February 2021
The One Thing We Never Seem To Remember
By: Kade Andino
Think about your last dream, can you remember it? You most likely can’t remember your latest
dream, but you know it existed, you know you saw it, but you just can’t remember it. Do you ever
wonder why, we all have so if you want an answer then just look, and remember.
First, you may want to know the different types of dreams as they may come into play. There are
5 main types of dreams. You should be familiar with nightmares as even if you don’t remember them,
they still give you a false fright. Normal dreams are dreams that you will normally have, maybe you’ll
see what you saw earlier in the day, maybe you’ll see yourself teleport to different places and do
different things, doing a puzzle. Lucid dreams, in my opinion, are the best as you can do anything,
whatever you think of happens or appears, although it could make it a nightmare, because whatever you think of does happen in a lucid dream. Jae Encinas says “My favorite dreams are the ones where you can do whatever you want. My favorite were the ones where I was skateboarding”. While we were talking about lucid dreams, there are false awakening dreams, or as they are more commonly known, sleep paralysis. These are nightmares on a whole new level. You can’t move, or do anything, just watch shadow people watch you from the darkest corners of the room.
There are also daydreams which you might be familiar with, you may have not gotten enough sleep and might have tried to stay awake but you just started to daydream.
Now for most types of dreams, you will forget them almost instant like, the types of dreams that you might forget are, normal dreams, nightmares, and daydreams. This is because the electrical signals and chemical signatures that give you the experience quickly fade away when you wake up. It isn’t about the brain not remembering but the chemicals and signals in it instead. So why are certain dreams so memorable? This is actually because your brain is trying to stabilize the memory because the dream associates with intense emotions. Although, if you want to have a better chance at remembering dreams then make sure you have a stable sleep schedule. Callie Hatch also suggests “Have a pen and paper by your bed so you can write down anything you remember as soon as you wake up”
If you want to have one of these types of dreams then I’ll explain how to do that as well. Normal dreams are simple enough, just go through your normal life, have a good day, and it will most likely happen. Nightmares have the same steps as a normal dream but have a bad day and if it doesn’t work the first time, watch horror movies, have more bad days, then stop having bad days because if you are trying to have nightmares then you may need help. For daydreams, you have to be sleep deprived but try to stay awake and you will have a chance. For lucid dreams, you have to think of a place, like maybe the place in the image that was above, everything about it like the sight, smell, feeling, sounds, and taste. You then have to convince yourself that you are dreaming, I would suggest doing this while you are tired but sit up while in the middle of the process and then lay down near the end to get the perfect timing. For sleep paralysis, the best method would be to try and go into a lucid dream but think of the worst of scariest things that could happen while feeling like you can’t run and are stuck in one spot.
While I'm not sure if you would want to have frightening dreams, having nice dreams are, well, nice so if you want to have a nice dream, just think of good things and think that they are real.
What is Daylight Savings Time?
By: Kadynce Whitehead
Most people wonder what daylight savings is and why we have it. To be honest I always wondered what the point of daylight savings is so I did some research and found out that Daylight savings was originally started during World War 1. The reason they did this was because they wanted to save the daylight (or the lighting) so that way they could save fuel for the war. This eventually was spread around to the United Kingdom, France, and many other countries. That is how it all started but don't you wonder why we still have daylight savings.? Well the reason is that it would have put us out of sync with Mexico.
Continuing on with my research I found out that the clock will change again on March 14 2021. This time we will lose an hour instead of gaining one.Out of curiosity I asked my mom and dad what they think about daylight savings. My mom replied with ”Honestly I think that the daylight savings was very useful but now it just doesn't make very much sense anymore”. My dad said “Daylight savings is in my opinion pretty much useless and I can't speak for everyone about this but I think we should just stop with the gaining and losing an hour”. I really hope this article helps you guys understand more about daylight savings because I know that it really helped me.
