Our WNS production of Legally Blonde is almost here! Based on the 2001 movie, Legally Blonde is almost entirely the same except it is performed on stage and in song. A quick synopsis of Legally Blonde: A girl gets taken on a date by her boyfriend, expecting to be proposed to. Instead, the boyfriend dumps her because he thinks she isn’t “serious.” Long story short, she follows her boyfriend to Harvard Law School to win him back, and her time at Harvard is full of twists and turns and all sorts of unexpected things. I asked the Legally Blonde cast the following questions, and here are their answers:
Kashvi (6th Grade):
Who are you in the show? I am a Harvard student in the ensemble and have a few other roles in the show.
How do you think the show is going so far? I think the show has been going great so far, and it is so exciting to see how it has progressed!
What has been your favorite part of the process? I love doing the show run-throughs to see what everyone else has created and to show what I have done too.
What is your favorite scene in the show? I don't really have a favorite scene because I love them all.
Maddy (7th Grade):
Who are you in the show? Chutney Wydam
How do you think the show is going so far? The show is going great so far! We have almost all of the scenes blocked and choreographed by Nate and Ms. Perez. Also, the songs are really coming together thanks to Ms. Rosseulot!
What has been your favorite part of the process? My favorite part of the process so far has been getting to know the younger and older grades The connections made in middle school between grades help everyone in the theater space feel welcome. Everyone is super friendly.
What is your favorite scene in the show? My favorite scene in the show is What You Want because there is all kinds of dancing and music, and it is just super fun!
Yara (8th Grade):
Who are you in the show? Elle Woods and Margot
How do you think the show is going so far? I feel like the show is going very well! Everyone is really focusing and trying to make this show the best one yet, and it's very visible that we are working hard. We have gotten a lot done, and the dances/songs are looking amazing!
LEGALLY BLONDE CONTINUED
What has been your favorite part of the process? My favorite part of the process so far has been bonding with the whole cast. These 6th graders are amazingly talented, and I have loved spending every minute with them. I also hang out with the 7th and 8th graders and love continuing to get to know them
What is your favorite scene in the show? My favorite scene is probably What You Want because it's so upbeat, and there are so many things going on at once.
WHAT IS THE ARTEMIS II MISSION AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
On April 1, 2026, a historic NASA mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center, called the Artemis II. The Artemis II mission is the first crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years! Although the capsule never touched down on the moon, it is the farthest manned mission ever to go into space. The four-person crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, flying around the far side of the moon and coming back. Believe it or not, this is the first time the dark side of the moon has ever been seen with the naked eye. Also, the crew members themselves made history, including the first person of color to travel to the moon (Victor Glover), the first woman to visit the moon (Christina Koch), and the first Canadian astronaut to go to the moon (Jeremy Hansen). During the flight, the crew witnessed a roughly 54-minute solar eclipse, during which the Earth completely blocked the sun. The historic mission finally splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10th. One of the key purposes of this mission was to test new technology, such as new navigation systems and life support systems, for upcoming Artemis missions.
YES
NO
DID MINECRAFT FALL
OFF?
Minecraft was released in 2011, meaning that gaming audiences today will have moved on and prefer games that are more recent.
Ever since Notch left and Microsoft and Mojang took over Minecraft, updates have taken longer to release, and have accomplished less Though surprising, minecraft has become too complex for some gamers.
Players have also reported that after years of playing Minecraft, they experience boredom. This has led to players to switch to more competitive gaming
Minecraft has 150-180 million monthly players, making it one of the most popular video games in the world
Minecraft’s creative freedom is unparalleled by any other video game, making it kind of like a limitless LEGO set
Minecraft has an incredibly versatile gameplay, giving players multiple different styles of play to choose from
BRAIN TEASERS
NEW ORGANIC MOLECULES DISCOVERED ON MARS BY NASA’S CURIOSITY ROVER
6 years ago, NASA’s Mars Rover, Curiosity, took rock samples from the surface of the Red Planet. Taken from a deposit of clay minerals in Gale Crater, Curiosity analyzed the samples. One sample, Mary Anning 3 (named after the famous British paleontologist), revealed 7 types of organic molecules that had never been seen before on Mars. These new molecules confirm that Mars had the chemicals to support life long ago. It is possible that these complex molecules were created biologically by an ancient Martian life form, but they might have also been created naturally.
One of the molecules from the sample is similar to the predecessors of DNA and RNA, the nucleic acids that are the code of every living thing. This kind of molecule had never been seen on Mars before. The area from which the sample was taken was once a body of water near Aeolis Mons, which would explain how the clay minerals got there. Since Mars was once covered in water, Martian life could’ve originated underwater, like on Earth. These molecules found were likely the structure of early life forms residing on Mars, if created biologically. Clay minerals are great at protecting organic compounds on Mars from the harmful radiation on the surface that could break them down over the billions of years that these molecules have existed. From this sample, Curiosity also discovered benzothiopene for the first time on Mars, another organic molecule that has been found before in extraterrestrial meteorites. These meteorites “ are thought by some scientists to have seeded prebiotic chemistry across the early solar system," in the words of NASA’s article on this discovery (see sources).
