Hillfield Strathallan College - Middle School Student Newspaper
CONTENTS
@theHelm Issue 3: Jan-Feb 2026
On the cover: photo by Kaiden Li 801 (photo contest winner)
04LunarNewYear
Learn more about this worldwide celebration
14BenefitsofTravel
It’s good for you from head to toe!
31@theHelmCoverContest
See the other stunning entries here
SPECIALFEATURES
03 New Year & Groundhog Day
05 Chinese Lion Dance
06 Eid al-Adha
07 All About Pakistan
15 Geology feature: The Earth’s Layers
16 History feature: The Taj Mahal
19, 25 Air Hockey Tips & Outfits Ideas
21 How to Handle Stress & What’s Your Zodiac?
22 The Concept of Dreams
23 Middle School photo gallery
24 Hot Takes & Chemical Change facts
25 Annie JR - the Middle School musical
33 Fashion and toy trends
REGULARFEATURES
03, 19 Pet Corner
03 Student Spotlight
08-10 Sports Corner
10-13, 16, 32 Survey Results
17-18 Animals: sunfish, pandas, turtles, hamsters
21 Comic
23 Math Corner
24 Jokes
26-27 Recipes
28 Music & game reviews
29 Harajuku Spotlight series
32-34 Word searches & spot the difference
ARTANDCREATIVEWRITING
20 How to Draw Animal Characters
30 Poetry
Results are in! Mac OS won by a landslide with 70.2% of the votes! Mac OS is truly the greatest operating system!
By Zayd Gilani
804
WHICHOPERATINGSYSYTEMISTHEBEST?
Student Spotlighton EvieBarron
By Madyn Verbeek 601
QWhatisyour
Cutest PETS!
“You are the author
ppy Groundhog Day
Day is on ach year.
If the groundhog sees its shadow when it comes out, then there will be 6 more weeks of winter.
If not, then there will be 6 more weeks of spring.
Annabel Gough 604 & Madyn Verbeek 601
PortiaValeri,AnnaLegault 601andAanyaJain602
LunarNewYear
We all celebrate different holidays, and maybe you celebrate Eid or Christmas instead of Lunar New Year. Whatever your culture, the Lunar New Year is one you don’t want to miss.
Lunar New Year is a time to get together with friends and family, and to mark new beginnings. It lasts 15 days total, with the first new moon of the year being the start and ending at the lantern festival on the first full moon. Some of the traditions are cleaning up your house for new beginnings. This year is the year of the fire horse. Use this chart to find out more!
By Arman Khalid 501, Zayd Gilani 804, and Hamdan Salman 604
WhatisEidal-Adha?
Eid al-Adha is the celebration of sacrifice and marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca
Eid is the celebration that is celebrated to honour the great sacrifice that the Prophet Ibrahim was willing to make
During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims think and remember Prophet Ibrahim's tests by slaughtering an animal such as a goat We do this to honour his memory and that of his son
WhatdoMuslimsdotocelebrate Eidal-Adha?
On the first morning of Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world attend morning prayers at their local mosque. Prayers are followed by visits with family and friends, and the exchange of greetings and gifts. At some point, members of the family will visit a local farm or otherwise will make arrangements for the slaughter of an animal (Qurbani). The meat is split into three even portions One for the family themselves, one for others in their life such as their other family or friends, and the final portion is donated to the poor which is called “Sadaqah”
Eid Ul-Adha celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice
Over 1 5 Billion Muslims worldwide observe Eid al-Adha
Its name translates to "Festival of Sacrifice" in Arabic
Generosity is a orce theme, encouraging charity and sharing
There are two Eids The other one, Eid al F itur, is the Eid after Ramadan
Hope you enjoyed learning about Eid al-Adah with us!
According to UEFA, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most capped men’s football player in the world! That means that he has had the most appearances on the international stage with his nation (Portugal) at 226 appearances!
Based on the facts, Ronaldo is the clearly the better player
In the UEFA champions league, Ronaldo is the all time top scorer. He has scored 140 goals
Ronaldo has scored 954 career goals, which is the most career goals EVER scored by any player.
OtherReasonsWhyRonaldoDominates
Ronaldo’s physical attributes are superior to Messi’s by miles. His superior physique allows him to score insane goals with extreme power in his shots.
