Seth Boyden journalists describe recent activities at their school

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Nov. 6 and 8 were special days at Seth Boyden.

On Nov. 6, Seth Boyden held its second Cardboard Challenge. The students took the entire morning to design a game, structure or costume out of cardboard. Then, in the afternoon, they rotated and experienced/observed each other’s designs. Seth Boyden students demonstrated their amazing engineering and creative abilities, and had a great time.

Nov. 8 marked the birth of a new tradition: the Seth Boyden Olympics. Students in first through fifth grade were assigned to one of 24 different countries. Each Olympic team meets once a month and learns about the geography, culture, language and traditions of their countries. In March, the teams compete in the “Winter Olympics,” where they will have a mix of academic and physical challenges. Then in May, the teams will compete in the school’s first official Geography Bee, followed by the “Summer Olympics,” aka Field Day.

Below are three articles written by Seth Boyden fifth-graders who are currently studying journalism. As part of a project to create a class newspaper, the students interviewed teachers and students.

Cardboard Challenge

By Sherry Chen

Hi, I’m a fifth grader in Seth Boyden Elementary. This article will be about an exciting event at our school called the Cardboard Challenge. The Cardboard Challenge is an event where kids K-5 will use cardboard and other materials to make a game, toy or anything else that they can make. Our second cardboard challenge was held on Monday, Nov. 6, and I would say it was a blast! We built our projects in our classrooms and had groups work together on projects. It lets your creativity flow and you get to make anything you can think of. You get to plan your game\toy\something else first, then you get your materials, and finally you get to build. It usually takes a little bit of measuring to get everything perfect but it doesn’t have to be.

Here we have interviewed two fellow students and one awesome teacher.

“I felt nervous because I didn’t think anyone would like our game because of how it looks, but in the end it was successful and everyone wanted to play our game,” classmate Khadine Edwards told me. I was also like Khadine and was nervous at first, but then when there was a crowd, I didn’t feel nervous at all.

Question: What did you think was the most exciting thing/event during the Cardboard Challenge?

“Looking at other people’s creations because it was amazing how other people’s creations are awesome and how they made them,” classmate Owen Shipman exclaimed. I think I would have to agree with Owen, too.

Last but not least, I spoke to the wonderful Ms. West.

Question: What did you think was the main purpose or the Cardboard Challenge?

“Creativity, to think and be able to use your imagination to create something out of nothing,” Ms. West told me excitedly. I think that was very informative and wise.

Question: Did you think it was a good learning/interacting experience?

“I thrive on doing things differently and watching how children grow ideas,” she said. I think she expressed to us that she was very impressed and happy about this experience.

After hearing everyone’s opinions, I think I can only presume that the Cardboard Challenge was a fun experience for kids of all ages in the Seth Boyden community.

The Cardboard Challenge

By Isaac Allen

One of the recent events that occurred at Seth Boyden School was the Cardboard Challenge, where kids get to let their imaginations run wild by building amazing cardboard creations to look at and interact with.

“How did you feel about doing the Cardboard Challenge?” I asked Kayla Edwards.

“I felt very … challenged,” Kayla responded. “My favorite part was when we got with our groups, and kind of debated over what we were going to build.”

“What did you think was the main purpose of the Cardboard Challenge?” I asked Mrs. Gray.

“Well, I think it was to foster creativity, to let kids express themselves,” Mrs. Gray said.

After being asked the same question, Ms. Smith said: “I think the purpose was to allow students to get out of the classroom, and demonstrate skills outside of pure academics, different ways to be ‘smart.’”

All the results add up to the Cardboard challenge being a creativity-based project, and, from what I saw, it worked! The Cardboard Challenge definitely challenged many people. This challenge also had a huge variety of creations, from model space stations, to pinball games, to fortune tellers — the ideas were infinite! I think this challenge is amazing and unique, giving students a chance to express themselves through building This is truly a challenge to be remembered.

The Seth Boyden Olympic Day

By Sam Hanger

There was a buzz around the school as teachers dropped by assorted classrooms to pick up students and bring them to their Olympic rooms. Each Olympic team was a country: Ireland, Jamaica, Portugal, Haiti, etc. Kids got to know each other, learned where their country was, played games and watched short videos about their respective countries. The idea of dividing the school into different nations was devised last year for Field Day, although students have been reassigned countries since last spring. On how his experience this Olympic Day was, fifth-grader Henry Thompson said, “I was with Ireland. We played a ‘would you rather’ game to get to know each other.”

Fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Carol West, who was also with Ireland, added: “We listened to Irish music and did a little Irish jig. It was great. All the kids were really into it! I can’t wait for the spring Olympics!”

This spring, we’ll have another Olympic Field Day, along with a Geography Bee and other intellectual and academic contests.

Mrs. Shayna Sackett, another fifth-grade teacher, was part of the Dominican Republic. She said: “We just learned general information, and played a video of some traditional Dominican music and dance. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a perfect 10. The kids helped the younger ones, and everyone was excited and into it. I’m definitely looking forward to the Olympic competition.”

Overall, mostly everyone enjoyed it and is looking forward to this spring’s Olympic games here at Seth Boyden.

  Seth Boyden