The Locker The Wellesley Middle School Newspaper Summer 2011

Editors: Bill Noor

Melanie Stephanie

Assistant Editors:

Molly Athenee

Abby

Faculty Advisor: Lynne Johnson

NEWS COMICS STORIES

EDITORIALS

The End of An Era: Bin Laden is Dead After Death of Bin Laden, What is Next for al-Qaeda? Future of al-Qaeda is Uncertain After Death of Bin Laden By Matthew & Keenan On May 1st, 2011, at 11:40 PM EST, US Navy SEALs killed worldwide terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. They raided his compound in Abbottobad, Pakistan based off US and Pakistani intelligence information. Bin Laden had been tracked there by ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency, US) operatives using information obtained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bin Laden’s death marked the end of a ten year international manhunt. Now that the terror leader is dead, it is unclear what the future will hold for al-Qaeda and the rest of the world’s war on terror. Operation Neptune Spear Under interrogation in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, a terrorist involved in the 9/11 attacks and the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, revealed the name of a key courier working for Osama bin Laden in 2007. Two years later, the CIA learned his location and began tracking him. Over the next year, they learned that Bin Laden was most likely hiding in a compound in the city of Abbottobad, Pakistan, with a population of over 90,000. This location, just north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, was contrary to many experts’ beliefs that he was hiding in the caves of the northwest border of Afghanistan. Beginning in August of 2010, the CIA, with the assistance of the ISI, began to perform surveillance missions on the compound of interest. The compound, an acre wide with 18 foot walls, was over five times the size of nearby homes, and close to a highway, however it had no phones. It did, however, have multiple computers, which were later discovered to be the computers Bin Laden used to record messages and commands to his flashdrive, which he then gave to the courier of interest, who relayed them to al-Qaeda operatives around the world. President Barack Obama gave the order for Operation Neptune Spear to commence, in which he sent two dozen Navy SEALs with CIA operatives into the city of Abbottobad and to bin Laden’s compound. As a result of the firefight that ensued, Bin Laden and three of his sons were killed, all armed with automatic weapons. No US operatives were injured during the raid. Bin Laden was reported to have used women nearby as cover during the firefight. Computers were found inside the compound, with their hard drives torn out. The location of these hard drives, and their content, is unknown. Pakistani Intelligence Doubts The US said that they did not inform Pakistan about Operation Neptune Spear because of the risk of the operation being compromised due to corrupt government officials. There have been continuous doubts regarding the integrity of Pakistan’s government and intelligence agency, ISI. Continued on page 2...

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

The End of An Era: Bin Laden is Dead continued from cover story… Currently, an investigation is being conducted into how Bin Laden was able to live undetected for possibly six years in a highly populated city so close to the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, and Pakistan’s military training center in Abbottabad. The compound was at least five times the size of any house in the area, and had a tall perimeter fence as well as opaque windows. Due to the relatively obvious and conspicuous location of the compound, questions have arisen as to whether or not there is corruption in the Pakistani government, or the ISI is simply ineffective. National Celebrations As soon as it was announced that Bin Laden had been killed, thousands of Americans lined the streets of New York City and Washington D.C., waving American flags and celebrating. The lawn of the White House was crowded with people, cheering as they finally received closure for the loved ones they had lost ten years ago. In Boston, BU students gathered at Boston Common to celebrate. For some, the death of Bin Laden was looked at as a step in the right direction, but not a significant change. Despite the closure many have received, some still believe that the war on terror has not ended, and the death toll of terror will continue to rise. Al-Qaeda Going Forward Now that Bin Laden is dead, the most likely successor to be leader of al-Qaeda appears to be Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri has been bin Laden’s close associate since their pre-9/11 plots to kill Americans through terror attacks, based in Saudi Arabia and Sudan. However, Zawahiri is not the ideal leader for al-Qaeda. Despite having deep motivational beliefs, he is known to be unpleasant and is not well-liked within al-Qaeda. He lacks the natural leadership and appeal Bin Laden had possessed. Zawahiri is also known to be less careful than Bin Laden, has nearly been killed several times. Counter-terror experts say that this change could result in a significant weakening of al-Qaeda. Despite the apparent lack of leadership within the al-Qaeda central command, related groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are threatening even more terror attacks than have taken place previously. They said, “America will long for the time of Bin Laden.” Online News Sources: CNN, CBS, NBC, TIME, ABC, and the Department of Defense.

to the WMS Class of 2011 May all your dreams come true…

Good Luck!

