Rampage W E S T H E M P S T E A D Issue #2 We will feature our Wintersportsteams in our next issue. Looking for Sports News? “A Night of Scene and Song” at WHSS by Kayla Pendergast The show for the 7th and 8th graders looked very different from years past. Instead of performing a musical, the 7th and 8th graders performed a cabaret. A cabaret is a combination of scenes and songs from different shows to create one show. The show was titled “A Night of Scene and Song.” I was able to see the behind the scenes of how thisshow came to fruition. (Continued on page 7) Lost4Toys in West Hempstead by Peter Papangelopoulos In a small town like West Hempstead, small business is a key part of our community. Many small business owners themselves attended West Hempstead schools, have kids of their own in West Hempstead schools, or both. One of these small business owners is Cliff Lee, West Hempstead parent, and owner of Lost4Toys. Located right next to the West Hempstead Library on Hempstead Ave, Lost4Toys has any type of superhero, comic, or pop culture memorabilia you could ask for. If you are interested in Pop figures, comic books, clothes or other collectables, Lost4Toys is the best place to find what you need. As part of my new series for the Rampage, I decided to interview Mr. Lee about running a memorabilia store. (continued on page 4) February 2023 Have an Idea for a Story? Attend a Rampage meeting orsee Mr. Killeen in room 209!
LOST4TOYS 4 by Peter Papangelopoulos ART HONOR SOCIETY SENSORY PATH PROJECT 6 by Jeimy Retana Gomez "A NIGHT OF SCENE AND SONG" AT WHSS 7 by Kayla Pendergast FILM BROS 8 by Jackelyn Perez and Peter Papangelopoulos SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE 9 by Rebecca Sassi SAY WHAAAAT?! 10 by Ibraheem Abur-Raman MF DOOM. 12 by Michelet Sainvilus, Jr. SECONDARY SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT 13 by Alexander Siegelson THE AUTHENTIC Ms. WEINSTEIN 14 by Harpreet Kaur and Soumaya H. Montalment CONTENTS 2
RAMPAGE STAFF Editor-in-Chief Glenda Garcia Assistant Editor Peter Papangelopoulos Design Editors Jackelyn Perez Zoe Spruill Social Media Editor Belinda Rodriguez Copy Editors Jamie McDonald Soumaya Montalment Jordyn O’Brien Sheyla Alonzo Ethan Luong Sports Mekias Assefa Emma Shinsato Eduardo Leon Lotero Events/Clubs Victoria Hasan Henry Ortiz Jeimy Retana Gomez Drama/Music Kayla Pendergast Alex Siegelson Reporters and Feature Writers Ibraheem Abdur-Rahman Michelet Sainvilus Rebecca Sassi Harpreet Kaur Sheyla Alonso Eman Khan Photographers Tania Chen Jackelyn Perez This month we have a wide selection of articles to suit the tastes of the RamFam! In this issue you'll be able to see what the students of WHSS are up to both in and out of the classroom. We hope you enjoy and make sure you keep an eye out for the exciting sports and advice columns awaiting in the next issue! Thanksforreading! Glenda Garcia Editorin Chief LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 3
Cliff: We have been in business believe it or not, for over 20 years but we did just celebrate our 2-year anniversary of opening up this store. Peter: And how long have you been involved in this (comic-book memorabilia) type of community? Cliff: Well, I started off younger as a collector and from there it grew. I started to buy things in bulk and it snowballed into a business. I took an interest and just turned it into a business. Peter: It started off as a hobby and just became something bigger. Cliff: Exactly. Peter: You opened your West Hempstead location in the past two years. What made you start off in this location? 1 Lorem ipsum dolor Lost4Toys (continued from cover) Peter: Okay, well first things first, you are Cliff Lee, the owner of Lost 4 Toys. Cliff: That I am. Peter: Well let’s get right into it, so what year did you open the store? Cliff: Oh, obviously being part of this community, I wanted to open up the store in an area I knew. The first second I walked in here, the store itself was all beat up but I had a vision of what it could turn into. And after we did open up, within a week, we changed the lighting, redid the floor and added the grid wall. It came together more day by day. Peter: So, this is obviously a more niche store, there are not as many of these stores on Long Island. What are some challenges that you have with a more niche type ofstore like this? Cliff: Well, being this type of business, you definitely have the situation where you're not a deli and there’s not that constant foot traffic. But me opening up here on Hempstead Ave, knowing it’s a busy block, I knew it's in a good place. On top of that, I've opened up new customer bases. We have to make sure we’re advertising. Get your name out there. We do a lot of toy shows and travel all around the East Coast. When we do a toy show, whether it's at Cradle Of Aviation or New York Comic Con, we’re constantly handing our cards out saying “listen hit that brick-and-mortar store, stop by and support us.” by Peter Papangelopoulos Photos by Jackelyn Perez 4
