2021-2022 Issue 5
Table of Contents Pages 1-2: Winter Formal Pages 3-7: Campus Life Page 8: Life of a Working Student Page 9: The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Pages 10-11: Human Interest Page 12: Super Bowl Preview Page 13: A Soup-er Article
A Red Carpet Formal
by Sienna Mehling
The Red Carpet was rolled out for Immanuel High School’s student body and a random cat, on Saturday, January 29. From 6 to 9, all high school students were invited for dinner at Hidden Hollow. When students entered the room, they were immediately welcomed by staff that helped them check-in and gave them their name card to put at their table of choice. Each table had a picture of an Immanuel teacher photoshopped on a movie poster as well as a pitcher of water and lemonade were at each table. For an hour students were able to socialize with other students in the room, take professional photos, take photos at the photo booth, and even play a game. Black-out Bingo was the first game of the night. This game consisted of different things you needed to find that night in order to win one of the six prizes. Some of these things that were on the Bingo sheet were, “find someone who is out of dress code,” or better yet, “find someone who is wearing all black and a chain.” The game was a good starter for a night that had students distracted before food was ready. Hidden Hollow provided a buffet-style dinner for this night where students were able to get a salad, three options of bread (zwieback was not an option, if you were wondering), baby potatoes, a mix of steamed veggies, and a grilled chicken breast. During dinner, a game was played to entertain the students. Immanuelstyle games of Family Feud and Jeopardy were mixed together. Two students were called up at each table at different times during dinner and they had to pick out a
category from a popcorn box that Mrs. V held up. These categories included school, faculty, sports, and movies. Once a category was chosen Mrs. V would ask a question and whoever hit the buzzer first got the first chance to answer the question. Students got to learn a lot of funny and interesting information about their teachers. During the game, a cookie and mini cupcake were served to students as their dessert to wrap up the night. At 9 o'clock, students were released for the night, and the red carpet was rolled up and put away for next year.
Formal Gallery
Meet The Solid Grounds' Baristas by Hannah Brown
Solid Grounds Coffee House has been serving up handcrafted drinks for nearly two months since their opening in late November. Students, staff and visitors have been taking advantage of this new addition to Immanuel campus. Solid Grounds serves specialty drinks in conjunction with the Kuppa Joy coffee company. Behind the counters, student baristas work to fulfill demanding orders. Coffee house manager Josh Bachar and a few students took the time to answer a few questions and give insight into what it’s like working at Solid Grounds.
After some more discussion and prayer, I was offered the opportunity to serve you guys, the students." 3. What do you find special about working at an 1. How did you get on campus coffee shop? started in the coffee "That it’s an “on campus” High School coffee industry? shop! Even now, that is just so insanely awesome to "When I recognized me!" that it was an industry. 4. What is it like training/working with high Coffee beyond a drink school students? has always been an "Growing. This is not my first time helping train enjoyable hobby of mine. someone’s coffee skills. However; it is my first time I grew up seeing the title doing it alone. Before, it was a team training one of barista as synonymous with burger flipper in terms new person. But right now I am one person learning of career potential. Being a barista does work as a how to teach and lead a team. I am grateful for the great introduction into a customer service work grace that my students have extended towards me environment, however that is not all there is to it. God as I work to give them all the individualized attention revealed this to me over the course of my first year that they deserve, and am blown away at the working at Kuppa Joy. Coffee is how I want to progress that I see in them only after a single month continue loving others and sharing Christ in the of being open." world." 5. Do you like experimenting with new drinks, or 2. How did you get the opportunity to become do you prefer perfecting old ones? manager here at Immanuel? "Such a great and tough question! Can I say "Zack Follett, the owner of Kuppa Joy, reached both? I’d like to say both. Consistency is such an out and told me about this coffee shop that was important factor in any food service. How would you opening up inside of a high school and that they were feel about a sandwich that tastes different every looking for someone to help out with their cafe. I was other time you ordered it? But it is also so much fun introduced to Dan Goetz and Ryan Wood while discovering new favorites! I drink coffee every single dropping off a coffee grinder at the cafe. I told them day, it’s my job! No matter how good a drink is, my story and that I was excited to hear what God eventually you’ll get burnt out and thus need to would do with this space that Immanuel was building. improvise or have a couple back up plans!" Josh Bachar: Solid Grounds Manager
