NASA Crew 1 Astronauts (from left to right) Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Soichi Noiguchi
Grade 7 ELA Students
DECEMBER 2020
Dudley Middle School
COVID - 19 AND MIDDLE SCHOOLERS By: Erin Boggio and Molly Fitton DUDLEY - Now you have to wear a mask in school and in all the stores? Well, those are some of the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has made to our everyday lives. As of the time we are writing this, over 274,000 people have died in the United States and almost 2M worldwide. Fortunately, over 41.5M worldwide have recovered from this awful virus. Because of all the cases growing in our towns, we couldn't see our families for Thanksgiving. Some of the MASSIVE changes include wearing masks and social distancing. Also we are all staying home and not doing much. Some people are unemployed and can’t buy food or pay rent. Sanitizing your hands all the time anywhere you go has become our new normal. What's your favorite sport? Did it get canceled? The pandemic made all sports canceled this year. Dudley Middle Schooler Lily Connel says about this “...Covid definitely impacted my life a lot mainly in bad ways like I couldn’t play soccer or basketball, but on the other hand I got to spend more time with my family.” We asked some more students at our school how the recent Covid-19 pandemic affected them. One student said, “I just want to see my friends again. I will probably tackle them when I see them again.” This student went on to talk about how mental health is a struggle more than ever these days. Another student said, “It made life suck” and he/she “can't hang out with my friend and I have to wear a mask everywhere I go.” The final student we talked to was Delila "Potato" Gaudette. She said, “I cant see my friends, I hate online school, and my family parties are canceled because there's old people to worry about.'' Covid-19 has affected us in many negative ways. Some good ways we’ve been affected include getting closer with family or getting closer to your friends through Facetime. Let’s try to look on the bright side! Facts compiled from nytimes.com BLAST OFF! By: Luciana Piarulli We have liftoff!” NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched a fully operational crew to the International Space Station. The crew Dragon Resilience docked at the station on Monday, November 16th, at 11:01 P.M. They spent 30 hours in the capsule before being let into the ISS. The crew was launched into space by the SpaceX rocket falcon 9 at the Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 launched at 7:27 P.M. on Sunday, November 15th. The crew consists of astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Soichi Noiguchi. The launch was originally planned to be in October, however the new Falcon 9 boosters were having similar problems- the clog had made two engines try to launch early. This would have damaged the engines if they didn’t abort the launch. So, the launch took place on November 15 instead. This launch was astronaut Victor Glover’s first mission to the ISS. He is the first full-time Black-American crew member on board. Astronaut Mike Hopkins gave him his diamond-studded pin once they were on the ship. The pin is given to all astronauts that have been to space. Crew-1 will spend about 6 months at the ISS before coming home. There they will work on science experiments, and they will do spacewalks and continue to make adjustments and repairs to the station. Before they leave, joining them will be the mission called Crew-2, NASA and SpaceX’s second mission in the commercial crew program. Facts from nasa.gov THE 2020 US ELECTION By: Sean MacGinnis We've never seen an election quite like the 2020 US election, with mail-in voting, recounts, and accusations of voter fraud. The voting process was not over until after election night, due to mail-in votes, leaving American voters in suspense. Technically, the official election process is not over until January 2021, when the electoral college votes, this gives either candidate the right to call a recount. The Associated Press has technically called this race for the Biden campaign, although the election is not officially over until January 2021. This gives the Trump Campaign the right to recounts, and battles in court. The Trump Campaign believes that there was widespread fraud because of things such as mail-in ballots. The Trump Campaign also claimed to have proof. The greatest claim of all has to do with mail-in voting. Mail-in voting is incredibly controversial, and leans very far left. Polls show that the majority of republicans are against mail in voting, but the majority of democrats are for it. This has sparked many issues, such as accusations of illegal votes. This is the Trump Campaigns most convincing evidence. Since the election is technically not officially over, it is Donald Trump's right to fight the results. Immediately after election day, the Trump Campaign mobilized, demanding recounts, and trying to prove mass voter fraud. The Trump Campaign spent $3M for a recount in Wisconsin, only to lose 138 votes. If the Trump Campaign finds sufficient evidence of voter fraud, they can bring it to court. After proving voter fraud, the campaign can then bring the election to The House Of Representatives. In the House, there is one seat for every state, and since the majority of states are Red, then Donald Trump would win. This election has been crazy, and the results are still uncertain. The AP has called the race for Joe Biden, but the Trump Campaign has ferociously mobilized to fight against it, to try and prove mass voter fraud. Facts compiled from foxnews.com/ cnn.com/ factcheck.org BLACK LIVES MATTER By: Chelsea Ankrah, Delaney Navin, & Brianna Ndegwa Equality. Something people all around the world have been fighting for, for years. BLM (Black Lives Matter). ALM (All Lives Matter). But what do they really mean? Why do they affect our lives so much? BLM is a political and social movement advocating for non-violent disobedience and protest against police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people. The goal for BLM is to raise awareness and to reconsider our priorities. Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi are the founders of this organization. ALM is a slogan that is associated with BLM. It indicates that all lives matter. But what it is really doing is taking the attention and redirecting the BLM movement When people say that they support BLM, they don’t mean that everybody else doesn't matter; we are saying that the black community needs our help right now to fight against unfair police brutality. We have come a long way since slavery and segregation, but a lot more needs to change. Black lives matter activists are actively working to demolish white supremacy. “White privilege is the societal privilege that benefits white people over over non-white people in some societies”. An example of white privilege is when a Caucasian man or woman can commit the same crime as a black man or woman and get a lesser prison sentence. Another example of white privilege is when a white man or woman is getting arrested and the situation rarely leads to their own death.; whereas people such as George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and more have all died without justice because of the discrimination against black people in the social justice system. Yes, all lives matter but black lives are the ones being discriminated against in the USA. Therefore that is why black lives matter. NOTORIOUS R.B.G. By: Felicity Durando and Adrianne Warner Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second female to be appointed into the Supreme Court. Ginsburg was a Supreme Court Justice from 1993-2020. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by president Bill Clinton. Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 15, 1933. She graduated from Cornell University in 1954. She attended Harvard law school in 1956 then transferred to Columbia Law school. She was just one of 9 female undergraduates at Harvard in 1957. It was not easy being one of the first women at law school. The women were refused access to the library and they were not called upon in class. She persevered when men tried to hold her back and went on to change the world for the better and to show that women can do anything. Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020 at 87 years old. She died from metastatic pancreas cancer. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer two decades ago. After going 5 years cancer-free the cancer was presumed cured however earlier this year a recurrence of the cancer showed up in tumors. In December 2018 after a fall that broke her ribs. Doctors discovered lung cancer. Her husband Martin died of cancer on June 27, 2010. More than ever, today, women starve themselves to be models or a female influencer’s. Ginsburg wanted to change that. She wanted to push to bountires. She believed that every woman should love her body. She used her quiet voice to paint “word pictures”. She went to court to help take away laws on womens bodys. Ginsberg was very loved and respected by everyone. She showed people that women could do anything. A VACCINE IS NEAR! By: Iris Lathrop and Meghan Traverso We have some news for you! Right now there are many scientists, doctors, and vaccine distributors trying to solve our current problem. Our world is quite a disaster right now, but a vaccine would be the beginning of our journey to a normal life. There are hopes to have a vaccine by the end of the month. Many vaccine companies and distributors are working on creating a successful Covid-19 vaccine. One company, The Pfizer pharmaceutical company, is working on a 90% effective vaccine. The flu vaccine is 67% effective; this makes the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine more effective than what the normal flu vaccine would be. So - wash your hands, wear your mask, and get the vaccine when it's available! www. cdc.gov; newslea.com COVID AND SHOPPING By: Marcelina Sikorski Covid-19 has affected everyone one in different ways. Covid-19 hit the stores really bad,some stores are still open while some not so much. Your favorite ice cream shop probably shut down for good or your favorite fries and chicken fingers shut down too. Covid-19 must be stopped, good thing we have some scientist making something to cure this horrible disease. I have been doing some research on how this disease affected stores and some stores have different opinions on Covid-19. Take a time to think about this. Do you think we will ever go back to normal? I say it will take sometime before the vaccine is perfect for covid-19 to be over. Some stores say that covid-19 is a temporary inconvenience. A Lot of stores had to close down because of rent reasons. Some people can't keep up with the items and a lot of items are basically always out of stock and when they are in stock it's only for a little before it's out of stock again. Most of the stores have a limit of customers in the store at once. Which means there's a lot waiting outside. Even when you are inside the store there's a long line to the cashiers. Covid-19 has shown us a different way of life and we all see it very differently from so many different points of view. NBA FACTS WITH ELIAS By: Elias Vega I’m Elias Vega and I'm going to tell you about the NBA news this year. So recently the NBA draft happened. The first three picks of the 2020 draft were Anthony Edwards to the Minnesota Timber Wolves, the next pick was James Wisemen to the Golden State Warriors, and the last but not least, my personal favorite, LaMelo Ball to the Charlotte Hornets. In other NBA news this year the Lakers won the NBA championship over the Miami Heat. Now here are some fun NBA facts- 1. “The 1977-78 NBA scoring title was settled in crazy fashion on the last day of the regular season as Denver’s David Thompson scored 73 points to seemingly lock things up. However, George Gervin scored 63 that night to capture the crown” 2. Kobe Bryant’s favorite colors were the colors of the team he was on which is purple and yellow. Here is some inspiration for you to get you through the week “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do” Kobe Bryant. That's my NBA news for you, until next time. Facts from latimes.com; thefactsite.com SOCCER THEN & NOW By: Juan Casteneda Moreno Soccer brings us back to the year 1863 when Association Football and Rugby Football finally split together. Soccer was made in London, England, later on that year the first soccer match was played. It was between Barnes Football Club and Richmond Football Club. The game ended in a draw. Soccer is played with two teams with both 10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. The most typical rule in soccer is that you can't touch the ball with your hands, and not grab players' shirts or tackle them. There's more rules but these are the ones that are really important when you play soccer. Some important things there is to be a good soccer player is that you need to be physically fit, you also need to be able to get along with your teammates. Some others like to know how to pass, shoot, run, and know to never give up. ALL-STAR CHEERLEADING By: Angelina Tracey A lot of people think all-star cheerleading is when you use pom poms and megaphones, but that's not it at all. People don’t understand all-star cheerleading is a challenging sport to do. It involves teamwork, strength, coordination, and sportsmanship. When you try out, you will be put on a certain "level" of team depending on what skills you have. For example, if you had a tuck you would be on a level 3 team. Then you would practice for 2 hours and a half hours three times a week. If you're on a travel team you would go on 3 or 4 travel trips. On a trip, you will stay at a hotel connected to a convention center. Depending on which competition you go to, you will sometimes have a time to have a 25-30minute practice the night before the composition. Usually competitions are two day comps. That means you would compete one day and that's worth 25% of your score. On Day 2 you compete again then have awards worth 75% of your score. After you compete you will meet up with your coaches and then you can go back with your parents. When it's final awards, you all sit on the mat with your team. Winning is fun, but the best paty of being a cheerleader is having fun and competing with friends. RED SOX COMEBACK By: Michael Hogan BOSTON - Are you a Red Sox fan? Good news if you are. The Red Sox will have a comeback season and here’s why. They have a lot of very good prospects joining their team. The Red Sox hired their old coach Alex Cora who won them a championship in 2018. The Red Sox have 36 players on a 40 man roster, and they also have six great prospects to join their roster this season, so they will have to cut two men. Their number 6 prospect was healthy and had a good season with the minor league PawSox. Furthermore, the Red Sox have ten players who finished the regular season with them and won’t appear on the line up in the 2020-2021 season leaving room for more rookies to join the roster. Twenty-five% of the Red Sox 40 man line up is gone. One name to remember is Eduard Bazardo. This year the Red Sox outrighted seven players. The Red Sox re-signed Stephen Gonzales and Josh Ockimey. The Red Sox have reinstated Dustin Pedroia and Chris Sale from the 60 day injured list.The Red Sox have freed up at least $62.7 million in salary cap but, to do that they gave up some key players. One of those people being Mitch Moreland who in only 22 games put up eight home runs. Some free agents the Red Sox should look for is Trevor Bauer and Jackie Bradley Jr..I know I'm going to be ready to watch the Red Sox this year and so are you. NEXT QB FOR PATS By: Riley LePage FOXBORO - After the 2020-2021 NFL season, the New England Patriots will be without a quarterback due to Cam Newton’s 1 year contract in New England. The future for the patriots is uncertain, but a good quarterback is a good start in turning them back into the Super Bowl contenders they were just a few seasons ago. There are several options for the Patriots franchise, but what will they do? The Patriots first option is to work with what they already have. Cam Newton’s backups include Jarret Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Jarret Stidham is the younger option. We haven’t seen much of him on the field because he has