Did You Know

The Solar Eclipse

By Katie Cumbee






On April 8th, 2024, while in school we got to see a solar eclipse. Because of where we live we were only able to see a partial eclipse that covered 93% of the sun. This is still a very high coverage that most people don’t get to see. Being able to take time out of the school day to watch this eclipse was a special event but it got me thinking, what is an eclipse? An eclipse is something that happens once every one to two years, and it happens from the sun getting covered by the moon, it can happen in three different forms, the forms are partial eclipse, annular eclipse, and total eclipse.

Most eclipses don’t happen every year which means it is very rare to happen. The next solar eclipse that will happen will be seen in the United states on August 23rd, 2044. But if you’re just interested in when the next solar eclipse for Illinois will happen, it would be September 3rd, 2099. 

When an eclipse happens, a lot of people like to have watch parties, events, or have celebrations because of the solar eclipse happening. If you’re going to watch the eclipse make sure you don’t look into the sun without wearing special eclipse glasses, otherwise it could cause eye damage which can make people go blind. Sunglasses do not count as eclipse glasses, you can still get eye damage. For your safety it is important to make sure you always use special approved eye protection.  


I hope to be able to see another total solar eclipse but unless I travel to do it I will watch it with all of you when I turn 88 and I will still be rocking my special shades.



Protecting Holiday Decor From Pets

By: Amanda Miller


During the holidays there is not as much trouble from trying to buy a gift for your relatives then pets destroying holiday decor! Sometimes this is not that bad and just really funny but sometimes pets destroy precious decor like family heirlooms or ornaments from travel.

One way to stop the destruction of your precious decor is using tin foil, double sided tape, or crinkled paper. at the base of a christmas tree to stop a cat from climbing it. This works because cats don’t usually like the texture of the foil. You should take the wrapping off when it is the day of visitors to make it look better too.

To protect presents from cats and dogs shredding the wrapping paper, you can put presents in areas that your pets can’t reach until it is time to open them.

To save ornaments you should put tinfoil on the tree bottom and put the more precious ornaments at the top of the tree and make sure you keep other ornaments under protection when you aren't at home.

To protect a candle from pets, put it in a high place. If you have a cat, keep candles off open tables, counters, and stools especially. Cats and skilled dogs can jump to these lower surfaces and cause destruction or hurt themselves on candles. Also, stools are the most dangerous place you could possibly have a candle on because it is an easier to knock down surface. Even a dog running around with the zoomies can potentially knock it over and cause a fire to start on the ground where it lands.

That is how you protect precious decorations from naughty pets. Remember that some pets are immune to these tricks though, because every pet is different.



Phones and how they work

By Abhinav Krishnan


Can you guess what is one of the most used things in the world? You hold it in your hand, you text/call on it, you take it everywhere you go, in your house, in the car and even to the bathroom! Well what is this gadget? It is a smartphone! 


What happens when you make a call You may be wondering what happens when you make a call on a phone. Well, the answer is quite simple! When you dial a number and then hit the call button, a small microchip in the phone creates an electromagnetic wave that instantly travels to the nearest phone tower. Signal waves are then transmitted to the person you are calling and their phone rings. Waves or electromagnetic waves carry momentum and radiation which travels to the phone towers whenever you hit a call. Phone towers are tall structures that phone signals go to whenever you make a call. The phone sends the wave to the phone tower and then it sends a signal to the person that you are calling. 


EVOLUTION OF PHONES The first basic phone was invented in 1849 by an Italian innovator named Antonio Meucci. In 1880 telephones were available to the public and there were 47,900 telephones in America back then. Now phones have changed and in the USA alone there are over 310 million smartphones! The current phones have more technologically advanced features like Artificial intelligence (AI) and a whole screen that has basically the same features as a computer. In addition to that, there are web browsers and different types of operating systems (OS). 

HOW EFFICIENT PHONES HAVE GOT The phones back then were pretty hard to use. For example you had to turn a circle many times to dial a number. But to dial a number on the current phone touchscreen, all you have to do is tap the numbers on the digital keypad and press call and then boom you are connected! The phones back then did not have a camera to take pictures or selfies, but the current phone can and has a camera with about 50 megapixel resolution, which allows you to take pictures/selfies with one touch of a button. The current phone weighs 180g that is 20 times less than the current phone weighs so it is easy to take it around in your pocket and it can do way more things that the phone back then could do. 

THE DISADVANTAGES OF TODAY'S PHONES  Phones back then did not have pixelated screens or touchscreens and were only used for calling. But the phones nowadays have a ton of pixels used for many operations, and those pixels can cause harm to your eyes.  Phones nowadays can be used for playing games, social media, shopping, watching shows and movies, listening to music, video chatting and even for school work. With how many operations a phone does, people have taken advantage of that and are addicted to phones which are harming people's health, vision, and attention. So, do you think phones are changing the world in a good way or in a bad way? 

The Top 20 Scariest Horror Movies 

By Katie Cumbee



Reference: 

“Highest Grossing Horror Films”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, October 13, 2023, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_horror_films



Bullying

Written By: Abhinav Krishnan

How would I describe bullying? Bullying to me is where people feel the need to make fun of others and put them down.

Why should people never bully? People should never bully because it can hurt yours and others feelings. 

 What is self esteem? People have a thing called mental self esteem. When you bully others, they feel less confident about themselves. So we should always say kind words to others because whatever you say you can not take back. 

What makes a bully a bully? A typical bully may have something that they are going through. You never know what others are going through so always stay kind even if people are not the nicest to you.

Spread kindness!  If you are nice to the bully you have just spread kindness to the bully. If you spread kindness to the bully, they might also be kind to you. Kindness can be passed on from one to another so make sure that you are always kind and considerate 

Upstanders and downstanders. So let's talk about people who make the situation worse or better. The people who are near a bullying zone can either add negativity and add more mean unnecessary comments or agreeing with the bully or they could try and stop it by telling the bully to stop or try to get a teacher. An upstander is the type of person who tries to stop the bullying or comfort the people or person being bullied. A downstander is the type of person who joins the bully and adds hateful things that destroy people's self esteem. It is like adding fuel to the fire. People who see bullying can also just walk away and completely avoid the situation. These people are called Bystanders. 

Some suggestions to possibly prevent getting bullied. Get an adult involved in situations so that things don't get out of hand. Talk it out with the person you are having problems with. Try not to flex or brag or lie because people can easily call you out on that. Always tell someone you trust if you see anything related to bullying even if it is not happening to you.