6. Any future menu plans you can share? "I’ve got a handful of things that I’m working on. Not sure when this article is going to be posted but we are about to release a Raspberry White Chocolate Mocha for February that tastes just like cheesecake. It’s so good!" 7. Several students have been wondering if there is a possibility of allowing study hall period students to help in the coffee shop, what are your thoughts on that? "I think that sounds like an awesome idea! Or even if certain classes wanted to host their study hall at the coffee shop, to you know, study. I’m open to all conversations that any students would want to have on ways that the coffee shop could be utilized for students and or staff." 8. Finally, what is your favorite drink or a drink you would recommend? "Like I mentioned before, I have a rotating list of drinks that I cycle through. But here is one that I made at Kuppa Joy that stayed as my shift drink for a long time: I’d make myself a Less Sweet Hallelujah with Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate, Sugar-Free Vanilla, and Oat Milk. A “Healthy” Hallelujah. I was happily surprised by how well subbing out the white chocolate for dark chocolate made for a yummy rich change in the drink, and oat milk paired very well with the cinnamon that is already found in the Hallelujah."
3. What is the most interesting drink you've made? "The most interesting drink I’ve made was an extra sweet amazing grace because our signature drinks are already very sweet. 4. What is your drink of choice? "An iced chai latte or an iced Hallelujah."
Hannah Barker, Junior Student Barista 1. What do you enjoy about working at Solid Grounds? "I enjoy interacting with the customers and becoming closer with my coworkers." 2. What is the most interesting drink order you've made?
"A drip coffee with heavy cream and honey." 3. What was the most challenging thing you had to learn? "It took me a while to be able to learn how to do latte art." 4. What is your drink of choice? "My favorite iced coffee is either the Kuppa Joy Mady Ronlake, Senior or the Kuppa Heaven, I can’t decide. If I’m not looking for coffee I get an iced blood orange green Student Barista tea."
1. Why did you decide to work at Solid Grounds? "I decided to work at solid grounds for the experience of working in a coffee shop and because I want to work at Kuppa Joy once I’m out of high school." 2. What is the most challenging skill you had to learn while working? "At the moment I’m learning how to pull espresso shots and that can be challenging because you need the right technique to get it right."
Haneet Kaur, Junior Student Barista 1. Why did you decide to work at Solid Grounds? "I decided to apply to get work experience and in general service hours. I think it’s a great opportunity to learn how to work with others
and develop customer service and leadership skills." 2. What do you enjoy about working there? "I enjoy making the drinks and making hearts with the milk. It’s fun doing designs on the drink." 3. What was the most challenging skill you had to learn while working? "It was challenging to memorize the menu and have it at the front of your mind for any order. It was also challenging to remember the steps and just in general to make the drinks. The process can be hard such as the right temperature for the milk and texture before just pouring the milk." 4. What is your drink of choice? "My favorite drink would be an iced spice chai with a pump of vanilla."
Ethan Garcia, Junior Student Barista 1. What do you enjoy about working at Solid Grounds? "The community behind the bar is unmatched to most group extra curriculars I've been in. And I guess I always wanted to be into coffee you know, and this finally gave me that opportunity." 2. What is the most challenging skill you had to learn while working? "Learning the recipes was definitely a challenge but steaming milk was the most rewarding and challenging thing I’ve had to do. The process relies a lot on feel than formula in my opinion which feels great when you do it right." 3. What is the most interesting drink order you've made? "Probably the real stacked built up lattes that just end up resulting in one of our signatures. I do appreciate the meticulous orders however, they give a good challenge."
4. What is your drink of choice? "When it comes to our items at the shop I personally order an iced chai with substitute oat milk; or a hot hallelujah."
