The Falcon's Quill, Volume 5; Issue 2

The Falcon's Quill

Iran fires missiles on Israel

Ada Yee

Loud booms and air raid sirens caused by Iran and several other Iran-backed countries were heard all across Israel in early April. Iran and their allies had launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles pushing the whole Middle East nearer to a regionwide war. The reason for this unprecedented attack on Israel from Iran was for Israel's lethal bombing on April 1 of the Iranian consulate, the official premises of a consul.

About 99% of them were obstructed before they could do any damage.

Iran launched 170 drones, over 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles

The bombing was targeted in Syria's capital, Damascus, and killed two senior Iranian generals.

In response, Iran launched 170 drones, over 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles to Israel. Even though the launches from Iran added up to over 300, about 99% of them were obstructed before they could do any damage Besides a few ballistic missiles, all the projectiles were intercepted or shot down by Iron Dome defenses and their allies, including Britain,

France, Jordan, and the United States.

U.S. officials did not give any information about the location or severity of the strike. The Israel Defense Forces also would not comment on the attack when interviewed by CBS News.

The only known Israeli casualty in the attack was a seven year old girl. She is still hospitalized with a severe head injury from the debris of an intercepted missile.

She is still hospitalized with a severe head injury from the debris of an intercepted missile.

Doctors are unsure whether she will live or not, and her family has been glued to her bedside as she fights for her life.

and Israel>>page 2

Courtesy of USA Today

Editor-in-Chief

News Editor

Editorial Editor

Feature Editor

Sports Editor

Entertainment

Editor

Photographers

Eliana Tekie

Zahra Mottaghian

Anusha Shukla

Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Padrig Jan

Kyla Murphy

Mihika Bobbarjung

Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Copy Editor

Graphics

Layout&Design

Adviser

Brooke Cullinane

Enzo Gleichauf

Brooke Cullinane Ada Yee

Mihika Bobbarjung

Diane Shepherd

Mission Statement

“The Falcon’s Quill” is a forum where Blach students in the journalism class can exercise their right to express their thoughts and opinions.

“The Falcon’s Quill” strives to report news accurately and objectively, clearly distinguishing fact from opinion. 2. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism class, Blach School, or the Los Altos School District

3. We vow to cover stories without discrimination toward any group.

Blach Intermediate School

Iran and Israel

From page 1

After the attack, Israeli leaders had plans for a much more crippling counter strike. They considered bombing some military targets in Iran, specifically near Iran’s capital, Tehran, but after pressure from many of their allies to pardon, Israel abandoned their plans on a counter strike. World leaders feared that if Israel did strike back, they would bring the Middle East to the brink of a major conflict.

In the end, instead of sending fighter jets, Israel decided to fire missiles at an air defense system in an Iranian air base in Isfahan.

After Israel’s retaliation, Iran shut down several flight operations in Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan. The flights/airports reopened soon after

In the city Damghan, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, spoke during a visit. Instead

They considered bombing some military targets in Iran

If Israel did strike back, they would bring the Middle East to the brink of a major conflict.

of referencing the Israeli strike, he spoke of Iran's assault several days before, which he called "necessary, obligatory," and a "sign of the power of the Islamic republic and its armed forces."

Daniel Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, described the outcome as “a very significant strategic success.” He stated that the destruction of the attack was only minimal harm to an air base; however, the overall damage of the attack is still being assessed.

"All this damage will be repaired in the coming days," Hagari said. "This base is operating around the clock. It functioned during Operation 'Iron Shield' and today as well. From this base, aircraft took off to protect the skies of the State of Israel."

Courtesy of Aljizeera

People traveled great distances to see the 2024 total solar eclipse

Mihika Bobbarjung

The sight of a lifetime, the perfectly aligned natural phenomenon, otherwise known as the total solar eclipse, occurred on April 8.

More than one million people traveled to the path of totality to view this breathtaking event. The path of totality is the area where the total solar eclipse can be seen, instead of a partial eclipse like the rest of North America would see. For this eclipse, the path of totality stretched across 15 states in the U S , as well as in parts of Canada and Mexico.

In most regions, the clouds cleared for the viewers.

The sight of a lifetime, the perfectly aligned natural phenomenon

There are only two types of solar eclipses, total and annular A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the sun’s light from reaching Earth An annular eclipse occurs when the moon does not completely block the Sun’s light.

For about two hours during the eclipse, the moon slowly passed over the sun which created a partial eclipse. At the halfway point of the partial eclipse, the

2-4 minute period of totality occurred, where the sun’s light was fully blocked and the sky darkened in the middle of the day.

The last solar eclipse was in August of 2017 when the path of totality covered 14 states. The unique thing about the 2024 eclipse was that the path of totality was 50 miles wider than during the 2017 eclipse

More than one million people traveled to the path of totality to view this breathtaking event.

The sun’s light is fully blocked and the sky darkens in the middle of the day.

This is because during this eclipse, the moon was closer to the Earth in its orbit, casting a bigger shadow onto the Earth, making the path wider. Many were disappointed to learn that there would be intermittent clouds in most of the path of totality during the time of the eclipse. Fortunately, during the time of totality, in most regions, the clouds cleared for viewers.

Courtesy of The New York Times

OJ Simpson’s recent death: News

Eliana Tekie

After his death in social media is o buzzing over the Orenthal James famed murder case dubbed the “tria century” during its 1994 to 1995, international attent horrifying murd fascinating storyli exactly is OJ Simp and why, did he kill h Nicole Brown Simpso

Everybody knew about it. She was covered in bruises.

Simpson was born in San Francisco, California in 1947. His mother, Eunice Simpson, raised OJ and his siblings alone after a divorce from OJ’s father in 1952. OJ was a difficult kid to raise and was often in and out of fights in his neighborhood. He joined his first gang at 13. As Simpson got older, college became increasingly impossible due to his poor grades Fortunately, OJ had a saving grace - football.

Simpson was fantastic on the field. He was asked to play for the University of Southern California in LA. Simpson accepted and became the star running back for the USC Trojans. In 1968, Simpson won the Heisman Award, an award given to players who demonstrate impressive playing skills, along with diligence, perseverance, and hard work

The following year, Simpson was chosen as the first pick for the 1969 NFL draft. He became an acclaimed player for the

Buffalo Bills Simpson retired in 1979 and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After his career in football ended, Simpson dove into Hollywood, acting in several movies including Capricorn One in 1978 It was around this time of fame and success in the 30-year-old Simpson’s life that he would first encounter someone critical to the People v. Simpson case. He met Nicole Brown at a private club in Beverly Hills in 1977 She was only 18-years-old.

“trial of the century”

In 1985, OJ and Nicole married. By 1994, Nicole would be dead.

OJ and Nicole had a rocky relationship from the start; OJ was physically abusive and often beat Nicole Even with two kids, the abuse would eventually become too much for Nicole. A friend of Nicole would later tell the Washington Post, “The physical abuse was

pretty constant

Everybody knew about it. She was covered in bruises -- and I am not trying to exaggerate this.” In 1992, Nicole filed for divorce. This is where the plot line for the case begins According to Tampa Bay News, after Simpson and Nicole had divorced, Simpson menacingly warned Nicole that if he ever found her with another man, he’d kill her. Two years after the divorce, on June 12, 1994, Nicole, her kids, and the rest of her family were enjoying a meal at a restaurant in LA. The family enjoyed their meal and left. Nicole’s mother, however, had forgotten a pair of glasses. Ronald Goldman, a new friend of Nicole and a waiter at the restaurant, offered to bring the glasses up to Nicole’s house. In a few hours, Goldman would also be murdered.

Nicole’s neighbors would later testify to hearing profuse barking coming from her house around 10 p m on June 12 One of Nicole’s neighbors had been out on a walk that night when he had seen something that had stopped him dead in his tracks.

Courtesy of Dayton Daily News

the story behind the figure

Nicole’s dog was outside, barkingand its legs were drenched in blood.

Nicole’s dog was outside barking, and its legs were drenched in blood.

