CUBS' COLUMN DECEMBER 2021

By Alex Wright

Many kids around the globe dislike homework. I myself find homework necessary due to its many important skills. and for good reason. Though, given frequently, is having homework really important? Or are kids able to learn simply by showing up to class and doing work during that given class period? Not many kids enjoy doing homework, but there are some children who prefer homework to classwork. The vast majority of kids, however, do not like homework and just want it to stay in the classroom and not interfere with their home life. So, what do you think about having homework?

Homework is necessary for schools around the globe. For starters, Bempechat states, “I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills”. This means that when having homework, students tend to do better in school subjects and activities. Homework is a way to give kids a better understanding of the topic they are learning. It may be hard for some kids to learn and perfect everything without extra practice, and that's exactly what homework is. Though kids may not like it, homework is a great way to boost academic knowledge and skill.

But, why do so many kids dislike it? Well, homework can cut into free time, and time for family. It forces parents to waste quality time that they could be having with their child and instead help them with subjects that they haven't done in years. Many kids also have after-school activities, such as a school club, sports, or tutoring. These kids often spend a long time after school practicing their sports skills, teaching other kids, or working on projects for their activity, and adding homework on top of that may cause stress. Some kids may not even be able to get their work done because they don't have enough time. Also, it is hard to find the motivation to do homework when you have so many other things you could be doing. However, if time is managed well most kids would still be able to do it. Most kids have a study hall or free period, this would be a great time to get work done. If you have problems with not being able to do your work, consult with your teacher. Most teachers will understand and probably give you a bit of extra time to catch up.

Homework has many necessary values that can help a child improve their skills. For example, it can help a kid perfect a skill that they may have trouble with. It can also help teach a kid responsibility. Time management is also a very good skill that students can learn from doing homework. 8th grader Chloe Richmond says, “Homework helps students remember the lesson that they’ve learned that day and the days before, it’s really just extra practice”. What Chloe is saying in this quote is that kids need extra practice to be able to perfect things. She is also trying to get the point across that homework can help students remember the lesson that they have learned, For example,a 7th grader may noy understand something that they did in class, so he can get help with this homework and use these assignments as a form of extra practice to prepare for a quiz or test.

On a survey I conducted that consisted of 10 questions and over 240 responses, I got many interesting answers. I will start off by telling you some of the stats I have received. The first question I asked was , “On average, how much time do you spend on homework each week’? The majority of people said that they spend 1 hour or more on homework, 29.9 percent of people said 2-3 hours, 22.4 percent sya 30 minutes or less, and 14.9 percent says it takes them a few days. Another question I find is important to mention is, “What class do you have the most homework in ''? The majority of students here said math, nobody said science, and a small variety said after school clubs/sports. For the last question it stated, “Why do you like/dislike homework”? And a response I found interesting is “It takes up so much of my time and a lot of it is stuff that I don't use. I remember last week I had a lot of homework for other classes so we had weeklong homework I had to put off until Thursday night. It took me 4 hours. I had a bunch of Language Arts and I had an entire math study guide to do, as well as Spanish work. I have sports and extracurriculars I need to practice and study for and I can't always do that with my homework load.” What this person is trying to say is that many students (including themselves) will procrastinate when it comes to homework. And for good reason. Homework is not fun. And why would you want to do something that isn’t fun or enjoyable? However, it is really important that you do and turn in your homework in order to get good grades and have a good career. Sometimes you need to just sit down, play some music, and start working.

In conclusion, Homework is good because it can teach a child responsibility and life skills that they may need later on. It can also help a kid remember things that they did during a class period. Sometimes, a kid will need extra practice on certain subjects or topics that they are learning/have already learned. And that's all homework is. Time management is a crucial part of homework, it's important because if you don't have good time management you may miss the due date and get a zero for that assignment.

By Daiwik Kasini

Do you like superhero movies? Today I will tell you about a movie and the results of a survey.

