By Ava P.

October 23, 2020

Everyone knows that Filipinos love Christmas. We play Christmas songs on repeat, have our own special holiday delicacies, and most importantly, start celebrating three months ahead of time. However, many of the special, grand plans Filipinos had for this year’s holiday season have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To find out exactly what the Covid-19 impact has been on Christmas, we consulted  several Filipino staff at ISM and asked them to tell us about their plans for the holidays.

When asked about how important Christmas was to them, on a scale of 1-10, half of the 15 respondents said that before the pandemic, Christmas was a 10, the highest level of importance. The lowest pre-Covid rating was a 5. When asked about Christmas’s level of importance after the pandemic, several people’s rating dropped. One person even said that before the pandemic Christmas  was at an 8, but now it’s only at a 4. 

According to Ms. Joyce, Middle School Library Assistant, Christmas is, “cold weather, tons of rest time and relaxation, and the food.” Mr. Cruz, ESL TA, said that, “Christmas festivities such as family games are common practices in our family; but, it's totally different now since we can't do this because of the pandemic.” 

Speaking about food and traditions, the majority of the people surveyed celebrated Noche Buena or Salu-Salo as a Christmas tradition. Noche Buena/Salu-Salo is a grand celebration for friends and family, taking place the night before Christmas, and usually with food. However, with the pandemic, people can’t get together in large groups or share food. So the point of celebrating Noche Buena/Salu-Salo will be gone, since they can’t do the main parts of that tradition. As Ms. Legaspi, ESL TA, said, “Christmas will still continue despite the pandemic. I will still have the "Handaan" or Media Noche, but with my immediate family members only (those who are in the same bubble with me).”

Everyone surveyed said that they usually celebrate Christmas with their families, and are still celebrating with their families this year. However, Filipino families are typically quite large, and many people work out of the country. Furthermore, everyone usually comes home to see their families during the holidays, and some even fly out of the country to see relatives. But with traveling heavily restricted due to the lockdown, many families won’t be able to celebrate in person. And even if they can see each other in person, it might only be a small group of people and with strict safety precautions. Which is why, many people are resorting to celebrating with their families over Zoom.

Christmas will be very different this year for the Filipinos of the ISM community and beyond. However, even though we’re unable to celebrate our traditions in the same way, Christmas will remain to be a special and important occasion for Filipinos across the nation.

By Tammy G. 

October 20, 2020

It is unavoidable that our screen time has gone up over these couple of months. Schoolwork, connecting with friends, and personal rest time spent on devices are a necessity, especially during this time. However, are you conscious about the amount of time wasted on screens everyday? Around an average of 8 hours and 23 minutes is spent on screens per person per day. That time could instead be used to catch up on homework, spend time with your family, get active, or do other more beneficial things. I know everyone wants to feel productive, but how do you actually start? 

Establishing Habits. For me, habits are  the key to achieving a productive routine. Creating good habits and breaking bad ones are the only way get ahead in your work and feel success in  your day. Usually, people create habits in order to achieve a goal. However, the trick is to actually enjoy the process and instead of just creating a goal, create a lifestyle. This way, you are envisioning an organized and successful lifestyle. Quoting James Clear in his life-changing book, Atomic Habits, “Goals are good for setting direction, but systems are best for making progress.”

Getting Started. Starting is often the hardest part. An easy way to feel more productive immediately is to set a time limit on your phone and laptop. You could put a time  limit on Youtube, social media, or netflix so that you aren’t spending too much time on screens. 

Reward Systems. If your problem is actually doing your homework, create a reward system. Maybe you could let yourself have a snack after each assignment or take a short break after completing a task. You could also do a visual reward and tick off assignments as you go. This motivates you to cross off as many assignments as you can and keep working!

Visual Cues. The final problem I see students having is remembering to do their work. There’s no doubt a lot of things we have to complete in our day to day life, but how many do we actually remember to do? To solve this, design your environment with  many visual cues. Let’s say you decided to start playing guitar again: You could put your guitar next to your bed to remind you to play right before bed. This provides a cue to remind yourself to stick to your plan. 