The dog refused to be led back to the house, so Nicole’s neighbor took the dog to the home of other neighbors who lived next to Nicole. The couple offered to take the dog to Nicole’s house instead. Around midnight, the couple walked towards the house Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman were lying outside. They had been stabbed to death.

OJ Simpson had been in LA the night of the murder. He’d had a flight at 11:45 p m and a limousine set to pick him up at 10:25. Simpson didn’t show up for the car until nearly 10:40 p.m. His friends who rode to the airport with him that night would later describe him as being “agitated.”

Five days after the murder, Simpson was ordered to surrender to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) after substantial DNA evidence was found of him being at the crime scene. Instead of surrendering, Simpson fled from the police in a white Ford Bronco with his former teammate and friend Al Cowlings.

The police chase shut down several highways in Southern California and was widely televised, with over 95 million Americans watching - about half of the American population at the time. Simpson eventually

surrendered and was arrested. However, OJ Simpson was not planning on being taken down easily. Simpson quickly assembled what would later be known as the “dream team”: a team of lawyers renowned for their phenomenal skills and finesse in court.

Johnnie Cochran, the head of the team, was famous for winning civil rights and police brutality cases Robert Kardashian, a personal friend of Simpson’s, offered him his home during the trial. With an entourage of some of the world’s best lawyers behind him, Simpson had every intention of making himself look as innocent as possible

Over 95 million Americans watching

The murder trials spanned from November 9th, 1994, to October 3, 1995. Simpson’s dream team quickly got to work at accusing everyone around Simpson, referring to the case as being “compromised, contaminated, and corrupted.” The group claimed that the DNA evidence had been tampered with, the lab was compromised, the LAPD officers who had arrested Simpson had a history of racial bias, and even claimed that Simpson couldn’t possibly have committed the murders because he had arthritis and trouble moving due to his old football injuries.

As the court ruling drew closer, the LAPD increasingly feared an outbreak of race riots if Simpson was determined guilty. All police officers in the

in the Los Angeles area were put on 12-hour shifts, and even President Bill Clinton was briefed on security measures in the case of national rioting.

A 1995 Vanity Fair article on the case by Dominick Dunne would later say, “The underpining of this whole casewhat was propelling it, what it was really about-was race. It was not about the slit throats of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.” African Americans at the time cared less about what the case was actually about, but more about what it represented. Would an “innocent” black man, even with a brilliant defense team behind him, still be arrested by the white police force?

On October 3, 1995, Simpson was acquitted, or declared not guilty. Lionel Cryer, who had been a member of the jury and a former member of the revolutionary Black Panther Party, gave Simpson the black power salute after the verdict was read. 100 million people worldwide tuned in to listen to the results of the case.

Twelve years after the verdict was ruled, Simpson published a book titled, If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer, in which he detailed the where, when, and how he could have killed Nicole- if he had. In a 1998 interview with Ruby Wax, Simpson pulled a joke on Wax, pulling a banana out of his pocket and pretending to stab her with it. OJ was even found guilty in civil court in 1997 of murdering Nicole. However, since Simpson’s 8th Amendment rights protected him from double jeopardy, Simpson managed to stay out of prison.

Endangered fish in Florida

Zahra Mottaghian

Since the fall of 2023, a peculiar disease has been spreading throughout the fish of Florida Keys. Fish are spinning and swimming erratically due to a distinct loss of balance, many flailing themselves to death. Fishermen informally call this new disease, “the spins.”

This isn’t the first time the area has experienced issues. Last summer, Florida Keys experienced widespread coral bleaching due to a record breaking heat wave.

On average, about five adult Sawfish die each year, but 40 have died this year.

Fish are spinning and swimming erratically due to a distinct loss of balance, many flailing themselves to death.

The cause of “the spins” is a mystery, but many of the usual causes don’t apply to this illness, such as an algal bloom, low oxygen levels, or high temperatures. By performing a necropsy, or an animal autopsy, researchers discovered the disease is not a communicable pathogen, such as a virus or transmissible sickness This makes the disease harder to contain.

Although nothing has been confirmed yet, one possible cause of the disease could be toxin ciguatera. This can be found in regular amounts of algae and can result in neurological issues

About 50 species of fish have been affected by “the spins,” including goliath groupers and

One possible cause of the disease could be toxin ciguatera.

stingrays. Many of these species have spinned themselves to death or beached themselves: stranding themselves onto the shores with no hopes of being able to get back into the water.

Courtesy of National Wildlife Federation

Keys succumb to ‘the spins’

Many scientists are worried about critically endangered Smalltooth Sawfish. On average, about five adult Sawfish die each year, but 40 have died this year. The actual number of mortalities could be higher, as they are negatively buoyant, meaning they sink, not float, after death.

There are five sawtooth species, and all are endangered. The Smalltooth is the only species affected by “the spins.” The smalltooth have cartilage instead of skeletons, and can grow up to 25 feet long and live up to 30 years old

About 50 species of fish have been affected by “the spins,” including goliath groupers and stingrays.

Their young like to live in shallow mud banks and mangrove areas while adults can live up to 400 feet below the water. Since the Smalltooth is slow at reproducing and lives only in South Florida waters and Florida Keys, each life is vital for the survival of the species.

Since early April, rescuers have rehabilitated a male Sawfish who previously had “the spins,” the first time a project like this has been done. According to the New York Times, Floridian lawmakers have also donated $2 million to scientists for tagging and collecting samples of blood to determine the cause of the illness. Aquariums and labs working with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are housing and rehabilitating sawfish in quarantine, with the hope to return them to the wild once they are healthy.

Floridian lawmakers have also donated $2 million to scientists

Courtesy of National Wildlife Federation

Is social media actually Editorial

Yes, it helps

Brooke Cullinane

A great way to gather information

Social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok can benefit kids in ways many may not see. Being active on social media can allow kids to strengthen their friendships, reduce feelings of intense isolation, create a sense of uniqueness and individuality, and allow them to gather information from different sources.

Friendships can easily be strengthened on social media, allowing adolescents to develop their bonds with classmates in ways that simply seeing peers at school cannot. A deeper connection is shared when people put in effort outside school or work; it shows friends that you truly care

Social media can be a strong asset.

Having a strong group of friends and connections on social media can help reduce stranding feelings of isolation, which could lead to depression and severe anxiety. By feeling that they have a strong online community, teens can experience a greater sense of connection, leading to feelings of friendship and support. Many adolescents want to be similar to their peers but also want to stand out and be

strengthen friendships

unique in their own ways. Social media is the perfect way to accomplish this. Apps like TikTok and Instagram allow youth to be similar to others while finding their path in life and creating a sense of self and uniqueness to stand out. This will benefit many later in life by encouraging children to pursue what interests them, not what interests others.

Some may say that social media encourages children to become uniform, but this is a false assumption. Although trends can influence youth based on what’s popular on the internet, the majority of teens want to be an individual or unique Participating in popular trends is no different than wearing clothing currently in style. Social media is also a great way for teens and kids to gather information from a

Encourages children to pursue what interests them

variety of sources, and although not all information on the internet is safe, reliable, or trustworthy, it can truly benefit adolescents to hear from multiple perspectives They gain knowledge about the way a variety of people think, instead of just those around them.

It can allow kids to strengthen their friendships.

Although social media has its issues and risks, such as becoming addicted and cyberbullying, it can become a powerful tool with the right level of guidance and control from parental figures. From connecting with peers and reducing feelings of isolation to finding a sense of self and gathering information, social media can be a strong asset in a teenager's life, provided they have a healthy level of support and restriction from adults.

Courtesy of Katie Couric Media

helpful for teenagers? No, it adds risks of depression

Kyla Murphy

There is no doubt that social media is extremely prominent in modern society. The average teenager spends about 4.8 hours every day on social media. However, the concerns social media presents are impossible to overlook.

Social media is extremely prominent in modern society.

For starters, addiction to social media becomes more and more prominent every day. More than half of teens say quitting social media would be challenging, especially because of FOMO - the fear of missing out.