NEW ORGANIC MOLECULES
This sample isn’t the first time organic molecules have been discovered on Mars. Many new large organic molecules were also discovered on Mars last year, and this sample has just added to the ever-growing list. In conclusion, this sample has strengthened the chances that life once existed on our red planet neighbor.
Sources: NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars by NASA (https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-sciencelaboratory/curiosity-rover/nasas-curiosity-finds-organic-molecules-neverseen-before-on-mars)
COACHELLA 2026
The Festival:
Coachella 2026 took place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, on April 10–12 and April 17–19. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of the world's largest and most famous annual music festivals. It features a diverse lineup of popular, emerging, and reunited artists across genres like rock, pop, hip-hop, and electronic music.
Headliners:
Sabrina carpenter (day 1)
Justin Bieber (day 2)
Karol G ( day 3)
Special Guests:
Sabrina Carpenter- Madonna (W2), Will Ferrell, Susan Sarandon, Samuel L. Jackson, Geena Davis
Justin Bieber- Billie Eilish, SZA, Tems, The Kid Laroi, Sexyy Red, Big Sean
Karol G- Peso Pluma, J Balvin, Becky G
Addison Rae- Olivia Rodrigo, Maddie Ziegler
Anyma- Lisa (Blackpink), Matt Bellamy (Muse), Joji, Swae Lee
PinkPanthress- Zara Larsson, Slayyyter, Dev Hynes
Young Thug- Mariah The Scientist, NAV, Camilla Cabello
Teddy Swims- Joe Jonas, David Lee Roth Venue Map
THE END
information or writing, I proudly took the issue home to show my parents. The idea of others seeing my work brought me excitement. So I kept going.
In 6th grade, I wrote again, but this time I began writing genuine articles. I found myself enjoying expressing myself through my writing. Because our editor-in-chief at the time was about to graduate, he asked us if anyone wanted to become the new editor of the Fly-By Times. Lucy and I sprang at the opportunity and told him that we would gladly take over.
Once we reached 7th grade, we began our new responsibilities as the editors-in-chief. Editing was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed reading through all the articles. Even though we occasionally got frustrated with editing, we stuck with it nonetheless. 7th grade was our opportunity to get used to the role. We messed around more than we should’ve, but we definitely had lots of fun.
When we started our 8th grade year, we decided to take things more seriously. From cleaner formatting to online editions, we worked hard to improve. As I conclude not only my time at WNS, but my time as the editorin-chief of the Fly-By Times, I look forward to writing more in the future. It’s my hope that this elective will continue to grow and that more students will take an interest in journalism. Thank you again for reading the Fly-By Times.
AYA SCHERR
THE SULFUR CAVES
Minecraft has been around for 15 years, going through many changes and updates. Over the years, Minecraft has become more complex, adding things like new dimensions, updates to the combat systems and more! The newest update to Minecraft is Chaos Cubed! This update adds a new cave biome focused completely on sulfur. These caves are called the sulfur caves. Filled with pale yellow and red walls, the terrain of the caves is rough and rugged, with spikes protruding from the roof and the floor. When exploring the caves, you might come across some pools of water. Jump in, and you’ll find yourself feeling a little queasy, so make sure you don’t stay in for long. As you continue further, you’ll find yourself faced with the newest creature, the Sulfur Cubes. Sulfur Cubes are passive creatures that bounce around and explore the caves. Their main feature is that they can absorb and take on the properties of certain blocks. Giving it blocks of slime will cause it to become bouncier than ever. Giving it blocks of honey will cause it to stick to surfaces and glide on them. Any heavy blocks, like iron, will weigh it down causing it to move slower. Try exploring your Minecraft world for these caves and see what you can build with everything in them.
MVP RACE 2026
contenders before the playoffs. But the current top three contenders are Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Victor Wembemyama, and Nikola Jokic.
These great players are all fighting for the MVP by doing flashy dunks, deep threes, and crazy defense. With the performances that these three players have done, their chances of getting more votes for MVP have risen.
Victor Wembemyama has already won DPOY (defensive player of the year), so it would be no surprise if he wins MVP. Shai Gilgeous Alexander is the reigning MVP champ, and Nikola Jokic is a three-time MVP candidate.
While playing well in the regular season gets you hype and votes, what really matters is the playoffs where you can show how much you care about winning a ring.
