Issue 3, Volume 14

ISSUE3, Volume 14 

CLAY 

classic 

The road to success travels through Clay Middle School 

What's inside: 

Lacrosse 

Dance Force 

Check out the St. Vincent's 

Running Program 

Racquet sports 

Cross Country trains after 

season 

Swimming 

8th Graders plan for high 

school 

Star Wars club 

Rubik's cube club 

Shark Tank 

Preparing for 

ISSMA

Clay Classic Page 2 

LAX 

Clay students play lacrosse, 

hope to play for Carmel High 

School 

Story by Will Spraetz 

The ball zips back and forth as 

the Lacrosse boys of Clay M iddle 

School sprint up the field, while 

dodging the opposing players. 

M any of the boys at Clay, play 

the game of lacrosse. It has been 

around since before Christopher 

Columbus landed in the America?s. 

It was created by native Americans 

and has evolved into a huge sport 

around the U.S . 

Bryce Cannon, is a defenseman 

for the Carmel Hounds Lacrosse 

Team and True Lacrosse, ?It?s fun 

being with all of my friends, and also 

being very aggressive.? 

John Kenney, a middie for 

Carmel and True, agreed with 

Bryce. 

The Carmel lacrosse team has 

just been created as a team sport at 

the high school and will have their 

first official season starting this 

spring. 

In the spring where lacrosse 

usually takes place, the boys have 

practice twice a week and travel to 

Illinois M ichigan and Ohio for 

games and tournaments. During the 

off season the boys work on their 

stick skills, shooting, passing and 

their IQ of the sport. Even know the 

spring season ends their summer 

league starts to takes off. During the 

summer the boys travel to M aryland, 

California, and many more on the 

east coast. 

?I?m very excited to see what the 

new coach can do with the high 

school lacrosse team,? Kenney said. 

Cannon met the new coach a couple 

of times and thinks he will be a great 

coach. 

?As there are a lot of things I 

need to work on, my biggest 

problem is my stick skills,? M ike 

Kolic a defenseman for Carmel 

lacrosse said. Kolic said he plays 

defense because, ?I'm not very fast, 

so it?s the perfect position for me.? 

The Carmel Lacrosse boys are 

hoping for a winning season this 

year with their new coach. They will 

battle for the best in their state, and 

eventually the best in the M idwest. 

The Carmel Hounds after a hard fought state 

championship win. 

True Lacrosse team travels up to 

Maryland to play the best 

players in the country. 

Some of the greyhound players after a big 

championship win.


Dancing 

int o t he 

New Season 

Clay Dance Force season begins 

Story and page by Valerie Trent, Bella 

Sharer, and Katie Seelig 

Dressed in red jerseys, the Dance 

Force team entered the center of the 

court for their first performance. As the 

song As "H ands Clap" by Fitz and the 

Tantrums started to play, the girls began 

their routine. 

The Clay Dance Force season took 

place during the basketball season, 

where they performed during some of 

the half times. 

There are currently 13 girls on the 

team. Students in sixth, seventh, and 

eighth grade are able to join Dance 

Force. 

In order to be on the team, the girls 

had to go through a three-day tryout 

process to show their coach, M rs. Anne 

H iggins, their skills for the upcoming 

season 

Sope Koya, eighth grade, a former 

Dance Force member, enjoyed being on 

the team. 

?M y favorite part about being on 

Dance Force was having fun practices 

and being able to see the variety of 

skills,? Koya said. 

This year, eighth grader Julia Henn 

is on her third and final season of Dance 

Force. 

Henn decided to tryout for the team 

since she does dance outside of school. 

She wanted to continue to work on her 

skills, and because of that she decided to 

tryout for Dance Force. 

The team practices Wednesdays 

after school to prepare for their 

upcoming performances. 

Their first performance was 

Wednesday December 13 during 

halftime at the boys basketball game. 

Over the course of their season, the 

team will perform a total of four times, 

twice in December and twice in 

January. They dance to songs like 

"Despacito" and "H ands Clap." 

This is Coach H iggins second year 

leading the team. In previous years, 

M rs. Jamie Sanders has coached the 

team. Sanders wanted to pass on the job 

to H iggins, since she has a dancing 

background. 

?M y favorite part about coaching 

the team is helping the girls gain new 

skills and learn to grow confidence,? 

H iggins said. 

Koya and Henn both said they 

would recommend Dance Force to 

others. They agreed that Dance Force is 

a good way to make new friends and it?s 

a lot of fun performing during the 

games.


No 

No 

Train Gain 

Students improve their running by participating in the St Vincent Running Program 

Story and page by Parisa Shirani, 

Lynsey Bunting, Amna Mallick 

Determination, teamwork, and 

perseverance are all key points needed 

to complete training at the St. Vincent 

Strength and Technique Program, a 

program which encourages kids to get 

involved and get in shape. 

The St. Vincent running program 

is an after school organization which 

helps kids improve their muscular 

endurance and form while running. It 

takes place every Wednesday and 

M onday from 4:00-5:00 p.m. There 

are two sessions available, one during 

winter and one from February until 

track season begins in M arch. 

The St. Vincent Training program 

has helped train regular kids into 

professional athletes. They say their 

main goal is to help teach middle 

school athletes train in a safe and 

healthy way. Based on their website 

they say that their performance 

training class is customized for each 

athletes sport specific training needs to 

help them meet their individualized 

goals. 

The training program has many 

different levels. The variety of ages 

differ from adults to middle schoolers. 

In the middle school training program 

only a few kids participate. One of 

those kids is Sage M oore. 

Sage M oore, eighth grade, decided 

to take part in this program. It's 

M oore's first year trying out this 

activity, but she already said she loves 

it. 

?I decided to do the training 

program because I thought it would 

help me work on my form and it 

would be a lot of fun," M oore said. 

