JUNE 2005

Volume 24, No. 11, June 08, 2005

FEATURES

• Choking up your spending money
  • Growing cash from seed beads
  • Advertising your dynamic skills
  • Rolling in the dough
  • Career behind the plate
• Speculation Harry Potter 5: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE
• History of F.A. Day Middle School
• Latin scholars know the answers: The story of a name points out need for Latin study

Choking up your spending money

by C. R. and J. W.

Babysitting for many people simply starts by looking after a younger sibling, and then later expands to neighbors and the rest of the community. People baby-sit as a way to earn money, something to do, along with many other reasons.

Before a babysitter is likely to earn much money, clients often will wish for a certain level of professionalism. This can be demonstrated by simply turning up early to talk about bedtimes, food, or other information the parents want to convey to the babysitter. Often kids take a course to learn the basics and prove their credibility and professionalism as a babysitter.

One of the main courses in America is the American Red Cross Babysitting Training Course. This is offered at many places locally including Newton North High School, Red Cross locations, and the YMCA.

The course is an intensive 10-hour program split over 2 days and is available over many of the school vacations and some weekends. Day 1 focuses on learning basic child care, such as simple first aid, diapering, dressing and feeding. On the 2nd day participants focus on medical care such as CPR and how to treat a choking child/infant.

Over this course participants are required to practice on dolls, answer a short quiz and answer “what if” scenarios.

After taking this course, participants receive a certificate of completion; with can also be used to prove knowledge of CPR, for 5 years. In the past participants received a babysitter’s bag, which contains a handbook, a pamphlet that reviews CPR, a pen along with a paper pad, and a flashlight.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital also offers a similar course, just 4 hours over 2 days. This course focuses on first aid, what to do in an emergency, and basic care.

Some middle school babysitters recommend charging $5 an hour and making sure that clients know this up front. They also recommend arriving around 30 minutes early to review medications, bedtimes, allergies, etc.

Babysitting is probably the most common way to earn money, fast.

Growing cash from seed beads

by C. R. and J. W.

Although selling jewelry is not a common route for money-makers, it can be a creative way to express oneself while still making a profit. When preparing for this task, it is essential to plan out a budget, however. One must keep in mind that beads, wire, clasps, and crimps can be expensive. Confused? There are many resources, both in libraries and on the internet that can put any beginner on firm ground.

Beads can be extremely expensive, ranging from around 3 dollars for a small bag of seed beads to 75 dollars for intricate handmade beads. In general, small local stores, such as Bead Art Resources, a jewelry store on Washington Street in West Newton, carry pricier beads. However, many of these beads are more unique and a higher quality. Beads from the internet or chain craft stores, such as Michael’s or A.C. Moore, are usually cheaper in price and sometimes quality as well.

When selling jewelry, one must remember to base the price on the amount of time and effort, and most importantly, money that one spent creating the item. Be sure to mention somewhere, whether verbally or on a sign, that the jewelry was handmade. One must always be prepared to negotiate the price of any given item as well.

Jewelry can be sold door to door, on the street, on the internet, or even to some stores. For example, Bead Art Resources buys jewelry from local artists at a rate of 35 dollars per month. 60 percent of the profit goes to the artist, while 40 percent goes to the store. The Silver Woman, a jewelry store on Union Street in Newton, buys jewelry as well. If one wanted to sell jewelry at a stand, public places, such as outside of a Stop & Shop or near West Newton Cinema, are sure to bring business, but may require permission and/or licensing.

Advertising your dynamic skills

by C. R. and J. W.

Although the tasks are unrelated, preparing for babysitting, bead making, or lemonade stands can be similar, mainly advertising your skills in an effective place.

The best place to advertise is a public place that is visited by people who know you, or know who you are. For babysitting, an old elementary school is a great place to post a flier. For all three, posting notices in a place of worship could be effective. If you want to hand fliers out, Little League baseball games is a good place to let people meet you, and for you to meet your clients.

Other places that guarantee business are nursery schools (for babysitters) and places that hold extra-curricular activities, such as a dance studio, music school, and club. For people who are looking for lawn work, going door-to-door in one’s neighborhood is also worthwhile. One’s parents are a good resource; they have connections to many other adults through their work, who could become clients.

One final option is advertising in THE DAYTIME. A personal ad costs $10, while a sixteenth page ad can be purchased for $20.

Rolling in the dough

by M. G. and G. T.