These addictions cause multitudes of problems since the more time teens spend wasting away on social media, the less time they will spend on productive activities like playing sports or studying for tests

This lack of “other activities” has recently contributed to the downfall of teens' mental health The U S Surgeon General released an advisory on how social media affects children’s and teenagers’ mental health. The report shows that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media double their risk of anxiety and depression. Social media can also contribute to body image issues and body dysmorphia. One report states that 46% of teen girls 13 to 17-years-old say that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. Social media makes it easy to compare yourself to others. Influencers only show people what they

want to show. This makes teens feel worse about themselves as they think they aren’t “perfect” like these influencers

As social media becomes more prevalent, the risks become even more concerning.

Cyberbullying poses many issues for teenagers.

And yet, the problems doesn’t end here. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and dangerous viral trends pose many issues for teenagers. According to the article “ How Social Media Can Negatively Affect Your Child,” 65% of teens report that they have been exposed to hatebased online content such as photos, videos, or harmful language. The article also states that six out of ten girls have been contacted online in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. There have been countless occasions where teens follow viral trends and end up injured, arrested, or even dead

Overall, social media has far more negatives than positives. As social media becomes more prevalent, the risks become even more concerning. It is important to be mindful of your time spent on social media for an overall happier and healthier lifestyle.

Social media has far more negatives than positives.

Later starts to school will do more than bring kids excitement

Mihika Bobbarjung

Imagine waking up to the ringing of an alarm, too tired to comprehend that it is a school morning. Staying up until midnight, studying for the math test, and not being able to sleep until 2 A M due to stress, this scenario is not uncommon for many students.

All public schools should have a minimum start time of 9:30 AM every day.

All public schools should have a minimum start time of 9:30 AM every day.

Extra sleep is especially important for adolescents. These

Imagine waking up to the ringing of an alarm, too tired to comprehend that it is a school morning.

students are in their prime years of development. When they are asleep, their growth hormones are released When teenagers get little to no sleep, otherwise known as sleep deprivation, their growth hormones are suppressed.

Unfortunately, early school start times disrupt students’ sleep cycles, making it difficult for them to get the recommended amount of sleep (nine to ten hours).

However, with school starting at 8:30, students would have to go to bed extremely early to achieve this goal As any middle schooler will say, going to bed that early is not only unrealistic, but it is also undoable for many teens, especially student-athletes. Delaying school start time by an hour will have a positive impact on the academic performance of many students When students come to school well-rested in the morning, they tend to have a greater

Time for schools to prioritize their students

attention span, allowing them to absorb more ormation.

It will become easier r teachers to breeze rough their lesson ans without any wanted interptions. A later start ll also lead to better rformance on izzes and tests since udents will have ore time to prepare r assessments the

Will be easier for teachers to breeze through their lesson

A 9:30 start time will provide more time and energy for extracurriculars.

the night before.

A 9:30 start time will also provide students with more time and energy for extracurricular activities. With an extra hour of sleep, students will have more energy to participate in sports, clubs, and other activities Many often miss out on these activities due to fatigue, but more sleep will give them more energy to attend the extracurricular and perform better.

Overall, a delayed school start time will have significant benefits for students, allowing them to get more sleep leading to better academic, and physical performance.

It will have significant benefits for students.

It is time for schools to prioritize the wellbeing of their students and consider adjusting their start times by only an hour.

Should society be concerned about 10-year-olds at Sephora?

Anusha Shukla

In the 2010s, all kids did was have Beyblade battles during recess and make slime out of glue and contact solution. These core memories are what shape people into their older selves However, like all trends, what was in vogue is now no longer.

New fads have emerged with the new generation, and while most are expected, there is one new trend that has earned special attention.

Recently, young girls between the ages of 10 and 13 are overwhelming Sephora stores across the nation. These girls are purchasing expensive makeup and skincare products not meant for them, such as ones with ingredients meant to serve anti-aging purposes. These are likely not safe for their young skin.

Additionally, they are intentionally ruining the products that are set outside of their packaging as testers. This is meant to help customers choose which products they like and want to buy.

Overwhelming Sephora stores

Due to this, many Sephora stores across the country are considering not allowing testers, a

decision that may cause more good than harm despite the success of testers in promoting Sephora stores. Still, this extreme level of destruction causes the company to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There are also many complaints from Sephora employees that these girls are extremely rude to the workers and have no manners. This can create a negative environment in Sephora’s workplace

Kids have forgotten how to ‘just be children’.

This topic has divided the Internet. Many say that children this young should not be defacing and purchasing items meant for people much older than them. Others state that these girls are acting too mature for their age. People compare their childhoods to the lives of children now, stating that kids have lost their innocence and forgotten how to ‘just be children’.

This argument also applies to the testers; people share stories of their siblings or kids going to Sephora and say that they never act this way. Those standing up for the kids say the times have changed, and that kids find joy in different activities than before.

The most obvious explanation, however, is the influence of social media on modern society. Ten years ago, YouTube and TikTok were not a part of the culture, and while there was television, popular activities were off the screen. Nowadays, kids are watching more content from the Internet than before.

their makeup and skincare online, it is natural for them to want to imitate what they see.

When talk about kids trying to buy Sephora products arises, the main defense for them is that they are being influenced by social media, which has been so deeply 3integrated into our society that it becomes difficult for even the youngest of kids to not be exposed to it.

However, other people are standing up for these kids. Many say that only a few are rude when they go to Sephora and that an entire age group should not be shamed.

This also connects back to today’s trends, with makeup and skincare being the most prominent.

Before, influencers posted instructional videos on how to make slime. In turn, kids did the same because that is what they saw other people doing.

Now, when ten-yearold girls see women older than them doing

One day, these “Sephora kids” will grow up and remember doing their skincare routine every night before bed, core memories for them just like how today’s teens have their own. The only question is, should this be allowed? Should there be a line drawn between what is acceptable for kids and what is not? Where is that line drawn?

Until this question can be answered, social media will continue to be omnipresent in everyone’s day-to-day lives, a looming force that may or may not be a threat to society

Courtesy of Downtown Naperville

Editorial Yellowstone might explode,

Enzo Gleichauf

Yellowstone’s supervolcan is terrifying. It could produc one of the largest natur disasters in history and coul kill millions. But it shouldn't b this terrifying; volcanoes aren actually as scary as you ma think.

Yellowstone’s supervolcano is terrifying.

Yellowstone is a massiv volcanic complex and Nation Park located on the borders o the states of Idaho, Montan and Wyoming, known fo scenic nature and wildlife It best known for dazzling geothermal features that spew hot water, mud, and steam in a way only found in a precious few other places in the world. It’s a tourist attraction that deserves its fame.

Those ways are just part of the natural phenomenon; like the Earth is “breathing,” and it’s nothing to be scared of.

Yellowstone is always changing. Earthquakes are a daily occurrence and sometimes hundreds or thousands of them occur in the span of only a couple of months. The ground also rises and falls by a few centimeters each year, sometimes more in certain places. The places are called resurgent domes. Many people use this to convince people it’s going to erupt, because the uplift and subsidence occurs in seemingly unusual ways.

One of the largest natural disasters in history and could kill millions

Aren’t actually as scary as you may think.

this is only for the past three eruptions

According to a National Park Service (NPS) map, the previous eruption before that was over two million years before that Looking at older eruptions shows that the eruption times are really inconsistent.

Yellowstone is a “supervolcano”. This means it has had some of the largest eruptions ever recorded; something very frightening Looking at the past three huge eruptions, you see that they are occurring at an increasing rate. 2 1 million years ago was the first, then 1.3 million years ago, then 640,000 years ago. The gap between eruptions is decreasing: Aren’t we ‘overdue’ for an eruption?

The answer is no. Sure, in the past three eruptions, the time between has decreased, but

Aren’t we ‘overdue’ for an eruption?