THIS OR THAT
Or Or Or Or Or
MOST POPULAR SUPER MARIO BROS GAMES
Super Mario Bros is a classic video game where you need to kill enemies to save a princess. We might know it as Super Mario Bros Wonder or 3D World, but it actually started as not Mario at all. Donkey Kong was made in 1983, seeing Jumpman (or Mario) jumping over barrels to defeat Donkey Kong It became a hit arcade game and went on to sell many copies. Later, Donkey Kong was adapted to the game Super Mario Bros, which was the start of Mario. Super Mario Bros was the first game in the series available on the Nintendo Entertainment System at the time. It was the best-selling game on the Nintendo Entertainment System with over 40 24 million copies sold That's more than the population of California! Below are the top five selling Mario games.
5. New Super Mario Bros Wii (2009)
I don't know that much about this game, but I do know it was a top seller on Wii with 30.32 million copies sold worldwide.
4 New Super Mario Bros (2006)
All I know is that this game is just Super Mario Bros with better graphics and new features. It sold 30.8 million copies.
3. Mario Kart Wii (2008)
Mario Kart Wii is a Mario Kart game, but it's played with a Wii Remote controller. It was very successful, selling 37.38 million copies.
2. SUPER MARIO BROS (1983)
Obviously, the most classic and the second-most-successful Mario game. It was great and started a whole generation of games. It is the second-best-selling Mario game, with over 40 million copies sold!
1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was a huge seller with a record-breaking 70.59 million copies sold, not only being the most popular Mario game but also having the most copies sold for any Nintendo game! It has 42 characters, 48 courses, and 23 items to choose from. It is definitely one of my favorite Nintendo games. Overall, I think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe deserves to be the most popular Mario game.
MOST LIKED SHOWS
watching Netflix globally, people are going to be ike their favorite shows. As of April 30th, these are rding to Netflix thumbs up)
t since it's season 5 is so recent it hasn't fully had
anked fourth on Netflix. orth a watch.
initely deserves its spot watching.
THE TEN CRAZIEST SPORTS MOMENTS FROM 2025
10. Eagles Destroy the Chiefs in the Super Bowl
The Eagles dominated the game, and it wasn’t close at any time of the game. While the Eagles were the underdogs for the matchup, this was one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, the receivers, and the defense were all working together to destroy the Chiefs.
9. Florida Gators Comeback to Beat the Houston Cougars to Win March Madness
Florida was down 30-42 with 16 minutes and 24 seconds left in the game until they started to rally back. They came all the way back to win 65-63. Before they won, they were only winning for 64 seconds over the course of a 40-minute game.
8. Tyrese Haliburton Hitting a Game Winner to Beat the Thunder in Game One of the Championship
The Pacers were down by 15 in the 4th quarter and made a crazy comeback against the Thunder. Then Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning shot, leaving the Thunder with 0.3 seconds left to hit a shot.
7. Lebron James Becomes the First Player Ever in Basketball History to get 50,000 Points
On March 4th, the Lakers were playing the Pelicans, and with 8 minutes left in the first quarter, James hit a three to put him at 50,000 and 2 points. For reference, the second-most points all-time is 44,149 from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
6. Mavericks End Up with the First Overall Pick, with only a 1.8% chance
This was the year the Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic, so they were extremely lucky to end up with this pick and get a new franchise cornerstone.
5. Miguel Rojas Homerun to Tie the Score in the Last Inning of the World Series
This was one of the best moments in the Dodgers franchise HISTORY. Rojas was batting in the bottom of the lineup that game, and he had only 7 home runs over the whole season.
THE TEN CRAZIEST SPORTS MOMENTS FROM 2025 CONT.
4. Luka Doncic Traded to the Lakers
This was one of the craziest trades ever, and it’s safe to say that the Lakers won this trade, as Luka Doncic is going off on the Lakers, and the main part of the trade is not even on the team anymore. Luka Doncic had more points in the month of March than Anthony Davis had in his entire career as a Maverick.
3. Rory McIlroy Completes the Career Grand Slam with a Masters Win
This Master's was crazy! First, Rory McIlroy was down by two strokes on the final round, but he came back. Second, he was forced into a playoff with Justin Rose. And then, in the playoff, it was a tight battle, but Rory ended up winning the whole thing.
2. Alexander Ovechkin Breaks Wayne Gretzky's Goal Record to become the Leader in Goals Scored
On April 6th, 2025, Alexander Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's goal record of 894 by scoring a goal 7.26 seconds into the second period against the New York Islanders. This was one of the craziest records ever, and for Ovechkin to beat it is insane, hence why it's second on the list.
1. Shohei Ohtani’s Insane Performance in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers
I was actually at this game, and it was crazy. If you didn’t know, he hit 3 home runs while also on the bump, striking out 10. This is one of the best sports performances of all time, and he also did it in the playoffs to secure the sweep.
Editor’s Note
Last ever issue I’ll edit of the Fly-By Times! It’s sad, but I’m excited to visit and see how the elective is doing. Thank you to everyone reading and to my awesome co-editor Lucy!
- Aya Scherr
Last issue of the Fly-By Times for the year! I’m proud to say I’ve been here since 5 grade, along with the best co-editor ever, and so, thank you for reading, and see you next year! th
