The Rampage

ECE English Debate

Mrs. Hoffman — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:33:00 +0000

    On the morning of January 25^th, two Block 5 ECE English classes gathered in the auditorium for the showdown of the school year: a debate over which best represented the human experience; non-fiction or fiction. Mrs. Matyseck’s Block 5 Non-Fiction class and Mrs. Ginsberg’s Block 5 Fiction class prepared their roles respectively. Each class worked vigorously to assemble its argument; winning meant fame and fortune for a life time, and the consequences of failure were too gruesome to detail…okay, maybe the stakes weren’t that high, but each class wanted the bragging rights.
    Mrs. Ginsberg’s fiction side put the class in classy, as most everyone dressed nicely, and Mrs. Matyseck’s class wowed with impressive matching T-shirts. The representatives from the non-fiction side were: Chelsea McDonnell, Nayeong Lee, Alex Collin, Nicole Purcell, and Jenny Mears. On the fiction side: Michael Lee, Taylor Sloat, Garrett Dias, and Mikaela Adams. During the debate, each of the student representatives received one minute to prepare a counter argument, and five minutes to deliver their point. At the end of the debate, a fifteen minute open forum was held where anyone from the classes could debate.
    After a fair amount of “smack-talking” from both sides over the weeks of preparation, everyone was excited for the debate to be underway. Before it could begin, the mystery judge was announced. Mr. Gusy, who taught English before coming to RHS, would be adjudicating the debate. As Mrs. Ginsberg put it, “We didn’t want to bring in someone who was totally biased, and he said that [both sides] were justified.” The debate was underway, and after a formidable match, the fiction side was deemed the winner.
    Regardless of who won, what we wanted to know was what everyone learned from the debate. On both sides, the consensus was that debating in front of a crowd was a lot more nerve-wracking than anticipated.

“I feel like we did so much better debating in class,” said Garrett Dias, one of the fiction representatives.

The fiction class later reflected about the debate, and as Ali Newhall said, “It’s all about personal preference, whether you like non-fiction or fiction more and how well you can [argue] it. “

And that’s what it came down to, how well you can defend your point. As Julie Granger added in, “I think it is about personal preference, and I said it during the debate, but it’s all about how opinion really can’t be wrong, so I think either one stood a fair shot for us to defend our point. “ The class agreed with Granger and Newhall, and as a whole, we enjoyed the debate, and all of the rivalry between the classes. Both sides were exposed to the debate structure, poignant rebuttals, and new found appreciation for their genre of literature.

The best part of the debate was working with classmates. Although both sides may disagree, both sides did a seriously great job. But in the words of Taylor Sloat, “I’m just glad we won because that class talked so much [smack] about us.”

Preparing For Midterms

Mrs. Hoffman — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:59:21 +0000

By Chelsea McDonnell

It’s that time of year again – midterms are right around the corner. January 26-31st, and I’m betting most of you haven’t started studying yet. I’ll admit that cramming the night before a test has been my specialty for the last four years. I’ve spend many nights attempting to reread the textbook and giving up by midnight. There’s a better way of doing things though. Why not take the time to get prepared?

Before the Test:

Start with your study sheets. Your teachers gave them to you for a reason. They know more about what’s on your exam than you do, so start by reading over the lists and deciding what you remember the least.
Prioritize. Which of your classes are the hardest? Which do you have to study for most? Study for your hardest exams first. Health doesn’t require nearly as much studying time as, say, Chemistry does.
Get organized. Write on your calendar. Make to-do lists. Do whatever you need to do to figure out when you need to start studying. Start about a week before the exam date and spread everything out. Don’t forge to schedule in study breaks too, and take advantage of the weekend that splits up the exams.
What type of learner are you? It helps to know the best way to go about studying. Visual learners: study notes and make flashcards. Auditory learners: say things out loud while you study; make up mnemonic devices. Kinesthetic learners: use hand motions and gestures to help recall information.
Don’t stress and don’t cram. By the day of the exam, you either know it or you don’t.

On Test Day:

Sleep well and eat a good breakfast. And don’t forget to bring a snack for the time in between exams.
Come prepared. There’s nothing more annoying than hearing someone sharpen a pencil for five minutes straight during the exam.
Read the instructions carefully.
Narrow down your answers. Use the process of elimination. If you’re stuck between two answers, guess if you need to. Look for clues in other questions. When in doubt, use eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Review your test when you’re done.

Worst case scenario: you don’t do as well as you would have liked. You still have another semester to improve. Just be glad that you finished that that you’re one step closer to summer vacation!

We’re Back!

Mrs. Hoffman — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:22:31 +0000

The Rockville High School newspaper will soon be back in action! A new staff of writers has stepped up to revive The Rampage. Come back soon and see what’s happening at and around RHS.

This year’s staff: SENIORS, Mikaela Adams, Patrick Connolly, Chelsea McDonnell and Sarah Shane; JUNIOR, Kellie Butterfield; SOPHOMORES, Taylor Biniarz, Brendan Kennedy and Thomson Lester; FRESHMAN Logan Kendrick.

Special Note: If you are an RHS student interested in writing for The Rampage, see any of our writers or Mrs. Hoffman, in Room 228, for more information.