Grants Pass High School went to Disney! Bi-annually, our marching band and color guard get the honor of flying to Disneyland to partake in the Easter parade. These students were excited to be marching in a Disney parade for Easter. Dani Porterfield, a 9th grader at Grants Pass High, who played the clarinet at the parade, stated, “The Norfleets organized it really well. The actual trip was for the students. It felt like a well-deserved prize.” The first day was the actual parade, where they worked hard rehearsing and playing in front of hundreds of people. On the second and third days, students were set free to roam both California Adventure and Disneyland. Grants Pass Band and Color Guard worked hard this year to earn this unique opportunity. 

Two neighbors are celebrating their joint 101st birthday together, living side by side since the 1980s in Oxford, England. Josie Church and Anne Wallace-Hadrill were both avid volunteers in their community which formed an everlasting friendship between the two. Anne studied English at St.Hilda's College and served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a radio mechanic during the Second World War. Meanwhile, Josie was a nurse and trained for three years at Preston Royal Infirmary. They both express how busy both of them were during their youth and later on formed their friendship. A meaningful piece of advice stated by the New York Post is “Just live,” advised Church. There's not much you can do. You just go from one thing to the next.” Josie and Anne showcase a true act of long-lasting friendship and longevity to the world. 

Surgeons at The Texas Heart Institute in Houston Texas led the first successful implantation of an artificial heart powered by magnetic levitation. A 57-year-old male patient was suffering from end-stage heart failure and was waiting for a heart transplant. ‘Maglev’ technology, according to IGN, “harnesses the natural repelling force of opposing magnetic poles to suspend an object in mid-air, essentially causing it to float in place.” The artificial heart claims to support an exercising adult male, where the heart can be manipulated to pump at an according speed using a smart external controller. The official name of the artificial organ is BiVACOR TAH, which was able to sustain a man for eight days who was awaiting a real heart transplant. The company hopes that this artificial ‘maglev’ powered heart can sustain patients in the future who are on long waiting lists for life-changing donor organs and then eventually a permanent replacement for a heart. 

The Vitality Center has recently been passed down to a new owner in respect of reviving the building. It was recently used as Heartland Academy Of Dance And Theatrics and is now being worked on to serve as a community building. The building recently has been hosting charity events, community-building events, trivia nights, and movie nights. Elizabeth Dugan, an 11th grader at Grants Pass High, reports “I went to the princess bride trivia event, the first thing they hosted since they started rebuilding this place. It was a lot of fun and I definitely think they could use some more press about it.” The Vitality Center could be very beneficial to our community, bringing others to work together on GP issues, fostering connections, and serving as a building block for community development.