The Wester pride

The Kitchen Sink Edition

Winter/Spring 2023

Inside the PRIDE

- A Day in the Life of KATZ Live
- STAAR Tests
- AI Controversy
- Easter

Spring Stuff
MLB Facts
April Fools' Day
The Month of April
New Movies

The Day in the life of a KATZ Live member

by Thomas Conant

I know there are some people, who want to be a part of KATZ Live, but really don't know what they´re getting into. You see, there is more to KATZ Live than doing the announcements, or doing the shows. It´s all about the process. What we do in KATZ Live to be successful requires a lot of hard work…and fun too. In order to film our shows, we have to film what are called packages, which are basically the little segments we have in the show. Then we have to edit the footage that we get down into a little summary, (if you will), of the topic.

We are also doing other things as well, like making Wester Pride Articles (as you see here), and doing instagram posts, as well as also working on Podcasts to film and upload. On our live shows, we have to make sure that everything is in order like making sure the audio is right, or the video, making sure the lighting is good and making sure that everything is going well on the streaming so we can get it out to you guys pretty successfully.

We also have fun in what we do as well, like making jokes and doing funny things on camera.

For any people out there who want to join KATZ Live, I assure you, you won't regret it!

STAAR TESTs

By Rebecca Kim

In Texas, all students grades 3-11 are required to take a statewide standardized test. Every student dreads the testing, as it’s very important and nerve-wrecking, but have you ever wondered how this test started?

The STAAR statewide testing program, standing for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, was implemented in spring 2012. It was designed to measure the extent to which a student has learned and is able to apply the defined knowledge and skills at each tested grade level. Before STAAR, Texas used to have a testing program called TAKS, which stood for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

At Wester, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students all have to take the STAAR test towards the end of the year. It usually takes place around late April or early May. 6th and 7th graders take the Math and Reading STAAR, while the 8th graders take a test for each of the core classes: math, science, reading, and history. Students taking Algebra take an EOC instead of a math STAAR. Every student gets around 4 hours to take each test, which is often more than enough to get through the entire thing.

AI CONTROVERSY

by Christian Sim

Although there are many controversies and different opinions, almost everyone can agree that our world is changing at an alarmingly fast pace. Innovations in motor vehicles, entertainment and most importantly artificial intelligence have sprung up in the past few years and with the development of famous AI software such as Chat-GPT, the world is far from where it was 10 years ago. As our society will inevitably rely more on artificial intelligence for everyday tasks, it is important to know how this technology works, and how it can be used effectively.

AI, while can be used for many different purposes, generally works with a simple idea. The AI, being much faster than a human brain, goes through an existing database of information, and rewrites that information to give a result.

AI can be used in hundreds of different ways. It’s most known for being able to create college level essays about any topic. All the AI needs to do is to sift through a database of information, find the right information, and condense that data into essay form. This is similar to how humans write essays, but because humans can’t do all that in a few seconds, the research quality will be considerably lacking to the AI created essay.

AI is far from perfect, however. Even though AI is a computer, it can still make mistakes. The AI may occasionally find the wrong patterns, or may just misunderstand the prompt.

The next big issue with AI isn’t actually the AI’s problem. A large issue in many public schools is the usage of AI for schoolwork. The student puts in very minimal effort, and gets almost perfect results. Using AI for essays and school is a bad idea for many reasons. First of all, schoolwork is important as it shows what level you are at, so you know exactly what to improve on. Second of all, learning how to write is important, not only for school, but also for the rest of your life. Lastly, its really easy for teachers to use an AI checker to see if you cheated or not. Its better to not risk it.

The advancements of artificial intelligence are both wondrous and terrifying, but if we all use it appropriately, it can become a huge tool to use in the future.

WESTER EASTER TRADITIONs

by Rebecca Kim

Do you ever wonder what your peers like to do on Easter? I sure did. And what better way to find out about other families’ traditions than to ask them yourself?

