Days to Celebrate

by Aidan Leake

What is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a day dedicated to mourning and honoring our brave U.S. Veterans who have died serving our country. It takes place on the last Monday of May, which is May 27th this year. Friends and family alike will come and honor their fallen comrades, sometimes they will celebrate them with community gatherings or large sports competitions. For example the large Indianapolis 500 motor race attracts an estimated 300,000 on the Saturday before Memorial Day. Another way we celebrate is by placing gifts on the graves of our fallen soldiers such as flags, flowers, etc. Most people who don’t know a deceased Veteran family member, should still celebrate their alive Veteran family member if they have one, although that day is called Veterans Day. Schools also get the day off on this day allowing for the mourning/celebrating and giving our brave veterans their own special day.

When Did Memorial Day Start?

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags. It was celebrated on May 30, 1868 to honor the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers by proclamation of Gen. John A Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers. During the first national commemoration, former Union General and Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there. This national event made efforts to honor and remember fallen soldiers that began with local observances at burial grounds in several towns throughout the United States following the end of the Civil War, such as the May 1, 1865 gathering in Charleston, South Carolina organized by freed slaves to pay tribute and give proper burial to Union troops. In 1873, New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. By the late 1800s, many more cities and communities celebrated Memorial Day, and several states had declared it a legal holiday. After World War I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars and was then more widely established as a national holiday throughout the United States. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established that Memorial Day was to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And that concludes the history of Memorial Day.

Conclusion

So In Conclusion, Memorial Day has had a lot of history and there are a lot of ways to celebrate the dead soldiers. In some ways it's like Mexico's The Day Of The Dead with the partying, celebrating, gifts, etc. Remember everything these brave men and women have done for us this Memorial Day.

National Truffle Day

by Roseanna Gisewite

This special day is about Nation Truffle Day, a day all about truffles! Truffles are circular chocolates that have ganache filling which is nearly the same thing as frosting, ganache has a thicker consistency. 

How can we celebrate National Truffle Day? You can go to your local grocery stores like Meijer and Walmart to buy some truffles. In case you wanted to bake some, I have also found this delicious recipe that you may want to try. 

Ingredients that you will need (Recipe from RecipeTinEats)

285g / 10 oz dark chocolate melts (chocolate chips, or chocolate block coarsely chopped)

2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (125ml) cream (full fat, not low fat, not whipped)

Coating Ideas each enough to coat 24 Truffles

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch Processed is darker, looks "posh")

1/2 cup crushed peanuts (small, so can stick)

1/3 cup sprinkles or similar

1/4 cup icing sugar / powdered sugar

Instructions

Place chocolate, cream and butter in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave on high for 4 x 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

Cover bowl with a plate and stand for 5 minutes, then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth (this is a ganache!)

Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Do not be tempted to shortcut it by freezing it! (Note 2)

Put a dinner plate or tray that you will use to place the rolled truffles on in the fridge as well.

Recipe Notes:

1. Chocolate - even using everyday dark chocolate will make luxurious chocolate truffles. But if you do indulge in expensive chocolate, it makes it even more amazing!

Note: you must use CO chocolate here, ie the chocolate sold in the baking aisle of grocery stores. Eating chocolate doesn't melt properly / smoothly and may not set to the right consistency. Cooking chocolate is intended for the purpose of melting and using in recipes.

2. Ganache consistency - it needs to be firm enough to roll into balls, but soft enough to scoop. If you leave it overnight (as I often do), just leave it out for 30 minutes or so to soften to scoop.

3. Rolling tips: can get messy, so follow my tips! The chocolate is supposed to be creamy and soft at room temperature, so it softens quickly once you start handling it.

Cold plate or tray for placing the balls on

Keep your hands cold. I have hot little hands. I keep a bag of frozen peas or ice pack handy to chill my hands!

4. Other coating suggestions: cocoa powder (this is the classic coating), icing (confectioners) sugar, caster sugar, crushed nuts, sprinkles or other decorating bits, crushed candy cane, chocolate shavings.

5. Flavoring suggestions: any liquor, orange, peppermint, coffee, coconut, almond essence.

6. Storing and serving - weeks and weeks in the fridge! Or even out of the fridge if it's not too warm where you are. Must serve at room temp so the chocolate is so creamy and melts in your mouth when you bite into it -just like those expensive truffles that cost a fortune to buy from gourmet stores!

