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Badger and Blob Pt. 2
By Miranda Vargas
History of April Fool's Day
By Alayah Marable
I’m sure that you know April 1st and something called “April Fools Day.” If not, April Fools Day is a day that is celebrated by playing hoaxes or pranks on people and yelling “April Fools” afterwards.
The origins of April Fool's Day is not exactly known, but there are many theories as to how it started. One theory is that it originated in France, with the Edict of Roussillon (meaning in Roussillon, a region of France, there was a law that said the year started on January 1). Some say that April Fools’ Day was determined by the fact that New Years used to be on Easter and not January 1. Another theory has to do with the Vernal Equinox. This was a time considered to fool people because the weather would unexpectedly change.
April Fools’ Day is not only celebrated in America, but it is celebrated all over the world! There are many variations of how it is celebrated in different countries. In France, the person that was fooled is called poisson d’avril, or “April fish” in English. On that day, French kids stick pictures of paper fish to the back of an unaware person. Meanwhile Scotland is called Gowkie, or Hunt-The-Gowk Day. Gowk means fool. On that day, people would hunt out foolish people and stick signs on their backs.
As April Fool's Day is a famous ‘holiday’, there are also many honorable pranks to come with it. A famous April Fool's prank happened in 1980. BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, announced that the famous clock in England, the Big Ben, was turning digital. Additionally, they said the first caller to phone the network would win the hands of the original clock. Another honorable prank was done in 1992, and has to do with former President Richard Nixon, who stepped out of office in 1974. A national radio station hired an actor who sounded like him to prank the listeners and tell them that he was running to become president again, many people fell for it, it was an exceptional prank!
In my opinion, I love April Fool's Day! It is a day where pulling pranks and hoaxes is acceptable. I enjoy seeing all the pranks pulled and people fooled over silly things. I went around and interviewed a few of my teachers and friends about opinions towards the holiday and got a variety of results! Most of the teachers I asked said that they do not celebrate the holiday; one said that she does not like pranks overall. Another said that she does not care for the holiday as of her age, and the others said that they don’t care for the holiday, but enjoy the lightheartedness of harmless pranks. Meanwhile, surprisingly, most of the kids said that they do not enjoy the holiday, but a few said they loved pulling pranks.
April Fool's day is a hilarious holiday where amusing, humorous, and hopefully harmless pranks are pulled. Do you celebrate April Fool's Day? If not, why don’t you celebrate it? April Fool's Day is on a Tuesday this year. Are you planning on participating?
Works Cited
April Fools' Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes | HISTORY, 30 March 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day. Accessed 25 February 2025.
Alexander, Andrea. “How Did April Fool's Start?” Rutgers University, 1 April 2024, https://www.rutgers.edu/news/how-did-april-fools-day-get-started. Accessed 25 February 2025.
Dardenne, Robert. “April Fools’ Day | Origin, History, Meaning, & Facts.” Britannica, 6 February 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day. Accessed 25 February 2025.
“History of April Fools' Day.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/video/did-you-know-April-Fools-Day/-253972. Accessed 25 February 2025.
Analysis of Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul
By Annabel Cheney
The book, Chicken Soup For The Kid’s Soul is a self-help book written in July, 1998. The series was originally for adults and then they wrote child friendly versions. This book was written by these following four author, Irene Dunlap, Patty Hansen, Mark Victor Hansen, and Jack Canfield. This book was inspired by the many challenges that children and pre-teens face in daily life. The book was written to uplift one’s spirits about different topics such as love, family, friends, etc. I chose to review this book because of the hopeful tone it gives the readers! This book is there for when one needs reassurance and it provides beyond excellent support.
A story that I believe I can relate to the most is “The Tower.” This story is about a young man who puts himself in great danger to help his little brother. I can relate to this story because I have personally put myself in danger to help others and I know others who have done the same for me. I believe that people my age should read this book because it helps one develop a new perspective on empathy by helping one be more compassionate and understanding to the stories and lives of others. I also believe that adults should read this book because it's helpful to hear things from a child's perspective. After talking to Mrs. Hunter, who has read the original adult version, she claimed she would’ve enjoyed the kids version due to it being more lighthearted and friendly. Overall, Chicken Soup For The Kid’s Soul is a great self-help book that I would recommend to children of middle school age to read. I would also recommend this book to adults working with children of that age because it’s joyful and brings more understanding of adolescents.