Emily Kawagoe, Junior Student Barista 1. Why did you decide to work at Solid Grounds? "I've always loved coffee and it was a great opportunity to gain some work experience with jobs. It also helps me with my social anxiety." 2. What do you enjoy about work at Solid Grounds? "Honestly washing the dishes at the end of the day is really fun and helps me de-stress before I go home. Also getting to see and talk to different people everyday, including my coworkers." 3. What is the most interesting drink order you've made? "Since I'm so new, I haven't made many difficult orders, but I did have to make three Oreo frappes and split them into six cups." 4. What is your drink of choice? "Usually an oat latte or oat cappuccino."
This journalist’s favorite order: an iced dirty chai with oat milk.
Immanuel Performing Arts Presents... Cinderella by Sienna Mehling & Alex Hughes
February is just around the corner which means another performance for Immanuel’s Performing arts is coming up. This year, Josh Merritt, the new choir and drama director for the junior high and high school decided to put on the show Cinderella. The cast and crew are excited to present their show to Immanuel in the coming weeks. Here are some interviews with the cast that reveal a bit more about the behind-the-scenes actions taken to put on the show and what to look forward to.
Maddie Ramirez: What does the audition process look like? “It looks a little different every year, this year we prepared a few songs and read for a couple different characters depending on who Mr. Merritt chose for us.” How many months does it take to prepare for a show? What are all the steps the cast has to take before the audience is ready to see the show? “We have a total of around 6 weeks to prepare this show. We were given the cast list and scripts before winter break, and started work mainly when we returned to school. We all have to memorize scripts, block scenes, learn songs, as well as learn choreography, etc. And get all the final details in place (costumes, props, etc.)” What’s your technique for memorizing lines? “Using voice memos to record my lines and listen to them, and also just running lines with my cast mates.” What’s your favorite aspect of this show? “There is a lot of fun costumes, dancing, etc. And also some really fun characters and humor throughout the show.” What do you look most forward to the audience seeing in this show that they haven’t seen before? “Everyone has been working so hard and it’s exciting to do a new show with a new director, and we have all been having fun putting this show together!”
Jamee Lindahl: What does the audition process look like? “There are time schedules and you sign up. When you go in you have to know two or three of the songs from the show and a song of your choice. I chose a bad song and regret everything. You also read the script.”
How many months does it take to prepare for a show? What are all the steps the cast has to take before the audience is ready to see the show? “You can pull off a show in a month if you have all the resources. You need to get resources like costumes, props, sets, and learn lines, choreography, and songs.” What’s your technique for memorizing lines? “I record myself saying the lines before and after my line and when I listen back I say my lines.” What’s your favorite aspect of this show? “The humor in it is very advanced. It’s a very selfaware show.” What do you look most forward to the audience seeing in this show that they haven’t seen before? “The magic of the live stage. Come to the show.”
Nievah Martinez: What does the audition process look like? “When we audition we have to pick a song of our choice from any musical and perform it. Then we also have to sing a song from the musical that we are actually doing. After that, we read lines from the script” How many months does it take to prepare for a show? What are all the steps the cast has to take before the audience is ready to see the show?