It’s definitely a lot of hurdles and obstacles as far as getting people here, but with collectors being so passionate, people want to come here. Collectors want to come and physically see the pieces, see the boxes and the paint jobs on the pieces. Peter: That actually gets me to my next point, I know you mentioned toy shows and I know I’ve run into you at shows like at the Cradle Of Aviation. What are those toy shows and other conventions like for you? Cliff: Those are a true, true challenge. Having the storefront, I’m not that crazy about doing toy shows because I like being at home base. But, doing those shows you bring in a whole new audience. Peter: Another thing, walking around your store here, we noticed a lot of signed things. Do you get them yourself? Cliff: Some of them we do. At the conventions, obviously. When we do the conventions, we find out who’s doing signings, what actors are going to be there, what voice actors, whatever it might be. If we have a good product, we try to get in line and get those products signed. But otherwise, we get involved with othersignings, like friends who are associated with actors or voice actors. They come to the store or have a private signing. Peter: And Jackie, our photographer wanted to know this: who is your favorite person you’ve run into because of your business? Cliff: Wow, I’d have to say Jon Bernthal, The Punisher. Peter: Wow, that’s amazing. Cliff: Yeah, he was pretty awesome. It’s amazing because you meet these actors and you’re a fan of these people and you see them. These actors seem larger than life, and when you're meeting them you’re kinda nervous. But when you finally meet them you walk away and just say, “wow, that person was awesome.” They’re just a normal person. You nerd out, geek out with them, it's great. Peter: Great, last question. What type of advice would you give someone who wants to open a store like this? Cliff: Be passionate about it. Stay true to yourself and have patience. I have a buddy of mine looking to open up a shop. He’s a little bit older like myself but he’s not happy with his old careerso he’s opening his own store. He’ll be competition but I’m helping him go forit. It’s great. 5
1 Lorem ipsum dolor Art Honor Society Sensory Path Project by Jeimy Retana Gomez In December, West Hempstead Secondary School art students created a Sensory Path at Cornwell Avenue School. The Sensory Path Project is a way to keep the younger age groups of our district active in a colorful and artistic way. It is an active community project and a fun way to enhance kids’ imagination by transforming the black concrete making it more vivid. It was hard work and planning, but the end result was amazing and successful. The students at Cornwell will enjoy the fun sensory path for months to come. Art teacher Mrs. Ross explained, “The sensory path project is a good opportunity for our secondary students and our younger members of the school district to interact. The little kids will enjoy this colorful active space, which was previously concrete but will now be a beautiful piece of art.” Thank you to the staff of Cornwell who helped make this beautiful opportunity to happen. Thank you to Ms. Boles, Ms.Shinners, and Ms. Sinito. Let's give a thank you to all the volunteers who helped out in this project: Jeimy Retana Gomez, Vivian O'Gara, Rozyln Rodriguez, Gabriela Zavala, Christopher Delmage, Nicole Noel, Amelia Bhario, Axel Acero, Maya Flam, Mekias Assefa, Ohunayo Adewumi, Felixon Elubin, Maddie Jeffrey, Belinda Rodriguez, Katherine Segovia, and Talyah Tucker. 6
The backdrop seen throughout the show, was painted by students of West Hempstead Secondary School and designed by Alison Hekila, who was a former student of West Hempstead High School. The veils were used in the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for a dreamy and beautiful display. The other musical numbers included Invocation and Instructions by Stephen Sondheim, Opening IV and V (The Witches Rap) from Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, and Revolting Children from Matilda Jr. Matilda Jr. was the show that the Middle School performed last year. With these numbers the night was filled with throwbacks to years past in the West Hempstead Drama Clubs. The 7th and 8th graders performed two shows after months of preparation. The ending result was amazing. They worked so hard and put on a wonderful show fortheir community. (continued from cover) The music performed in this cabaret were all songs from shows the middle school has performed in the past. All scenes performed throughout the night were chosen by the students. This was the most creative project the 7th and 8th graders have done yet. The students had a chance to personally pick what scene they would like to perform with theirfriends. A Night of Scene and Song” at WHSS By Kayla Pendergast This idea came from the director of the show, Stephinie Martinez, a former student of West Hempstead High School. The rehearsal process spanned over roughly three months. Having rehearsals for choreography, music, and scene work the students worked very hard. Another impressive aspect of this show was how the students were able to balance their sports with the rehearsals. It is so important for students to get involved and be able to do all the thingsthey love. There were so many creative details in this show. The costumes were all found by the students and they were able to customize their looks with gold accessories of their choice. 7