Work Cited
Canfield, Jack. Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. Deerfield Beach, Health Communications, Inc., 1998.
National Puppy Day
By Imani Royal
National Puppy Day is celebrated every year on March 23rd. National Puppy Day was created to celebrate the cute and adorable natures of these animals that inspire joy into peoples’ lives. Many people use this day to commemorate puppies and their lovable qualities. Some of the attributes celebrated are their big eyes, chubby cheeks, and energy. Puppies also love to play and give love to people. They truly stick to their nickname ‘man’s best friend.’
People can celebrate Puppy Day with their pets by making a play date with her/him. People can visit a shelter and give love to the puppies there, and even bring one home.
Colleen Paige is a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate. She has created a National Dog Day that happens on August 26th and a National Cat Day which happens on October 29th. Colleen Paige has her own website that details National Puppy Day. There is also an official Twitter hashtag for National Puppy Day called #NationalPuppyDay. There are even more days that celebrate dogs like National Mutt Day on July 31st and December 2nd, and National Responsible Dog Owner Day on September 20th.
Overall, puppies are friendly and exuberant creatures that give people joy into their lives.
Works Cited
“Colleen Paige and National Puppy Day.” National Puppy Day, https://www.nationalpuppyday.com/about. Accessed 26 February 2025.
National Day Archives. “NATIONAL PUPPY DAY / MAR 23.” nationaldayarchives.com, 2025.
Battle of the Two Bands
By Miranda Vargas
Pierce the Veil and Paramore are bands that started making music in the 2000’s, but more people listen to Paramore than Pierce the Veil. Pierce the Veil has over six million monthly listeners, whilst Paramore has 22 million monthly listeners. Pierce the Veil is a pop-punk, experimental rock, and emo band. Paramore is an alternative/indie rock, and pop band.
Pierce the Veil was established by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes in 2006. This was after their original group, Early Times, disbanded. They originated in San Diego, CA. They got more popular in 2012. In Pierce the Veil, all the band members are Vic Fuentes: guitar and vocals, Mike Fuentes: drums, Tony Perry: lead guitar, and Jaime Percaido: bass guitar. Paramore, however, started out in 2004 in Franklin Tennessee. The two members, Haley Williams and Zac Farro, founded the band. They were all under the age of 18, so Haley’s parents would drive them to perform at shows and some festivals. Everyone in the band is Hayley Williams: vocalists, Taylor York: lead guitarist, and Zac Farro: drummer. The two bands never collaborated on any songs, but they have played in the same music festivals before such as the When We Were Young Festival. A few other bands such as My Chemical Romance, Dance Gavin, Dance, and Bring my Horizon and a bunch more played at this festival.
Pierce the Veil’s first album came out January 1, 2007 and it’s called “A Flair for The Dramatic.” This album has twelve songs. The most popular song on the album is “Yeah Boy and Doll Face.” This song is about a relationship that has gone “sour.” Pierce the Veil’s most popular album is Collide With The Sky. The most popular song on the album is called “King for a Day." This song is about being the underdog or the person being looked down upon and treated poorly by people. In contrast, Paramore has many popular songs and albums. Their very first album was All We Know Is Falling. This album has ten songs and came out on July 26, 2005. The most popular song on the album is “Pressure.” This song is about the stress and expectation of growing up. Paramore’s most popular album is Riot! The most popular song on this album is “Misery Business.” This song is about Hayley feeling exploited by a girl while one of her and her friends dated.
The name “Paramore” came from Jeremy Davis, their first bass guitar player, after he heard this used as a friend's mother’s maiden name. On the other hand, Pierce the Veil got their name because Vic, the vocalist and lead guitarist, said, “The name comes from a phrase that I learned during a sociology class in college. To Pierce the Veil means to go directly to the source of a problem.” The last tour Paramore went on was in 2022 and it was the “This Is Why Tour.” It was their fifth concert tour, based on their sixth studio album called ‘This Is Why.’ They played many of their greatest hits. Pierce the Veil is going on tour later this year. They play in Tinley Park (Chicago suburb) sometime in June or July with the band Sleeping with Sirens. This tour starts on May 13th and ends on December 16th. On this tour, they’ll be playing a few songs from each album.