Even though M oore hasn't had 

much experience with the training she 

is very excited to do it next year. She 

also encourages other kids to join. 

?I do think others should do this 

program because its really interesting 

and you get to meet a lot of new 

people," she said. 

Fun is one out of the many words 

how M oore describes the program. 

She says it's always a pleasure to make 

new friends and meet new people. 

That's a huge part in why she likes this 

program so much. 

As some coaches always say, ?You 

should walk out of here being a 

strength 

technician.? 

High school athletes stretch and prepare for there hour long training session 

The St Vincent Sports Performance center is located in Clay 

Terrace and offerers training secessions for all ages


Cl a y c r o s s c o u n t r y 

r u n n er s s t r i v e f o r g o l d 

Story and page by Andrew Caito and 

Aakash Parekh 

The blades of grass get crushed 

underfoot. The Trojans of speed run 

across with the hopes of Clay on 

their backs. Everything else blurs in 

their mind, the only things they see 

is the path and person in front of 

them. Faster. 

Two of Clay?s Cross Country 

runners compete outside of school. 

They both have qualified for 

nationals attempting to win the title. 

Connor Heagy, eight grade, said, 

?I run for Carmel Project, a club 

runner program that can train me 

and help me compete in events like 

N ational Junior Olympics.? 

He says that he as qualified for 

many different things such as 

N ationals and Regionals which are 

the races that invites all of the best 

cross country runners in the nation. 

Heagy started competing in races 

when he was in fourth grade and has 

been getting faster ever since. Heagy 

says, ?One of my biggest obstacles in 

running is breaking through certain 

time barriers." 

Gillian Thompson, eight grade, 

runs for the N orthside Saints. 

Recently, she ran her way to qualify 

for nationals in Tallahassee, Florida, 

on December 9. 

At regionals, she came in seventh 

place. To train for events like 

regionals, she runs at least six miles a 

week and has practices three days a 

week. 

Like Heagy, she started out 

young. From then to now, 

Thompson has developed into the 

runner she is. 

Growing up, she didn't have a big 

love for sports but when she found 

running she fell in love. 

Both of the athletes plan on 

running for their high schools next 

year. Both of them are also going to 

attempt making it back to nationals 

in the fall of next year. They 

constantly train throughout the year. 

They both want to keep running 

and to keep participating in the sport 

they love, all throughout the year. 

Running ahead getting close to the finish, 

Gillan strives to keep fighting, hoping not 

to get caught by another team. Photo By 

Kelley Thompson 

Connor Heagy is running on the Clay Cross Country team, 

looking ahead to see what his competition is like.?I like to run 

because of the close competition between all the schools,? Connor 

Heagy said. Photo by Sophia Hanna 

At the regional cross country meet, Gillian strides ahead running 

alongside her teammates, hoping for a national qualifying finish. 

Photos by Kelley Thompson


Carm el Sw im Club pract ice t o prepare for m eet s 

Carmel swimmers ready themselves on the blocks to 

prepare for the race to begin 

By Gillian Thompson, Sydney Rickel, and Tala 

Assaf 

Water splashes and hits the timer's face as a 

swimmer flips around on the wall. Coaches 

scream and gesture with their arms, ?Kick! Kick,? 

as the waiting swimmers cheer on their 

teammates. This is a swim meet. 

Although Clay M iddle School does not have a 

school team many students swim with Carmel 

Swim Club at Carmel H igh School. 

?I have been swimming with CSC for 3 

years,? Grace Sarsfield, eighth grade, said. Her 

favorite stroke is breaststroke. 

Although swimming is not a contact sport, it 

is just as much a team sport as football and 

basketball, CSC has even adopted this phrase, 

?FT T; For The Team.? 

?We all have to put in effort so we can succeed and improve 

during practice,? Sarsfield said. 

In a more technical way of looking at it, ?Although you are 

swimming for yourself, you are equally swimming for the team. You 

need to get points so CSC receives them," Alex Russo, eighth grade, 

said. H is favorite stroke is butterfly. 

Although breaststroke and butterfly are the strokes they prefer, 

they have to swim all strokes at practice and meets. M ost swimmers 

favorite stroke is the one they succeed at the highest degree. However, 

you have to swim all the styles until you are in high school. Then you 

can focus on only the strokes you prefer. 

CSC is considered one of the best clubs in the region, this could 

be because of the hardworking coaches and swimmers. 

Russo and Sarsfield are both in Exploration 1 (see infograph). 

They practice 5-6 times a week, M onday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 

Thursday, Friday and sometimes Saturday. After school they will 

finish homework, eat a snack and then head to practice at around 

5:30. On Wednesday they wake up at 4:45 A.M . and head to the 

H igh School for swim practice. Then, they rush to school and 

continue on with their school day. 

Although breaststroke and butterfly are the sports they like, ?The 

best swimmers are the ones that like to swim. They are the most 

dedicated and that is a very important trait,? Rhiannon Sheets said. 

Sheets coaches Voyager and is assistant coach for the high school girls 

team. 

The Carmel H igh School?s girls swim team has won state 31 years 

in a row. The Girl?s Swim team now holds the longest streak in the 

nation!


Clay 

+ 

Students 

Calculus 

Two Clay eighth grade students aim for AP Honors Math 

Story by Andrew Caito, Michael 

Crandley, and Haungyung Yi 

As Saturday morning rolls 

around, their minds wide open, and 

the erasers grinding on the table. 

M ost students are just waking up to 

start the day, but Jammy Wang and 

N athan Ou eighth graders are 

starting their hour and half extra 

curricular math class. 

They start with an 

non-complex problem of calculus, 

and transition into the difficult 

ones. Dr. G?s math class is a 

calculus class only in Carmel 

Indiana. 