La La Land ONE OF OUR FAVORITE MOVIES EVER! This academy award-winning movie centers around Mia and Sebastian, two passionate artists who are drawn to each other because they both have a passion for doing what they love. For Mia, that thing is acting on stage as she creates her one-woman play throughout the movie. For Sebastian, it's his love for jazz and his want to open a club where people play jazz. As they venture farther into doing what they love, they face decisions that threaten to tear their relationship apart. The cinematography is so amazing and the music helps tie it all together as one of the best love stories written. Check it out on Amazon Prime! Fantastic Mr. FOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name, is Wes Anderson’s first venture into stop-motion animation. Released in 2009, another movie with a star-studded cast, with leads like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a joy to watch, from the quirky animation to the sly quick jokes or the great and fun characters. It’s hard to not fall in love with it, as the titular Mr. Fox, a now reformed robber with a family, attempts to pull off one last heist against three rich humans and their factories. This movie creates a playful environment through its amazing soundtrack and colorful cinematography. It's heartwarming and takes you on a trip for an hour and a half without boring you for a second. You can check it out on YouTube and Disney+. Knives Out Knives Out released in 2019 is yet another murder mystery with great twists, a stellar cast, and a great atmosphere. It stars greats like Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana De Armas, Christopher Plummer, LaKeith Stanfield, Chris Evans, and Toni Collette and is directed by Rian Johnson, who many may know for directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It follows a Home Attendant as she attempts to deal with the family of the old man she took care of following his murder. Daniel Craig also stars as the detective suspiciously assigned to the case, as the film progresses the twists just fall into more twists, as the film says “a doughnut hole in the case inside another doughnut hole of a case”. The recently released sequel, Glass Onion, starring Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Madelyn Cline, and once again, Daniel Craig. Check out the original Knives Out on Amazon Prime and Glass Onion on Netflix! Directed by: Jackie & peter 8
INGREDIENTS 2 cups of all purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup unsalted butter 1 cup of granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 4. Dump the dough onto a work surface & press it together in a mound, divide the dough in half & press each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap & refrigerate until firm.(at least 1 hour) 5. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. by Rebecca Sassi STEPS: 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt. 2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter & granulated sugar until combined. Then scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. 3. Add half of the flour mixture & mix just blended, then add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until blended. The dough will look lumpy, scrape down the bowl 6. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour. Unwrap 1 chilled dough disk & place it on the floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle more flour under & over the dough, as needed so it doesn’t stickUsing your cookie cutters, cut out as many shapes as you can, then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookie dough to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies 1 cookie sheet at a time until the cookie edges are lightly browned. (10-12 minutes) Let them cool completely. Optional: Decorate the cookies with frosting and sprinkles! Sugar Cookie Recipe 9
America, A Nation At Odds This time around, as opposed to taking a culinary route, I figured it would be a little more thought provoking to question something closer to home: American culture. I mean, we all live here, and at this age, we’ve already experienced a plethora of cultures within this one country. Especially since we live in a country that claims to pride itself on prioritizing individual opinions, getting more acquainted with just what opinions our peers actually have seemed intriguing to me. That being said, I decided to find the most common grounds for disagreement regarding significant parts of American culture; music, food, and sports. Not to get all nationalist on everyone, but there is a right answer to almost every question, including these! When it comes to the most essential sport to American culture, your mind should say whaaaat??! Ibraheem Abdur-Rahman is creating conversation by combining controversy and confusion. automatically flash to football and baseball. Depending on the demographic in question, the answers could honestly vary. So, I wasn’t too shocked when 83% of the people interviewed believed football was America’s central sport. To be fair, football is still relatively new…and baseball was a major part in relieving Americans of stress during the Great Depression, but it seems as though that doesn’t matter too much anymore. The other 17% that felt the same way about baseball are justified in my eyes, they were just confident enough to speak their own truths! 10 by Ibraheem Abdur-Rahman
