by  Roseanna Gisewite

Have you ever heard of a Four-Toed Hedgehog? It's also known as the African Pygmy Hedgehog. Cosley zoo states that African Pygmies live for about eight to ten years in captivity and two to three years in the wild. They eat insects in the wild like mealworms, crickets, beetles, maggots, grasshoppers, spiders and more. The Hedgehog's predators include, Verreaux eagle, owls, honey badgers, jackals, wild dogs. Since Hedgehogs eat insects, they help control the pest population!

Cosley Zoo also says. A full-grown African Pygmies size ranges between 6 and 11 inches long and weighs 18-25 ounces. The Zoo also says that if the Hedgehog feels threatened it will curl up into a ball so that its spines can protect them from danger. African Pygmies are native to desert and savanna areas. They sleep in burrows during the day and look for insects to eat at night. 

When a female Hedgehog gives birth the spikes on the Hoglet are swollen and covered with fluids so that the mother doesn't get injured during birth. After the mother hedgehog gives birth, a few days after the hedgehog is born, darker spikes grow in. 

If you wanted to adopt an African Pygmy the average price would be around $100-$300. Although the RSPCA says that they aren’t suitable pets because they are nocturnal so they are active at night and if a hedgehog is sleeping you shouldn’t wake it up because when it's in hibernation it will burn off its body fat.

Did you know that Hedgehogs scream? If your pet Hedgehog screams then it can be from pain or if it's terrified. Like cats, African Pygmies can purr. They do this when they are experiencing physical contact with their owners. Broom Field Vet says that African Pygmies are also known as the friendliest Hedgehog out of 17 other options. People tend to pick African Pygmies the most when adopting a Hedgehog.

Would you like to buy a Four-Toed-Hedgehog?

Non Traditional Sport:

Karate

by William Owens 

According to the article Karate, this sport is a kicking, striking, and defensive blocking with arms and legs; a Japanese martial art whose physical aspects seek the development of defensive body movements. The theme of karate is self defense and fighting. Also The moral aspect and mental aspect target the overall individual. You also never attack first in karate. That's a rule coming from one of the first karate masters. 

Karate evolved in the 17th century around East Asia but it’s mainly a Japanese tradition.  It can be traced back 1400 years to Daruma, founder of Zen Buddhism in Western India. According to the article Karate, Shaolin Boxing made its way to Okinawa from China.

It was combined with native Okinawan techniques to develop into several Okinawan styles.  “During several periods of Okinawa history, the owning and carrying of weapons was banned. Each ban resulted in great advancements in the techniques of unarmed combat. Secret training flourished, and the styles became more efficient and deadly.”  

Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of modern karate in Japan.  He began to study karate at the age of 11. He was a student of the two greatest masters of the time, he grew so proficient that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in Okinawa at the time.

Now some people are confused between Taekwondo and Karate. We have covered Karate. According to World Class Taekwondo, Taekwondo is pronounced tae kwon do or taekwon-do.  It it is a Korean martial art that originated in Korea. It is the art of self defense and it is recognized as one of the oldest martial arts in the world. Reaching back 2,000 years, the name means Tae-Foot, Kwon-Hand, Do-Art.  Although the art is very old, it was formally named in 1944 in Seoul, Korea.  It begins with the opening of Chung Do Kwan Dojang. By 1950, there were 17 styles of Korean Karate. During the early 1950’s, the period of the Korean War, most Karate was taught within the military, and civilian instructors and schools were very rare. By 1953 The ROK 29th Division stationed on Che Jo Island was teaching martial arts in the ROK Army. According to Taekwondo History, when the Korean war happened the Korean government banned the martial arts to focus on the war. After the war South Korea let masters continue their arts.

There is also someone at our school that teaches Tae Kwon Do and that is Mrs. Lily.  I asked her some questions and these are her answers.  

What inspired you to do Martial Arts? 

“I was interested in the athletic gains it would provide.  I played sports in high school. And although I chose not to play college softball, I missed being involved in sports.  It didn't hurt that my boyfriend (now husband) told me he was doing it and I should try it.”

What do you like about Martial Arts?

“I love the physical aspect.  I enjoy kicking and punching things. (LOL) But I especially love the built in awareness that it provides.  Self defense is taught in martial arts class and the repeated practice with blocking and reacting keeps me aware of my surroundings and confident that I can defend myself, if needed.”

Are there different belts like Karate?

“You work your way up through multiple belt ranks.  In our dojo, you start as a white belt and then continue through earning yellow, green, blue, red and then black.  After you earn your black belt you can continue to achieve higher belt ranks.  2nd degree, 3rd degree, 4th degree and so on.  At fourth degree you become a master.  That is my current rank...4th degree master.”

How long have you been doing Martial Arts?

“Since 1998.  I did take a break when I started having kids but have since returned and my children have participated.  My son is a 3rd degree black belt at 16 years old. And my daughter just earned her 1st degree black belt at 8 years old.” 

What is your approach to discipline and motivation?

“I try to keep students engaged by switching up activities.  I make sure students understand why moves are useful and proper times to use them. Discipline is reinforced by following through with expectations for the class.  If students are off task or being disrespectful, push-ups are a very effective consequence. Instructors treat students with respect and expect respect back and amongst each other.’’ 

How do you plan your lessons?

“I make sure part of the class is warm-up, then try to include skill training, and if possible add something students find fun to end the class.”

Animal Abuse

by Laynee Honeywell

Did you know that every 10 seconds an animal dies from abuse that is every ⅙ of a second. That is about 10 million a year in the United States alone. That is about 10 times the amount of people in our school.

I am going to be talking about different types of animal abuse, including neglect, testing on animals, torturing them, and going as far to kill them. I am going to start off with neglect.

Neglect 

The definition of neglect is depriving of food, water, or shelter. I will give you some examples. Leaving your dog outside with no shelter (so like a doghouse).  Or say your dog got into the trash and you and you used not giving it food and  water as a punishment. All of these are examples of neglect. 

