Hey Panthers! Are you feeling stressed about your upcoming exams? Wondering how to prepare? Look no further! Here are 5 unique  study methods recommended by numerous sources which aim to help you discover what works best for you. 

1. Active recall: this method improves memory retention by actively retrieving information rather than rereading material.

2. Feynman Technique: this method is when you try to explain a topic as if you were teaching it to someone else. By simplifying the concepts, you’ll be able to notice gaps in your knowledge and see where you need to improve. 

3. Spaced repetition: similarly to active recall, it helps with your memory. However, for this method you review the material at gradually increasing intervals. 

4. Pomodoro Technique: this is a time management technique that involves studying for a period of 25 minutes with short breaks in between. After four cycles a longer break is taken. This technique helps decrease burnout and increase productivity. 

5. PQ4R Method: this method is organized into six simple steps. Preview, question, read, reflect, recite, and review. First you preview the material given to you, then you create questions about the material to develop goals. After this you read and make notes in the material to answer the questions. Following this you can take some time to reflect on the new information and see where it fits in the bigger picture of the subject. Next we can combine active recall to help remember the material. Finally in order to solidify your understanding you can review your notes. 

Hopefully with these new techniques exams will be slightly less stressful and have you feeling more prepared and confident in your abilities. Don’t forget the most important tip, actually spend time studying and remember, this is the last month of school so do your all!

SOURCES:

Xu, Joy, et al. “Active Recall Strategies Associated with Academic Achievement in Young Adults: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 354, Elsevier BV, June 2024, pp. 191–98, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.010. Accessed 5 June 2025.

‌“10 Study Techniques Backed by Science – Technology Gossips.” Ucsc.edu, 2024, tech.sites.ucsc.edu/2024/09/24/10-study-techniques-backed-by-science/. Accessed 5 June 2025.

Victoria Day is one of the most important holidays in Canada, symbolizing the country’s lasting ties to the monarchy, and its ties as a nation. It is celebrated on the Monday before May 25th, honouring Queen Victoria’s birthday and the unofficial start of Canadian summer.

The origins of Victoria Day date back to the 20th century, shortly after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. However, celebrations of the monarch’s birthday date back to the 19th century. Queen Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819, and, as her reign became more and more established. Her birthday was acknowledged with various celebrations all across the British Empire with pride and passion. In Canada it is celebrated just like many other British-colonized countries with the queen’s birthday becoming a symbol of the country’s loyalty to the Crown and queen as a person.

By the mid-19th century, Victoria Day was celebrated much as it is today with parades, fireworks, and public ceremonies. It was a way for Canadians to express their loyalty and respect for the Crown and Queen Victoria, who brought significant developments to Canada, including Confederation in 1867 making her only more respected.

Following the queen’s passing on January 22nd, 1901, at the age of 81, Canada officially designated Victoria Day as a national holiday to commemorate Queen Victoria’s life, despite the fact that Canada is its own independent country. Over time, the holiday also took on a practical role-marking the beginning of the warmer season, with many Canadians using the long weekend to prepare for the summer months ahead.

Even today, Victoria Day remains an important part of Canadian culture, marking the country’s history with modern festivities that have stemmed from centuries of celebrations before. It serves as a tribute to the past, as well as a harbinger of the season to come.

It dawns on us that while September hit us like a whirlwind, ten months have now passed us by, and now we’re approaching the end of the year—if you can believe it. Although it may be the end of two vibrant semesters full of friends, great food, and pacing the halls, an eventful two months still await you. How to make it eventful, you wonder? Well, that’s what this article’s for.

Take a hike!

It’s one of the most beautiful times of the year. Why waste it? Scope out your local forest and traverse it! It’s a great excuse for physical activity, and nature is lovely to enjoy—although I’d be sure to carry some repellent with me, because insects can be a nuisance. 

Outdoor movie night

What better way to spend a pleasant evening than to queue up a classic and unwind. Even better—spend it outside! Light a lantern, relax on the porch, enjoy the cricket choir and boom! You got yourself the perfect summer movie night. Maybe invite some friends over to heighten the fun—just don’t wake up the neighbourhood, though.

Camping

Since we value the great outdoors, pack up a tent, a bit of your everyday life, and a flashlight to have the greatest few days of your life this summer. Set up camp in a rural place with lots of nature (for lengthy walks later)! Explore by day, and stargaze at night. This is an experience you’ll never forget.

Gardening

How cool is it to think that you can grow and tend to live daily? Gardening is a form of self-expression, so it can transform any place into whatever mood you’d like it to be. Or, you could grow food, which also has various benefits. Summer weather is the perfect time to let your green thumb shine, so go wild.

Go canoeing

The clock is ticking, and the ideal time to get out on the water is right about now. Spending a nice and calming day on the river is a good invitation for that refreshing summer breeze we long for, now and then.

Visit a fair

Hitch yourself a ticket to a day of fun and (hopefully no) long lines. Be prepared for the enticing scent of delicious food, the thrill of rides and attractions, and maybe even some musical performances! A perfect way to spend your day. 

Watch the sunrise

Stay up late or wake up early to observe a soundless and serene scene of the sun rising. It’ll help you start your day right and increase your appreciation for the world around you. Never underestimate the power of daybreak watching.

I hope that this list has been the ultimate guide to your greatest summer break. Have an awesome summer, Panthers!

Choosing the right book to read can be tricky. After all, you are choosing to dedicate yourself for at least a few hours to either a terribly great or greatly terrible book. So, to help you find some good, classic books to read this summer, I have compiled 40 different novels that you can try out, as well as a few words to give you an idea of what each one is about. And remember: Don’t judge a book by its cover! These books range over different genres and eras, but I left out major details to give you the opportunity to connect to the book yourself. Here we go:

Group #1: The Classicals

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (innocence and racism) – Harper Lee

2. The Great Gatsby (tragic!) – F. Scott Fitzgerald

3. Pride and Prejudice (romance, but a different era of it) – Jane Austen

4. Wuthering Heights (romance, but also a different era of it) – Emily Brontë

5. Great Expectations (moralizing) – Charles Dickens

6. 1984 (control, control, control) – George Orwell

7. Little Women (sweet) – Louisa May Alcott

8. War and Peace (historical - still a novel, just fiction) – Leo Tolstoy

9. Of Mice and Men (poignant) – John Steinbeck

10. The Iliad (war) – Homer 

Group #2: Modern Dystopia

1. The Hunger Games (revenge) – Suzanne Collins

2. The Maze Runner (disease) – James Dashner

3. Fahrenheit 451 (they like to burn books, so don’t let them catch you reading this one!) – Ray Bradbury

4. The Giver (‘reality’) – Lois Lowry

5. Animal Farm (communism) – George Orwell

6. Divergent (belonging) – Veronica Roth

7. Station Eleven (pandemic) – Emily St. John Mandel

8. The Road (fragility) – Cormac McCarthy

9. Lord of the Flies (survival) – William Golding

10. The Time Machine (time travel, as the title suggests) – H.G. Wells

Group #3: Teen Favourites

1. The Inheritance Games (mysteries to be solved and games to be played) – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2. The Fault in Our Stars (more romance) – John Green

3. The Book Thief (she steals books) – Markus Zusak

4. The Outsiders (feelings of outcast) – S.E. Hinton

5. The Powerless series (haven’t read it, but it is super popular right now) – Lauren Roberts

6. Wonder (perseverance) – R.J. Palacio

7. The Hobbit (adventurous dwarves) – J.R.R. Tolkien

8. The Secret Garden (secrets to be untold) – Frances Hodgson Burnett

9. Lord of the Rings (fictional war) – J.R.R. Tolkien

10. The Catcher in the Rye (expelled and searching) – J.D. Salinger

Group #4: Mysteries

1. And Then They Were None (I won’t spoil it with even one word - read it if you haven’t already.) – Agatha Christie

2.  The Silent Patient (why does she do it?) – Alex Michaelides

3. Murder on the Orient Express (stabbed…but who could be behind it?) – Agatha Christie

4. Crooked House (another Agatha Christie novel; try to solve the mystery!) – Agatha Christie

5. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (the murderer…admits their murder) – Agatha Christie

6. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (hint: the title is symbolic) – John le Carré

7. Nobody’s Fool (retraces his steps back to a lost woman…but what happens next?) – Richard Russo

8. The Housemaid’s Secret (hint: there is a housemaid with a deep secret in the novel!) – Freida McFadden

9. Verity (a woman and an incapacitated husband) – Colleen Hoover

10. Crime and Punishment (a moral dilemma) – Fyodor Dostoevsky

Done! Hopefully you have found at least one book that you like out of all of these great starters. Many of these books also have movies, so that is an afterthought to consider. Although, some of these books are relatively old, so you might have to watch the old fashioned, black-and-white movies to see them on screen. Enjoy and have a great summer!

April marks Sikh Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Sikh community. At Glenview, the SSA (Sikh Student Association), a new addition to the many clubs Glenview has, is recognizing the month by taking initiatives aimed at raising awareness and cultural pride. 

The SSA is working hard to create spaces where students of all backgrounds can learn about Sikhism’s principles, such as equality, service, and justice, and connect with the vibrant traditions that shape the Sikh identity. Manroop Khehra, one of the founders of our SSA, has sat down to tell me a little bit about what they have been doing this month to teach the Glenview community about Sikhism. 

Within the SSA, she says “we’ve had a lot of informative meetings to talk about Sikh Heritage Month and how much has been done for Sikhi in this month.” Members also had the opportunity to attend a WRDSB-wide event dedicated to learning about Sikh heritage. Manroop added, “I think it’s really important for the new generation to hear things like that that tell us about Sikhi, and the core principles and the history.”

The SSA also held a very successful Vaisakhi event this month. Vaisaski, April 13th, marks the creation of Sikhi and the Sikh New Year. The event intended to share langar, a fundamental aspect of Sikhi that entails providing free meals to everyone, despite their personal religious affiliations or cultures, with the Glenview community. Pizza, samosas, and more free food was given out all throughout the break, feeding as many people as possible. The goal of this event was to practice one of the core principles of Sikhi, service, while spreading awareness of the community. Posters were hung up around the school with information about Sikhi, Sikh heritage, and Sikhs that have made notable contributions to the world. 

“Non-Sikhs don’t know about Sikhi,” Manroop says. “It was really nice at the Vaisakhi event because people were asking about Sikhi and we had the opportunity to tell them why we were giving out free food, and what Sikhism is all about.” 

“The biggest thing is recognition. Sikhs have done a lot, not just for the Sikh community, but we help everyone. Sikhs have done a lot for Canada and their contributions are very overlooked.” The Sikh community has been overlooked and misunderstood for centuries. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Sikh and Muslim people are the same, even though the two religions are both unique in their own ways. Initiatives like these allow the SIkh community to amplify their voice and spread awareness for just how much the Sikh community has done for Canada and the world. 

Manroop encourages people to continue learning and opening their minds to Sikhi and other non-Western religions. She says, “there's not a lot of support right now,” for clubs like the SSA, and she hopes that in the future, the SSA is able to hold larger events and initiatives to spread awareness and teach the community. “Sikhi is such a beautiful religion,” however, it is being forgotten. The SSA and Sikh Heritage Month aim to teach the world this message and hope everyone can take away some of the lessons Sikhi has to offer to make the world a better place.

Hey panthers! Are you interested in doing HOSA next year? Trying to decide what event to do? Or just looking for some helpful tips? Why not see what Aikamjot Somal and Hannah Ellison had to say about their experience after placing top five in their event!

(H = Hannah, A = Aikamjot)

How did you feel about getting top 5?

H:It felt amazing to see our names listed as 5th, especially because I knew just how many people had participated. 300 teams means 600 other people that Aikam and I beat. So, it's really nice to know that our hard work and preparation, as well as all the stress and nerves, really did end up paying off. Only the top 3 go to ILC, but if two teams are unable to go they will move down the list to us, so that's really exciting too.

A:I feel very happy and excited about getting top 5. The first day I found out I was so incredibly happy and proud of Hannah and I because we actually did it. We had made the top 5. And it comes with lots of new opportunities like the chance to go to ILC if the top 3 and 4 teams Are unable to.

How did you feel going into the event?

H: Soo incredibly nervous. I knew that I was as prepared as I was going to be, and that there was no going back to try and study more, so I tried to keep that in mind to calm my nerves. But yeah, really nervous. I remember standing in line with Aikam, watching all the people around us, and trying to figure out if we were more or less prepared than them, based on how frantically they were going over their notes. And then it came time to separate all the partners and file in a single file to the exam room, and my heart was beating out of my chest.

A: Going into the event I was so scared and nervous about acc doing the exam on day one. And had even studied For 3 hours before the exam to ensure I knew everything. And on day 2 I was still as nervous but was a little less nervous as now it was time to actually use our knowledge. 

How much did you study?

H: Not as much as I could have. I think I got access to my HOSA account, and all my study material, around November, which meant I had a month to study before FLC, which is basically a mock test. That means I technically had five months to study, but I definitely did not use all that time. I looked over it over the winter break, but it didn't really spark my interest because it's a lot of legal matter at the start, so that made it really easy to procrastinate. I really started studying at the start of March, and then I studied a lot. I had a notebook I filled with just summaries of all the study slideshows, and then I used a lot of flashcards to practice the active recall. Even though I know Aikam studied way more than me, I still think I studied a lot more than a lot of people.

A:I personally studied for 4 months before the exam and did practice exams and made flashcards for the test. And really spend all of my extra time studying for the exam.

Tips for people doing HOSA?

H: Don't procrastinate! It will make you feel far less stressed if you start reviewing material months in advance, and you will feel more confident going into your event, as well as prouder coming out of it. Another tip - don't stress once you're there. In the grand scheme of things, you're just there for a school club to have fun, so stress and study hard in the months in advance, so you can really enjoy your time there. I also really recommend trying as many workshops as you can, they're a lot of fun with a lot of new and interesting experiences. My biggest regret is that I didn't go to more. Be prepared to learn a lot about legal processes. Law is something I'm for sure not interested in, so I was taken by surprise at how much I had to learn about law and legal proceedings. 'Forensic' means relating to the law, so I'm not sure why I was surprised, but I know loads of other people were too.To be honest, I wouldn't totally recommend doing what we did, and trying Forensic Science as your very first event, because there is just so much material.

A: STUDY!!!, studying will get you to where you want to be while just making notes is one thing. Actually taking the time to understand conceptually what the examiners want is so important.  Also make sure to go outside of what's on the slides and find flashcards that are previously made.

Would you recommend this event to others?

H: Definitely. It was a lot of fun, not only being at HOSA but definitely Forensic Science too. Learning all about death and the body was really morbid, but also so cool. And I know both Aikam and I really loved Round 2, which was a case study. They gave us statements from professionals and evidence, and we had to basically solve what happened. It was really cool to put everything we learned all together and solve something, I know it made me feel really professional.

A:Yes, this event was so much fun and it got me thinking about careers in Pathology and forensic. And it's a great way to see if you are interested in a career.

Any plans for next year?

H: Not yet. A lot of people have asked me if I'm going to do Forensics again, because if we could make it to the top 5 this year, we would do even better next year,  but that's the one thing I know I'm not going to do. I really liked Forensic Science, but it wasn't my calling or anything like that, so I don't see the value in spending all of the money and time learning the same things again, when I could branch out and try something new. I'm currently interested in doing the EMT event next year, because I'm already really trained in first aid, which is something I'm quite passionate about. But, I can't say for sure what the future holds!

A: Next year is a bit away for hosa prep but I'm thinking about doing an emt event With one of my friends or doing pathophysiology as it goes into diseases and adds to Pathology. So I can see if I find it any more fun than I did forensics.

Guess what, it’s that time of year again!

What am I referring to exactly? Pool floats and sun-kissed skin? Yes, I suppose. More specifically, the prime time for getting your volunteer hours in. Whether you’re a grade 11 grinding to get them last minute, or a grade 9 looking to cash ‘em in early, I’ve got you. 

Here are some ideas to get you going:

The Cambridge Food Bank

The Food Bank is a super rewarding way to get your hours in. The more hands, the merrier. Once signed up, you will be approved within forty-eight hours, and there is always a way to help out!

https://cambridgefoodbank.galaxydigital.com/

Kinbridge Community Association

What better way to volunteer than supporting your neighbourhood? Not only can you bank some hours volunteering here, but you’ll also benefit from creating or strengthening bonds within your community, maybe even with some familiar faces.  

https://www.kinbridge.ca/about/

Idea Exchange

If you’re looking for a calmer setting to volunteer in, looking to interact with kids, or to set up and/or participate in fun events, think about volunteering at a Cambridge Idea Exchange location. Move quickly, though, this one fills up fast.

https://ideaexchange.org/

The Humane Society of Kitchener-Waterloo & Stratford Perth

If you’ve got a soft spot for pets and you want to help them out, consider volunteering at The Humane Society to spend some time with homeless animals. They’ve got two animal shelters which could use your support.

https://kwsphumane.ca/volunteer 

Ontario Nature

If you are a strong advocate for nature and you’re interested in the protection of wild animal species, then volunteering at this organization may be the one for you. 

https://ontarionature.org/take-action/volunteer/

I hope this list has got you thinking about all the possibilities out there for you this summer — I wish you the best of luck in achieving that credit this summer!

If you need some additional support with finding the right volunteer opportunity, try reaching out to:

Helping Hands

Helping Hands is an organization that helps connect youth with volunteer opportunities in Ontario, specifically tailored to their interests. It is a great platform to take advantage of if you’re looking to find out how you can make an impact.

https://www.helpinghandsapp.com/news.html

*Historical events mentioned in this article may not be entirely accurate*

“A man is not defined by his education, social status, or wealth, but by his character, integrity, and the ability to do the right thing”

- Anonymous

April marks Sikh Heritage Month, a time dedicated to exploring the spiritual and historical contributions of Sikhism. From its origins in the state of Punjab, India, to its profound generational impact that is still in effect today.

You may be wondering why April is Sikh Heritage Month, but the significance lies in the date of Vaisakhi; a holiday that is celebrated across the globe by the many members of the Sikh community.

Vaisakhi started out as a Hindu harvest festival, and it still holds that meaning for both Hindus and Sikhs, symbolising the beginning of the wheat harvest. However, it became more culturally significant in the late 1600s when Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru, established the Khalsa.

A historical glance takes us to 1699, in a town in northern India called Anandpur Sahib. The reign of the Mughal Empire, a muslim dynasty that ruled most of India for more than two centuries, was ongoing at the time, and many Sikhs were persecuted for standing up for justice and their freedom. In this time of peril, Guru Gobind Singh Ji asked his many which among the were willing to give their head for their beliefs. Naturally, there was a period of silence as they processed the Guru’s surprising request, until one brave soul volunteered and entered the tent with him. The Guru emerged alone moments later, holding a sword. Another volunteering followed, and another, until 5 in total willingly entered the tent. Then, to the shock of the crowd, Guru Gobind Singh Ji brought out the 5 men who were not only unharmed, but were dressed in royal saffron robes.

These 5 men were known as the Panj Pyare (5 beloved ones), and became the first members of the Khalsa. The word ‘Khalsa’ means “pure”, and refers to a community of Sikhs who are committed to implementing equality, fairness, and kindness into their lives. They also have the 5 K’s of Sikhism, our main articles of faith. These include the Kara (a steel bracelet), Kanga (small comb), Kesh (uncut hair/beard), Kirpan (steel sword), and Kachera (a cotton undergarment).