Ronaldo’s freekick has been recorded at 130km/h
Sources: UEFA.com Messivsronaldoapp
Ronaldo is often praised for his extraordinary discipline Ronaldo’s training ethic truly makes him stand out the most During an interview, Ronaldo shared his daily routine
Right after he wakes up, he takes an ice-cold plunge and gets straight to training This mentality of making training his top priority helps him stay fit and perform extremely well in important games
Messi Ronaldo
MLSCup2026
One of the most famous bands in history is the Beatles. They are from Liverpool, and the
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” is Liverpool FC’s anthem. It is sung by fans before every match at Anfield, creating one of the most famous atmospheres in world football.
Salah is Liverpool’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer and one of the fastest players in the club’s history to reach major scoring milestones.
by HAssaan Alexis 703
MVP: The current favourites for the NBA MVP race are Shai GilgeousAlexander, Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham.
The race for Rookie of the Year is between Coper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe. My prediction for Rookie of the Year is VJ Edgecombe. Jan 18th
My final predictions is the Toronto Raptors vs the San Antonio Spurs https://www.espn.com/nba/
When you are listening to music, have you wondered which of the audio options you like the most? I did a survey about this and the winner was headphones!
Now let’s look at the details for the chart. For Headphones, many people choose them because they block other sounds better For AirPods, it is because they are small and look good And for speakers, it's because they have great sound and volume! But just remember: every device will hurt your body The screen will hurt while the sound will hurt your ear, so don’t use them often! Thank You :-D !
Rishaan Gupta 702
Christmas Candy or Halloween Candy?
Survey & results by Scorus Hu 601
Halloween and Christmas have gone by. Have you wondered which is better: Christmas Candies or Halloween C di ? S I did a survey
Since Christmas candies are better, let’s see some more details about which candy is the best. The best candy is candy canes, followed by peppermint bark. There are other choices like hot chocolate and other
Research shows that people who travel frequently have a higher social life. Sharing moments with others creates bonds. The friendships we create while travelling and strengthening the ones we have contribute to our happiness.
STRESSREDUCTION
Stress is super common in our lives, and travelling is a well-known solution. Escaping from our regular routines and entering a new environment can reduce our stress levels. Whether it’s relaxing on a beach, exploring a new city, or detoxing from our phones and embracing nature, changing our scenery can provide us with a break.
Thank you for completing the survey about which layer of the Earth is your favourite! You can see the results in the survey results section of @theHelm.
Hope you enjoyed learning about the Earth’s layers with Arman!
Sources: Britannica and Science Notes
PORTIA
Taj Mahal
by Arman Khalid 501
Hi Middle School! We asked you about your favourite tourist attractions. Here are the top three places...
The
Sunfish Sunfish
i
I n t ro d u c t i o n Introduction
The ocean as sea, why? Because inability swim, vulnerability predators, breeder, and lack bladder. Unlike suggests, are actually ecosystem. They are planktivorous, meaning eat plankton, jellyfish, small fish, and vertebrates. They stabilize population ecosystem. Also, obtain ecosystem, plankton growth. Since many parasites, they sunbathe and have cleaner eat the parasites. Cleaner and have mutualistic relationship ocean because reason.
ocean sunfish is known as the most useless fish in the sea, but why? Because of their inability to swim, vulnerability to predators, being a prolific breeder, and a lack of a swim bladder. Unlike the subtitle suggests, these fish are actually quite useful to the ecosystem. They are planktivorous, meaning they eat a lot of plankton, jellyfish, small fish, and other vertebrates. They help stabilize their population in the ecosystem. Also, they return the nutrients they obtain from their diet to the ecosystem, which supports plankton growth. Since sunfish host many parasites, they sunbathe and have cleaner fish eat the parasites. Cleaner fish and sunfish have a mutualistic relationship in the ocean because of this reason.
General Information
Scientific Name: Mola Mola
Scientific Name: Mola Mola
Lifespan: Years
Lifespan: 8 - 10 Years
Diet: Plankton, jellyfish, small fish, and vertebrates
Diet: Plankton, jellyfish, small fish, and other vertebrates
Weight:
Weight: 247 - 1000kg
Prolific: Producing a large number of something Prolific: Producing large number something
Definitions: Definitions:
Plantivorous: feeding on plankton Plantivorous: plankton
Vertebrates: Animals vertebral and cranium
Vertebrates: Animals with a vertebral column and a cranium
Types of Pandas Types of Pandas
There are many types of pandas, including red pandas, giant pandas and many others. Pandas live mostly in southern China. There are many types of pandas, including red pandas, giant pandas and many others. Pandas live mostly in southern China.
Mutualism: An Ecological relationship where two or more each
Mutualism: An Ecological relationship where two or more species benefit from each other
Giant Pandas Giant Pandas
Giant Pandas live in dense bamboo forests in southern China. They are one of the world’s rarest animals with only about 1500 of them living in the wild. Bamboo is 99% of their diets and occasionally eat fish or small mammals.