I personally have used these tips to cut my screen time down to an hour a day, incorporate more exercise in my routine, have some free time to read or hangout with friends, and also study everyday without missing assignments. These tips have helped me feel more confident and productive in distance learning, as well as take on a few more interests. For me, habits are one of the most important things in your everyday life. Don’t forget to try these out and I’m sure you will notice a change in your work habits.

By Avik Grover

October 7, 2020

Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf didn’t expect to even be in the Fortnite World Cup. In fact, he didn’t even expect to qualify. Out of the 40 million people who tried to qualify, only 100 ended up in the Grand Finals. The big event: every competitive Fortnite player’s dream, with millions of people watching and a prize pool of $30 million.

When Bugha tried out for the competition, He didn’t expect to make it farther than the top 1000. Sure, he practiced every day, but he thought there must be people much better than him. “To be honest, even I didn’t think he would win,” said Bugha’s dad after he had won. 

During the Competition, Bugha won the first of three games getting nine kills, giving him a significant lead. However, during his second game, Bugha was one of the first people to be killed. For many people, this made him a little cocky because in his second game, he was one of the first to die. Bugha’s dad recalls them both staring at each other and making eye contact. “He knew the thing he had done was wrong, and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice,” Bugha’s dad said. 

His third and final game was the most intense. Bugha had 45 points and he was still in first place. His challenger, Jaden Ashman had won the second game and had 38 points. Bugha knew he needed to place in the top 5 to guarantee his win. In his third game, Bugha played very cautiously. He wasn’t aggressive and tried to avoid others. $3 million would be life-changing and Bugha wasn’t going to let that slip through his fingers. 

As the number of remaining players decreased, the more his concentration grew. By the time they were in the top ten, Bugha was in full concentration mode. At that point, nothing else mattered to him. When only seven players were left, Kreo, another competitor, decided to attack him. Bugha didn’t have good weapons and didn’t have a lot of materials left. While Kreo was trying to rush him, another competitor decided to rush him from another side.

Bugha realized that he was trapped and had nowhere to go. In the meantime, another player died, so there were six left. At this point, Bugha had 54 points. Jaden Ashman had 52 and was still alive. One more person had to die and Bugha would win $3 million. Suddenly, Bugha realized that the other competitor who was rushing him wasn’t going for him. He was going for Kreo. Just as Kreo reached him, the other competitor who was rushing him managed to eliminate Kreo.

Bugha lept to his feet. He had just won $3 million! The stadium erupted as they realized that there was a new world champion: Bugha. “I had never felt that rush of adrenaline before,” Bugha recalled after. “I was ecstatic!" 

Bugha returned to his home in Pennsylvania, $3 million richer. He is still streaming and has gained a massive fanbase.

By Kristian T. 

October 2, 2020

Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi was a professional League of Legends player turned content creator. After seven years with Cloud 9, an Esports organization that has teams in multiple games but is best known for League of Legends, he was dropped.. He was dropped due to the fact he was not doing great. Many fans of Cloud 9 were angered

On January 16, 2020, Sneaky was taken off the League of Legends team and suddenly the team started to fail. For the first time in seven years, the organization did not make the 2020 World Championship, a shock for a team that had gone 16-2 in the previous season. 

Sneaky was replaced due to the fact the team underperformed at the previous world championship, casting the blame on Sneaky.  Even though statically he was the most consistent at the World Championship, after he was dropped he admitted, “Some of my teammates don’t wanna play with me.”  He was treated as if he had no purpose, like he was just there to take the blame for C9’s losses. When they won, other members of the team were given the credit.

“I don’t wanna fight for my spot because my team doesn’t even want me,” said Sneaky. Sneaky was part of the  original C9 that was known for innovating the game.  Back in 2013 Cloud 9 rose above other North American teams and were always the hope of North America at the World Championship. 

Many fans of the team were heartbroken by the news and left the team. Sneaky made a video a few weeks ago commenting on  the game C9 lost that decided the team’s fate. The title deo, of Sneaky’s, “I was the problem” reveals Sneaky’s concerns about  the team.

Sneaky’s biggest problem was a meme that said he was a terrible player and it went viral . After just one bad game, people started to doubt his abilities, even though he had always played well. Sneaky was put in a role where all he could do was be patient and play very neutral. Sadly, this led people  to think that since Sneaky was  not carrying every game, that he was bad at his role. A lot of people believed the negative rumors, including his teammates. All this led to the demise of the team later on in the World Championship.  

