New Year's Eve Traditions

New Year's Eve is the last day of the year. Some celebrate it and some don’t but, have we ever wondered what’s the reason why we celebrate it? Well according to Google, New Year's Eve is one of the largest global celebrations because it marks the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, December 31, before the New Year. Many people celebrate New Year's Eve to bid farewell to the year that ends and to welcome the New Year.

You may wonder what the New Year's Eve Celebration means to me. For me, this celebrates a year of your life with your family. I mostly celebrate everything I accomplished during the year and remember everything I did and did not do, that I can still accomplish next year. People have different reasons to celebrate, but spending time with my loved ones is my favorite one.

People celebrate the New Year following traditions. Some are cool, but others are really weird: From stuffing your mouth with grapes, big firework displays, wearing something pink, and ringing bells to weird ones, like walking an empty suitcase around the block, throwing furniture, smashing plates...

We all have different ideas about what new year's eve is about, but what really matters is to enjoy the last day of the year. It doesn’t really matter why and how you celebrate it, what matters Who is there with you, and that you take time to think and reflect about this year's accomplishments to start thinking about your new ones it for the future. 

Happy New year!

Avril Vélez

7th Grade

Thank you, 2021!

2021 has been a rollercoaster year, filled with emotions from all sides of the spectrum. Most of us have learned to navigate around the difficulties it brought: the emotional luggage after a pandemic that scared us all and made us feel the true power of nature and the real value of life, mixed with a sense of gratitude for those who remain and who we get to spend some more time with, but also the mourning of those who are no longer with us. The need to adapt to a new reality (no longer new, but normalized) while we missed our old life, the fear of exposing ourselves to new variants of this virus, and at the same time the eager need to forget about it just a little bit. Yup, 2021 has been just a teeny-tiny bit insane.

But for a moment, let's look at the sunshine. Let's choose the highlights over the shadows and let's celebrate we made it! definitely 2021 has been a transition year. A year where, if we chose to look closely at our blessings, we became a wiser version of our old selves.

We learned to adapt, practicing proper hygiene routines and respecting social distance, being mindful about our health, making choices accordingly. Adapt to new rules of living and working, with more flexibility, but also with more need for accountability. Some people lost their jobs to find new ones, changed their homes, their lifestyles, changed their perspective on life and decided to take a step back and slow down their rush to live and enjoy it just a bit more. We learned to value the neighbor, the friend we could not see for so long, the freedom, the need for connection...

Our kids also had to adapt to going back to school. That process after being away for so long, was different for everyone who experienced it, plus dealing with changes in their routines and schedules, adapting to the academic changes they each had in their corresponding grade levels. I think kids love school more now that they are back, and see the value in the direct contact with their teachers.

I hope these lessons remain after all is done. We still need to continue being mindful about our planet, about how we use our resources, about how we see the other person and actually look, valuing their existence and its impact in ours, paying attention to the visible, but also to the invisible. Caring about others just a little bit more.

Changes hurt, but in the end, life is not about avoiding the bruises. It's about collecting the scars to prove that we showed up.

2021. We will miss you, but I sure hope we can remember what we learned from you.

Mrs. Marial Valenzuela

Head Librarian

My first "TETEO"

You may have never heard of the word 'Teteo', unless you are Dominican.  A teteo in its most basic meaning, is a party. The word became popular around people during the Quarantine 2020 because what was usually called a teteo was done illegally, not following the Government's COVID-19 restrictions. Of course, the one I attended to was completely legal, but I did want to share the experience. 

When I was 11 years old, I went to my first teteo with my father in Santiago. It was in an open place and there was a lot of food, deserts, juices and soda. There was loud music and people sitting on different tables that were apart one from each other. To be honest, I was feeling nervous as it was my first party. The people that were there had their masks on and they only took their masks out when they were going to eat or drink.

It was nice to see people having fun and sharing after a while. This party made me remember how things used to be before the Covid came here. I danced and had fun, listened to good music and enjoyed time with my dad. I felt lucky to enjoy this moment in Santiago. It was great!

if you are ever invited to a Teteo, make sure you chose wisely. Some people's teteos break the law and the most basic safety protocols. Most people in them do not wear masks or maintain social distance. That is the reason why, the more illegal teteos we have, the more people put themselves and their families at risk to get sick from Coronavirus or any of its other variants. The more people get sick, the longer we will have to continue wearing masks. 

Having fun is great, but being reckless and impatient, and not respecting the safety protocols just because you are tired, is selfish. If people are more aware of the parties they go to, and more mindful about their actions, we just might be able to continue enjoying ourselves, without the need to put ourselves and our families at risk.