Some of my Wester classmates were kind enough to send me some interesting information about their family traditions. Here are some:

Emerson Sabulsky

One thing my family and I like to do on Easter is paint eggs using a liquid coloring. Then, we have a big easter egg hunt with all of our family members, including uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, and everyone. It’s really fun and I look forward to it each year.

James Norkett

Years ago, my parents decided it was a good idea to leave some jellybeans on my nightstand. Their original plan was to just give it to me as a special gift that one year, but I told them about how excited I was to get my Easter Bunny jelly beans the next year, right before Easter. So my mom had to go out at 10 PM to go get some to put on my nightstand. Even after I found out that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real, she kept doing the same thing every year, and still does to this day.

Catalina Dicusara

What I do in my religion, which is Christian Orthodox, is that the night before, we would go to church at exactly 11:30 P.M. Everyone will first go inside the church and listen to the priest for about an hour, then everyone receives a candle and we go outside. While outside, the priest holds a really big candle and lets everyone light their candles from one another.

We circle around the church 3 times, then return back inside and stay until 4 am at the church. The next day, we would go to church around 11 in the morning, then have a big feast with friends and family. (Before we celebrate Easter, we try to fast for 45 days. It’s a different type of fasting, and it’s when we try to stay vegan and resist eating anything dairy, meat, or anything that comes from an animal.) One special thing we do with hard boiled eggs after Easter, though, is that we would dye them red before the celebration. Then, whenever two people have an egg each (which is a very traditional and popular thing to eat in my religion for the holiday) the first person would say Jesus has risen, and the other person would say indeed he has risen in Romanian while attempting to crack each other’s eggs.

All of these were so cute and fun! I’d suggest doing something fun as a family on Easter, just as some of my classmates did. Have a great Easter everyone!

THE HISTORY OF EASTER

by Carli Olvera

The Early Times of Easter

Easter, the holiday most commonly celebrated among christian believers as a day of resurrection for Jesus. Easter originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. In the holidays earlier times, the day was most usually spent with prayer and celebration; that of which even christians who did not adopt jewish ways would often participate in the festivities.

Modern Easter Traditions

The Easter traditions we enjoy today originate from a blend of christian themes both modern and ancient. Traditions such as the use of easter eggs, bunnies as a sort of mascot, and the exchanging of sweets are all traditions that emanate from pagan traditions.

Easter Eggs

One of the most recognizable traditions associated with Easter is the use of Easter eggs. Ancient Babylonians believed an egg feel from the sky into the river, and therefore hatched the Goddess of Fertility, Astarte. Pagans would then exchange eggs during Easter as gifts during the spring time festival. In modern times, eggs are decorated in a brightly colored fashion and put to use in the popular easter egg hunt.

The Easter Bunny

Another widely-popular Easter staple would be the Easter Bunny. Bunnies, similarly like the eggs, would be a long-time representation of the spring season and fertility. The tradition of the Easter Bunny originated from the pagan festival of Eostre, which was represented by a northern goddess. This goddess was well associated with the rabbit and hare, often corresponding with fertility. The Easter Bunny is most frequently seen as a large rabbit clothing; though, the modern version of the bunny brings eggs and treats to children.

FUN FACTS ABOUT SPRING

by Serena Mercado

Did you know that spring is favored over all the other seasons by 20-40% of the population. Interesting isn’t it. Since Spring is right around the corner, let’s take a look at some more fun facts about Spring.

1. The first day of Spring is called the Vernal Equinox

2. Spring is known for Flowers, Easter, and Jean Jacket Weather

3. Spring is named after the reference to plants “springing” from the ground

4. Children grow faster during Spring

5. Babies Born in the Spring are more likely to be night owls and optimistic

6. The earliest flowers to bloom in Spring are tulips, daffodils, sunflowers, primrose, and lilies

6. Baby birds usually learn to sing during the Spring season.

7. Some popular holidays during the Spring Season Easter, Passover, April Fools, Earth Day, Arbor Day, Mothers day, Fathers day, Cinco de Mayo, and Holi

I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope you learned something new. Have a wonderful Spring.

