICKETS NO
STUDENT BOOK
REVIEW
SEXIST BATHROOMS?
MORE

PATRIOT PAGES
Team Work Makes
The Dream Work
By Tessa S. (Editor in Chief)

Hamilton Elementary School

has a sport or two, every
season (besides spring). In
the fall the sports that are
offered are volleyball, cross
country, and flag football. In
winter, students can play
basketball and in the spring, there has been talk of starting a soccer team. Many
middle schoolers enjoy playing sports and are appreciative of the skills they learn
while playing.

Volleyball started at Hamilton last fall, and has been a huge hit ever since then. The
fall sports this year are the boys flag football and the girls volleyball. Although the
sports themselves are the topic of interest, it’s really going deeper and seeing how the
players work with each other is what makes them destined for
greatness. Teamwork and understanding is what can make or “When someone
break a team. If there isn't good communication, a team cannot be makes a mistake, we
driven to success. According to Phil Jackson, Chicago Bulls coach, pick each other up.
“The strength of the team is each individual member.” And he’s That’s how teamwork
right. should be.”

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The teamwork behind Hamilton sports teams seems solid Hamilton

on the surface, but I dug deeper and asked some of the
teammates whether they thought the foundation of their Fall Sports
teams solid. Olivia B., a Hamilton eighth grader, says, “I
know my teammates pretty well. I’ve only known some of
them for only about a year, but we’ve developed a close
bond. I think that the way we communicate outside of
volleyball has a huge impact on the way we play. We
always hype each other up but we also joke around and
have a lot of fun.” Olivia has a point. The way a team
handles themselves outside of practice and the games
truly does depend on their gameplay and how well they
work together as a whole. When Olivia asked her what she
liked about her team, she said, “I like my team because we
all are close to each other and we try really hard when we
play. When someone makes a mistake, we pick each other
up. That’s how teamwork should be.”

In addition to the perspective from volleyball, I also spoke

with eighth grader, Jeremy H., a flag football and
basketball player, about his thoughts about his team. “ I
know all of my teammates well,” Jeremy says, “[this]
sometimes leads to cracking jokes on the field.” He also
said that he and his team play well together, and that no
matter what, him and his team will stick together, on and
off the playing field/court. The coaching from Mr. Steve
Skweres and Mr. Ian Ransdell have also helped make the
teams successful. All in all, it seems as if all sports teams
“I’ve only known some
this fall work together quite well on the surface, and deep
of them for only about
down. As our Hamilton mantra says: Work Hard, Play
a year, but we’ve
Fair, and Take Care of Each Other, we value these
guidelines everywhere we go. It could be in the classroom, developed a close
on the field, or even on the court. But it is clear to bond. I think that the
everyone that our sports teams display those core values way we communicate
and set an example for teamwork that should be followed outside of volleyball
all throughout the school. has a huge impact on
the way we play.”

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STUDENT OPINION
The Problematic Pictures in the Second Floor Bathrooms
By Gracen A.

I, along with many other Hamilton

students, believe that the pictures in the second
floor bathrooms should be removed. This is because
they’re sexist, they’re old, and I sent out a form to
the students that proves people dislike the pictures.
These paintings are, for one, sexist. They
don’t even serve any purpose! Not all girls should
like princesses, and not all boys should like Batman.
The pictures that separate the girls and boys
bathrooms should be erased, along with the pictures
inside. Inside the girls, the bathrooms are pink, with
flowers, ballerinas, and butterflies/bees. Inside the
boys, the bathrooms are blue, with bugs and spiders. Sixth grader Gracen A. stands next to the second
Not all students enjoy that, especially not the older floor bathroom at Hamilton Elementary School.
grades. Sadie H., a female in 8th grade, said:
“They're directed towards younger kids and very
stereotypical to the gender of the bathroom they're in.” They should be replaced with the
color white, brown, yellow, or something along those lines. Patterns like swirls, stars,
stripes, dots, etc. should be added in its place as well.
The paintings are also old. Every time someone goes to the bathroom (on the
second floor,) it’s the same old thing. People probably want a change, some new
pictures, so they don’t have to hate the paintings anymore. They will get very tired of the
paintings and start not paying attention to them at all. If that happens, then what’s the
point of the paintings anyway?
I sent out a survey to the 3-8 graders. I got back 81 responses. 82.7 % of those
students strongly dislike these murals. Pretty much all those students said the paintings
were childish, old, unimportant, stereotypical, and sexist. (Thanks to everyone who
participated in the survey!) Dominick M., a male in 3rd grade, claims: “I dislike the
murals because some boys like pink and princesses and some girls like bugs and ants and
my second favorite color is pink.”
This article proves the downsides of the murals in the student bathrooms. If
Hamilton agrees, people can donate and work to raise money to repaint the bathrooms. I
think people will like them much more, and they will finally be there for a reason. So
what are we waiting for? Let’s redo these murals, and make Hamilton a better place!