Though middle school kids are not allowed to get jobs at super markets or other stores until they turn 14, many Day students are working throughout the summer. One such job is the old familiar lemonade stand, which at fist glance, may seem out of date. But today many lemonade stands are made more elaborate by selling cookies or other baked goods.

Nowadays, food and bakes sales are not just summer affairs; many kids are selling warm drinks, such as cider or hot chocolate at family yard sales, or just to passersby.

There are also many differences among standard lemonade stands. For instance, lemonade stand operators can choose to make their lemonade from scratch or to buy it from a store. Another difference is the price of the food being sold. Some Day students sell their lemonade at a lower price, but sell more cups. D. J., grade 7, Jade Team, is one such kids; when asked how much she charges for her store-bought lemonade, she says: “ I’d say about 25 to 50 cents.”

Another variation is where the stand is located. Many kids sell lemonade outside of grocery stores (though you must first seek permission from the store manager before you set up your station) or at parks. Some students simply locate the stand outside their house. Many go to a friend’s house on a street with a lot of foot traffic or at family yard sales. Many people are willing to buy lemonade at yard sales after they have bought items form the actual sale. J. C.-O., grade 6, Copper Team, shares her thoughts on selling food at a yard sale: “I basically only sell at yard sales because I usually didn’t have too much stuff to sell (at the yard sale), but I want to make money so I sell cookies and lemonade.”

Even though many kids consider selling lemonade or food to be a job for younger kids, many Day students have been selling lemonade for years and are still working the stand. E. T., grade 6, Copper Team, has been selling lemonade for more than 5 years; she shares her thoughts on lemonade selling: “I started selling lemonade when I was really little but my mom would stand over my shoulder to watch me”.

Selling lemonade is clearly a tradition (though it has been modified over the years) at Day and all over the country.

Career behind the plate

by R. P.

S. S. went from batting at home plate to umping behind it. He became an umpire after playing in the Little Leagues for several years. The coordinator from the league informed him of a potential job offering through an e-mail.

Now S. S. umps for Double “A”, Triple “A” and the Major Leagues of Newton. His weekly schedule varies, depending on the amount of games assigned to all the umps during the middle of the week.

S. S. earns from $15 for the duration of a Triple A” game as a base umpire, to $45 for umping a Major League game by himself. Each game is 6 innings long on any day of the week. They are between an hour and a half to two hours.

Before umpiring his first game, S. S., and his fellow umpires, were summoned to the coordinator’s house in order to receive vital instructions. After a packet was handed out on the rules, the group was given possible situations of a game and how to make the correct call.

This year will be S. S .'s second year back, and he is excited for the season. He insists that the job “...is not that hard...depends on the coaches you have.” Some coaches prove to be tough on the umpires, arguing calls, but the umpire holds the power to eject them. Since he is a “...returning veteran,” S. S. will receive a $5 bonus for each game he umpires.

From their rookie year, umpires are given levels according to the number of games they umpire. Once they work up the levels, beginning at level 1, umpires will have the pride of being a “...more credible umpire,” says S. S.

But, for example, if an umpire cannot make a game and he is at a high level, such as level 5, he can only call a fellow level 5, or higher, umpire to fill the empty umpiring slot.

S. S. enjoys the job because he can have extra money instead of always turning to his parents, showing that he can be financially independent.

The coordinator is Ben Schlesinger and if you are between the grades of 7th to 12th grade, and are interested in umpiring, he may be contacted at bschles@comcast.net.

Speculation Harry Potter 5: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE

by M. D-P. and A. G.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are back in action in J. K. Rowling’s soon-to-be-released 6th Harry Potter book, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, coming out this July. There are many rumors as to what it will be about, but Rowling denied many of them. Some of these rumors...according to the ultimate Harry Potter site www.mugglenet.com...are that Dumbledore is related to Harry Potter, and that Nicholas Flemel will teach potions at Hogwarts.

On her own website, Rowling, as mugglenet said, “...squashed these rumors like cockroaches.” On www.jkrowling.com, Rowling said Nicholas Flemel has died. “Dumbledore explained in The Philosopher’s [Sorcerer’s] Stone that his old friend was going to chose death rather than allow his stone to fall into the wrong hands.”

Besides the things we know that aren’t going to happen, there are some things we know are going to happen. The beginning of this book was supposed to be part of the beginning of 1st so we suspect we will learn more about the death of Lily and James Potter, Harry’s parents.

There are other rumors circulating, too, and some may be just as bit far-fetched. For example, some people are saying that seemingly irrelevant things that happened in other books may suddenly become relevant.