Vaisakhi is widely celebrated, mostly in India, but also across Canada, as it has the second largest Sikh community in the world. Methods of celebration include the beginning of the wheat harvest, and going to the gurdwara for sewa, service that can include helping to make food for langar, cutting vegetables, rolling dough, or simply keeping the area clean. There are often processions in the street as well, where many sport colourful clothing, and you can often hear singing and/or chanting.

Sikh Heritage month is not only a celebration of the rich culture, but also the inspiring ideologies of the Sikh community. Its teachings empower all people to be fearless, compassionate, and stand up for the oppressed.

April is a month with many festivals and commemorative days. Below is a list of all of these days in the order in which they appear in the month.

Firstly, the second of April is Autism Awareness Day. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition involving difficulties with social communication, restricted interests, and sensory experiences. In 2007, the United Nations designated April 2nd as Autism Awareness Day to raise awareness and promote understanding for autism. On April 2nd, many people show their understanding and support by wearing blue or tie-dye.

Next is Songkran, the Thai New Year or the Water Festival. Celebrated on the 13th-15th, it involves water fights, visiting temples, and spending time with family, symbolizing purification and the washing away of bad luck.

Directly in between the days of Songkran is Vaisakhi, the Sikh new year and harvest festival, commemorating formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji-the tenth of the ten Sikh gurus (spiritual teachers)-in 1699, as well as marking the beginning of the spring harvest season in Punjab. During Vaisakhi, orange is traditionally worn, and many Sikhs visit gurudwaras (places of worship) and, traditionally in India, a procession called a Nagar Kirtan is held.

After the first two major days, Songkran and Vaisakhi, it’s the Easter weekend, with the days of Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. These days represent the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with Good Friday being the day of crucifixion and Easter Sunday the day of resurrection. Common traditions include attending church on Sunday, decorating eggs, and meeting with family.

This year, on the same day as Easter Monday is Mahavira Jayanti, a Jain festival commemorating the birth of Lord Mahavira on the 21st of April. Lord Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara (spiritual teacher) who played a vital role in shaping Jainism’s foundational teachings of nonviolence, truth, and asceticism. Mahavira Jayanti is typically observed by praying, meditating, and reciting religious texts, such as the Agama Sutras.

Directly after Easter Monday and Mahavira Jayanti is Earth Day, a day coined in 1970 to raise global awareness about environmental protection and conservation. Earth Day is observed through a variety of activities, some of which include cleaning up litter, turning off lights, and participating in educational campaigns.

And finally, the 25th of April is World Malaria Day. World Malaria day was established by the World Health Organization to recognize global efforts to control malaria and to highlight the need for continued investment and commitment to ending malaria worldwide. Many educational efforts and fundraisers are held during this time.

In short, the month of April is a very diverse month with festivals and celebrations from all cultures, as well as global commemorative days to bring the larger population together.

The anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge is an important day to remember and a turning point in Canada’s history. The battle happened during World War I, from April 9 to April 12, 1917, in northern France.

Canadian soldiers were given the tough job of capturing Vimy Ridge, which was a stronghold held by German soldiers. Other countries had tried and were not successful, but the Canadians used smart planning, training, and coordination to succeed.

It was the first time the four Canadian divisions fought together as a unit. The troops diligently learned maps, practiced on mock-ups of the battlefield, and prepared for each move. Their teamwork and careful planning helped them stay organized and carry out the attack successfully. 

On the morning of the 9th of April in cold, snowy weather, the attack began. The Canadian troops moved forward under a creeping barrage, a tactic in which large artillery fire just in front of the soldiers to protect them and push back the enemy. By April 12, the Canadians had taken the ridge. It was a big win, but it came with a heavy cost. Over 10,000 Canadian soldiers were injured or killed.

Even though it was a dreadful event, the battle of Vimy Ridge made the world aware of what Canada could do. It gave Canada more respect as a nation and brought together individuals with a strong sense of national pride.

Today, the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France honours the brave Canadian soldiers who fought and died there. Every year on the battle’s anniversary, we remember their courage and think about their sacrifice so we can learn from the past and create a better future.

References

Cable Public Affairs Channel. 2007. “90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.” CPAC. https://www.cpac.ca/cpac-special/episode/90th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-vimy-ridge?id=7a9e86eb-e521-436c-8310-38eb058cd55b.

Canadian Encyclopedia. 2022. “Battle of Vimy Ridge (Plain-Language Summary).” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-vimy-ridge-plain-language-summary.

Government of Canada. 2022. “Operation Vimy Ridge.” Veterans Affairs Canada. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/information-for/educators/learning-modules/vimy-ridge/operation-vimy-story.

Government of Canada. 2025. “The Battle of Vimy Ridge.” Veterans Affairs Canada. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/wars-and-conflicts/first-world-war/battle-of-vimy-ridge.

The Dress-Up Game genre is one of the most unique and longstanding modes of female play. Since as far back as 900 AD, girls have been playing dress up. Now, the booming success of the videogame Dress to Impress brings the genre to the mainstream gaming meta, giving a chance for female-targeted games to be taken seriously. 

Paper dolls, existing since the Middle Ages, allowed girls to dress paper figures. This game genre gained significant popularity in the early 20th century, as the Great Depression called for cheap-to-produce, versatile entertainment. Girls were able to interchange outfits for various occasions, folding tabs on paper clothing over the dolls to secure them. Paper dolls held steady popularity for decades until Barbie, invented in 1959, lended a higher-quality mode of dress up. 

In the digital age, videogames intended for girls were still not considered. The early 90s brought virtual dress-up games that replicated paper dolls with the ability to drag clothing onto a paper-doll-like figure. Although not mainstream, Dollz and the Kisekae Set System (KISS) of Japan—early-computer dress-up games created by girls with some coding knowledge—held a steady user base. KISS had its own free programming school online, allowing girls to make their own dress-up games. These games were simple, made by users that learned to make games on their own. KISS had an international user base, something moderately impressive for this period in the media, but was far from popular. Similarly, Dollz, invented to be avatars on the Palace Chat Program, while popular, was restricted to a specific corner of the internet. Some chat rooms in the Palace Chat Program were dedicated to editing contests with themes like “first date” or “teacher”, becoming the first sign of dress-up competitions.  

At the same time, Barbie Fashion Designer was released, introducing online dress-up games to the Western mainstream. For many girls, this was the first videogame they were the target audience for. “Pink games” or games targeted towards girls had never existed until this moment and it became a turning point in digital media. 

The emergence of flash games allowed the dress-up genre to skyrocket. Drag-and-drop style games were easily made with simple computer knowledge, and girls were able to make any games with outfits specific to what they wanted. The volume of flash dress-up games made it hard to stand out, however, Stardoll, a user-made game inspired by paper dolls, became very popular, becoming the first dress-up game to be invested in. Time, money, and energy had never been given to a dress-up game. Stardoll became very successful, possibly because of the competitive aspect that many girls could not find in typical flash games. Players dressed up and voted one another to become covergirl of the in-game Stardoll Magazine. 

As time passed, the internet kept evolving, bringing MMOs (massively multiplayer online games), games where large player bases interacted in the same online game world, to popularity. Almost all these games had a dress-up aspect. If not built into the game, dress-up contests were organized by players who invited those who were interested to join them in their in-game home to participate. Even so, large game companies did not take the dress-up genre seriously. 

The dress-up genre was continuously overlooked. Compared to other console games, Style Savvy, a console dress-up game by Nintendo, was not made until very late. The game received mainstream popularity and became the catalyst that allowed large companies to begin paying attention to the dress-up genre. 

Now, Roblox is the modern user-made game platform. Various dress-up games have seen success on the platform, however, not has gotten the attention of the mainstream meta like Dress to Impress has. Large companies continue overlooking female-targeted games and innovation in dress-up games has continuously had to come from user dissatisfaction. Many players attribute popularity of Dress to Impress to the fact that the game is created by young users that understand the gaps in the videogame industry. For decades, girls have had to take control of creating their own forms of entertainment, forcing themselves into an industry that makes no space for them to express their interests. The emergence of the dress-up genre in the mainstream gives a new generation of young girls an opportunity to access the entertainment they truly want, and may be what forces corporations to care about what young girls really want. 

See all sources here.

In a shocking turn of events, chemistry teacher Mr. Michaelides has allegedly been running a top-secret operation right under our noses. Eyewitness reports suggest that after school hours, the science lab has been doubling as a highly suspicious workspace, with Bunsen burners ablaze and beakers bubbling with unknown substances. Could it be a simple chemistry experiment… or something more sinister?

Students have long suspected that Mr. Michaelides’ vast knowledge of chemical reactions went beyond the curriculum. “He always talked about chemical purity with too much enthusiasm,” said one concerned student. 

A recent uptick in mysterious blue crystals appearing around the lab has only fuelled speculation. “I asked him what it was, and he just said it was ‘for an advanced experiment.’ Yeah, right,” another student claimed. “It looked exactly like something you’d see in a crime documentary.”

We all know that Mr. Van Dam and Mr. Michaelides are close due to their similar professions, many might even say that they’re “besties,” leading us to suspect if he’s in on it. However, students have reported seeing Principal Wood question Mr. Van Dam, after which he allegedly remarked, “Chemistry doesn’t exist, only Physics exists.”

While Principal Wood has refused to comment on the rumours, sources say a secretive delivery truck has been spotted parked behind the school late at night. When questioned, Mr. Michaelides reportedly adjusted his safety goggles and muttered something about “staying out of his territory.”

Of course, this is all speculation—until the evidence points otherwise. But if you see Mr. Michaelides wearing a hazmat suit and whispering about “the product,” you might want to report it… or at least ask him for extra credit.

Sound familiar? Almost like this story came right out of Breaking Bad. Unfortunately, it did! April fools! The only thing Mr. Michaelides is cooking up is science memes, and he is definitely not a criminal mastermind akin to Heisenberg.

HOSA is a competitive and educational competition regarding fields in healthcare. Our Panthers have been studying since November to compete in the annual Spring Leadership Conference, which took place at the end of March. Glenview's competitors travelled to Toronto on the 27th and 28th of March to attend and had a lot of fun. 

Not only is this great for learning about different aspects of the healthcare industry, but competitors can also attend workshops and make connections with others who share the same interests.

The workshops showcase a wide variety of skills and demonstrate how to do them. People could learn how to suture skin, cast bones, extract DNA, and so much more. These workshops were run by people with real experience, whether it was as a medical school student or a healthcare professional. 

Everyone worked very hard to prepare for their event and studied to perform the best they could on their exams. Well done to everyone who participated and a special congratulation to Aikamjot Somal and Hannah Ellison, who worked together and got into the top 5 in Forensic Science. Thanks for making Glenview proud!

All year I await this day.

Late at night, I go to bed happily dreaming and drunk on the thought of the 

beautiful aromas and heavenly textures

the picturesque visuals and a pleasing crunch. 

The sheer gravity of the dream and forthcoming event enough to make me actually wake up on time the next morning…

On March 25th of every year, all waffle-lovers from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark rejoice. (To be fair—Canada’s waffle day is on August 24th, but alas, I wouldn’t be able to write about it.)

International Waffle Day is a joyous celebration surrounding a delectable and absolute PEAK breakfast item. (Can you guess it?) I give you, the most brilliant and bewitching work of craftsmanship to adorn the world of breakfast food—The Waffle. In honour of its special day, this article will cover all things waffle—from history, to types of waffles, ways to make waffles fun, and a VERY opinionated take on the pancake vs waffle argument. I hope you’re ready for a cereal-sly (wrong breakfast food, my bad) interesting and engaging article on your beloved—waffles.

So keep up, (or if you’d prefer to use my awesome headers and read certain sections of the article, that’s cool too).

History of The Waffle

The earliest variant of a waffle can be traced back to over four thousand years ago. Initially, the cakes were exposed to both sides of two sizzling iron plates in order for them to form their shape. Later, in ancient Greece they had come to adopt the title of ‘obleios’. Somewhere in the fifteenth century was when the concept of a waffle in the modern day truly began to materialize, (with the grid pattern and everything)! At long last, life became worth living. 

Types of Waffles

There are different types of waffles, believe it or not. Personally, I don’t really care since they’re all automatically 10/10 but it is my responsibility to make sure you are well-informed of all things waffle so I will do that.

Brussels Waffle —> With a crisp exterior and a fluffy interior, Brussels Waffles are rectangular-shaped and have deep pockets to hold various fillings such as whipped cream, fruits and more (we’ll delve into these later).

Belgian Waffle —> The commonly-known and esteemed variation of waffle that, contradictory to a Brussels Waffle, is made with baking powder and not yeast. This changes the consistency a bit, although it doesn’t make it any less masterful in taste. Belgian Waffles are a North American favourite and often circular-shaped, served in various places for both breakfast and dessert.

Toaster Waffle —> The absolute classic—unlike any other—the Toaster Waffle is fairly straightforward. Easy to make and delicious to eat, they are an underrated crispy treat indeed.

Hong Kong Egg Waffle —> Infamously deemed as the ‘bubble waffle’, Hong Kong Egg Waffles feature spherical pockets that are simple to split off and munch on.

Liege Waffle —> Comparable to a Belgian Waffle, a Liege Waffle is a bit smaller in size and heavier in feeling. It also has a caramelized sugar coating so the waffle doesn’t become floppy and soggy when toppings are added. W waffle.

Pizzelle —> These crispy delights (still made with a waffle iron), make a sick snack, especially when sprinkled with sugar.

Savory Waffles —> Savory Waffles are of a denser yet thinner material and they resemble somewhat of a Belgian Waffle. They are intended to have toppings that are less sweet, like chicken—and are typically eaten during a hearty meal.

And last but not least, an honorary mention for the black sheep of the waffle family (often dubbed the “try-hard”)—the Waffle Cone. Personally I don’t believe in this harsh assessment of this particular family member and feel it is just as tasty and deserving as every other waffle type. If it isn’t burnt—which admittedly, it often can be—Waffle Cones are the perfectly crisp, golden, conical and trusty holders for your ice cream and other desserts. This waffle relative makes everything better and deserves more love, quite frankly. (Don’t worry buddy, you’re still my favourite.)

How To Make Waffles Fun *Hint hint—TOPPINGS!!!! 

Unless you’re a boring person like me—who prefers my waffles pretty much plain—then you may be looking for some adventure every so often. Someone who wants to shake things up with their waffle and doesn’t see it as merely delicious sustenance, but a challenge. I respect your boldness and am sharing some recommendations on how you can do this.

Potential toppings to add to your waffle can be:

• Syrup (duh) but also flavored syrups like strawberry and pomegranate!

• Peanut Butter

• Ice Cream (if you’re looking for a sugar rush)

• Fruit (best option—got to be healthy)

• Eggs (breakfast combo)!

• Whipped Cream

• Bacon

• Yogurt

• And the list goes on…

If you want to go ALL out, or venture into completely diverse frontiers, you can try topping your waffle with toppings like Mac ‘n Cheese (you heard me), drizzle it with hot sauce (not even joking), or eat it with chicken. 

You can also try combos like:

• Applesauce, cinnamon and chopped walnuts

• Vanilla yogurt, granola and raspberries

• Fried egg, avocado and pico de gallo

• Bacon, lettuce and tomato

• Goat cheese and balsamic syrup

• Pork chops, sliced pears and maple syrup

• Barbecue pulled pork and tangy coleslaw

The possibilities are endless!

…

Now, onto my final thought (well, not really but I don’t believe it would be wise to exceed 10,000 words). The Pancakes VS Waffles argument. The age-old question—which one is better? There are many pancake-obsessed people out there, but there are also many followers loyal to the waffle, (me being one of them). While I understand the appeal of fluffy, smooth and hot pancakes straight from the pan, I cannot find it within myself to deny the temptation of a waffle’s crisp, golden glow when it is fresh off the iron. Its savoury yet sweet taste on my tongue and its fluffy yet firm texture—the perfect balance. And so, I say wholeheartedly and without faltering, that waffles will always be superior to the (somewhat generic) pancake.

I appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate the true greatness of waffles and how everyone needs a little more waffle in their life. Even if you can’t manage to get your hands on this crispy masterpiece very often, remember to treat yourself to one on March 25th. (And again on August 24th, because why not?) Happy International Waffle Day!

(P.S. My condolences to anyone who says they’re a pancake person) 

SOURCES:

• https://www.maplevalleysyrup.coop/the-origin-of-the-waffle/?srsltid=AfmBOophcDRII4U7gbQFbMmtKkQz4QwgWY7onsA-4oU-C_pxlEvutKyr

• https://curiosityuntamed.com/10-types-of-waffles/

• https://www.premiofoods.com/sweet-and-savory-waffle-topping-ideas/

• https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/the-best-waffle-toppings-from-savory-to-sweet/ 

• https://www.auntbessies.co.uk/recipes/cooking-tips/waffle-toppings-for-all#:~:text=Scrumptious!-,2.,pair%20it%20with%20a%20milkshake!&text=When%20cooking%20the%20pasta%2C%20take,a%20cup%20of%20pasta%20water.&text=For%20the%20cheese%20sauce%2C%20m,add%20the%20milk%2C%20stirring%20constantly.&text=Add%20mustard%2C%20salt%2C%20pepper,and%20take%20off%20the%20heat.&text=Tip%20the%20pasta%20and%201,the%20cheese%20sauce%20and%20stir.&text=Pour%20the%20entire%20mix%20into,cover%20with%20the%20remaining%20cheese.&text=Bake%20in%20the%20oven%20for,or%20until%20brown%20on%20top.&text=Fry%20the%20bacon%20while%20the,it%20to%20your%20fragrant%20waffles. 

Are you a reader interested in dystopian fiction with a romance subplot with a thrilling storyline? If so, I would recommend reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. This novel is filled with lots of plot twists, suspense, and is the first book in its series! The shatter me series has 6 books and 5 optional novellas. However, the focus of this article is the Shatter Me novel on its own.

The plot of the story surrounds a 17-year-old girl, who was rejected by society and placed into an insane asylum for 264 days. Juliette, said protagonist, spent most of her time alone in the asylum with nothing but her notebook to write in. Here, she records how the Reestablishment had taken control of the outside world, and that she wasn’t sure if it was better in the asylum or out in the world. She also explains she had been locked away after an incident that occurred involving a young boy. Juliette noticed that the boy needed help, but as she grabbed him to assist him, he suddenly dropped dead. The realisation hit her, Juliette has a special ability, where skin to skin contact with her becomes lethal. 

Juliette was the only person in her cell at the asylum until, one day, she encountered another who she assumes to be a sociopath. A man named Adam, persistent and curious, had entered the same cell as Juliette and became hopeful of becoming friends with her. Juliette, however, refused to budge and was hesitant to speak with him.

Soon followed what Juliette had thought to be the end. She and Adam were dragged out of their cell and pulled by soldiers with guns. Juliette thought that this was it; the time had come where they finally decided to kill her. When she had approached the room, rather than being faced with her demise, she was given an offer. Little did she know, however, this offer would be the beginning of her new life. A life she needed to escape from.

Are you someone who loves valentines day? Here is a quick summary on what Valentine's day looks like at Glenview, and why people celebrate!

During the week leading up to valentine's day, students had the opportunity to purchase carnations in the tuck shop. These carnations were being sold through a charity event, including many schools in the WRDSB community. Students had the option to send a carnation with a small note, to anyone in a participating school. This event brought smiles to many faces, and was a great way to make someone's day on valentines day.