been working behind people like Tom Brady and Cam Newton. Their second option is Brian Hoyer. Even though this quarterback has some experience, his game against Kansas City in week 5 while Cam Newton had Covid-19 was not great to say the least. Bill Belichick could turn any of these quarterbacks into the starter. Another option is to draft a new quarterback. The patriots will most likely have a first round pick in the 2021 draft, so the patriots could get a first round quarterback. Another option is to sign a quarterback that has already been in the league. There will be several available quarterbacks. One of those quarterbacks, for example, is Sam Darnold. His time in New York as a Jet was wasted due to lack of talent around him, making his job there difficult. With the Jets looking to perhaps get a new quarterback with their potential first overall pick in the NFL draft, there is no doubt Sam Darnold will be an option. What do you think, could they go with one of these options, or could they perhaps just resign Cam Newton? TROUBLES WITH SPORTS By: Christian Joubert So currently in sports it has been a tough experience. With COVID-19 hitting extremely hard many pro sports industries have been losing money and this is a problem. As well, local sports have been getting shut down. As the website Umms.org states, “Many pro sports have lost profit, the NBA has lost nearly 1 billion dollars in revenue.” As this proves, the current sports problems could later result in major decreases in player salary as well as overall views and players for the sports industry. Coming back to what I had said before, children have been gaining weight, becoming less healthy, and losing overall outside activities. Obviously this isn’t all because sports have been canceled but this plays a major role. Sports off seasons for players to get rested and ready for the next season have become shorter and shorter, NBA offseason has become only 72 days and the season shortened itself by 10 games. With all of this going on, you can’t help but wonder how many people are getting sick from either watching the games or playing in them. Well to answer that 50% of parents are too scared to sign their kid up because of that and for the kids who get signed up, 46% of those kids come down with an illness. These are serious numbers that can extremely infect families. So although it might be hard, the best suggestion is to stay safe and to maybe wait it out until there is a more safe way to exercise and enjoy your favorite sports. HOW TO FIX BASIC PROBLEMS ON A BICYCLE By: Nathan Bernard Ever needed to fix something simple on your bike and don't know how? Well I'll tell you how to fix simple problems! First,if your chain slips off just pull it on both chain spindles and if it keeps falling off or isn't tight, loosen the back wheel bolts and pull the wheel back until it's tight. Secondly, if your tire is flat, don't use a powered pump because it can blow up your tire. Next, if one of your spokes bends or breaks, you can replace it by taking the tire off and once you get the tire off there will be a black strip across the rim, take that off and get a flat head screwdriver and remove the screw, then the spoke will simply slide off, repeat the process if multiple spokes are broken. To put new spokes on, put the new spoke through the hole you took the old spoke out of then just tighten the screw on top and reassemble the wheel. Also, if your brake pads are squeaky, slightly tilt them sideways with a wrench, if they are still squeaking then go to your local bike shop and buy a new pair. If your seat is also squeaky then grab an adjustable wrench and look for the bolts on the side of the seat and tighten them, you can also do this if your seat keeps tilting in different directions. Finally, if your chain is squeaky, flip the bike over and slowly spin the pedals then, grab lubricant from your local bike store. As you spin the chain add the lubricant to the chain. In conclusion, you now know how to repair simple things on a bike. NFL RIVALRIES By: Jacoby Lorente The National Football League, also known as the NFL, has 35 teams. The NFL was founded in 1920. The NFL is split into two conferences which are the NFC and AFC. As you can imagine there have been many rivalries between teams. Some of the rivalries are still alive and well. This article is going to talk about three of the greatest rivalries in NFL history. The first rivalry is between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. Both teams are located in the midwest. The Green Bay Packers are from Wisconsin and the Chicago Bears are from Illinois. The rivalry began in 1921 when the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 20-0. As of now the Packers lead the Bears in wins during their rivalry. The Packers have 13 Super Bowls and the Bears have only 9 Super Bowls. The second rivalry is between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. These teams are both located in the South. Their rivalry began in 1967 with the Saints beating the Falcons 27-24. In 1970 the Saints and Falcons were put in the same division and have played each other 103 times. The Falcons are winning that rivalry with 53 wins. During the 2000’s and 2010 both teams have battled each other for the top spot of the NFC South. The third and the best rivalry is between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. Both teams are located in the Northeast and are in the AFC East. The Jets and the Patriots have been in the same division since 1960. The Patriots have played each other 123 times. The Patriots have beaten the Jets 68 times out of the 123 times with 1 tie. The Patriots have won 6 Super Bowls. The Jets only have 1 Superbowl win. GO PATS!!!!!!!! GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING By: Blake Remillard & Joey Ryan Outdoor sportsmen enjoy hunting and fishing. Fishing is a great sport. It is a stress relief kind of thing. Sometimes the fish don't want to bite; other times you catch them on every cast. I find that trying different baits helps a lot. Sometimes a fish will miss your lure the first time, but if you change it and throw it back to where it missed it you'll most likely catch that fish. Fishing is a really good competitive sport. If you go with a friend or two you can see who catches the most fish or maybe the biggest. There are also fishing derbies and those are the longest, biggest, and heaviest. Hunting is a fun sport that millions of people do all around the world for either survival, the challenge, or to help the ecosystem. Hunting is an activity done by people of all ages, and if you hunt you probably take pride in that. Most people that hunt are strong, smart, and hunting is good for a human body. It strengthens your body with all the lifting and how still you must be. It makes you smart in the sense of what animals do with their lives and the way they migrate. You can learn a lot form fishing and hunting. MYSTERY OF THE MONA LISA By: Natalie Megas The Mona Lisa, a painting that is viewed thousands of times a day is one of the most famous paintings in the world. People come from all over the world to Paris, France’s Louvre to see this one painting. But when they come to see the Mona Lisa, it is nothing out of the ordinary. Sitting in front of them is a woman, with a slight, quiet smile. Her hands are folded, and her clothing is dark with no patterns or royal colors. It was painted in 1503, by one of the world’s most famous painters, Leonardo Da Vinci. But why is this painting famous if it isn’t such a spectacle to see? In 1911, the painting was stolen from its location in Paris, France. People were surprised to see that such a painting was stolen, because it wasn’t the grandest of all of the paintings- nor was it the most beautiful. Later on, the mysterious painting was found, having been smuggled by an Italian man named Vincenzo Peruggia. “He and two other workers took the portrait from the wall, hid with it in a closet overnight, and ran off with it in the morning. Unable to sell the painting because of the media attention, Peruggia hid it in the false bottom of a trunk until his capture” (Britannica) People were relieved that the painting was found. Many called it a national