Next we have Animal Testing

Testing on animals is a very large problem as many large corporations do this. Most of the companies use this to make sure that their products are safe for the environment which  sounds perfectly fine till you see what this does to them  

Lastly we have Abuse 

Animal abuse is also a very large problem. This includes hitting your animals, locking them up, using your pets for things other than what they are used for. This is probably one of the larger problems with animals.

You're probably wondering what can I do to help.You can help by reporting any case of these 3 things that I have told you about and making sure these animals find a home and are healthy. If you find animal on the streets make sure you take it to the vet then if you or nobody you know is able to take care of this animal you have really one option:  take it to a animal shelter.

The Great Big Spots of Jupiter and Neptune

by Roseanna Gisewite

Have you ever wondered what the red spot on Jupiter and the Dark spot on Neptune are? Today I am going to tell you all about them. According to Britannica The Great Red Spot is an anticyclonic circulation system which is a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure. Since 2012 the spot has become more circular and has been shrinking at a rate of about 580 miles each year. The red spot is the largest storm in our solar system. Nasa states that approximately three whole earths can fit into the big storm. There's evidence the storm is actually growing taller as it shrinks. The spot may have been discovered in 1664 by English scientist Robert Hooke or in 1665 by Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini, according to the American Physical Society.

Now, let's talk about The Great Big Dark Spot on Neptune. The spot was discovered in 1989 by NASA’s Voyager 2 Astronomers at CoolCosmos say that The Spot is also a huge spinning storm just like Jupiter's spot. in the southern hemisphere of Neptune is where the winds spin about the size of our earth! The winds spin at about 1,500 miles per hour. Astronomers also say that in 1994 they checked in Neptune with a telescope and the spot had vanished.

Dune Part 2 Movie Review

by William Owens

This movie is a sequel to the movie Dune Part. This was the third movie in the trilogy. This movie was made this year, in 2024, and was directed by Denis Villeneuve.

The plot of this movie is about the main character being part of this tribe-like group. His mother believes he is the chosen one. The one who has power. Also to stop the spice war that is destroying the planet. 

My thoughts on the movie: 8 out of 10; it was 2 hours and 45 minutes long, this time 15 more minutes than the last movie. The movie did have better parts than the last, though. I liked the end of the movie where he took over the planet and started a war with the other people in the galaxy because they contributed to his father's death. 

I like the actors in the movie: Zendaya, Timothy Chalment, and Austin Butler. They are all amazing actors for this movie because they portray the characters very well. 

Now the only thing that I don't like about the movie is the long runtime. It's a big problem. It was just too boring in some parts of the movie because it was 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

Anyways this was a review by William Owens.

Average Gen Z Slang

There are so many of them

by Jacob Canales

There are many slang words that us teenagers use on a daily basis. To the adults who hear and see these words, it kind of confuses them. Us teenagers like to say the most random stuff, and adults just don’t understand it. Therefore this article will explain what they mean and how to use them.

For example, some slang words that we use today are cap, basic, mid, tbh, wsg etc.  Some slang words we don’t use anymore are sheesh, big yikes, bussin’, dab, dank, etc. The main reason why we don’t use “old” slang is because eventually it will get overused and will just be annoying.  When people start to say sus for example too much, it gets repetitive and annoying.

Some of the current slang words we use are let him cook, valid, touch grass, slaps, rizz, etc. These slang words were created not too long ago if you really think about it. Some of these words get overused, others don’t and still remain popular.

If you're wondering what some of these slang words mean, they are kind of random. For example “go touch grass” means “You play too many games or watch too much youtube and barely ever go outside.” Or, if  you have “immaculate rizz”, it means the ability to charm or woo a person. And “let him cook” means to let somebody do something they are good at.

Some of the less popular slang words include dank, rekt, do u know da way, mlg, fomo, bae, on the fleek, etc. Dank is referring to being excellent or good.  When somebody says dank memes, they are referring to good memes. Rekt is, well, just a shorter way to say wrecked. It means you got destroyed by something. MLG stands for Major League Gaming. If you hit a clip in gaming, I'm pretty sure people would say MLG gaming or something. The “do u know da wae” meme is Uganda Knuckles saying “do you know da wae?” I have no idea why this was a meme, it just was one.

In the long run, many memes, slang words, and phrases will go by as people will tend to overuse them. Some might stay for a while, while others don’t. It just depends on if it's used or not.  

And that's all the slang words/phrases/memes that I know. There are way more slang words that I didn’t list. If you wanna go look them up, GO LOOK THEM UP.

by Brayden Flora

Are you first coming into Springbrook as a 6th grader? Or are you already well into middle school? Either way, it’s always good to have some new information at the ready! In this article I will give you advice (mostly for 6th graders) to succeed in your middle school years.

First thing you need to know is that middle school is much different than elementary school.  You will have to switch classes every hour, so you will have multiple teachers with different teaching styles. This being said, you have to be ready for anything your teachers throw your way. Some teachers give out very unique and interactive assignments daily whilst others tend to stick to the same format. The best way to get ahead of these assignments is focusing on them in class. I know everybody says this, but they definitely aren’t wrong! If you actually do your work at school and not put it off until a later date (there is actually an article on the Brook Report that gives information on procrastination as well), your grades will always stay how they should. Although staying on top of your work is key, there is one other key method to be successful at school. This method is coming to school everyday even when you don’t want to, which inturn could grant you passes to “exempt” (or not do) an exam for a class or 2 of your choice.

Some of the students here at Springbrook even had some advice:

“Don't be bad, follow the rules and don't goof off too much.  Don't get any F's and you won't have to be in working lunch, be nice to people no matter what.”

“When you first join don't be scared to ask where your classes are or help to open your locker, ask a teacher and they'll help you because at Springbrook nobody should feel or even be left out.”

“Don’t worry too much about doing everything right at first. Get used to the feel of the new school and where everything is, because it’s much different than elementary.”