With an entrance fee of 

$30-35, this math class is mostly for 

students that want to excel and 

challenge themselves. Since this 

class is for calculus, these students 

are doing equations four times the 

eighth grade standard. According to 

Wang, you have to pay attention 

during the class. If you don?t, you 

will fall behind and this could cause 

trouble.This is a challenge for 

students who have to keep up with 

the extra homework and any other 

activities they have. 

Ou and Wang said that Dr. G?s 

math class can be a tough 

commitment, not because of the 

work, but because of the schedule. 

Both of the students have to 

manage their time accordingly. 

Wang plays tennis and Ou plays 

soccer. Their time is filled with 

sports."This class is very to manage 

as we do 11th grade math and I 

have things outside of school at 

some points," Ou said. This could 

lead to a crammed busy schedule. 

Both Ou and Wang recommend 

this class for students who want to 

grow as mathematicians. 

Wang has done Dr. G?s math 

class for about a year and he says 

that the class is fun but also exceeds 

some students math standards. You 

can get into this class by friends 

who are in the class or by relatives. 

Like normal school, it Lasts all year 

long, but Dr. G gives breaks for 

holidays and breaks recommended 

by Carmel schools . 

Remember he purpose for this 

class is for students to excel over the 

8th grade standard. N ot for kids 

that need Extra help. These 

students donate there Saturday 

mornings from 10:30 to N oon to 

keep developing their brains and 

preparing themselves for the future. 

Both wanting to graduate with an 

IB diploma, these students are 

preparing for the difficult journey 

ahead, one step at a time. 

Students on their thoughts about calculus


Playing for 

old 

After practicing a challenging piece for weeks, 

ASE earns gold at ISSMA District contest 

Story and page by Natalie Kern and 

Valeria Colmenarez 

Playing music can be challenging 

sometimes, especially when one is 

playing music that?s advanced from one?s 

level, but Advanced String Ensemble 

makes it look so easy. 

ASE is a group of orchestra players 

that reunites every week to play 

advanced music, but they take it to the 

next level. When they play, you can hear 

how the notes on the piece of paper 

become more than sound; they become 

art and emotion. 

On Saturday, January 27, ASE went 

to N oblesville H igh school to perform 

the art of their music in front of the 

judges for ISSM A District competition. 

M ary Seitz, seventh grade, who plays 

the viola, said she was nervous. ??We all 

were because this is our big moment, but 

I thought we did pretty well.?? 

Sofia Rowell, seventh grade, who sits 

first chair in the second violin section 

said it was nerve-wracking and scary 

because M r. Jeff Frizzi, orchestra 

director, wasn?t allowed to conduct 

them. Rowell later mentioned that she 

had to watch Janelle Patterson, eighth 

grade, for the beat because she was the 

concertmaster. 

?ASE started practicing in October,? 

M r. Frizzi said. ?Since then, they have 

practice every Tuesday and Thursday 

after school, but we?ve been practicing 

for contest since December.? 

ASE performed a song called 

?Capriole Suit." It has three movements. 

All three movements together were 

between six and seven minutes long, 

which is a very long time for someone to 

play; not to mention that it is also a 

complicated high school level piece. 

ASE went to contest participating in 

the hardest level, Group 1. M ost of the 

groups that participate in that level are 

usually high schoolers. Besides that, they 

managed to get a gold rating on their 

performance, which means that they 

qualified for ISSM A State competition. 

N ow ASE is practicing very hard for 

the State competition, which was 

Saturday, February 24. With their 

coordination and technique to produce 

beautiful sounds from their instruments, 

they will perform once more their piece 

in front of the judges hoping to earn a 

gold medal once more. 

Top: The medal each member of ASE received after their performance. Photo provided by Mary Seitz 

Left: Members of ASE practicing their piece "Capriole Suit.'' Photo by Valeria Colmenarez 

Right: All ASE members, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, with instruments and medals after their 

performance. Photo provided by Mary Seitz 

4 

2 

4 

9


Basketball team wins tournament 

Story and page by Luke 

M iller, Zach Struve and H ayden 

H icks 

The Clay basketball team 

trained to get this tournament 

win. Coaching them was M r. 

Seven Sturgis and M r. Ryan 

Snyder. 

Sturgis said, to prepare, the 

team watched old games and 

breaking them down figuring out 

what has gone well and what has 

not gone well. 

They had also practiced new 

plays during their practices. 

They played Carmel M iddle, 

Creekside M iddle, and 

N oblesville East, and after all 

the games, the 

Trojans 

brought 

home the 

gold, and 

blew out the 

competition. 

The seventh 

grade team went 

into the games 

ready to win. 

Sturgis helped lead 

the team to victory 

Lauren 

Burley, 7th 

grade 

cheerleader 

cuts down the 

net with the 

rest of the 

team after a 

season of cheer 

4 5 

by putting extra effort into practices. 

He said he prepared the team by 

?watching old games and breaking 

down what?s gone well and not gone 

well and been practicing new plays for 

the tournament." 

Clay?s first game against Carmel did 

not start off so well. Carmel took a healthy 

lead, however, Clay fought back and got 

the win. 

The second game started off 

completely different: they dominated 

most of the first and second half. 

Creekside then started to come back in 

the second half, and created a very small 

gap between scores for the two teams. 

Overall, Clay played two amazing 

games against two 

skilled teams. 

Their preparation 

mentally, physically, 

and emotionally lead 

them to victory to get 

the championship 

trophy. 

2 3 

1 

1. Coach Sturgis holds the trophy high and wears the net around his neck with pride. 2. Kyron Kaopuiki 7th grade basketball player 

cuts down the net with the rest of the team after a hard fought victory. 3. Lucas Parker 7th grade basketball player drives to the net to 

rack up points for the team. 4. The team celebrates their tournament win over rival teams Creekside, Carmel, and Noblesville West 

5.Logan Reinhart 7th grade basketball player shoots free throws to win the game for the Trojans and brings them first place in their 

tournament.