treasure. During WW1, the painting's popularity slipped into the shadows. Soon after WW1 though, it regained its popularity. An artist’s movement was created, where they would disfigure the artist’s conception of a real painting. To gain popularity as artists, many artists such as Andy Warhol created their own conceptions of the Mona Lisa. This movement happened for decades, creating more popularity of the painting. Today, almost everyone knows of this one painting. It is still an ordinary painting, but due to this heist, it became famous. Facts from brittanica.com MUSIC ALL OVER THE WORLD By: Katie Hogan Music has become a part of life to everyone. There are many types of music including metal, rock, country, pop, and k-pop or Koreanpop. Billy Joel even once stated that “I believe music in itself is healing.” Something I personally find funny is that everywhere we go, music is enjoyed by everyone. This should explain some information on music For starters, k-pop has become a worldwide phenomenon with widely popular groups including BTS, Blackpink, Twice, and Itzy. K-pop has taken the world by storm for the last 30 years and continues to keep growing. K-pop’s group BTS have been making the Billboard charts with their song Dynamite made back in August 20th of 2020; they happen to be number 1 artists on Billboard Hot 100. On the other hand, Blackpink consisting of Jisoo, Rose, Lisa, and Jennie, have the second most viewed k-pop music video, just behind Gangnam Style by Psy called Ddu-ddu du-du with 1.4 billion views and the views continue to go up. Some people believe that music therapy helps with certain conditions. Listening to music has also been known to organize firing nerve cells. Music enters your ear of course forming a sound wave. A mental influence known as the ‘Mozart Effect’ is a theory that when listening to music, it only temporarily boosts your IQ score. In my personal opinion, music helps me calm down when I am anxious or nervous about something. This was some information on some music and what it does. “What music do you listen to?” STYLES OF DANCE By: Sarah Starczewski Have you ever wondered how many different styles of dance there are? There are a variety of different styles, but there are 44 different styles in total. Dance comes from all around the world. Some of the most popular styles of dance are ballet, contemporary, ballroom, hip-hop, and tap. Ballet is the building block for all styles of dance. Ballet originated in 15th century Renaissance Italy. Ballet is made up of light, graceful, fluid movements. Pointe shoes are shoes made of fabric with a rigid box made of densely packed layers of fabric, cardboard and/or paper hardened by glue on the bottom so that ballerinas can stand fully on the tips of their toes without hurting themselves. Contemporary is an expressive dance style. This means it involves a lot of improvisation. Contemporary is a mixture of modern, jazz, ballet, and lyrical. It originated at the start of the twentieth century. Tap is a very popular style of dance. For tap you wear shoes that have metal on the bottom of them so that when you strike the floor to do a step it makes a loud, clear sound. Tap originated in the early nineteenth century. Tap has grown in popularity since then. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to dance you can check out some studios like Premier Dance Academy. Facts from dancefacts.net, harlequinfloors.com, thisiswod.com PHOTOGRAPHY- YOU SHOULD TRY IT By: Aubrey Demers Have you ever wondered about photography? For example in my spare time I like to do photography.I started doing photography in February.I really didn't go anywhere so I just took pictures of my backyard.The reason why I want to start photography is because I want to try something new..Did you know that the first person to invent a photograph was Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826.Louis Daguerre was is the first person to take a photograph. You might hear a lot of people say that photography is a boring activity to do.But in my opinion I think it's quite fun and also is a good way to express your feelings.Also you can be creative. Photography originates from the Greek word photo,which means light.You can do multiple different styles of photography take Annie Leibovitz If you looked her up you see multiple pictures of people. The first person who invented the negative was Fox Talbot.Also did you know the only two edited hand photos taken digitally are printed on paper. So if you find yourself bored one day you should take out your phone and try photography- you might just end up loving it! Facts from brittanica.com ART & MENTAL HEALTH By: Meadow Amoroso Art helps people with depression,anxiety,cancer,and dementia. The way it helps is that it can bring back your memory and take your mind off the sadness you feel. According to researchers “Research has also shown that creating visual art can reduce stress and promote relaxation in people who are hospitalized or homebound due to illness.”Art also help people that have a hard time with the thought of death because it takes their mind off of it and makes the time go by faster.art help a person a lot it not just a hobby it's like a medicine for people to express themselves and their feelings.if we didn't have art people would not be able to express themselves and their feelings. Facts from health.harvard.edu LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION By: Lyllian Brazeau People apart of the LGBTQ community are often discriminated against, 1 in 4 people in 2016 got fired simply because of their sexuality. Were still fighting over basic rights in 2020. And they are often discriminated against in schools. A Lot of kids are really scared to come out because of other students. People blame their homophobia on religion or science. Well, religion gives you no right to discriminate against something people can't change. And even though they can't, there's nothing wrong with it. And it's proven, it's not a phase or some kind of joke. The other way LGBTQ members get discriminated against is by the “License to discriminate” that's allowed in many states in the US. They can be denied housing, loans, adoption, and health care just because of their gender identity or sexuality. Up until recently it was legal in more than half of the states to fire workers for being gay, bisexual or transgender. But luckily we are making some progress! It's never okay to discriminate against someone. Never, it doesn't matter what religion,race,sexuality, or gender they are. You can be the change. They are no different from you. You being mean doesn't change who they are. It's disgusting how many people are rude to others for things they can't change. You are not just your race, gender, or sexuality. You are a person with feelings. So don't settle, stand up for yourself. Don't back down until it's made right. “There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it’s now okay to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.” – Tammy Baldwin- love is love! Facts from americanprogress.org, politico.com WHY WE SHOULD STILL HAVE SNOWDAYS By: Nathaniel Grant Winter has only a couple of things to look forward to right? Christmas and SNOWDAYS! But this year things are changing. People are thinking of no longer having snow days due to remote learning. I don’t think that should happen. We can have so many problems about having no snow days. What if we have no power? Then how can we get to our online classes? Us kids should also get a break from school sometimes. If we have no snow days we won’t get that. We should be allowed to enjoy ourselves and have fun in the snow. Some people think we shouldn’t have snow days! They say it will be better because we will end the school year on time. That isn’t a good reason because we will still always have 180 days no matter what. I say even if we have online school we should always have snow days. VIRTUAL V. IN PERSON LEARNING By: Isabella Mello 2020 has definitely been a year that none of us would have ever imagined. One day we are in school and the next we’re told school is closed due to a highly contagious virus that has entered the US. Schools were shut down so quickly that the administration had no time