On valentines day, Glenview ran a valentines party in the cafeteria, along with a fun cake walk activity. The cake walk was open to all students who wanted to participate, and ended in a few students winning a free cake or cupcakes! The valentines day party  had music, games, and was overall a fun experience for Glenview students.

Not all people at Glenview celebrate Valentine's day, but many students do! People at Glenview celebrate to spend the day with someone they love. Whether it's a friend or family member, Valentine's day is a great way to appreciate your loved ones.

Glenview Park recently hosted their annual Semi-Formal event for all students who wanted to attend.  The night consisted of lots of dancing, food, a photobooth, and an incredible DJ. Here is a quick overview of Glenview's 2025 Semi-Formal. 

Before the night began, many teachers, SAC members, hospitality and leadership students spent lots of time preparing for the event. The teachers, leadership class, and SAC members planned for weeks before the event, and brought the night to life by spending their afternoon decorating and setting up the event. As well as this, hospitality worked hard on making many baked goods for the students attending to enjoy.

As the night began, students arrived with their tickets to check in at the main entrance. The event was hosted at the Portuguese Club of Cambridge. Many students arrived very quickly, with over 200 students in attendance.

The DJ was quick to catch the students attention, with a great set of songs being played throughout the night. He was very engaging with the crowd, encouraging at least 75% of students attending to be on the dance floor at a time. Most of the songs played were upbeat, however the DJ played one slow song in the middle of the event for those who attended with a special someone.

The food at the event was great, with a wide variety of fruit, baked goods, and pizza for the students' enjoyment. Overall this event was successful and well put together, and many students had an amazing time.

Course selection can be a stressful time for some. Depending on which grade you are in, you may have to think about post-secondary pathways and ensure that you have the courses you need. This can cause many people to panic if they are unsure of what they would like to do. However, there is no need to worry as you will find some tips that will ease the process down below.

1. Schedule a meeting with your guidance counsellor. They will be able to help you figure out which courses you need or should take to get to where you need to be. 

2. Think about what you enjoy doing, for example, many students enjoy arts, music and tech classes. 

3. Keep as many doors open as possible.

4. Look at prerequisites for programs. Looking to see what courses you need will help you ensure you have everything set for next school year. You can see course requirements for Post Secondary Institutions, think apprenticeships, university and college on myblueprint.ca, ouinfo.ca(for universities) and ontariocolleges.ca(for colleges).

Course selection can be different for everyone. Those in the IB program need to think about full and partial, and some need to think about universities. The tips above should help you get a good starting point. 

The expansive list of fast fashion’s negative impacts does not seem to be getting any shorter, yet even so, brands like SHEIN and Temu, titans of the industry, continue grow. Recently, SHEIN has even been attempting to enter the stock market in the U.K., many turning a blind eye to the countless human rights violations and environmental accusations under the brand’s shadow.

In this article, I wanted to focus specifically on the fast fashion industry’s neglect and exploitation of the global south. The environmental toll of fast fashion on this region is staggering as textile waste, chemical runoff, and excessive water consumption devastate economies and environments.

Only about 10% of donated or recycled clothing is actually sold or repurposed in the country it was collected in, with more than half being sent to East and West Africa or Eastern Europe. In this region, second-hand clothing is a critical part of the economy. Imported second-hand garments are purchased more often than newly made, local clothes as they are more affordable and have a larger variety of styles. However, vendors have noticed that recently, clothing shipments have had an increasing amount of unusable textile waste that has nowhere to go but landfills. Seemingly, first world countries are pawning off their increasingly problematic textile waste issue by treating the Global South as a dumping ground under the guise of charitable donations.

Many African countries lack the infrastructure to deal with all this waste. In 2019, Kenya imported close to 200,000 tons of second-hand clothes, however, about half were unusable. Due to fast fashion, the trend cycle moves faster and faster, promoting garments made with a lack of care and intended to be thrown out when new trends take over. These consumption habits are considered so excessive by countries like Ghana that used textiles are referred to as “Dead White Man’s Clothes,” as it is unfathomable that a living person could throw out so many garments just to buy more. Without adequate waste management methods, all this textile waste accumulates in heaps in this region, being burnt to dispose of. Ultimately, this causes heavy pollution, especially since clothes are burnt haphazardly without proper respiratory equipment or toxic fume management.

The fast fashion industry relies on cheap materials to survive the rapid trend turnover, so most textiles are made of polyester (which is a synthetic fabric made of plastic fibres). This means the clothes can not break down on their own and instead, bleed out harsh dyes and chemicals over time. Since the Global South does not have the facilities to deal with mass textile waste, these chemicals runoff into water sources and crops, causing a plethora of underlying health issues. Due to the neglect of the Global South, substantial research has not been done on how specifically textile waste is impacting African communities’ health, further supporting how the Global North has managed to exploit this region.

In the last two decades, textile production has doubled. Producing these items uses an excessive amount of water–for context, a single pair of jeans requires 8,000 litres of water (which is equivalent to one person’s drinking water for seven years). Not only does this cause water scarcity as only about 2% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, but due to chemical runoff, it also kills ecosystems. This impacts the fishing industry, contaminates drinking water, and harms water systems in these regions, making the water toxic and promoting water scarcity.

Ultimately, the textile waste issue caused by the fast fashion industry cannot be handed off to the Global South, and we must take responsibility for how our overconsumption is harming people and the planet. While the problem may be contained to foreign countries for now, at the rate the Global North is producing textile waste, it won’t be long before we start feeling the same impacts already happening a few plane rides away. As a community, we need to be more mindful of our consumption and attempt to avoid fast fashion trends that will soon be out of style. In the long run, the fast fashion industry benefits no one but millionaires profiting off the suffering of others. Together, we can still create change by recognizing how we are being exploited and fighting back by promoting mindful shopping.

See all sources here.

Are you interested in crime and mystery novels with a romance subplot? If yes, then the book “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson is for you.

“A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” is based on a highschooler girl named Pip. The story begins with a school project, where Pip was assigned an individual research project and chose to research a local murder case. The murder occurred five years ago, where a student named Andie Bell went missing, along with her boyfriend Sal, supposedly committing suicide a couple days later. Pip lives in Fairview, where this whole case occurred. 

To summarize the case, Andie Bell was a popular teenage girl, who had mysteriously disappeared off the face of Fairview one day. Traces of her blood were found in her boyfriend Sal’s car, leading Fairview police to name him as the main suspect in the Andie Bell case. A few days later, Sal was found dead in a nearby forest with a bag on his head and traces of pills. Fairview police deemed it as a suicide, leading them to believe he had killed himself because the police were getting close to finding him guilty.

There are many unknowns about the Andie Bell case, specifically where Andie’s body ended up after she was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend. As Pip is beginning to research the case, she notices the missing details in the case. Even with the whole town of Fairview assuming Sal had murdered Andie Bell, Pip is still unsure. She is determined to find out the missing unknowns in the case, even if it means she may have to enter grayer areas to find out the truth.

What starts as a school project, begins to turn into her entire world. Pip is determined to resolve this case, and finally answer the question that police had never tried hard enough to find. Who truly killed Andie Bell?

Early Spring is for gently, quietly waking up from the choking isolation of Winter. These are ten books that open up as leisurely as buds on trees, undisturbed by urgency. Disclaimer: some books may contain sensitive subjects, make sure to check content warnings and maturity ratings.

1) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

“As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy attended an exclusive boarding-school in the English countryside. Idyllic in some ways yet vaguely sinister, Hailsham was a place of intense friendships, mysterious rules, and guardians who constantly reminded the students how special they were. Now thirty-one, Kathy looks back on their shared past and tells how she and her friends gradually came to understand the shocking reason for the careful nurturing they had received. An affecting meditation on friendship, love, and mortality,” (Penguin Books).

2) Normal People by Sally Rooney

“Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but the similarities end there. In school, Connell is popular and well-liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation - awkward but electrifying - something life- changing begins.

Normal People is a story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find they can't.”

3) Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

“David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his sexuality, he rejects Giovanni for a safe future as a married man — a decision that will bring tragedy, longing and regret,” (Penguin Books).

4) Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

“It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend.

“Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love.

“Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah.

“But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people, and two futures, each as terrifying as the other. But only one can offer her real happiness.” (Goodreads).

5) The Stranger by Albert Camus

“Albert Camus’s spare, laconic masterpiece about a murder in Algeria is famous for having diagnosed, with an almost scientific clarity, that condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life. With the excitement of a perfectly executed thriller and the force of a parable, The Stranger explores what Camus termed ‘the nakedness of man faced with the absurd,’” (Penguin Books).

6) The True Heart by Sylvia Townsend Warner

“Sukey Bond, a sixteen-year-old orphan, is sent to work as a servant at a farm on the remote Essex Marshes. There she falls in love with gentle, unworldly Eric, the son of the rector's wife, only for them to be separated when their relationship is discovered. But nothing will deter Sukey in her quest to be reunited with her true love, even if it means seeking the help of Queen Victoria herself,” (Penguin Books).

7) Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

“It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church,”

8) My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

“This is the story of a woman with no name. Young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, she lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like everything else, by her inheritance. Yet she longs to lose herself completely.

“It's the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong? My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a savagely funny novel of a woman looking out from the abyss,” (Penguin Books).

9) The Idiot by Elif Batuman

“Selin, a tall, highly strung Turkish-American from New Jersey turns up at Harvard with no idea what to expect. What she doesn't expect is:

- How much time she will spend thinking about language and its limitations

- An opinionated cosmopolitan Serb named Svetlana, who will become her confidante

- A mathematician from Hungary called Ivan, whom she will obsess over when she is

supposed to be studying

- Feeling dangerously overwhelmed by the challenges and possibilities of adulthood

But most of all, Selin does not expect to embark on a study of precisely how baffling love can be when you are trying to forge a self…” (Penguin Books).

10) On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

“This is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born. It tells of Vietnam, of the lasting impact of war, and of his family's struggle to forge a new future. It serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known - episodes of bewilderment, fear and passion - all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation,” (Penguin Books).

This review is spoiler-free :)

Presence features a family spooked by their new home upon discovering an eerie spiritual presence that occupies it—except the story doesn’t quite play out the way you’d think.

The movie is a horror/psychological thriller created by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Contagion) and written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible). The movie first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19th before drifting into theatres on January 25th of this year.

The main cast truly embodies the dark and suspenseful tone of the movie. Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Kung Fu Panda) plays Rebecca Payne, the neglectful and somewhat indifferent mother who appears to be at the helm of all the family’s decisions. Callina Liang is Chloe, the wistful daughter who — despite her lost sense of feeling — knows what she believes in. Her opinions are often scoffed at and pushed aside by her mother and her deriding brother, Tyler (played by Eddy Maday), but her compassionate father (Chris Sullivan) is there to validate her beliefs and trauma. Their personas blend and clash to perfectly paint the picture of a complex family dynamic probably not unlike many others suffering from unresolved issues—a recurring theme in the story.

The broken bridges and lack of trust between one another in this family are implied toward the start and further examined throughout the film. Whether through minor comments or disagreements, the divide is evident. This serves as soil for bigger conflict to bloom with both the Presence and the outside world, threatening great danger and dire consequences for the family. Trauma, another theme in the story, is expertly woven into the plot. It interlinks both prominent and unexpected characters together, exposing the root of their motives and enriching the true meaning behind the storyline. While this can be hard to find, the purpose and significance of Presence is a haunting realization that will linger in the back of your mind long after the credits roll. 

Overall: The movie is a suspenseful and surprisingly thought-provoking watch—perfect for rainy afternoons and late nights.

My Rating: ★★★★☆

I highly recommend this film.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is a suspenseful psychological dark thriller without the gore, with every page exposing the tragedy of death—the death of Mrs. Doughtry’s (Addison) husband. Kane creatively integrates the novel's lies, secrets, and feelings, giving the reader a personal connection to the characters. 

The novel follows Addison, a woman whose life is filled with uncertainty after her husband's death, as she unravels the truth behind his death and the numerous secrets he had. She is overwhelmed by what she truly knows about him. The author beautifully showcases Addison's emotions as she dives deeper into who her husband was and how she will make her plan succeed.

Kane smoothly integrates suspense into every chapter, keeping the reader on their toes. It gives just enough insight to the reader as to who should be used and who shouldn’t. The story is full of twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing what's going to happen, till the last page. The novel is not too fast-paced but does go at a faster pace compared to other books, with twists and turns. Doing a great job of engaging the reader while keeping the mystery behind her husband alive. 

Characters in What the Wife Knew are very well put together. The main character, Addison, has both vulnerability and courage with her past struggles, which add a deep connection to the reader and her life. While Richmond has an unravelling, childish, and secretive persona, it is one key component of the novel's mystery. 

The novel dives into the themes of trust, deception, compassion, and complexity of relationships. Raising questions about our relationships: how well we truly know the people we love and the evil that can exist within them, even in those who appear most perfect. 

Overall, What the Wife Knew is a thrilling read that will bewitch fans of psychological and domestic thrillers. It’s a dark, mysterious, and unpredictable story that keeps you wondering and has a satisfying ending that brings everything together perfectly. If you are looking for a book that makes you question the dynamics of relationships and trust between people, this book is for you. 

Rating ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Groundhog Day is celebrated annually on the second of February every year. The holiday revolves around a groundhog-such as the famous Punxsutawney Phil from Pennsylvania coming out from its burrow. If the groundhog sees its shadow, winter is said to last an extra six weeks, otherwise, spring is said to come early. While this event is now celebrated lightheartedly, the origins date far back historically. 

The origins of Groundhog Day stem from old European methods of meteorology, particularly in Germany. These beliefs spread to America when many Germans immigrated to Pennsylvania during the 18th and 19th century. Farmers previously relied on animal behaviour, particularly that of hibernating or burrowing animals, such as badgers and bears, to predict the transition from winter to spring. The root idea of Groundhog Day came from the belief that hibernating creatures were far more naturally aligned to seasonal changes due to the fact that seasonal changes dictate their lifestyle. For example, groundhogs and bears must wake from their hibernation to hunt, find mates and take care of cubs or kits. 

After these beliefs were introduced, the first Groundhog Day celebration took place in the United States of America in the town of Punxsutawney during 1887, arranged by the town’s Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The town’s newspaper editor, Clymear Freas heavily promoted the event in the news, turning it into a local festival. As this festival gained popularity, Punxsutawney Phil became the event’s and town's symbol, with his predictions gaining national popularity. These chain of events cause towns in every wintery state, including major cities and towns even in Canada, to host Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney remains the most known location.

The accuracy of Phil’s predictions is often debated, as his predictions have proven to be accurate only ~40% of the time. Despite the low probability that Phil is right, many people still delight in this cultural and national phenomenon. The tradition gained widespread popularity after the 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray as a man reliving the same day over and over again. This film cemented the tradition in popular culture.

Looking beyond entertainment value, Groundhog Day is a symbolism of the anticipation of spring, the human mind’s ability to find reason and hope in natural occurrences, and the mind’s fascination with patterns in nature. Whether or not the predictions prove true is irrelevant as, regardless of the predictions, Groundhog Day brings the general population together, offering a moment of joy and surprise in the middle of often-dreary winters.

Have you ever been to the library, in desperate need of a new book to fixate on, and found that the shelves held absolutely nothing that piqued your interest? Don’t worry, me too. If you clicked on this article, you’re probably a little bit like me: a picky reader that’s clean out of reading motivation. Everybody’s been there, (unless you don’t like to read, in which case, shame on you. Why are you even here?). This list is filled with underrated books that, to the disdain of its few readers, have probably never been placed on any recommendation list.

Now, don’t get spooked by the title. Yes, it does say “Young Adults”, but YA novels won’t be the only type of book covered here. We’ve got a little something for everyone, whether it be nonfiction, historical fiction, YA, romance, science fiction, mystery, or a new niche genre we’ve probably never heard about. We’ve got you.

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

By Yuval Noah Harari

Genre: Nonfiction

Page count: 464 pages (hardcover)

Fire gave us power. Gossip helped us cooperate. Agriculture made us hungry for more. Mythology maintained law and order. Money gave us something we can really trust. Contradictions created culture. Science made us deadly. 

This is the thrilling account of our extraordinary history – from insignificant apes to rulers of the world. Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our beliefs, our actions, our power… and our future.

- Synopsis of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Just because it’s history doesn’t mean it’s boring, and this book is proof of that. Based on a series of lectures taught by Yuval Noah Harari at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this book is both fascinating and informative. I’m actually still reading this, and so far, so good. It explains so much about Homo sapiens and their origins, as well as their future. Recommended to me by a friend in New York, this book lived up to my expectations. It also took me a month and a half to get it from the local Idea Exchange, so get your hands on a copy quickly before it soars even higher up in demand! 

Sadie

By Courtney Summers

Genre: YA, Mystery

Page count: 308 (hardcover)

“Today, WRNK is launching the first episode of our new serialized podcast, The Girls, created and hosted by West McCray.”

When popular radio personality West McCray receives a desperate phone call from a stranger imploring him to find nineteen-year-old runaway Sadie Hunter, he’s not convinced there’s a story there; girls go missing all the time. But as soon as West’s boss discovers Sadie fled home after the brutal murder of her little sister, Mattie, he sees the makings of something big and orders West to the small town of Cold Creek, Colorado, to uncover what happened.

Sadie has no idea that her story will soon become the subject of a blockbuster podcast. She just wants revenge. Armed with a switchblade, Sadie follows a meager set of clues hoping they’ll lead to the man who took Mattie’s life, because she’s determined to make him pay for it with his own. But as West traces her journey to the darkest, most dangerous corners of big cities and small towns, a deeply unsettling mystery begins to unfold–one that’s bigger than them both. Can he find Sadie before it’s too late?
Alternating between Sadie’s unflinching voice as she hunts the killer and the podcast transcripts tracking the clues she’s left behind, Sadie is a breathless thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love and the high price we pay when we can’t. It will haunt you long after you reach the final page.

-Synopsis of Sadie

As the lengthy synopsis states, you’ll definitely be thinking of Sadie Hunter even after you turn the last page. Two-thirds through the book, I’m being thrown around by the sharp plot twists and the dynamic, emotional plot. Sadie is an introspection of grief and revenge that keeps you thinking. I will say that it touches on a lot of sensitive topics–so if you plan to read it, I highly advise looking up the trigger warnings first. This isn’t your typical dead-girl novel. 

(Don’t spoil it for me! This is my SSR book.)

Echo

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

Genre: Historical fiction

Page count: 602

Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.

Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.

Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, Echo pushes the boundaries of genre, form, and storytelling innovation to create a wholly original novel that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.

-Synopsis of Echo

Even though I read this two years ago, I’ve never stopped thinking about it. Although the length is a little daunting, it doesn’t ever feel like the book is dragging on or like there’s unnecessary filler. The three points of view tie together in a wonderful, culminating conclusion. It’s a heavy book, both literally and figuratively, with deep dives into the problems of racism, fascism, and prejudice. With heartwarming stories and a jaw-dropping conclusion, this is another amazing book that provides new perspectives about different times. 

(Not recommended if you’re an easy crier and/or unwilling to read a 600+ page book.)

Everything, Everything

By Nicola Yoon

Genre: YA, Romance

Page count: 310

My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

-Synopsis of Everything, Everything

If beauty was a book, this would be it. Nicola Yoon is the wife of one of my favourite authors (that’s not confusing at all), so I picked up her book by total coincidence. It’s funny how these things work, sometimes, because this is the most stunning, gorgeous book I have ever read. Complete with simplistic pages of doodles, an entrancing plot and characters, and suspense that keeps you turning the pages, I loved this book. I borrowed it from the library and never put it down–and that’s a statement I rarely get to say. I strongly recommend this book for people interested in Romeo-and-Juliet-type romances, sans the tragedy. Or maybe there will be tragedy. I won’t spoil it for you.