Across 1. large star that heats the world 3. holiday with fireworks 4. getting together and grilling food 5. season without school 8. trip to a different place Down 1. necessary to avoid burns 2. water that separates continents 5. fun place to spend a month 6. sandy seashore 7. temperature of weather

At Hollis Mansion (Part 4) By Noor

It was the third night of constant pounding rain, flashing lightning, and roaring thunder. Daisy was positive that no human being could ever sleep through such racket. Daisy rolled over in her bed for the seventh time. She looked over at her digital clock. 10:37. CRACK! Daisy bolted upright. The crack sounded like it had come from a tree. There was one tree that was quite close to her bedroom window and Daisy was positive she would die if that tree fell on the house. Daisy threw off the covers and ran to the window. She could see nothing from the sheets of rain that were pelting the muddy ground around Hollis Mansion. A blinding streak of lightning lit up the grounds of Hollis Mansion for a split second. Daisy was shocked to see a huddled figure, crouched beside the wall of the mansion. It looked oddly like Daisy’s mother, with long brown, curly hair. Daisy could not believe her eyes. Who would be out in a storm like this? What was her mother doing? Daisy waited for another bright flash of lightning but she only heard thunder. Daisy decided she had to save her mom. She threw her blanket around herself, grabbed a flashlight and ran down the hallway. She thundered down the stairs and opened the big, heavy wooden doors that led to the garden. Immediately she was drenched by showers of rain. Daisy splashed through the muddy water. The lightning blazed and thunder shook the trees. All Daisy’s mind could think was I have to save Mom! I have to! Daisy heart pounded as she neared the figure. “MOM!” she yelled through the rumbling thunder. “MOM! Come back! Mom!” The figure did not respond. It appeared to be planting flowers. But, in the pouring rain? Daisy couldn’t believe it. She dashed closer. “MOM! Stop! Forget the flowers! Come inside!” Daisy ran closer and closer to the figure. The rain blinded her and she could barely see. The blanket was soaked. Daisy ran to her mother and tugged at her collar. “Come back inside, Mom! You’re soaked!” The hooded figure looked up. Daisy gasped. It was not her mother. It was an entirely different lady. Oh my goodness! What did you DO, Daisy!? Who were you kidding? What are you doing in a storm like this? Daisy thought, wildly. She turned around to run, but she couldn’t help staring at the woman’s eyes. She looked familiar… She was a lady from one of the portraits in the house! Her beady eyes, her small nose! Daisy recognized her immediately from a picture that hung in the living room. The woman got up. “My, you’re wet, dear. And why are you screaming for your mother?” Daisy gulped and turned around, but the woman grabbed her by her shoulders. “I need to get home!” Daisy yelled. “I need to … I need to—” The woman knelt and picked up her gardening tools calmly. Now Daisy could tell that she was covering them in a sheet of plastic so they wouldn’t be harmed by the violent storm. Just as she was getting up, the woman slipped and fell back. Her wrinkled face was contorted with pain.

“Oh, no!” Daisy yelled. She reached for the woman’s arm. Daisy could see her ankle had been twisted. The rain roared in Daisy’s ears and lightning flashed through the sky. Daisy reached for the woman’s arm and cried, “Lean on me! I’ll take you home!” The woman shook her head. “Get help! You’re too weak! Don’t hurt yourself.” But, Daisy didn’t hear. She pulled the blanket from around herself and wrapped the woman in it. The rain soaked Daisy to her skin but she couldn’t care. Daisy heaved the woman until she could stand on one leg. Daisy supported the woman who was already blacking out from the pain of her ankle. Daisy grabbed the woman and began to hobble towards the front door. The rain blinded Daisy and it was nearly pitch black except for occasional bursts of lightning. Almost there, almost there… Daisy thought, breathlessly. The woman looked thin and delicate but it was hard to carry her and the heavy blanket. Daisy’s knees began to give out and just when she thought she would collapse, the door appeared seven feet away from her. Daisy took a deep breath and staggered toward the door. She shoved it open and collapsed on the wooden floor. Rain began to puddle on the hallway floor. “Mom!” Daisy yelled, weakly. “Dad! Help…” The woman’s eyes were shut tightly from the pain of her ankle. Daisy laid her gently on the floor and closed the door. She locked it and looked at the mess she had made. Despite all her pain, the woman had managed to hold onto her gardening tools and the blanket. Daisy held her flashlight. She flicked on the hall light just as her mother appeared at the top of the steps. She thundered down the stairs and ran to Daisy. “Daisy, what on earth is the matter? And who is this lady?” she asked, gaping at the woman lying on their hallway floor. In a rush Daisy explained everything that had happened. In the midst of the explanation, Mr. Brick appeared too. He was stony and silent when Daisy admitted she had run outside in a violent thunderstorm. Now that it was over, Daisy began to sob about how scared she had been. Mrs. Brick splashed cold water on the old woman’s face and helped her sit up. Mr. Brick began to bandage her ankle and apply an ice pack. While they were doing this, Daisy sat in a kitchen chair and watched. Finally, the old woman was able to speak. “I … I thank you … so, so much, young lady… I … I’m old and—” The woman stopped and accepted a glass of water from Mrs. Brick. “I… I was worried about my plants and…” “Whoa! Who is she?” A voice came from the top of the stairs. It was Nathan. He ran down the stairs and hid behind his father as he peered at the worn, white-haired, mud-soaked elderly lady sitting in a chair. Mrs. Brick was cleaning up the mud mess by the front door when Daisy began to introduce and explain about her family. “We are staying her for the summer. We came here on—” “Oh, I know,” the lady interrupted. “I saw you come. Every day I saw you. You’re Daisy,” she pointed, “and you’re Nathan.” Mrs. Brick stopped wiping up the mess and stood up, sharply. “How do you know this?” “I live here,” the lady said. “I’ve lived here ever since my father died and my mother inherited this mansion.” “Wait a second,” Nathan said, thoughtfully. “Are you Eleanor Taylor Stone?” “I am,” the woman agreed. “And how do you know, young man?” Nathan grinned. “We read your diary.” “Ohhhh, that’s right! I was in the attic, looking for my mother’s old hoe when you two came charging up. You opened up my old box full of things from my room, an’ you opened my diary and quilt and what a ruckus it was!” “Oh, I’m sorry … Mrs. Stone,” Daisy mumbled, embarrassed. “I had no idea you were still alive! We, uh, wouldn’t have opened that if—” “It’s all right,” Mrs. Stone smiled. “I forgive you.”