St. Patrick’s Day
By: Haily Ziemer
St. Patrick’s Day is full of fun. Sometimes there are even parades. It is celebrated on March 17th. But have you ever wondered, What is St. Patrick’s Day all about? Why do we celebrate it? How did they celebrate it a long time ago before parades and other things like that? Well, let’s find out!
What is St. Patrick’s Day celebrating? Well, it’s celebrating an Irish man called St. Patrick.
St. Patrick was born in Britain to a family of Christian priests. At 16 he was kidnapped and taken
as a slave. Where he went nobody had been practicing the same religion as him. When he
escaped from his capture he returned home to become a priest. He had decided to return to
Ireland to tell people about what he believed. He stayed in Ireland for around 40 years. They
say that he converted Ireland completely to Christianity.
St. Patrick used a three-leaf clover to help people understand God which is now a symbol of
St. Patrick’s Day. The Leprechaun is also a symbol of St. Patrick’s day. St. Patrick died where he
built his first church on March 17, 461. St. Patrick’s day is now celebrated all around the world
because of Ireland, in celebration of Irish culture and St. Patrick himself. “We don’t really celebrate
it but we do have dinner with Irish foods,” says the 8th grader Alaina Butler.
Now people wear green clothes on March 17th. Make a St. Patrick’s Day meal called corned beef and cabbage. “To celebrate we make corned beef and cabbage and decorate with green, leprechauns, and clovers,” says Anonymous Person. They also make potatoes and soda bread. In Chicago, they dye the Chicago River green and the fountain in front of the white house gets dyed green too! I hope you know more about St. Patrick’s Day and St. Patrick himself! Don’t forget to wear green!
What is Spring Cleaning?
By: Alaina Butler
Spring cleaning is when you do a vast deep clean of your house from top to bottom. Even in places where you don’t ordinarily clean from dusting off furniture to throwing away stuff you don’t need. Spring cleaning usually starts from the 1st of March to the end of April. Sometimes even neighborhoods work together to clean the streets and landscape in their area. A student from Highland Academy says, “I’ve never done Spring cleaning before, it sounds a bit exhausting.”
Around the 1800s, in the winter, soot and dirt would build up and gather in houses. So you can imagine they had to clean a lot after Winter. We don’t know when Spring Cleaning specifically originated but we do know that it dated back to around 3,000 B.C. A student from Highland Academy states, “I never would’ve thought that Spring cleaning would’ve dated back so far!” Spring cleaning starts during spring because of the large amount of Melatonin you get during the day. When it’s cold outside, the sun doesn’t show much so the amount of Melatonin you get is smaller which makes you even more tired than you would be during the Summer or Spring.
Sources: https://blog.fantasticcleaners.com/what-is-spring-cleaning-history-origin-tradition/
https://www.countryliving.com/home-maintenance/a38381/how-sp ring-cleaning-became-a-tradition/
Fun Facts about Four Leaf Clovers
By: Lilliana Atkinson
We all know that if you find a Four Leaf Clover it means good luck. I have rounded new facts about them that will double your luck. My Grandpa said, “If you find a Four Leaf Clover then you are supposed to have good luck.”
Fact 1
There are approximately 10,000 different types for every “lucky” Four leaf clover. Ireland is home to more Four Leaf clovers than any other place on earth. A four leaf clover’s leaves represent love, hope, faith and last but not least good fortune. Four leaf clovers are rare enough to be considered unusual. My Grandpa said, “He found a Four Leaf clover when he was younger.” He also said, “If you find a Four Leaf clover then you are supposed to have good luck.”
Fact 2
If you find one four-leaf clover try looking around for more. The reason is clovers are social plants, if one plant has a mutation it is likely there are more clovers that have four leaves. So if you're searching for clovers, you can double luck by looking more anywhere you find a single four-leafed clover.
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Fact 3
Sometimes clovers can get more than four leaves. There is a mutation that causes more leaves to grow in some white clover plants most commonly resulting in four-leaf clovers. But sometimes, you end up with even more leaves, which is supposed to mean that the clover is even luckier. Six-leafed clovers are supposed to bring faith, hope, love, extra luck, money, and good fortune.