“Usually it takes about 2 months or so. In order to to be fully prepared for a show, we have to make sure we’re confident enough on lines as well as songs. We also have to make sure that our costumes are in order as well as our sets and props” What’s your technique for memorizing lines? “I write them out and then I’ll also run lines with someone else” What’s your favorite aspect of this show? “My favorite aspect of this show is the fun songs that I get to sing, as well as the big costume change that I do onstage” What do you look most forward to the audience seeing in this show that they haven’t seen before? “I look forward to the audience getting to see the quick onstage costume changes, which is something that I don’t think many of the audience will have seen before”
Ava Gomez: What does the audition process look like? “The audition process was a little different compared to years past. The sign-up sheet was open for everyone to audition. All we had to do was prepare a song of our choosing and memorize three songs from the show that Mr. Merritt would choose for us to sing for him.” How many months does it take to prepare for a show? What are all the steps the cast has to take before the audience is ready to see the show? “There is no set time that we are required to prepare for a show. It just depends on how much time the director wants to put into the show with us. The shortest time frame we had to put on a show was when we did Fiddler On The Roof which we only had 4 weeks to fully prepare for. For Cinderella, we have been working on the show for about 2 months.” What’s your technique for memorizing lines? “I have a technique that Jamee Lindahl taught me which is to record all of the lines before mine in voice memos and leave a silent pause for when my lines are cued. It’s very helpful when there is no one else around to help with memorizing lines.” What’s your favorite aspect of this show? ”My favorite aspect of this show is my character. I get to go all out and be as dramatic as I want to be and it’s very fitting for my character.” What do you look most forward to the audience seeing in this show that they haven’t seen before? The cast has to go through an audition process, memorize all the songs for the show, and learn any dances that are necessary for the show (shoutout to
our beautiful choreographer Hannah Brown). While it doesn’t seem like much, having 50 kids learn and understand the show is quite time-consuming and tedious.”
Mr. Merritt: How long have you been putting on shows/ teaching choir? “I have been teaching choir and directing shows (Musicals and Dramas) for 8 years now” What made you decide to put on Cinderella? “I decided to do Cinderella because it is a classic show with characters people can recognize. It has amazing music, quite a bit of humor throughout the show, and it is what I like to call “a feel-good musical.” As you watch it, you find yourself constantly smiling at everything going on. I also picked this show because it has not been done at Immanuel before” What has been your favorite show that you have done in the past? “My favorite show that I was a part of as an actor was “The Secret Garden.” One of my favorite shows I have directed is “Hairspray”, however, I will say as we have been putting this show together “Cinderella” is becoming a favorite of mine” How has it been preparing for this show? Has it been different in the past? “Preparing for a big production such as this is always difficult and can be stressful at times, but it’s the order within the chaos that makes musicals so much fun to do. When you are a part of a musical you get to interact and grow relationships with those around you in a more significant way than you would regularly in school. Some of my most fond memories have come from times I was a part of a musical production. You create memories for life, and that makes the crazy preparations and stress worth it” How has your experience at Immanuel been so far? Was it a difficult transition? “My experience at Immanuel has been great so far. I have loved getting to know all of the students, and being able to interact with them and see their growth so far this year. The transition was pretty seamless for me. Since I am an Immanuel grad I had a good understanding of what the Performing Arts here at Immanuel is all about. I am glad to be able to take over and continue a legacy of excellence within this department and continue allowing students to create lifelong memories from their time within the performing arts”
The Life of a Working Student by Alex Hughes
Have you ever gone to buy a Kuppa Hallelujah at lunch and realized that you don’t have any money? Having your parent’s allowance only can get pretty constrictive, and getting a job is a great way to fix this. The world of job hunting, however, can be intimidating and tricky to navigate. Take it from a student who has applied for numerous jobs and received more rejections than calls back: it's difficult, but definitely possible. Senior Ava Gomez applied to In-N-Out with a year of customer service experience. She left a great impression at both interviews and ended up walking away with a job. She has been working there since the summer of 2021. Not everyone who is applying for a job out of high school has work experience, though. Amiris Person, another senior, works at Butterfish. Her job hunt was a little more lengthy than Ava’s application to In-N-Out, but it still ended up with her getting hired. She found out Butterfish was hiring on Indeed and decided to walk into the store to make an in-person impression and schedule an interview. It took three months and a lot of patience for her to get a main interview before she landed the job. When asked what made her stand out despite a lack of experience, Person