BOOM! POW! BANG! OUCH!

For Spanish Class with Ms. Avila, the 7th grade students are working on a Comic Project. The idea is for students to express ideas by using pictures, often combined with text or other visual information. They have to create a story using onomatopoeias, characters, and different elements .In order to meet the standards; the comic should have at least two characters and the 5 parts of a story (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Conclusion). Students can choose if they want to do it by hand or using any of the websites chosen by Ms. Avila. The rubric for this project, according to http://msavilalenguayliteratura.weebly.com/semana-28-31-el-coacutemic.html, Ms. Avila’s website, is the following:

Take a stand. Lend a Hand.

       As many other schools around the world do, Escuela Bella Vista celebrated the annual Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. The school has been motivated to support this special cause by creating a remarkable "in-school holiday". Pink Shirt Day is a very important day at EBV, where students wear pink shirts to support anti-bullying and take action against bullying. An elementary teacher, called Ms. Riley, was the one who initiated this activity at EBV. According to Wikipedia and www.pinkshirtday.org.nz/, this event was first organized by David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, in 2007 who bought and gave 50 pink shirts to students in their school, after a ninth grade student, Jadrien Cota, was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Therefore, in Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald (the school where this event happened) recognized the second Thursday of September as a  "Stand Up Against Bullying Day".

"Free" day?

On February 26, NHS and NJHS hosted a Non-Uniform Day. Non-Uniform Day is the day of the month where students can wear anything they want, but they have to follow the dress code. Many students don’t agree with this, because the dress code at Escuela Bella Vista is very strict. Some students pay for Non-Uniform Day because they want to wear whatever comfortable clothes they want, but others actually pay to support the charity and help collect money for those in need. Teachers also had to follow the dress code, so students were able to call them out as said in an email sent by NHS Historian Nicole Pineda. One reason that students are not allowed to break the dress code on Non-Uniform Day is because students are supposed to be encouraged to dress for charity, not just for their benefit. Even though there is a lot of controversy on this, NHS and NJHS raised a lot of money for charities who really need it. If the ticket for Non-Uniform Day was bought between Monday and Thursday, it cost 50 bsf. If it was bought on Friday morning, it was 70 bsf. It was a great Non-Uniform Day for the Honor Society and there was only 1 dress infraction!

“Sorry I’m latte…”

“Sorry I’m latte… I should have taken the Espresso Lane. Good thing this wasn't a race, otherwise he'd have been thoroughly creamed by all of his friends.” Escuela Bella Vista students should take less time drinking their early morning coffee and instead, should come on time to school. On February 24, more than 50 students arrived late to Escuela Bella Vista. Dr. Rosie sent an email very dissapointed to the middle and high school students about how on February 22 only 10 students arrived late. That day, she sent an email congratulating everyone for promptness. In the email sent, she talked about how traffic cannot be blamed for being late and that the goal is not for students to be entering school at 8:00 am. Students are affected by being late because then they have to do the Daily Assessment in their time outside of school. In contrast in other cultures, Venezuelans don’t take being on time very seriously, which is why Dr. Rosie wants students to arrive early, to the teach them the importance of being on time. So if you are one of those students arriving late, don’t be the one to say “’I’M on time–everyone else is early.”

ISIS is Bringing Mustard Gas Back from the Dead

ISIS detainee confesses the group’s plan to use mustard gas in an interrogation.

     Sleiman Daoud al-Afari is a “ a chemical and biological weapons expert who once worked for Saddam Hussein’s Military Industrialization Authority.” Says the Washington Post. He is an important Islamic State Operative who was captured a month ago by commandos in an elite American Special Operations force. While being interrogated he provided information on how ISIS is using mustard gas as a weapon, they are effectively carrying their plans by converting the substance into powder and loading it into artillery shells. An official explained that the substance was not highly concentrated enough to kill people, but it could injure them severely. According to the Washington Post “Defense Department officials notified the International Committee of the Red Cross, which monitors the treatment of detainees, that they were holding an Islamic State fighter, as stated by protocol.” The Red Cross confirmed that they visited the detainee on Tuesday, but gave no further information about the subject.

And the Oscar Goes to…

This Year the Oscars were filled with laughter, emotion and amazing films.