Carlos Graveley

6th Grader

Trust Issues

There are lots of things that can happen, especially when a situation that is very shocking or traumatizing happens. In some of those situations, you might get something called “Trust Issues”.

Trust issues are feelings you get when you have trouble trusting people. These people can be strangers or people in a relationship, it could be your boyfriend or girlfriend. It is normal to feel certain insecurities, especially when you are getting to know someone. These are not bad unless they become a real problem that affects your actual relationship with people.

You may ask, how do I know if I have that?  Well, if you're having troubles or insecurities about being yourself around people, you expect others to betray you all the time, you have trouble forgiving mistakes or committing, feel lonely, even have doubts, and are afraid to open up or to get close to others, those may be signs of trust issues.

If you feel like this and it's difficult for you to connect to others, I personally recommend you to talk to a friend, an adult, or a psychologist. They may help you get strategies to overcome this. If it's hard for you to talk about it, maybe you could start by writing it down, this will help you find the right words for when you are ready, share them with others.

There are ways to handle trust issues, these are some examples of things you can do:

1- You have to accept the risk of learning to trust again. In order to connect, you need to trust others inevitably

2- You can also learn how trust works. 

3- Another way is to face your fears and other negative feelings based on trust.

4- Write down your feelings and think of them in a more positive way.

5- Analyze what are you truly afraid of. Trust issues often are a reflection of your fears of being lonely or betrayed.

I just want you to know that it is okay to have these feelings. They are completely normal. Many people around us have trust issues. You are not alone! it's not easy to take the first step and trust others, trust me, but the more you do it, the more you will see how worthy it is to do so. I know many people that have been through situations and have learned to do it differently. It just takes a leap of faith.

"Have enough courage to trust one more time

and always one more time."

Maya Angelou

 

Montserrat Correa

6th Grader

The Future of Food

Today we will talk about food in the future, more specifically the year 2050. According to the United Nations, food production must grow two-thirds faster than it has in recent decades to feed a global population of 9 billion people by 2050. With more people using fewer resources, environmental impact is the name of the game. Without fail, there are many mentions on how food may look different in the future because of food technology and innovations that could be used for that very purpose.

However, you only need to take a look around you right now to see that this isn't true. People and animals alike are still very much dependent on the food that is grown and produced on a scale that is not available for everyone.

First, let's go over some of the ways in which technology has impacted our food supply. For starters, genetically modified crops have been made possible through biotechnology, as well as gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9. This has led to a rise in pesticides and herbicide use, which in turn has contributed to the downfall of monarch butterflies and bee populations.

The biotechnology industry has expanded tremendously, to the point that there is actually a whole market devoted to it. This means that some foods such as corn, soybeans and cotton can be altered to be pest-resistant, more nutritious, or easier to grow.

Along with genetically modified crops, there are also synthetic pesticides and herbicides that are used. With the new ways to produce food, there is new equipment used as well. For example, tractors today use GPS maps to help them navigate fields better than they could in the past. Some foods use precision-guided technology, which helps in selecting which plants to harvest and when in a field to avoid crop loss.

In the future, even more tools will be developed for farming in a completely automated way. Automated machine tools have been in existence for many years now but at a slow pace so far. If these developments continue, growing food will be a process that will become cheaper and faster but, I wonder... Will it be healthier too?

By Paula Garcia
7th Grader

Family

"Ohana means family. Family means no one is left behind". This is one of my favorite quotes about family. It's the one that I always remember deep in my head when I'm with them. And it just makes me happy.  Family is one of the things in life that we must treasure the most. Without it, we are nothing. 

Family can sometimes be annoying, or they can drive you crazy, but just remember that they just want what's best for you. No matter what, they support you. No matter how hard you scream at them, no matter how mean you are to them, they will always love you and be grateful for you, because at the end of the day they are YOUR family, and like they say "Family is forever". 

To be completely honest, family is one of the most flexible terms you might ever see. Why? Because it's really hard to standardize it. Family doesn't have to be blood-related and doesn't have to do much with your DNA. Family is the people closest to you, that no matter how mad you get at them you will always love them. Family is also the people you choose. There are many movies that talk about this concept, and they are right! In the real world, my friends are my own little family, and no matter how mad I get at them or them at me, we always stick together.