This includes references to:

• number 7 (e. g. there are seven years at Hogwarts, the Weasley family has seven children, and there are seven players on a Quidditch team);
• number 12 (Aunt Marge has 12 bulldogs, Sirius gave Harry a Firebolt broom because he hadn’t received presents for 12 birthdays);
• socks (although socks have been important in the books before: they're what freed Dobby, the house elf); and,
• unusual occurrences or events on Halloween (then again, children dressing up like monsters, going to house to house and asking for candy is a bit unusual, too).

In each book, the antagonist makes an appearance in Chapter 13. There are references to purple, noses or wristwatches; references to hogs, pigs, and boars (that may have been something Rowling was planning for this book when she named the school of magic that Harry attends "Hogwarts"); and finally, references to flowers in names (e. g. Aunt Petunia).

One rumor that might be true is that Dumbledore will die. Even though Rowling has not confirmed this, there are people who work in the English printing plant where the first five books were printed that are willing to bet almost $92 U. S. that he will die. In one week they placed almost $11,000 U. S. in bets.

One thing is for sure, the sixth book will be exciting and intriguing, even if a character we all love dies. No matter how sad or depressing it may be, Rowling’s devoted readers around the globe are sure to like it no matter what.

History of F.A. Day Middle School

by N. F., E. G.-M., T. K., and V. P.

Day’s principals:

• Frank F. Carr: 1922-1930,

• Russell Burkhardt: 1930-1947,

• Ralph Morse: 1947-1967,

• Dr. Earnest Van Buren Seasholes: 1967-1973,

• Ed Martin: 1973-1977,

• Edwin Fraktman: 1977-1992,

• Dr. Paul Stein: 1992-2004, and

• Gina Healy: 2004-present

Each morning as students saunter down Minot place on their way to school, as they turn the corner and pass the flag pole and they walk through the doors of F. A. Day, some may wonder: who was Frank Ashley Day?

Frank Ashley Day was born in 1852 and died in 1914. He was educated in the Newton Public Schools and worked for the Boston banking house of R. L. Day and Company, founded by his father. During his lifetime, he was part of a charitable philanthropic movement making him a strong community benefactor.

In the 1920’s, both the school and parts of the Newton Young Men’s Christian Association (including a camp in western Massachusetts) were named in his honor because he donated a large amount of money to the organizations. Day also gave magnanimously to the building of the technical high school in Newton and even some playgrounds. In his time, Day was elected to be on the Board of Alderman.

In the early 1920’s with the overpopulation of the Newton schools, the Newton School Committee addressed the problem of the West Newton district and the Newtonville district. A new school was needed to educate the students in this district and when a new chunk of land opened up to them (donated by Frank Ashley Day) , the school committee designated a subcommittee to organize the construction of the new school building according to the then-new junior high school model.

In 1922, after Day passed away, it was requested by his wife that the new school being built at 100 Walnut Street be named after her husband. After consulting her family, Mrs. Day said that they should consider it an honor to have the first of the junior high schools named for her husband, and suggested his full name, Frank Ashley Day.

F. A. Day Junior High School was the first junior high school built in Newton. It reflected Newton’s interest in the importance of education, as well as the need to fulfill the ever-growing population of students. The decision to build F. A. Day was made in 1921, and students were ready to occupy the building in December of 1922. Following the construction of Day Junior High School was Bigelow, then Warren in 1927 and Weeks in 1931.

The construction of junior high schools was designed to bridge the gap between elementary school and high school. It was called the 6-3-3 plan, which provided a smooth transition between the two schools. It also gave the students the ability to attend a neighborhood elementary school, with kids nearer to them, and then a community junior high school. This would allow their knowledge of friends to expand and expand, improving social skills.

The original school was designed by a Newton architect, Edmund I. Leeds. The two story part of the building was designed by another Newton architect, James H. Richie in 1934. Two cinder blocks annexes were added in 1966.

Day Junior High School was then relocated to 21 Minot Place on the Day Estate. The construction for the new building started in 1967, and students began attending the school in 1972. The architects’ names were Korsland, LeNormand, and Quann.

As it turns out, Day didn’t possess the security for students in its halls as it does now. According to Johnny Roberts, a Day alumni of more than 30 years, “I was very intimidated while walking the halls.”

Among Day’s illustrious alumni is Matt LeBlanc. During the years of World War II, Day students donated a penny each in order to buy 2 Jeeps for the U.S. Army [assisting in the preparation of this article was N. F.].