     The 2016 Academy Awards were undoubtedly as success, we were able to laugh with Chris Rock’s outstanding jokes and feel a rush of emotions with Lady Gaga’s performance of “Till’ it Happens to You” and Sam Smith’s mind blowing presentation of “Writing’s on the Wall”. But most importantly we were able to enjoy the award ceremony and feel content for the nominees and winners. One of the most important awards of the night was given to “Spotlight” for best motion picture. The award we were all waiting for; best actor, was finally given to Leonardo DiCaprio for his leading role on “The Revenant”. The award for best actress was given to Brie Larson for her performance in Room. There were also many more awards such as the award for best supporting actor, which was given to Mark Rylance for his performance in Bridge of Spies and the award for best supporting actress, which was given to Alicia Vikander for her incredible acting in “The Danish Girl”. Another great award to watch was the award for best-animated feature film, which was rightfully given to “Inside Out”. The 2016 Oscars were a great triumph this year and they where definitely worth watching.

Second Semester Shopping

With a new semester comes new rules; the EBV Physical Education Department has decided to make changes to the P.E dress code

For many years, the EBV dress code has been the same. For elementary, middle school and high school there has never been a change. However, at the beginning of the third quarter, middle schoolers are told that the shorts they’ve been wearing for years are no longer valid. The old uniform consisted of a simple white T-shirt that could contain a small logo and shorts (dark blue or black) with a stripe, a logo, or both. Now, the children must wear a white T-shirt which may contain a small logo and shorts (black or blue) with not even a small stripe.

What is the problem? Students have already bought their striped shorts as always and now they have to go back to school shopping again. If students fail to meet the dress code standards, they will get points taken away from their grade in P.E that day; the third day will result in a Falta Leve. I’m not stating the new rule is good or bad; however multiple middle schoolers like Estefania Perez and Daniela Haack suggest it would have been a better idea to change the rule at the beginning of the next school year. This rule is only to make our EBV community better and make all of our students look as wonderful as they are.  

Kesha's going down, but not yelling Timber!

Remember Kesha's song Tik Tok, and how you couldn't stop listening to it on the radio? Well Kesha has know filled a lawsuit against her long-term music producer and mentor Dr.Luke. According to TMZ she allegedly claims that Dr.Luke "sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused" her. Even though we can't truly say whether Kesha was abused or not, sources say that know Dr.Luke has filed his own lawsuit claimng that she is only making this up in order to get out of her contract. Since no online source can confirm whether Kesha was abused or not, we anxiously wait to see the outcome of this feud. Tik Tok, the clock is ticking, and our patience is running out.

Apple vs FBI. Who is right, and who is wrong?

This past December in San Bernadino California, there was an attack that killed 14 people, and left 22 injured. Apple is currently in a battle with the FBI over an IPhone that was used by one of the shooters. Since going into the shooters IPhone is against the contract, Apple is not allowing the FBI to look into the shooters phone. According to LiveScience.com "In 2014, Apple deliberately changed its operating system (OS) to ensure that all iPhones were encrypted by default and that Apple had no access to the encrition keys.  Instead, keys are generated by combining a user's password with a unique identifier stored on the phone. Farook's phone runs iOS 9, which includes the new security setup as well as a feature that permanently locks the phone after 10 incorrect entries.Because Apple can't decrypt the phone, the FBI wants the company to upload a modified OS that disables the 10-attempt limit and permits electronic entry. "It is said that this battle is law enforcement's new attempt at trying to dodge the "growing levels of encryption in costumer services" according to livescience. Let's just hope that after this is over, Apple and the FBI will go back to being huge parts of our lives, but in separate ways.

Top ten fact you might use sometime in you're life.

This is a short list of interesting facts that you might find useful in your life, as least as an opening sentence, maybe.

5- Now most people have this small problem that when they want to stop a video they press space, this usually happens in YouTube and it's a bit frustrating when it goes to the end of the screen. So let me fill you in with a secret: YouTube's official pause button is not space but K. Why K? Well, why not K? And you can use J and L to speed up or back up 10 seconds. K?

4- You eat banana don't you, well if this where Fallout you will probably get + 2 to your radiation since bananas are radioactive. But not because of factory and urbanization: nope. Bananas are organically radioactive.  They contain potassium-40 that is a radioactive isotope for potassium. But don't worry it'll take at least 35 bananas for anything to actually happen.  

3- This interesting fact might not be useful for you now but in the future it might. one of the most memorable quote before death came from socialist Karl Marx and said the following. “Go away! Last word are for fools who haven't said enough”. So when you are about to die: don't be a fool.

2- We all are born negative, the brain has a negative bias. This makes us want to look for bad news and was originally used a defense mechanism because not everything is sun and rainbows.

1- Do you want to go to the past well you technically are in the past because it takes the brain .18 milliseconds to process information!

Champions in OUR Home!! Let's go OILERS!