“Don't mess around, get your work done, it will only get harder”

“Stay organized for each class”

These are just a few of the many pieces of advice given by Springbrook students. As you can see, the main points these students are trying to get across is to have fun in school whilst still getting your work done! I feel the main reason students get bad grades is them staying home. I get it, you don’t want to go everyday. But if you’re not sick or unable to go to school, you should go to school, because I assure you once you get there and get going you’ll be glad you went.

There are many ways to prepare for middle school, most are mental, but remember that once you get used to it, it’s a great experience. Also, remember that every student at Springbrook has had to go through the same exact thing, everybody here was once a 6th grader too!

Dinosaur Facts

by Kash Norden

Dinosaurs are creatures that lived millions of years ago and are described as scale reptiles that roar a lot and are vicious predators. In reality they are all different from their looks to personalities so here are some facts I provide to you so you can know the varieties of dinosaurs. 

First is the herbivore dinosaurs, these dinosaur body’s are bigger because they have a bigger and more complex digestive system. They also have broad, flat molars instead of sharp, razor, blade teeth. Before you say “but what about diplodocus teeth?” Their teeth are thin and delicate and not sharp enough to do damage to a thing. Herbivores have my looks for eating the same thing and doing the same survival acts. They have footprints that are smudgy blobs as most herbivore footprints are a circle that has a little bit of claw marks. Ichnites are what found fossils in mud or a print is called. A giant herbivore that is known for its tail-like weapon is the Diplodocus. They use it like a whip because their teeth do nothing more but munch on plants as their tail was strong enough to break the sound barrier as for how fast it was going. The Iguanodon was discovered in 1820 in Europe. It is a large dinosaur that has one big spike on its thumb that can be used as a weapon. The name means “Iguana Tooth” because it looked like an Iguana and had teeth like one too. The Ouranosaurus is an amazing looking animal,it has triangle designs down its sail and stripes that are usually dark with dots on the sides of it. It was in the Cretaceous period in the desert. As a good thing for the sail on its back it kept the Ouranosurus cool when it became very hot. The Maiasaura, they guys, was best known for nests as then called the duckbill Maiasaura. The name means “good earth mother lizard” because they had packs of them as lots because they did a good job as nursing. The fossil finds were in North America as Maiasaura was in the Cretaceous period. Their nest was made of mud, soil, branches, and leaves. 

Second is the carnivore dinosaurs, these dinosaurs have teeth that are razor sharp and you can tell by seeing if it has a long and strong jaw usually means it's a carnivore. They have footprints that are more visible to see than herbivores. An example for a good hunter and has brains is the Tyrannosaurus, they hide in the bush and wait for prey and slams their full weight into its prey and it ends up not living. Another smart large dinosaur is the Torvosaurus, that hunts smaller dino than itself and is quiet enough to creep up on its prey with its big body and sharp bladed teeth. Smaller carnivore that is smart is the Troodon as they are known for their intelligence and as an owls like hunting style, very silent. Another small carnivore is the Fruitachampsa, looks like a crocodile-lizard mix with long legs but is the size of a cat. The Fruitachampsa was in the Jurassic period in the riverside forest area. It is a distant relative of the crocodile that hunts small mammals and lizards.

Third is the Pterosaurs, this is what a flying dino is called as Pterosaurs they eat meat, mostly fish senses they live near water and fish eaters are called piscivores. They hunt like an owl but a little louder and faster. Dimorphodon is a pterosaur that has a long tail and has body fur and leathery wings. Another is an Quetzalcoatlus as they are one of the biggest pterosaurs known to fly above the woodlands of late cretaceous North America. The Quetzalcoatlus was the size of a small airplane but was not as fast as one. Last one is the Pterodaustro which is similar to a flamingo but has a jaw with brush like bristles on it. It even does the same things with feeding like a flamingo as to filter tiny animals from lakes.

Therizinosaurus: A big feathered dinosaur that has long sharp claws that it kills its predators with but also uses them to reach high leaves. They mostly eat plants like big shrubs and trees, using the claws to cut it for better digestion. The Therizinosaurus is related to carnivores but developed to eat plants so it is a herbivore. Therizinosaurus was a herbivore that had a greater attitude as they were extremely violent. This dinosaur's main threat was the Tarbosuaurs as they were a little smaller than the Tyrannosaurus but were just as viscous.

Last but not least sea to freshwater reptiles, they wear the one to swim and look cool. Sea reptiles are the one to swim and are one of the most common out of land and flying fossils. One sea creature is the Liopleurodon, this sea swimmer cruised the oceans hunting for prey. Their limbs evolved into winglike flippers similar to penguins flippers.

Another is Ichthyosaurs, the name means “fish-lizard” as they are not like dolphins or shark fish. Ichthyosaurs were at a decent speed faster than a shark but slower than a dolphin. Deinosuchus, a member of the crocodile family, was in fact the largest of the family. These crocs had strong jaws as they caught their prey by the rivers when they went for a drink. With bigger creatures they could do a death roll and it did a lot of damage as the result is death. They lived to the end of the late Cretaceous period, the longest one lived is 82 ma and the youngest one 73 ma. The Champsosaurus may look like a crocodile but it was only distantly related. It also lived in the Cretaceous period with the Deinosuchus but was a mild version of it less intense but still dangerous. It waited near rivers and sapped up fish with its long jaws.

If you think you know a lot of dinosaurs, go to our Contest tab and take a 10-question quiz about dinosaur facts - you just may win a prize!

Red, White and Blue

The History of the American Flag and about Flag Day 

by Myles Powell

The American flag first appeared around June 14 1777.  This is why June 14 is now known as Flag Day.  Flag Day is very important because it shows how the American flag has changed from its original state, and allows us to celebrate its history.

The first time the flag was seen was when it was carried into battle for the first time in September during the Battle of Brandywine. According to Nlets, “The first recognized Flag Day was celebrated by BJ Cigrand and his students claiming it was the flag's birthday.” A national Flag Day was then created in 1916 and was permanently established in 1949 33 years later.

