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Book Recommendation
Staff Member: Kinley Gullage
Wuthering Heights: considered a hard read by most due to the shifting timelines, many alike names, and the Old English language. With intense violence, raw emotion, and immoral characters. Others consider it bold, entertaining, its own genre practically.
Wuthering Heights is written by Emily Bronte. An old English writer, poet, and self-publisher just like her sisters Charlotte Bronte and Anne Bronte. The only 3 left of the Bronte siblings due to the 2 eldest Daughters dying of Tuberculosis. The father of these writers was Patrick Bronte. Patrick Bronte studied at St.Johns,Cambridge, and was a writer himself. He thought that his daughters should be equipped with knowledge and the skills to make their way in the world.
Catherine Earnshaw, one of the main characters whose love for Heathcliff (an orphan adopted by the Earnshaw family) drives the plot of this novel. Catherine's love for him is destructive. She truly loves him and yearns for him. Yet, she prefers her social status to be high. She marries Edgar Linton, a wealthy man, while saying marrying Heathcliff would ‘degrade’ her. Heathcliff becomes jealous: he runs away and returns many years later. He is educated and wealthy, ready to destroy those who did him wrong.
The Day Gravity Stops
Staff Member: Ian Casteel
Have you ever wondered what the importance of gravity is? What would happen if we didn’t have it? Couldn’t we all just wear weighted vests? Well these questions could be answered on August 12th, 2026. It is rumored that Earth’s gravitational pull will turn off for 7 seconds. This theory was created because of a leaked file called “Project Anchor”.
The theory has since been proved impossible by NASA spokesperson who states, “Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass. The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass.”
What would happen if this did happen? Well, an estimated 40-60 Million people would be killed or injured and almost anything not anchored to the ground, including water, would fly up until it reaches about 240ft before crashing down to the surface. Major tsunamis, up to hundreds of feet high, would occur due to this humongous fall of water.
A drop in pressure would also occur and some parts of the world would experience hurricanes and tornadoes due to the sudden crash of air when gravity turns back on. This would kill a lot of marine life and destroy almost all coastal cities. The idea of floating in the air for a few seconds may seem cool, but it would cause billions of dollars in damage and even change the way the world works.
Pool Chlorine Safety
Staff Member: John Anthony
Have you ever wondered what's inside pool water, or why the water smells weird? The answer is simple. Pool chlorine is a sanitizer commonly used in pools, intended to kill bacteria, viruses, and algae. This is important in pools, as when liquid stays stagnant for too long, those very things begin to inhabit it, growing and reproducing. These can include things from legionella bacteria, which cause legionnaires' disease, a harmful type of pneumonia that brings symptoms such as coughing, fevers, muscle pains, headaches, nausea, vomiting, etc.
The use of pool chlorine helps to prevent this. Although chlorine removes harmful bacteria, it may also remove more helpful things, such as natural protective oils found on your body, which dries the skin out and can cause irritation and itchiness. Long-term effects can include things such as premature aging, or even skin barrier breakdown.
Local Adventures
Staff Member: Ryan Davis
There are a lot of things to do around Box Elder and the greater Rapid City area, and there are a few you should go see. One of which is the Box Elder air and space museum. The air and space museum mainly has aircraft from around the Cold War era, sporting a B-29 Superfortress, a B-36 Peacemaker, and others. It also has Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, like the Titan I and the Minuteman. The museum was closed for four years, but reopened in 2024. It is temporarily closed again but will hopefully be opened shortly.
There is, of course, Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD. Having four former presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, it is a huge sight, as each head stands about 60 feet tall. It costs $10 dollars for a ticket, but it is worth it. It is about a 50-minute drive there from Box Elder, so it’s not as local, but it still does the job well. It also has an ice cream shop that uses a recipe made by Thomas Jefferson himself for their vanilla ice cream.
Another 50-minute drive takes you to Badlands National park. This park, located near Wall, is known for its buttes, or smaller plateaus, and for its huge fossil bed, mainly of lifeforms from the Oligocene Epoch, which was 23-33 million years ago. One million people on average come to Badlands National park per year, showing the love that tourists and South Dakota residents have for Badlands National park. According to AllTrails.com, the best trail there is the Notch Trail, which leads you through a canyon and eventually to a beautiful view at White River Valley. It also recommends the Door Trail, as an easy path that still has great views, and Saddle Pass Trail, for people that want great views and a challenge when hiking.