Moon Over Manifest

By Clare Vanderpool

Genre: Historical fiction

Page count: 351

“The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I’d seen only in Gideon’s stories: Manifest—A Town with a rich past and a bright future.”

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”

Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

These synopses just keep getting longer and longer–sorry about that. Extensive summaries aside, this book was like a punch to my heart, but in a good way. I must have an affinity for tearjerkers, because that’s the kind of book I’ve been recommending. Abilene’s story is unique and nostalgic, perfect to read with a drink and a good mood. Her character is spunky and punchy, but the moment she seems too adult-like, her narration reveals the fears and insecurities underneath. With alternating points of views and a peaceful but mysterious plot, it’s an enjoyable, fresh book.

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Have you found your next read yet? If not, fear not–there’s several other articles on the Panther Post that should point you in the right direction. Goodreads is a good place to go, too. And if worse comes to worst, you can always go to the library and take a gamble with the recommended books on the shelf. From my experience, it usually pays off.

Happy reading!

Imagine animals so huge that they make the largest land creatures look tiny, yet so smart they can communicate across miles of ocean. Whales are some of the most amazing creatures on Earth. Even though they live in the ocean, they have a lot in common with humans. From the giant blue whale, weighing over 200 tons, to the small 600-pound dwarf sperm whale, these whales are incredible.

Whales are split into two main groups: toothed whales and baleen whales. Toothed whales, like the sperm whale and narwhal, have teeth and eat bigger animals like squid and fish. Baleen whales, like the blue whale, are filter feeders. They use baleen plates made from keratin (the same material in our hair and nails) to sift through the water and catch tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill.

Speaking of size, the sperm whale has the largest brain on Earth. Its brain weighs about 9 kilograms (almost 20 pounds), which is six times heavier than a human's! They also have a big head filled with a special oil called spermaceti, which helps them use echolocation, which is a way of "seeing" using sound. Some whales, like humpback whales, also make beautiful songs that can be heard for miles underwater. These songs help whales communicate with each other.

Unfortunately, many whale species are in danger because of human actions. Although hunting has decreased, whales still face dangers like getting trapped in fishing nets or being hit by ships. Some species, like the blue and right whales, are especially at risk, so it’s important to keep working to protect these amazing animals.

Whales are amazing animals with so much to teach us. Their size, intelligence, and unique behaviors make them truly incredible. We need to keep protecting them and the oceans they live in so these awesome creatures can keep living for many years to come.

The month of February is often associated with Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and as well as an important month of reflection on the history of black people. One little known fact, however, is that February 27th is National Polar Bear Day! The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the conservation of polar bears (and is a day that any fan of polar bears would look forward to). This article will cover why this day is so important, the progress of the conservation of the polar bears, and some fun facts about these arctic bears.

The Conservation of Polar Bears 

Polar Bear Day actually coincides with the denning period, where the mothers will retreat to their dens to be close to their cubs. Denning is a very vulnerable time for the cubs. Global warming puts this important behaviour at risk, which is why this day is chosen to raise awareness about the conservation of polar bears. The current conservation status of the polar bear is "vulnerable" and polar bears are often depicted as a symbol of the protection and conservation of the arctic. This is because in a lot of environmentalist media polar bears are seen standing on melting sea ice, reflecting the struggles of these animals in a warming climate. As for what is currently being done to conserve this iconic arctic animal, polar bears receive similar solutions to many other endangered animals. However, the most long-lasting solution that we can see for the polar bears is a cut down on fossil fuels in society and a shift to a more renewable energy dependent country. 

What Else is There to Know About Polar Bears?

To end this article on a more light-hearted note, what else is there to know about polar bears? Polar Bears are such an iconic species of the arctic. They are well-known for living on sea ice, seals for their meals, and for stalking their prey for long periods of time. What are some other fun, little known things about polar bears which can help us appreciate the personality of these animals? Well, although polar bears can be thought of as violent or skillful hunters, they also have a gentle side to them! Wildlife photographer Martin Gregus took a photo of a sleepy polar laying on a bed of purple flowers in the summer of 2021. This image appeared on magazines and became shared over Instagram because of its beauty and unusualness. Some physical facts about polar bears is that their skin is actually black underneath their white coat and that there are even grizzly-polar bear hybrids which resemble both species of bears! Lastly, one thing that is not really a fun fact about polar bears, but is a fun thing related to them, is that you can access a polar bear tracker and view the lives of certain polar bears on a map and understand their day-to-day activities!

Alongside many other animals that live in both the arctic and other biomes, polar bears face issues due to the effects of global warming. Although there is bleak news pertaining to climate change appearing very often, days such as Polar Bear Day are important for stopping and remembering our effect on wildlife.

School Events: 

1. Semi Formal - An event worth attending with lots of food, dancing, and fun in formal attire!

2. Course Selection - Deciding what courses interest you and discovering many new possibilities.

3. Glenview Games - An end-of-year school event filled with loads of fun and competitive games.

4. Prom - A dance for senior students to attend as a celebration of their senior year.

5. Glennies - An end-of-year award ceremony where you get to nominate your teachers and peers!

6. New Semester - A new semester is the perfect opportunity for new beginnings and for you to explore your new courses.

7. Glenview Car Show - A show of cars that are brought to Glenview for observation and admiration.

8. Grad Breakfast - A breakfast involving all senior students who are graduating.

9. Valentines Day Party - An event run by SAC in celebration of Valentine's Day.

10. Spring Arts Night - An incredible night filled with talented artists and their art pieces.

Concerts/Music Events:

11. Metallica Concert - April 24 & 26, 2025 - Rogers Centre.

12. Shakira Concert - May 26, 2025 - Scotiabank Arena.

13. Post Malone Concert - May 26, 2025 - Rogers Centre.

14. Kendrick Lamar & SZA Concert - June 12 & 13, 2025 - Rogers Centre.

15. Coldplay Concert - July 7 & 8, and July 11 & 12, 2025 - Rogers Stadium. 

16. Tyler, The Creator Concert - July 24 & 25, 2025 - Scotiabank Arena.

17. Dua Lipa Concert - September 1 & 2, 2025 - Scotiabank Arena.

18. Katy Perry Concert - August 5, 2025 - Scotiabank Arena.

19. Tate Mcrae Concert - August 19 & 20 - Scotiabank Arena.

20. Gracie Abrams Concert - July 26, 2025 - Budweiser stage.

Astronomical Events:

21. Lyrid Meteor Shower - April 16 - 25, 2025.

22. The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower - April 19 - May 28, 2025.

23. The Perseid Meteor Shower - July 17 - August 24, 2025.

24. Partial Solar Eclipse - March 29, 2025 - Visible to some areas of the Americas.

25. Total Lunar Eclipse - March 14, 2025 - Visible to the Americas.

Movies Coming Out:

26. Jurassic World Rebirth - July 2, 2025.

27. Captain America: Brave New World - February 14, 2025.

28. Superman - July 11, 2025.

29. A Minecraft Movie - April 4, 2025.

30. Dog Man - January 31, 2025.

31. Snow White (Live Action) - March 21, 2025.

32. How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) - June 13, 2025.

33. Avatar 3: Fire and Ash - December 19, 2025.

34. Smurfs - July 18, 2025.

35. Zootopia 2 - November 26, 2025.

36. Frankenstein - 2025 (date to be determined).

37. Elio - June 13, 2025.

38. The Bad Guys 2 - August 1, 2025.

39. Lilo and Stitch (Live Action) - May 23, 2025.

40. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 - December 5, 2025.

School Club/Sport Events:

41. HOSA SLC - An opportunity for students to experience workshops and compete in a variety of health sciences roles.

42. DECA - DECA club participates in a business persuasion competition.

43. Fed Prov Conference - Take on the role of a government professional of your selected country.

44. Athletic Banquet - An award ceremony for all our‌ incredible student athletes.

45. Pep Rally - A celebration for all of Glenview's athletes.

General Events:

46. Canadian National Exhibition - August.

47. Toronto International Film Festival - September.

48. Cambridge Fall Fair - September.

49. World Whale Day - February 16, 2025 (Catherine Sylvester approves).

50. Any other holiday or event that you celebrate!

As a new year rolls in, we may reflect on many things. New Year’s resolutions, second semester, exams… But what you’re definitely NOT thinking about is… The Colour of the Year! Did you know that there’s an entire organization dedicated to the world of colour? From vibrant and muted to pastel and monochrome hues, Pantone’s got you.

This company’s area of expertise lies in its unique distinguishment of colours, which is intended to help professions like fashion and graphic design. These careers typically share the same objective: making their products appealing to the eye. Colour theory is essential for this, and Pantone provides information on this, in addition to colour palettes for arranging them seamlessly. 

Pantone’s expertise is highly regarded when it comes to colour and is the reason why their colour of the year is a long-awaited declaration each new year.  What’s Pantone’s colour of 2025, you ask? Behold, Mocha Mousse, a warm and familiar colour that oozes the feeling of coziness. Its brown hue puts your mind at ease—according to the Pantone website—symbolizing connection, comfort, and hand harmony, all things we could never have enough of

The Colour of the Year has been around for 26 years, with many varying shades. Sometimes, there’s even been two! Colours like Turquoise, Honeysuckle, and Peach Fuzz, represent compassion, courage, and kindness, respectively. 

How is the Colour of the Year chosen? Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute deep dives on this. She describes the process of her team working together and how the outcome is influenced by the fashion trends, entertainment, lifestyles and home decor that will draw inspiration from it. There are many people in the institute who come from diverse backgrounds and share different worldviews. Though this may present a challenge when trying to arrive at the final choice, the team knows it is helpful to view something a different way and the decision is made simple when everyone believes in the Colour of the Year’s purpose. Back in 1999, when Pantone’s Colour of the Year came, the intention was for those bewitched by colour to have a collective conversation about their shared passion. It is also meant to invoke a certain feeling within the individual. The meaning of each colour is closely connected to the year in question, representing worldwide desires and global necessity.

Although 2024 had some wins, it also at times seemed bleak for people around the world.  Enter Mocha Mousse — Intended to inspire connection, comfort, and harmony, uniting us all in such a simple, uncomplicated way.  

So this year, keep it simple—When you think about your daily ensembles, bedroom decor, or your colour palette when it comes to—well… anything, consider the warm, creamy hue of the Pantone colour of the year. Better yet, embody the colour and everything it represents, weave it into your day-to-day—There’s no denying we could all use some more connection, comfort and harmony in our lives.  

SOURCES: 

https://www.pantone.com/

https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-of-the-year/choosing-the-pantone-color-of-the-year

https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2024

https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2011

https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2010

https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2025

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s impossible to ignore just how good this year’s music charts have been. Iconic artist comebacks, chart-topping hits, and hidden gems prove that this year, artists have channelled the erraticity of the times into tracks that were just what we needed; high-energy, upbeat, dance music that subverts the melancholic vibes of previous chart-toppers. This change goes hand-in-hand with the economic state of the world, a phenomena that can also be seen during the 2008 recession. When everyone is in turmoil, the music picks us up. 

So, what is it about recessions that seems to bring lively beats out of hiding? The answer lies in a mix of cultural pressure, emotional expression, and audience needs.

Economic downturns create a shared experience of hardship, and music has always been a way to process those feelings. Just like Adele’s 21 captured heartbreak and resilience in 2011, today’s artists are using personal and collective struggles to make music that feels raw and authentic. These struggles have been repeated in recent music time and time again, fostering a depressing, angsty vibe felt by the masses as inflation rises and job markets fluctuate, pushing us to crave escapism.

During the 2008 recession, artists like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry ran the charts with high-energy songs that offered an escape from real-world problems. In 2024, we’re seeing the same energy in albums like brat by Charli XCX and Short and Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter. These songs ignore the weight of the world and provide a moment of escape from peoples’ current economic struggles. 

Economic struggles can also drive artists to take risks. Limited budgets and high stakes often lead to creative breakthroughs and returns from retired artists. The “DIY” spirit that gave rise to indie stars like Florence + The Machine during the last recession is alive and well in 2024, with emerging artists like Chappell Roan experimenting with sounds that defy mainstream trends and make them stick out. 

As we look back on 2024, it’s clear that this year’s music isn’t just entertainment—it’s a testament to the human ability to create beauty in the midst of struggle. Maybe in another decade, we’ll be looking back at these songs the same way we’re now revisiting the hits from 2008: as proof that even in tough times, the music never stops.

See all sources used here.

TikTok; An app used by millions of people all over the world. An online platform used for entertainment, expression, creativity, building business, education, and so much more! Now imagine waking up one day to find this app - gone. No more scrolling at night, trends, dances, challenges, none of it. 

The TikTok ban has been a hot topic for years now. Starting in 2020, the United States government announced that it was considering banning the app upon the request of Donald Trump, who viewed it as a national security threat. He worried that TikTok, owned by a chinese company, ByteDance, could allow the Chinese government to access American user data. This would apparently lead to American users getting influenced by content that would manipulate opinions and beliefs in favour of China. However, the ban ended up a topic of debate in 2020 because legal challenges were holding Trump back. TikTok argued that the ban was unfair and violated free speech rights. Courts delayed the ban, and by the time Trump left office, the issue was no longer a priority. The Biden administration later reviewed the concerns but didn’t enforce Trump's ban. 

Previously, the TikTok ban has come back into discussion. The Supreme Court ruled that TikTok must shut down in the United States by January 19, 2025, unless its Chinese owner, DanceBytes, sells it to a US company. Unfortunately, DanceBytes was not able to secure a buyer by the deadline, leading to a temporary shutdown. The app closed down on January 18th for 14 hours, a day earlier than promised. American users who tried opening the app were flashed with a message stating, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

Fortunately, TikTok was back and running for users across America. With the message, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's effort, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Upon assuming office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 75 days, allowing the app to resume operations. He also suggested that DanceBytes sells at least 50% of TikTok to an American company, with potential buyers including Microsoft, Oracle, Elon Musk, Mr.Beast, and more. Given Oracle’s existing involvement with TikTok infrastructure and ongoing negotiations eased by the White House, Oracle appears to be the leading candidate. The future of TikTok in the U.S. hinges on these negotiations. 

Now, here's what people think about this entire situation. Users are relieved that TikTok is back, but some are worried about privacy and feel like the app is more censored now. Some creators are backing up their content and trying other platforms just in case TikTok gets banned again. Apps such as Youtube, Instagram, Clapper and Lemon8 are becoming a more popular choice for creators in the United States. The public's reaction to this situation has made some people think about their online habits and whether TikTok is even worth the time. 

In the end, the debate over TikTok’s future reminds us of the balance between innovation, privacy, and well-being, emphasizing the value of taking time off social media to reconnect with ourselves.

New Year’s Resolutions have become a widespread phenomenon globally. They are believed to have originated about 4000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians, who promised their gods favours at the start of every new year in order to appease them. Today, New Year’s Resolutions have transitioned from religious wishes/wants to based on oneself goals and desires. Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions include the desire to start a workout regimen, weight loss, obtaining a healthier diet, quitting addictions, or devoting more time to academics, work, or family. Thus, New Year’s Resolutions typically center on self-improvement and the sense of starting the new year on a clean slate.

While the first few days or weeks of January are typically filled with enthusiasm, not many people can last beyond a month. Various studies have proven that 88% of people abandon their New Year’s Resolutions by the end of January1. The reasons vary, but they usually fail due to unrealistic expectations, a lack of firm planning, and a lack of motivational drive with no added reward/reason to push. In addition, many resolutions are created just to follow the crowd’/‘trend’. Many New Year’s Resolutions are made impulsively with insufficient strategies to ensure they last for an extended period of time.

However, the largest cause of failure is the dependence on willpower to carry out these resolutions. At the beginning of every year, people are much more motivated with a ‘clean-slate’ type of feeling. However, as the month progresses, individuals don’t hold themselves accountable and rarely track their progress. Thus, interests are lost as soon as problems arise. The absence of immediate rewards or satisfaction also makes it difficult to continue with set goals as the human brain naturally likes getting short-term benefits requiring minimal effort. A keen example of this neurological behavior is video games, once a person starts to play video games, their dopamine receptors realise a vast amount of dopamine in exchange of minimal effort and fun.

Additionally, people often establish goals because of external pressure from their peer circle or family rather than their own interest, personal commitment and improvement. It is difficult to succeed when people set goals due to a desire to appease others rather than themselves. This can lead to the ‘false hope syndrome’, which makes them overestimate their actual capacity of succeeding. As soon as progress is slower than expected, frustration builds, and people give up on their goals altogether. For example, when a new and inexperienced individual starts working out, they expect immediate results. However, since losing weight and gaining muscle require repetition and commitment, they often lose sight of long-term goals, leading to frustration and the belief that working out isn't worth it.

Experts say that setting SMART-specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals-is a healthy strategy in achieving goals. For instance, rather than setting a vague resolution of ‘exercising more’, a better goal could be ‘go for 30-minute runs three days a week’. After achieving the first goal, one should improve/add on to that goal by increasing the duration of repetition, for example, instead of only doing runs for 3 days a week, one can increase it to 4 or 5 days.

Lastly, an important strategy for keeping resolutions is gradually building up habits. Instead of a radical change in lifestyle, small and continual changes can be more deeply ingrained within somebody over time. Behavioural science says that this technique, called ‘habit-stacking’, is highly effective when new habits are matched up with existing ones to ease and promote change.

At the end of the day, while New Year’s Resolutions have proven to be an invaluable tool in self-improvement, the key to successful, attainable goals that can be specifically achieved and tailored to a person’s specific needs. Instead of all-or-nothing commitments, flexibility and persistence will result in a successful year for self-improvement.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Perched in the back of a field ambulance after burying his close friend in a battlefield of 1 World War I, a Canadian doctor thought about how blankets of red poppies were the first signs of life to appear on a devastated battlefield on Flanders fields. In a creative outburst of 20 minutes, Lieutenant Colonel John McCraie penned one of the most famous poems of all time. This poem quickly gained popularity as it reflected the lives of many veterans and motivated the allies to keep fighting, for if they stop, the fallen soldiers won't find peace. This inspired the use of poppies as a symbol of remembrance. The need for poppies still raises funds for the welfare of veterans and the care of their families today.

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month , after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. Ever since 1931, on this date and time, Canadians observe two minutes of silence to remember the sacrifice and services of veterans who have fallen in battle, to remember those who have fought for us, and reflect on the services of our armed forces. Ceremonies to commemorate the lives lost are held on this day at cenotaphs, war memorials, schools and other public places. That’s why poppies are worn on the 11th month until the 11th day.

Lest we forget

Looking to make some plans for your winter break? Never fear, your guide to the best winter break is here!