Here's also some fun facts about the American flag: 

• No one knows the original designer of the flag. 

• There have been 27 different flags. 

• The first flag to ever be on the Moon was the US. 

• The US flag can be retired. 

• The US flag can fly all day and night.

Flag day is very important for us Americans and our history and now you can see why. I hope you have learned more about flag day and its origins and that you can celebrate flag day when it comes.

To celebrate Flag Day here at Springbrook, go check out our Contests page for information about how you can enter a contest to design your own unique American flag.

Bean Boozled Challenge 

by Aidan Leake 

Watch Jacob Canales as he reacts to sampling some pretty good and pretty awful Jelly Belly's!  

How Are You Making Money This Summer? 

by Maelie Lange 

Making money at a young age can be hard. We’ve all tried lemonade stands, or selling our old stuff, but here are some great ways you can make money this summer and become a successful entrepreneur.

Number One:  Handmade things such as making jewelry, or custom drawing.  Here are some resources to sell online and locally. An app called BigCartel. It's an app where you can sell stuff online, though you have to set up a paypal to go with it. It's a great quick app to use and it's free!!

Number Two: Become a content creator! Most little kids always wanted to be an influencer. So if you start earlier you can gain followers and once you're a teen you can start receiving PR packages if you're interested in that. PR packages are when a company makes free packages for you to get and review their products for some promotion. 

 Number Three: Get a good head start. Get a following on social media, TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, etc. By getting more followers you can reach a bigger audience. Make sure when you are creating a social media account you are making sure your name is not already taken, make it unique and related to your business. Also when making a post make sure to use hashtags. Hashtags are when you add “Tags” to reach a bigger audience and so people will find your post when they search for that hashtag.

These were just some easy ways to start earning money for summer and during summer.

Mastering Motivation:  The Key to Success

Why you need to have motivation everyday

by  Eva Reynolds

Have you ever been really bored in one summer but don’t know what to do? Here are 10  things you can do this summer to make it less boring.

Taking a hike. Studies have shown that  going on a hike can lower stress and doing it everyday will not only make you calmer but you can also get in a good exercise. Going on a hike could be really fun,you never know!

Going swimming. Has it ever been a really hot day to the point where you don't feel like doing anything? Going swimming can cool you down and be lots of fun! 

Sign up for a summer camp. Lots of people go to summer camps and they have lots of fun.You can meet new people and make friends,do fun activities, learn new things and more! 

Have a picnic. Have you ever been hungry but want to not sit around at home? Going on a picnic could be fun! You could pack your favorite snacks and go to a park and relax,you can even invite friends!

Have a water balloon fight .When it's a hot summer day and you can't go swimming, water balloons can be a way to still have fun and stay cool!

Go to a fair or festival! Lots of towns have festivals and fairs! There are a bunch of games,rides, foods and stuff you can buy! It's really fun to go with your friends.

Go on a bike ride. Going on bike rides if you live in a neighborhood could be fun and give you exercise for the summer.

Play board games with friends and family. Playing games with your friends is really fun and there's so many you can choose from.

Go camping. Camping can be really fun when you go with families, you could also camp in your backyard if you can’t go on a road trip.

Tye dye a shirt! Tye dying a shirt can be really fun and you can make really colorful shirts

Snakes

by Cc Crable 

Most people are afraid of snakes but some people aren’t, why? Well, you see snakes aren’t that bad. Yes,there are a lot of venomous and poisonous snakes but there’s also a good amount of snakes that aren’t. There are about 3,400 different species of snakes on the planet. There are 600 venomous snakes but only 207 can kill or significantly wound. I can see how this can freak people out but, if you think about it ,that's only 207 out of 3,400.

 Some snakes are poisonous and some snakes are venomous but, what's the difference? Well the difference is if you bite it, or touch it and get the symptoms, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you get symptoms, it’s venomous. If you get bit by a snake get help immediately because it’s better to be safe than sorry. Luckily for us, living in Michigan we only have to worry about the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake severely harming us.

There are about 150 species and subspecies in the United States.

There are 66 species and subspecies in Alabama,

39 species in Arkansas.

40 in Arizona. 

50 in California.

30 in Colorado.

14 in Connecticut

There are 19 species in Delaware.

46 species in Florida.

47 in Georgia.

Originally Hawaii didn't have any snakes but from people bringing them to the islands there are now 9 species of snakes there. 

12 species in Idaho.

40 species in Illinois.

32 species in Indiana.

28 species in Iowa.

42 species in Kansas. 

32 in Kentucky.

48 species in Louisiana.

 9 species in Maine.

27 species in Maryland. 

14 in Massachusetts.

18 species in Michigan.

17 in Minnesota.

55 species of snakes in Mississippi.

49 species in Missouri.

10 species in Montana.

30 species in Nebraska.

52 species in Nevada.

11 species in New Hampshire.

23 species in New Jersey.

50 species in New Mexico. 

17 species in New York.

37 in North Carolina. 

 8 species in North Dakota.

33 species in Ohio.

46 species in Oklahoma.

15 species in Oregon.

21 species in Pennsylvania.

12 species in Rhode Island.

17 species in South Dakota.

32 species in Tennessee. 

There are a significant 105 species in Texas.

31 species in Utah.

11 species in Vermont.

32 species in Virginia.

21 species in Washington.

23 species in West Virginia.

22 in Wisconsin.

And last but not least, 15 species in Wyoming.

Snakes aren’t that bad and if you keep your distance and don’t mess with the snakes, you shall be perfectly fine. If you ever come near a snake, and you like snakes, make sure you know what type of snake you're looking at just for caution. If you don't like snakes, walk away slowly from the snake you're seeing.

The Origins of Tacos

by Eva Reynolds 

The origin of tacos is a little complicated because we don’t know who started it. Twisted Taco says” Tacos are thought to come from Mexico, long before the Spanish arrived. Ancient Mexicans used freshly made, soft, flat corn tortillas and gave them with fillings like fish and cooked organs. It was a staple meal that provided vital nutrients and energy to those who consumed it.” 

