Why do names matter?

Your teacher starts the first day at school by making everyone introduce themselves, playing the game, “name game” with the class, or creating name tags. These introductions are for an important purpose. Our names tell our background, or story, and reveal your character. It could be connected to your family culture or your personal story.

Click on the link below to explore what your name means!

What Does My Name Mean? The Meaning Of Names

How to Respect Others’ Names

1. Whenever people introduce themselves, use that name

(Don’t shorten or change their name to something else.)

2. Pronounce their name correctly.

(Ask them to repeat it, if you’re not able to pronounce it correctly)

3. Don’t make fun of their name.

(Don’t tease or bully others just because what they are called)

4. Accept their name.

(Respect who they are)

5. Correct yourself whenever you make a mistake.

(Whenever you mispronounce someone’s name, put effort into saying it right.)

Microplastics manage to find their way into everything: our food, bodies of water and our drinking water, the land, and even humans themselves! In fact, studies show that humans contain up to a spoon's worth of microplastics in their brains! How do the microplastics even end up in all of these places in the first place? Well, very little of the plastics we recycle actually end up being recycled. Most of the plastic ends up in a landfill and degrades (this takes about 1,000 years) which causes toxic substances to leak into the ground and soil. Many microplastics also end up in the bodies of water through polluted waterways.

As for our food, animals (especially sea life) are also significantly affected by microplastics. Plastics that end up in the sea or on the land are ingested by wildlife every day. For example: the humpback whale. It is estimated that humpback whales that typically eat fish ingest a total of 200,000 microplastics per day, and the ones that typically eat krill ingest about 3 million to 10 million microplastics per day. This is a lot of microplastics!

Recycling is a huge part of reducing microplastics. Putting recyclable items in the recycling instead of just throwing them out in the garbage can still make a huge difference. However,  many people, including the students of our school, don’t throw things out in the proper bins. The blue bin is meant for recycling things. When you throw out your recycling in that bin, you’re contributing to the reduction of microplastics and helping our planet. A word of advice from one of our science teachers, Mrs. Heitner, is to use reusable items, recycle, and use/buy less plastic materials.

As the years go by, more and more microplastics pollute the Earth. There are ways that we can stop this, such as reducing the usage of single-use plastics like bottles of water, but more people need to help and be informed on what’s happening. Spread the word about microplastics. Let’s reduce the amount of microplastics polluting our planet. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Hoodie Ban 

Many students think the dress code at JHS 194 is unfair and limiting, even though it was implemented for a reason. 

by Kevin Li and Leonardo Kuo

Many students think the dress code at JHS 194 is unfair and limiting, even though it was implemented for a reason. 

Students are against the hoodie ban and don’t like having their hoodie  confiscated. “We think it's limiting, and we want the freedom to wear what we want to stay warm,” says Leo. "Hoodies are more accessible and practical as well since stores sell a wider selection of hoodies than non-hooded sweatshirts,” says Kevin. 

Interestingly, JHS 194’ “no hoodie” rule is not a citywide policy. Currently, there is no information about  the number of schools with a hoodie policy like ours. We interviewed Mr. Dilallo to find out why JHS 194 prioritizes this dress code, and the main reason is to ensure students’ safety. “Dress code is important for students' safety.” Since students can put their cell phones in their hoodie pockets and hide them to use during class or in the school restroom, Mr. Dilallo and administrators believe it is a safety issue. 

Mr. Dilallo tells us “The primary responsibility of the school is safety, without safety, learning cannot take place.”  Hoodies can also be a safety hazard due to kids putting their  hoods  over  their heads. If a student does something bad with their hoodie up, it will be difficult to find out their identity.  We, as students, understand this, but it seems unfair for students that follow that aren’t doing something bad. 

The school allows 194 hoodies, which essentially have the same problems as a regular hoodie, you can conceal your identity and conceal phones. This makes students wonder why 194 hoodies are allowed but regular hoodies are prohibited.   To this, administrators say that they can identify our students as opposed to students from students outside the building.  

Ultimately, Mr. Dilallo says “The hoodie policy can be re-addressed or refuted in one to two years time depending on the circumstances and if there will be any incidents in that time period.”  This gives students that do not like the hoodie policy hope that in the future they can wear what they want.

A key tradition during the first days of the new year is the giving of red envelopes, known as hóngbāo, which contain money and symbolize good fortune. Farrah Zhou shared, “I wear red on Chinese New Year for good luck, and my family members give me red envelopes with money.”

Food also plays a central role in the celebrations. Families come together to share special meals. Roy LIn shared his own traditions, saying, “On Lunar New Year, we eat hotpot and invite friends and family.”

However, not every day of the holiday is centered around joyous gatherings. On the third day of Lunar New Year It is considered bad luck to visit or invite relatives, as it is reserved for honoring ancestors. Families pay their respects by visiting gravesites, lighting incense, and making paper offerings.

Another significant moment comes on the ninth day of the celebration, which is recognized as the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven in Taoist beliefs. 

Lunar New Year is more than just a holiday and holds a deep meaning for those who celebrate—it is a time of joy and cultural pride.