Shifting to a topic more central to me personally, the next question was focused on America’s most essential music genre. This is a similar case scenario of the answer being heavily swayed by the demographic being questioned, because I believe the vote would have been reversed had the people being interviewed been middle aged or older…Either way, I do stand with the results of this vote. Perfectly parallel to the results of the first question, 83% of the interviewees think hiphop music is America’s most central, while 17% have the same opinion on country music. If I had asked this question in, say, 1990, there would definitely be an upheaval in these opinions, which only demonstrates how importantrelevancy isto culture. Just a few decades ago, country music was nearly synonymous with American culture. Nowadays, hip-hop music is everywhere. Even just as recently as November of this year, Drake & 21 Savage logged the largest streaming week of all time for a collaboration album and any hip-hop album with Her Loss (513 million) since Drake’s own Scorpion (2018, 745 million) and Certified Lover Boy (2021, 743 million)! 11 Unlike the prior two questions, my last inquiry was sure to cause more of a rift in the votes because of how general it is. Regarding music and sports, internal culture tends to have a heavy influence on preferences as opposed to external culture. So, when I proposed the question of “hamburgers or pizza”, it was almost an even split between the two! When you think of “summer cookout” or any sort of outdoor get together, hamburgers are a must. They’re so nonnegotiable, they’re always slated to appear without even saying a word! On the contrary, when you think of any sort of indoor social event, pizza is more likely than not to be there. I, personally, lean slightly more towards hamburgers being crowned as America’s most essential food. And it seems as though 54% of the people I spoke to share my (right) opinion! That’s not to neglect the 46% of people who chose pizza as America’s top grub, but as they say, the public has spoken! In all honesty, there’s too much diversity in America now for there to be only one prevailing culture, or opinion on the matter. And there is definitely more than enough room for all cultures and perspectives to live on. It doesn’t take me by surprise to see so much disagreement over everyday perspectives, but if we can’t have opinionated harmony, at least we have hamburgers and pizza!
1 Lorem ipsum dolor MF DOOM. by Michelet Sainvilus Jr. MF(Metal Face) DOOM or Dumile Daniel Thompson is a rapper and hip-hop legend born in Hounslow, London to his Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. When he was young he moved to Long Island, New York. Since he moved to New York so young, his association with New York and its hip hop/rap scene is prevalent within hissongs. This displays confidence in multiple ways. One way is how he is speaking in the first person. Of course, he’s referring to himself, MF DOOM, which is meant to be spelled in all capital letters, which are usually associated with things of importance. Second, the way the verse is said is with assertion and is meant to be taken as a command, not passively. With all this, MF DOOM is able to create a song that truly allows me to become confident, especially when it comes to understanding who I am and how much I have accomplished. Songs You Should Listen To First - “Rhymes Like Dimes” (Operation Doom) - “Rapp Snitch Knishes” (Mmm..Food) - “All Caps” (Madvillan) MF DOOM has sampled a number of non rap/hip hop artists, such as Sade and Quincy Jones. Additionally, MF DOOM has lots of fan made mixes with other artists such as (once again) Sade, and Nujabes (another personal favorite of mine). These mixes can be found on Youtube. MF DOOM’s music has influenced me in many ways, mainly when it comesto having confidence and self respect. The song that portrays self confidence the best, for me, is “All Caps” from the Madvillainy album. The song starts with a whimsical type of melody that then transitions into a loop of deep keys. These keys impose a menacing tone that is balanced out when the higherflute sounding keys enter. MF DOOM has many albums, his two most popular being Operation Doomsday and Mmm..Food. You may have heard some of the songs from those albums such as, “Rhymes Like Dimes” (Operation Doomsday), “Rapp Snitch Knishes” (Mmm…Food). Within MF DOOM’s songs he talks about a multitude of topics, whether it be his opinions on rappers,relationships, or himself. As the song goes on, the higher notes occasionally transition into a brass sounding instrument which becomes louder. This gradual increase in volume not only exudes confidence and power, but also compliments his lyrics. On the topic of his lyrics, many pertain to his abilities and how he raps, but there’s one that hits especially hard - that lyric being, “Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man’s name.” 12