They go by the name tacos because Mexican miners in the 18th century wrapped gunpowder in paper like a “taquito” and inserted it  into rocks before detonation. Tacos used to be a ‘working class” food and miners used to eat it alot.  It ended up being called tacos de minero or miner’s tacos.

When Mexicans migrated to the U.S. for work, they brought their food and traditions with them. When people started to sell them on carts, Americans first tried them. 

Over time Americans changed the ingredients and ‘Americanized’ them and it ended up being loved everywhere. Now we have restaurants and people make it all the time at home with all different types of ingredients.There are so many types of ingredients and toppings for tacos. There's pork,beef, fish, chicken, seafood, beans and vegetables,  You can also add things like sour cream, lettuce, cheese, salsa, guacamole, lime juice, onion and hot sauce. Lots of people add things you wouldn't usually put on and it ends up delicious!

All About Godzilla

by Eva Reynolds 

Lee Pfeiffer said: “Godzilla’s first ever movie was made to be a Japanese horror film, released in 1954, that was directed and co-written by Honda Ishirō and features innovative special effects by Tsuburaya Eiji. The landmark film was a sensation at the box office and sparked a spate of “giant monster” movies.”  Godzilla represented Japanese fears about nuclear weapons in the wake of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are currently 39 movies and the most successful Godzilla movie is Godzilla with the lifetime gross of $200,676,069 with the second movie being Godzilla x Kong with a lifetime gross of $188,108,542. 

According to writers Ajay Aravind And Maham Arsalan, the original idea of Godzilla was a type of prehistoric reptilian species that lived in the depths of the ocean, undisturbed, feeding off marine organisms to sustain its existence. However, its deep slumber was interrupted by America's hydrogen test bombings at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, which exposed Godzilla to huge amounts of radiation.

Godzilla was an immediate success and the worst ranked Godzilla movie was Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). Godzilla could be considered into many different genres including Horror,Monster,Science Fiction,Thriller,Disaster,Drama,Suspense and more… Godzilla has been a favorite for many years and continues to make movies even better than before.

In the end the movies share historical elements and science fiction and many surprises and it's amazing to see how much Godzilla movies have changed and gotten better over the years and hopefully we can see amazing things in the future. 

The Amazing History

of Hand Sanitizer!

by Brayden Flora

When was the last time you used hand sanitizer? Today? Last week? Last year? Well surprisingly hand sanitizer has been around for close to 60 years! The history of “hand sanitizer” goes back many many years, and I'm going to teach you all about it!

There are reports of hand sanitizer going back as far as the 2nd century. But this, “hand sanitizer” is not how we know it today, and wasn’t even used for the same reasons! The original “hand sanitizer” was technically just alcohol, people used to use alcohol to disinfect cuts. The most famous people to use this method of disinfecting are the Romans. According to the Montana Community Foundation, “As early as the 2nd century, there are references to the use of alcohol for wound treatment by the Roman physician Claudius Galen”. You may still be wondering, “How does alcohol actually kill germs?” Well, alcohol is not living, like our blood cells, and it’s not extremely acidic like well… acid. So, how does it manage to kill germs? The answer to this is denaturation. The definition of denaturation is, “destroy the characteristic properties of (a protein or other biological macromolecule) by heat, acidity, or other effects that disrupt its molecular conformation.” Alcohol has an odd property that causes it to break down proteins, which is pretty much what all germs are, in fact killing the germs.

Even though alcohol has been used for sanitation for many centuries, the gel-like substance that we know was not created until 1966 when a nursing student named Lupe Hernandez was determined to discover an easy disinfectant. As explained by Joyce Bedl with the Smithsonian Association, “The story goes that Hernandez realized alcohol delivered through a gel could clean hands in a situation where there was no access to soap and warm water.” After she created “hand sanitizer” she almost immediately went to patent her invention, knowing she could prevent lots of diseases caused by germs (picked up when touching things). Hand sanitizer has always been relevant but in the past few years due to covid-19, people have been using hand sanitizer more frequently than the last few decades. There have also been many creations on different ways to use hand sanitizer, such as spray hand sanitizer.

Overall, hand sanitizer is one of the best ways to stop germs from spreading, it has evolved from simple alcohol, to a modern invention that anybody can use. So the next time you come across some hand sanitizer, give a quick thought of how that hand sanitizer has developed over the centuries.

School Over Summer?

What is summer school & Why do we have it?

by Myles Powell

What do you think Summer school is? Summer school is important to help people with getting to the next grade. It can have many students and just very few students.  Summer School is not supposed to be bad, Summer School is supposed to help you get into the next grade if you need extra help.

Here's some more information provided by Mr. Skeels “It runs June 4th through the 19th at Adrian High School, on the second floor from 7:45 to 11:15.  Approximately 15% of Springbrook students may have to take summer school because of multiple failed classes.  There are 4 classes students will take each day:  Math, Reading, Writing and Exploratory classes.

Summer school won't be bad, it's not supposed to be all summer and it's a lot shorter than you might think.  So if you are dreading summer school, it won't be bad and will give you an opportunity to get to the next grade.

EASTER EGGS

by Landen Fouty

Do you know what an Easter egg is? No? Not the ones the bunny hides. Easter eggs are also little hints and hidden things that most people don’t know about.  Usually when you go on Google, you don't really know how many secrets from Google are being hidden from you. There are a LOT of different Google Easter eggs, but the problem with some of them is that they got taken down, or deleted by Google. These are little surprises that they can share or delete whenever they choose.  But there are some that still work, or haven't been taken down yet. Here are the latest!

Easter Egg #1: Askew, if you type Askew in Google, then hit the       ENTER              button, then your screen will be at a slight angle.

Easter Egg #2: Solar Eclipse, if you type solar eclipse and hit enter, the screen will do a solar eclipse animation.