Something that needs to be known is that supervolcanoes don’t only produce supereruptions. Volcanoes labeled as that only need to have produced one huge eruption at any detectable point in history, be that millions of years ago or yesterday

Courtesy of National Park Foundation

but should you be this scared?

Contrary to popular belief, most supervolcanoes typically produce rather calm eruptions; Yellowstone is no exception. Sure, the big booms are easiest to focus on, but most people ignore the tiny steamy spurts that have happened since, or the thick, oozing lava flows that cover large swaths of the park. Sure, Yellowstone might erupt, but the chances are highly in our favor that the eruption will be tiny or will progress slowly, contrary to what some sources think.

The thick, oozing lava flows that cover large swaths of the park.

Most of the uplift in the park happens at resurgent domes, which are places where magma begins refilling an underground reservoir and pushes the ground above it upward Located within the park are tw resurgent domes: the Mallar Lake and Sour Creek dome Even if magma is refilling th chamber, not enough of it liquid. The nature earthquakes at the park sho that the magma reservoi aren’t anywhere near melte enough to sustain an eruption.

Most supervolcanoes typically produce rather calm eruptions

Why do people prefer thinking about the end of the world if it makes them feel scared?

Yellowstone isn’t going to erupt, and if it does, chances are it’s not going to be very big. Even if it produced a dazzling detonation, the closest areas to the park that are at the greatest risk of harm are of extremely low population; the majority of the park is located within Wyoming, one of the least populated and spread-out states in the country, so casualties will be limited But why do people prefer thinking about the end of the world if it makes them feel scared?

Fear seems to trigger similar paths too and the release of dopamine, a chemical in your brain that elicits pleasure. That’s the thrill of roller coasters and haunted houses. And the reason why people are more keen on believing in scary ideas? It makes them happy.

Consider the less violent option

So next time you see one of those online conspiracy-type posts saying Yellowstone will break with a blast, maybe consider the less violent option. It will make you less happy, but that can go a long way.

Yellowstone isn’t going to erupt

Blach students traveled

Kyla Murphy and Eliana Tekie

Avery Tucker

Where did you go?

1. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico a.

What did you do while there? 2. Went to the beach, market, and went boogie boarding a

What was your favorite part? 3. Boogie boarding a.

Where did you go? 1. Tokyo, Kyoto and Hakone in Japan a. What did you do while there? 2.

Saw a lot of temples, nature, and some beautiful cherry blossoms in Hakone a.

What was your favorite part? 3. “The food was magnificent with all the various fish and rice” a.

Michael Shukhman

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Courtesy of Avery Tucker

Courtesy of Michael Shukhman

Courtesy of Avery Tucker

near and far during break

Where did you go?

Maddie Nord

a. Washington DC, North Carolina, Virginia

2. What did you do while there?

a. Toured UVA for her sister and visited Thomas Jefferson’s old house She also went to the White House and visited Duke University

3. What was your favorite part? Seeing her baby cousin a.

Amos Bankhead

Sarah Kumayama

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Courtesy of Maddie Nord

Courtesy of Sarah Kumayama

Mr. Spenader’s inspiring journey:

Eliana Tekie

Blach’s principal Mr. Wade Spenader describes the moment he realized he wanted to teach similar to being hit by a lightning bolt.

He had been sitting on a field at De Anza College. At the time, he was on the path to becoming a physical trainer and was there to help the De Anza football team.

“I remember sitting there and just thinking ‘why am I doing this?’ he recalled, decades later. ‘I want to teach.’”

‘Why am I doing this’... “I want to teach.”

Despite going on to become a teacher, teacher-in-charge, and then principal at Blach Intermediate, Mr. Spenader’s middle school experiences never influenced his decision to pursue a career in education. His experience at Saint Williams, a Los Altos private school that was later turned into a park, was “very different” to what Blach students today experience

“There were no electives, no fine art,” Mr.Spenader said.

His graduating class at St. Williams had a total of 22 students; there was only one class. In their free time, Mr Spenader and his friends would ride their bikes around town, often cutting through the orchards that were more common in Silicon Valley during that time. He refers to middle school as being “pretty sheltered.”

It was at St. Francis High School where Mr Spenader first considered pursuing a career in sports medicine, a branch of medicine responsible for prevention and treatment of sportsrelated injuries

During high school, Mr. Spenader spent multiple afternoons and summers in clinics, developing an increasing amount of expertise in the subject Many of the people in his life at the time advised him to consider a career in sports medicine once he graduated from St. Francis.

“I had a lot of knowledge about sports medicine, so it seemed like the right path,” he would later admit. “But I don’t know if I ever stopped and said, what do I want to do?”

After St. Francis, Mr. Spenader attended

Chico State in northern California, while also attending De Anza to complete other courses and practice sports medicine It was at De Anza where Mr. Spenader had the “lightning bolt” moment, realizing he wanted to teach.

After this realization, Mr Spenader set up an appointment with his high school principal from St. Francis to discuss his new career path.

Originally, Mr. Spenader had been

It was at St. Francis where Mr. Spenader first considered pursuing a career in sports medicine.

planning to teach either English or history. However, to his dismay, his old high school principal was not thrilled with one of Mr Spenader’s preferred subjects.

“I want to teach.”

According to Mr. Spenader, his old principal told him that a history textbook could be given to a coach, and the coach would just as easily be able to teach the subject as an actual history teacher could.

“It gave me the message ‘we don’t value history teachers,’” Mr Spenader said. “And that’s why people can’t find things on the map.”

Courtesy of Mihika Bobbarjung

how he became Blach’s principal

Mr. Spenader eventually decided to pursue a career in history and earned degrees in both social science and history.

After credential school, Mr. Spenader applied everywhere.

Later, in teaching credential school, Mr. Spenader was required to spend a semester working in a middle school. After just one semester in a middle school, Mr. Spenader said he was “hooked ” He loved the middle school age group and environment.

After credential school, Mr. Spenader applied everywhere that had an opening Despite not being in an enviable financial position, Mr. Spenader was exhilarated. “You’re poor…like, poor. But when you’re young and hungry it feels great. I was working on my career.”

At the time, the Los Altos School District had two available positions-one as a history and English teacher at Egan, and another as a part time history teacher at Blach. When he was offered the position at Blach in 1994, he leaped at the chance

“I understood I was going to be poor, but I did it anyways because I knew it was a great opportunity,” he said. “I was told after the first year I would most likely be offered the full time position ”

It was at Blach where Mr. Spenader would first meet the late former principal, Mr. Harris, who Mr. Spenader credits with being an inspiration to the way he carries out his role as principal today. As principal, Mr. Harris trusted his teachers to do a good job without much interference on his behalf. “Without him I wouldn’t be here today,” Mr. Spenader said.

“[Middle schoolers] have a need for independence... but a quiet need for support as well.

In 1999, just five years later, Mr. Harris asked Mr. Spenader to become teacher-incharge, a role similar to vice principal. After just a year as teacherin-charge, Mr. Spenader was offered a position as vice principal in Redding, which he would go on to hold during the 2001-2002 school

year.

“I didn’t love it,'' he would later admit “Mostly because I still wanted to be in the classroom but also because I wasn’t thinking, again, if this was what I really wanted ”

He went back to Blach the next school year to continue teaching history once more.

Misfortune struck Blach in 2005 when Mr. Harris fell ill. Unable to continue working, he asked Mr. Spenader to step in as an interim principal until he was well again Mr Spenader accepted, and from August to November of 2005, Mr. Spenader was the principal at Blach.

Mr. Harris returned to Blach in November, but the brief experience had been “transformational” for

Mr. Spenader.

Though his time in Redding had left him dubious about administration, he had thoroughly enjoyed his time as Blach’s principal.

Mr. Spenader would go on to become the principal of Springer in 2009 and Covington in 2016. When the position for principal at Blach opened up for the 202324 school year after Mr. Land’s departure, he returned to the school where he had gotten his first teaching job - this time, as principal.