Students of the Secondary School kicked off the winter season with an amazing musical experience. This year marks the first ever Secondary School concert, and a great event to show off the hard work and dedication of students and staff of the music department! To start off the concert, the chamber choir directed by Mrs. Nardo, gave an amazing performance of the Star Spangled Banner, followed by the West Hempstead Alma Mater. Next up, the jazz band led by Mr. Coleman swung their way to an awesome showcase of talent. They led off with I’ll Be Home for Christmas, including a smooth saxophone solo from Michelet Sainvilus. After that, they performed Chameleon, including yet another solo by Michelet Sainvilus. 13 on, including yet another solo by Michelet Sainvilus. Following the jazz band, the Chamber Orchestra, directed by Mr. DiPasquale, came out with energy, beginning Agincourt before the curtains even fully opened! Next, the Chamber Orchestra performed Inverno and Contrasts In E Minor for a lively and exciting experience, featuring skilled ensemble playing. Then, the Chamber Choir came back to sing Sleigh Ride, Winterlight, and “Blizzard!” During the performance of Winterlight, the impressive soloists Jennifer Panetta, Oceann Miller, Bianca Lugo, Victoria Hassan, and Henry Ortiz all sang with confidence and passion! After the Chamber Choir, came the Symphonic Orchestra, directed by Mr. Dipasquale, with elegant performances of Arctic Fire, Hatikvah, and Momentu. Proceeding that, the Mixed Chorus, directed by Mrs. Nardo, got the audience in the holiday spirit with performances of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, One Wish, and Winter Fantasy. And to end an amazing night of talent, the Concert Band, directed by Mr. Coleman, finishes off with exhilarating performances of Digital Prisms, Mystic Battle, and Carol of the Bells. Secondary School Winter Concert by Alexander Siegelson
The biggest question educators get is why they chose this profession. She explained to us about her life and how she became who she is today. She connected this to how she had learned that she loved people, she was someone who thrived connecting with others around her. This completely reflects her teaching style, which is a combination of getting down to business while keeping it lighthearted. In her own words, “Being a teacher isn’t a job that ends at 3:00 pm, being a teacher is who I am.” With that we were interrupted by the first Jenga fall, blocks were everywhere and I felt a taste of defeat. 14 What is authentic? The people you see or the clothes you buy? Well in this very school, in our lives, we have met someone who was truly the most authentic we have ever seen. Our team had taken the liberty to search for someone who has truly inspired us to be the most we can achieve. In our search, we found a among all the dandelions and we learned much about her roots and ambitions. She teaches and spreads love for Latin American culture with displays of passionate dancing and fluid, rich music. She is very open and sincere about her roots with pride in her heritage. Every day her students learn more about a world outside of what they grew up with, different cultures and people they hadn’t known, leaving their views more vibrant than before. Through this interview, we caught a glimpse of the ambitions and motivations of West Hempstead’s teacher of the month, as we played a rather risky game of Jenga. "Being a teacherisn’t a job that ends at 3:00 pm, being a teacheris who I am.” Ms. Weinstein grew up in El Salvador (in a time of a civil war) with a father that taught her the importance of sparing no effort to reach her goals. She grew up with the very essence of a lively nature, where she had learned that it's better to be your truest self than not. She moved to the United States at the young age of fourteen where she learned more than what she was raised with. Despite the difficulty, she spent time and was determined to be the best she could be, for herself. She later pursued higher education with much conviction. To this day, she instills these principles into her students while giving them hope to be better. She explained to us why she pushes the students that pass through her doors every year to be the best version of themselves while she effectively beats us at Jenga by taking the last easy block to move. “THE STUDENTS! The students. That’s my favorite!” The Authentic Ms. Weinstein by Harpreet Kaur and Soumaya H. Montalment
Another truly mind-boggling fact had to be that Ms. Weinstein doesn’t have a favorite song! Which is unbelievable, to say the least, compared to all of the recommendations she gives. She says that she enjoys all types of music even if her genre of choice is Spanish music, she says she simply cannot pick a single favorite song! Following that, with some more basic questions, we learned more about the small things about Ms. Weinstein. Her favorite color is black (shocker) and she looks gorgeous wearing it! She always struts into class with a smile and her red bottom boots. 15 We set everything up again with more light questions in mind. She smiled and we began. First off, if there is anything else you would need to know about Ms. Weinstein, it would be her extravagant travels! It was so amazing to hear that our teacher had traveled to parts where we could never imagine! And she still has so many plans for the future. (All the details can be found on the Fun Facts sheet attached). She was a true expert and we recommend stopping by her room to get a better sense of her enthusiasm Fun Facts about Ms. Weinstein -She hastwo dogs: Brandy and Ruby. They are Cavapoos. -She doesthe best Bad Bunny impression (stop by herroom to hearit, you will laugh). -Speaking of Bad Bunny,she calls him “Conejo Malo”. -She lovesto travel. She has been to South America, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean Island. She would love to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. -She has 2 children: a daughter, a medicalschoolstudent and a son, an engineer.