WRITTEN BY HEIDI ROCHA-MORAN
Luck takes many forms for different people. Luck can be something not visible to the eye. Luck can be a force sent by the universe. Luck can be magic. Luck can be something physical, such as a lucky penny. Luck can be something you obtain like finding a four-leaf clover. Luck can be a myth, something that is shaped to give people hope. We asked the students of VAAS what is luck? Do you believe in luck? Giovanni Rocha answered “I believe in blessings, which is kind of like luck. What if something heavy falls 1 inch away from your head and you coincidentally stood 1 inch away from that thing that just fell? What is that?” When we asked the students do you believe in myths about luck, such as the lucky penny or the four-leaf clover? Kai Sugahara answered “I think those aren’t real. People just put meanings behind them because they're rare to find”. We asked a student of VAAS, why do you think others believe in luck? Kai Sugahara said, “They are very hopeful, optimistic about life.” Luck is different for everyone. So the corrected question is what do you believe luck is? WRITTEN BY MELINA DE LA CRUZ
Countless luck symbols hold special meaning on the day of Saint Patrick's Day. Things like shamrocks, the color green, leprechauns, rabbit's feet, horseshoes, and four-leaf clovers are all significant on Saint Patrick’s Day. Four-leaf clovers are seen as lucky items because a clover with four leaves is rare, and is also associated with St Patrick's Day because of their past use for magical protection from evil spirits and to repel bad luck. The four leaves on the clover each have their own meaning; fate, hope, luck, and love. Now while many think a shamrock and a four-leaf clover are the same they are not. A shamrock is a three-leaf clover and is a traditional symbol of St Patrick's Day. The history behind it is that St Patrick stated that the Holy Trinity was within the shamrock’s 3 leaves. The Horseshoe is another item that is considered lucky because it is believed that it has a power strong enough to ward off the devil. Saint Dunstan was said to have nailed a horseshoe to the devil's foot. He agreed to remove it if the devil promised to never enter a household with a horseshoe on the door. The luck that comes with the pot of gold is the belief that the pot will bring success, fulfillment, and happiness. The idea that leprechauns hide a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is considered a symbol of luck because it is connected to rainbows. Rainbows are considered magical and signs of hope and prosperity. A rabbit's foot is one of the most unusual charms. The Celts believed that a rabbit's foot was lucky because rabbits lived underground. Therefore they were believed to have been in constant contact with God and the spirits of the underworld and had a protective power. WRITTEN BY LARA LEDESMA
Edited by Nam Thai What is Daylight Savings Time? Daylight savings time (DST) is the practice of setting the clock forward by one hour during the spring and setting it back again during the fall. People often use the expression “spring forward and fall back.” DST begins on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 2:00 am. We set our clocks forward 1 hour to “spring forward”; therefore, darker mornings and brighter evenings that last longer. DST ends on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 2:00 am. On Saturday night, clocks will set back 1 hour to “fall back,” implying that it will be lighter in the morning. The main reason Daylight Savings Time was created was to create a way to save energy and make better use of natural daylight. What are the benefits of Daylight Savings Time? Daylight Savings Time(DST) can promote a healthy lifestyle. People participate in outdoor activities such as jogging, walking dogs, and playing outside. DST also promotes safety. Research has shown that crime rates after DST fall an average of 7 percent, with a 27 percent drop during spring forward. Not only that, but DST minimizes our energy consumption which lowers energy bills. What are the adverse effects of Daylight Savings Time? The main effect of Daylight Savings Time is losing an hour of sleep, making teens more vulnerable to this change. Even though the difference is only an hour, changing our sleep patterns goes against our natural circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm is the natural and internal process that helps regulate our sleep patterns. This can cause sleep deprivation, leading to other adverse effects such as difficulty waking up in the morning, trouble concentrating, and even depression. Teenagers are particularly more susceptible to the impact of DST because their bodies are still developing, and their sleep patterns are more sensitive to disruptions. A disrupted sleeping schedule can make us unproductive during the day. For teens, this means poor performance at school and in extracurricular activities. While there are certainly benefits to Daylight Savings Time, it is essential to carefully consider the adverse effects it has, specifically for teenagers who are vulnerable to its effects. Finding and fixing a balance between the benefits and the drawbacks of Daylight Savings Time would be beneficial to promoting the health and well-being of our society. WRITTEN BY JACOB A LOPEZ
March Madness is rolling around the corner as the bracket for Selection Sunday was unveiled on March 12. March Madness is a NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament which is one of the most anticipated events in all of sports. March Madness is a single-elimination tournament (if you lose once you’re out) with 68 different college men’s basketball teams that play seven rounds for the U.S. national championship. Before March Madness begins, teams are selected and bracketed at an event named Selection Sunday. The 32 Division 1 conferences are automatic qualifiers regardless of their performance during the season as long as they won their conference post-season tournament. The other 36 teams that are selected are not automatic qualifiers and have to be invited to the tournament. On Selection Sunday, the teams are ranked by seeds 1 - 68, which is based on the team’s performance in the regular season and conference tournament. After Selection Sunday, the “First Four” or the opening round of March Madness is played, where four teams are eliminated, hence the name. The 64 teams left are split into four regions of 16, which are ranked by 1 - 16 seeds. To reward the better and higher ranked teams, first round match ups pitt the top team vs the bottom team and continue to the next highest vs. the next lowest. This makes sure the championship game is balanced. After the First Four and first and second round games, the next important rounds are the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Sweet 16 is the nickname for the regional semifinal round of March Madness. Teams that have made Sweet 16 previously won the round of 32 or the second round. Winners who triumph in the Sweet 16 sweep move on to the Elite 8. Elite 8 is the regional final round and winners of this matchup reach the Final Four. The Final Four is one of the most important rounds of March Madness as the final four teams compete to see who advances to the final round to decide the winner of the National Championship. March Madness is a season of upsets, triumphs, and excitement. The teams who partake in this tournament experience joy and pain with some who have triumphant wins or devastating losses. March Madness will inspire this joy and pain as the tournament progresses for players and spectators. We can’t wait to see which teams earn their titles and which teams surprise everyone with an upset. WRITTEN BY DANA BARBEE AND MELINA DE LA CRUZ