Since family is such a personal concept, I decided to ask around the school what the word "Family" meant to them. Here is what they think:

 

 

"For me family is my blessing, a gift from God. It's where we can build love, values, and strength to live every day. It's the first unit that supports society. Families are not perfect, but it's the first place we can learn how to love and respect others, and practice empathy, tolerance and acceptance. Every member of the family has the right to feel embraced but also the responsibility to encourage and support the other members". Mrs. Karina Castillo

 

"I believe a family is a group of people who you feel safe with. A group of people in which you can be entirely yourself without judgment. A group of people where you can joke around, laugh together, cry together, and be there for each other in the good times and not-so-good times. I believe a family is a group of people who love one another and who are able to enjoy time together even when they are doing absolutely nothing. I believe a family is a group of people who are able to communicate with you. Lastly, I believe a family is a group of people who make you feel loved and happy". Isabela Taveras, 8th grade

 

 

"Family is the people that I love and support me in everything, people who surround me".  Alana Garcia, 7th grade

"I believe that family are the people that love you, respect, and care about you. I think that family is not necessarily blood-related to you. My family are my brothers and sisters and my mom and dad, but also my friends." Daniella Garcia, 7th grade.

"Family is a group of people that you can count on and it's formed by people that love you. Not every family has to be blood-related, it can be made by people who you trust and love". Avril Velez, 7th grade

"Family is home to me. My family is everything; I rely on them when I need to and they're basically my shoulder to cry on. I honestly don't know what I'd do without their unconditional love and support". Gabriela Garcia, 12th Grade

"I believe family is support. The people who are around you and are always willing to have your back. I also believe family is more than a disposition but a feeling. As biological family exists you can also call someone who isn’t related to you your family. Is merely a place where you can find comfort and peace with people who are affectionate towards you". Yoira González ,11th grade

"Family is the supportive lifeline that provides us with our basic needs as humans and teaches us the social norms of our culture". Mrs.  Edith Fadul

"A family is a place where to live, is what humans call home. Family is the bond of the society and what makes you feel happy". Joshua Sanchez, 7th grade

"I believe a family is a group of people that share memories, experiences and love each other".  Lucas Ostropolsky, 9th grade

In conclusion, family is the greatest treasure in life and we must take care of it, value any possible second with them, and always be kind. Remember that they will always be there, and love you, no matter what.

By Maria Alejandra Ramirez

7th grader

Thanksgiving facts You May not Know

We all know the real story behind Thanksgiving.  In the year 1621, Pilgrims left England and traveled to America in search of religious freedom. They created a town called Plymouth and suffered a harsh winter, famine, and sicknesses. The Wampanoag tribe, a group of Natives, helped them survive and taught them how to plant crops such as squash and corn, hunt, and fish. In gratitude, both Pilgrims and Natives shared a feast, thanking God for their new life.

Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate gratitude. We thank God for everything he has given us: our home, family, our friends, school, health, our hands, and for creating us.

The Thanksgiving Celebration is a very American thing, so here I present you with 10 facts that you might not know about Thanksgiving:

1- The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621., over a three-day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present.

2-  On every Thanksgiving, the president of the USA pardons a turkey.

3-  The Macy's Store has put on a parade every Thanksgiving since 1924.

4- Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year,

5- The Thanksgiving dinner has not changed a lot over the years.

6- The Americans eat a lot of turkeys. (Did you know that the first Thanksgiving dinner was celebrated with Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish  instead of turkey?)

7- The cranberries are just a side dish.

8- There is an official Thanksgiving postage stamp.

9- The wishbone tradition is a lot older than Thanksgiving.

10- Watching football is a central part of most thanksgiving celebrations. The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.

Thanksgiving is more than the holiday and food. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to all the people around the world, our family, our friends, and to God. Take time to appreciate your blessings. They are many when you start paying attention.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

By Carlos Graveley

6th Grader

Simple Steps to Practice Self- Care

Everyone is busy right? We have work, school, homework, etc. People usually go through a lot of things on a daily basis. It should even be a scientific fact that everyone gets stressed about their daily lives. It's really hard,  some people need therapy because of it, and usually, it is caused because they don't really take care of themselves. They just work, and work, and work, until they are just tired and go to bed. Some people don't even sleep. This is usually caused by stress and anxiety.

One way to prevent this is to take care of yourself. It's hard since we are usually very busy, but sometimes we just have to push everything away and think about ourselves. How are we feeling, it is probably a good time to take a break, right? I know it's hard. I also struggle with school and taking care of myself, but you have to just take a moment, relax, do something fun, or read a book.

Today I want to present you 5 simple steps that can help you start caring for yourself. Think of it as a "guru's guide to self-care."

1. Pick a day to take care of yourself:  I usually pick Fridays since they are the most chill days for me and I struggle the least, and teachers at school mainly don't give us too much homework.

2. Clear your schedule: What I mean with this is to see what you have to do that day and push it for another day. Sometimes you just have to prioritize yourself and your mental health.