stated that it was the in-person interaction and initiative. “Most of the people who try to apply online are overlooked,” Person shared. “It is much better to go in person.” Person did have volunteer experience in church, banquet serving, and food handling when applying, which showed that she had skills in the food-service industry despite never being employed. “If you tell interviewers what they want to hear, they will hire you,” Person confided. “Just be yourself. Be open to criticism. Be determined.” I started my own job hunt in May of 2021. I applied to companies like Chipotle and In-N-Out, but I never got a call back. These rejections helped me realize that instead of applying for the highly competitive, sought after jobs, sometimes the best place to start is a local business. I got a job in downtown Visalia in June at The Salad Shop by turning in my application in-person, talking with my boss multiple times over the phone, and performing well on the working interview. With five months of work experience under my belt, I decided to apply for In-N-Out again. I got a call back and
walked into the store to talk with my managers about setting up an interview. Through reaching out and putting a face to my name, I was able to leave a good impression beyond my experience on paper that helped me on my first interview. I landed a second interview where I was able to show In-N-Out how interested and qualified I was to work there, and I was told that I got the job. Applying for a job is difficult, so be prepared for more rejections than calls back. That being said, if you truly want something and are willing to put in the effort to leave a lasting impression, anything is possible. Just because you don’t have any work experience doesn’t mean that your volunteer service, grades, and personality aren’t strengths that an employer is looking for. Just remember to always talk in-person with the employer so you stand out beyond a name on an application and to do your research before walking into an interview. Once the challenging aspect of getting hired is over with, then you just have to focus on balancing school with work and enjoying the feeling of getting paid for your time. After all, the feeling of receiving a paycheck is the best reward anyone can ask for. “It feels exhilarating and very rewarding that my work is paying off (literally),” Gomez shared, and Person metaphorically describes the experience of receiving a paycheck as, “A brand new pair of jeans that fit perfectly, good matcha that actually has flavor, and listening to a new song that you have never heard before that you can’t stop replaying.”
More Than A Dream: The Legacy of MLK by Hannah Brown
Jan. 17 marked Martin Luther King Jr. 's birthday, now celebrated as a national holiday and the reason you get a three day weekend, so say thanks to Dr. King. His life can be condensed into his forever famous words, “I have a dream,” but his legacy is so much more complex than that. While he is most well known for being at the forefront of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 60s, he was also a pastor who earned his doctorate in systematic theology in 1955. He, along with other activists, organized the Montgomery Boycotts and later the Birmingham campaign of 1963. He was put in jail several times and wrote an entire manifesto on civil rights entitled “Letters From Birmingham Jail.” He established civil rights groups, organized nonviolent protests and was the target of several assassination before his death in 1968. Dr. King’s life can not be done justice in a simple paragraph. His work has had a ripple effect throughout history to our modern day, leading to the passage of landmark bills like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Both of these acts aided in prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender and religion as well as banning literacy tests, which disproportionately affected lower class voters. The celebration of MLK comes at a time when Congress is debating the passage of another voting rights bill. After the tumultuous 2020 election, many new restrictions have been put into place to prevent voter fraud. Some have argued that these
Credit to photographer Steve Schapiro, 1965
credit to photographer Jay A. Brown, 1964
restrictions make it harder for people to vote, especially those that are economically disadvantaged. This bill would reverse ballot limitations put into place by several states, such as rules about mail in ballots and polling station requirements. On Jan. 19, the bill was blocked in the Senate, reinforcing the severely divided political lines. It is an issue that shows how divided our nation still is on matters of race, despite the strides made by Dr. King. MLK advocated for nonviolent action, and one of the main ways he encouraged people to act was through voting. It was a cornerstone of his beliefs that voting was essential to making change, especially in poor and colored communities. The passage of MLK Day as a national holiday took nearly 20 years after King’s death. Even after its passage, much controversy remained. He was the first modern historical figure of the 20th century to have a national holiday recognizing him. Just four days after King’s assassination, congressman John Conyers suggested establishing a national holiday to celebrate Dr. King. It would take 6 million signatures, courtesy of the Congressional Black Caucus, and 15 more years for the holiday to be declared. It was not until 2000 that all the US states officially recognized MLK Day. Martin Luther King’s leadership will always be a model for future generations. While the country still has much work to do, his legacy will continue on as our current leaders, on all levels, live out his dream into a more clear reality.