“Just where have you been living?” Mr. Brick asked, suspiciously. “In this house?” “Oh, no, sir!” Mrs. Stone seemed to have gathered her strength after a tall glass of water. “I have my own place out back. I have a garden and a nice shed with a bed and a stove.” “But, why?” Mrs. Brick asked, curiously. “Why not live here?” Mrs. Stone was quiet for a moment. Mr. Brick went to the kitchen and brought back steaming bowls of soup for everyone. Finally, Mrs. Stone said, “I had no money. My son wanted me to live with his family but I didn’t want to leave the house. So I decided I’d live out back and rent out the mansion. I could keep an eye on it and get my money.” “But the travel agency said no one had been in here for fifteen years!” Daisy protested. “That was a lie!” “No, not really,” Mrs. Stone responded, cleverly. “They said no family had lived there. It had just been me. I do not consider myself a ‘family.’ I’m just one person.” “Where you the one who kept sneaking into our house?” Nathan asked, curiously. “I was not sneaking,” Mrs. Stone said, a bit sharply. She rubbed her ankle and winced in pain. “Before you moved in, I had brought my most treasured possessions to my cabin so you would not find them. But I had forgotten one: a letter from my father to me before he had passed away. It was something very important and I did not want anyone to throw it out.” “Oh, I would never!” Mrs. Brick cried. Mr. Brick looked at the clock. “Oh, wow! It’s nearly midnight. I think we should all turn in now. Mrs. Stone, we would not mind at all if you spent the night here. It’s still storming outside and it wouldn’t do to hurt your ankle again.” “Why, thank you,” Mrs. Stone smiled gratefully. Everyone got up and began to collect their dirty plates. Just as Daisy was gathering Mrs. Stone’s dish she heard from upstairs: Creeeeee-aaaaak. Creeek. Everyone had heard it, even Mrs. Stone. Mrs. Brick looked at Mrs. Stone expectantly. “Do you know of any other hideaways living in this house?”

THE END

Hit it (Part 4) By Melanie

Finals, I thought. I couldn’t believe our team had made it to the volleyball tournament finals. “You ready, Star? Or should I say, Starling?” Craig, my best friend, handed me my blond-spiky wig. In order to play volleyball on the guys’ team, I had to pretend I was a guy, hence the name Starling. I smiled and took the wig from him. I clipped it on top of my hairnet. “Let’s do really well tonight!” Jordan exclaimed. Jordan and Aaron, my other two best friends, stood behind Craig. They were already in their volleyball uniforms. I nodded, silently agreeing with them. The two other people on the team were already upstairs with Coach Ned. I shut my locker and walked with my best friends upstairs to the court. We met up with Bruno and Zack upstairs. Bruno and Zack had been playing much longer than us and were indeed, much better than us as well.