Charisma at ISSMA 

Clay Performing Arts students participate 

in statewide ISSMA competition 

Story and page by Jillian Moore and Kaela 

Moon 

The lights dim as the Performing Arts 

groups get ready to perform. All eyes are 

watching as the judges look over the 

music briefly, preparing to listen to the 

groups execute the music they have 

worked so hard on. This performance is a 

statewide competition known as ISSM A. 

Clay students and staff are excited to 

share their thoughts about the upcoming 

ISSM A (Indiana State School M usic 

Association) performance. On M arch 17, 

Clay will compete with other schools at 

the statewide event. 

?The students will perform with 

excellence,? M rs. M iranda Susie, choir 

director, said. There are five levels of 

ISSM A performance, with one being the 

best, and five being the worst. Clay is 

performing in the top level. 

Although two choirs typically 

perform in the competition, four choirs 

are participating this year. Susie still feels 

that the choirs will get gold rankings, 

which are the highest awards. 

Clay bands also perform at ISSM A. 

?I believe that all of our bands will do 

a great job this year,? M r. Chris Grifa, 

band director, said, talking about the 

upcoming ISSM A competition. Both the 

symphonic band and wind ensemble will 

be participating in ISSM A this year. 

Both bands have been productive on 

their three songs, using the many practice 

strategies taught in class. 

?Just like anything, it?s all about the 

practice and work you put in at home,? 

Grifa said. He feels that ?the students are 

doing a really good job with practice and 

it will really pay off in the future.? 

Orchestra is also competing in 

ISSM A. Several students that have already 

competed have given some advice to the 

groups performing for the first time. 

?Just breathe. Practice, be prepared, 

and make sure you know the music,? 

H idi Cramer, eight grade orchestra, said. 

Several orchestra groups are playing, 

showing off the hard work they have 

done. 

?ISSM A is a good musical outlet. 

Even though it?s a lot of work, it?s 

exciting to compete,? Daniel Tian, 

seventh grade orchestra, said. 

Overall, the performing arts groups 

are prepared to compete with the songs 

they have practiced with dedication and 

passion. 

Clay band (bottom left), 

performs one of their songs, 

while Mrs. Gretta Pote directs 

them. Orchestra (top left), plays 

along with Mr. Jeff Frizzi. 

Choir (right) practices reading 

and singing their musicfor 

ISSMA. 

Photos by Kaela Moon and 

Jillian Moore


A c ing t he C o mpet it io n 

New choir opportunity at Clay helps students experience advanced, competitive choir 

Story and page by Clare 

Leedke, Abbey Bembenek, 

Gillian Fiol 

Students are now getting 

the option to improve their 

singing abilities in a new 

advanced choral ensemble 

called Advance Choir 

Ensemble. This new 

opportunity was created by 

M rs. M iranda Susie, Clay?s 

choir teacher. ACE will 

allow students to perform in 

concerts to further their 

talents. The students 

were chosen through 

auditions. 

?We have so 

many advanced 

students here at Clay, 

and I wanted to create 

a new opportunity for 

them,? Susie said. ?I go 

to conferences with other 

choir teachers in the area. 

That's where I got the 

idea to create something 

new for choir students.? 

?I love choir, and I 

wanted harder music. ACE is 

giving me the opportunity to 

learn more music and enjoy 

choir more,? Patrick Greene, 

seventh grade tenor, said. 

ACE is also allowing 

students to take on a bigger 

challenge. With harder music 

and more competition, the 

choir will provide a 

challenging experience for 

students with ambitions for 

choir in high school. ?I was 

really excited because now I 

had a bigger challenge. I 

could experience more of 

what choir had to offer,? 

Green said 

The ACE members were 

selected in one day of 

auditions. The students 

who auditioned would 

sign up, and wait until 

different groups were 

called. Susie decided 

what students' voices 

blended together best, 

based on their voice parts. 

There are a total of 37 

students this year in 

ACE. 

?Our group will be 

very successful this 

year because we have 

a very talented and 

competitive group,? 

Greene said. 

ACE will be performing 

at one of the states 

biggest 

choir 

competitions, ISSM A. For 

ISSM A, they will be 

performing as one of the 

many small group choirs. 

ACE will also be performing 

in the Clay Choir Spring 

Concert. 

Greene also said that he is 

excited to be part of this 

amazing new experience and 

has high hopes for the success 

of ACE this year. 

ACE is confident in their 

ability to bring home the gold 

this year at ISSM A. 

Top: "Our group will 

be very successful this 

year because we have 

a very talented and 

competitive group." 

Left: Students 

practice after school 

with Susie to get 

ready for ISSMA 

and the spring 

concert. 

Vo ic e Pa r t s in A dva nc ed 

C ho ir Ensembl e 

Sopranos: T he 

highest wom en's 

voice part 

Altos: T he lowest 

wom en?s voice 

part 

Tenor: T he 

highest m en?s 

voice part 

Baritones: T he 

lowest m en's 

voice part


Eight h Graders vs. High School 

Eighth grade students from Carmel Clay Schools take on scheduling for 

high school, come face-to-face with difficult decisions to make 

Story and page by Quincy 

Stephenson and Emily Whittington 

The eighth graders at Clay 

M iddle School are preparing for 

their freshman year at Carmel 

H igh School by creating a 

schedule of all of their classes. As a 

freshman, students have the 

opportunity to take many 

different types of classes, making 

it difficult for many to choose 

what?s most interesting to them. 

Some of those include, 

Biomedical Science, R adio, 

Jewelry, Intro to Business, 

M anufacturing, and Physical 

Conditioning. 

