December 20 marked the last day of school for East Pennsboro students in 2024, and the day was filled with fun activities and holiday cheer. 

Students and teachers enjoyed the day with various fun events, including holiday karaoke hosted by EP Media. Many students participated, presenting their vocal talents. 

Sophomore Laurel Blymire, who participated in the EP Media karaoke, shared, "Doing karaoke on the last day of school was an amazing experience. I enjoyed the opportunity everyone was given to participate and share their voice free of judgment and regardless of their vocal experience. I especially enjoyed singing with my friends and the feeling of holiday spirit throughout the school!"

Many classes also did fun activities such as holiday parties, games, crafts, and more. 

Freshman Saumya Agarwal shared, “In history, we had a fun party where everyone brought food in and did karaoke.”

Freshman Derek Shaffer remarked, “My favorite part of the day was when Mrs. Knipe brought in her homemade cookies. They were so delicious!”

In the afternoon, students were able to sign up for a variety of activities including board games, cupcake decorating, ornament decorating, Zumba, watching The Grinch, and much more.

Freshman Madelyn Metallo, who watched The Grinch said, “I enjoyed being with my friends and watching the movie, relaxing with no work, and eating cupcakes after.” 

Senior Foster Lemley, who participated in Zumba said, “The atmosphere was nice because people kept coming. Mrs. Chandra was there.” English teacher Carmen Brent ran the Zumba session.

Freshman Charlotte Bell, who participated in the care packages activity, said, “I enjoyed my activity because I knew the bags we are making were going to put a smile on the kindergartners' faces and get them excited for their long break.”

Teachers were also looking forward to a nice long holiday break after a busy year.

Spanish Ana Hammaker shared, “I’m looking forward to having my baby and seeing my husband’s family.” 

Math teacher Jennifer Echard mentioned she was looking forward to “relaxing, and spending time with family.” 

English teacher Tim Wolaver added he was looking forward to “going away with my family between Christmas and New Year’s.”

Gladiator 2 is the sequel to Gladiator and is the story of Hanno (Paul Mescal). The movie starts with a peaceful scene between Hanno and his wife in Numidia. They end up having to go to battle and fight against the Romans. The Roman General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) kills Hanno’s wife, Arishtat (Yuval Gonen), and Numidia loses the battle. This leads to Hanno becoming a slave and then a Gladiator fighting in the Colosseum and seeking revenge against General Acacius.

Gladiator 2 is directed by Ridley Scott, known for the popular movies Alien, Hannibal, Blade Runner, House of Gucci, and many more. It was released in theaters on November 22, 2024, and scored a 71% on rotten tomatoes.

Overall, they did a good job incorporating the first Gladiator movie by bringing back characters such as Lucilla (Connie Nielson), the daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. As well as referencing scenes from the first movie through paintings and quotes. 

In the first Gladiator, there were lots of memorable and impactful lines. One of the most memorable by Maximus (Russel Crowe) is “Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.” and “Are you not entertained?”. 

The newest Gladiator keeps with the theme of impactful quotes by providing some powerful lines such as “Wood or Steel, a point is still a point,” and “I will never be your instrument in this life or the next.  Both of these lines are spoken by Hanno. 

The writers also do an excellent job of conveying the importance of the Colosseum to Rome when Macrinus states, “The greatest temple Rome ever built. The Colosseum. Because this is what they believe in. Power.”

Gladiator 2 did an outstanding job respecting the original movie and plot while creating its own story. 

It is a common occurrence in sequels to ruin the original memory of the original character if they don’t appear in the second one. 

For example, in Speed 2: Cruise Control, the sequel to Speed, considered one of the best action movies of the 1990s, the main character, Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), did not appear. This is because Reeves turned down the opportunity to appear in the second one. While the other lead character, Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock), did appear, however, it still resulted in Speed 2 being a massive flop and the end of the series. 

However, that was not the case for Gladiator 2. This movie maintained the same feel and appeal as the first Gladiator while avoiding repeating the same storyline. 

Now, while Gladiator 2 is action-packed and has lots of twists and turns, it might not have the same appeal to history buffs. For example, they most likely did not have sharks in the Colosseum as the film depicts. Additionally, there are multiple other plot holes and historical inaccuracies. 

However, this film does accurately convey parts of history. The twin Emperors Greta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) did exist in Roman times, as did the upper-class Roman Macrinus (Denzel Washington). However, writers exaggerated their stories and characters. 

This film also relied heavily on CGI, causing some fans of the original to dislike the new film. CGI is common in action-packed movies, this movie had multiple unrealistic CGI depictions. For example, in one of the first major Gladiator scenes the Gladiators are seen fighting against baboons. Obviously, they are fighting against CGI and some fans felt as though it was an inaccurate depiction. 

Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives in my opinion. It pays homage to the original while introducing its own story.

Fourth Wing is the first book in a five-book series by Rebecca Yarros. Two have been released, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, and the third, Onyx Storm, will be released on January 21st, 2025. 

Fourth Wing was published on April 5, 2023, and quickly gained popularity for its in-depth world-building, likable characters, and thrilling love story. 

Fourth Wing follows the story of Violet Sorrengail, the youngest child of the War General Lilith Sorrengail. It takes place at the War College Basgiath, which has 4 different quadrants; the Scribe Quadrant (Historians), the Healers Quadrant, the Infantry Quadrant (Military), and the Riders Quadrant (Dragons!). 

Violet Sorrengail spent her whole life preparing to enter the Scribe Quadrant, but her life took an unexpected turn when her mother ordered her to join the Riders Quadrant instead. Now why is this such a big deal? 

It is a big deal because Violet was born smaller and weaker than most, which is not good when you're going to what is considered a “death college.” This is especially true when it involves giant fire-breathing dragons known to incinerate people, although that isn’t the only danger she faces.

Violet also must figure out a way to defend herself against other cadets, face grueling physical challenges, and deal with the ever-looming threat of death. Oh, and there is also the son of a rebel leader who wants her dead because her mother killed his father.

Talk about drama. 

As if that wasn’t hard enough, the riders must always remember this, “A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.” 

That isn’t the only impactful line in this story. Other notable lines include: “Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aims it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs—on the probabilities,” and “There is nothing more sacred than the Archives. Even temples can be rebuilt, but books cannot be rewritten.”

Fourth Wing is a thrilling fantasy book with a touch of romance to spice things up and captivating lines to keep the readers enthralled.