7. Nutrition per truffle.

I hope you try this recipe. Thanks for reading!

Eras Dress Up Day

Students and Staff Spirit Day 

The Solar Eclipse

Our students were able to go out and experience the eclipse the last 15 minutes of the school day! 

I'm Sorry Charlie

Lets celebrate this day by eating some tuna!

Video story by Laynee Honeywell.

Snooze Fest

Celebrate by Sleeping!

by Stella Rising

We all take naps, sometimes we nap long and sometimes naps are short. We take naps usually in the middle of the day, we take naps because we are tired, and need to sleep. Napping Day is on March 11. According to Betsy Reed at The Guardian, Aristotle invented naps, he was the first recorded napper in history.  Keep in mind that Aristotle lived from 384 B.C.E to 322 B.C.E. That means he was born 2,408 years ago!  

This year, March 11 is National Napping Day and it's the perfect day to help you recuperate from the “spring forward.”  See, Napping Day is the day after we move our clocks back for Daylight Savings Time.  We lose an hour of sleep, and sometimes it's hard for people to readjust to the new time.

Some facts about napping are that it improves your mood and reduces fatigue. Many babies take multiple naps everyday while they are young. According to Harvard Health, they do this because pressure builds in their brain and napping helps with that. It also increases your alertness and can make your reaction time faster. 

Naps are great, but you shouldn't take long naps everyday. Then you won’t get any sleep at night. Overall, there are alot of benefits to napping, and a lot of bad habits to napping. According to the National Institutes of Healt,h napping might raise your risk of cardiovascular complications. Which isn't good.

You can take a nap anytime, but the best time is the middle of the day. You get a little pick me up (just don’t do it during school!)  It's also not good to drink coffee all day, although a lot of adults do it. So by napping, it's kind of a replacement for coffee. But I think most people prefer coffee. 

Go Have a Waffle

All About International Waffle Day 

by Roseanna Gisewite

As Laynee says, “Waffles, the fluffy, chewy and buttery food!” On March 25, The world celebrates a day all about waffles! Did you know that 76% of Americans enjoy and love to eat waffles? Have you ever had a waffle before? If not, you should try one! 

Instead of having a plain waffle, you should add some toppings! Some that I would recommend are honey, hot fudge sauce, fruit, whipped cream and many more.

Some ways that you can celebrate National Waffle Day could be inviting some friends over to have a waffle party! You can even bring a waffle to heat up in our microwaves here at Springbrook. I have found a recipe that you just might love! 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ cups warm milk

• ⅓ cup butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I found this recipe from journalists at National Today. You should go check out their website.

Another article I found from writers at Maple Valley Syrup says that waffles were made in the 14 century and the origin of Belgian waffles come from Belgium. Did you know that the Pilgrims brought waffles to America?

I hope you use the waffle recipe I showed above. Happy Cooking!

It's Me: Mario

Help Celebrate My Day!

by Aidan Leake

What we do on Juneteenth and other information.

Juneteenth is a day that celebrates the end of slavery. It is the most important end of slavery celebration day in Michigan. It is also seen as sort of a second Independence Day. But as we all know big stuff like the end of slavery or of a war doesn’t happen overnight. This more celebrates the decrease of slavery which eventually led to the end. It is complex and also misunderstood as the complete end of slavery. We celebrate by eating summer fruits like watermelon or strawberries, dancing, festivals, religious services, speeches, educational events, picnics, and family gatherings. You can also appreciate and spend time with an African American you know in your family or maybe your friend. Juneteenth’s colors are red, white, and blue, the same as our flag. It is also appreciated if you wear red as a symbol of the bloodshed by enslaved West African ancestors.  This information is by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The History Of Juneteenth

The history of this holiday begins in 1865, the holiday celebrates the day when 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas, which then became the last trace of slavery during the final days of the Civil War, were declared free by the U.S. Army. The following year, local parties were organized in African American communities to celebrate and remember the importance of that day, June 19. The celebrations continued year after year. In the 20th century, as African Americans from Texas and other states spread throughout the country, so did Juneteenth celebrations. In 1980, Texas became the first to make it a state holiday. A little bit after, other states followed, along with organizations and businesses across the nation hosting events and educational opportunities dedicated to celebrating the importance of this day. In 2021, the day became a national holiday. This information is from the University of Southern Florida.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this holiday is very big for African Americans and is also very recent considering it was just made a holiday 3 years ago. It has a lot of history behind it and some important history at that. Downtown Adrian is having a celebration of it’s own, go check it out!  