?I feel a little overwhelmed 

because I don?t know what I?ll 

like, but I think that?s also some 

freedom that I would want to 

have,? Tala Assaf, eighth grader, 

says 

Ṡtudents throughout Clay 

have felt the pressure as the day to 

sign up for classes came near. In 

order to finalize their schedule, 

every eighth grader gets to meet 

one on one with their future 

counselor to discuss what options 

are best for them. 

?It was a lot easier than I 

thought and didn?t take much 

time. They also gave me more 

confidence,? Cole Weiland, 

eighth grader, mentions how the 

meeting with his counselor helped 

him feel prepared. 

The eighth grade students 

when asked, have had similar 

thoughts on what the hardest 

thing about scheduling was. 

While choosing electives is 

overwhelming for most, deciding 

on what difficulty of core classes 

to take seems to be where most 

students have ran into problems. 

?H aving to decide what AP 

and honors classes to take was 

really hard,? Evan Wodock, 

eighth grader, said when asked 

what the most difficult part was 

for him. 

When it comes to scheduling, 

the counselors have some advice 

to give the incoming freshmen to 

make sure they're heading in the 

right direction. 

?If students just realize they 

need to pick a few electives, it?ll 

simplify things,?M r. Schleper, a 

counselor for Freshmen, had some 

words to help encourage students 

worried about their schedule. 

Along with saying this, M r. 

Schleper also made a point to tell 

students what not to do when 

picking classes. ?Students need to 

buy into their schedule and the 

classes they choose. They should 

never take a class just because their 

buddies are,? Schleper says. 

As the students finish 

finalizing their schedules, they 

become one step closer to leaving 

middle school, and transitioning 

into high school, where who 

knows what awaits. 

"Block out the noise from 

other students and what they 

are doing and only worry 

about what?s best for you." 

-Mr.Schleper, CHS Freshmen 

Counselor 

"Picking between classes and 

choosing what I wanted to 

take was the most difficult 

part." 

-Dylan Horoho, eighth grade 

Clay student 

"Scheduling makes me think 

that the school is really big, 

and that there's going to be a 

lot of kids along with plenty 

of opportunities for me." 

-Tala Assaf, eighth grade Clay 

student 

H ealth 

48.7% 

IPR 

51.3%


Fut ur e 

Gr ey hounds 

Eighth graders begin 

transition to high school 

Story by Gillian Thompson and 

Jennifer Karakash 

¨ AAH ! Hollis R ang cried 

when she realized that she is going 

to be a high schooler in just a few 

short months. 

After three years in one 

building, eighth grade students 

finally feel comfortable and safe. 

They know their way around and 

where everything is. Students spend 

more time at school 

than outside of 

school, making it 

like a second home. 

Then the time 

comes when you 

have to changeover 

to high school. 

Almost everything 

familiar is lost. 

?I?m going to 

miss middle school 

because it?s less stress 

because classes don?t 

count for anything in 

the future,? R ang 

said 

Ṫhe transition 

out of middle school 

to high school has 

the eighth grade running frantic. 

Deciding to do AP classes or not, as 

well as the never ending elective 

choices, makes this a stressful time 

of year. Eighth grade students were 

all supplied with a program of 

studies, which had every class listed 

with a small course description. 

This book has been a great resource 

for all high schoolers. 

?The amount of classes is pretty 

overwhelming,? Claire Qu said. 

However, freshman counselors 

are helping to make the transition 

easier. 

?We provide a slow and steady 

exposure to high school courses 

and scheduling so that you don?t 

have to take in too much 

information at one time,? M rs. 

Cary Schwartz said, freshman 

counselor. 

M any events were set up to 

familiarize the students to Carmel 

H igh School such as academic 

transition night, which is a time for 

students and 

"Time 

management 

and study skills 

are a key to 

being successful 

here." -Cary 

Schwartz, 

counselor 

parents to go 

get some 

information and 

tour the school. 

Students also 

had individual 

counselor 

meetings 

during science, 

where students 

spoke to their 

counselors and 

chose classes. 

While there is 

definitely 

nerves for most 

students, many 

are also excited 

to go to high 

school. 

?I?m the most nervous about 

trying to find my classes,? Varsha 

Chandramouli said. Although the 

freshman center is overwhelming 

by itself with three floors, it is still a 

very exciting time for students 

because they get to meet new 

people and make friends. 

?Our philosophy is simple; the 

more times a student can be in our 

building and see how things 

operate,the more comfortable they 

will feel in august when they are a 

part of it all,? Schwartz explained.

Clay Classic Page 14 

Di f f er en t 

Pa t h s 

As eighth grade students are heading off to 

high school, they all head in different ways 

520 E Main 

St, Carmel, IN 

Story and page by Bailey Cappella and 

Isabella Szymanski 

As eighth grade students start a new 

chapter of their lives, they all begin to 

head in different directions. The 

students all face the transition to high 

school, but not all to the same one. 

Carmel. Guerin. Brebeuf. 

University. Culver. Cathedral. 

All high schools in this area are 

choices that eighth graders have. Ty 

H arrington is going to Guerin Catholic 

for high school. 

?I found out about the school 

through my sisters,? H arrington, eighth 

grade, said. This is the only school 

H arrington has thought about going to 

ever since he found out about it. He 

loves the programs and the faith-based 

aspect at Guerin Catholic. 

The total amount of students 

enrolled at Guerin Catholic for the 

2017-2018 school year is 772, while at 

Carmel the total amount is 5,057 

students. 

Peter Suder is going to Carmel 

H igh School. ?I want to go to Carmel 

because of my friends and their 

basketball program.? Suder said 

throughout his life he has never planned 

on going anywhere else besides Carmel. 

At Carmel high school, class sizes 

average out at about 26 students, 

contrasting from Guerin?s 19 students 

per class average. 