FACTS ABOUT
THE MLB

by Landon Barnes

Hey Wildcats! Did you know that Major League baseball started in 1869 with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, and now has grown to over 30 teams with 15 in the American League and the other teams in the National League. Lets check out some interesting facts:

1.Official MLB baseballs have 108 stitches on them!

2. The longest baseball game in history lasted for eight hours and six minutes and was 25 Innings long!!

3. The Average baseball in the MLB is only used for six pitches

4. Alex Rodriguez was signed as the richest baseball player of all time with $450 million!!!

5. Babe Ruth Was the first one to hit 30 home runs in one season

6. The lowest attendance at a MLB game was 374 fans

7. Deion Sanders has the record for scoring a touchdown and a home run in the same week

8. The Seattle Mariners is owned by Nintendo games

9. The home base must be the same exact level as the other bases

10. Cleveland Indians were the first ones to have numbers on the back of their jerseys

11. The first world series was held in 1903 between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates

12. Special mud is used to rub baseballs before games to reduce their luster and make them easier to grip

13. The baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY might be the birthplace for baseball

14. The youngest player to win an MLB game was Joe Nuxhall (15 years old), played for Cincinnati

15. There are 10 umpires in the hall of fame

APRIL FOOLS' DAY

by Jonathan Jourdain

April Fools’ Day is celebrated widely across the world. Its iconic day is always celebrated on April 1st. People celebrate this holiday by telling practical bad jokes. But where did this come from?

Fun Facts:

Some historians believe that April Fools’ Day was dated back to the late 1500s.
People say that you are supposed to stop telling jokes at 12:00 PM or something bad will happen.
In France, they call it “Poisson d’Avril”
“Poisson d’Avril” is translated into “April fish.”
Romans had a holiday similar to April Fools’ Day called “Hilaria.”
Some people think that April Fools’ Day starts on the very first day of Spring.
Typically on April 1st, a lot of companies make a lot of jokes.
April Fools’ Day is celebrated TWO days in Scotland!
In Scotland, it’s known as “April Gowk”, “Gowkie Day” and “Hunt the Gowk.”
“Gowk” means cuckoo.

FACTS ABOUT APRIL

by Serena Mercado

Hey Wildcats! Today I’m here to bring some facts about the month of April!!! So sit back, relax and enjoy!

In April, the Zodiac Signs are Aries or Taurus. (April 1st- April 19 is Aries) (After April 19 is Taurus)

The April month birthstone is the Diamond!

The April Flowers are the Daisy and Sweet Pea

Holidays that occur in April are, April Fools, Earth Day, Good Friday, and San Jacinto Day

April is known as National Garden Month

April is associated with spring

I hope you enjoyed learning about the Month of April!

By Macey Black

With the movie industry constantly evolving, new attention grabbing films are frequently being released. With the recent advancements of technology and special effects, these films have become more immersive and thrilling than ever before. Additionally, online streaming services have made it a lot easier for viewers to access new and old movies from the comfort of their homes.

In 2023, there are loads of new movies being released that many people are excited about. A few examples are Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Air, Super Mario Bros, Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3, The Little Mermaid (live action), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and Aquaman 2.

NEW MOVIES

There are quite a few wildcats at our school who are ecstatic to view the new Super Mario brothers movie because it has very detailed animation. Loads of new movies utilize animation styles in order to snatch the attention of viewers such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem which incorporate a more hand-drawn style, making the animations look more natural and appealing.

The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is coming out with many new releases in 2023. Some of these include the Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 and The Marvels. The vast majority of movie companies are taking great leaps this year, as it is a golden age of television and people will watch basically anything as long as it includes desired characteristics.

These desired attributes are the main way modern movie companies acquire people’s attention. One trait used is using renowned actors/voice actors. Chris Pratt is a good example of this, as his voicing for Mario is what makes many want to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Pratt also plays a significant role in all of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as well.

The new movies this year are sure to be better and more eye-catching than years before because of the advancements in technology. Without a doubt, all of the wildcats around the school can't wait for these amazing movies to be revealed to the public.

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