Netflix: The King of Raising Prices By Nievah Martinez
(Picture by Netflix Brand Site)
We all love our easy to access streaming services that offer a plethora of movies and TV shows. However, if you’re looking to save money, Netflix may not be a friend to your bank account. Netflix, the second largest streaming service in the US, officially raised their prices in early January 2022. The service offers three different plans, the Basic plan, the Standard plan and the Premium plan. Your chosen plan determines the price increase, with the Basic plan raising $1 to $9.99 per month. Their Standard plan, being their most popular, has risen $1.50 to $15.49, and their Premium plan increased $2 dollars per month, to $19.99. Netflix’s users have “waned over the past several quarters,” stated Mark Zgutowicz, a senior tech analyst, in a recent article with CNN, and because of this he believes that this may be a factor of Netflix raising its prices.
Another reason for their decided price increase is to keep in competition with other streaming services, such as HBO Max and Disneyplus. By increasing their subscription prices the company will be enabled to produce a larger amount of content. Netflix is not the only company that has made this decision; streaming service Hulu has also raised prices. However, Netflix will now be the most expensive streaming service, making it seem a little less appealing to people who may want to save money. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself whether watching that show or movie you love so much on Netflix is worth the amount of money you spend each month on the service itself.
(Picture by Daily Mail)
New Year Equals New Beginnings By Nievah Martinez January is named after the Roman god named Janus, which stands for new beginnings. What a fitting name that is a representation of what a new year can bring. A brand new year comes with great opportunities and new possibilities, which is the perfect time to try new things and get a little out of your comfort zone, after all this is what leads to growth, which is necessary for all of us. Transitioning into a new year comes with a great deal of challenges, such as anticipating unfamiliar and
(Picture by Real Simple)
unknown possibilities ahead, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be scary. Many of us are afraid of getting out of our comfort zone and trying new things. Maybe you’ve wanted to try a simple activity, such as painting. Or the thrilling idea of something like skydiving might have piqued your interest but you were too nervous to try it. With the new year comes new beginnings, which is what the month of January literally stands for, so why not try something different and fun?
Something new to try may not even be a physical activity, but instead an activity such as journaling. Senior Amiris Person stated, “I want to start journaling to become more organized and mindful.”
One of the interviewees in particular is aiming to do something for the betterment of others. When asked what new activity he wanted to try this year, Elijah stated “I wanna go on a mission trip this summer before I go to college.” A decision to do something such as this will not only further your own growth, but also allow you to help others who need it. Another way to take advantage of your new beginning might be meeting new people, or possibly getting a new job. Doing things such as these are a good way to get yourself out of your comfort zone and help to broaden your views on the world.
(Picture by Victory Family Church)
The cliche saying, “Time flies by '' is actually quite accurate. As time continues, so does change, and we only grow older as it does. My encouragement would be to utilize the time that you have and use it to experience new and exciting things and to make the most out of your new beginning.
Bernardi Takes Auburn Job Staff Report
Senior Grace Fedor says that one of her goals this year is to learn how to ride a bike. “I want to learn how to ride a bike! I gave up when I was little and haven’t tried since then.” Another simple yet new and fun activity might be cooking. Senior Alegria Pena said, “I’d like to try cooking dinner for my mother.” An activity doesn’t necessarily have to be thrilling or fantastic, but instead it could be something simple that you’ve never done before.
Immanuel's new Athletic Director has taken a new job as an offensive assistant at Auburn University in Alabama. Joe Bernardi's experience in coaching includes offensive line coach and run game coordinator at San Jose State University, tight end coach at Fresno State, an offensive line quality control coach for the Tennessee Volunteers, and he worked with the offensive line and and tight ends at Oregon State. Bernardi thanked Immanuel for his time here, and stated that he "can't wait to watch from afar as the central valley continues to take notice of how special Immanuel Schools are."