1. Tobogganing

Pick up a sled and enjoy the sparkling snow that awaits you outside! Bring friends or family to laugh with as you crash into snow banks of all sizes. Listed below are a few local spots to visit to create some epic sledding memories:

• Dickson Park

• Churchill Park

• Forbes Toboggan Hill

2. Movie

Catch a movie to get the chill vibe going. Recline with a snack and the perfect drink as you enjoy the show for a relaxing winter day. Some definite soon-to-be hits out in theatres this December are listed below:

• Sonic 3

• Mufasa: The Lion King

• Moana 2

• Wicked

• Gladiator II

• Red One

And if you’d prefer to stay in and watch on the small screen, consider putting on one of these proven Christmas classics:

• Elf

• The Polar Express

• The Family Stone 

• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

• Love Actually

• A Charlie Brown Christmas 

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

• It’s a Wonderful Life

• Home Alone

• The Santa Clause

• The Holiday

3. Knitting

Are you up to the challenge?! To combat the biting cold, try to knit yourself a pair of gloves, a sweater, or even a blanket. 

If you don’t know how to knit—even better! Try something new! There are plenty of knitting websites out there, but here’s a good one to get you started: https://sarahmaker.com/how-to-knit/ 

4. Winter Sports — Skiing and Snowboarding

As summer does, winter brings a variety of sports activities to occupy yourself with. Except  you’re trading in sand for snow and the blistering heat for breath-taking chilliness. Like summer’s swimming and beach volleyball, winter has its iconic skiing and snowboarding. Luckily, we have Chicopee right in our backyards to do both of these activities. Not only does Chicopee have the best hills to drift over, but they also have hot treats in the warmth of their chalet when you need a break. 

Here’s the link to their website if you decide to go for a glide:  https://www.discoverchicopee.com/ 

5. Ice Skating

Who could forget this beloved sport come December? Commonly featured throughout movies and pop culture as a symbol of freedom and unity, ice skating is a pastime for everyone. 

Visit this website for more information on places to go skating near you: https://www.cambridge.ca/en/parks-recreation-culture/Arenas-and-Outdoor-Rinks.aspx# 

6. Winter Crafts

From paper plate snowflakes to DIY snow globes, making fun, winter-themed crafts is a meaningful addition to your winter break. 

Here’s a list to inspire your future crafty endeavours: https://www.care.com/c/winter-crafts-for-kids/  

7. Winter Bonfires

What better way to finish off an eventful day outside than to spark up a bonfire to keep warm and relax, capturing the essence of the winter season. Learn how to get the fire going here: https://www.waldenbackyards.com/blogs/fires-firewood/how-to-start-a-campfire-in-winter

And always remember, safety first!

8. Bake Cookies

Cookies and milk aren’t just for Santa this season! Who doesn’t appreciate some baked goods every now and then? Whether you’re in the mood for some buttery shortbread or some good old chocolate chip cookies, these sweet treats are sure to leave a smile on your face.

Here are a few recipes to try:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies — 🍰 Easy & Delicious Sweet Treat Recipes 🍰

• Shortbread Cookies

• Snickerdoodles

9. Puzzles and Board Games

If you’re looking for some focus, peace, and quiet—grab a 1000-piece puzzle and you’ll be occupied for hours! 

Or if you’re looking for something less solitary, a classic way to spend quality time with friends or family is to grab some board games and kick the energy up a notch.

10. Winterfest at Canada’s Wonderland

Make sure to add this one to your list! Canada’s Wonderland hosts an awesome winter event that’ll blow your socks off every year. From ice skating to entertainment and lights, rides, and a myriad of stunning Christmas trees all over the park, this is an experience worth the road trip. Don’t miss it! For further information, visit this website: https://www.canadaswonderland.com/events/winterfest 

Happy November everyone! In this article, I will be discussing the violence women worldwide face, the statistics, and what we can do to stop it.

To begin, I would like to say that if you know someone who is facing domestic violence, please contact emergency services, they have the people and resources equipped to help.

The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women can be dated back to women’s rights activists in 1981. They chose this date, November 25th, in remembrance of the Mirabal sisters. They were murdered in 1960 by Rafael Trujillo, the leader of the Dominican Republic, for speaking out against Trujillo’s cruel dictatorship.

According to unwomen.org, it is estimated that 736 million women have faced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both. This means that 1 in 3 women have faced such mistreatment. (not including sexual harassment, which would raise the number drastically). Such statistics indicate that at least one woman in your life has faced abuse.

This oppression is incredibly widespread. It spreads across history, cultures, and continents. And the victimization has left a lasting stain on humanity, revealing deep-rooted issues in our society.

This is not a momentary issue, without lasting effects. This widespread violence is damaging the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of our women. It is hurting the next generation. For example, we can see how girls are taught to take up less room and to heed their male counterparts at a young age. This gives us a glimpse into the misconstrued view of women in this world. Why should a young girl have to give up her childhood and innocence to avoid the threat of harm?

When you look at it from the perspective of a woman you care about, imagining your mother, daughter, niece, grandmother, girlfriend, wife, or friend in the position of facing potential violence, you can see just how badly our society has treated our women.

After doing some reflection, I wanted to find out what we can do to prevent abuse, just as this day is meant for. 

By taking small steps every day, we can stop injustice against women.

1. Support Women’s Stories

By listening to and supporting the stories of survivors we can help these women heal. When we make our women feel safe to share their experiences, we challenge the complicity and allowance for such crimes to happen.

2. Learn the Signs of Abuse

Learning the signs of abuse will help us see and understand victims. We can take steps to help them to find a place of safety and protect themselves. Some signs can include but are not limited to: unexplained injuries, emotional distress, and isolation.

3. Teaching the Next Generation

This includes a variety of approaches, but by educating the next generation on what behaviour is unacceptable and holding them accountable for their actions, our next generation can be more peaceful and safe.

4. Speaking Up

By speaking up against violence against women, the media’s portrayal of this cruelty, and by renouncing the beliefs that make us complicit, we can create a better environment for everyone. The media tends to paint survivors of abuse in a bad light, rather than believing and protecting them. When we recognize this, we can call for an accurate portrayal of the reality of these atrocities. This can assist current survivors and help them heal and feel more comfortable standing up for their stories.

I have spoken about this topic, not only from a writer's perspective but also from the point of view of a young woman. I have witnessed the effect this injustice has on the people around me, and we can all acknowledge that it has to stop.

I have discussed the origins of this important day, the effect this violence has had on not just our community but on humanity, and what we can do to prevent violence and protect our women.

Together, by standing up for the safety and well-being of women, we create a society of peace and safety for women everywhere.

If you or someone you care about is suffering from violence, abuse, or assault, please speak up. You deserve to be happy and safe, and people are ready to help you get there. Please contact your school counsellor or the police.

Here is a list of phone numbers to call if you need help:

911 Emergency Services

1-800-668-6868 Kids Help Phone

1-855-242-3310 Wellness Phone for Indigenous Peoples

1-866-863-0511 Assaulted Women’s Helpline

Sources:

Blakemore, Erin. “How Three Sisters Took Down a Dictator in the Dominican Republic.” National Geographic, 25 Nov. 2024, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mirabal-sisters-heroes-dominican-republic#:~:text=They%20were%20Minerva%2C%20Mar%C3%ADa%20Teresa,of%20Trujillo’s%20other%20political%20opponents. Accessed Nov. 2024. 

United Nations. “Facts and Figures: Ending Violence against Women.” UN Women – Headquarters, 25 Nov. 2024, www.unwomen.org/en/articles/facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures-ending-violence-against-women. Accessed Nov. 2024. 

United, Nations. “Take Action: 10 Ways You Can Help End Violence against Women.” UN Women – Headquarters, 7 Dec. 2023, www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/compilation-take-action-to-help-end-violence-against-women. Accessed Nov. 2024. 

Indigenous Veterans Day is on November 8th, 2024 to commemorate the military service of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit veterans in the Korean War, particularly the two great world wars. Yet, Indigenous Veterans Day does not only recall a great series of battles fought with bravery and determination; it also observes the tireless fight for the recognition of Indigenous people and their relationship to the country they served in numerous wars. Even after the contributions the Indigenous had made in the two great wars, their rights continued to be neglected by the Canadian government. This article addresses this and hopefully provides the knowledge you would otherwise not get in a history class. Or, at least, may this article serve as a reminder that we still owe a debt to Indigenous people today, not only for their thousands of years of stewardship of the lands we use and learn on today, but also for their contributions and services to our country. 

Historical and Social Landscape 

Before the great wars, many indigenous people were still subject to colonial policies inflicted by the Indian Act. These policies limited many rights and freedoms, including the right to vote and the freedom to practice their religion, culture, and language. Even so, many Indigenous people still enlisted in both wars, over ⅓ of First Nations men aged 15 to 45 enlisted in the first World War. In addition, thousands more non-Status Indians, Inuit, and Métis soldiers enlisted without official recognition of their Indigenous identity. For the Indigenous, the First World War was seen as an opportunity to gain more rights. Respect, better treatment, and recognition were all things that Indigenous people sought out when enlisting in the war. 

A Subdued Homecoming

On the Western front, indigenous people fought in hopes of creating more respect and recognition to achieve long-lasting rights. In the long term, however, Indigenous people did not obtain any permanent rights. Legal, economic, and social treatment of the Indigenous people of Canada remained unchanged by the war and Indigenous soldier´s contributions. After the First World War, the right to vote which was granted during their time in the military was taken away after 1918 and they did not receive the same pensions as white soldiers. On the other hand, the Soldier Settlement Act was passed and was meant to help support veterans to begin farming and return to the jobs they had before the war, but status Indians couldn't qualify. Not only this but when Indigenous soldiers would return home, they would discover that the reserves they lived on had become farmland. This was caused by the government confiscating 85,844 acres from indigenous reserves and giving it to non-Indigenous veterans.

Beyond History Class: Truth and Reconciliation Through Engaging With Indigenous Storytelling

Beyond just learning about what events Indigenous people were involved in, we can all listen to the experiences of Indigenous veterans throughout these wars to better appreciate their contributions. All of this can be done by engaging in the cultural tradition of storytelling. For general resources on Indigenous culture, heritage, and traditions: you can refer to the Panther Poster archives and see the Indigenous Month article written in 2023-24 for our tenth edition. However, for learning more specifically about Indigenous veterans and their service in the military: educational resources such as books and literature by indigenous authors, as well as Indigenous-directed documentaries, films, and podcasts can all lend exposure to the experiences of Indigenous soldiers.

Firstly, the Memory Project is an initiative by Historica Canada that arranges interviews of veterans and Canadian forces members to share their stories of their service in the military. On the left-hand side of the Memory Project Archive, there is a widget where you can access 13 interviews of Indigenous veterans underneath ¨Indigenous People in the Military¨. In alignment with video story-telling, there is the documentary directed by Loretta Todd, a Métis filmmaker, called Forgotten Warriors. The documentary gives a historical overview, while Indigenous veterans also share their most touching and significant war memories as well as how they have overcome these memories of the war. It is free to watch on YouTube. 

Deviating from the Indigenous tradition of orally passing down stories, these are some books and poems written by Indigenous writers. There are very few poems by Indigenous veterans, but the ones that can be found are especially poignant. Written from the perspective of a First Nations soldier confiding to a fellow soldier after returning to Canada is ¨I Love This Land" by Chief R. Stacey LaForme. It is about the transition of an Indigenous soldier having a sense of brotherhood amongst the other soldiers to being cast away once they return home. Secondly, leading up to Remembrance Day of 2017, Solomon Ratt wrote his poem¨Indigenous Veterans¨. This poem is brief but delves more into the history of Indigenous soldiers including how giving up Indian status impacted returning veterans. The two poems can be found here. 

Many books by non-indigenous authors describe the history of Indigenous soldiers´ involvement in Canada's military, such as: ¨Pegahmagabow: Life-Long Warrior¨ by Adrian Hayes, ¨Native Soldiers, Foreign Battlefields¨ by Janice Summerby, and ¨For King and Kanata: Canadian Indians and the First World War¨. Some examples, however, of books written by indigenous authors are ¨From the Tundra to the Trenches¨ and ¨The Scout: Tommy Prince¨ by David Robertson. ¨From the Tundra to the Trenches¨ is a memoir by the Inuit author Eddy Weetaluk which traces his journey of leaving James Bay, to his travels around the world, and to his military service in the Korean War. Secondly, the graphic novel,¨The Scout: Tommy Prince¨, retells and illustrates the life of Tommy Prince, the most decorated aboriginal soldier, and his life in the second world war.

Gratitude, reflection, and most importantly, listening to the stories of Indigenous people is incredibly important. Listening to the stories of Indigenous people offers something that Indigenous people have often been denied; the opportunity of being heard. Every Indigenous Veterans Day, it is important that we provide the recognition that had not been given in previous years . 

All references can be viewed here. 

I think I’ve seen this film before. 12 times before, actually. The Star Wars franchise has expanded to include 12 movies, including two anthology spin-offs, and 389 total episodes, with 11 new projects announced and in production. With all these additions to the Star Wars cinematic universe, you would think Star Wars fans would be euphoric, but it seems that the public sentiment is that these new projects are badly done, unnecessary, and destroying the legacy of the original series. 

Despite our bias for the nostalgic past, it seems that the film industry has been lackluster in the past few years. Although this is partly due to the fact that people are partial to the society they grew up in, it is also connected to issues within the film industry, which has changed drastically with the evolution of film technology. The epidemic of remakes and readaptations, the dominating presence of Disney in the film industry, and the rise of streaming services have shifted the way we consume film now, and it may be the cause for the disheartening feeling we get when we go to watch a new movie and don’t feel the excited anticipation we used to.

Some of the most iconic and masterfully produced films of our time have come from the 1990s and 2000s, but now, the film industry seems to be at a standstill for creativity and artistic progression. Even the creation of screen production, which was supposed to push the limits of creative pursuits in film by giving flexibility that stage production can't have, feels uniform—like a copy-paste template. Of Disney’s top 100 proposed upcoming projects, over half are remakes, readaptations, or sequels/prequels, not to mention all the projects from other production studios. With new CGI and AI technology, the film industry can bring back characters whose actors have since died, allowing them to continue adding onto series and make content with these actors likenesses forever. The film industry knows people will always come back to watch new versions of stories they loved before, and knows these projects will keep making them easy money without the work to create a completely original work of art. However, these lazy renditions will eventually start to get old, as people have already started expressing. How many characters can be revived or mysteriously brought back before the stakes become nonexistent? Villains can never truly be defeated, and character deaths will mean nothing because fans know they will come back eventually, whether it be a new prequel or another circumstance that’s only function is to continue squeezing every possible plotline out of these characters. Eventually, stories will become devoid of their original legacy.

Disney dominates the big screen. Using this authority over the film industry, continuing to make remakes and readaptations rather than platforming writers is unethical. Instead of using their expansive budget to bring original stories to the cinema, Disney continues to spend as little money as possible to revive works they’ve already made. Additionally, not only is Disney not platforming writers from within, but they are also not leaving space in the industry for independent directors to have their big break. One of the biggest challenges to creating independent films is the massive budget necessary. Because of this, independent filmmakers are discouraged from making films since they know the box office will always be dominated by films with extremely inflated CGI effects. This issue is even further perpetuated by the existence of streaming services.

Since the first movie streaming service, Netflix, was created in 2007, the online streaming industry has grown exponentially. However, with this growth, new issues have arisen. Besides the extreme price gouging of streaming subscriptions, it seems that all films and TV shows are now exclusive to streaming apps. Not only do you need a subscription to watch this media, but the amount of streaming platforms there currently are means that if you want the freedom to actually stream whatever you want, whenever, you need to have a subscription to multiple services. Streaming-app-exclusive content reduces traffic to cinemas and has caused many independent cinemas to close down as people are not as encouraged to see films in theaters. Furthermore, streaming services, which originally intended to be an alternative to cable television and the limitations of ads and timed showings, have also begun incorporating ads into their platforms and only keeping content on their platform for a limited time before it gets removed and replaced with new content. When even streaming services are not efficient sources of entertainment anymore, it makes sense that the film industry would feel so mediocre. 

With all these changes to the film industry and how we view media, new releases don’t bring the same excitement that they used to, and the film industry feels dried out. The current structure of media production and consumption is failing, and unless more innovative art is created and pushed, the age of groundbreaking and timelessly impactful cinema may be coming to an end. 

See all sources used here.

There was an eerie chill on the night of Wednesday, October 30th. Glenview Park was a full house—except... there were no students to be found. Instead, the school grounds were overrun with beasts and paranormal creatures of every kind. serial killers among princesses, witches, and even fruit—all confined to the same gym. From 7 to 9, every ghoul danced in celebration of the spooky night.

The evening started with throngs of zombie-like Panthers clamouring to get in. The school's interior offered a false sense of security as the chills intensified. Peculiarities such as a spider hanging high above and crimson-stained sheets greeted newcomers. Caution tape was ominously strewn about, accompanied by the occasional severed limb. The only lighthearted innocence was found at the ticket sales table—simply vibrant and fun, perhaps embodying the original intentions for the evening, which appeared to have gone awry.

As Panthers slowly trickled into the gym, they couldn’t help but submit to the dark yet magnetic energy the music held, as if possessed. Shadows of skeletons and ghosts ricocheted off the walls, as a reminder of the spirits that lurked in the corners. The dance started  strong, with Justin Bieber’s "Maria." No one could resist the pull of the music, and soon, small clumps of dancing ghouls became masses as everyone gathered around. Panthers methodically grooved, dancing collectively as one. The beat was undeniable, but some managed to break away, either seeking the relief of fresh air in the parking lot. Or escape to the tuck shop to refuel with a power drink and a slice of pizza. While some took to the spotlight, others cheered them on in a true Panther-like manner. Swaying flashlights served as beacons—or rather—stars, illuminating a sea of darkness in sync with the rhythm. 

Just as the dance had started with a twisted bang, it ended in the wake of excitement and warmth to combat the West gymnasium’s chilling ambiance. Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” echoed throughout as freaks and misfits of all kinds slowly exited the building—bound to become humans once again the very next morning, looking forward to next year’s resurrection.

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, Glenview Park hosted its Post-Secondary Education Fair during Period B and at lunch in the cafeteria. Here’s a brief summary of the fair in case you missed it, along with some advice for next year’s fair.

The fair included a variety of trade schools, colleges, and universities mainly from Ontario, including:

• Western College

• Mohawk College

• Centennial College

• Fanshawe College

• Niagara College

• Sheridan College

• Jerome’s College

• Conestoga College

• Guelph Humber

• King’s University College

• Windsor University

• Waterloo University

• York University

• Lakehead University

• Brock University

• Carleton University

• University of Guelph

• Wilfrid Laurier University

• McMaster University

• University of Ottawa

• University of British Columbia

• Toronto Metropolitan University

• Trent University

• Toronto University

Whether you are interested in the trades, diplomas, or degrees, there is a path for you! I highly recommend you research the path that you are interested in, and where you can pursue it. 

You might feel overwhelmed when considering all the information out there, so here’s some things to consider and ask the representatives next year!

“What are the class sizes typically in this program?” 

“What sports or extracurricular activities does this school offer?”

 “What scholarships are available at this institution?”

There’s lots of resources for students interested in a school. Feel free to reach out to your guidance counsellor, as well as read the information provided on the institution's website.

Remember, your path is unique to you. Take your time and find the path right for you!

Glenview’s Drama club performed an incredible comedy act on October 30th, leaving crowds entertained and applauding. The actors worked together for weeks to bring the magic of drama to the audience. 

Actors in the play include: 

Meadow Szeles as Narrator #1,
Jimmy Nugent as Narrator #2, 

Owen Chaves as Jimmy, 

Spade Nowell as Susan, 

Azlyn Stanley as Sam, 

McKenna Dip as Christy, 

Eva Kralt as Survivor Girl, 

Ty Tallion as Nanna, 

Alexzander Zavitsky as Zombie #1, 

and Anthony Araujo as Zombie #2. 