The movie I will review is called Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This movie is great for people who like action filled movies. It was created by Marvel Studios and was released on September 3rd 2021. This movie is about Shang-Chi stopping his dad from releasing a monster. His dad thinks that Shang Chi’s mother is trapped but it is the evil spirit. His dad releases the beast and Shang-Chi has to fight the beast and his father. What will happen?

The Superhero Survey is a survey created to see what the people think about Superheros and what superpowers they would have. Here are the survey questions and results.

The first question:

What would be your number 1 superpower?

With 139 responses, 16.5% of survey respondents chose invisibility. This is 23 people out of 139 responses to this question.

The second question:

What would be your second choice?

With 140 responses, 22.1% of the respondents chose Teleportation. This is 31 out of 140 respondents.

Third Question:

What would be your third choice?

With 140 responses, 19.3% of the respondents chose Time Travel. That is 27 out of 140 people.

Fourth Question;

Which Element do you like?

Out of 140 respondents, a WHOPPING 53 people chose all of the above. That is 37.9%

Fifth Question:

Which bender will you consider yourself?

33.8% of the respondents chose Waterbender. So that is 47 out of 139 respondents.

Sixth Question:

Would you be a Superhero or a Supervillain?

Exactly 64% of the respondents chose Superhero. That is 89 people out of 139 respondents.

Seventh Question:

Are you a Marvel fan or a DC fan?

45.7% of the respondents chose Marvel. That is 64 people out of 140.

If you want to fill out the Superhero Survey there will be a link below.

These are the survey questions and responses along with a movie review. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more stories from me and the Cub’s Column staff.

By Abby LaPole

I was the only one that knew after the incident, but I wasn't going to try and tell anyone. The last time I tried to tell someone what happened they gave me the “Rachel you’re crazy” look. It seems that I was the only one that saw what the world really looked like after the incident. Everyone else still saw the perfect, happy world that it used to be. Not only did they not see what everything truly looked like, but it also seems like everyone was brainwashed. No one remembered what the incident was or how it happened, but I do. I’ll tell you how it all started.

3 months earlier...

I arrived at the Sample Site on a sweltering morning in July. to get dirt samples for testing. I was supposed to get a dirt sample from 6 feet below the surface, so I started digging and hours later I saw an oddly shaped rock flying behind me with the dirt that I heaved behind me. I quickly swung around and looked for the rock; I quickly sifted through the dirt and when I saw it I thought, Oh it's a box. I quickly shoved it in my pocket then swung around to check if anyone saw me. I got the sample and went back to the lab never forgetting about the box and what could be inside. I finished my work and headed home.

When I arrived at my house I debated whether or not I should open the box. Maybe it's a letter? Maybe it's empty? What if it was cursed? Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted with the ringing of my phone because my boss was calling me; What?! I could have sworn it was just 6 am! But no! It just had to skip an hour and be 7 am. Right when I have to be at work. I crammed the box in my kitchen drawer and frantically tried to hide it under a bunch of kitchen utensils. I rushed to work; I was positive that I arrived at the lab last. I signed in and I noticed that my friend that I work with hadn’t signed in yet. At the time I thought only that she had an appointment or was just sick. But what I didn’t know at the time was that she wouldn’t be there the next day or the next day and a month later she still wasn’t there. Believe me, I tried calling her and texting her but it was no use she wouldn’t respond. I was so worried about her, I can’t even count how many times I drove by her house to see if she was there, but she never was. Over time I noticed that more and more people weren’t showing up to work. I couldn't help but think that something was wrong. Then I thought back to the box and I decided that I would open it that night.

I left work and went home. When I arrived home I set my stuff down and went to the kitchen drawer I had hidden the box in. As I reached for the handle a chill went down my back. My hand retreated. I tried to get as much strength as I could, I tried to open the drawer again, but once more I retreated. Why am I so scared? It’s just a little box. Well, it's a little box that may be gradually decreasing the population. I thought about what could be in the box. My thoughts were soon interrupted with my body lurching toward the drawer. As my arm tore the drawer open, I realized that I couldn’t stop myself almost as though there was a magnet pulling me and I couldn’t stop it. Soon enough I had the box in my hand and that was when the world stopped turning.