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STUDENT BOOK
REVIEW
By Mackenzie S.
Warcross is a young adult, dystopian, speculative
fiction novel by Marie Lu. In the book there is a
game called Warcross. It is set in virtual reality,
and you have to wear glasses called the NeuroLink
in order to play. The story follows a teenage girl
named Emika Chen, who has to hunt cheaters
down and turn them into the police, just to earn
money. Emika sometimes will hack into another
player’s account and steal power-ups to sell them
for money. When Emmika attempts to get a rare
power-up, she accidentally glitches herself in the
game! This book is a good choice for students in
4th through 8th grade. If you enjoyed this book,
then you will enjoy Wild Card which is the sequel,
This Mortal Coil, and The Eye of Minds. If you are
an avid reader, you can probably complete it in two
to three days. If you are a slower reader, it might
take you up to a week. This book is similar to
Ready Player One, so if you liked that, then you
will most likely enjoy this. Once you start it, you
can’t put it down! It can be found in the Hamilton
library, a local bookstore, and Chicago Public
Libraries. In my opinion, the book is very well
written, and I highly recommend it.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SIBLINGS
By Jeremy and Justin H.
(yes we’re siblings)
Having siblings in middle school could be a little
weird to some people. You’re not only seeing your
brother or sister at home, but you see them when you
are at school, while you're joking with your friends. In
some ways that could be a good thing. Having siblings
in middle school means even if you don’t have any
friends at school, you always have someone that you
can talk to and joke around with. As students
graduate they don't just leave behind their legacy,
they also leave their younger siblings.
Diego C., an 8th grade student with a younger sibling,
Araceli C. spoke about his thoughts on having a
sibling in the middle school. “Having a sister in the
same school is cool because I get to see them every
day.”  Another middle school student, Moira W.,
agrees and enjoys having her little sisters in the same
school. She told us, “ I like it because because we can
talk about what happened in school, and it's easier to
go to and from school.” She also shares how “cool and
funny” it is that many of her friends know her
siblings. But some middle schoolers with siblings
think otherwise. Ciara M. loves having her siblings at
school, but sometimes they can be a handful. She
said, “They can embarrass you and you get really mad
and annoyed at them.”     
Lots of students with siblings love having them at
school, but sometimes they can get on your nerves.
They will always be there for you, hopefully, but kids
gotta be kids and sometimes annoy you! Overall, we
love having our siblings at our school.                          
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HAMILTON HAPPENINGS
Patriot Palooza
By Tallula O. and Olivia P.
At the end of each month, Hamilton students
enter the gym to hear cheering voices and riled up
kids. Bright red tickets spill into bins and kids
hope that they will be chosen for a special lunch
with a favorite teacher or an extra recess. The
Patriot Palooza is a raffle celebration each month
to celebrate positive student behavior throughout
the school.  
Although grades K-5th use the red ticket system,
middle school does things a little differently. After
tickets are picked and students are returning to their spots on the floor among clusters of
friends, Ms. Warwick reveals which lucky middle schoolers will receive a prize based on
nominations sent online.
Students are able to select and nominate their peers for which student they think deserves to
be a Palooza winner. Next, the middle school teachers review the nominations and pick the
top five students that were written about the most. Then, on the day of the Palooza, the most
impactful nomination received for each of the five students is read aloud and the winners are
revealed. The reason that Patriot Paloozas were created is to help kids be on better behavior
and do good deeds. Rewarding kids with red tickets when they do helpful and kind things
encourages not only doing doing the right thing, but also doing the right thing when
nobody’s looking. As our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Meghan Brewer, explained the Palooza is
more meaningful to the middle school students when students do the nominations.

Hamilton Helps
By Joanie C. and Elliot K.
The Me to We Club was a middle school club started by Ms. Lynda Gardner last year. Ms.
Gardner is the counselor at Hamilton. The goal of the club is to promote service and help
the community. This November, they did a toy drive that involved students donating toys
for children ages 0-17 that cost $15-$20. Ms. Gardner felt that the Toy Drive was a
community effort, not just Hamilton. “We also had Building Blocks Toy Store as a toy
supplier. Our Hamilton goal was 200 new toys, games, and gift cards. We were asking for
new and unwrapped gifts placed in the bins in the first-floor hallway, or people could
donate money directly to the Common Pantry website at commonpantry.org,” said Ms.
Gardner. The toy drive has been extended to December 7th and Hamilton School is hoping
to reach their goal.

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MEET A TEACHER
By Lily A. and Eleanor P.

Ms.Cosenza is an art teacher that has been teaching art for four years. She became an art teacher
eight years after she graduated college, “I followed the advice everyone had been telling me.”  She
said that everyone thought that she was good at art, and should become an art teacher. Even her
middle school art teacher thought she should become one. So when she got out of college and, like
everyone else had no idea what to do, she followed the advice she was given. We asked Ms. Cosenza
how she was adapting to the move. She explained, “ It’s very easy to adapt, everyone here has been
very kind. I feel like I have been here for years even though it’s only been two and a half months.”
She feels welcome at Hamilton and says it was what she was expecting since she has lived in the
neighborhood and knows the community. She also said that the change has changed her teaching
style. “ I’m a lot more relaxed here. It’s a different community, that aligns with more of my beliefs
and energy.” So Hamilton, we seem to be doing something right!

