The Hammonton Gazette’s Publisher Gabe Donio and Editor-in-Chief Gina Rullo were invited to work with fourth grade enrichment students at the Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School.
Donio and Rullo met with the students, taught by Renee Clark, Joe Martino, Mea Lupinetti and Kristin Cavalucci to discuss journalism and how to write articles for newspapers. They also edited the students’ work.
More articles were printed in last week’s edition (June 1, 2022 print/digital edition).
Joel Embiid’s 2021-22 NBA season
by Keith Elliss
Gazette Contributing Writer
The Philadelphia 76ers star player Joel Embiid is a 7-foot, 260-pound center. He was born March 16, 1994 in Cameroon, Africa. As of 2022, he is 28 years old. He was drafted from the University of Kansas. Embiid was the third pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid is nicknamed “The Process.” This is because the team was rebuilt around Embiid. In the 2020-2021 season he averaged 28.5 points per game. During his 2021-2022 NBA season he took the next step up.
He had a phenomenal 2021-2022 NBA season. Embiid succeeded this season despite the loss of All Star point guard Ben Simmons. Simmons did not play due to mental health issues. This increased the pressure on Embiid. He had to be the leader of the team.
Embiid averaged 30.6 points this season. He averaged 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while playing in 68 regular season games. It was a career high for him in scoring and assists. He was only two rebounds away from his previous career high.
In fact, his scoring average led to him earning the scoring title. He was the first center to average 30 points per game in 40 years. Former Sixer Moses Malone did it in the 1981-1982 season. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’ Neal was the last center to win the scoring title. O’Neal did it in the 1999-2000 season. Embiid was the first player born internationally to win the award. Landon Johnston, a longtime basketball fan said, “Embiid is unstoppable.”
Though he won the scoring title, he fell short in the Most Valuable Player voting. He was a finalist for the award given to the Most Valuable Player in the league. It was a very close race. The award went to the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic instead of him. Embiid continues to prove that he is one of the best players in basketball.
Embiid has had 13, 40-point 10-rebound games in a season. This is the most anyone has ever had in a single season. He also averaged the most career points per minute in NBA history.
Embiid has achieved awards, broken records, dominated on the court and has overcome challenges all throughout the 2021-2022 NBA season. This is why and how he had a phenomenal season.
Activities in Hammonton
by Ava Davila
Gazette Contributing Writer
Hammonton is an exciting town filled with many activities. In the summer time there’s many events to attend. One event is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. This is a week-long event that includes amusement rides, games and food. The festival also helps with fundraising for the town. At the festival there is a substantial amount of people, and it is noisy. Children are laughing, and there are high pitched screams from the people on the rides. There is lots of food at the festival. The sweet smell of funnel cake, fried Oreos and cotton candy fills the air. There are also games at the festival and people can win prizes like stuffed animals.
Also, there is the Red, White and Blueberry festival. The Blueberry festival is filled with people selling and buying products from small businesses. The festival has many varieties of food made with blueberries, such as muffins and pies. This event takes place at the Hammonton High School.
In Hammonton there are also many sports teams. Ella, a resident of Hammonton, is on the swim team called the Hammonton Stingrays. The swim team meets and practices at the Hammonton Swim Club in town.
“I like the activities you can do in Hammonton. Also, the Hammonton Swim Club is enjoyable,” Ella said.
Gymnastics is offered in Hammonton at the Flyers Academy. Angel Skye, of Hammonton has been participating in gymnastics for two years, and it is one of her favorite hobbies. Hammonton Hawks is the football and cheerleading organization. This is offered to children in first grade through eighth grade. Brittany Battle, a resident of Hammonton, signs her daughter up for cheerleading every year and they look forward to the homecoming game.
In conclusion, Hammonton is a great place to live. There are various activities and events offered for the whole family to enjoy! If you do not live in Hammonton you are missing out on all the fun!