to put any plans in place on how to teach us. So with all that said, what do students think about virtual learning vs. in-person learning? After talking to my friends who are in all different schools in the area, these are the most popular answers. Many students are struggling with virtual learning as they find they have no motivation to log in and do school work from home. Due to the lack of motivation students are falling behind in their school work and getting lower grades. Students are missing their friends and talking on the computer or phone just isn’t the same as seeing them in person. The lack of teacher interaction and help from the school is a big issue in all schools. The lack of sports or school activities is huge as that’s where a lot of memories are made. Having school on-line will never be the same as having class in person. In person learning allows us students to have a regular routine and to be together. We are able to get the help we need with what we struggle in, to make memories with our friends and teachers and to just get the education and tools that we need. Sports, groups, and school events are missed the most by students. Something that was mentioned was students do enjoy being able to do work on computers while in person learning vs. paper and book. Every student said that they can’t wait till school is back to 100% in person and I agree. THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE By: Aaron Reddick What is the best Christmas movie? We all have our opinions on what it is. But what do the polls say? What Christmas movie is watched and loved the most by society? Now, without further ado, here are the best Christmas movies. Coming in at number three we have “Elf”; which is easily understandable. Next up, we have “Home Alone”. In my opinion “Home Alone” easily surpasses “Elf”. Now, what we’ve all been waiting for: the best Christmas movie. The Christmas movie that has racked up the most attention and has been re-watched by so many people so many times, is “It’s A Wonderful Life”. According to many different sites , “It’s A Wonderful Life” comes in at number one. Next, we have what I think the top Christmas movies should be. Even though I can see why “Elf”, “Home Alone”, and “It’s A Wonder Life”, are the top three to many others, I have a bit of a different opinion on this. Starting with number three, may choice is “A Nightmare Before Christmas”. Next, up at my number two, we have “Home Alone”. My all-time #1 favorite Christmas movie is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”. Now, I know this may sound odd to some, but hear me out. For one, the actor of the Grinch, Jim Carrey, brings the words from the book to life with his acting and humor of the Grinch. He excelled at transforming his evil character into someone different. Jim also made the humor to be easily understood by younger audiences, making The Grinch a perfect family movie. It is easy to see how this evil character transforms the story to have a heartwarming ending. From the acting to the music, this movie is tops in my book! MASK WEARING By: Jordan Taiste Some people argue that we shouldn't have to wear masks, but when people don’t wear masks the risk of getting COVID-19 goes up tremendously. Wearing a mask has shown to be effective and it can lower the risk of spreading the virus. There are many different varieties of masks there are cloth, cotton, disposable and more. Masks are more protective when they are worn correctly. Some people wear them incorrectly like by not covering their nose and taking them off when they sneeze or cough. They should be worn covering your nose and your mouth. You can get custom made masks or you can get disposable masks. Masks can even prevent lock downs and quarantine. If all the people wear masks our lives can go back to normal and kids can go to school full time, parents can go to work. Most masks should be affordable and easy to buy at places like Amazon,Target, Walmart and more. In my opinion I think wearing a mask should be required and you need it when you are in public. Whether you are going to the grocery store or going black Friday shopping, and even when gathering around family. Wear a mask to keep everyone safe this holiday season. SAFELY CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS By: Hallie Dzivasen With Christmas and the New Year coming up it's important we reconnect with our family, but it's also very important to stay safe and healthy. There are several ways to still make precious memories with your loved ones, even if you aren't all together. According to the CDC guidelines, you should try to limit the number of people attending to as small as possible. People with underlying or current health conditions should take the safe route and stay home. There's still many ways that you could connect and chat. Such as Google Meet, Zoom, or Facetime. For anyone who does plan on visiting a relative or having people over, there are precautions you can take too. Stating the obvious, most health guidelines advise to wear masks, sanitize, and to keep social distancing in mind. It would be best to skip hugs, kisses, handshakes, or person-to-person contact of any kind. It is also recommended to bring your own food and use plastic utensils and disposable cups/plates. Ventilation is also very useful. Opening as many windows and doors as possible helps make the room feel less crowded and gives you more room to breathe. Since COVID-19 cases are rising, Massachusetts put out their own list of travel bans and guidelines. If you have any known exposure or symptoms of the virus it is highly recommended to stay home and in state. If you do plan on traveling, there is a required 14 day quarantine or a negative test within 72 hours of your return. I'm wishing you all a safe and healthy holiday season! hackensackmeridianhealth,org, stamfordhealth.org, cdc.gov NO MORE HOMEWORK By: Frederick Cierpich Teachers need to stop giving us homework. I don't think I know a person who likes homework because it is not fun and it takes a good chunk of time. If we did not have homework we could spend more time outside than inside. If we went outside we could get fresh air. Plus we would not go to bed stressed out about our work. We would go to bed and wake up less tired. We wouldn’t be on our electronics as much which means we would be healthier, and we could do more stuff like a sport. We could also spend more time with our family or friends. Not giving homework would benefit teachers as well for example if the teachers didn’t give us homework they could do more stuff like spending time with their family because they are not grading all the time. They could also have students who were more willing to do work during the day because they wouldn’t be tired from doing homework the night before. If you love playing outside or doing a sport think of how much more you could do with no homework. You could even find a new hobby or a sport you might like to play. We would have extra time to make new friends or we could even clean our rooms. Although some teachers think homework is important I think the benefits of not having homework outweigh the benefits of having it. CELL PHONES IN CLASS? By: Arabella Lavigne Students and teachers have different opinions. Many students and their parents have said that we should be able to have our phones in class. Many teachers respectfully disagree; they think we should not have our phones in class. Some students and parents think we should have phones in class. In the event of an emergency, we would have our phones to contact people. Cell phones also have many other advantages. When having a cell phone in class, we would have knowledge at our fingertips, and there are so many apps and websites that help kids focus. All students can be nervous at times, and with cell phones, students can text the teacher or someone else in the class to ask for help. Teachers still think kids should not be having phones in class. Teachers think it could end up distracting the students. Teachers also think that students would google answers on the internet or ask other students. At the end of the day, teachers already have a great deal of responsibility taking care of their students all day.