I’ve liked Pierce the Veil since the ending of 2021-the beginning of 2022. The first song I listened to was “Caraphernelia,” one of the songs from the album Selfish Machines. I like Pierce The Veil because I grew up listening to this type of music and some other genres. I interviewed Carli Mcmillen in 8th grade. She said, “I like them because of their style and the type of music genre. I started liking them maybe two or three years ago when they came on Spotify and then I started listening to more songs by them. My favorite song is "Match into Water.”’ I discovered Paramore in 2018-2019 because my brother (or dad I can't remember) was playing Rock Band on the Playstation. The song he played was “Crushcrushcrush” from the album Riot! After that my dad started playing more songs from that album and I listened too. I think Paramore is better than Pierce the Veil because they've had a lot more hit songs and their music is a genre a lot of people would listen to. I still would recommend Pierce the Veil because in my opinion their music is amazing. I will continue to listen to Paramore and Pierce the Veil because both of their genres of music are the genres I mostly listen to; I would definitely recommend these two to whoever enjoys that type of music.
Works Cited
“Paramore.” Paramore Fandom, https://paramore.fandom.com/wiki/Paramore_Wiki.
“Pierce the Veil.” Fandom, https://alternative-music.fandom.com/wiki/Pierce_the_Veil.
XO, Kitty Review
By Carli McMillen
XO, Kitty is a Netflix original with season one being released on May 18, 2023 and season two was released on January 16, 2025. XO, Kitty has some good parts and some bad parts. This article is going to show my opinion on the different parts of the show.
The first season of XO, Kitty, in my view, was a lot better than the second season. The first season was more structured and easier for me to follow along, but going into the second season things got more out of hand and unorganized, which made me very confused.
I think the first season was the best one. This season introduces the main characters and some of their personalities. Viewers get to learn about all of the important characters and start to see the role they will all play in Kitty’s life and adventures. Out of all of the characters, I believe Min-ho was the best in season one, mainly because of how rude but honest he was. His attitude was fun to watch and see how the other characters responded. He was also a very popular character amongst the XO, Kitty fans according to reviews on IMDB. Overall, I think season one was a very well-written and played out season.
Season two was a largely chaotic season. I think it could have been a lot more under control and calm. The second season in general was unorganized and all over the place with the characters and the overall way they had approached situations. For example, Kitty was torn between loving two people, but then also trying to find information about her family. This led to a possible secret boyfriend, unknown cousins, trips around Korea to find this other family, fights, and feuds. I feel like they should have just focused on the love triangles or not have gone so in depth with the family issues. On top of all of that, there are also many storylines to each of the other characters like Dae and his issues with his dad, Yuri and Juliana’s relationship problems, Q and his sports and boy troubles, Min-ho and his dad issues, etc. This is a lot to keep up with and follow and that is not even everything going on.
In my opinion, it was not that adequate of a spinoff from the To All The Boys I've Loved Before movie series mainly because in To All The Boys I've Loved Before Kitty was a lot sweeter than she was in XO, Kitty. Although, it could be because she was a lot younger in the movies. Even though the show wasn’t great in matching the personality of Kitty, it did show her matchmaking side and how she likes to bring people together. The overall acting was well done, especially Sang Heon Lee who played Min-ho. I just thought he was engaging to watch. On the other hand, the acting done by Audrey Huynh as Stella was not that great. Stella’s expressions seemed forced, it didn’t seem like she knew what she was doing, and she looked very lost, but maybe that was how she was supposed to be and I didn’t get it. Kitty however, developed a lot over the two seasons. She found out a lot about her mother and as the seasons went on, she let people use her a lot less. I liked to see her growth.
I don’t think the show deserved the rating of 6.5/10 that it received on IMDB. It definitely could have had more potential. I think it should have been rated at least a 7.5 or an 8. The music was very good. They used a lot of popular songs and every song they had used went with the situation. My overall opinion of XO, KItty is that it's very nice for teens sixteen and under. It is very chaotic, but binge worthy and it is very easy to get interested in.
Work Cited
“XO, Kitty (TV Series 2023– ).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14490706/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1. Accessed 1 March 2025.
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