Both H arrington and Suder were 

influenced by their older sisters to go to 

each high school. Each high school has 

different aspects that make it appealing 

to students and families. Although each 

high school is very different, they are all 

the same in one aspect. 

A new atmosphere for the 

freshman. H igh school is a place for 

new beginnings and redemption. It is a 

place where students are able to find 

themselves and develop their brains, 

character, and social skills. Wherever 

you go to high school, the four years 

you spend there, you will remember for 

the rest of your life. 

15300 Gray Rd, 

Noblesville, IN 

2801 W 86th St, 

Indianapolis, IN 

Wh a t h i g h s c h o o l a r e y o u g o i n g t o ? 

Here's where 322 eighth graders are going to high school next year 

6401 E 

75th St, 

Indianapolis, 

IN 

1300 

Academy Rd, 

Culver, IN 

5225 E 56th St, 

Indianapolis, IN


Hi s t or y 

i n t he 

Mak i ng 

Boys basketball 

records most 

consecutive wins in 

school history 

By Jake Reasoner, Peter Suder, 

and Z achary Reed 

There was blood in the water, 

and the eighth grade basketball 

team was in attack mode. The 

team did not lose a single game in 

the regular season, defeating 

multiple teams more than once. 

According to starter Charlie 

Williams, the team was an 

unstoppable force. With coach 

Cole?s resonating baritone voice, 

the team charged on to win 19 

straight games, the most ever by a 

Clay M iddle School team. 

?I loved the team, and I loved 

playing hard with my friends and 

for my coaches,? player Burke 

Weldy said, ?We couldn?t lose 

when we played together as a 

unit.? 

The team was indeed a 

reckoning force, scoring almost 

1,000 points on the year. The 

starting five alone averaged 40 

points per game. The starters 

include Peter Suder, Jake 

Reasoner, Burke Weldy, Charlie 

Williams, and Zachary Reed. 

According to assistant coach M r. 

Jordan Cole, the team chemistry 

is like a welded bond. 

?We?ve been friends for too 

many years to count,? said 

Williams, ?Always playing 

basketball together whenever we 

had the chance.? 

The use of teamwork is 

uncanny. With 220 assists, the 

boys have a knack for finding 

their open teammates. 

Does this team have any 

weaknesses? According to 6th 

man N ate M adden, the Trojans 

have a kryptonite. ?Free throws. 

We are terrible at free throws. We 

shot 68%, which is just 

embarrassing,? M adden said. 

Even with this issue, The 

boys still dominated their 

opponents. According to Coach 

Cole, the comradery and love for 

the game is evident in every 

practice, game, and scrimmage. 

Starters Burke Weldy, Z ach Reed, Jake Reasoner, Charlie 

Williams, and Peter Suder take the floor to start the game. 

This is the county championship, where the boys took a 

heartbreaking loss to Westfield. Photo by Valerie Trent 

The five starting 

Trojans come down the 

floor after a dead 

ball.They are beating 

Westfield by 10. Photo 

by Bella Szymanski 

Charlie Williams shoots a free throw, as 

Burke Weldy and Jake Reasoner crash 

the boards. Photo by Bella Szymanski 

The boys smile for a picture after win 

against Hamilton Heights. Pictured 

from left to right: Z achary Reed, Jake 

Reasoner, Peter Suder, Charlie 

Williams. Photo submitted by Peter 

Suder


STAR WARS 

Comes t o 

Cl ay 

The Star Wars club starts at 

Clay 

Kate Smith folds an origami 

Yoda 

Story by: Justine Wang, and 

Emma Hodson 

There?s a new club at Clay! 

The Star war club is a fun, 

safe, relaxing place to talk 

about your favorite movies and 

have a good time with friends. 

The club meets once or 

twice a month at M rs. M ehl's 

room (room 604). 

In the club, you can 

converse with fellow fans 

about theories, fun facts, and 

personal opinions. It?s a loose, 

relaxed atmosphere and no one 

is required to come to every 

meeting. 

M rs. M ehl and M r. 

Anderson plan fun events for 

all grades and try to feed the 

student?s creativity. 

The club enjoys Kahoots, 

trivia, and group discussions. 

The club always have 

something fun and planned. 

One of the fun activities 

the sponsors have planned is 

origami. 

"I decided to sponsor the 

Star Wars club because my 

family has always liked Star 

Wars and I think it's pretty 

interesting," M ehl said. 

?I enjoy the Star Wars club 

because I have time to hangout 

with friends and talk about 

something I really like,? 

M arissa Finney, seventh grade, 

said. At the moment, there are 

about 12 members. 

"One of the perks to being 

in the Star Wars club is you get 

to talk about things you 

normally don't get to talk 

about," Anderson said. 

This new club benefits the 

students of Clay by creating a 

safe atmosphere for students to 

hangout with friends and rave 

about Star Wars with fellow 

fans. It is important to let 

students relax, without 

worrying about homework or 

classes. 

?Some fun things that the 

club is working on is creating 

their own planet for the Star 

Wars universe,? M ehl said. 

?We also discuss fan theories 

and do some trivia.? 

Though the club only 

meets about two times a 

month, M ehl and Anderson 

think it might be possible to 

have more meetings next year. 

"I would recommend this 

club to a friend because I think 

it'd be fun if I had more 

friends in the club with me," 

Lauren Scouten, seventh 

grade, said. 

"I would recommend the 

Star Wars club to students of 

all grades because I think they 

would really enjoy it and the 

more students in the club the 

better," M ehl said. 

While still being a 

relatively new club, the Star 

Wars club is quickly gathering 

new members. It is slowly 

becoming a popular club for 

the students of Clay. 

You can join the Star 

Wars club by signing up in 

front of M ehl's room. Late bus 

passes are available. 