Super Bowl Teams Decided by Matt Melchor
This year's playoffs were incredibly fun and exciting to watch, right? I mean c’mon, it's playoffs! The first playoff round pitted the Raiders against the Bengals. That game the Bengals had the lead in all 4 quarters. Overall it was a normal game between the two, but was very fun. The second game we had the Patriots against the Bills, and boy oh boy did the Bills destroy the Patriots scoring over 45 points on them. Josh Allen played amazing as well as his whole entire team and it was fun to watch them play. The third game, Eagles and Buccaneers was almost a blow out. The Bucs kept the Eagles scoreless in the first 3 quarters but the Eagles tried to comeback in the fourth quarter. Which team from the NFC will make it all the way, and which team from the AFC will make it all the way?
against them and have won six in a row against them since 2019. The Rams have been playing like an all star team on all cylinders, Stafford playing his best yet and Cooper Kupp going to be a big threat to the Niners, and of course that game ended up with the......RAMS defeating the Niners 20-17, I mean WHOSE HOUSE? RAMS’ HOUSE!
Image from therams.com
Now with playoffs coming down to the wire we now only have one game left of this incredible season, the Rams and Bengals, with the Rams being the second team in NFL history to host the big game in their home stadium, Bengals making it here for the first time since 1989. WOW!! Now is it just me or did we even expect the Bengals to get here? They are winners in my books. Who do you have winning here? As of Sunday, January 23, FOUR teams were left in the NFL playoffs: 2 from the NFC and 2 from the AFC. Let's talk about the Bengals and the Chiefs. That game was a thriller, a rematch from the regular season in which the Bengals won 34-31. This time the Bengals won 24-21 with the EXTREME upset! The Bengals were down 21-3 but came back and scored 21 points in two quarters to seal their ticket to the Super Bowl!! Now soon after the Bengals and Chiefs game, we had the 49ers and Rams play! Now that game was of course the 3rd matchup they had against each other this year. The Niners won two Image from espn.com
A Soup-er Start to 2022 by Evan Kaufman
January is National Soup Month, and if you say you don't like soup, you'll be eating your words by the end of this article. Soup has been such a popular dish served at any restaurant, family gathering, holiday or at midnight when you're too tired to actually cook something in a pan. But where did soup come from? In the Xianrendong Cave, in Jiangxi Province, China, ancient pottery was found dating back to 20,000 BC with carvings of scorch marks, suggesting that there was some sort of hot broth being made. As time continued, the Roman Empire popularized the idea of soup, and even created some of the popular soups we have today, like Gazpacho. Originally, soup was drunk from the bowl itself, no utensils used. Then, in the Medieval and Renaissance period in Europe, it became popular to eat soup with a spoon, because the fashion consisted of stiff ruffs around the neck, it made it difficult to eat from the bowl itself. The idea of canned soup first came from Japan, where they had dried noodles with dried stock packets and all you had to do was add boiling water and you would have a delicious soup with some noodles. Later on, canned soup was created and it is now one of the most convenient foods around. In 1986, the popular soup company Campbells declared that January was national soup month. Despite National Soup Month being in January, however, National Soup Day isn't until February 4. Isn't that soup-id?
Anyways, enough about the history, there is one question that still needs to be answered: What is the best soup? Many polls were taken among the student body to determine the best soup. The soups in the polls were Tomato, Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, Clam Chowder, Wedding Soup, French Onion, Tortilla, Creamy Potato, Pho, Miso, Chicken and Dumplings, Gazpacho, Seafood Bisque, Cioppino, Broccoli Cheddar and Posole. The souperstar out of all those soups was Creamy Potato! It was a close run with Chicken noodle, but like most of its competition, it smashed it! Even if the majority says Creamy Potato is the best, everybody has their own opinion. Both Miso and Clam Chowder are good in their own rights. When you boil it down, it's all just soup. The point of January is to make new year's resolutions, survive, and most importantly, eat soup! So enjoy this month, it doesn't last pho-ever, and make sure to try some soups you haven't tried before.