Overall, there are many places to go to in the Box Elder and greater Rapid City area. The Box Elder Air and Space museum offers a look into aircraft from the cold war, Mount Rushmore is iconic for its carvings of 4 U.S. presidents into the side of a mountain, and the stunning views at Badlands National park. These places, and others, are a big reason that 14.9 million people come to South Dakota every year. These places show the history, beauty, and character of the Box Elder and Rapid City region.
Summer Sports and Activities
Staff member: Steven Werner
Summer is about to be here, but do you know what to do yet? I have gathered up sports and activities you can do to stay active and have fun over your summer break. Summer offers lots of water activities. Swimming is one of the biggest ones. Swimming is a great sport that is especially good during the hot weather. It keeps you cool and active and can be lots of fun. Swimming is also something you can do with your whole family. Another great sport is kayaking. Kayaking is very fun, calming, and easy to learn. You can go see amazing places from the water, or just relax and paddle around.
If you don’t want to get wet, don’t worry, there are plenty of sports that will keep you dry. For example, you can go hiking. Hiking is a great way to get exercise. You get to walk around and see some nice views. Hiking is a good sport to do with other people, as it is a calming and nice way to hang out or bond. If you want to get more fit, another good sport is just running. It doesn’t matter if it is outside or on the treadmill, running is a great sport to stay active and fit over the summer. There are plenty more sports you can do with your family and friends, like soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Even some you can do in your backyard, like cornhole and badminton. It just depends on what you feel like doing. Make sure you go outside and give some sports a try.
Summer 2026
Staff Member: Nahla Taylor
Summer break is coming up soon and many people need ideas. Some people go to family members' houses, vacations, hang out with friends, do sports, summer jobs, and summer camps while others may do nothing at all which is also ok. Personally, I go to family members' houses because I don’t see them a lot. If you like seeing your family and doing big family events like reunions, you would really like that option.
Vacations would be a great idea for people who want a lot of relaxation from working hard all year. You could travel almost anywhere and find something to do in most of the places. You could go on a cruise, road trips, or just a cool state or country to have fun in.
Younger people who might not be able to go places by themselves normally stay in their local area. A popular thing for them to do is hang out with their friends. Fun things to do are go to your local mall, a park, the movies, waterparks, or have sleepovers. If you aren’t able to travel alone to places, hanging out with your friends would most likely be your best option for summer break to stay busy without the hassle.
Many people play sports for summer break. A lot of organizations have almost every sport for you to try. They could be doing tournaments, games, or just practicing. It is a more active way to stay busy during summer break but if you aren’t big on playing sports then this probably wouldn’t be a very fun thing to do for you.
People are starting to have jobs to help out with their family or just for themselves. If you are 13-15 years old you could start having a job. Many teens start small at places like fast food restaurants or retail stores. They pay you real money and you can tell them flexible hours for you. Volunteering is also considered working depending on what you do. Some people help the homeless, animals, and the elderly. Both of those types of work help your community out a lot and if you’re old enough you could definitely try them out!
If you want to make new friends, have fun, and learn new skills you could go to a summer camp. They have them everywhere and many kids go to them. The camps are usually separated by age so you would be with people your age which would make it more fun. Your parents would probably have to pay money for it so if you aren’t doing too well with that or you don’t do well away from home then this wouldn’t be fun for you.
Last but not least there are people who do nothing at all during the summer which is okay. You can always find fun even inside your house. Fun things to do inside are cook, play games, read a book, paint or just relax. Very active or outdoorsy people would not like to do this during the summer. This summer you should try any one of these activities or try and do all of them!
Summer Break
Staff Member: Lexi Perrigo
Food trucks are around most of the year, but mainly in summer time and spring because of the nice weather. A local food truck that many people love is Eddie’s Tacos food truck. Their ratings are most commonly 4.5-5 stars, but another very popular food truck is Ugly Graffiti with its ratings 4.8- 5 stars. In Rapid City, there are so many food trucks that it can be hard to count. The maximum number of food trucks in Rapid City at once is 30-34 trucks!