I slowly opened the box only to find a small piece of folded paper. I looked away and hesitantly unfolded the paper, I opened it and reluctantly shifted my view at the words written on it. In the corner of my eye I saw something descending towards the floor, I picked it up but then I got confused. It was a necklace. How could a box that I thought was slowly decreasing the human population have a necklace in it? I held the necklace in my hand and remembered the note. I quickly switched my stare from the necklace to the note.

The note read,

There has been lots of trouble lately. Hasn't there?

You are very confused. Aren't you?

People have gone missing. Haven't they?

Be honest, no matter how much you try to deny it you are scared.

Wear this necklace and things will go back to normal. I promise.

~The one behind all the mehem

To be continued…

By Hailey Wingard

April 18th, 2o24.It was a warm sunny day outside. I hadn’t even walked into school before I had my first interaction with a student.I saw a boy run up to me.

“Hi! You have the same uniform as me. Do you go to the same school?” They said as I turned around, they were surprisingly small but full of energy. I shrugged, they held out his hand as we walked
”I’m Inferno! What's your name?” I shook his hand

“F-Fortune '' I said nervously. I have always had a hard time speaking with strangers.
I always ended up making the conversation awkward for people. That's why I try not to talk a lot.

“What a cool name!” I nod as I turn my head in front of me and see a huge building.

“Why do you look so surprised? Are you new here?” I nodded as I looked at the giant building. I walked in with the boy and headed to my classroom.

“Looks like we have the same classroom” They said as They chuckled. They opened the door and we both stepped in. The classroom suddenly turned into a dark hallway.

“Wait, wasn't the classroom right here?” I was just as confused as he was. The bright colorful classroom was now a dark hallway. He slowly turned to me

“Hey..is it just me or is the hallway getting smaller?” They Stressed. To be honest it did seem to be getting shorter. A light on the side of the wall started flickering. It was something out of a horror movie. We started stepping back noticing how small it was getting and before we knew it we were running in the opposite direction, it was fast and the hallway was getting smaller. At the end of the hallway I see a single door and rush inside. We were panting and shaking.

“Wh-What was that?!” They exclaimed.

“I don’t know!” I said in between breaths. The room was dark and was a tiny classroom. The desks and the chairs were knocked down. Dust was scattered and what seemed to be a notebook was on the ground. What type of school is this!? I thought to myself. I looked outside of the window and all I saw was black. There was no way I was going to jump down. And that's how it all started…

By Daiwik Kasini

The smoke rises. I am in panic. Sparks of red and orange are coming closer. I am stuck in a fire. My heart is pounding. There were fire sirens. I fainted and found myself in the hospital when I woke up.

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE INCIDENT

It was a hot day. I was at grandpa’s cabin for the summer. My family was there too. Hi I am Jacob! I am 10 years old. Grandma came into my room and said “ Jacob it is time for breakfast.” I came downstairs and the T.V was running. There was news about fires all over the world. They are a couple scattered in the north and south. I was not interested in the news. My grandpa asked if I wanted to go to town with him to fix up the leak in the attic. I said yes. The talk of the town was the fire. The store clerk was saying that it may spread to all the forests of the Earth. That made me worry. I was scared that it may burn down the Amazon Forest. My dad was a firefighter. He was telling me that we may have to move to the fire zones to help put out the fire. My mom was sad and she asked me “ Are you sad?” I said nothing and left the room. I took out a book and wrote down in all caps “ WAYS TO SAVE THE AMAZON FOREST FROM THE FIRE “. I started to write for 30 minutes straight. At around noon I went downstairs for lunch. The news was running again. The reporter stated “ The fires have gotten worse since morning. What will happen to the Earth and the Amazon Forest?”

My dad walked in and said “ We have to move to Brazil.”

My world stopped spinning. I rushed upstairs without finishing my lunch. I did not come outside till it was dinner. My parents were concerned about me. They asked “ Are you okay?”