Mr. Spenader hopes to improve Blach’s “culture” and how students at Blach treat each other. “It’s more than just being inclusive,” he explained, “but being supportive as well. They [middle schoolers] have a need for independence but a quiet need for support as well.”

Courtesy of Mihika Bobbarjung

Features

Alexa Geist: elite Blach gymnast

Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Blach eighth grader

Alexa Geist has been a gymnast since the age of three. Her already impressive career started in a Mommy and Me program. The group was playing music and sitting in circles when her mom noticed that Alexa was able to do things normal three-yearolds shouldn’t be able to do, like rolling Looking back, Alexa noted, “I was the only kid who wasn’t sitting still.”

After that realization, her mom started to put Alexa into gymnastics classes for little kids.

Alexa looks up to the Olympic gymnastics team, and her role model is Simone Biles. “They’re young, and it’s cool to see what they can do at their

age,” she states.

As for her own future, in the next year or so, Alexa aspires to reach the highest level possible in gymnastics There are ten levels, and she’s currently at level nine. Her long term goal is to be accepted into Stanford or UCLA on a gymnastics scholarship and maybe even participate in the Olympics.

For the last ten years, Alexa has competed in competitions across the US and has acquired over 130 medals in the process

Due to a stress fracture in her back, she hasn’t participated in competitions recently, though in the past she has traveled to many states, including Hawaii, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon.

Alexa prefers competing in California for tournaments, as she is less nervous, but truly enjoys traveling to different states.

“Gymnastics is different in every state or place, so it's nervewracking,” she said

Alexa is graceful on the balance beam and is “especially good” at twisting. Those are her favorite events, and she has always been good at them

Alexa has been ranked first in beam

and floor in the entire Western U S , which includes Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, and California.

Being ranked first is no easy feat. Alexa practices four hours a day from 3:30-7:30, five to seven days a week, equalling a minimum of 20 hours per week.

With this crazy schedule, it requires some serious planning from her and school to fit everything she has to do into 24 hours.

“It’s very hard [to balance school and gymnastics], but I have a lot of people to help me,” she said.

Alexa thanks Mr Spenader for being one of these people, allowing her to skip PE and leave school after lunch every day.

Once her school day ends, she gets home at

Alexa looks up to the Olympic gymnastics team.

1:30 in the afternoon and has half an hour to do her homework before leaving for practice, which starts at 3:30. At practice, her daily warm up routine consists of running for 10 minutes and stretching for 20 minutes, with some working out as well. Once practice ends at 7:30, she arrives home at 9:00, often doing homework till 11 at night

Sometimes, athletes have restrictions on what they can and cannot eat. For Alexa, such a limitation isn’t necessary.

Courtesy of Alexa Geist

Courtesy of Alexa Geist

Blach’s gardening club

Ada Yee

By planting a variety of vegetation, Blach’s Gardening Club hopes to practice sustainability and use the school garden to its full extent.

Their hope is to get new people to start the club

The Gardening Club is a club started by Zahra Mottaghian. “I started the Gardening Club because I love plants and the environment. I really wanted to actually make use of the garden in the school,” she states.

Sponsored by Mr. Liewer, the Gardening Club is held in the garden behind his classroom on Wednesdays during lunch.

This year, they have worked hard to plant lettuce, beets, and beans, hoping to distribute them to people in the club.

Since half of the garden beds are taken by members of the Eagle Scouts, the Gardening Club has learned to occupy their limited space creatively.

of the Gardening Club, says that marigolds are very easy to grow and look really nice as well Additionally, the Gardening Club has conducted research to learn what their plants need to thrive. They plan on planting native crops that are drought tolerant, especially flowers, as they want their garden to flourish with as little water as possible but look beautiful at the same time.

From research, they have learned that flowers need less water to grow because they don’t have to sustain fruits, and only need to be able to sustain themselves.

Alexa Geist

From page 18

“I do so much exercise, it doesn’t matter how much I eat; I will burn all of those calories,” Alexa remarked In fact, she often has to eat more because she is burning even more calories than she is consuming.

Alexa’s family has been her biggest supporters.

When the club first started last year, they planted marigolds because they’re the flowers that bring reminders of sunshine and happiness. Annie He, a member

The Gardening Club is also preparing to plant many summerthriving plants.

Other than just nurturing plants, the Gardening Club also takes care of weeds. Ridding unnecessary plants from the soil gives more nutrients to their planted vegetation.

Recently, the Gardening Club began participating in the challenge of gathering a thousand pounds of recyclable plastic to be able to send to NexTrex, a company that is holding this challenge with many schools in the US. In return for a thousand pounds of plastic, they will give Blach their very own school bench.

The Gardening Club is also preparing to plant many summerthriving plants for the new Gardening Club members next year. Their hope is to get new people to start the club, carry on the legacy of the Gardening Club, and help the garden thrive.

Through these many years of hectic schedules, competitions, and traveling, Alexa’s family has been her biggest supporters. “They are always cheering for me on the sidelines and providing me with the things I need,” she said

“It’s a very mentally draining sport, so you have to find the good in it.”

With the difficulty of having to balance everything, spending time with her friends is unfortunately not guaranteed.

“It’s a hard thing to do, but it’s crazy that I’ve been able to balance it for so long.” Alexa says that putting your mind to it and having the right schedule for you is key. “It’s a very mentally draining sport, so you have to find the good in it.”

Courtesy of Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Twins and triplets at Blach

Zahra Mottaghian

There is only a four percent chance of having twins. There is about a 0.1 percent chance of having triplets. Blach has both twins and triplets. Jack, Lily, and Isaac Gallienne are triplets, and Deanna and Emilia Yamada are twins.

There is only a four percent chance of having twins.

What exactly is it like being a twin? It’s not too different from having a typical sibling; twins and triplets can have a range of relationships While the Galliennes have their own activities to focus on and don’t spend much time together at school, the Yamadas are very close and like to do a lot of things together.

“We’re the same, and we’re different,” Emilia says Unlike a lot of twins that the girls know, they are very similar and share a lot of the same interests. "We're both on the same basketball team [outside of school] and can tell what the other is thinking,” she adds.

In some ways, they have twin telepathy - they can sometimes say the exact same thing and finish each other’s sentences. They also have related friend groups, so they see and talk to each other at school frequently.

Even though they are fraternal twins, the twins are often mixed up. “[People will] think we like the same thing,” Emilia says Even though they look alike on the outside, on the inside, they are quite different.

“She’s [Deanna] messy, and I’m clean..She’s loud, and I like to listen,” Emilia says.

Despite their differences, Lily, Jack, Isaac, Emilia, and Deanna all have one thing in common: they love spending time with their siblings.

Like their shared extracurriculars, the girls also swapped electives. Emilia had photography in the first semester while Deanna had maker space, and in the second semester, they switched. Despite the fact that they had matching electives, however, the girls have had no classes together this year.

The Galliennes, also fraternal, are more independent than the Yamadas but still enjoy each other’s company. “It can be annoying sometimes,” Isaac says. The siblings all have different extracurriculars, and they have to figure out how to get to all of them on time, so they have to be very good at time management.

Nonetheless, the triplets like to hang out after school and help each other with homework. Isaac and Lily also share a science class. Some people think that since the three are triplets, they were born at the same time This, however, is not true; they were born within minutes of each other. Since Isaac is the oldest triplet, he often teases Lily, who was born second, saying, “You’ll be this old in a minute.” Jack is three minutes younger than Lily. They all have one younger sister, Bailey, with whom Lily is closest with.

Despite all their differences, Lily, Jack, Isaac, Emilia, and Deanna all have one thing in common: They love spending time with their siblings

Some people think that the three are triplets: they were born at the same time...born within minutes of each other

Courtesy of Mihika Bobbarjung

Courtesy of Mihika Bobbarjung

Blach’s dancers: rising stars

Anusha Shukla

Amid Blach’s incredible community are extraordinary dancers whose talent often goes unnoticed. Dance is unlike any other sport due to its highly interpretive nature; no one person dances the same as another The variation and uniqueness of dance are partly why many love the sport.