Easter Egg #3: Pac Man, if you search Pac Man, you will be greeted by a fun little mini game that should look something like this…

by Jacob Canales

If you don’t know what RNG stands for, it stands for Random Number Generator.  It's basically a random chance of happening.  For example, there's a random chance that you can get struck by lightning, it's not certain, but it could happen. Now you know what RNG stands for!  Watch the video and find out more. 

by Alexandra Perez-Yepez

Eighth-graders went on a field trip to learn the many opportunities of the 25 programs that are offered to high school students at the LISD Tech Center.  It’s a program you can enroll in for a portion of your day, but you need your high school counselor and discuss it with your parents.

There are 29 programs that will have 16 spots in the morning and 16 in the afternoon for a total of 32 per each program.  To be in the programs, you need to have good grades and almost perfect  attendance so they can make sure that you attend them regularly. The really good part of the program is that it's all free and when you finish the 2 year program you will have the ability to earn up to 14 college credits and a certificate if you want to skip college and work right away.

In your second year of high school (sophomore year), you can pick one of the programs that are available to sophomores, however, some of the programs require you to be an upperclassman. It’s a wonderful opportunity to prepare for your future career, or just to learn to do something you love.  Take some time to look at their website and start planning your high school career.

Here is a list of programs available at the LISD Tech Center:

Arts & Communication

• • Graphic Design

  • Digital Media Production

Business, Management, Marketing, & Technology

• • Accounting

  • Computer Information Services

  • Computer Programming

  • Culinary Arts

  • Marketing & Entrepreneurship

Engineering, Manufacturing, & Industrial Technology

• • Automotive Collision Repair & Refinish

  • Automotive Services Technology

  • Building Trades

  • Engineering, Design, & CAD

  • Engineering, Robotics, & Mechatronics

  • Machining & Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

  • Residential Construction

  • Welding Technology

Health Sciences

• • Certified Nurse Aide

  • Dental Assisting

  • Emergency Medical Technician

  • Exercise Science & Sports Medicine

  • Health Care Careers

  • Nursing Preparation

Human Services

• • Education Careers

  • Law Enforcement & Corrections

Natural Resources & Agriscience

• • Agri-Tech

  • Biochemical Technology

  • Horticulture

  • Natural Resources

  • Natural Sciences

Nature's Waddling Wonders 

Penguins, Of Course!

by Aidan Leake

What are Penguins?

Penguins are aquatic birds with flippers to help them swim. You might have seen them in a zoo or heard about them.  Well in this article you will learn all about them and maybe some different types of penguins too.

My Knowledge

Penguins live in Antarctica and have feathers and flippers to help them stay warm in the cold and flippers to swim. They also lay eggs and eat the fish that is present in the ocean. There are also different types of penguins like Baby penguins, Emperor Penguins, etc. They have black and white fur and an orange beak. 

The Internet’s Knowledge

National Geographic tells us that Penguins are seabirds in the family Spheniscidae. They use their wings to swim underwater, but they can also fly in the air. They eat fish and other seafood. Penguins lay their eggs and raise their babies on land

Other Important Notes

Penguins are an endangered species because of pollution, disease, habitat loss, and reduced food availability due to commercial fishing. 

Top 10 Penguin Facts according to Sea Life Aquarium:

• Gentoo Penguins are the fastest of all penguin species! These penguins can swim at speeds of up to 23 miles per hour!

• The oldest penguin fossils are 62 million years old. 

• Penguins poop every 20 minutes. 

• A penguin's black and white coloring is called countershading. 

• Penguins are expert divers! 

Fun Facts! 

Gentoo Penguin - Gentoo penguins have been known to make as many as 450 dives per day to forage for food according to Oceanwide Expeditions

Chinstrap Penguin - Chinstrap penguins may be the most abundant penguin, with a population estimated at 7.5 million breeding pairs according to Seaworld

Adelie Penguin - The Adelie penguin is the tiniest of all the penguin species in Antarctica according to the World Wildlife Federation

Emperor Penguin - Emperor penguins can swim underwater for up to 22 minutes according to the World Wildlife Federation

King Penguin - The king penguin has the longest breeding cycle of all the penguin species, lasting 14 to 16 months according to Seaworld

Galapagos Penguin - Galápagos penguins are the only penguin species to live on the equator according to Seaworld

Southern Rockhopper Penguin - They’re 18 inches tall and can weigh from 5-10 pounds according to the New England Aquarium

African Penguin - African penguins communicate with one another through vocalizations and body language according to the San Diego Zoo

Macaroni Penguin -  They can dive anywhere between 15 – 70 meters and can hold their breath for up to three minutes according to Folly Farm

Fiordland Penguin -  The birds can shake their crests—like rock stars shake their hair onstage—to show off their plumage to potential mates according to National Geographic Kids

Magellanic Penguin - named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan whose crew first spotted them in the year 1520 according to Oceanwide Expeditions

Humboldt Penguin - These birds are excellent swimmers according to National Geographic Kids 

Royal Penguin- Royal penguins are the largest of the crested penguins according to Seaworld

Yellow-Eyed Penguin- one of the rarest penguins in the world and are only found in New Zealand according to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust

Waitaha Penguin-  known to be an almost exclusive benthic forager that searches for prey along the seafloor  according to National Geographic

Popularity

Is It Worth It?

by Jayla Donald

Are you popular or do you know someone who is? Does it cause drama among friend groups? Does any of this make you think about what being popular can do to you? Is being popular worth it?.. These are questions that some kids ask themselves everyday. Or they ask, “Why am I not popular?” But the true question is instead, “Is popularity even important?”

What do you think when you think of a popular person? An athlete? Someone with a lot of friends? Someone who gets good grades? All of those could be true about a popular person, but those are also stereotypes. Coming from a middle school student, popular people in our school are athletes, people with well-known parents or just well-known themselves. But the real question is, how does being popular benefit you?