I said “ Yes I was in the room to show you this…” Jacob led the family to the attic and showed them a presentation. My mom asked “ Where did you get this?” I said “ This is Grandpa’s old projector. He gave it to me so I am using it.” Then I showed a presentation. It was titled “ FIVE WAYS TO SAVE THE AMAZON FOREST!!” I went through the presentation and they were proud of me. After this we ate dinner. My dad removed two of the suggestions and it was down to 3. My grandma asked “ How many ideas did you have?” I said “ I had 37 and narrowed it down to 3.” One week later I was in Brazil.

PRESENT

I landed in Rio De Janeiro. It was very smoky. We went to the fire department and there were thousands of firefighters from different countries. About half stayed in the north and the other half stayed in the south. After everybody came, The national police declared a Lockdown till the firefighters went to the foot of the Amazon Forest. My dad and the other firefighter went deeper into the forest and I heard a ton of sizzling. It was the water extinguishing the fire. There was Sodium Bicarbonate falling which was helping. Then the fire came closer. I got lost in the smoke and fainted but regained consciousness. I remembered to belly crawl to find an exit. The smoke rises. I am in panic. Sparks of red and orange are coming closer. I am stuck in a fire. My heart is pounding. There were fire sirens. I fainted and found myself in the hospital when I woke up.

AT THE HOSPITAL

My dad’s close friend helped rescue me. I thanked him.

He said, “ It is no problem. I am a firefighter, I save lives.’

Then my grandparents came into the room. They were to take care of me while my dad was fighting fires. I recovered the next day but the forest’s fire was still raging. The news was stating that the fire up north was almost extinguished. I called my dad and said “ Use my idea.”

He said “ What if it doesn’t work?”

Then the leader of the group said that the people from the north will come to help. I turned to my dad and said “ I hope they can extinguish the fire.”

Dad replied “ Yeah I hope. But what’s your idea? ”

My idea is…

Read the second edition of Cub’s Column to find out what will happen next!!

By Sri Gowravajjhula

What do you think of when someone says flowers?

If you think beautiful, romantic, pure, well you're wrong it is hard to keep your petals vibrant if you're wondering, yes, I am a flower, the blue hibiscus to be exact This is what I look like… my petals are coverd in water! Every flower will tease meeeeeee,

April 16, 2021

Rose was talking about how ugly succulents are (They are basically bald(and very nice) Rose is *VERY sassy. Oh yea````q3h btw I have a friend named Orchid. She is adorable in a picture that I took.

April 30 2021

Why do flowers who grow on trees always think they are above us (well they are but still!) The Only nice one is Bleeding hear (who gets misjudged a lot) here is a selfie of all of us and heart’ family together (LOL we look terrible.)

June 3 2021

Puberty is hard ngl my petals keep rotting and apparently im a special type of hibiscus with multiple colors on my petals after flower puberty or whatever but im support to look something like this.

June 30, 2021

Bleeding heart died the other day she fell from the tree when the wind was blowing to hard sad ;-; but she is in heaven now so it is ok.

July 3, 2021

Puberty is over for me guess I was an early bloomer huh? (I look good in this photo, like, supermodel good!)

By Harshitha Gosula

Dear children today, would you like to hear a good story. Yes grandma. Okay well you have to listen closely, okay. Okay grandma.

It was a very sunny day, so Patterson's were talking about getting a cat. At that point a group of mice were listening about this from inside a hole. The mice were very scared.The mice were very scared. They were thinking how to escape from this and how to stop it.

2 days have gone by and they still haven't gotten a good plan. Too bad it was too late for the mice to come up with a plan because the Pattersons have already left to get a cat. Now the mice were really really scared. Just then a mouse said, let’s make it a lockdown in Holleville.

Oh and if you are wondering where Holeville is, well that's what the mice called the big hole they live in. Okay so now back to the story, Do the mice have to store food for the lockdown.They went around Patterson’s house looking for food. By the time the Patterson’s came home the mice had stored their food they found in the Patterson's house. Anyways when the Patterson’s came home the mice were shocked because the Patterson’s didn’t just get one cat they got two. Plus they are brothers. Dhun Dhun Dhun!