Titan Times
December 2020
By: Megan Flynn & Sonia Ganski
SPORTS ________
december, 2020
{{date:MMMM d, yyyy}}
Arts & CULTURE
Original artwork by 7-2 student Lola Barbare
December, 2020
Opinion
CLIMATE CHANGE By: Emily Staruk & Haylee Zurowski In the last 10 years, it has been the warmest. There have been deadly wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events. The ice caps are melting and our sea levels are rising. This is mostly our fault! We as humans are constantly polluting our planet. Large amounts of air-polluting gases increase the greenhouse effect, which raises temperatures and affects global weather patterns. Our eco system is at risk! “1 million animals and plant species may be extinct within years.” writes Kaysie Brown. The Arctic, Europe, and the United States are warming the fastest. We are experiencing winds, floods, heat waves, and insufficient rain. In the western United States, we have experienced wildfires and droughts. Climate change does NOT only affect temperatures, but it can also affect our food supply. Extreme temperatures affect crops. Since the middle of the 20th century we have lost up to 30% of our crops due to plant disease. By 2030 we need to halve the numbers of global emission. We need to cut 7.6% every year, for the next 10 years, to bring down global warming by 1.5 degrees this century! According to the Paris Agreement, countries are expected to reduce more emissions. At the conference in Glasgow, UK, we have found that these countries have to cut carbon outputs, at the highest rate, under 10%. This means that the temperatures will rise about 3 degrees this century! Here’s what we can do to stop global warming! Transportation is a big part of global warming so one thing we can do is switch to all electric vehicles. To help mitigate the percentage of pollution you can install solar panels on your house. Using solar energy is a great way to diminish our dependency to fossil fuels. Another way to stop climate change is STOP littering and if you're not the people littering help pick up the litter. Lastly DON’T use styrofoam, it causes toxic chemicals to be released into the air! If you do all these things you would be a huge part of getting rid of global warming. WILDFIRES UPDATE By: Ava Hanson "We have a very dangerous, unpredictable situation. We have some of the highest temperatures, some of the driest landscape conditions, and some of the most powerful winds - all ingredients for a perfect firestorm." Ron Roberts, Chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. California has had ongoing wildfires that began in early May 2020 and there are still a few burning. This has affected many of California's residents and some residents from surrounding states. Many experts say that this was the worst wildfire season that California has had to date. California experienced climate change which caused hot and dry temperatures with little to no rain. This was the perfect recipe to fuel wildfires and keep them burning for a long period of time. A state of emergency was declared by California's Governor on August 18th. In September, after the combination of a record breaking heat wave and the Diablo and Santa Ana winds, more fires sparked and grew. As of November 24, 2020 over 9,279 fires have burned covering over 4 million acres of land. This is more than 4% of the state's land making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in modern history (according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.) It was also recorded that the first known “gigafire” was documented. This is a fire that spanned over 1 million acres and was larger than the state of Rhode Island. As the fires continued to burn, smoke and ash filled the sky. Skies turned orange and red and California went 25 days straight with dangerous air quality. The aftermath from the wildfires is devastating and will take California a long time to get back to how it was before the fires started. Facts from kpbs.org HOW PEOPLE ARE DESTROYING THE EARTH By: Matthew Edminston People are destroying the world in many ways. People are not treating the animals with respect. Poachers illegally kill animals in Africa and Asia. Now by 2050 giant pandas, polar bears, Asian elephants, South China tigers, rhinoceroses, and other animals will be EXTINCT. Tigers are considered the world's second most threatened animal. By 2030 you will only find tigers in zoos. In 2 decades all the tigers will be gone. Vaquita is the world’s most rare marine animal, and is on the edge of extinction. Vaquitas are going to be extinct in the next few years. There are only 30 left in the wild. Vaquitas look like small whale dolphins. Vaquitas are going extinct because people illegally fish. The vaquitas get trapped in the net, and since the vaquitas breathe air they drown. Half the plant and animal species will go extinct by 2100. The loss of water is a big problem too. Water loss is not just a problem for people, but it's a problem for plants and other animals. Half the world's people will have no water by 2050 if people keep using the amount of water that we are currently using. Cape Town, South Africa will be the first area to run out of water. The Earth will start becoming a dessert by 2050 if global warming continues. If people don’t stop fishing for so much seafood, then seafood may disappear by 2048. Two trillion gallons of water is lost every year. In 2100 all the ice in the world will be gone. If all the ice melts then that melted ice is added to the global oceans, our seas would rise 216 feet as compared to the current level. If people were never on Earth there would be no climate change. The animals that are extinct and endangered now would not be. There would be more trees. The oceans would not be polluted, and all the rivers and lakes would be cleaner. There would most likely be no invasive species where there shouldn’t be. In all, our modern way of living is destroying the planet. AIR POLLUTION IS NOT THE SOLUTION By: Natallie Habib The skies are black, stepping foot outside results in a coughing fit, and all plants are withered. Thousands are dying from chemical inhalation, but what could cause this catastrophic mess? Air pollution, and even though it’s not this bad yet we are certainly getting there. Air pollution is getting worse every year causing more and more harm. Air pollution damage is no joke, not only is it harmful to us but it also affects animals, plants, and the atmosphere itself. Inhaling polluted air alone is extremely harmful. Things like particulate matter cause respiratory and cardiovascular harm as well as cancer. Carbon monoxide when inhaled at high levels can cause literal poisoning. Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are very dangerous and these are just a fraction of harmful chemicals found in polluted air. If that is what happens to us, imagine what happens to plants. Plants would die ruining natural ecosystems and destroying homes for animals killing them if they weren't already dead from inhalation. This is already happening across the globe and instead of fixing it we are making it worse. But we still have a chance to fix this before it gets too bad. Some solutions include: electric cars as they don’t emit polluting fumes, factories powered by natural gases would produce far less pollutants, conserving energy surprisingly enough would help as electricity is also powered by fossil burning fuels. Also take a bus, bike, or walk instead of driving. These are solutions that promote better air quality and make our world a safer place.
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
MOVIE THEATERS DURING COVID By: Arianna Belanger Heard your favorite movie theater has opened back up again but you aren’t sure if you should risk going? Some of the theaters near us, such as Cinemagic, AMC, and Blackstone Valley, have opened back up with many new restrictions that can make going stressful and a little worrying for some. Governor Charlie Baker has released all of the health guidelines that need to be followed if deciding to go. First are the simple everyday rules that have to be followed when going out, such as wearing a mask and social distancing. Others that are also pretty common for going out are having no symptoms of the virus,and staying home if you do. Most of the theaters in Massachusetts have closed their food counters and ticket booths so there will be less contact between staff and customers. There will only be 25% capacity allowed in the building at a time, and you will have to buy your tickets online in advance. Some theaters are allowing customers to rent out whole movie rooms for their families to feel safe but still be able to go out. The movie theater companies fear than if we shut down movie theaters completely, they may never open again. Theaters are excited to get you back in their movie rooms in the safest way possible. Movie theater staff don’t want anything to go wrong to ruin the new joy of being able to go back to the theaters. As long as all restrictions are followed, everything should work out. REVIEWING POPULAR ANIME By: Lucilia Tryba Over the last few