She first started competing in 2022, but dance has been a part of Hope’s life since she was little.

Penny Koch, a Blach seventh grader, states, “I do most types of dance, [including] ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, jazz funk, hip-hop, ballroom, and musical theatre.” Penny says she enjoys “the feeling of movement” and dances daily. Similarly, eighth-grade dancer Ellie Katz says she loves the artistic aspect of dancing. Ellie has been dancing, mostly contemporary and jazz, since she was four years old and has always loved it

“My favorite part about dancing is being able to express myself without words, and just ‘dance out’ anything I have on my mind,” says Hope.

“I plan to dance until I graduate high school,” Ellie says. “It’s overall super fun.”

Another eighth-grade dancer, Hope Zuccaro, agrees with this sentiment. She specializes in lyrical, ballet, and jazz although Hope also trains for multiple other styles as well.

Dance is unlike any other sport

“My favorite part about dancing is being able to express myself without words.”

“I also love the environment; it is so positive and such a supportive community. I get to travel and meet so many amazing people through the sport, and it has made me a better person overall.”

Hope first started competing in 2022, but dance has been a part of her life since she was little She looks forward to

Ellie has been dancing, mostly contemporary and jazz, since she was four years old.

dancing for as long as possible, continuing her passion into high school, college, and beyond

These talented students are just a few of the many dancers at Blach. This school is filled with enormous talent. It is important to highlight everyone’s skills that make up Blach’s amazing community.

Penny says she enjoys “the feeling of movement” and dances daily.

Courtesy of Ellie Katz

Will Stanford’s softball team

Brooke Cullinane

Courtesy of Stanford Athletics

The Stanford softball program is unstoppable: They’re currently 5th in the country with a record of 36 wins and 10 losses. Stanford’s number one pitcher, Nijaree Canady (#24), leads the D1 college rankings in many statistics and is the number one pitcher in the nation. The star-studded team also includes notable players catcher Aly Kaneshiro (#4) and infielder Taryn Kern (#99).

Nijaree is one of the most talented softball players in the nation and hopes to lead Stanford to a

According to ESPN, she is a top candidate for 2024 player of the year.

College World Series victory. Canady is currently a sophomore, and her freshman year could never be overlooked. She won four various notable Freshman of the Year awards, including the D1 freshman of the year award. She was also a 3-time PAC 12 pitcher of the week

023 and was in the 25 collegiate players the year As a hman pitcher, she the nation in earned average with 0.57 strikeouts per seven ngs with 11.3 keouts.

Earned run average, nd by multiplying the mber of earned runs h seven innings and n dividing by the mber of innings hed, is a great

Nijaree is one of the most talented softball players in the nation and hopes to lead Stanford to a College World Series victory.

They’re currently 5th in the country with a record of 36 wins and 10 losses.

measurement for the skill of a pitcher, and a notable statistic.

The lower the ERA, the lower number of earned runs a pitcher allows in seven innings. This year is no different from her freshman year; Nijaree still leads the country in ERA and strikeout number, dropping her ERA from 0.57 to 0.46 as of April 18th. According to ESPN, she is a top candidate for 2024 player of the year Already, she has won pitcher of the week multiple times. Not only is Nijaree’s pitching ability unmatched, she is often a starting batter for the Stanford Cardinals, even crushing her first of two collegiate home runs this season.

Courtesy of Stanford Athletics

reach the college world series?

Nijaree isn’t the only incredible player for the Cardinals. Aly Kaneshiro, the starting catcher, was the end of season winner for the Golden Glove Award.

Canady is currently a sophomore, and her freshman year could never be overlooked.

This is an honor reserved for the best defensive collegiate player (not limited to just her position of catcher)

Aly started every game for Stanford last year and also won the PAC-12 academic honor roll twice, an award reserved for student-athletes who are also incredibly skilled at academics.

Taryn Kern, starting sophomore infielder for Stanford, is a recent

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transfer. Taryn played her freshman year at Indiana and won Big 10 player of the year and Big 10 freshman of the year.

With the Softball

College World Series just around the corner, Stanford is a clear candidate to make it. Will they win the trophy? It is yet to be determined

Courtesy of Stanford Athletics

Courtesy of Stanford Athletics

7th grade boys’ soccer faces crushing loss in semifinals

Padrig Jan

In a heartbreaking semi-final against Cupertino, the 1-seed Blach soccer team tragically lost 1-0 to end their season

“I feel like our overall performance was kind of bad, and our shooting was not on target at all,” said Arnav Gathani, a player on the team

After a 10-0 regular season, the team has still accomplished a great feat. While the players knew that they were going to be one of the best teams, they knew that it would be hard to win the league. After a good first game against Hyde where the team won 7-0, they believed they could win the league

However, the Blach team was aware that there were still teams that could compete with or even beat them. After a winning streak of 10-0 and beating

Cupertino 5-1, they were confident that they could easily win against Cupertino in the semifinals After a tight game however, things started to go downhill. The Blach team started falling apart, and after a late goal from Cupertino, they couldn’t equalize.

“I think the season went very well, but in the playoffs we got too cocky, and we thought we were going to win,” admitted Brayden Seibel, a player on the team For many, however, the experience was new and exciting.

“Our teamwork was good, and everybody on the team was friends, so it was fun”

“Playing on a school soccer team was interesting because we somehow had chemistry between each other, and it was different playing with your close friends,” said Arnav Gathani

The team worked together for a 10-0 regular season, and even though they lost in the semifinals, they still had a great time playing for the Blach 7th grade soccer team.

“Our teamwork was good, and everybody on the team was friends, so it was fun,” Brayden said

After a 10-0 regular season, the team has still accomplished a great feat.

Courtesy of Mrs Hickman

Courtesy of Mrs Hickman

Blach’s tennis team looks optimistically towards playoffs

Kicking off their season on March first, Blach’s tennis team, coached by science teacher, Mrs. Kane, is currently ranked sixth Seventh grade player Aanaya Mashru says, “...[Mrs. Kane] treats everyone fairly. She looks at our strengths and weaknesses to help us improve.”

Mrs. Kane has been coaching for 24 years, but this is the first year she is co-coaching with her husband Mr. Kane, eighth grade PE teacher.

The tennis team is composed of seventh and eighth grade boys and girls.

The team, composed of seventh and eighth grade boys and girls, practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for an hour and ten minutes. Based on the players’ skill level, they practice either from 3:10-4:20 or 4:20-5:30

Administered by the Mid Peninsula Tennis Patrons, the team has had matches two times a week since spring break.

There are three singles matches and six doubles matches that count for a point. The first school to get at least five points wins.

So far, the tennis team has competed with five other schools: Kennedy, Harker, Redwood, Peterson, and Egan.

The match against Harker was disliked by many players at Blach; Mashru felt that Harker “kind of cheated” as they made a lot of noise throughout the whole game, making it hard for the team to focus, especially while serving. Each match determines whether the team will make it to the playoffs

Blach’s tennis team is moving on to playoffs with a record of three wins and three losses.

Harker “kind of cheated” as they made a lot of noise throughout the whole game

Blach’s tennis team is moving on to playoffs with a record of three wins and three losses.

Since teams are still playing, it is unclear who Blach will face.

As more schools joined the tennis league, the division had to be divided up based on each school’s records. Blach was ranked in the middle, which translates into the Gould division. There are six other schools in the Gould league.

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Courtesy of Mrs. Hickman

Zahra Mottaghian and Eliana Tekie

Sports The Warriors 2023-2024

Mihika Bobbarjung

Courtesy of NBA com

The Golden State Warriors, the local San Francisco NBA team, have finished their 2023-2024 NBA season with 46 wins and 36 losses. The team finished in tenth place in the Western Conference, losing to the Sacramento Kings, 118-94 in the play-in bracket.

The Warriors had a 24point lead over the Kings in their final game, but Sacramento prevailed due to various Warriors turnovers. This is the first time since the 2020-2021 season that the Warriors have failed to make it to the playoffs.