Warrior Cat book series
by Briella Gordy-Rodriguez
Gazette Contributing Writer
Looking for an action and cat filled book? The book series Warrior Cats is perfect for you. Warrior Cats is a book series where cats are broken up into four clans and fight against each other. The first book that would get you started is, The Sun Trail. The book series has become so famous that people made games, animations and more. Many people love these action-filled books. Who’s the author? The writer behind all these stunning books is none other than Erin Hunter. Hunter has written many books including Warrior Cats. This thrilling book series will make you want to read more.
The reason this series is uplifting is because it will make you feel like you’re actually in the book. One way it will make you feel that you’re in the book is because of the words they use. They describe the surroundings and the weather so the reader feels like they’re in the book. According to the teacher of media, the Warrior Series is a popular series in the library with fourth and fifth graders.
“Erin Hunter has several books that upper elementary students check out often. I think they are popular because readers can follow the same characters over multiple stories. There is a lot of action and adventure that keeps kids interested throughout the book,” she said.
If you ever go to a library, make sure you try to find her books.
Benefits of swimming
by Faridat Aina
Gazette Contributing Writer
Have you ever been at a swimming pool before? It is a very fun hobby and many people enjoy the water and hot sun. One reason it is a great hobby is because it gets you closer to friends and family. It is also really good for you because it gets you more active.
Swimming can also be a sport because you can be on a team like the Hammonton swim team. Swimming is a great reason to be outside on a hot day because it’s nice to get wet and have fun. So next time you are outside on a hot day and have nothing to do, try going to our local Hammonton Swim Club.
Reason to try swimming number one: You can do it on a hot summer day; Number two: You can learn from it; Number three: It gets you stronger; Number four: It’s a sport and you can be in races, and number five: It can be a competition.
This is why swimming is one of the best hobbies that people love to do.
“The Hammonton pool is a fun place where you can have fun with friends and family,” Firdaos Aina said.
Hamilton Elite FC is a great place for soccer
by Sophia Torrissi
Gazette Contributing Writer
If you want to try soccer or join a new team you should go to Hamilton Elite Football Club in Mays Landing. It is a great place to start playing soccer or get better training. There are all different age groups to join. Also, there are different levels of play. They have really good training there.
The age groups at Hamilton Elite go from 3-23. Different age groups play on different size fields. For example, the kids 10 and under play on 7v7. Ages 11-12 play on 9v9 and 13 and up play on 11v11. The more people on the field the bigger the field gets.
There are different levels of soccer. For example, the younger age groups play recreation soccer that just plays against each other at their home fields. Then all the other age groups either play South Jersey that only plays in South Jersey. EDP that can play around New Jersey or even in different states.
The training is good there because the coaches help us improve our soccer skills. Also, we have a professional soccer player, Rich Balchan. He helps us get better at field play so that we know how to control the ball better during games.
“I love playing for Hamilton Elite FC it is so much fun!” Carly Mitag said.
Hamilton Elite tries to make you the best you can be at soccer.
As you can see, Hammonton Elite Football Club is a good place to start playing soccer or join a new team. Hamilton Elite FC is a great place to get better at soccer. You should really join Hamilton Elite Football Club if you are interested.
El Nuevo Mariachi Loco
by Finnegan Sutedja
Gazette Contributing Writer
Have you ever felt that feeling when you finally go home from school and it is the summer? It feels like you have been waiting for that moment all year. Well if you have, when you go to El Nuevo Mariachi Loco, then you feel that feeling every time you go there. The food there is some of the best Mexican food you will have ever had. When you go through the doors, it feels like you transported to a quaint eatery in Mexico. Every time you walk in there, even if you were having a bad day, no matter what you walk in, there you will immediately have a smile on your face.
It would be difficult to make a Mexican restaurant in the U.S. better than El Nuevo Mariachi Loco. When you look at the menu, it may take you 25 minutes just to pick what you want to eat because it is all good and you don’t know which one to pick. Their nachos are just as good as a filet mignon. The perfectly cooked meat with the perfectly crisp chips and the delicious cheese. The chicken or beef is literally so good it doesn’t matter what you pick, you will devour it. Their refried beans are smooth and silky. It is so good that if you only had that for your meal, you would still be happy! When you eat it with the nachos, it is like there is an entire fiesta in your mouth. And then there is their rice. It is mouthwatering. It is perfectly cooked. It is so soft but it is not too soft. If it is closed when you want to go there, you might even shed a couple of tears. The first time you have anything on their menu, you will literally go loco.