Alongside the main cast, the actors for the additional zombies included Emmah Birnie, Abby Embro, Haylee Embro, Emily Hollet, Izma Khan, Hae-in Moon, Ace Siemiaszko, Gabriel Strilchuk, and Taziana Womack. 

The play began with the two narrators, introducing and intriguing the audience to what they were about to witness. The narrators paved the way for the great performance that would follow by providing entertaining jokes and sarcasm to the introduction and between methods of how to survive a zombie apocalypse. 

Sacrifice the weak was method #1, which took place in the first scene of the play. The main characters Jimmy, Susan, Sam, Christy, and Nanna were introduced by demonstrating the first method of survival. When Christy was lagging behind after discovering there was a zombie apocalypse, the others did not hesitate to sacrifice the weak. This scene brought on many amusing moments to the audience. 

Method #2 of surviving a zombie apocalypse was to trick the zombies. Jimmy, Susan, Sam, and Christy took to the stage and, as the zombies approached them, their plan to trick the zombies took action. Christy called out to the zombies: “Look over there!”, pointing in a direction away from them. Then, the actors ran offstage and out of the zombies’ sight. Due to the zombies not having brains, this was a great way to survive the apocalypse! 

After Sam and the others found weapons, they began executing method #3, overwhelming firepower. Jimmy found a baseball bat, then continued to fight off the zombies until the remaining zombies ran off. This scene had many memorable comedic moments, such as, after Jimmy fights off the zombies, he confesses his love to both Christy and Susan. But ends up not having any luck with either of them as the two girls were not interested. 

Now method #4 appears when the boys get into a massive argument as Jimmy discovers that Sam had thrown out their only source of food, a box of french fries. Little did they know, the zombies were creeping up behind them. Soon, Jimmy and Sam were taken by the zombies while Christy and Susan survived by using the fourth method. When the girls discover the zombies approaching, they fake being zombies, making them believe that the girls were also undead zombies.

Due to Jimmy and Sam being captured by the zombies, Sam had lost his legs up to his knees. Jimmy, Christy, and Susan all decided to leave Sam behind, despite Sam wanting to survive and wanting his friends to help him. Unfortunately, due to the selfishness of the three who ran off, they were attacked by zombies while Sam survived on his own. Even though his friends betrayed him, Sam brought method #5 to the scene, raise genetically modified killer dogs which can attack and destroy zombies. This method of survival managed to save his kidnapped friends, whether they deserved it. 

In the next scene, the zombies find the four friends once again, which meant it was time to present method #6, Kung Fu. Sam had been training for this moment. He fights off the zombies using his Kung Fu skills, leaving the others in awe. The person who was especially in awe was Christy, who then impulsively says “I love you” to Sam, making Jimmy more jealous than ever. 

The zombies came back after the ruthless Kung Fu battle, which then brings Christy to the conclusion that she must initiate method #7, to reason with the zombies. Christy invites the zombies to take a seat and insist that the zombies, ironically, use their brains. In the end, the zombies concluded that they actually thought about it. However, before any further conversation, Susan knocked them out with a bat to ensure they were not taking any chances, as she knew zombies do not really have brains. 

Method #8 began to seem more appealing to the group, knowing the zombies would come back, but required a vote on who was the most attractive person in the group. Susan was chosen as the prettiest person out of the four of them, and was then forced to begin the eighth method, romance the zombies. Susan originally did not like the idea and approached the zombies in fear. She flirted with Zombie #1 and Zombie #2 while making lots of eye contact, hair flips, but, most of all, complementing their muscles. This led the two zombies into a fight about who had the better muscles, leaving Jimmy, Susan, Sam, and Christy enough time to run off to safety. 

The narrators led the actors to method #9, run really fast. However, Narrator #2 disagreed that method #9 would work, and that the actors would just fall over. All the actors did run across the stage, and, predictably, Jimmy fell over. As this method did not appear reliable, the narrators changed method #9 to run really fast without falling over.

In the final scene of the play, Christy decided she wanted to give up. The reason she wanted to give up was not because her friends and family were eaten by zombies, but because her hamster was. Christy walked off only to be taken by zombies once again, giving Jimmy, Susan, and Sam only one choice. Which was to use method #10, leave the planet. The group of three discovered a hidden NASA base, which was not so hidden, and decided it was time to leave Earth. When discovering that the rocket ship they wanted to use to escape was too small, the narrators suggested there was only one solution. Cannibalism. The group of three argued that maybe they should just eat the narrators, which is exactly what they did. 

In the end, the narrators concluded that surviving a zombie apocalypse was nearly impossible. Despite their best efforts, not everyone would make it out alive. The grand finale of the play was an outro dance to Micheal Jackson’s “Thriller”, which brought their comedy performance to an end. 

Overall, this performance was an amazing addition to Glenview’s Halloween events this year, and was enjoyable for all audiences who attended. The Drama club did an amazing job bringing this play together and I think I speak for many when I say we truly hope to see more incredible performances like this one at Glenview Park.

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Glenview Park Secondary School hosted their first Islamic Heritage Event on October 10, welcoming around 200 guests from 11 WRDSB schools. The event’s goal was to bring people together while celebrating Islamic history, culture, and contributions. MSA volunteers greeted the guests and set a positive tone for a day filled with education, entertainment, and cultural appreciation. 

Faisal Susiwala, a Cambridge realtor, spoke about his career journey and balancing work with personal obligations. Sheykha Syeda Asifa Qadriah, founder of Noor-ul-Madina Academy, shared her insights on Islamic spirituality and self-growth. Omar Quereshi, CEO of Prospect, encouraged students to take on leadership roles and explore entrepreneurship. The event also featured interactive booths and gallery walks highlighting Islamic contributions to art, science, and technology.

Reflecting on the event, co-president Alishba Tariq said, “We’re really happy with how it all came together. It was great to see students from different schools learning about the rich heritage of Islamic culture.” Azka Fatima added, “Our aim was to create a welcoming space for everyone, regardless of their background. Hearing that people left with new knowledge and a deeper appreciation for the Muslim community makes it all worthwhile.”

To open the event, Azka and Alishba gave the opening introductions and welcomed participants. Then Sanja Maliyat, one of the volunteers from Glenview, came on stage and recited Ayatul Kursi, a powerful verse from the Quran. The recitation gave a calm and peaceful impression to the room. After that, Sama H, another Glenview volunteer, gave the land acknowledgment in Arabic, which was really special. Then, Azka Fatima recited a nasheed, a form of religious poetry setting a serene mood. Finally, Zunerah K spoke about the contributions of Muslim inventors.

After the talks, students explored the exhibits and gallery, visiting booths that featured henna art, button-making, Arabic calligraphy, and more. Students also participated in an interactive Jeopardy game that tested their Islamic knowledge. Following the activities, everyone gathered to enjoy a meal together. Alishba noted that the atmosphere was incredibly friendly and welcoming.  

Lastly, they held a raffle draw, and some lucky winners received wonderful prizes. To conclude the event, Alishba and Azka delivered final remarks, thanking everyone for attending and participating enthusiastically in Glenview’s first Islamic Heritage event. It was a great way to end a memorable day filled with learning, connection, and celebration.

April marks Sikh Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Sikh community. At Glenview, the SSA (Sikh Student Association), a new addition to the many clubs Glenview has, is recognizing the month by taking initiatives aimed at raising awareness and cultural pride. 

The SSA is working hard to create spaces where students of all backgrounds can learn about Sikhism’s principles, such as equality, service, and justice, and connect with the vibrant traditions that shape the Sikh identity. Manroop Khehra, one of the founders of our SSA, has sat down to tell me a little bit about what they have been doing this month to teach the Glenview community about Sikhism. 

Within the SSA, she says “we’ve had a lot of informative meetings to talk about Sikh Heritage Month and how much has been done for Sikhi in this month.” Members also had the opportunity to attend a WRDSB-wide event dedicated to learning about Sikh heritage. Manroop added, “I think it’s really important for the new generation to hear things like that that tell us about Sikhi, and the core principles and the history.”

The SSA also held a very successful Vaisakhi event this month. Vaisaski, April 13th, marks the creation of Sikhi and the Sikh New Year. The event intended to share langar, a fundamental aspect of Sikhi that entails providing free meals to everyone, despite their personal religious affiliations or cultures, with the Glenview community. Pizza, samosas, and more free food was given out all throughout the break, feeding as many people as possible. The goal of this event was to practice one of the core principles of Sikhi, service, while spreading awareness of the community. Posters were hung up around the school with information about Sikhi, Sikh heritage, and Sikhs that have made notable contributions to the world. 

“Non-Sikhs don’t know about Sikhi,” Manroop says. “It was really nice at the Vaisakhi event because people were asking about Sikhi and we had the opportunity to tell them why we were giving out free food, and what Sikhism is all about.” 

“The biggest thing is recognition. Sikhs have done a lot, not just for the Sikh community, but we help everyone. Sikhs have done a lot for Canada and their contributions are very overlooked.” The Sikh community has been overlooked and misunderstood for centuries. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Sikh and Muslim people are the same, even though the two religions are both unique in their own ways. Initiatives like these allow the SIkh community to amplify their voice and spread awareness for just how much the Sikh community has done for Canada and the world. 

Manroop encourages people to continue learning and opening their minds to Sikhi and other non-Western religions. She says, “there's not a lot of support right now,” for clubs like the SSA, and she hopes that in the future, the SSA is able to hold larger events and initiatives to spread awareness and teach the community. “Sikhi is such a beautiful religion,” however, it is being forgotten. The SSA and Sikh Heritage Month aim to teach the world this message and hope everyone can take away some of the lessons Sikhi has to offer to make the world a better place.

October is a festive month, filled with festivals from all over the world. One of the major festivals this month is Oktoberfest, which technically begins in late September. However, this German festival extends well into October. Oktoberfest originated in the city of Munich, Germany, and celebrates Bavarian culture with plenty of food, music, and dancing. Some of the popular foods eaten during this festival include pretzels and sausages, along with beer. Oktoberfest is now widely celebrated in all parts of the world.

Falling on October 2nd and continuing until October 4th, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks the start of the Jewish High Holy Days. People typically celebrate Rosh Hashanah by praying at synagogues, blowing the shofar (a ram’s horn), and eating symbolic foods. Foods such as apples dipped in honey to signify a sweet year ahead and challah bread which is baked round to symbolise life’s cyclical nature. Rosh Hashanah also marks the start of the Ten Days Of Repentance, focusing particularly on introspection. 

Another major celebration this month is Diwali, the five-day long Hindu festival of lights. This festival symbolises the victory of good over evil, and light over darkness. Diyas, or lamps, which are typically handcrafted, are lit and placed around the entrance of homes. Prayers are offered to the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, and many people have firework displays. This festival spans five days and is easily the most celebrated festival in India.

 On the same date as Diwali, Bandi Chor Divas is a Sikh festival that commemorates the release of the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Hargobind, after his imprisonment by the Mughal emperor. The Guru also freed the other unjustly captured political prisoners on this day. Sikhs celebrate by lighting lamps, praying, and decorating gurdwaras, the Sikh place of worship. This year, Diwali and Bandi Chor Divas both fall on October 31st and November 1st.

Celebrated on the last day of October, Halloween is celebrated in most major Western countries. Halloween today is celebrated by children dressing up in costumes, and going around collecting candy. It originated from Celtic origins of the festival of Samhain, the day the Celtics believed the relationship between the living and the dead to be thinnest. Christians adapted this into All Saints’ Day on the 1st of November. Later, American influences transformed the traditions of dressing in animal skins and lighting bonfires to the typical Halloween we think of today. 

As October ends, all these festivals show how people everywhere celebrate different things in different ways for different reasons to make the second month of autumn special in their own way.

The haunting breeze…the yelping trees! We’ve all been there before. Picking weeks ahead what costume to wear, strategizing where to go, and dreaming of the life-long stash of candy that lay ahead. But, have you ever wondered what started this eventful day in the first place? In fact, what is Halloween? Why do we get free candy on the last day of the tenth month? What makes it so special?

It all started two thousand years ago with a group of people named the “Celtics”, who every year, celebrated a holiday called “Samhain”. Long, long ago, they didn’t have scary movies or haunted houses, but they did have a spooky festival called Samhain (pronounced "sow-win"). Every year, on the night of October 31st, they believed that the veil between the living and the dead grew thin. Ghosts and spirits could roam the Earth! To scare away these evil spirits, the Celts lit huge bonfires and wore animal skins and masks. They believed the fire would protect them and keep their villages safe from wandering ghosts. 

There was still no candy, so let’s continue down history lane.

Moving to the 7th century, we get Halloween’s name; the Christian church thought, “Hey, these spooky parties are fun, but let’s give them a holy twist!” They moved “All Saints' Day” (a feast day observing the lives of certain saints) to November 1st to honor saints and martyrs, and the night before became known as All Hallows' Eve. Eventually, this spooky eve got shortened to Halloween!

But still, no treats! 

Oh! 

      Here

  They

        Come!

In medieval times, those in Britain and Ireland would go “souling”. This is where people would visit neighbors to ask for food in exchange for prayers for departed loved ones. Travelling through history to colonial America, this tradition turned into mischief, with kids dressing up in spooky costumes and pulling all sorts of tricks! 

By the early 1900s, things had gotten a bit out of hand. Pranking had started to damage property, and people needed a way to control the chaos. The solution? Trick-or-treating, of course! Instead of causing trouble, kids went door-to-door in costumes and received candy! But hey, a sugar rush is better than an upside down lawn, am I right? 

From haunted houses to parades of goblins, everyone can enjoy a night of spooky celebration on Halloween. It’s a mix of ancient rituals, church traditions, and a good dose of American creativity! And so, this October 31st, when we gather to celebrate Halloween,  just remember that deep in the history of this fun night lies a world of mysterious ancestry. So, what are you waiting for? 

Happy Halloween!

X9.0 is the measurement of this record-breaking solar flare. This flare happened on October 3rd and is said to be the strongest of this sun cycle. Although solar flares are not visible from earth with the naked eye, they do still affect the planet as they can cause disturbances and interfere with frequencies. Perhaps at some point you have witnessed the spectacular light show known as the northern lights. This phenomenon is caused by the solar flare disrupting the Earth’s magnetosphere. Another effect it can have on Earth is with radio waves.

These flares happen when the sun’s magnetic field becomes entangled. Every 11 years, the sun starts a new solar cycle, which is when the magnetic field of the sun completely flips itself. This then causes activity to occur on the sun’s surface. The beginning of the cycle is known as a solar minimum, where there are less sunspots. As the activity increases, we reach a solar maximum with the most amount of sunspots. Currently, we are in cycle 25 and reaching the end. It is predicted that it will reach its maximum in July 2025. This could mean many more northern lights, so keep a close eye on the news for your chance to see them!

Humans are always drawn to explore, discover and learn as much as we can about the world/worlds around us. This isn’t easy but it’s in our nature. This mission will make history as humanity’s return to the moon after more than 50 years, the first ever humans to the moon’s south pole and the first ever to land a woman and a person of color on the moon! The moon's south pole has the potential to contain water ice which makes this expedition even more interesting!

This mission will happen no earlier than in September of 2026. This journey will be embarked on nasa’s Orion spacecraft and the human landing system will be taken care of by spaceX which will be using the starship as their lander. Over the course of about 30 days, 4 astronauts will travel to lunar orbit, where two crew members will descend to the surface on the starship when the Orion reaches the NRHO(ideal orbit) while the other two stay in the orion and make a full orbit while the other 2 spend approximately a week near the south pole of the moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to earth. During their moonwalks, these 2 astronauts will take pictures and video, survey geology, retrieve samples, and collect other data to meet specific scientific objectives. The view from the lunar South Pole region will look very different from the photos taken on Apollo missions in the Moon’s equatorial region. The Sun will hover just above the horizon, casting long, dark shadows across the terrain. 

There is so much we don’t know about our own moon, space and even less our own oceans. These missions will create a future in which planetary expeditions are far more in reach. Each Artemis mission will increase our knowledge, refine our operations and prove our technology as we prepare for the first human expedition to mars.

What do you think of when you hear the word gossip? Lies? Deceit? Betrayal? Or, perhaps, a paradoxical social skill that has simultaneously granted and stripped women of agency throughout history? The trivial, indulgent image associated with gossip today reflects patriarchal movements intending to silence and delegitimize women. Yet, gossip persists in women’s spaces, not as a petty pastime, but as a powerful tool for community, social capital, and cultural learning. By studying its conflicting role as a mechanism of control as well as social empowerment, we can reveal the deeper significance gossip holds in shaping female society throughout history. 

First, let us define gossip and how the word has evolved over time to carry the negative weight of deception today. Gossip, coming from the Old English word “godsibb,” used to mean “godparent” or “kinsman.” It was typically used for female friends who would be present in the birthing chamber, one of the sole female spaces that could not be infiltrated by men. The term began being generalised, referring to female socialisation as a whole. However, in the 15th or 16th century, satire comedies attempted to depict these female gatherings as conniving. Female characters would be boisterous and obnoxious, telling their husbands what to do, preferring their female friends over their husbands, and meeting in taverns to conduct a secret life. Gossips meeting in taverns to drink and amuse themselves became the subject of many songs. At this time, women still had considerable social power and were not dependent on men for survival, so by belittling women in the eyes of their husbands (by emasculating them and suggesting their wives were dominatrixes), guild members, who were not socially respected, could climb the social ladder. Although gossip is done equally by both men and women, gossip became a dirty word used to describe loud, dominating women who partook in mean idle talk amongst one another. This version of the word prevails, as gossip is considered an odious, bad habit that should be avoided at all costs to protect one’s reputation. 

While gossip may be framed as such, in reality it is an incredibly powerful tool that has been used by humans since prehistoric times to survive. Since our prehistoric ancestors had to compete for mates and resources, they created small, intimate groups in which they could communicate and collaborate. They used gossip to interpret, predict, and influence the behaviour of in-group members. Those who gossiped survived and passed along those survival genes, while those who did not gossip lacked the social skills necessary for survival. In the Middle Ages, women gossiped as a way to hold agency in their social spheres. It built social networks crucial for women but harmful for men, keeping their power in check and ensuring women had agency by building communities unenterable by men. Society recognized that women held power and had autonomy. Today, although gossip is depicted as something to be ashamed of, we would be unable to live without it. Children start gossiping as young as 4 years old, learning social rules like not running onto the road by hearing stories of incidents where others did so, and learning the consequences. Gossip teaches people how to live in their cultural society by spreading anecdotes that contribute to our observational learning. People want to avoid being the subject of gossip, and therefore conform to cultural norms, while taking gossip they do hear as lessons for their own lives. One of the most influential online movements of the 21st century, the “MeToo” movement could be considered gossip, yet its primary function was to hold those who assaulted or harassed people accountable. Gossip is essential to the zeitgeist and can not be avoided, even if one tries, as it functions as one of society’s most useful tools for learning, enforcing cultural rules, and building communal networks. 