By the way I forgot to introduce you to the group of mice from Holeville. There are 50 mice in Holeville, and 4 of them were the group of mice that were listening when the Patterson’s were talking about getting a cat. One Mouse's name is Clumsy because it is always clumsy. the second one's name as The Milky because rather than cheese it likes drinking milk. The third one's name is clevernut because of his cleverness and the fourth one's name is Grumpy Bean because it is always grumpy.

Okay back to the story. One day Milky you ran out of milk and so just then it saw the cat’s, cat bowl and went outside the hole to drink so while it was drinking the cat saw and said hi. Then the mouse ran inside the hole dreading with fear. Then the cat went near the hole and said don’t be scared. I am a good cat, and I think you are very fascinating. Then the mouse came out of the hole and said hi and thank you. Then they soon became friends & they would play with each other. All along Clevernut was watching this, so one day Clevernut decided to tell Milky to not trust that cat, but Milky didn’t listen.

On the other hand the cat’s brother asked, why are you friends with that stupid mouse. Then the cat chuckled and said you are the stupid one. I am not friends with that stupid mouse. I am just acting so I can gain trust. I am going to eat it tomorrow anyway, so shut up and be quiet. Then the next day the cat asked the mouse to play hide & seek then the mouse said yes. Then the cat said why don’t you count first with a smirk on its face. Then the mouse started to count when the mouse said 1, 2, 3 the cat ate the mouse in one gulp. So children, the moral of this story is a cat is always a cat! The End!

By Tristan Butts

Chapter 1: Where it all began.

I was sitting right by my best friend. Moxie.I can't really remember how long me and Mox had been friends. Guess it has to be awhile if I can't remember. It is the last day of summer break. Me and Moxie were heading to 10th grade. Only a couple of years before we were done with high school. I was about to say my goodbyes before Moxie brought up something.

"Blitz. Wanna go check out this old cabin?"

"What? What cabin?" I asked. I was curious. I never knew there was a cabin around. Especially around my neighborhood. You would think living here for 16 years you would see a cabin in the nearby woods.

"Well do ya?" Moxie asked. Snapping the daze right out of me.

"Mox, it's getting late. We have school tomorrow and we need our rest."

"C'mon!" She whined "The last day of this boring summer, and you don't wanna see a cabin."

"How do we even know if it's abandoned? People could live there. Plus if it was abandoned I'm not going into a dust filled, creeky, dirty cabin." I replied back. Mox looked down at her feet. Somehow a tidal wave of guilt rushed over me. I didn't want to make Mox sad, due to her ''boring summer." But then again I don't wanna get in trouble for sneaking out past curfew. I took a deep breath, then sighed.

"Fine, we'll go to that cabin," I said. Mox filled with excitement. She jumped up and started to run to her house. Halfway there she yelled "Meet at 8Pm by the warfare tree." I soon got up and went inside. I closed the door and took off my shoes. Then I saw some pictures that were taken around Halloween and Christmas. One was of me and mox both dressed as demons for halloween. The other was us both having a snowball fight. I then walked upstairs. I knew that mother was out at dinner with her new boyfriend, and knowing her she won't be coming home anytime from now. It's been different not having dad. I entered my room and laid down on my bed. I gazed at the ceiling lost in my thoughts. My own cosmos. I was feeling like something interesting was gonna happen. Something that would change me for the better or worse. Hopefully, the better. 8 PM rolled around and I went downstairs, grabbed the spare key, slipped on my shoes and left the house. I ran down the street. Expecting to see the old warfare tree. I guess the tree itself was this long barrel against one random neighborhood and ours. Some food contests were held in the 80's I guess. Not really sure. As I approached the tree Mox was nowhere in sight. I looked around but still couldn't see her. She put me up. Dragged me out here for nothing. Should have known it, why would she change? Just the Mox fell on me from the tree. I quickly collapsed.

"About time," she said with a smirk.

"Ugh. Thanks for dropping by." I got up and swiped the dirt off me "Can we just hurry up and get to this cabin?"