Join us for a Juneteenth Celebration in downtown Adrian (Maumee Street between Main & Broad) as we reflect on 158 years of African-American emancipation, freedom, and expression.

- Live R&B Funk Music by SOUNDPROOF BAND

- Bounce House

- Cornhole Tournament

- Trivia

- Kids Activities

- Giveaways

So this coming June 19th, go have some fun downtown and make sure you appreciate an African American you know.

Impossible Astronaut Day

by Alexander Perez-Yepez

Did you know there's this day called the Impossible Astronaut Day? It's all about celebrating hardcore fans of the TV show "Doctor Who"! This show has been around since 1963 but took a break in 1989 because not enough people were watching. Then, it came back in 2005 and continued until 2021 when COVID-19 got in the way. But guess what? They're bringing it back, maybe even in 2024!

There are actually 1074 episodes total, from way back in 1963 to the recent ones! Imagine trying to binge-watch all of that at once — it would take more than a month! Back in the day, the show made about $88.4 million, which was huge back then.

And get this: 13 different actors have played the main character, known as 'The Doctor,' with the longest one sticking around for 7 years!

Fun fact:  the newer episodes since 2005 had a budget of over 11.3 million for each one! Crazy, right? But hey, that meant fewer episodes per season. And they even throw in some big-name celebrities as guest stars.

Now, I haven't seen the show myself, but I hear it's all about science, monsters, and other cool stuff. So if you're into that, watching it with your pals could be a blast! Plus, with over 1000 episodes, you'll have plenty to talk about and bond over.

Easter Traditions

Everyday is a good day for eggs and candy!

by Jacob Canales

As you sit in a lawn chair eating burgers and hotdogs and socializing with your friends and family, as you admire the brightly lit fireworks in the sky.  You watch the bright brilliant colors flash before your eyes, as you tear into a nice juicy hotdog or burger.  Once the fireworks are over, you head back in and go to sleep.  This amazing holiday is called the Fourth Of July!

The fourth of July lands on the Fourth Of July, (obviously). David L. Waldstreicher says that the reason we celebrate the fourth of July is because of the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  It's celebrated because we gained independence in 1776.

Many people saw and bought Thomas’s Pamphlet and wanted their independence, so the government gave us exactly what we wanted.  On July 4, 1776, we officially gained our independence.

Why do we even launch fireworks on the fourth of July?  Well, early settlers wanted to share their love for fireworks on the very first Fourth of July with the American settlers.  Everybody loved it, and started launching fireworks on this wonderful holiday.

What food do we eat on the Fourth of July?  Well, there's many foods that we eat on this special holiday!  Well, realistically speaking, you could practically eat anything.

Some of these foods include Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Corn, deviled eggs, wings, fried chicken, baked potatoes, baked beans etc..  If you really wanted to, you could order pizza, or eat fast food, or just a normal meal. 

What are some of the special traditions?  Well, there are many, but some common ones include a cookout, doing absolutely nothing because you're a lazy couch potato, hanging out with your family, going somewhere, watching the fireworks, playing cards etc.  There are a lot of things you could do on the Fourth of July. If you really think about it, you could forget that the fourth of July is let's say like this Tuesday.  And you could literally think it's just a normal day.

In the long run, The Fourth Of July is a nice holiday that should be celebrated with family and friends. You should have a good time and generally just enjoy yourself on this nice holiday.

National Barbecue Day

by Roseanna Gisewite

According to the Tennessee State Museum, barbecue sauce was invented in the 17 century by Père Labat. Père used lime juice and hot peppers to season barbecued meat. Did you know that there are four types of barbecue sauces? Recipe makers at African Dream Foods say that there are tomato based sauces, vinegar based sauces, mustard based sauces, and mayonnaise based sauces. I have found a spicy barbecue sauce recipe for you to try, it was made by Barefeet in The Kitchen

1 cup ketchup I use Heinz original

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes. Use warm or let cool, pour into a jar and refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!