These days, Sneaky is looking to make a return in 2021 and fans should be watching out. He is looking for revenge on his team, but this year proved that Sneaky was not the problem. 

Sneaky never got a chance to carry but we may see this next year. Sneaky had a very rough 2019 and early 2020 but he will be back so watch out.

hit reality show ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ is finally over

The cast of the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ released the sad news on September 9, 2020. After 14 years, encompassing 20 seasons plus spinoffs, they will say farewell in their last season, which will air early in 2021.

By Leah J.

October 6, 2020

‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ has been an iconic show since 2007 and the producers and the cast have never failed to make the show more entertaining every season with new drama, new family members and showing the enjoyable and sad moments. The cast who made the show entertaining and enjoyable for the viewers of the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ are Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner. 

Before the show aired, the Kardashians were an ordinary American family living in a typical Beverly Hills neighbourhood. However, after their hit reality show ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ aired in 2007, they became the talk of Hollywood. They were all over social media, television, magazine covers, commercials and eventually the cast started to create their own make-up and clothing brands. The show has done an amazing job documenting their life as they go to Fashion Week in Paris and award shows,  spending time with their family in Beverly Hills, creating their businesses, showing the bad and good times and most importantly, document how the Kardashians became the famous celebrity family we know today. Most importantly, the show brought us one of the most iconic quotes when Kim Kardashian lost her earrings in the ocean and when Khloe was going to jail while Kim was taking selfies of herself.

Without the show, Kendall Jenner wouldn’t have been a world wide supermodel, Kylie Jenner wouldn’t be the CEO of Kylie Cosmetics and Kim, Kourtney and Khloe wouldn't have released their own products and modeling for magazine covers. Kim Kardashian was the first one in her family to release the sudden news  on September 9, 2020 saying, “This show made us who we are and I'll be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers in changing our lives forever.”

Fans have been overwhelmed with the sudden news that their favourite show is ending after watching the Kardashians from the beginning and to the end. All of the Kardashians and Jenners have released the sad news and how grateful they are for the show because of it, they are who they are today.  

By: Alexis A. 

October 15, 2020

COVID 19 has affected us all and since we are all still in quarantine, Netflix has been a great source of entertainment. I personally have watched a lot of Netflix during quarantine because it is really entertaining. Every one of the movies and TV shows I have seen on Netflix has been good and it is what makes Netflix special. Everyone can find a movie or TV show that they would like to watch because Netflix’s content is so diverse and all ages will be able to find something. Over the time of COVID 19, Netflix has released a bunch of movies and TV shows that I think you will enjoy watching. From mystery to action to romance, Netflix will surely give you the chance to explore, experience, and learn new things. 

Enola Holmes

I would recommend the new Netflix original movie Enola Holmes released on September 23. This movie is about the famous Sherlock Holmes’ sister Enola on a journey to find her mother. According to Rotten Tomatoes, “Enola Holmes brings a breath of fresh air to Baker Street and leaves plenty of room for Millie Bobby Brown to put her effervescent stamp on a franchise in waiting.” It is a really interesting and fun movie to watch if you like mystery and action movies. Even if you don’t like those genres, it is a great movie.

Kissing Booth 2

Another movie I would recommend is The Kissing Booth 2, the sequel to the Kissing Booth. This teen romantic comedy that takes you through the journey of friendship and love. This movie is interesting because of the love triangle between Elle, Marco, and Noah and how it's difficult to pick which side you are on! The third movie has already been announced to come out in 2021.

Cobra Kai

A series that I would recommend is Cobra Kai. It is new to Netflix and is based on the iconic Karate Kid trilogy. It is an action and comedy packed series that may bring back a lot of nostalgia from the original movies. Since its release on August 28, it has been in the top ten of Netflix. Wait till 2021 when they will release season 3 on January 8. Netflix just announced that they are working on season 4. 

Away

Another series I would recommend is Away. This series is about a group of astronauts and their journey to Mars. It is in its first season and has received  a lot of great reviews. I was able to learn a lot about science from this series and it was really fun to watch. 