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Fact 4
The Guinness Book of World Records recorded a white clover was found with most leaves ever recorded. In 2009, Shigeo Obara found a single white clover in Japan with 56 leaflets.
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Extra Note
Just a quick note it may be hard to find one. The chances of finding a Four Leaf clover is 10,000 to 1 and ones that have more than four leaves is 1,000,000 to 1 but there still is a chance to find one. My Grandpa said, “He found a Four Leaf Clover when he was younger.” I wish you good luck in finding one.
The Zodiacs of March
By: Amriah Jones
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Zodiac signs can be a big part of our lives. They can explain why we act some ways or like certain things. Zodiac signs can even tell you who you're most compatible with. With March birthdays coming up why don’t we talk about the two signs Pisces and Aries.Those born from February 19th to March 20th are members of the Pisces sign. From March 20th to April 19th are members of the Aries sign, my brother who is an Aries said “ I learned a lot about myself”.
First we will start with Pisces since it starts at the beginning of March. Pisces is the twelfth astrological sign in the Zodiac. Some interesting facts are its element is water, its ruling planet is Neptune, and its flower is a water lily. Pisces are Smart, creative, and deeply intuitive, Pisces can be close to psychic. Pisces feel things deeply, and have incredibly strong gut reactions. A Pisces "knows" things from deep within, and can often judge whether a person or situation is good or bad. That doesn't mean a Pisces ignores the logical part of their brain, though. Deeply intelligent, Pisces have a profound respect for the power of the human mind.My mom who is a Pisces said “ I can really relate to what it says about Pisces”. Is it a surprise that Albert Einstein was a Pisces?
Next is Aries which starts at the end of March and ends at the end of April. Aries is the first astrological sign in the zodiac. Some fun facts about Aries are its element is fire, it's the ruler of Mars, and its flowers are Thistle and honeysuckle.The first sign of the Zodiac, Aries are the trailblazers. Passionate and independent, Aries will never do something just because everyone else is doing it. A Ram needs to be 100 percent committed to the task at hand. Competitive to the max, the best way to motivate an Aries is to turn something into a contest. Aries will put everything they have (and then some) into winning. Loyal, smart, and impulsive, they always have multiple projects on their mind, and won't be satisfied until their work, social life, and personal lives line up exactly with the dream life they've envisioned. Those who are drawn to magnetic Aries may have trouble keeping up but if they can, they'll have a friend for life. My brother who is an Aries said “ I learned a lot about myself”. In conclusion zodiac signs can help you learn more about yourself but they aren’t always one hundred percent accurate.
The Super Bowl
By: Bryce Jacobson
This year's Super Bowl was played between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Everybody favorited the reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs, but The very surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense could brew in the Kansas City Chiefs to a 31 - 9 final score. Patrick Mahomes was pressured over 29 times and Only had a completion percentage of 52%, if you did not know this is a terrible Stat for a QB and everybody expected him to do way better. On The Winning Side of the ball, we get to see Tom Brady win his seventh ring which is very surprising the most people Gronk caught two touchdown passes, and Kansas City defense was terrible that game. There were also a lot of official mistakes like one where Chiefs strong safety Tyrann Mathieu was called for pass interference in the back of the endzone even though the ball was uncatchable. There are also many other examples of terrible pass interference calls. What are some football fans thinking about this game? Nick Jacobson, a Rams fan said “ it's insane that Tom Brady has won his seventh ring. He's probably the best player in NFL history.” David Blakeborough, a Steelers fan says the chiefs were supposed to perform way better surprised they did not do that good.” Thank you for reading this month's article!