months in quarantine, I've had time to catch up on some shows that I started, ones that were already on my watch list, and recommendations from friends. Most of the recommendations were more well-known and mainstream, and I felt that most of them got more praise than they deserved. The top ones I had recommended, besides Naruto which I still haven't watched, were Boku No Hero Academia and Tokyo Ghoul. First, we have Boku No Hero Academia, also known as My Hero Academia. I enjoyed watching My Hero Academia as it was nice to see the ongoing manga be animated, but then there were some episodes in seasons 2 and 3 that seemed unnecessary. MHA also has a pretty normal Shounen Anime plot; a weak and supposed nobody meets someone they look up to, they go through some tough challenges, and then end up extremely strong. I would say that it is still worth watching though, Horikoshi did a good job with the character development and designs that it makes up for everything else. Next, we have Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul: RE. As much as I loved it, everything after the first season of Tokyo Ghoul was pretty confusing as a non-manga reader. Certain parts were difficult to understand and didn't make much sense. They did do a good job minimizing filler episodes, though, so it kept its fast pace, which I had mixed emotions about. It was good because it made the 2 seasons -- 4 with Tokyo Ghoul: RE -- seem fairly short. But it was also because it kept its fast pace that it was difficult to follow along with what was happening. I ended up with more questions than answers sometimes. I would say that the two of these are still worth watching, if you're okay with some blood and gore in Tokyo Ghoul. NINTENDO SWITCH 2 THEORY By: Liam Kay Many Nintendo fans are hoping for a new addition added to the Switch family by either a Nintendo Switch 2 or a Nintendo Switch Pro. There is no 100% answer to if it is or isn’t coming out sometime soon. These are some facts that help support the idea of a new Switch. Nintendo was explaining how they are not worried about the new PS5 and XBOX Series X coming out implying they will have something to compete. Before the Switch there were DS’s, and a new one used to come out almost every other year. Many fans would not be confused if a new Switch came out. There are many problems with the Nintendo Switch that fans hope will be fixed. For example, the more you use it the worse the joycons get and also the back cracks when it is over used. There are also a lot of other hardware issues. Fans are also hoping for bluetooth added to the new Switch if it comes out because the regular Switch lacks bluetooth. There is no 100% answer to if it is or isn’t coming out sometime soon but fans of Nintendo and the Switch are hoping that it will in early 2021. XBOX SERIES X vs. PS5 By: Aiden Perzanoski Have you ever wondered what is better: the Xbox Series X or the PS5? To figure it out, I will list the pros and cons of both consoles. By the end of this we will be able to tell if the Xbox or the PS5 is better. The PlayStation and Xbox both cost the same amount, $499, but the PlayStation digital edition is $399. For memory they both have 16 gb, the Xbox has 1tb storage and the PlayStation has 825gb. The Xbox was released 2 days earlier than the PlayStation. They have the same resolution 4k and 8k tvs. “Sony does have one advantage. The PS5 can push through data at 5.5 GB per second, compared to the Xbox Series X, which works at 2.4GB per second.” Both consoles have ray-tracing, a technology that makes light and shadow look better, and both have 3D audio. In the past, Sony's PlayStation 4 has outsold the Xbox One. They are predicting that the PS5 will make more sales than the Xbox, just like the PS4 and the Xbox 1. “Graphics processing units, commonly known as GPUs, render game graphics. In general, the more processing power a console's GPU has, the better a game will look. Xbox has 1.7 more teraflops, units for measuring computing speed, on its GPU than PlayStation does… But before we write off Sony, it should be noted that the PlayStation has some differences in its GPU architecture that might translate into better graphic performance.” So it's time for you to decide if xbox series x better or is the PS5 better. FROZEN 2: A UNIQUE SEQUEL By: Paige Leone Many movies have sequels, especially animated movies. There’s Incredibles 2, Toy Story 2, Finding Dory, the list goes on and on. However, there is one animated sequel that is not like the others. It’s Frozen 2, the sequel made in 2019 to the first movie, Frozen, which was made in 2014. Now, you may be wondering, how is Frozen 2 different from other sequels? They all have new problems to face, new characters to meet, and new villains to defeat. You’d probably expect Frozen 2 to have a new villain, just like any other sequel, right? Wrong. In the first movie, Elsa was somewhat a villain. But, at the end of the movie, she learned to control her magic powers. Hans was more of the villain, however, also at the end of the first movie, he was arrested and sent back to his homeland. He only briefly showed up in the sequel when Elsa sees a snowy manifestation of him, to which she destroys the figure because she was mad at him from what he did in the past. In short, there is not really a villain in Frozen 2. The whole movie is about Elsa hearing a mysterious voice calling out to her. She searches and searches for the strange voice, her friends helping her to reach there. Finally, Elsa finds the voice to be her mother, who was trying to summon the Wind Spirit to save Agnarr. Elsa discovered past memories of her mother that took place before she was born. In conclusion, Frozen 2 is a unique sequel because it did not necessarily have a villain. In my opinion, I think it was great without a villain, and it would’ve still been great even if there was. WHAT IS ROCKET LEAGUE? By: Tyler Burdick & Nathan Rouille Montoya Rocket League has been a game for five years now. When Rocket League first came out, it was only on Windows and PS4. But Psyonix planned to have Nintendo Switch and Xbox able to play RL. In September 2020, RL came to Epic Games Launcher as a free to play game. But what is the excitement for this game? Rocket League is a fast paced sport-based game; it's really just soccer but with cars. The objective is to advance with the ball down the field and score in your opponent's goal. RL also has many cars that you can use. The most popular right now are Octane, and Fennec. People like those cars because of their hitboxes. Rocket League has held many tournaments. RLCS is the most popular tournament. RLCS is held every year and the best teams from Europe, The Americas, and Oceania are selected to compete for $1,000,000!!! The teams compete in a lot of qualifiers, Regular Seasons, and tournaments in their local region to join RLCS. Rocket League is a great game and has a great community. Also 40,000,000 people play Rocket League, and if you have played the game you would know why. THE STRUGGLES OF ANIMATION By: Benjamin Nocchi We all have that dream job we want, some want to have a toy company while others want to make games. Some want to animate for a living, but some don’t know the struggles of animation. No one knows that it takes a lot of talent, take Jazza, an amazing animator and drawer, it can take 5 hours to sculpt very detailed sculptures. That is not the hardest part, to get the animation on the website you need an account which is not so hard, but you need to edit the animation so the people watching can hear everything that is happening and so it looks good too! When you become an animator you need to put all of your focus on the animation or it won’t look good. And that is why when you make the choice you need to know what you're doing. Now that we know why it is so hard to animate we can now see how some of them do it. There are a lot of applications that can help animators make animations, some are simple and some are complicated . Althought animation sounds fun I think everyone should be aware of the struggles involved with it too. IS THE UNIVERSE INFINITE? By: Jake Rousseau Have you ever wondered if the place we live in is infinite? Well, if you have, you’ll know it's a very confusing concept. I will be exploring and discovering some secrets of the universe that could possibly answer our question: “Is our universe infinite?” The universe is an unbelievably huge place that is full of galaxy clusters, stars, black holes, you name it. With everything we have observed, we still don't have an exact answer to how big is the universe? One source stated that our universe could be finite, and there could still be other universes outside our universe. This is a very popular theory across the astronomy community. They have also stated that there is a chance that our universe is infinite because we can't observe the whole thing. Another source said that there is no proven evidence that our universe is finite or infinite so, the possibility of it being infinite is just by chance. We are probably never going to know whether or not it is infinite. We have