Don’t Forget To Wear Your Pajamas

Pajama-Rama!

by Joseph Washburn

Welcome Springbrook Middle School. Let’s celebrate National Pajama Day by wearing your pajamas and to show off the nice pajamas that you have. You are probably also wondering when is Pajama Day? It is on Apr. 16 (on a Tuesday if you were wondering). But now that we have talked about when is Pajama day let’s talk about how we started it.

Pajama Day started back in 2004 and it was founded by PajamaGram and it was started because it was to help raise funds and awareness for children in foster care. We don’t know why it had to be pajamas but it is and kids love it. But Mrs. Ford has a different opinion because she thinks that it is not professional and that it is a way that people can sleep in class in their comfortable clothing. Which she is not wrong because I do know kids who sleep in class find it easier to sleep. But I have to also disagree because it is a way for people to sleep in class but for the people who don’t sleep in class can have fun and dress up in cool ways. Now that we have talked about how it started and what Mrs. Ford had to say let’s talk about what you could do.

There are many things that you could do but one thing that is pretty obvious is that you should wear pajamas pretty much everywhere you want to spread awareness. This is all that I got to say and I hope you like the article and remember Go Maples!

Grilled Cheese Day

Make everyday a cheese day!

by Jacob Canales

Do you love grilled cheese, because I love grilled cheese.  DId you know that there is a day dedicated to this special day?  The day is called Grilled Cheese Day.

A grilled cheese is a simple American lunch that requires a stove, 2 slices of bread and cheese, and some butter.  You can use different cheeses and bread if you really want.  For example, you could use multiple slices of cheese like mozzarella and American cheese.  Also, instead of using normal bread, you could use rye bread or even burger buns for the funnies.

Why is Grilled Cheese Day even a thing?  Well, it's to celebrate the 2.2 billion grilled cheese sandwiches that we U.S. citizens consume every year.  The reason why we celebrate such a weird day is because it's a very popular comfort food among us. The Holiday Calender says that the day has been going on since around the late 1990s, and falls on the 12th of April.  Making this holiday around 30-ish years old.

Who even created the first grilled cheese sandwich?  According to How Stuff Works, in the 1920s, a dude by the name of Otto Fredrick who was the “father of sliced bread” had created this delicious masterpiece during the 1920s.  This classic delicacy was popular during the war being it was easy to make, and it also tasted really good.  During the Great Depression, many households were strugglings to make ends meet. But, luckily for them, this amazing sandwich came in clutch and eventually became a very common food for people to eat during the Great Depression.

The first name for the grilled cheese was called “toasted cheese” because it only had one singular slice of cheese.  Later, the name was called “melted cheese" because another slice of cheese was added to the sandwich.  During the Great Depression the grilled cheese was call “Cheese Dream.” 

In 1903, when the company called Kraft was created, they started to make pasteurized processed American Cheese.  Around 1930 40% of all cheese consumers owned the Kraft brand, and since the Great Depression was still going on, the brand Kraft did really well.  During the Great Depression Kraft made well over 160 million dollars in selling processed cheese.  The cheese was cheap, it was only 14 cents per box.  It was well able to feed a family of 4.

In the end, the very reason why we celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day is to celebrate one of America’s favorite comfort foods. 

A Day to Play

Celebrate Your Own Way

by William Owens

International Goof Off Day is supposed to celebrate taking a day off of school or work to relax and have fun, but sometimes you can’t do that, so after work or school just celebrate and goof off! 

Here are 10 ideas of things you can do on International Goof Off Day 

1. Do a hobby that you like:  video Games, watching tv,  reading a book, call a friend

2. Spend some time with your family 

3. Get comfortable and wear your pajamas all day

4. Watch a movie

5. Do something different, go somewhere you’ve always wanted to

6. Watch a new show, pull a prank on your friends or family 

7. Maybe you need to just get some sleep

8. Watch a comedy 

9. Draw or paint something  

This year, International Goof Off Day is on a Friday, so you could really “Goof Off” for the entire weekend!  When I asked some students and teachers who said what they would do on International Goof Off Day, these were their responses:  

• Kale said, “Just be crazy.” 

• Mrs. Owens said,  "Goof off with my family.” 

• Mrs Graham said, “Nothing.” 

• Mr Benschooter said, “Take the day off and ride my motorcycle.” 

• Mr Skeels said, “Rollerblade down the school halls in my swimsuit.”

What will you do to Goof Off?  (just don’t do it here at school!!)

Irish You a Lucky Day

The leprechauns made me do it!