You see, going a saturday to school is not thaaaaaattt baaaaaddd, at least not with VANAS. Okay, first of all, if you are going to read an article about VANAS, you must know what it is. VANAS stands for Venezuelan Assossiation of North American Schools, that's why all english speaking schools in Venezuela see and know each other. So yeah, last saturday was VANAS. EBV boys basketball won against Nogal, gaining their first place in the championship and girls EBV soccer team won against San Vicente de Paul gaining their third place in the competition. Congrats to both teams!!! You worked reaally haaaaardddddd. So yes, give yourself a round of applause and a palm on the back. You deserve it. 

These were the results:

Boys Basketball Places:
1st. EBV
2nd. Nogal
3rd. Colegio Aleman de Maracaibo
4th. ECA


Girls Soccer Places:
1st. Colegio Aleman de Maracaibo 
2nd.ECA 
3rd. EBV
4th. San Vicente de Paul

Start your countdown! International day is closer than it appears!

2016 international day is this Saturday March 11!!! All middle school has already presented their projects. They had to teach little kids about a variety of countries, their issues, animals and even tall tales. Isn't that cute!!?? Lil' first graders were amazed by how many animals there were in the world and of how many global issues people around the world struggle with. But they also have something prepared for us!! Their international day dances, imagine cute elementary kids performing dances from different cultures. We have a looooootttt of diversity in EBV. So prepare your body to wake up be here at school by 8 am on Saturday, and prepare your minds to learn from elementary kids about cultures around the world.

Latin Showtime

This year's Premios Lo Nuestro was one of the best and most entertaining of all.

Miami, Florida, as usual this was the location that hosted Premios Lo Nuestro 2016. These are one of the most expected things by the Latin people in United States and around the whole world. The most outstanding awards were given to: J Balvin for the best artist of the year. The excellence award was given to Carlos Vives, and finally the video of the year was given to La Mordidita by Ricky Martin. After the show, the fans started talking about Carlos Vives performance with all the group of Colombians and Obsession by Farruko. Finally, the show ended with a performance in which Chino Y Nacho released their new song called "Andas en mi cabeza " with Daddy Yankee.

AHHH FIRE (in the game of course)

Fire-watch is a first person adventure game where the main character is you, Henry. You are having trouble with your wife and decide to take a break and go an and take a job as a fire-watch during the summer. Even though the backstory and dialogue is very good, the graphics seal the deal.

The basic idea of the game is to hike around the forest doing a list of things that your boss Delilah tells you to do. As you walk around the beautiful mountain scenery, you begin to realize something is wrong. I don’t want to spoil the story, so I will tell you this. Your privacy has been severely invaded. You then go on another list of things to do, but you realize that something a lot more serious is going on…

Your backstory is one that belongs in Shakespeare. You fall in love with someone in a bar. You then move in together and are happy for a time. Then your realize something is very wrong. Your wife is acting weird and she is forgetting many things. You end up taking her to the doctor or (or drinking wine and eating macaroni. There is an actual option) and you find out that she has early dementia. You send her to a place where they take special care of her or you take care of her yourself. If you choose the option of taking care of herself then her family comes and takes her. After that you start the game. 

Jumping around at the speed of a truck.

Are you ready? Are you steady? GO play cluster truck the extreme parkour game that involves you jumping around moving trucks. Do you have what it takes to wall jump, run, and even slow motion your way through many obstacles trying your best to stay on these exploding trucks? Whoever said yes deserves an Oscar, but for awesomeness. 

The concept of this game is very simple. Jump on the trucks to make it to the end. If you touch the floor or anything else, you get reset to the beginning. You can wall jump on the side of the trucks to keep your momentum going. When your in a pickle, use your slow-motion to help you out. Beware though, its limited and it takes time to recharge. This game may be frustrating at first, but when it works it works, and you feel awesome. Have a nice day and beware exploding trucks.

Spirit Week Too Spirited

After a week of creativity, Middle School Student Council, summed up all the points from each grade regarding participation for Spirit Week at EBV. Many students had inspiration from actors, for example, an 8th grade student, Luciana Fernandez, dressed as Selena Gomez. The schedule for Spirit Week was: Monday—Favorite book character, Tuesday—Twin Day, Wednesday—Pop Culture, Thursday—Throwback, and Friday—Pajama Day. As expected, on Friday there was the most participation from the students due to the theme.  Who doesn’t like to be Pijamas? According to an email sent by Ms. Coulson, the results were:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Grade 6	29%	71%	68%	64%	79%
Grade 7	31%	64%	74%	79%	67%
Grade 8	27%	62%	31%	40%	76%

        The winner was: 7th grade and as a reward they will be receiving a prize!