Zero Discrimination Day
By:Aaliyah Montes
Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated on March 1st It was first celebrated in 2013. It is an annual worldwide event that promotes diversity and recognizes that everyone counts. The United Nations celebrates this day with different activities to celebrate everyone's right to live a full life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin color, height, weight, profession, education, and beliefs. A lot of countries have laws against discrimination but it is still a problem. The symbol for Zero Discrimination Day is the butterfly used by people to share their stories. I asked my sister Anjelina how she felt about this day and she said '"She feels that everyone should be treated equally.'" I then asked if she liked the butterfly symbol they use and she said "Yes it is something positive to use."
Why You Shouldn't Put Cloud LED Lights in Your Room
By: Caydence Gourley
Lately, it has been a trend to put LED lights up in your room and put stuffing/cotton on top to make it look like glow in the dark clouds. Although it may look really cool in your room you shouldn't get it, wanna know why? Because it attracts Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes really like lights. I asked my friend Veronica if she has ever seen an insect on her LED lights, she responded with “no but my friend has”. Mosquitoes are most likely to be more attracted to blue and green lights. “The green light was most attractive to the mosquitos, responsible for 43 percent of all insects collected” and “ Blue light accounted for 31.8 percent of attracted mosquitos, followed by the control (incandescent) light at 24.9 percent” (I found this on google).
You may not see the insects but that is because they try to get under the LED lights. Mainly they just want the LED lights but you shouldn't get the stuffing or cotton because that's where they like to hide. I asked my mom what she hates most about LED lights and she said “they rip off the paint on the walls.” (which is another reason you should be careful with LED lights.)
Another reason is that the cloud lights could start a fire. The lights could heat up onto the stuffing/cotton and create a fire, and we all know our parents wouldn't be too happy about that. Also, if you do have the lights make sure that they aren't too close to a spot where the bugs could hide. . If it's too close to the light then I could cause it to heat up and the lights can burn up and be very hot.
This is what the paint looks like
This is what the outside of the room looks like.
The World's Darkest Room
by Emerson Direen
The world’s darkest room is really dark. It is painted with vantablack paint, the darkest paint in the world. This paint can absorb up to 99.96% of any light. The world’s darkest room looks like a creepy witch hut from the outside. Since it’s so dark a lot of YouTubers have been trying to play games like Call of Duty in the world’s darkest room. One YouTuber in specific called the action lab painted a room with mosou paint the second darkest paint and even he got lost and he painted it! This world’s darkest room was actually made in cooperation with Activision, who wanted to create the ultimate gaming experience in the world’s darkest room, by partnering with the creators of vantablack.
As you can see this room is really dark. I asked my Pepere what he thought about the world’s darkest room. He said, “Wow, that paint is really dark. People must go insane in it!¨
I asked my sister what she thought about it. She said, “Wow. I thought there was only 1 black color. Are there other black colors too?”
Most people that go inside the room end up seeing things in the dark 4 hours in! Vantablack is composed of a forest of vertical tubes "grown" on a substrate using a modified chemical vapor deposition process. When light strikes Vantablack, instead of bouncing off, it becomes trapped and is continually deflected amongst the tubes, eventually becoming absorbed and dissipating into heat. If you ever stay in the room too long you will lose all senses and faint or die.
CoronaVirus Update
By: Kelvin Parham
Okay so as we know the Corona Virus has been spreading and will be spreading more and more as time will go on, but soon on the way we are getting vaccines for the virus, we have been trying so hard to stop this virus but this is only the first step. Just in the USA alone, there have been 27 million cases and around 470k deaths, and since we all live in California, the cases of Corona are 3.4 million and the deaths 45k deaths. This Virus is spreading enormously so stay inside and keep you and your family safe. Oh yeah also did you know that COVID-19 is caused by a different virus called SARS-CoV-2, we don’t know much about it though, this may lead to a new chapter, maybe even the two viruses join forces and become a larger and more dangerous virus. I asked some of my friends Kah’sahn and Cameron and here’s what they said, “man, this pandemic has gone way too far, ruining lives and families, all I want to do is go out and play football or something like that”. More of Coronavirus is spreading and we need some kind of solution, will this virus ever end?