Overall, Netflix has done a good job with its TV shows and movies and a lot more are about to come out in the following months.

By Olivia R.

October 23, 2020

From the start of experiencing your first test, to the stress and anxiety of getting your results back, what really happens in the process of getting a COVID-19 test?

Even though the main three steps seem fairly straightforward-- getting a swab test, sending it to the hospital, receiving results from the doctor-- what happens during the time in the hospital? How do doctors really determine whether you have the virus or not?

Throughout testing, DNA and RNA are very important in detecting this virus. Putting it simply, DNA is the permanent blueprint of the genetic code you carry, and the RNA is the photocopy of the blueprint.

When labs receive your test, they extract your RNA using extraction kits. The RNA is captured in special containers, creating a purified version of RNA. A chemical, reverse transcriptase, is added to the reaction mixture, converting RNA to DNA, which creates a DNA blueprint that matches the original RNA sequence. This is used to perform PCR, polymerase chain reaction testing.

Using Polymerase Chain Reaction testing (PCR), doctors try to detect certain deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) material in your ribonucleic acid (RNA), determining whether you have, or don’t have Covid-19. Doctors do this through chemical reactions and protein building.

Since SARS - CoV - 2 has similar genetic codes as COVID-19, doctors use the similarities between the two viruses to identify if there is viral DNA from your test sample, as they would when detecting SARS - CoV - 2 viruses.

Once doctors have converted your RNA to DNA, they add a probe, which binds to only viral, infected DNA. 

If your DNA is viral or infected, a special primer binds the first nucleotides to the DNA sequence. An enzyme, DNA polymerase, replicates the sequence of the primer. The DNA polymerase then clips off fluorescent molecule from the probe. The process repeats and millions of copies are created.

If the process does work, and the polymerase clips off the fluorescent molecule successfully, many singular molecules start to illuminate under a certain light, which is then measured with a PCR machine. Because of how many copies are made, millions of fluorescent molecules should start illuminating. If this happens, it means you have tested positive for Covid-19 as the RNA amplified and the PCR process did work.

However, if the process does not work, and there is no amplification of viral RNA, you are tested negative, because the probe did not bind to the nucleotides from your DNA.

So, if you’ve been tested, or are planning to in the times to come, with luck, this article provides you with a greater knowledge of the testing process, and of the COVID-19 virus itself.

Why we Need to Stop Saying “All Lives Matter”

By Sandrene S.

October 20, 2020

“No one’s saying that your life doesn’t matter. What we’re saying is that all lives can’t matter until black lives also matter.”  Members of the black community have emphasized that the phrase “black lives matter” does not mean that black lives are the only lives that should matter. The phrase simply means that black lives matter, just as much as the lives of whites or the lives of anyone else!

The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks have not only reignited the Black Lives Matter Movement, but continue to raise awareness and educate the public about the movement’s most common rebuttal: “All lives matter.” 

Government officials, including US president Trump himself, have used the phrase as a form of support for police officers who have been involved in life threatening situations. There have also been recent debates about the use of the phrase, “Black Lives Matter” comparing it with the phrase, “All Lives Matter.” The question people are asking now is, should the focus on the value of life be just on one segment of society, black people, or should it apply to ALL people?

Although the statement “all lives matter” may initially seem innocent, the movement intends to derail the deeper conversation about systemic racism. “All lives matter” communicates to black people a “painful kind of silence,” says Attorney Catherine Moran Ayeni. She goes on to explain, “It removes our voice, it doesn’t allow us to express our very specific pain.” 

Bryce Michael Wood, host of the Zoom series “For Your Discomfort,” responds in frustration, saying “How is that your response to me saying 'Black Lives Matter?' Because before Black Lives Matter, before that movement, no one was saying 'all lives matter.' No one felt the need to position themselves that way.”

The “Black Lives Matter” movement continues to persevere and raise awareness around worldwide instances of racial injustice.  “Black lives matter” has evolved over the years from being a social media post to becoming a global movement. It has spread to almost every corner of the world, lighting up the many dark places of prejudice with the message that everyone matters, and that marginalization can no longer be tolerated. Indeed, black lives not only do matter, Black Lives MUST matter.