“You guys ready?” Zack asked. Zack was eighteen and was exactly four years older than me since we had the same birthday. Bruno was a year younger. “Ecstatic,” Aaron yawned, too tired to say or do anything as usual. Bruno rolled his eyes at him. “I’m glad you guys have some humor right now,” Coach grumbled as he walked over. “You better get serious during the game. These are the finals. Play hard and play well.” We all waited for some encouraging words but none came. “What are you waiting for? Get out there and shake hands with the other team!” Coach shooed us off the sidelines and into the court. We walked by the net shaking hands with the other court. One guy crushed my hand and waited to see me wince. I just smiled and crushed his until his eyes flickered. By the end of the first round, our scores were tied. During our break, Coach called us over. “Okay, team. You’re doing well out there. Keep it up. Uh… Starling… did you grow a long strand of hair or something?” My eyes widened and I touched the back of my neck. A long lock of brown hair had snuck out. Coach, Bruno, and Zack came to a realization. Jordan’s, Aaron’s, and Craig’s eyes grew frantic. “Star?” Coach’s eyes widened. I winced as Zack found the clip and released my wig. The hair net under the wig had ripped so my hair spilled over my shoulders. I tried to maintain my guy voice. “Uh… It’s not what you think, Coach-” “Don’t ‘Coach’ me! You… You lied! You pretended you were a boy!” “Y-You wouldn’t let me on the team! I needed to do something, anything!” I shot back. Coach’s face turned red. “Get out of here, and never come back.” “I can’t, Coach! You guys need me!” I shouted. “We don’t need a g—” “Yes we do, Coach. She got us up here, and she’s going to keep us up here. Let her play,” Zack said. Everyone else agreed. “It’s against the rules, she could get us disqualified!” “She could. But having only five players will definitely get disqualified,” Craig countered. Couch was at a lost for words. “The team needs her,” Jordan whispered. Everyone, even Coach knew that. “Get your wig back on, Star. If we lose, it’s on your conscience.” Coach got up and walked away. Craig put his arm around me as I let the guilt grab onto my head. Bruno handed me my wig back and Zack gave me five rubber bands from the information desk. I smiled and put the wig back on. Point. Point. Point. Craig and I served the winning blow.

Jack in the Box (Part 4) By Amanda

Day 121 in The Box:

Listen carefully...

Part 3 Summary: Jan’s dad catches Jan befriending Jack, a female fairy. She was

going to be terminated, but Jan protest. Ultimately for aggravating his dad, Jack is shut into a more torturous box.

It’s been one hundred days since I last saw Jan. One hundred days of pure torture. Stuck in another dank and dirty box, I barely can take the waiting. A disgusting salted rag covers my mouth. Salt is poisonous for fairies, but in small doses, it just weakens them. I can feel the bristles of the unyielding fabric on my tongue and feel the cold droplets of liquid hanging on the tips of my eyelashes that seals shut my eyes. I cannot see or speak. All I can do is listen. An annoying tapping sound has been going on for hours. Tap, taptaptap, tap, tap. Who is out there? I’m in enough torture already. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, taptaptap. I doze between the annoying sounds that never subside. Finally, it comes to me. The sound is running a rhythmic pattern. Of course! Morse code! On alert, my ears twitch. Tap, taptaptap, tap, tap. Listen... taptaptap, taptaptap, taptaptap, taptaptap. Listen to...taptaptap, taptaptap, tap. Listen to me! It must be Jan! More follows. The tapping continues. I answer with my own. Jan tells me how to get rid of the rag and liquid. My senses return with pleasure. We create a plan... “Do you think she’s dead?” asked Jan. “I mean, she’s been living in there with no food for since forever!” My mouth turns slightly upward. It’s working! “Nah- never. She’s too strong,” answers a Them. I deflate. “Oh, really? Do want to make a bet on that?” asked Jan. “Well that would mean that we would have to open her box.” “So be it,” answers Jan. The Man sighs, but agrees. He can’t refuse a challenge. They approach my box. I quickly curl up into a feeble ball, feigning dead. Creeeaaak, goes the door. Through my half-closed lids, I see Jan and Him peeking their heads through. I wait for Him to step inside. “Wow, she is dead.” The Man eyes my “dead” body. “Great! Now, I’ll just-” His foot steps through the door. That’s all it takes. I lunge- grabbing him and pinning him down on the floor. Jan appears and with a screwdriver in hand, he disables Him. Unfortunately, I overlooked a detail- an alarm. It rings like an echo in a cave. Dang, I have to leave now, I thought. “Come on, Jan! Let’s go!” “Um, actually Jack, you can go without me.” His brown eyes look sad, but determined. “What? Why?!” I ask in panic. “It’s just that if I leave with you, my Dad will come after both of us. We’ll always be on the run and I know you won’t like that.” “I’ll always be running either way, you know.” “Well...ok, it’s also because He’s my Dad. No matter how much I hate what He did to you, He’s still my family. I can’t leave him.” It takes me a couple of seconds before I realize he’s really serious. “Fine. Good bye Jan. Maybe I’ll see you in the future.” “Maybe,” he whispers. “Good bye, Jack.” I turn away from him and spread my deep magenta fey wings. One stroke brings me to the foot of the door. Two, and I’m out. Three, and the sky surrounds me. Free forever.