However, many things were not in the Warriors’

Green was also suspended for five games due to putting the Minnesota Timberwolves’ center, Rudy Gobert, in a headlock

Steph Curry (#30) is considered one of the best shooters in the world. As expected, Curry led the team with an average of 26.4 points per game.

favor this season. Draymond Green, (#23) was suspended twice, once indefinitely, missing 12 games for slapping the Phoenix Suns center, Jusuf Nurkic, in the face. Earlier in the season, Green was also suspended for five games due to putting the Minnesota Timberwolves’ center, Rudy Gobert, in a headlock. This was a significant disadvantage to the Warriors as Green is a vital asset to the team, serving as their starting center. Draymond is a defensive powerhouse and has recently been surprising fans with several three-

This is the first time since the 2020-2021 season that the Warriors have failed to make it to the playoffs.

pointers in games

Steph Curry (#30) is considered one of the best shooters in the world. As expected, Curry led the team with an average of 26.4 points per game. However, the team has still not found another reliable scorer anywhere near Curry’s level, which is one of the main reasons for their failure this season.

Most NBA players retire around 30 to 35 years of age. Steph Curry, however, is already 36-years-old, putting the Warriors in a tough position for their future. Curry may have already hit his alltime high, scoring an average of 32 points per game during the 2020 - 2021 season, which means he will probably only

season comes to an end

Courtesy of NBC Sports Boston

get worse. From the 20202021 season to the 2023-2024 season, he has demonstrated a 17.5% decrease in points per game

Looking at the positive side, two impeccable rookies were added to the team this year, Brandin Podziemski (#2), and Trayce Jackson Davis (#32).

Brandin Podziemski im-

Steph Curry should have a couple of good years left before he retires, considering his outstanding athleticism and endurance.

pressed many in his first season in the NBA, averaging 9.2 points per game, and had a 38.5% three-point shooting percentage, which is quite high for a rookie. Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 1.1 blocks per game, totaling 76 blocks in the season, which was the highest number on the team this year

The question needing to be asked is: what happens when Steph Curry retires? It is clear that without him healthy and in the game, the Warriors will be nowhere close to success. However, Steph Curry should have a couple of good years left before he retires, considering his outstanding athleticism and endurance.

But will he single-handedly be able to lead the Warriors to another championship win?

A thrilling season for the seventh

Kyla Murphy

The seventh grade Blach girls basketball team will never forget their challenging yet thrilling season this spring.

The Blach team started their season off with a frustrating defeat. With a score of 31-30, Hyde barely managed to steal the win from the Blach team. Olivia Peters said, “In the first game, we thought we were going to win until they got a lucky three-pointer in the last couple of seconds and won.”

“The team continued to persist and focus no matter how many times they lost.”

Courtesy of Mrs Hickman

This game left the team feeling pretty disappointed, and this feeling became worse when they lost their next three games against Sunnyvale, Lawson, and Miller.

“The worst part was anytime we lost a game, since people got upset, there were a lot of tears,” said the coach, Mr Maye

Their hard work and persistence paid off

However, the team refused to give up and continued working hard through their losses

Mr. Maye added that the best part was that “the team continued to persist and focus no matter how many times they lost.”

They managed to beat Blach’s rival, Egan, 36-29.

Their hard work and persistence paid off as they won the next two games in the season against Crittenden and Columbia. The team was beyond thrilled and celebrated their victories with ice cream after practice

The Blach seventh graders completely credit their victories to the support of their coach and teammates. Olivia said, “[Mr. Maye] was very positive and pushed all of us to be better every practice.” Olivia’s teammate, Calla Holtshouse, also added that her teammates were “all very nice and supportive of each other.”

Courtesy of Mrs. Hickman

grade Blach girls basketball team

Sadly, the team was defeated three more times before their final win in the last game of the season This game was especially exhilarating as they managed to beat Blach’s rival, Egan, 36-29. The team kicked Egan out of the playoffs and was delighted at the final score.

Mr. Maye added, “It was fantastic to end the season with not only beating your rival but also beating them by a lot of points.”

In the end, the team scored ninth place and didn’t make the playoffs. However, either way, the team was excited about their improvement and development throughout the season. Mr. Maye explained how many of the girls had

Courtesy of Mrs Hickman

never played competitive basketball before, so it was wonderful to see how well they performed even without prior experience.

Most of all, the team developed new friendships and had a lot of fun with their teammates.

The team developed new friendships and had a lot of fun with their teammates.

“Even though we didn’t go very far, I feel like I got to know more people on the team,” said Calla

Courtesy of Mrs Hickman

Studio Ghibli’s unrivaled success

Enzo Gleichauf

Anime has been quite influential ever since its debut in the late 1910s.

Despite audience approval for many anime shows, critics usually aren’t too keen on most of them Some shows have pretty strange fans, and their plots and stories can be extremely controversial. But one studio stands above all that critics and audiences can all agree on: Studio Ghibli.

The film is full of adventure, with themes from multiple cultures.

The history of the studio begins in the mid-1980s. Four Japanese filmmakers - Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma created the company.

The first film that the studio got distribution rights to was created before the company was founded. Nausicaä: valley of the wind (1984) was the studio’s first resounding success. It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki who would go on to become a distinguished filmmaker

The story is set a thousand years after a massive tragedy and the collapse of industrial civilization. The Earth is running low on resources and large swaths of the environment are fatally polluted, including all of the easily accessible water sources. Humanity is forced to take their power from sources like wind and water. The movie now has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating, which is astounding for a first movie. Their next movie was Castle in the Sky (1986). The film is full

of adventure, with themes from multiple cultures. The movie is about a group of sky pirates and a massive government administration racing to discover a floating castle with untold riches. Receiving a 96% rotten tomatoes score, the film is widely enjoyed by people of all ages.

Over the next 40 years, the studio published multiple classics and successes, including: The beloved My Neighbor Totoro (1988), the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away (2001), the Academy Award nominated Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and several other famous films.

But in December 2023, the studio came back with what critics described as their “magnum opus”: The Boy and the Heron. The movie received critical acclaim, becoming the second 2D animated film in history to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, after Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away over 20 years ago. In the movie, a boy named Mahito is recovering from his

mother’s death two years prior to the story in World War II during a firebombing. At his new home, a strange gray heron won’t stop following and irritating him, and speaks to him, telling him that his mother is still alive He follows several clues to a mysterious tower in the forest near the estate, where he is sucked into another dimension. Needless to say, the film certainly deserved that Academy Award. It received a rare 97% Rotten Tomatoes score

The studio’s future, however, is quite uncertain.

The studio’s future, however, is quite uncertain. Successful director Hayao Miyazaki, who directed all major successes of Studio Ghibli, is retiring soon. After an over 10 year temporary retirement, this is what he made The Boy and the Heron may be his last film. Either way, when he does retire, the film industry will certainly miss his work.

Courtesy of Cedars

Godzilla x King Kong: The New Empire grosses hundreds of millions

Padrig Jan

When Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire debuted on March 29th, it was expected to make around 50-55 million dollars in its opening weekend.

The battles between the Titans were flashy and bright with mindblowing special effects.

Instead, the movie grossed over 80 million dollars, and as of April 14th, making 436.5 million dollars on a 135 million dollar budget. The movie stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns and Fala Chen, some of who return after starring in the prequel, Godzilla vs. Kong.

Overall, the plot was strong, but the villains were a little mediocre. The Scar King was not a worthy opponent of King Kong.

Towards the beginning of the movie, Godzilla and King Kong hear a distress call in Hollow Earth, which is a world inside of the Earth where King Kong lives. Godzilla and King Kong start to prepare themselves for a battle, and Monarch, a group focused on researching Titans, like Godzilla and King Kong, starts taking notice and mobilizing.

During the movie, Dr. Irene Andrews recruits Bernie Hayes, a Podcaster on Titans, and along with Trapper, a doctor, Mikhail, a grumpy military commander, and Jia, a member of the extinct Iwi tribe of Skull Island and Dr. Andrews’s adopted daughter, heads into Hollow Earth.