3. Do whatever YOU want to do: It is very important that you do what YOU want to do, not what the internet tells you to do, not what your friends or family tell you to do. Think of what you feel like doing that will make you happy.

4. Take a break from the world: Tell Your family and friends that you are going to be offline for a while, that you need a moment for yourself to think, relax, and have a good time with yourself.

5. Disconnect from electronic devices: Sometimes while we are resting and swiping through the internet, we think we are relaxed. We couldn't be more wrong. The amount of information we process in 10 minutes with our phone or TV is ginormous. Don't believe me? Take a detox... spend a day without devices and you will notice how your mind is clearer and you feel more rested.

I know that you might think this is selfish, that you need to do work and school, and be with friends, and family... but, how are you going to work and take care of your loved ones if you are not in good physical and mental health yourself? Trust me, I know how hard this might be to hear but NOBODY SHOULD EVER CARE FOR YOUR WELL BEING MORE THAN YOU. Now, if you don't... who is going to do it?

By Maria Ramirez de la Rosa

7th Grader

Malala, Education and the Taliban in Pakistan

In Pakistan Somehow life continued despite the bomb blasts and killing. The school remained a haven from the insanity of a city in the middle of a war. There was a whole war between Swat and the Taliban. Now that the Taliban took control over Pakistan it was a lot different. A regular girl like Malala Yousafzai was in this situation. Malala Yousafzai was a Pakistani Girl who had a different opinion than the Taliban's. She thinks girls and boys should be treated equally and she Also thinks girls should have the option to go to school. The Taliban said that girls should not go to school and they should stay in their house cleaning or taking care of their children.

Going to school for girls in Pakistan was difficult. You didn't know if your school was a safe space. There have been a lot of cases about schools for girls being bombed in Pakistan.  It was so difficult that Malala heard that the Taliban destroyed a Primary school for girls. Malala prayed for her school and her valley.  She also prayed for the violence to stop.

In 2008 alone, the  Taliban bombed two hundred schools. Suicide bombing and targeted killing were a regular occurrence. A lot of daughters and sisters were prevented from going to school. During Ramadan, some people didn't have power or gas because the Taliban had blasted the electricity grid and the gas line.

Madam Maryam and Malala's Father worked with her and her friends on essays and speeches in which they expressed their feelings about the Taliban's campaign to destroy girls' schools and about what their school meant to them. They planned an assembly where they would make their speeches they called it a "peace rally".

On the day of the assembly, a Pashto TV crew arrived at their school. They were all excited and surprised because they thought people wouldn't care about what a group of girls had to say about peace. Some girls were nervous, but Malala had given a few interviews before, and it was more comfortable in front of a camera.

Malala knew that it was an important opportunity to spread her message of peace and education. As soon as they put a microphone in front of her, words came out sure and steady, strong and proud “This is not the Stone Age “, she said. “But it feels like we are going backward. Girls are getting more deprived of their rights."  She spoke about how much she loved her school and about how important it was to keep learning. 

Living in Pakistan is difficult and other countries should help solve the problem. We hope this war in Pakistan with the Taliban ends, and that girls have the same rights as boys. People need to make a change if they want to stop the problem. Malala is a clear example of changes you can make, even if you are young.

Note from the editor:

Malala was shot by the Taliban in 2012. The Islamic fundamentalist group ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after regrouping in Pakistan and waging an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. Since then, the region has been simmering for months with threats, tension, and violence. Girls are being forced to leave schools, and woman to leave their jobs. Many Pakistani who do not agree with the Taliban regime have had to flee the country and become immigrants somewhere else, searching for security and safety.

Victor Peralta

Guest Writer

6th Grade

How does psychological trauma work in the human brain?

Trauma is a really important thing you should be aware of. This can be really bad for your mental stability. This is why I am going to talk to you about this topic: Because it matters!

When you experience psychological trauma, you can have various symptoms like stressing out really easily. Other symptoms could be:

• Confusion

• Difficult to concentrate

• Anxiety

• Fear

• Guilt

• Shame

• Feeling sad

• Feeling hopeless

• Feeling disconnected 

• Feeling numb

• Angry

• Irritability 

• Mood swings

Psychological trauma is caused by a really bad, scary, or stressful event or events. When this happens your brain has an injury where the trauma begins. This affects the brain in a way that might make you do things that you don't really want to do. This can also make you aggressive and hit someone accidentally. Stress and anger can make you react in a very aggressive or bad way.

There are times where you can feel sad or hopeless for just an argument or something you did wrong. I mean that it is not bad to feel sad, but the thing is that it is so sad that you are hopeless or depressed.

Another example is when you have anxiety, for tests or even just homework. When you get scared you can feel kind of suffocated. 