Despite the critical history of gossip, it has an essential role in socialisation. Gossip breeds community. It teaches us the rules of society, and holds those who steer from those rules accountable without subjecting them to pure punishment. It fosters trust, strengthens relationships, and allows us to navigate complex social dynamics while participating in the social hierarchy. Gossip serves as a mirror for societal values, and in recognizing its dual function as destructive and empowering, we can begin to reclaim gossip as a form of storytelling that not only critiques but also connects, educates, and sustains social life. In many parts of the world, women have been considered the weavers of memory, using their voices to pass stories along to their communities and future generations. By engaging in thoughtful gossip, we engage in the subtle art of social maintenance, so take this article as your sign to embrace gossip. Use it not as a weapon but as a tool to build bridges, nurture trust, and reflect the values you wish to see in your community. Thoughtful gossip can spark change when shared with care, reminding us that our words have the power to connect us all. 

See all references here.

What Are Native Plants?

In recent years, we have seen unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss. According to a 2019 UN report, biodiversity is in crisis, with over one million species worldwide facing extinction, with habitat loss being recognized as one of largest threats to animal and plant species worldwide. In response to the rapid habitat loss, there has been a rising movement around the world where individuals and communities take it upon themselves to re-wild their gardens. It is beginning to become recognized that nature does not have to be separate from our communities that we live in, and so the popularity of pollination has begun to rise. 

Pollinator gardens are gardens that are defined by having native plants which support local ecosystems by providing nectar and a habitat for pollinators - and pollinators do not just include bees, but also butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and even hummingbirds. Pollinator gardens can include any native species of plants, but often are comprised of flowering plants.

Native plants are from the specific area they grow in; they are the producers of our ecosystems and have co-evolved with all living things within our ecosystems for thousands of years. Years of evolution and symbiotic relationships has led to an inextricable relationship between plant and animal and the environment which they both inhabit.  When you remove the native plants from an ecosystem, it impacts all of the species who have adapted to that ecosystem for thousands of years, and planting more flowers does not make up for the removal of these species; it matters what species of flowers you are planting.

So why plant native? It is because animals have formed dependencies on the plants that grow alongside them. Many animals rely on native plants for food and habitat. For example, bees and hummingbirds rely on flowers for their sugary nectar and pollen as food sources and for hummingbirds, they forage the fluff of seed heads from native flowering species to build nests for their young. Others rely on native plants for the continuation of their species. Butterflies and moths particularly rely on plants which provide food for their babies, which is obviously necessary for the survival of a species. Some butterflies and moths only have one host plant, such as the monarch butterfly, which is what makes these species so vulnerable to rapid biodiversity loss. Since animals develop dependencies on specific native plants, other flowers from other parts of the world are not able to stand in for this dependency. Dandelions are often defended for being able to provide a source of nectar when other nectar sources are scarce, even though there are many native plants which have already fulfilled this ecological niche, dandelions are not even good nutrition for bees and are deficient in protein. Dandelion has a protein content as low as 15% compared to the flowers of the native salix discolor, a willow, which has a protein count of 45%! 

Starting Your Own Pollinator Garden: A Rudimentary Guide 

Before I begin with plant recommendations, why should you seed in Autumn? Plants are required to be stratified. When mature seeds are dispersed in Autumn, they are placed in moist soil and stratify throughout winter, which is necessary for them to then germinate in Spring. You can, however, stratify and seed a plant any time of the year. You will have to do it by combining the seeds with a damp paper towel or soil and place in the freezer. It is an advantage to seed in Autumn because you give the seeds better conditions to actually germinate which will lead to the seeds being germinated earlier. 

For any gardener who is attempting to grow from seed for the first time: it is always recommended to select plants which establish easily and require little to no maintenance after establishing. The following list of recommended flowers will not be categorized by difficulty of establishment, but instead with flowering time, light requirements, and the most beneficial for pollinators. For this reason, all of the flowers below are assumed to be easy enough for a beginner to grow from seed. Additionally, some plants are omitted from these categories because they are not extremely commercially available as other flowers are. 

Milkweed Species: 

For every gardener, I always recommend starting with growing a milkweed species. 

Common milkweed is an extremely easy plant to establish and is known for its… blooms .Butterfly milkweed is a plant with bright orange clusters of delicate flowers. It is very adaptable to drought conditions because of its taproot but is not quite as aggressive of a spreader as common milkweed. Butterfly and common milkweed requires full sun to part shade, or three to six hours of sunlight a day.  

Keystone species: 

Keystone species are plants which support a wide array of species and often define an ecosystem. Many species in the Asteraceae, or daisy, family are keystone species and are also the easiest plants to establish. You can often see flowers in the daisy family such as Canada goldenrod, New-England aster, and more growing alongside roads or in ditches. They are resilient and adaptable native plants which are the best for all beginner gardeners. For full-sun to part-sun plants, select black eyed-susan, coneflower, canada goldenrod, early goldenrod, oxeye sunflower. For part-shade to full-shade flowers, select white wood aster, large-leaved aster, woodland sunflower, blue-stem goldenrod, or zig-zag goldenrod. Flowers in the Asteraceae family are also much more commercially available than other species of flower, so it will be easier to purchase these species. 

Flowers for hummingbirds:

Red columbine, cardinal flower, wild bergamot, and foxglove beardtongue are important nectar sources for hummingbirds, with red columbine and wild-bergamot often being the most commercially available. These are tuberous flowers which hummingbird species such as the ruby-throated hummingbird of Ontario prefer. Red-columbine grows in full-sun to part-shade, with it often preferring to grow in part-shade in hotter conditions. Wild bergamot prefers full-sun to part-shade as well, but after establishing it is recommended to dig up and divide the plants as they become more densely grown. 

Spring Ephemerals: 

Spring ephemerals are the first flowers to appear in spring, which means that they are the first sources of nectar for pollinators emerging from hibernation. Even though the name ephemeral suggests that these plants are short-lived, they are still pivotal for providing food for our pollinators. Golden Alexander is incredibly adaptable to all soil types and will tolerate a decent range of sunlight, except for full shade. The plant is recommended for full-sun to partial shade, though. Wild columbine is also considered a spring ephemeral and pollinators apart from hummingbirds also enjoy the sugar-rich nectar of the flowers, such as leaf-cutter bees. 

We are like lonely birds that sin,

Like lionesses craving a kin.

A crashing horn and a lying

Win—

What was it ever worth?

A penny, 

A nickel,

A dime. 

Quarterly worn, yet no more shy than

The land which we used to reside.

Anger comes from within;

Not from love, but

Our belittling limbs,

The grudges we hold, the fights we win. 

What you’ve grasped is rage!

A rage like a nightmare,

That keeps you locked in its cage,

Drowning in its own wage. 

Prancing around with

Words that are the lyrics to our songs—

The songs that we like to play along. 

But do not be fooled!

Lies cannot fathom

The truth behind our walls. 

Lurching winds tell not the truth but

The blood that falls and 

Falls. 

Like knives beneath our flaws,

Our blood chirps their sawdust and

Laws. 

‘Till mercy holds us to it. 

And when it has,

So you see,

Blood will slice its own tongue. 

We pain their fears,

Yet they weave and weave

The blood of their fallen swords upon

The mercy of their calls. 

The mockingbirds prowl,

The bleached baby cries,

But the lion holds dear to her kin, 

For she cannot stand it all, dear all. 

A prey,

A predator,

A view. 

Razors and sharp lungs, though no more sly than

The place we once saw alive. 

A burn, a fire,

Catching anew. 

What shall be next? 

Shall mercy pay its due? 

A wince and a cunning

Wisp of

Whispers and 

Hushes of all we were

And

To be. 

Mercy. 

Pay with your dimes,

Though the ever-playful mimes 

Will laugh and laugh it through. 

A thought, a prayer, a wish. 

Oh, forgive this list! 

But won’t you mercify this miss? 

A lion wails, for her kin has fallen!

The bird screeches, for the song has sullen,

But the drums play on and on. 

Will mercy pay its due? 

Pay with your quarters, but

They won't return your penny. 

A playful storm, so they say. 

One more chance, please!

One more play!

Mercy, mercy, the lion has fallen,

The bird has begone, but

The mime keeps on signing 

Blood that drips and

Drips. 

But mercify the soul!

The soul so pure,

The soul that no human won’t betray. 

Mercy, mercy!

So we beg,

But time plays us all,

And before we know it,

Mercy will be gone.

They cheer your name, they chant, they cry,
A hero stands – so bold, so high!

But do they see the bloodstained hands,
Or only banners in the sky? 

They paint your tale with strokes of gold:
A warrior brave, and a heart so bold.
But in the shadows, echoes rebel–
The doubts, the fear, and the hero’s dispel. 

They call it glory, a twist of fate,
But fear bends beneath the weight!
For heroes cannot stand so tall–
They rise, they break, they fight, they fall.

Gone.

And when the dusk has finally been cleared away,
They’ll find another, fresh, and slathered blue,
For heroes are never meant to stay,
Just stories told, not men and women betrayed. 

Glory to be made once more. 

Mother,

Sing me so–

A little dance,

A little row.

A crimson hush of velvet drapes

And 

A silver dagger’s edge

Slicing through the trembling dark

Where we once laid

In hushed delight. 

But time does not wait.

Not for you,

Not for me. 

And the shadows–

Oh, how they fell,

Tearing you open for all to see.

What sacred moments turned to dust!

What shall time steal next?

Only the hush of withered hands,

And the echoes of what was before

Them. 

Sterling enjoys bird-watching in the morning. 

That’s when the birds come out of the forest.

But a lesser known fact about him is that he also enjoys people-watching.

To see other people act the way they do, it fascinates him. What causes someone to become skittish, or violent. Sometimes, he can just tell by their body language what happened to them, mainly from the eyes.

Sterling ponders for a moment in his kitchen, the splash of milk being poured into the bowl igniting the hunger in his stomach once more, filled to the brim with cheap cereal.

He has that plan with Zorro today, to come with him to the arcade and simply hang out.

He doesn’t really want to do that anymore, but he’s already made a choice. He can’t take the coward’s way out and ghost this rather-lonely stranger.

He grabs ahold of the silver spoon as he digs it into the bowl, scooping up some cereal as he shoves it into his mouth pathetically. Like a dog, even.

A sad, droopy-eyed dog.

As he continues shoving spoonfuls of soggy cereal into his mouth, his eyes wander to the window above the sink. It is full of dirty dishes and cups that he doesn’t care to clean, the window usually draped shut. But on this beautiful morning, it was open, letting light pour into the room.

He isn’t used to light. He usually has the windows shut, the lights off. But that unhealthy habit would change today.

He feels an overwhelming sense of dread beginning to bubble into his chest. Calista had been following his account, for who-knows-how-long. Like a stalker, a shark in the ocean, bloodthirsty and looking for prey, she was there.

But this isn’t the first time she’s done this.

In fact, this is the seventh.

He even switched accounts twice. Just so he could get away from her.

He slams his hands onto the table as he clutches the wood, almost in a panic. He needs to focus on something else.

The Starcade.

He should go there early.

He gets up, ditching the half-finished cereal on the table as he rushes into his bedroom. He doesn’t even bother closing the door as he starts putting on a new shirt.

He didn’t have much time to focus on what shirt he was putting on, either.

When that was finished, he turns the lights off and slams his bedroom door, as he rushes to the front door, grabbing his coat from the coat hanger.

His neighbours were quiet this morning. He guesses that one guy went to work.

He puts on his coat hastily, before he swings the front door open, closing it quietly to not wake anyone else as he locks the door.

***

Sterling waits outside of the Starcade, his hands in his pockets. He sees people walking by, entering the vinyl shop across the street. He can see some cheerful and relaxed individuals entering the shop, most likely to buy a vinyl to listen to at home, or maybe they were eccentric employees that enjoyed their mundane existence.

He was never that big into music. He appreciated the work that went into making music, but he didn’t quite listen to it often.

It's not bad, it's just.. Not his thing.

Sterling hears footsteps from the side of the arcade as he swings his body over to the source of the sound. He keeps his hands in his pockets as the footsteps get closer and closer. He balls his fists in preparation.

He expects Calista to walk past and smile at him devilishly, but instead, it was Zorro.

He was wearing a brown coat, similar to his, but made of leather. He also had a pin on the left side of his chest, with his nametag on the right side of his chest. The pin was for a ghost-hunting group, that much he knew.

“Hey Ster. Glad to see you.” He waves slightly, his eyes avoiding Sterling’s.

Sterling hums in acknowledgment. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for speaking right now.

“So.. I brought about ten dollars worth of coins, so if you want, you can borrow some and, y’know.. We can play some arcade games. I-I’m pretty good.” Zorro scratches the back of his neck, looking away. Sterling can clearly see he was nervous.

“..I prefer to watch. I’m not interested in games.” Sterling responds to the taller man, as Zorro looks over in slight shock.

“..Oh. Y-Yeah, yeah, that's.. Fine. You can watch me play, yeah.” As Zorro speaks, his voice lowers into a mumble.

Sterling turns to the door and opens it, the sound of the arcade games blasting through the arcade. He enters, his boots trudging through the carpeted floor. He hears Zorro follow after him quickly.

The Starcade was empty for the most part, aside from a few lone people, and the employee at the Prize Corner. The building was much warmer than the outdoors. As to be expected, as it was the middle of Winter.

Zorro immediately walks to one of the arcade cabinets as he digs through his pockets, taking out a quarter as he inserts it into the cabinet. The game springs to life, as he grabs onto the joystick. Sterling approaches the man as he stands behind him, his hands behind his back, as if expecting him to do well.

He can tell Zorro is under pressure. His posture is fixed. He is no longer slouching, standing up straight. His hand movements are also quick and unprepared, as if he is going off on a whim.

Sterling doesn’t pay much attention to the game itself, more so the people around them. Doing his daily peoplewatching. His eyes spot a man with black hair in the corner, tapping his foot against the ground as he leans on the wall. Listening to music. His pose indicates the stranger was relaxed, distracted. His eyes then dart to another man with brunette, spiky hair in a ponytail playing another arcade game, his movements on the joystick were forceful, yet controlled. His perfect posture indicates he was not stressed, calculated, and knew what he was doing. And at the prize counter was some pink-haired teenager admiring the plushies that hang above her, but she’ll never get them, because they are ridiculously expensive.

Sterling’s attention focuses back on Zorro. Surprisingly, he is still playing, yet is still on-edge. He is mashing one of the buttons aggressively, the crunching 8-bit sound echoes. It is loud and sudden, as if like a gun. Just not as threatening.

“..Not bad.” He nods in approval at Zorro’s gameplay, as Zorro looks back.

“Really?” Zorro’s mouth is slightly agape, but suddenly a sharp beep could be heard from the cabinet as he turns back, groaning. He has lost the game, getting distracted by Sterling’s compliment.

“..You were, until you looked over at me and lost.” He says in a joking manner, but it wasn’t very clear to Zorro. It was more serious than anything.

“..Right.” Zorro mutters, then looking back at the high score list. He had not made it with this attempt, though he was on the leaderboard, with the name ‘ZOR’.

“You spend a lot of time here, don’t you?” Sterling questions, his eyes trying to meet Zorro’s, but failing once more.

“Oh, yeah. It's pretty much the place I spend the most time at, a-aside from the diner, but that doesn’t really count because it's my job, y’know?” Zorro scoffs as he looks back at the cabinet. The highest score was from a player named ‘OLE’, and the lowest belonged to someone named ‘EAG’.

“Damn it, I hate this ‘Ole’ guy. He’s number one in all of the games. Bloody ridiculous..” The man groans as he gently slams his fist on the cabinet. Sterling takes note of his anger, noticing how sensitive he was to losing.

“..You’ll get him one day.” He simply responds, turning to face the skating rink.

The rink was barren, empty like a wasteland. It was the middle of the day though, so the majority of people were either at work or at school. Still, the rink provided an eerie view. It was uncanny, almost dreamlike.

“..I ‘dunno how to skate. Never tried.” Zorro walks up from behind Sterling, causing Sterling to flinch.

“..Oh, sorry. Should’ve told you I was coming. M-My bad.” Zorro takes note of his flinching, then looks at Sterling’s puffy Winter coat.

“It's pretty warm here. Why do you have that on?” The man tilts his head slightly, questioning Sterling’s coat.

“I’d rather not answer that. It's a private matter.” Sterling doesn’t look back. He can’t face the man in the eyes. Just the mere mention of his coat brings him shame, because he knows what's under his coat.

“..O-Oh.” Zorro mutters, then the two grow quiet for what seems like an eternity, the idle sounds of the arcade games flickering and buzzing in the background, providing some white noise.

“..I do have work to attend to, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my leave.” Sterling blurts out almost suddenly. It was time to leave.
“..C-Could.. Could we do this again..? I-I enjoyed it.” Zorro’s voice is quieter, like a murmur, most likely because of their previous discussion. Sterling regrets saying anything. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. Like always.

“Of course.” Is all Sterling can muster before he strides off, leaving Zorro alone in the arcade once more.

He hates leaving the man alone. He knows Zorro is lonely and craves a friend, but he can’t deal with him right now. He has too much on his mind. He has a feeling Calista’s made another account by now, squirming her way through the cracks, burrowing her true identity like an insect, like she always does. Like she always did. He escaped her in person, but he can never escape her truly.

She’s even left her mark on him, on his arms, his shoulders. A disgusting mark of a snake.He’s embarrassed by what’s underneath.The birds would be, too.

He doesn’t even know where he’s going anymore.

He stops, as he begins to realize a bit too late that he can’t breathe.

He tries to take a deep breath but nothing comes into his lungs. It's like they just stopped working. He can feel himself heaving, can feel something worming its way up. It breaks through his body as he starts to retch, as the cereal he had for breakfast just a few hours before ends up on the concrete, nothing but a sludge, a liquidy disgusting paste, a stain. His legs wobble as he falls to his knees. He tries to catch his breath, but nothing works.

It's Calista’s fault, isn’t it? Too many people, he can see them, he thinks they’re crowding him.

He can hear a familiar voice, one that he desperately tries to reach, but it's muddled in the despair of it all. In the darkness.

He needs a torch to guide him through the dark. He needs something. Anything to get him out of this void he was being sucked into.

He can feel his body begin to shut down. His vision growing dark.

“Ster, deep breaths.”

The voice begins to grow weaker.

“Sterling? Sterling, if you can hear me...”

He can remember a vague memory. One that he misses so dearly.

O2

His day starts with bird-watching.

That's how it normally goes.

But today, Sterling is in a hurry to get to the library.

The man lifts his head up from his pillow as he rubs his droopy eyelids, keeping himself awake. The curtains on his windows are closed, so the sun doesn’t burn his tired eyes. He forces himself to sit up, like a poorly controlled mannequin wanting to stay lying. He itches his eyes one last time before he drags himself into a standing position, legs and shoulders even, walking with a stiff posture to his closet. He flicks the light switch on as he grunts softly, his eyes irritated by the sudden light. But after placing his hand above his eyes, he adjusts well to the light. He walks to his closet and opens it, takes out a baggy, long-sleeved shirt as he rips off the sweater he wore last night, and forces the new shirt onto his broad, bare shoulders.

Sterling does not like wearing clothes that reveal skin. He finds it to be too revealing for his own good.

He opens the door from his bedroom and walks with a slight slouch, ignoring the kitchen and instead going to the front door of his apartment. He grabs his brown winter coat and pulls it over his head, sliding his arms into the sleeves, and wraps his black scarf around his neck. He makes sure to grab his keys as he opens the front door, feeling the cold winter breeze slam into his face. He ignores it for now, stepping out onto the porch of the apartment as he closes the door, locking it with precision.

His apartment is on the second floor, apartment four-hundred-and-three. He has one neighbour, as the stairs leading down to the ground are to his left. To his right are the other two apartments. The first apartment is co-owned by two friends, he assumes. He does not bother to talk with them, but he knows one of them works at the diner down the street. The apartment past that is vacant.