Careful, the 8th graders know a lot about security!

For the past few weeks, the 8th graders have been very busy with a project about copyright, phishing, netiquette, copyright, security, and hacking. The 8th grade Computer Class has been watching videos and discussing with Mr. Coello about the dangers of the Internet. Most people don’t know what phishing or copyright is, but many people do it without knowing. “Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works.” according to Copyright Kids. Mr. Coello talked to the students in class about how people steal each other’s work and think that it is okay. The students have to make an essay about all 6 topics due February 17. Good luck to the 8th graders!

New Rule, New Measures Taken!

        No more lunch deliveries! According to an email sent by the Middle School Principal, Dr. Rosie on February 4, EBV students will no longer be able to receive food from home during school hours. Meaning that they will have to bring the food with them in the morning or eat from the school cafeteria. You might ask yourself, why these strict measures have been taken. However, they are for the students’ safety. This new rule has been added in order to avoid unidentified people from entering the school campus.

Help the dogs not to yelp!

Since January 25, Paulina Maurovich, the organizer of CSE, has been sending emails about the recollection of plastic bottles for dogs and cats in ASODEPA. ASODEPA is an animal shelter in Maracaibo that is home to about 500 dogs and cats. ASODEPA provides care and shelter to unwanted cats and dogs, but it prime motive is to encourage people to adopt and care for these poor animals. CSE has planned to help ASODEPA build a recycled wall so the animals don’t escape. There are boxes all around Escuela Bella Vista were 2L plastic bottles are being recollected. The grade that helps and brings the most plastic bottles get a tequeños and soda party. Each grade has its own box in different classrooms. Below is a list of the classrooms. Help these loving animals receive the love they need!

6: Ms. Possamai

7: Ms. Vielma

8: Mr. Brougham

9: Ms. Riddle

10: Mr. Gleason

11: Mr. Brougham

12: Mr. Perez

Point Break; the adult version of Robin Hood

Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey), an extreme athlete training for FBI official, wants to discover who is behind the new chain of crimes. He has the theory that the recent crimes were caused by a group that wanted to complete the Ozaki 8, a series of extreme tasks in order to honor earth. Utah, following his theory will go to complete the next task in the criminals list. Trying to surf one of the biggest waves ever, Utah drowns and is saved by the leader of the gang, Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez). Utah’s theory is confirmed but he stills wants proof. Trying to find it, he will follow Bodhi and his gang, Roach, Chowder, Grommet and Samsara wherever they go eventually becoming one of them. During the movie, Utah struggles to choose in between two sides, the one that steals and gives it to the poor to pay earth, or the side that believes Robin Hood is bad. The movie features the main idea of the first Point Break (1991) showing the beauty of earth’s wonders, but also its flaws.

EBVista News Rating: 8.5/10

And The Sloth- WiFi Continues....

Apparently (as always) EBV is having WiFi issues again. The student Yedi force will arise, for the second time!! We mean that eventually, students will get tired because the LOL search they made is not loading. Kids have work, for the cause of school!!!! But wait. How are they going to their work if the WiFi is not loading and the teacher says “NO EXCEPTIONS! THIS IS DUE AT THE END OF CLASS. WHOEVER DOES NOT FINISH IT WILL GET A BIG FAT ZERO!! I MEAN IT!”. Without any form of exaggeration, that’s what happens. Ok. We probably exaggerated a…tiny bit. In that case, which is the most common; we have to rush through our work after the WiFi traveled the world and drank tea in England. So pretty, pretty pleeaaase, FIX THE SLOTH-FI!!! Thanks.

Earth, an unknown home; The 100 series

The 100 series features a futuristic world in which humans live on space. Due to a nuclear explosion, humans are forced to go to space. Living in a station is not as cool as we think it is. With barely more than 100 years of oxygen, the station has 97 years and is already experiencing problems. Besides having to administrate the food, the medicines and the space, now they have to administrate the air. The station or the arc, how they call it, does not find another solution but to send 100 prisoners to see if the earth is livable. For their surprise, it is. But not everyone makes good decisions, especially prisoners. This series is based on a book trilogy called The 100 by Kate Morgan. Some actors include: Eliza Taylor, Marie Avgerooulos, Bobby Morley, Thomas McDonell, Ricky Whittle, Paige Turco, Davon Bostick, Christopher Larkin and Lindsay Morgan. Through every episode, you will see how they struggle to survive in their ancient homes discovering a whole new world in the earth and underground.