Haunted? (Part 4) By Margaret

When we last left our heroines, they were trapped in the school overnight. Finally, morning is coming, and they see the first teacher. Then Maggie notices something different. Eager to hear her theory, the girls cluster around her. They are tired, and their patience is thin, so they are eager to hear a possible solution... "Well? What is it?" Lottie asked. "Look at her! She's ...smiling!" Said Maggie. They whipped their heads around the corner to peer at the teacher. She was smiling as if someone had just told her a wonderful joke. She passed by them and headed down the stairs. "Let's follow her!!" said Diana, full of never-ending energy and enthusiasm as always. They groaned, tired, but started off. They crept down the hallway, just in time to see her go into the main office. There was a quiet rush to the tiny window in the door. They saw her talking to more of the staff, all of them laughing their heads off. Just then, Maggie sneezed. Everyone gasped and ducked, but they were too late. One of the teachers was walking to the door. "What do we do?"Polly hissed. "Don't talk to them!"Emmy hissed back. The teacher stuck her head out the door. "Happy Joke Week! This is the farthest it's ever gone. Yes, we certainly have never had students overnight before. Good job keeping at it, girls- no one else had been this brave!" she said, her eyes twinkling. Chuckling, she shut the door and walked away. "Joke Week?"Ellie said scornfully." We spent the night running around the school for Joke Week!?" "But wait!!" Diana said, a smile starting to spread over her face."Today's only Thursday, right? So it still is Joke Week!" "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Mia said. They grinned, and ran down the hall laughing. Diana took charge. Maggie ran to her locker to get the sheet she had used as a toga in her Greek play. Mia grabbed her phone. Lottie, Lulu, and Janie, spread out the sheet and attacked it with black markers. Ellie and Julia got the mop from the janitors closet, and Emmy, Elise, and Polly got the flashlights. What they did with all this, we can only begin to guess.

Dr iv i ng Mu s ic By Lach lan Dav idso n

From Squiggly’s Playbox online

E‐Booksvs.BooksByCameron

Millions of electronic books have been sold since they first came out. The Kindle, the Nook, and others are very popular. The question is: Is it worth it? Regular books have been around forever, starting with Egyptian hieroglyphics. They have their good points against their modern cousin. The paper, for one thing, feels nice. The E-book is cold and hard, and breaks easily. Secondly, in a regular book, you can dog ear pages, or open randomly and start reading (One of my favorite things to do). And, since it’s harder to publish them, only books that are good get published. With a Kindle, anything is available. Plus, no electricity means no charging, and no running out of power on your twelve-hour flight. E-books can be taken advantage of. I know some people, when they are supposed to be reading, actually are playing chess. No one will ever know! E-books, however, have their merits too. For one, they don’t use paper, saving a lot of trees. Plus, there are so many books, right there, wherever you are. The thin E-book is stored easily, ready to go anywhere. And while over a hundred dollars is considered a good price for an E-book, the books cost very little! Regular books can cost $12, but it’s only $1.50 on a Nook. Looking at the facts listed above, I think old-fashioned books are better than their modernized relatives.

SchoolLunchByBekki

Do you bring lunch? Do you buy it? Are you dieting? The school, of course, has a lunch vendor, but now they’re looking for a different one. They sent out five requests and three responded by the deadline. Why? It’s partially for better food. The school wants to have better service, better quality food, and more of a variety.

Wellesley Middle School is also doing this to save money, as everyone seems to be doing these days. Surprisingly enough, this was a rather big event since it was in the Wellesley Townsman. Hit the web, and it’ll be likely people will be questioning it, and then people start to not care anymore. Life isn’t actually changing. It’s that people will eventually forget about things and go back to bouncing hot dogs off the floor (if the hot dogs are still bouncy, of course.) The reasons, I’ve heard, for closing the snack bars so much lately are that maybe the employees just can’t get to work with all the stress, or that they don’t have enough people to work there. Another reason could be that they are doing extra work. Bella T. Wong (Superintendent and school committee chairman) isn’t exactly all that excited about giving lots of information on the subject. For now, we will just have to wait and see just what will happen.