Did you know that on March 12th of 2023, the Girl Scouts organization turned 111 years old? Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, Girls Scouts has helped to inspire young girls to pursue leadership skills with ambition and confidence now for over a century. The organization was initially inspired by Juliette’s friend, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who had founded the Boy Scouts earlier that year. Seeing the inspiring effect it had on the boys who joined scouting, Juliette decided that girls deserved a space like this as well. The first-ever Girl Scout troop only consisted of 18 girls yet made a huge difference. Today, Girl Scouts are most well-known for selling cookies. That being said, most people don’t know that this activity is pursued with the intention of teaching girls valuable life skills. Before the start of cookie season, troops decide where and how many cookies they want to sell. By setting goals, troops plan out trips they want to take, badges they want to earn, and organizations they wish to support. Along with learning to be financially responsible during cookie season, the girls also have the opportunity to earn certain awards based on leadership and service to their community. The various awards are called the Bronze Award, Silver Award, and Gold Award, which is the highest honor for a Girl Scout to earn. Girls also work towards earning badges to put on their uniforms. Earning these badges teaches them lifelong skills such as responsibility, friendship, and resourcefulness. Juliette Gordon Low (also commonly known by her nickname, Daisy) imagined a community where all girls could come together and embrace their unique strengths and passions. Girl Scouts today still follow the same values as the very first Girl Scout troop in 1912. Values like connecting with their communities, getting outdoors, challenging themselves, and finding ways to make the world a better place are all things that have lasted through the 111 years of girl scouting. Juliette Gordon Low’s ambition has and will continue to inspire generations of girls, giving them new levels of confidence and friendships to last their whole life. WRITTEN BY MELINA DE LA CRUZ
1,500 years ago St Patrick passed away on March 17th and the Irish who followed him created the holiday of St Patrick's Day to honor his memory. He was a patron Saint of Ireland and its National apostle. He was a slave from Wales who returned to Ireland and helped bring Christianity to the people after escaping. He is most well known for having explained the Holy Trinity using the Shamrock (a three-leafed clover) that is now known as The Legend of Saint Patrick. St Patrick's Day as we know it is celebrated with beer, parades, and the color green. The first celebration where a parade took place was not in Ireland but in America. On March 17th, 1601 a Spanish colony in Florida was organized by Ricardo Artur. A century later Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York in 1772 to honor St Patrick. Over the following years, Saint Patrick's Day became a way to honor Irish soldiers' heritage. One big tradition in America is the annual dying of the Chicago River green. This started in 1962 when workers in the city used dye to trace illegal sewage discards but realized it was a fun way to celebrate the holiday. That same year in 1962 they released 100 lbs of green vegetable dye into the river. Because of the environmental damage, they now only use 40 lbs of dye and the river only stays green for hours instead of a week. One of the most popular icons for the holiday is the leprechaun. The original name for the small creature was lobaircin which meant small-bodied fellow. The belief in leprechauns comes from the Celtic belief in fairies. Many folktales include leprechauns as cranky souls responsible for the mending of shoes of other fairies. Leprechauns are known for their tricky and mischievous behavior in trying to protect their gold. They also have their own holiday, May 13th, but are celebrated mostly on St Patrick's Day. WRITTEN BY ZACHARY BUENAVENTURA
In a world with countless animals that range in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, there was always one in particular that always stood out to me. It was one animal that just captured everything a young boy could adore in a creature, that animal was the giant panda. Native to China, these black and white bears are the most adorable animals that make great models for stuffed animals. They are incredibly witty and can’t help but be the center of attention when it comes to super fun and playful animals. But, what makes these animals so cool? First, Pandas are known for their playful personalities. They have been seen doing everything from rolling down hills to playing with toys. Their antics have captured the attention of animal lovers all over the world, and have even aided in the growth of tourism in China. In addition to rolling around and playing with toys, they also frequently climb trees (despite their large size). Pandas can run at rates of up to 20 miles per hour, even though they may appear to be passive animals. One of the ways that a panda's “coolness” is showcased, albeit through an animated movie, was the 2008 animated film ‘Kung Fu Panda’. This movie was one of the staple films of my childhood, and looking back, so were all of the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. They had profound narrative themes that teach many valuable life virtues and morals, such as persistence and embracing your own unique qualities and strengths. This movie is a testament to the appeal of pandas and their quirky characteristics. From their distinct appearance, to their playful nature and cultural significance, pandas truly are some of the coolest animals around. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of pandas is their ability to bring people together. Pandas have a way of capturing the hearts and minds of people all over the world, as seen in their popularity as a symbol of peace in China. Pandas are frequently associated with the yin-yang symbol, representing the balance and harmony of opposing forces in the universe, which is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy. This is due to pandas' distinctive black-and-white coloration, which mirrors the contrasting elements of the yin-yang symbol. Pandas are clearly more than just cute and cuddly animals. They are also fascinating, one-of-a-kind, and inspiring creatures who deserve our respect and admiration. Whether you're a fan of conservation, animal behavior, or just cute things in general, pandas are one of the most extraordinary animals ever. They are unironically “dope”. |
AuthorDana Barbee Archives
May 2023
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