Giant Pandas live in dense bamboo forests in southern China. They are one of the world’s rarest animals with only about 1500 of them living in the wild. Bamboo is 99% of their diets and occasionally eat fish or small mammals.
@theHelm - page 15
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Red Pandas Red Pandas
Red pandas live in the Eastern Himalayas and in Southwestern China. Red Pandas are great climbers. Since 2015, the Red Panda has been listed as an endangered species, since there are fewer than 10,000 left in the world.
Red pandas live in the Eastern Himalayas and in Southwestern China. Red Pandas are great climbers. Since 2015, the Red Panda has been listed as an endangered species, since there are fewer than 10,000 left in the world.
Turtles can not survive without their shells, turtles are one of the 100 sea reptiles and the largest turtles known as the leather backs are 2 meters long
Hamsters Hamsters
amsters
By Katrina Genov, 701
By Katrina Genov, 701
Hamsters are quite interesting animals. From being an at-home pet to surviving in the wild, it’s fascinating how they live compared to us. In the wild, hamsters prefer to live alone, making them solitary animals. When they are pets, their behaviour can vary depending on a lot. Their active level, their environment, and way more. It is an important factor to get the correct necessities to care for these fragile, adorable animals.
Hamsters are quite interesting animals. From being an at-home pet to surviving in the wild, it’s fascinating how they live compared to us. In the wild, hamsters prefer to live alone, making them solitary animals. When they are pets, their behaviour can vary greatly. Their active level, their environment, and way more. It is an important factor to get the correct necessities to care for these fragile, adorable animals.
Hamsters are quite interesting animals. From being an at-home pet to surviving in the wild, it’s fascinating how they live compared to us. In the wild, hamsters prefer to live alone, making them solitary animals. When they are pets, their behaviour can vary greatly. Their active level, their environment, and way more. It is an important factor to get the correct necessities to care for these fragile, adorable animals.
Description
Description Description
Scientific Name: Cricetinae
Scientific Name: Cricetinae
Lifespan: 2 - 3 Years
Lifespan: 2 - 3 Years
Lifespan: 2 - 3 Years
Diet: Grains, Vegetables, and Pelleted food Average Weight: 25 - 140g
Diet: Grains, Vegetables, and Pelleted food Average Weight: 25 - 140g Average Weight: 25 - 140g
Number of Hamster Species: 19 species
Number of Hamster Species: 19 species
Number of Hamster Species: 19 species
Kiddle - visual search engine for kids
Julian Le 502
Bunnies!
Alvin Freja
Pt.1
Babybunniesare calledkittens
byHughCann501
601
I just recently got two little bunnies named Alvin and Freja. I’m here to tell you about how to care for these adorable little creatures!
First off, you need to give them a space that fits their size and needs. For Freja, since she’s bigger, we gave her a 7-foot-long, 2-foot-wide cage with a roof (she can really jump). We gave her things to chew on, an upstairs apartment, and plenty of space to flop.
ADORABLE
Next, you will be TOLD how your bunny is feeling. They express their feelings in a number of ways. A backwards flip of the legs while moving indicates “Bunni-tude”, while a stomp indicates protest or fear, zoomies indicate, well, excitementinflicted zoomies. Grunting, yes, grunting means that they are hangry or miffed, clicking their teeth means happy and calm, BUT if it’s louder and more constant it could mean
By Joe Fishbein 503
Try to play for possession of the puck in an imaginary semi circle. Once you have possession, you can do a shot of your own.
Try out the bank shot which is when you shoot the puck of the side and into the other net.
*This was from my own knowlege
Drawing Characters
Ifyour artstyle has big heads, you can stillgive them varied face spreads!
Younger characters could be drawn with larger heads, and larger foreheads" While older characters should have smaller heads and more even faces This makes the bodies of older characters look more "developed" compared to the younger ones
Many colours can make people feel certain things Like more red for anger or blue for emotion
Knock knock! Who’s there? Goat! Goat who? Goat who the door and find out!
A linguistics professor was lecturing his class the other day. "In English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive However, in some languages, such as Russian, a double negative remains a negative. But there isn't a single language, not one, in which a double positive can express a negative." A voice from the back of the room said, "Yeah, right."
You are going to need: sugar milk hot chocolate mix Nutella glutinous rice flour
Instructions:
Take 2 cups of rice flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 cups of milk with 3 tsp of hot chocolate mix and combine It is supposed to be a liquid at first Put it in a pan until it becomes a dough, then put the dough on the table and roll it out After you roll it out in one big sheet, cut out circles and fill them with Nutella. Close up the hole. Serve them as a tasty, luxurious dessert Enjoy!