Latin scholars know the answers

The story of a name points out need for Latin study

by J. R.

Latin is sometimes looked over as a language with no practical use. Unfortunately this sentiment is not only erroneous, but also fatuous. Latin, when learned, has a vast number of uses in every well paying field, e. g. medicine, law, etc. Furthermore, it has a modern expression in over half of the English language, the Romance languages, and symbols seem commonly in reading and speech. These include: “id est”, meaning “that is” and “et cetera” meaning “other things”.

There is the point that German is a major player in the creation of our language, but that was influenced by Latin; while one might say that the simplistic terms may be derived from German, which term would you rather use in a college application, “stupid” or “fatuous”? The intelligent person would choose the latter.

The words that are derived from Latin may be described as extraneous, but also some words are necessities, or slang. “ Yo”, the common greeting, is from the Latin word “Io”, which is pronounced the same way and serves the same purpose. Such simple words as “parents”, “generation”, “rose”, and “vital” are all from Latin and there is no simpler way to say them.

Amongst these many gifts that Latin has given us are many names, not only of random things, but the names of people. To name a few: Sylvia, Paul and Julian come from Latin. Sylvia means “girl of the forest” and is close to the Latin word for forest “ silva” pronounced sil-wa. Paul is from the Latin word “ Paulus” meaning “little”, so a small child may be appropriately named Paul. Julian is an easy name to trace, since it comes from the Latin term “ Julianus” meaning “belonging to Julius”.

Ancient Romans had rules about their names. There were different rules for both males and females, but the same general rules apply. Every name has three basic parts. First is the “ praenomen”, the first name, this name was not important in Roman history. The next name is the “ nomen” or family name like Russo, Waldinger, or Provencher. The last name in the full name is the “cognomen” or nickname. “Cognomina” are the most interesting of the names as they have a set of “rules” all their own. And they did not go away easily!

Each name was carried on from son to son. Here’s a little story to explain it. There’s a famous Roman politician and writer named Marcus Tullius Cicero. Marcus is the praenomen, Tullius is the nomen, and Cicero is the cognomen. “ Cicero” in Latin means “chickpea” and he was given this name probably because he had a zit on his nose that looked like a chickpea. Let’s say he had a son and gave him the praenomen Lucius, so from birth Lucius has the full name of Lucius Tullius Cicero, even though he has a nose without a blemish. As a baby the only outstanding quality about him is that he has red-hair. This is very unusual in Italy so he gets the cognomen “Rufus” meaning red-head, making his name Lucius Tullius Cicero Rufus. When he gets into his early twenties, he joins the military and campaigns in Germany. When he returns he is a decorated war veteran and for his service he gets the cognomen “ Germanus” making his, now extremely long name, Lucius Tullius Cicero Rufus Germanus.

Soon he has a son and names him Iulius , from birth this child has the name Iulius Tullius Cicero Rufus Germanus even though none of his cognomina fit him.

When Iulius grows up he becomes a “low-life” and useless gaining him the additional cognomen of “ Mendax”. This makes his name Iulius Tullius Cicero Rufus Germanus Mendax. Now, if he has a child, who wouldn’t pity him for inheriting this long list of cognomina that has nothing to do with him and has everything to do with his ancestors? Unless he has a daughter who is much better off in the world with her name!

If Marcus Tullius had a daughter at the beginning of this fiasco, the business of these multitudinous cognomina would have stopped there. This is because girls did not get cognomina. The one special rule for them was that the nomen was the feminine version of their fathers name so Cicero's daughter would have the nomen Tullia. While her brother would have to deal with the cognomina of his father and have a different nomen.

Nomen is a word that has made it into English in many ways. “Nominal” meaning “existing or being something in name or form only” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The verb “nominate” comes from the same Latin route and means to name someone for a job. In Spanish there is the word “ nombre”, Italian, “ nome”, and French, “nom”. All have obvious ties to the original Latin word.

Latin is still found and used today in one way or another. By learning it, one opens oneself up to many new learning experiences and gains a better understanding of the word.

Latin may not still be spoken as much as in the good ol’ days, but it can be found almost every where, from the tops of buildings in New York to monuments in Boston. Ancient signs in Rome and diplomas from many high schools and colleges all contain Latin. Latin is unescapable and undeniable. Latin is worth learning and will help later on in life with the SAT’s (sooner than anyone thinks), and with a new level of comprehension of the English or the Romance languages.

Learn Latin, learn it well, and it will help in learning more.