Overall, the plot was strong, but the villains were a little mediocre. The Scar King was not a worthy opponent of King Kong. The Scar King had to rely on his cronies multiple times during the film.

In the final battle, Godzilla and King Kong had no regard for humans, which is true for a lot of these movies, but they were incessantly killing thousands.

The movie grossed over 80 million dollars [in the opening weekend]

However, it’s not entirely detrimental to the plot because a Godzilla/King Kong movie isn’t supposed to be something neat and orderly. It’s a Titan movie, and if many die but the Titans save the world, the ending is satisfactory.

[The movie] made 436.5 million dollars

However, the battles between the Titans were flashy and bright with mind-blowing special effects and Kong receiving a metal arm. The special effects of Titans fighting are always awe-inspiring, and this movie had plenty of special effects. Kong’s metal arm was also a little over the top, but if the producers tried to make Kong look better, it worked. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was a really good movie even without any extremely notable actors and is definitely worth the watch

Courtesy of Fangoria

Lauren Oliver’s Delirium: a

Mihika Bobbarjung

Imagine a world where love is considered a disease. Upon turning 18, you are scheduled for a cure from amor deliria nervosa, regardless of whether you want it or not If you are caught infected, you will be scheduled for an emergency procedure, thrown in the Crypts (the jail of Portland), or worse –executed

Imagine a world where love is considered a disease.

Lena’s character dramatically changes throughout the storyline.

The book Delirium, a page turner written by Lauren Oliver, begins with Lena Haloway anticipating her scheduled procedure, which will take place on her 18th birthday. Lena’s character changes dramatically throughout the story line.

At the start of the book, she is a strong rule follower who could have never imagined herself breaking the biggest rule in her society.

Lena [begins] to question her future: Does she want to live the monotonous life she thought she would always live?

When Lena meets a boy named Alex, she is introduced to a world she never could have dreamed of experiencing. This makes Lena question her future: Does she want to live the same monotonous life she thought she would always live?

Lena begins to make decisions that are not only impulsive but also unreasonable.

As the story progresses, Lena begins to make decisions that are not only impulsive but also unreasonable. She tends to care more about the positive parts of her resolutions, instead of the negative aspects, or what could go wrong. Lena decides things based on what other people might think or feel, which is nonetheless, not a desirable quality in her society.

The plot in this book is very gripping.

thrilling and captivating read

The plot in this book is very gripping, with several unexpected twists and turns I would rate this book a four out of five stars as it was exceedingly fast-

Overall, Delirium is an intriguing and thrilling novel that will keep readers turning each page.

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Overall, Lauren paced and engaging. The character development was strong throughout the book; my attachment to the characters’ decisions ended up making it a very appealing read.

Author Lauren Oliver impeccably planned the events leading up to the end of the book and the end of the series. The book ends with an infuriating cliffhanger, paving the way for the

remaining books in the trilogy, Pandemonium and Requiem, which continues Lena’s story in this dystopian world.

Oliver’s Delirium is an intriguing and thrilling novel that will keep readers turning each page until the very end of this gripping series.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Courtesy of Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

SZA’s upcoming album Lana

Anusha Shukla

Solána Imani Rowe, more widely known as SZA, is taking the music industry by storm.

Since the release of her new single “Saturn,” debuting on February 22, 2024, SZA’s fans have been eagerly awaiting the highly-anticipated album, Lana. “Saturn” brought her back into the spotlight, causing all her previous albums to resurface in the mainstream

SZA is taking the music industry by storm.

SZA has two studio albums, Ctrl and SOS, as well as numerous collaborations

Ctrl has about 3.9 billion streams

Ctrl was SZA’s debut album, which completely blew up when she released it in 2017. Her main hits include songs such as “Broken Clocks,” “The Weekend,” “Supermodel,” and “Drew Barrymore.” Ctrl is SZA’s interpretation of what control looks like in life. The raw emotion in her lyrics reassures listeners that there is always something you control.

As of 2024, Ctrl has about 3.9 billion streams on Spotify. In 2022, her most recent album, SOS, was released. Her

Upon [SOS’s] release, it reached number one on the Billboard 200

biggest hits of the album include “Kill Bill,” “Low,” and “Open Arms,” songs that instantly overtook the internet. Due to the increased prominence of social media during the last decade, SOS did significantly better than SZA’s debut album.

Upon its release, it reached number one on the Billboard 200 and currently has 4.8 billion streams on Spotify.

SOS is described by SZA as her “departure from being a good girl” after she broke up with her ex-fiance. The stories in each song relay a part of SZA to help the listener get to know her more.

The stories in each song relay a part of SZA to help the listener get to know

her more.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

: Could it define her career?

After such a successful album, SZA fans were ecstatic to hear that she plans to release a new album titled Lana sometime in 2024. Lana was meant to be a deluxe version of SOS before SZA decided to release it as its own album.

Some say she will continue the theme present in SOS

During the 2024 Grammy Awards broadcast, SZA debuted her song “Saturn,” which will be featured in the upcoming album.

“Saturn” is a heartfelt story of how SZA feels isolated and knows that something - or someone - is out there for her.

“Saturn” is a heartfelt story

It currently has 162 million streams on Spotify and is taking over social media

While fans wait for her new album, many have speculated on how SZA’s new album will turn out.

Her song “Saturn” ... will be featured in [Lana]

Some say she will continue the theme present in SOS, while other fanatics say the new songs will be completely different; either way, fans are about to witness a groundbreaking and inovative new era of SZA.

Lana was meant to be a deluxe version of SOS before SZA decided to release it as its own album.

Courtesy of SZA Shop

Courtesy of Marca

Warcross: not another generic hacker story

Meghna Gopalakrishnan

Marie Lu’s iconic Warcross hooked me from the very first page. This sci-fi, dystopian, and fantasy book is unique and fast-paced with twists and turns.

The plot revolves around teenage hacker, Emika Chen. The book is set around ten years in the future, where Emika scrapes by as a bounty hunter in Manhattan. She tracks down and captures players who illegally use Warcross, an advanced VR game.

When Emika hacks into the Warcross Championship’s opening game to earn easy money, a glitch causes her to instead

Warcross wasn’t

a stereotypical book.

be thrust into the world spotlight.

Less than 24 hours later, she arrives in Tokyo, about to meet her childhood idol and creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka. All Emika knows is that the young billionaire paid her overdue rent and now wants something in return.

Fast-paced with twists and turns

I loved how Warcross wasn’t a stereotypical book with extremely complex computer lingo or overused descriptions of pimply kids with clunky glasses and lightning quick typing skills. Instead, Lu explains hacking visually, with colors and shapes that paint a vivid picture.

A similar strategy is used to explain the Dark World, the underground criminal side of Warcross. It is depicted as a market, with vendors selling an array of illegal goods and services.

The book also ends without a definite resolution. At the time, this was deeply frustrating, but it made the beginning of the sequel, Wildcard, even more anticipating

One thing Lu could’ve improved upon was the believability of the Warcross game itself.

In the book, leveling up in Warcross has many benefits for players, from gaining strength and weaponry to qualifying for more difficult tournaments with larger rewards One way to level up is by visiting places throughout Tokyo. So why do players not just repeatedly visit these spots instead of actually playing the game?

I’d rate it a four and a half out of five stars.

Marie Lu also implies that everyone in the world plays Warcross, but what about people who don’t like video games? Or working-

class families and impoverished communities who can’t spend time on a VR game when they have mouths to feed?

Though these missing perspectives negatively affect the believability of the story, they can be overlooked in favor of the bustling fictional world created by the author

If you want to check out any more books by Marie Lu, the Legend series is a popular choice. If you didn’t enjoy that, she’s written 53 books to choose from!

In all, this book was an entertaining read and made sure to keep me on my toes. With slight romance and plenty of thrilling scenes, I’d rate it a four and a half out of five stars.

Courtesy of Amazon