Their tacos are also delicious! If you go there with your family, then you might even be there for double the time you would eat at a normal restaurant, not eating the delicious but just looking around and enjoying the beautiful and colorful restaurant. And when you walk in the restaurant, the delicious aroma fills your nose and immediately your mouth starts to water. And you rush to the table so you can eat the food quicker.
This place has beautiful paintings everywhere, and with amazing statues. They are so good that you might even think that it is an art gallery that has amazing food. And little suns everywhere it is just a work of art. Even the lights are lit up with colors. Depending what season it is, there will be amazing decorations. One winter there was a little Santa that was so cute right on the counter.
To add to the already festive environment, there is a musician in there sometimes and he makes the experience way more enjoyable. The patrons are high-spirited with the exciting sounds of a very talented mariachi singer. It is an excellent way to become very enthusiastic about learning the culture, however; he always closes with “Sweet Caroline,” done in a Mexican twist!
El Nuevo Mariachi Loco is located at 101 Bellevue Avenue in Hammonton.
Making your own book
by Tyler Heggan
Gazette Contributing Writer
Have you ever tried making your own book? It’s a really fun hobby. You only need blank paper and a pencil to get started. You can use your imagination to make up your own characters and chapter titles and pictures.
“What is fun about writing your own stories is that you can pick whatever genre you like, make up fun imaginative settings, create unique characters and the plot is totally up to you! The possibilities are endless!” Mrs. Lupinetti, fourth grade ELA teacher, said.
First, you have to think of an idea and plan your book. You get to choose whatever you want to happen in the book since it is your own.
Second, make a title for your book and design a cover page. This is a fun part because it makes the reader excited for the book.
Next, start writing your pages and add drawings and pictures. It is cool to add speech bubbles from your characters too if you want. Then, you staple all the pages together. It looks like a real book when you put staples in the top, middle and bottom on the left side.
Lastly, you color all the pages if you would like to. When you are all done making your book, you can make copies of the book and sell them to make money. You can also give copies to your classmates or teacher. Some friends might say, “This is a cool book!”
Making a book is a super fun hobby because you can work with a friend, too. You can be the author and your friend can be the illustrator. It is a lot of fun to work with a friend and publish a book. You should try it one day.
Amazing loom bands
by Lily Musumeci
Gazette Contributing Writer
Summer will be here soon and if you get bored, then this might be the activity for you. Loom bands are a fun way to spend your down time. They are tiny plastic rubber bands that you connect together to make bracelets, necklaces and more. They come in many different colors and can be combined to make a lot of amazing patterns. They can also be sparkly, glow in the dark and be translucent. The age range is usually 8 and up. However 5 to 7 year olds can do it with adult supervision.
One of the first and easiest things you can learn to make is a ring. Basically you twist the bands and connect them together.
“My friend taught me how to make bracelets out of loom bands in about 10 minutes,” Arabella Musumeci, age 12, said.
To make bracelets you only need your fingers and loom bands. To make other fun crafts like animals, purses and a phone case you may need to use a loom board and a hook. A loom board is a plastic tray with rows of plastic pegs that allow you to hook the loom bands on to make the crafts listed above. The hook is like a knitting needle, used to grab the loom band and pull it onto one of the plastic pegs. The loom bands, boards and hooks can be bought at a store or online and are also sold in kits. The other nice thing about the kits are that they come in cases that have multiple colors of loom bands, charms, beads and the plastic connectors used to complete a bracelet.
You can go on YouTube and find tutorials on how to make these crafts. For example, some of my favorite tutorials are for making a panda, a squid, a turtle or a chick.
“My favorite thing to make out of loom bands is a fishtail bracelet,” Emma Baglivo, age 9, said.
You can make them with friends or on your own. Another great idea is to share them with your friends as gifts.
As you can see this article was written to tell you how fun loom bands are to use and to inspire other people to be creative. If you believe in yourself, you can make anything out of loom bands.