We have had Ms. Cosenza for two and a half months now
and we have done some very cool, and a little crazy art
work in a little amount of time. “ I have the highest
expectation, always 100% into everything, I also expect
100% from myself too.” She said that her personality fits
into what art she does, and what projects the students do.
She expects us to do these big projects in a little amount
of time because that's the way she is, and because she
believes in us. She loves the kids and think that we are
“Very cool”!

When we asked her questions about herself, to get to

Ms. Cosenza working with acrylics in her
classroom.
know her better, she was straight to the point with them.
Her favorite color is purple, she loves ice cream and
Italian supplies. She loves DOGS! “Put dogs in caps,
DOGS FOR LIFE!” she said. She would also would like to
fly.

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SMASHIN’ FASHION
Winter Edition
By Hazel R. and Lily A.

Fashion is a great way for students to express themselves. Sometimes you may be
able to notice parts of someone’s personality in their chosen look. The fashion column of this
newspaper is made for you to find yourself in your clothing, as well as get inspired by other
friends and fellow classmates! As John A., a sixth-grade student said, “My style reflects my
personality, by me being myself and being just free and not being held down by the shackles
of gender organization.” We have interviewed different students with unique styles to seek
their opinion on the fashion for middle schoolers.
All of the kids we interviewed had very different styles, and
would all describe their styles very differently from each
other. We noticed that Maeve G., an eighth grader, took a
more practical approach when we interviewed her. She
noted that she wants to wear something that she feels
comfortable in. Many kids style themselves based on the
day, too.
Kids have idols that they based their style off of including
Emma Chamberlain, the Cubs, and even their parents!
Some kids also decided that their style icon was nobody,
they don’t want to steal another’s style. As Ciara M. stated,
“Yeah, I might have the same style as someone else, but I
would never want to copy someone or look like someone
else.”
Some kids pulled together their look using accessories so
they can wear casual clothing. Kids described how pieces
that are more casual are more versatile because you can
dress them up and down. A favorite accessory for girls
would be hoop earrings. They pull together a casual look
perfectly! However, some boys may not want accessories. We took note that in Brady D.’s
style, hair dye plays a great part in his everyday look. When we asked him, he gave us the
perfect advice for maintaining dyed hair. “The first week that you have dyed hair, it has to
set. If you choose to wash your hair, use soft shampoo and cold water. Also do not swim for
two weeks.”
Casual, comfortable, and cute is how kids describe their style. Most middle schoolers enjoy
feeling good in their clothing, and will dress up their casual look with an accessory. If you
follow these fashion trends, you’ll definitely look smashin! Could you be one of the next kids
featured in this column? Catch our column next time on Smashin Fashion!

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WHAT MATTERS TO MIDDLE

SCHOOL

Earth Awareness Even better, we can try to cut off our use of
plastic and reuse as much as we possibly
By Olivia B. and Nissa C. can. If we take the leap to clean our school,
this will propel us into making earth
Lots of people dismiss the fact that our
cleaner, one step at a time.
earth is in danger. However, there are
whole organizations dedicated to helping
the environment. Hamilton has always been
big on recycling and giving back to the
earth, but we think there is more that we
can do. Every classroom here has two
recycling bins, and a trash can; one for milk
cartons and one for paper in general. The
difference between the three is quite
distinguishable but because of the lack of
acknowledgement, you can find used tissues
in the recycling bins and shreds of paper in
the trash bins. This doesn’t really seem like
a big deal until you realize the fact that
most of our trash goes to landfills which
damage our ecosystem. All that garbage Ask A Patriot
piles up and sits there - it doesn’t even
Attention middle school students of Hamilton
begin decomposing for many years. A
Elementary!
study showed that in 2013, Americans
generated 254 million tons of trash and Hamilton’s recently created newspaper will be getting
composted 87 million tons of this an Advice Column. This way, you can send in an email
material which is equivalent to a 34.3 about your problems and will receive advice from
percent recycling rate. Each person someone on the staff. The responses will be posted in
makes around 4.40 pounds of trash a the monthly newspaper anonymously.
day, which isn’t a lot until you consider
Please contact Ms. Warwick at egwarwick@cps.edu
that you produce this every single day.
and she will pass along your questions to the staff.
In order to fix this problem, we can
make tighter rules for recycling and we
can try to reduce what we throw away.

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NEWSPAPER STAFF

Tessa Sheridan (Editor in Chief) Lily A.

Carlos A. Joanie C.
Olivia B. Elliot K.
Jacob D. Eleanor P.
Jeremy H. Hazel R.
Devin J. Mackenzie S.
Nissa C. Sofia S.
Tenley F.
Tallula O. Teacher Supervision:
Olivia P. Mr. Macias
Gracen A. Ms. Warwick

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