Trauma is something that you should be concerned about if someone you love has it because one in six people continue to have episodes or reactions after 6 months of treatment, so this can change your life.

You should be careful about psychological trauma because this can affect the way you see the world. It’s sad that people have tried to avoid this but there are some situations where it gets out of control.

If someone you know has psychological trauma or you suspect that that person has been through hard times, you should listen to them without judging them, and ask them to look for a therapist. If the person that has physical trauma is a child, then you should request for them to speak with a trusted adult so they can guide them.

You can have memory loss if you have physiological trauma. Kids can have really bad memories loss. When children have psychological trauma they often have difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, they also have difficulty in managing emotions.

Physical trauma can affect kids or adults in different ways. Some of them are fatigue, sleep disorders, nightmares, anxiety, depression, and avoiding emotions, sensations, fear that sometimes isn't real, or activities that have to do with physical trauma.

In conclusion, you should take into account the reactions and the possibilities of the trauma and always have it in mind if something happens.

Written by Paula Carrero

6th Grader

The History of the ISS

The I.S.S. or the International Space Station is commonly known as the largest and most expensive structure ever built in space. Many people know that it was built over several years and in many different pieces. Today we will list the modules of the I.S.S. their launch vehicles, and the years when they were introduced to the space station.

Starting in 1998 the Zaraya was launched into orbit by a Proton K rocket. The Zaraya was the start of the space station, we could say it was the core. Next was the unity module and its 2 connection pieces PMA 1 and PMA 2. They were launched in 1998 by the Space shuttle Endeavour. Two years later came Zvezda. It was launched on a Proton K rocket. The month after Zvezda, Space shuttle Discovery, launched module Z1 truss and PMA 3. (Keep the Z truss modules in mind for later) A month later came the space shuttle Endeavour with the P6 truss & solar panels. These will later become one of the big solar panels.

In the year 2001 came the United States lab called Destiny on the Space shuttle Atlantis. Then came ESP 1 on Space shuttle Discovery. Next came Canadarm 2. This was a robotic arm made by Canada. It was launched by the Space shuttle Endeavour. 3 months after, came Quest, the airlock. An airlock is a room made for exiting or entering a vehicle in a vacuum. If you are exiting, it gets filled with air, then the door to the space station closes and the air is slowly released to the space station and the room is emptied of air.  The door opens to space and the astronauts float out. When the astronauts come back, it's the same process, but in reverse. The quest airlock was launched on the Space shuttle Atlantis.

Now that we know how the different parts were released into space, we can see how our station looks like.

Then came Piris which was a compartment where 4 vehicles or modules could dock or connect. It was launched on a Soyuz-U. In 2002 the S0 truss was launched on Space shuttle Atlantis. It was the first piece of the solar array structure.

Next, the Mobile Base System (MBS) was launched on Endeavour. Then came the S1 truss on Atlantis. Right after, came P1 truss on Endeavour. 3 years later came ESP2 on Discovery. After a year came the P3 and P4 truss with their solar panels on Atlantis. Then came the P5 truss on Discovery. The next year came the S3 and S4 truss with their solar panels on Atlantis. Then came the S5 truss and ESP3 on Endeavour. Then came Harmony on the space shuttle Discovery and the P6 truss was relocated at the end of the truss. 

Then came Columbus (the European laboratory) on Atlantis. The next month came Dextre which was a space robot that can be connected to the Canadarm 2, with Dextre came the experimental logistics module, they both came on Endeavour. Then came the JEM module and JEM’s remote manipulator system on Discovery. The next year arrived the S6 truss with its solar panels on Discovery and that completed the solar panels.

Then came the Kibo Exposed Facility on Endeavour. After 4 months came Poisk, a Russian module on a Soyuz-U. 6 days later came ELC-1 and ELC-2 on Atlantis. In 2010 on Endeavour came Tranquility and its Cupula. Then came the Rassvet module on Atlantis.

In 2011 came the Leonardo and ELC-4 modules on Discovery. Then on the last mission of the space shuttle sending pieces to the ISS came Endeavour and brought along the AMS-02, OBSS, and ELC-3 modules.

In 2016 came a new era and a Space X Falcon 9 brought the BEAM module. The Falcon 9 will be the only rocket that will be used from this point on so it won't be mentioned. Then came the IDA-2 module. In 2019 the IDA-3 module. Lastly, in 2020 the auditions were the Bartolomeo module, and later that year the NBA or the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock.

After a journey of almost 30 years, we have a complete space station!

I thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it and got a better grasp of how the ISS was built. Have a great day! See you next time!

Written by Diego Puertas

8th Grade