MATCHA RED BEAN MOCHI
By Zoey Dam 704
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup Mochiko glutinous rice flour
1 tsp green tea powder
Matcha is a traditional dessert that is eaten during the Lunar New Year It is made of glutinous rice flour, and it has a soft, chewy texture Some of the most common flavours are red bean paste, white bean paste, and black sesame paste It also can be filled with ice cream and fruits This mochi is matcha flavoured, with a filling of red bean paste
Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water
Toast panko in butter until golden
Mix in parsley, lemon zest Set aside
Melt butter, and cook garlic until fragrant
Add pasta, toss.
Lower heat, add pasta water + egg-cheese mix
Stir constantly until the sauce is smooth and thick.
Add more pasta water if needed.
Season with salt & pepper.
Serve pasta, and top with panko.
Grate hard-boiled eggs on top.
Linktoactualrecipehere!
By Willow Xu 602 and Dorothea Chen 603
Illit is a multinational K-pop girl group under Belift Lab, formed from the survival show R U Next?, known for their fresh, magnetic "I'll-It" vibe, blending "I will" (independent spirit) with "It" (unique charm) to symbolize limitless potential
Many people like the member's name, Wonhee. Wonhee (이원희) is a member of the popular K-pop girl group ILLIT, she’s known for her bright personality and unexpected rise to first place despite being a short-term trainee.
Harajuku is an umbrella term for Japanese fashion subcultures. It is named after a Tokyo district where these subcultures originated and are practiced.
MUSIC
Like Fairy Kei, Decora isn’t really a music-based genre. However, most people who are in this subculture listen to J-Pop, Vocaloid, and 5 -gen Emo th
APPEARANCE
ORIGIN
Decora started in Tokyo, Japan, in the late 90s/Early 2000s Like Gyaru, it was meant to rebel against outdated fashion trends and unrealistic Asian beauty standards.
Decora is heavily based on bright colours and as many accessories as possible. It is usually made up of cute accessories such as bright tutus, puffy leg/armwarmers, hairpins, kandi/bracelets, and loud shoes You can use anything bright.
SOURCE 1 | SOURCE 2
@theHelm Cover Contest
These are the submissions from the cover contest. The winner has been displayed on the cover of the paper.
Thank you to...
Ella Nicholl
Dorothea Chen
Parnika Karthick
Charlie Chou 801
Charlotte Bradshaw
Owen Howie
Nava Anvari
Aarohi Banerjee
Danielle Billone
Lucas Jiang
Kaiden Li for participating!
Congrats to Kaiden Li for winning! His submission is displayed on the cover.
HOUSEQUIZANSWERS
This is the final result of the Harry Potter House Quiz!
I hope you all filled it out There were an amazing number of responders! 64, wow! This graph shows MS's opinion on which house they want to be in.
I have taken the real Harry Potter Quiz and I am in... Gryffindor! It is the same house Harry, Hermione and Ron were in
By Charlotte Bradshaw 601
MOVIEQUIZANSWERS
Hello! This is the final result of the Harry Potter Movie Quiz! There were many different answers, and the final number was... 65! Two answers were tied for first: What is Harry Potter? and Love them all! To whomever answered that Harry Potter is amazing, I agree!
S P O T 8 D I F F E R E N C E S ! ! ! A N S W E R K E Y H E R E
T h e y ’ r e a l s o s u p e r e x p e n s i v ea s u s p i c i o u s t r e n d i f y o u a s k m e . . .
w h y c r o p t o p s ? ? ! ! T h e y a r e a b i t d r a f t y , a r e n ’ t t h e y ? A n d w o n ’ t y o u g e t a s u n b u r n o n y o u r b e l l y ? ? O M G , S o T r e n d y ! !
I n t h i s i s s u e o f O M G
S o T r e n d y , w e a r e
g o i n g t o t a l k a b o u t w h a t ’ s t r e n d i n g n o w . L a b u b u d o l l s ? I m e a n c o m e o n g u y s ! D o w e r e a l l y l i k e g r e m l i n s n o w ? !
Y e s s s s s s ! ! ! c a r g o j e a n s a r e a
y e s . T h e y ’ r e t r e n d y a n d c o m f o r t a b l en o t o v e r r a t e d l i k e
L a b u b u s ! ! S o m e G e n Z / G e n A l p h a
c l o t h e s a r e a b i t q u e s t i o n a b l e , b u t s o m e s t u f f i s g o o d !