"Yea yea. Just follow me" Mox then started to run towards the woods. I quickly followed. While we were running through the woods I kept tripping. While Mox was running like a cheetah. We reached the cabin. The outside wood looked old, the windows were pitch black. Mox ran to the front door and tried to open it.

"The doors locked!"

"Oh really. I couldn't tell from you yanking the doorknob." I said with a sarcastic tone. I walked up to the door and tried to open it to see if it was just jammed or something. Then I noticed that the floor felt unstable, like it was gonna collapse or something else were to make it feel one more bit of pressure. I looked behind me to see Mox charging at me. I dove out of the way as she slammed the door with her body. She fell back. Everything was fine? Strangely, I thought the floor would give way, and to no one's surprise it did a little after I said that. Me and Mox both fell down a 10ft hole. Moxie hit the ground before I did. She landed perfectly fine until I landed on her. She grunted as she collapsed.

"Oh god, are you okay?!?!" I tripped trying to get off her. Mox looked at me, knowing she wouldn't get mad at me. After all, we are here because of her. "Yea. I'm fine. Let me get up real quick." She put one of her hands on her left leg as she tried to get herself up. As close as she was, a crack echoed throughout the dark mine. She then collapsed again.

"Her, let me help you." I put my arm on her shoulder. She then grabbed my arm and lifted herself up, once up I made sure that she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, making it easier to transport.

"Listen Mox. We're going to be in big trouble when we get out. How are we supposed to cover for your… maybe broken leg?" I said. I guess I didn't notice how mad I must have sounded. Although I wasn't, just the tone suggested.

"Blitz we should be fine. As long as I can make up a good lie." She smiled. She thought that I would agree, but that's a stupid reason what should she even say. We began to walk down this dirt tunnel, the light bulbs above us seemed like they were going to die any second. Then I continued the conversation.

"A good lie! What lies can make… this okay? We're done for!"

"Stop freaking out Blitz." She interrupted me. Then she continued, "These are the reasons why you don't have that many friends." Mox then noticed what she said. I was mostly surprised that she said that. After many years I've never seen her snap. New turning point I suppose. As to be expected. "Blitz… I didn't mean it like that."

"I know what you meant. Let's just get out of here." As we walked down the tunnel. I still didn't understand why she wanted to visit this place. A stupid cabin in the woods. Now we walked in a dirty tunnel that might collapse on us. The lights on the ceiling suggest that this place was old. Flickering and burned out bulbs pretty much almost made us alone in the dark. We would most likely die if these bulbs burn out. We came across a shifty looking elevator. I say shifty because of the wire supporting the thing. There was no way out of here except up this elevator.

"You ready?" I asked

"yea…" Moxie still felt bad for saying what she said. As she didn't want to make eye contact. I suppose she was thinking of what to do and what would be the right thing. We both climbed into the elevator. This was an old elevator. There were no buttons to get to the floor you wanted; it was a lever. I pulled the lever forward. We started to slowly ascend. The cable started to shake. The ground floor was now unstable and felt somewhat loose.

"We might wanna hold on to something!" I yelled as I grabbed onto the wall of the elevator. Luckily it had a little gap. Within seconds the floor under us gave loose and fell to the abyss below us. Moxie slipped almost falling, but I luckily grabbed her hand. We were both dangling. My hand slowly started to slip from the little gap. The elevator cable started to give loose too. Soon it was gonna snap and we were going to fall with the elevator...

By Jeri Lee West

By Nicky

By Harshitha Gosula

By Harshitha Gosula

By Harshitha Gosula

By Harshitha Gosula

By Harshitha Gosula

By Harshitha Gosula

By Daiwik Kasini

By Daiwik Kasini

By Elysia Truex

By Nicky

Cubs' Column is a school newspaper published by the students of Jackson Memorial Middle School in Jackson Township, Ohio. Students are encouraged to contribute stories, photos, cartoons, and letters to the editor. Click here for more information.

Email: jem2jc@bearworks.jackson.sparcc.org
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Location: Jackson Memorial Middle School, Mudbrook Street Northwest, Massillon, OH, USA
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