Being popular can have many benefits, but also have its downfalls. For instance, if you are popular you are more well known and probably are friends with other popular kids. And you may also have friends from other schools and be pretty respected. But, being popular can make people intimidated by you or they may think that you are mean. Another downfall is that even though you may be popular, others might not like you because they think you are stuck up or rude.

So in conclusion popularity has its ups and downs and can cause drama. But i'll let you decide is popularity really as important as people say it is?

Disappearing Stripes

Are Tigers Going Extinct?

by Eva Reynolds

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been around for a long time and have had many shows and movies as well as many art changes.

According to researchers from TIME, “The first Ninja Turtle movie came out in 1990, and one night in 1983 — and no one can remember why — inspiration struck.”  That night, an artist named “Eastman drew a humanized turtle wearing a ninja mask and carrying a katana blade.”  The idea of a slowpoke turtle as a swift and wily ninja cracked him and his friends up. “By the end of the evening the artists had created four tortoises. Eastman quickly christened them the Ninja Turtles, but then, in an absurdist wink at two of the most popular themes in comic books at the time, his friend Laird lengthened the name to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or TMNT got really popular during the 80’s and 90’s and since then has been making people laugh for years and amazed people with her unique fighting skills which include ninjutsu. 

The Ninja Turtles all have different personalities, Leonardo, or Leo,is considered the leader who makes sure that his siblings are always ok. Raphael, or Raph, has a very temperamental and aggressive personality but in the end cares alot for his family.  Donatello, or Donnie, is very calm and intelligent.  Finally Michelangelo, or Mikey ,is a very easy going fun guy. Even though they're different, they also have many things in common, including their love for pizza.

Even through all their tough times they still end up being there for eachother and their mentor/father Shredder and always have a good time.

NWEA

Testing tips

by Eva Reynolds

Since the beginning of elementary school, N.W.E.A. testing has been there.  Some students get very anxious about taking the N.W.E.A. and others just don’t care and don’t prepare.  Whether you like it or not, the N.W.E.A. is here to stay and whether you believe it or not, doing well on it is important.  Here are 10 tips that can help you prepare for the N.W.E.A. or really any test:

1. Get plenty of sleep. Believe it or not, a good night sleep can actually affect your mood and make you much more focused for your exams

2. Study, study, study! Studying can help your grade in exams and help you feel more prepared and ready the next day.

3. Ask a teacher. If you're not sure about some things, ask the teacher if there's a good time you could stay after school and work on those skills. You can also go to an after school study group.

4. Read the questions carefully. If you rush through your test you could miss valuable information and your answers could be wrong. Breath, take a minute to look at the questions before you answer.

5. Ask a friend to help you study! Friends can help a lot with preparing for the exam,y ou can have fun and also study at the same time.

6.  Relax. As well as studying, remember to also take some time for yourself if you get frustrated. Your mental health comes first.

7. Music. If music helps you get through chores or other things, music could also help you. Some people use non-lyrical music because words distract them. Either way, if you find the right music for you, studying could become an experience for you!

8. Studying tactics. Some people use their own studying tips to help them such as flashcards or just trying to memorize something on a study guide. Look up techniques and see which works the best.

9. Pay Attention. A lot of students are tired at school and just want to rest their head on their desk, but before your exams try your best to listen to what your teacher is teaching because in the long run it will help you.

10. Charge your computer. Make sure you're prepared for exams the night before exams.

African American History Month

Door Decorating Contest

Springbrook recently organized an exciting African American History Month door decorating contest among mentoring classes. Students eagerly embraced the opportunity to showcase their creativity and appreciation for African American culture. Vibrant colors, inspiring quotes, and symbolic representations adorned the doors, turning the hallways into a captivating display of unity and diversity. The contest not only celebrated the achievements of African Americans but also fostered a sense of community and understanding among the students. It was a fantastic initiative that brought both fun and education to our school environment during this special month. 

Pictured here are our four finalists:  Ms. Johnston, Mrs. DiPietro, Mrs. Kesterke, and Mrs. West.  Our first place prize winner, however, was Mrs. Kesterke's mentoring class who enjoyed some donuts!

A Life Changing Invention

That's Actually a Digital Camera!

by Myles Powell

The digital camera is a piece that changed our lives. So I’m going to inform you about the digital camera.  

The first digital camera was made by Steve Sasson at Eastman Kodak and the first prototype he made was the size of a toaster! According to National Inventors Hall of Fame, “He constructed the camera with a lens from a Super 8 movie camera, 16 nickel cadmium batteries, an analog/digital converter, a CCD imaging array, an A/D converter and several dozen digital circuits wired together.”                                       

Steve always had an interest in electronics and was very passionate. He wanted to work with them, so no wonder he invented the first digital camera. When Steve was 13 he made his own radio and used an illegal frequency! He even got a letter from the federal authorities to stop!  He didn’t let that stop his passion for electronics and went to Kodak where he invented the digital camera.  He took inspiration from the TV and wanted to make the camera able to take your own pictures, and was determined to make the first digital camera.

The digital camera has evolved a lot over time and still is one of the greatest inventions because it has changed our lives forever.

The Perils of Procrastination

Don't Let It Be Your Downfall!

by Caleb Cunningham

What if I told you, in the near future you could have your own pet dinosaur. Would you believe me or laugh in my face? I would totally understand if you laughed in my face, but the joke’s on you! Dinosaurs are coming back, so get ready for the story (so far) of the Chickenosaurus!

First let me explain some background.  Jack Horner is a paleontologist and genome specialist who is the founder of this project.  About 13 years ago he decided he was going to make a chicken that looked like a dinosaur through the process called genetic engineering. 

Next, I would like to address your first assumption, enter the movie Jurassic Park. I would be shocked if you didn't know what Jurassic Park is, but just in case I'll quickly recap it just so you understand why it's relevant. In summary, Jurassic Park is about a select few paleontologists that were chosen to visit an island theme park filled with dinosaurs. They are suspicious at first but the owner reassures them. Upon visiting the island there is a storm that shuts down all of the power, powering down the cages in the process. The protagonist is tasked with protecting a few children, trying to escape the dinosaurs and island. 

