by William Parker

Each year on the second Sunday of May, America celebrates Mother’s Day. This day was created to celebrate and respect mothers all over America. It is a day for love, joy, and thanks towards mothers who helped raise us into the people we are today. But, how and why was this holiday created?

In the early 20th century, there was a lady who went by the name Anna Jarvis. Over the years, her mother expressed the fact that she wanted a day to celebrate her and many other mothers. Sadly, this didn’t happen before Anna’s mom passed away in the year 1905. But, this event would only fuel Anna’s desires more. Anna started a campaign after her mother’s passing. It started with Mother’s Day Clubs that would address public health issues. Anna and others wanted a “Mother’s Day for Peace” where mothers would ask that their husbands and sons would not die in wars. In 1907 at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Congress noticed this in 1908, but rejected the proposal for an official Mother’s Day because they joked about needing to also make a “Mother-in-law’s Day”. Despite this, many states would officially adopt this holiday by 1911. In the early 1920’s, this holiday really started to get popular with Mother’s Day cards and carnations, which would become a symbol for Mother’s Day.

Ever since then, Mother’s Day has been widely celebrated by America, and even some other countries. Thanks to Anna Jarvis, we officially have a day to celebrate our mother’s, and give them the credit they have definitely deserved.

by Macey Black

Mother’s Day is a holiday celebrated all over the world in order to celebrate and honor all of the hard work that Mothers put into raising their children. In America, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year, although in other countries it is celebrated on various different days. 

Where/What did Mother’s Day Originate From?

The first Mother’s day was celebrated in 1907 in Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, being hosted by Anna Jarvis. She fought for Mother’s day to be recognized as a national holiday since 1905, the year that her mother passed away. During the Civil War, Jarvis was a peace activist who helped soldiers on both sides of the war. After many years of convincing others and spreading the news about this newfound holiday, Mother’s day was considered to be a national holiday in 1914.

Traditions

As do most holidays, Mother’s day has many customs and traditions. A few examples of these include, for many families, going to church, eating meals together as a family, and the distribution of flowers. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to send personalized cards on Mother’s Day containing kind messages and sweet treats. 

Commercialization

Ever since the holiday was created, the number of people who celebrate Mother’s day has been increasing, and along with it, commercialization has too. Disregarding Anna Jarvis’ wishes of keeping the holiday personal and unadvertised, many companies throughout the nation have made products, advertisements, pre-made cards, and other gifts that may be considered by some to be “less personal” than hand written cards and homemade gifts.

by Carli Olvera

Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those who died in service of the United States of America. This widely appreciated holiday is celebrated on the last Monday in May in almost every state in the U.S.

The Origin of the Holiday

In 1868, General John A. Logan called for a day to honor the Civil War dead, but it was not until after World War I that the holiday was widely observed. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson came into office and officially declared Waterloo, New York, the “Birthplace of Memorial Day”. In 1968, Congress passed legislation designating the last Monday in May as Memorial Day. Closely following in 1971, Memorial Day was moved from its traditional date in May to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend for the holiday. The change was made to increase the number of people who would travel on Memorial Day weekend. In addition, the change gave the federal government an extra time of year to set aside for the holiday. 

The Holiday’s Symbols

A symbol of Memorial Day are the classic Red Poppies that are sold to raise money for the American Legion. They are sold at the end of May and early June; these flowers being grown in the U.S. All of the money that is raised from their sale is mostly used to support veterans. Additionally, there is a National Moment of Remedy at 3:00 p.m on Memorial Day. This is seen as a time when people stop what they are doing to remember those who died in service of the United States. 

The National Moment of Remembrance was first started in 1966. It is led by the National Moment of Remembrance Committee, who of which was formed by the United States Department of Defense. The National Moment of Remembrance Committee is made up of people from all over the country, in which is made up of representatives from government, veterans, and the public. The committee meets on a regular basis to discuss how to make the National Moment of Remembrance a successful and memorable tradition. The committee commonly meets with veterans to hear their stories and to learn more about the troubles they had to face while in the depths of war. While the The National Moment of Remembrance may no be considered a federal holiday, it is, however, seen to many states and cities as a national holiday.

by Landon Barnes

Hey Wildcats! Do you play an instrument such as Piano, Violin, Oboe, Cello etc? Are you seeking some more knowledge on how to write your own? You're in luck, as a fellow musician, I did some research on how to enhance your skills on writing music!

The first thing you should know is, it's important to use multiple chord progressions going up in down either chromatically or moving around. Also make sure to have a note that repeats, to help the listener have it stuck in them.

Next, if you want to become a successful songwriter, make sure to note use the same chords (ex: C, G, C, G, G, C etc.) try to mix it up so you sound like you put effort into writing the song. If you are not sure just change the chords form, like if you have a C Maj. make it a c minor. 

If you think that rhythm is not everything you are wrong! Rhythm is important because it could set your song apart. If you don’t want a perfectly on beat song, try using syncopation to change up the beat. Also you don’t always have to use 4/4 you cause beats like  ¾. 

Write a song full of riffs (especially if you play piano) if you use this musical technique it can change your song into a more upbeat and pop masterpiece. Using these tools are espically good if you play keys or guitar. 

Lastly, make sure to not get too crazy with the computerized noises and fictional instruments. If you write your song online, make sure to think about how realistic it would be to put into a live concert. 

Thank you musical Wildcats for increasing your skills by using my tips. 

by Christian Sim

Duolingo is one of the most - if not the most - widely known app that supposedly teaches you a new language in half the time of a college course. While most people don’t actually learn Spanish from just Duolingo, people do still use it.

One of the ways Duolingo (tries) to keep you motivated to use the app everyday is a streak system. The concept is that if you don’t complete your lesson for the day, your streak resets to zero and Duo sends you repeated emails telling you how disappointed he is.

To avoid this fate, it is crucial to complete a lesson and protect your streak every day. Here are a few ways to do this.

1. Stock up on streak freezes- Streak freezes lets you skip a day or two without fear of losing your streak. Remember to refill your streak freezes if you happen to skip a day.

2. Be a good human- If you are a kid, especially a teenager, you will most likely get grounded from your devices every now and then. And obviously, you can’t do a Duolingo lesson without a device. There really isn’t a way to avoid this issue other than not getting grounded in the first place.

3. Don’t progress too much in one day- If you skip a whole unit in French by guessing correctly on the tests, the lessons will most likely be too hard for you. This sudden shift of difficulty can lower your motivation, and might risk your streak.

4. Protect your streak at all costs- If you plan on keeping insanely long streaks, there will most likely be days you don’t have your phone on you. If this happens, find a way to continue your streak without your phone, whether that's through a computer, or borrowing a friend’s phone for a bit.

Duolingo is a fun way to feel like you are being productive, while still being on your phone or computer. Just keep up your streak for a year and you can show off your (Duolingo) streak in no time.