The most visited food truck in the year of 2025 was The Good Stuffed. There are many good ratings on The Good Stuffed and the most sold food in the truck is cheese-stuffed burgers. I personally recommend all of the food trucks I have already mentioned because they are very good and have amazing flavors. What I like the most about these trucks is how they make the food relatively quick, so there isn’t that much wait time normally. If you feel like you could be good at working in a tight space then this would probably be a decent start to learning how to work. Food trucks hire at the lowest of 14 years old. If you are interested in food trucks, but you haven’t been to one before then you should ask your parents if your family can go visit a food truck to see how good the food is for yourselves.
Vacations Summer 2026
Staff Member: Ivy Udoh
It’s come to that time of the year in America. The big break we all love after stressing through a long school year. You may be excited to sleep in and bed rot all day. You may be excited to hang out with friends or be productive and get a summer job. Or you may be excited to go on vacation.
The exciting feeling of boarding your plane or taking a long road trip. Traditionally visiting loved ones or traveling somewhere you’ve never been before. Sight seeing and bringing back souvenirs.
But wait - where do you want to go? There are hundreds of thousands of places to visit. Some gems hidden and secluded. While other destinations are popular, iconic, and maybe even overrated. Let’s start with the top spots globally this year.
Top 2026 vacation spots include trending and culturally immersive destinations such as Costa Rica, Croatia, Southeastern Brazil, New Zealand, and Philippines. But if you're looking for popular and iconic, you may enjoy Bali (Indonesia), Maldives, Dubai (UAE), and Juliet's balcony (Verona, Italy).
With a mix of scenic national parks, major cultural hubs, and unique outdoor activities, you may want to visit NYC, New Orleans, Florida Keys (Key West), Hawaii, or Washington D.C - all being the top summer travel destinations of 2026 in the US.
Looking for somewhere secluded or underrated? You may want to consider Umbria (Italy), Bolivia, Azores (Portugal), Pa'ako Cove, Maui, and Corfu (Greece) - being the top secluded vacation spots for Summer 2026.
With that being said, there are so many more places to visit locally and globally. You may want high temperatures or adrenaline rushing experiences. You may want to escape the heat by cooling down with low temperatures. You may want Iconic sights or new discoveries. So where would you like to spend your summer vacation this year?
Summer Safety
Staff Member: Baylie Schwahn
Summer time safety is very important, as more people will be outside, young or old. When you are camping anywhere, there will be dangerous things such as poison ivy, bears, mountain lions, snakes, and insects. There are more dangers than things in nature; it could be your mistakes, for example, not checking the weather (tornadoes, storms), underestimating fire safety, ignoring campsite rules, and not respecting other campers around the campsite. Main things to do to stay safe while camping: pack a first aid kit (bandages, wraps, poison ivy cream), check the weather, don’t mess around by the campfire, and don't violate other campers' space. From one campsite that is quite popular in South Dakota, “We would want our campers to respect our rules. Not to disrupt during quiet hours, visitor policy, to be careful with pets, campsite etiquette, fire safety, environmental respect, and lastly, photography notice.” KOA Campsite has an AI chat that you can speak to for questions.
There is more than one type of summertime safety. Swimming in lakes, oceans, ponds, or even pools. Swimming safety is needed, average deaths while swimming is over 4,500. Basic swimming safety,know your swimming limits (stay within them), always swim with someone, and always keep an eye on smaller children. Dangers in swimming; panicking when you start to drown is only going to make you sink more, be careful to not cliff jump into shallow waters, and Red Cross Swim Safety has more (they have swim classes here in South Dakota).
One of the biggest holidays of summer is the 4th of July. This holiday is going to be huge this year since it is America’s 250th birthday, but that doesn’t mean to be neglectful of safety. Typically, over 400 people die on the 4th of July, and over 14,000 people get severely injured due to fireworks. Even if you are a spectator, you can still get injured by the flames. Fireworks can be unpredictable; the tubes can tip over, erratic flights can occur, and they can cause fires on grass, houses, and on people. Be careful while setting off fireworks; bad things can go wrong in an ember.
The fourth of July is one of the most chaotic, dangerous (yet fun) holidays! Here are some basic setup safety to follow: Only buy fireworks with a CE mark. Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks. Keep fireworks in a closed box. Never go near a firework that has been lit – even if it has gone off, it could still explode. Follow the instructions on each firework. Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them. Stay safe during this summer, be careful, and stay cautious of danger, but still enjoy the sun, the freedom, and the joy of no school!
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