You don't just talk in the 

Star Wars club, you can also 

learn more about this ever 

expanding universe that has 

captured the hearts of so many 

fans. 

Mil es Kowal ewsk i 

"I enj oy t he St ar 

War s cl ub b ecause 

it was one of my 

f avor it e cl ub s at 

t he t ime, and St ar 

war s is my f avor it e 

t ype of science 

f ict ion. 

Kat e Smit h 

"I enj oy t he st ar 

war s cl ub b ecause 

I r eal l y l ik ed st ar 

war s, b ut I didn't 

k now much ab out it , 

so I want ed t o 

l ear n mor e ab out 

it ."


TIME! 

(Above) Max Ruderman speedsolving the 3x3x3 at Husky 

Showdown, a cubing competition, near Columbus, Ohio. 

(Far right) The Valk 3 M, Max's favorite cube to solve. 

Eighth grader aims high for Rubik?s 

cube speed-solving, creates club 

Story and page by Carter Fritz 

and Daniel Tian 

For eighth grader M ax 

Ruderman, solving a Rubik?s 

cube for time became an avid 

part of life. In 1974 when Ernö 

Rubik created the cube, it took 

him more than one month 

to complete his own 

puzzle. 

N ow, 

speed-cubers like M ax 

can solve the cube in 

under 10 seconds. 

When M ax learned 

to solve a cube for a 

school project in fifth 

grade, fiery passion for the 

game was ignited. 

?Ever since fifth grade when 

my friends and I learned to solve 

a Rubik?s cube, we dreamed of 

making a club in middle school, 

and this year we made that a 

thing,? he said. 

In his club, sponsored by 

M cVey, he and his club mates 

engage in activities ranging from 

casual talking to intense cube 

competitions. When everyone is 

immersed and focused on solving 

their cube, the atmosphere is 

addictive. Ruderman described 

the feeling as wonderful, but 

with the amount of clicking it 

makes it hard to talk. 

Ruderman also solves his 

cube as fast as he can 

competitively and has 

attended his sixth 

competition February, 

2018. 

H is record is 

under 10 seconds, but 

he hopes to cut it 

down in the near 

future. 

When Ernö Rubik solved 

his own cube, the amount of 

satisfaction he had was amazing. 

According to Quartz, Rubik 

stated how proud he was when 

he found the solution of his own 

invention. However, he solved 

the cube in over a month. 

N ow, with the help of 

online videos and people like 

M ax Ruderman, even you can 

solve a Rubik?s Cube faster than 

the person who created it, Rubik 

himself! 

(Left) Abhi Chalasani works on his unique cube, which is not 

a 3x3x3. 

(Right) In this photo, Max is solving the Valk 3 M, which is 

his favorite cube. 

(Above) Austin Guo focusing on his Rubik's cube in Mr McVey's room.


SHA RK 

t a n k 

Eighth graders use their knowledge of 

genetics to create new species that could 

be helpful to humanity 

Story and page by Max Ruderman, 

Ian Hammond, and Owen Everett 

In the eighth grade, students are 

combining organisms and 

presenting them to ?sharks,? just 

like the product designers seen on 

T V show ?Shark Tank.? 

This is the project for the 

enetics unit where they learn about 

Punnett squares and dominant and 

recessive traits. 

?The project for this is about 

students crossing two different 

organisms to bring out some desired 

traits to the offspring. It has to be 

something that has economic value 

and something that I would pay 

for,? M r. Sean M cVey, eighth grade 

science teacher, said. 

Students needed to choose 

something that would be interesting 

and practical for the sharks. ?M y 

group made a hybrid of a strawberry 

and a venus fly trap to help get rid of 

flies,? Adi Ariyur, eighth grade, 

said. 

H is group made this product to 

try to prevent the amount of 

damage that fruit flies do every year. 

M cVey said that one of the big 

things that helps a group do well is 

enthusiasm, knowing their product 

inside and out, and also making a 

product that makes the sharks go 

?Wow, that might actually solve a 

problem.? 

?I just enjoy seeing the creative 

side of them. The ideas kids come 

up with to solve these problems. 

And some of the presentations can 

be really fun, too. I think just the 

creativity is just really cool,? M cVey 

said. 

Ariyur said that his favorite part 

of the project was the freedom they 

were given to create whatever they 

wanted. 

When the students presented, 

parents were invited to be the 

?sharks? to help the students feel 

like they were actually on the show 

?Shark Tank.? 

The project also helped students 

work on their presentation skills. 

Overall, most of the students 

said it was well done and was a lot of 

fun to work on to create their 

hybrid plant/animal. They also liked 

presenting to the ?sharks.? 

Mitchel Finnley, CJ 

Willis, Abigail Koeswanto, 

and Taylor Ryan. They are 

presenting their Shark Tank 

project after many weeks of 

working and practicing. 

They were presenting to all 

three of the classes and a 

group of five sharks. Photo 

by Max Ruderman 

This group is composed of Marco Leonardo, Ryan Fletchall, Samskrithi 

Sivakumar, and Madelyn Acton. they are presenting their shark tank project to 

their science classes. They were one of the groups that the sharks said that they 

would invest in. Photo by Max Ruderman


Teacher s 

Hidden 

Hobbies 

Story and page by Rachel Popowics and 

Florence Hargitt 

Trip of a lifet im e 

Get ready for takeoff, next stop Europe! 

M rs. Ashley Jones, one of the 

secretaries in the front office informed us 

about her love of traveling and a one of her 

amazing trips she has taken! 

When we asked her what her favorite 

trip was she said ?probably the Europe trip, 

we went to France for a week and then 

Germany for a week." Jones said she travels 

all over the country as well as outside of the 

country with her husband. She even said 

she would encourage others to try because 

?just getting out of here, meeting new 

people and seeing that not everything is as 

we think it is here." 