estimated the actual size of the universe. We could have made a good estimate, or we may never reach the edge of the universe. All in all, whether you think the universe is finite or infinite, the question might never be answered during our lifetime, and it might stay a mystery. Facts compled from Astromony.com and Phys.org CHRISTMAS IN AFRICA By: Alexa Zannotti During the holiday season everyone celebrates differently. Some get trees, others stuff stockings while some simply bake cookies. While you may know how you and your peers celebrate, have you ever thought about how someone else might? To your surprise people in Africa celebrate much different than us here in America. This may be because of the warm climate or because of cultural traditions but they do it differently. Rather than spending the holidays out and about, Africans spend the holidays at home. They don’t typically travel at all. This also helps Africa spread little to no disease in airports, at gatherings, and while out. Another African tradition during the holiday season is light shows. Africans do not mess around with light shows. They spend countless hours putting up lights around their house and at night they light them up. You can drive around and see all the beautiful lights. Now you may think that in such hot weather that the classic christmas tree would die but to your surprise it lasts. Africans usually celebrate with trees and stockings that they leave out Christmas Eve for Santa to come fill. Something else most Africans do is mainly due to religion. While Thanksgiving is for turkey on Christmas day Africans usually eat turkey, duck or roast beef for dinner. They also stock up on vegetables, beans and yellow rice. As for dessert they typically have Christmas Pudding. Similarly to the carolers in the US, in groups little girls will go door-door dancing and singing to the people. They play their music with homemade instruments. In Africa rather than calling Mr.Claus Santa they refer to him as the Father Christmas or Pastor Blessing. In conclusion the African people have a different way of celebrating the holidays with their family and friends. Facts from whychristmas.com HOW INTELLIGENT ARE DOLPHINS? By: Charlie Rollins What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of dolphins? Cute sea mammals? Playful creatures? Intelligent life forms? For me, it is the latter. Scientific research has shown dolphins are as intelligent as humans! For example, dolphins show that they can deliberately complete tasks that they wouldn't normally need to complete. Dolphins also demonstrate intelligence with advanced social behavior. One important thing to note is that dolphins are self aware and capable of understanding that their reflections are not other dolphins, but themselves. Like humans, dolphins are capable of emotion, a trait only shown in intelligent life forms. Another advanced skill dolphins possess is the ability to communicate with other species of marine mammals. Another important thing to note is that dolphins teach younger generations of dolphins skills. A physical trait dolphins have that shows high intelligence is their brain size. One series of research involving dolphins has shown them manipulating a test to get more fish. Other tests have shown that dolphins react very similarly to humans when shown a T.V show! Finally, entertainment is necessary for dolphins to live a positive life, which was thought to be a trait only present in humans, apes, and monkeys. I believe that dolphins are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. WHAT IS DYSLEXIA? By: Gabriel Beauregard Dyslexia, what is it? Well it is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. One in every five kids have dyslexia , kids with dyslexia will go to a special class to help them cope with their disorder. WIth people who have dyslexia the most common thing is difficulty reading. People with dyslexia might struggle with things such as: early development,oral language skills,word recognition,fluency skills,reading comprehension,vocabulary knowledge,decoding, or the ability to read new words using letter-sound knowledge, and phonological processing, or how the brain processes the sounds of words. Almost every teacher in the United states has had a student with dyslexia. Current research on dyslexia and the brain provides information available about the problems faced by over 2.8 million school-aged children. People can also get dyslexia from a head injury at any age. Facts from Idonline.org ARE YOU READY TO ADOPT A CAT? By: Lillian Horner Cats are one of the most popular pets to have. They are self-sufficient; all you have to do is scoop the litter box once in a while. If you are looking to get a cat, I would go to an official website for cats and browse through a few. For example, if you are allergic to cats, you can get a hypoallergenic cat, which means they don’t make you sneeze. Some hypoallergenic cat breeds are the Oriental Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Sphynx, Russian Blue, Bengal, Balinese, Siberian, and the Devon Rex. You also have to look at their personality traits. If you want a playful cat, you should always read their descriptions first. You can also go to a cat shelter and pick a cat from there. Going is always better because most shelters let you take out the cat and pet them for a bit before you adopt them. It’s always important to know what kind of cat you’re thinking about before you go to the shelter, because sometimes they won’t have the exact cat you were looking for. I volunteer at the Community Cat Connection in Webster, and I can tell you that they have different rooms. One is for sick cats, one is for cats who need to be socialized, one is for kittens, and the biggest room is the adoption room. All cats are can be sweet, even though they might not look like it. Did you know that petting cats can help make you happier? In conclusion, cats are one of the best pets you can have. I hope this encourages you to adopt a cat! If you have any questions about adopting a cat, email me at lillian.horner@dcrsd.org CHICKENS: VACCINATORS, MOVIE STARS, PETS By: Jenna Donais Guess what! There are over 100 different breeds of chickens! You can find chickens all over the world too! Some chickens even lay blue eggs. Did you know that chicken eggs are in the flu shot? If you are allergic to eggs you can’t get the flu shot. I think chickens are cool. If you have seen Moana, the chicken she has is called a B.B. Red Old English Game Bantam. These beautiful birds, Old English Games, are very popular because of their alertness, upright appearance, and confident personality. The males in all of these varieties are very striking with bright colored plumage and a certain "cockiness" to their identity. These birds are commonly found in movies and tv shows. Another common breed is the Anconas. Anconas are excellent white egg layers, generally non-setters, are heat tolerant, and have a good disposition. They are a quick and alert breed, and their dark color and active temperament make them a good breed to raise where hawks, owls, and other animal predators are a problem. Anconas are my favorite breed and they are beautiful and easy to train as well. I will definitely consider buying these breeds, I hope you will too. A LOOK BACK THROUGH HISTORY By: Nadia Dziobak You might not have heard of one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Alexander was born on January 11, 1757, on a small Caribbean Island called Nevis. His parents, Rachael Fawcett and James A. Hamilton, got divorced when he was 9 years old. In 1768, both he and his mother got sick with a high fever. Alexander eventually recovered but his mother died after fighting for one week. Alex moved in with his cousin, Peter Lytton for about 17 months before Peter committed suicide at the age of 32. After his cousin's death, Hamilton became a clerk in a trading center at the age of 11. People in Alex’s community collected money to send him to college in America. He arrived in New York in late 1772 just when the colonies were going to battle with Great Britain. While Hamilton was studying in King’s College (now known as Columbia University), Hamilton got involved in writing pamphlets in which he defended the First Continental Congress’s proposal to do trades with Britain. When the Revolutionary War began, Alex was told to lead a company in the Continental Army and fought strong in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, and many more. By the year 1777 came around, he had caught the attention of the army’s commander-in-chief, George Washington, who offered Hamilton a job in his staff. Along with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton published a total of 85 essays defending the new document to the American people. Hamilton wrote 51 essays, later to be known as his best-known writings. Hamilton died at the age of 47 when he was fatally shot in between the ribs by Arron Burr, an American Politician and lawyer. Facts from Smithsonianmag.com Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
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