This is relevant because of how the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were created. In Jurassic Park the dinosaurs were created by using an ancient mosquito that sucked dinosaur blood and got encased in amber. Then they used the blood that was still inside the mosquito to fill in the gaps of the DNA we already have from other animals. While it is an interesting concept, it is impossible to make a dinosaur in that manner. According to Dr. Nislow from the University of British Columbia, “DNA can be fragile. Though a great option for preservation, it decays too quickly to survive for millions of years, even when trapped in amber.” So sadly, we are not getting any “real” dinosaurs. 

But if it's not made with dino DNA, and it's not a “real” dinosaur, how will it be made and what will it be? Well let me explain what it will be and look like first. It essentially will be a “dinosaur” that hatches from a chicken egg.  That just means a chicken modified to look like a dinosaur. So what does a dinosaur look like? Well, that's up to interpretation for the most part, but this dinosaur will look like a dromaeosaur. Like velociraptor, utahraptor, and microraptor.  I should also point out the fact that birds are actually classified as dinosaurs because they are in a group of common ancestors called dinosauria, so they are considered true dinosaurs. (This may not be relevant, but back to the subject…) Chickens have dromaeosaur traits like; snouts with teeth, hands with claws, and tails, they will also be covered in feathers head to tail like a dromaeosaur and a chicken. 

Now I will explain how they will be created. According to Jack Horner, “...we have a number of ways that we actually can fix the chicken, because evolution works. We actually have some evolutionary tools.''  The three main ways of creating the chickenosaurs are; (1) selection where you select a gene and enhance it, (2) trans genesis where you transfer DNA into a different species of animal and (3) atavism which is an activation recurrence of a trait in an animal species. From what I have heard they are mostly using selection. They have figured everything out. In a quote from the owner of the project Jack Horner, “After 13 years the dinochicken has reached a threshold. We know how to initiate the teeth, alter skull shape, transform wingtip to a three fingered hand, and produce a boney tail. Next step will likely have to be on an island, with a generous, intrepid donor!!” So in his words, they have all of the science to do this, they just need donations! I encourage you to donate. Below you will find the donation link, Jack Horner’s X account (Twitter), and my email if you have any questions, would like information, or feel generous enough to donate.  Maybe you want to keep up with the project, or ask any questions that you have about the project or dinosaurs in general. This is a good place to end off, so this is Caleb Cunningham signing off, see you next time!

Web-Slinger or Caped-Crusader?

Who is the Better Superhero?

by Eva Reynolds

A lot of people have their own opinion about superheroes and debate whether Marvel or D.C. is better, but which superhero is better? Spiderman or Batman?  

David Harth, a journalist from CBR says “Batman and Spiderman have a lot in common. Tragic events catapulted both Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker onto their heroic journeys of justice and responsibility. However, many of the similarities between are only skin-deep, as digging into either of them reveals just how different Batman and Spider-Man are. Batman and Spider-Man's differences define them and also say a lot about their respective universes.”

Spiderman is known as a more easy going character and jokes a lot whereas Batman is a very dark person who is very serious.  A lot of people connect with Spiderman because of this, especially younger people. Batman uses skill and strategy as well as tools to help him get his enemies whereas Spiderman uses his powers to his advantage. People argue Batman is weaker because of this, others say that both are equally powerful. Either way, both are some of the best heroes in each others’ universe.

Twilight Movie Review

Where It All Started

by Roseanna Gisewite

This Movie that I’m about to tell you about is The BEST movie that I have ever seen before!

The Twilight movie is about a high schooler named Bella.  Bella’s mom and step-dad travel a lot, so she wanted to move to her dad Charlie’s house, but in order to do that, Bella had to move to a new school called, “Forks High School.” 

When she arrived, she had met her first friend, Eric. He offered to write an article about her in Forks High School’s newspaper so that she could make some more new friends, but she declined his offer.

Even though she didn’t want to be in the newspaper, she made some friends and also made the volleyball team. Bella wasn’t very skilled though. She hit one of the basketball members with the volleyball, but he didn’t get mad at her, he just said that it was fine. 

In Bella’s science class, a boy named Edward had an assigned seat next to her. He would look at her weirdly and wasn’t talking to her, he even stormed out of class because he could not stand being next to Bella. Edward later apologized about how awkward he was. Edward had reasons for that, though.

Bella tried to be friends with him, but he knew he couldn't be friends with her. After learning more about him and doing days of research, Bella finally connected all of the dots and found out what  Edward really was…

Marvel vs. DC

The History Behind These Two Companies

by William Owens

According to the article “The Story of Marvel,” Marvel came into existence in 1939. When a comic book creator Martin Goodman needed some cash from the growing market of comic books.

The first marvel comics were short stories with an average of 32 pages. Which was short back then, they just put some superheroes like the Human Torch and Submariner which are still popular today.  Also, Captain America made his debut in 1941. That era is called the Golden Era of marvel comics because so many characters we see today are from that era. 

According to the article “DC Comics History,” the first DC comics came out in 1934. The person who invented DC comics was Malcom-Wheeler-Nicholson. When the company was founded it was originally named National Allied Publications.  In 1938 The Man of Steel “Superman” was created and was on the front cover of the comic.  The 1940s were the Golden Era of comics and was for DC as well.  As superheroes like Batman and Superman were created and we still enjoy their comics and movies to this day. 

Now the history of the two companies have been covered. Now we cover how they battle each other in popularity each year. When they started getting popular, they started to notice each other. It was clear that Marvel was the most popular with Captain Marvel, Captain America and more, those were their most popular superheroes, and the Human Torch.  But DC also had Batman and Superman which were very well known when they kept releasing the comics. Marvel kept getting more sales, so throughout the second half of the 19th century DC was always the lesser company than Marvel. There were always the kids who picked either DC or Marvel. 

Hello Kitty

Still an Icon After All These Years