See what your very own teachers 

have been doing outside of 

school! 

Mrs. Jones and her husband enjoying the beautiful city 

A stunning image in the beautiful sceniclandscape 

of the Sierra Nevada's! 

Cool Part y Trick 

Fly Fishing 

Hear the quiet waters migrating past you. The 

magnificent scenery all around you of the 

glorious snow tipped mountains. Sounds 

perfect right? M r. Stewart, seventh grade 

Social Studies teacher for team Atlas, shared 

with us an interesting hobby he has. M r. 

Stewart enjoys spending time in the 

mountains and fly fishing. ?I spend a lot of my 

time in the summer just living in the 

mountains of the Sierra N evadas," said 

Stewart. He also said he enjoys camping, 

hunting, and most outdoor activities. He 

would encourage others to try fly fishing 

because ?It speaks a lot to protecting the 

environment." 

It all started with three tennis balls. M iss Caitlin 

Engel, seventh grade wellness teacher from team 

Apollo, told us about a fun talent that she breaks out 

at just the right moment. Engel is a very good runner, 

but she also has an amazing talent of juggling! ?You 

know it's like a party trick. I just break it out once in 

awhile," she said. She has been juggling since she was 

in elementary school. She says she would even 

encourage others to try because ?it is very 

entertaining and fun once you can figure it out and 

everyone is impressed when you can juggle because 

not a lot of people can juggle." 

Ms. Engel displays her talent

Clay Classic 

PAGE20 

Bask ets f Fun 

Girl's basketball season has begun 

Story and page by Jennifer Karakash 

Rebounds, assists, blocks, free 

throws, dribbling, passing and lay-ups. 

These are things the eighth grade girls 

basketball team works on in daily 

practice. 

In his 13th season of coaching 

basketball, coach Jeff Carter wants the 

girls to improve just as much as he 

wants them to win. 

?I love the whole season, but I 

really love the games because then the 

players can see how much they?ve 

improved,? Carter said. 

Emmy Brown, eighth grade, was 

on the team as a seventh grader and 

decided to try out again. She said it was 

fun last year, and she wanted to do it 

again this year. 

?It?s a great sport and a great 

workout, also an excellent way to stay 

fit in the winter.? 

The team consists of 14 players, 

and this year during tryouts there were 

no cuts. Walking in and seeing few 

players surely eased the nervous 

players. 

?It was definitely relieving to see 

that everybody was going to make the 

team,? Brown said. Technically, due to 

having no tryouts, they had an extra 

full week of practice. 

Typically, tryouts last a week, and 

they have open gym a few days before. 

Open gym is a time after school where 

players can practice freely and coaches 

can observe and see how they play 

before tryouts. 

?I look for someone who works 

hard, knows the basic skills like 

dribbling and shooting, and somebody 

who wants to learn,? Carter said about 

what he looks for in a player during 

tryouts. 

?We are all friends here. I love the 

team because it?s so fun to get to talk 

to my friends during practices and 

games,? Brown said. 

CStory and page by Gabriella Stotts and Lily Getchell 

urrently, in M r. Dials STEM lab, students are experiencing the 

launch of the brand new Space X Falcon Heavy 

Rocket through a Google Cardboard headset. 

Through the headset, students get a 360 degree, birds 

eye view of the launch. ?We got to see the lift off, 

that was pretty cool. We also got to see it leave the 

atmosphere.? said Connor Buckley, one of the 

students who got to view the Falcon Heavy Rocket 

launch. 

The Space X Falcon Heavy Rocket, created by 

the inventor of Tesla, Elon M usk, is blasting off to 

reach mars carrying a red Tesla car. Its is the height of 

a 23 story building. On its maiden voyage the Falcon 

Heavy Rocket is hoped to reach the orbit of M ars and 

Clay students got to watch it take off through a 

mobile app called Lift Off VR . 

Google Cardboard was released in February of 

2015 and has gained fame since. The Google 

Cardboard is a cardboard headset with two lenses for 

viewing purposes. Users can insert their phone into 

the headset, and different applications and videos use a split screen to 

allow you to view different scenes at a 360 degree angle, interactively. 

Women's Bask etball Facts 

In women?s basketball, the ball is slightly smaller 

than it is in men?s. 

In the womens basketball hall of fame in 

Knoxville, Tennessee, they have the biggest 

basketball in the world, which is 30 feet tall and 

weighs ten tons. 

The inaugural season of the WNBA was 1997. 

Early rules of women's basketball stated there 

was no coaching allowed from the sidelines 

during contests, timeouts were not allowed, and 

there were no substitutions. Up until the 1930s, 

the game was played on three courts and with as 

many as nine players on a side. 

On July 30, 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first 

woman to dunk the ball during a WNBA game. 

Bl a st i ng Of f I nt o New T ech no l o gy 

STEM students use Google Cardboard to watch rocket launch 

M r. Dial has been using the headsets for multiple years and 

occasionally finds ways to incorporate them into students learning 

experience.M r. 

Dial 

commented, 

?Its just a new 

window for 

kids learning. 

Instead of 

reading a book 

or looking at 

pictures and 

videos, we can 

actually interact 

in a different 

way that's not 

traditional.? 

Clay Middle School 

5150 E. 126th St. 

Carmel, IN 46011 

The Clay Classic is Clay 

Middle School's student 

newspaper. It is written, 

photographed, edited and 

designed by the students in 

Mr. Williams' seventh and 

eighth grade newspaper 

classes. 

Find us online at: 

www.clayclassic.news 

Administration: 

Mr. Todd Crosby, principal 

Mr. Mark Smith, assistant principal 

Mrs. Lori Katz, assistant principal 

Mr. John Corcoran, activities director 

Follow us at: 

@the_clay_classic 

@clayclassic

Issue 3, Volume 14

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