Sterling sighs as he walks to the stairs and climbs down them as he reaches the pavement. He approaches his black Ford Puma and unlocks it, stepping into the driver's seat as he inserts the key, starting up the engine.

***

Sterling enters the warm library and he ignores the librarian’s greeting. He maneuvers his way to the computers and takes a seat in front of one, quickly typing in his login information for MindSpace.

When the site loads, he notices a new notification on the post he made last night.

He clicks onto the post and scrolls through the comments. There are comments asking why he posted this and comments sending him luck, but there is one particular comment that sticks out to him like a sore thumb.

From a user with an odd name.

WHERE_IS_MY_MIND: I’ll bite. If you’d like to meet up with me, then I’ll be waiting behind the diner near the dumpster.

Sterling doesn’t know if he should pursue the user or not. On one hand, it could be a trick, an opportunity for a thief–or even worse to strike. But on the other hand, this could be his one and only chance for the answer he was desperately seeking.

Sterling doesn’t respond to the comment and he logs out of his account and turns off the computer. He stands up and walks back to the entrance of the library, exiting shortly after.

He walks through the bitter cold without a care, still thinking about the ominous comment on his post, as he walks past the city hall and grocery store, looking both ways before crossing the empty street.

He walks down the street to a more open area. To his right is the Starcade, and to his left is the Fire Department, which is right beside the diner. He continues walking forward, placing his shaky hands in his coat pockets as he soon turns the corner to the fire department. He looks over to his right now, and walks over, reaching his destination. 

The back of the diner has nothing interesting to note. There is a small powerbox on the wall, and a dumpster on the left of the staircase leading up to the inside of the diner. The dumpster isn’t very clean–as to be expected, but there is a small corner that somebody could fit into that is relatively tidy. Sterling walks over to the dumpster and softly leans against it, folding his arms. He closes his eyes as he hears the distinct calls of birds echoing throughout the nearby forest. He notes that one of them is a sparrow.

Suddenly, his attention is snatched as he hears the backdoor of the diner open, and the sound of footsteps going down the steps as he turns his head to face the stranger.

Sterling notes that the person is the chef he saw yesterday, with his knotted brown hair that covered his eyes, and the long scar running down to his lips. His work uniform is neat and tidy, however, aside from his apron, which is stained with condiments and spices.

Sterling instinctively raises his hands and balls his fists, in case the man comes to attack.

“Woah, woah, hold your horses.” The man has a Welsh accent that is medium-pitch. His r’s are somewhat slurred as he raises his hands.

“Are you Sorrow? From MindSpace?” The man responds now, keeping a calm demeanor. Sterling simply nods. This must be WHERE_IS_MY_MIND.

“Got it, alright.. Uh..” The man pauses, as he begins to stutter. Sterling notices the nametag on the man’s uniform, decorated with stickers and patches. The name tag says;

‘Hello, my name is Zorro’.

“Zorro, is it?” Sterling now speaks up, his eyes meeting the man’s. The chef’s eyes dart away from the photographer’s, staring at the trees instead.

“Yeah, Zorro. Zorro Rhodes.” Zorro now clutches his name tag and taps his fingernails on it anxiously. Sterling can see the sweat dripping from his forehead, showcasing his nervousness to the world. Zorro quickly wipes the beads of sweat off his temple.

“Sterling Archer, photographer for The Pineridge Print. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Sterling extends his hand out for a handshake. Zorro slowly extends his hand as Sterling grabs it, firmly shaking the chef’s greasy hand. Sterling can feel sweat from his hands as he now lets go, wiping his hands clean against his thick brown coat.

“Uh, okay, so.. Why don’t we talk about this inside? There’s a booth available, I’m sure the boss won’t mind.” Zorro chimes in, gesturing to the open backdoor. Sterling hums in agreement now, as Zorro turns to the staircase and begins to walk toward it, climbing up the steps. Sterling follows suit behind him.

Once the pair enters the warm, cozy diner, Sterling notes the kitchen and the manager's office right beside the back door. The kitchen has no doors and instead has a curtain hiding the contents inside from the public. However, Sterling has no time to investigate it, as Zorro gestures to him to continue following. Once they exit the hallway, Zorro approaches the front of the diner, where an open booth sits right beside the entrance. Zorro slides into the left booth, and Sterling sits in the right booth. There sit two mugs of coffee as Sterling takes what he assumes is his. He inspects the mug, looking for any signs of it being tampered with.

“Hey, man. It's fine. Why would I hurt you?” Zorro looks up at Sterling, as he notices the man inspecting it.

Sterling shoots a distrustful look to Zorro, as Zorro shrinks into the booth slightly, intimidated by the photographer’s gaze.

“So.. getting down to business.” Zorro now sighs, a shakiness in his voice, as he grabs his own mug, taking slow sips out of it.

“What makes you think you might be related to me?” Sterling now hunches over, still making eye contact, despite Zorro not reciprocating it.

“Well.. a lot of things, actually.” Zorro takes a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before he continues.

“My dad had a beard.. wasn’t well kept though, uhm..” Zorro begins to stutter and delay his words with buffer.

“..What makes you think you are related to me?” Sterling cuts him off with a stern tone, causing Zorro to stop talking completely as he nervously laughs. Sterling notes this as he begins to tap his fingernails against the table rhythmically.

“Well.. m-my mom was.. She bounced around a lot, a-according to my dad. I’ve never met her before.” Zorro says in a hushed tone, his eyes darting around the diner nervously, almost in a sort of panic.

“And we also.. Look a-alike. We both have brown hair, and we’re both pretty tall. And, uhm.. w-we wear coats.. ” Zorro begins to grasp at straws as if trying to find a reason to keep Sterling’s attention. Sterling just sighs as he places his hand on the table.

“There’s a small chance we are related, but I doubt it. Regardless, we can still try and ask my mother for some answers.” Sterling’s voice drops to a whisper as he maintains eye contact with the anxious chef.

“..Right. Yeah, uhm, that's.. fine. T-that's fine. Uhm.. You’d like to come to the arcade with me tomorrow? I’m good at arcade games.” Zorro’s eyes dart to the table as he keeps avoiding eye contact with Sterling. He fidgets with his hands, cracking his fingers against the surface of the table, making a popping noise. It bothers Sterling’s ears, but he doesn’t say anything about it.

“I suppose, if I’m not busy tomorrow. I will inform you if I have the time.” Sterling looks down at Zorro’s hands. They are littered with scars and dry cuts from old scuffles. Sterling isn’t quite sure where or when he obtained those scars. Some are more noticeable than others, sticking out like sore thumbs. Despite the many questions that form in his brain, he doesn’t pry at the man. Some things are best left forgotten.

“Yeah, uhm.. Y-Yeah, of course. Same time?” Zorro now lights up, showing interest. Sterling nods as he slides out of the booth. Zorro follows suit, now standing. He is slouched, his posture is atrocious. Zorro extends his hand out for another handshake.

Sterling bites his lip subtly. He couldn’t trust the man. Not yet, at least. He backs up, as Zorro understands, lowering his hand. The two are silent for what feels like a lifetime.

“..I have places to be. I will see you tomorrow, Zorro.” Sterling speaks up after regaining his composure. He turns to the entrance of the diner and walks out in a hurry, leaving Zorro to ponder on what he could’ve said instead.

***

Sterling basks in the heat of the library as he types away on the keyboard. He types up an email to his boss, detailing his status.

In reality, Sterling is fine, but he needs an excuse to spend more time with the chef. Even if Zorro is not related to him in some way, Sterling knows the man is a lonely and troubled soul. From the way he spoke, stuttering and stumbling over his words, to the way he acted, not quite knowing what was appropriate. Sterling simply wants to help the man achieve a better social life.

Sterling sighs, feeling a headache kicking in, as he switches tabs to MindSpace. He mindlessly scrolls through his feed, scrolling past posts about bird-watching, photography, and flowers. It's all a blur to him as his brain idly takes in stimuli, but he stops when he sees himself.

It is a photo from years before, when his hair was shorter, only up to his neck. He wore a plain T-shirt, his arms bare and beautiful. He had a bright, colourful smile that could light up the whole world, and holding onto his arm was a beautiful smiling woman with ginger hair. She wore a red dress and had makeup on her lips. The post is captioned,

‘Missing you every day.. XOXO’.

Posted under the name,

‘CallaLily52’.

Sterling feels his heart begin pounding against his chest as he slides the mouse over to the bell icon on the corner of the screen. His thoughts are confirmed when he saw,

‘CallaLily52 has liked 25 of your posts.’

The world slowly starts to shrink around him as he clicks onto the user’s profile, his eyes darting around every post. He’s in all of them, he’s smiling in all of them, he thought he had blocked her account already.

Sterling hovers over the three dots beside her profile as he clicks it, then scrolls down to the ‘block’ button. Without a single thought he blocks the account.

He drags his hands across his face as he leans back against the cold chair.

He cannot face her. Not right now. He has better things to do.

Sterling’s eyes dart around the room, as if he could feel other’s eyes on him. He feels like he is being watched. His brain pushes against his skull violently as he quickly logs out of his account on the library’s computer as he jumps out of his seat, and runs without looking back.

***

The door shuts behind him as Sterling pants. He runs his hands through his hair as he starts taking deep breaths, slowly kneeling down onto the wooden floor. He had sprinted home after learning of her return.

He hears his neighbours yelling. Not out of anger, thank god, only in excitement. They are most likely watching sports or some other show. Sterling focuses on the sound of his panicked breathing, as it slowly begins to return to a normal rhythm.

Sterling closes his eyes as he places his hand on his chest, feeling his heart slowing down to a normal pace.

He spends a couple minutes calming himself down, and once he finds that he is competent, he stands again, grasping his keys from his coat pocket and locking the front door of his home. He takes off his winter coat, hanging it up on the coat rack. He silently walks through the empty home, his footsteps echoing through the halls, piercing his sensitive ears. He walks down the hall as he clutches the doorknob to his room, opening the door slowly, a loud creaking noise emerging from the door. He doesn’t bother turning on his room’s lights as he takes a silent step forward, closing the door behind him.

Sterling grasps his long-sleeved shirt as if considering whether to take it off or not. He lets go of his shirt.

Taking it off would be too revealing for his own good.

He flops onto his bed as he grunts in exhaustion. He stares up at the beige ceiling with drooping eyelids, his hair sprawled around the mattress.

He wishes his day ended with bird-watching, but it ends with soap operas, much to his dismay.

But today, he wishes he could be watching the soap opera instead of remembering his ex.

O1

His day starts with bird-watching and ends with bird-watching.

Well, that’s how he wants it to end.

Instead, he ends his day at home at the apartment complex, watching meaningless soap operas and dramas on the TV. He groans in annoyance. Thankfully, it isn’t night yet, so he goes into the forest, holding his Bushnell binoculars with the strap resting on his neck. He flicks away a strand of his long dark brown hair that always torments him in times like these. However, he prefers his hair to be long, as it gently dances in the air.

“Focus, Sterling,” He whispers to himself softly, lifting the binoculars to his pale purple eyes. The woods around him are lonesome and silent, but the cold winter breeze makes him shiver a little. His eyes focus into the woods as he slowly moves his head to a branch on one of the trees in front of him. There sits a lonely American robin, chirping ever so merrily, with a hint of somberness. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots movement from the ground farther away. He slowly turns his head to the movement, then turns the focus wheel on the binoculars to focus in on the bird, a Black-capped chickadee. It is pecking at the forest floor, as if looking for seeds. It is a common sight in the forest, and in North America in general, so the man isn’t very surprised to see it.

Suddenly, another burst of movement flies past, and the man quickly follows the movement with his head, trying to track the bird. Once he finally sees the movement rest on a branch, he turns the focus wheel counterclockwise to focus in on the specimen, finally taking in its appearance.

It is gray, dull, and it has a slender tail with pinkish legs. Sterling lowers his binoculars and reaches into his winter coat’s pocket, digging around to pull out a small handbook on birds and corvids. He flips through the pages, one by one, observing the diagrams of the birds, trying to match what he saw just a few seconds before, until his eyes land on one particular bird.

The Zenaida Macroura, also known as the Mourning Dove.

***

Mourning.

A natural aspect of human behavior. To grieve for a loved one. The expression and act of deep sorrow.

Sterling reflects on that word as he stares down at his notepad. It's littered with notes for later, for both his work and homelife. Sterling likes to contemplate the meaning of words quite often. As a part-time creative writer, he frequently finds himself studying the meaning of various words, trying to make sense of why words were created, and their significance.

“Welcome to Tom’s Diner, the home away from home for Pineridge!” A chippy voice breaks through his mundane thoughts as he looks away from his notepad to gaze at the voice, which originated from an average-sized woman with teal, frizzy long hair, wearing the restaurant’s signature checkered pattern on her apron, and her shirt a bright red to match the diner’s colours.

“What would you like to order, sir?” The woman asks now, dragging out her notepad and pen to write his order down. Sterling immediately states his order without pausing.

“I will have an espresso with chocolate, nutmeg, and honey, please and thank you.” He recites his daily order with ease, having memorized it long ago. As he finishes speaking, the waitress’ face shows a twinge of disgust, perhaps to his order, perhaps to his voice, perhaps to himself altogether. Nonetheless, she obliges, writing down the order and nodding before speed-walking to the hallway, right beside the main counter.

Sterling takes in his surroundings. It's oddly quiet, he notes. Usually, there would be a swarm of people just waiting to be served, but today, there are only a few other customers, and they’re all keeping their conversations to themselves, not yelling out what goes on in their daily lives. Perhaps this is why, only a few short minutes later, the waitress walks out of the hallway and over to his booth, sliding over his espresso. Sterling nods in thanks as he picks up the white mug and brings it to his lips, letting the warm drink rush into his throat, taking in the sweet and warm taste of the coffee. The waitress has already left, she is talking to the last customer she hasn’t served yet.

Sterling looks back down at his notepad, beginning to plan out what the rest of his day will be like. A couple of nights prior, Sterling had sent out a message to MindSpace requesting to speak with his mother. His mother had been absent his entire life, and he wanted to know how she was doing after she left him behind. He doesn’t hold a grudge against her. In fact, he feels curious as to why she left him behind with his father, who, albeit a bit strict, was loving and a good role model to look up to. He is hoping that when he returns to the library to use one of their computers, he can go onto MindSpace and see if she has responded, but he doesn't have high hopes.

He swallows the final drop of his sweet, energizing coffee as he sets the mug down on the counter. He reaches into his pocket and retrieves his wallet, pulling out $1.10 and setting it on the table. He pushes himself from the seat and shuffles out of the booth, moving toward the exit, when he peers down the hallway that the waitress had entered. He notices two employees; the waitress he had interacted with, and what appeared to be a chef. The man has dark brown hair that is untidy and almost covers his eyes. On his cheek near his mouth, he has a noticeable scar, and he towers over the waitress. His voice has a slight accent, similar to Welsh. From their quiet whispers, Sterling notes they are most likely talking about him. Sterling pays no mind to their conversation and walks out the door, immediately stepping into a colder environment, the grass covered in a thick blanket of snow. 

Sterling pays no mind to the cold air, as he is wearing a thick winter coat and a black scarf. A few feet away from the diner is the auto shop, though Sterling has never visited it before. He turns to the right and begins to walk forward, passing by buildings in the town. Once he passes these buildings, he turns to the crosswalk and looks both ways before crossing the street, reaching the grocery store, but going around it. He sees the town hall, and right beside it is the library. He crosses the street again, moving to the town hall and passing by it, then finally arriving at the library. When he enters the library, the warm air hits him like a truck as he takes in the comforting warmth. He doesn’t spend a long time reveling in it though, as he walks to the back of the library with silent steps, making sure not to disturb the others that were engrossed in their stories.

The library is like a maze of bookshelves, each stocked with books, autobiographies, and many other types of novels, almost like a treasure trove for the brave adventurer. Nestled in the crowds of shelves were two tables, side by side, each housing four computers. Sterling takes a seat at one of the tables, and turns on the computer. When it boots up, he opens Google and enters the link for MindSpace, then logs into his account: The_Sorrow. As soon as he logs in, he notices a red dot on the bell icon near the top right of the screen.

The man clicks it, and notices that he has received a private message from an account known as simply;

IvoryR53.

Sterling clicks on the private message and reads it silently to himself.

The message contains questions about Sterling himself, such as: ‘who is his father?’ and ‘where was he born?’. Sterling, despite feeling suspicious about the users intentions, types in the answers to their questions. Sterling’s father was a man named Issac Archer, who lived a quiet lifestyle, and he was born in Denver, Colorado.

Sterling clicks onto another tab and begins to mindlessly scroll through the Internet as he nervously waits for a reply. Though at some point he switches over to his email to look through important emails. Sterling worked as a photographer for the newspaper, so he was usually at the events hosted at Pineridge.

When Sterling decides to tab back into the message, he notices a response from the user.

IvoryR53: Sterling Archer?

The_Sorrow.: Yes. My name is Sterling Archer, and I am 28 years old.

IvoryR53: There is no doubt about it

IvoryR53: I believe you are my son

Strangely, Sterling feels nothing. Sterling isn’t shocked, nor is he happy. He just feels...  empty.

Mourning.

He is perhaps mourning the fact that he does not care for her, but he can’t bring himself to.

Their conversation quickly takes flight, as the two begin to discuss how their lives have changed. Sterling had graduated and even found himself a well-paying job, being able to pursue art. Ivory, on the other hand, works in an office complex in North Carolina, having moved away from Pineridge after she decided she no longer wanted to pursue a life of partying, which is where Sterling supposes he was conceived.

Ivory then sent him another message, which, at a glance, would be just a simple message, but in Sterling’s eyes, he sees an opportunity.

IvoryR53: You do have a half-brother

Sterling, instead of feeling simple emptiness, feels.. surprise. He believed he didn’t have any siblings, or half-siblings, for that matter, yet perhaps he should’ve known. His mother did say she had a life of partying.

The_Sorrow.: Can I ask who they are?

IvoryR53: I never named the baby, I wasn’t even interested in him

The_Sorrow.: Then perhaps, do you remember the baby’s appearance? A last name, by chance?

IvoryR53: His father had maroon eyes, and he was dirty

IvoryR53: I think the baby might have my last name

Sterling digs his hands through his clean, tidy hair to comfort himself. The revelation of a half-brother truly shocked him in a way he had never felt before.

Sterling ends the conversation there, telling his mother he has to process the news, and that he will try and find his half-brother’s identity. The two say their goodbyes, as Sterling returns to the menu of the website. He shakily moves the mouse to the ‘New Post’ button and clicks it, then writes a simple paragraph.

My name is Sterling Archer. I am a photographer for the Pineridge Print. Recently, it has come to my attention that I have a half-brother that I have never met before. I would like to meet him, or at least talk with him through MindSpace. If you have brown hair, maroon eyes, and your last name starts with an r, please send me a private message. We can talk more in the private message itself.

Thank you,

Sterling.

Sterling hovers over the ‘Post’ button for a good chunk of time before he finally finds the courage to press it.

Mourning.

Mourning for a brother.

Many gods have pondered as to my existence, I'm the youngest one of the heavens, but the strongest, well, no, I'm not actually, I wish I were, but I'm not, I'm lying to myself.

life is but a stage, and off stage, there’s an even bigger stage, I live the life of a faker, one in fear. 

But I’ve started too early, let us rewind the clock, chip away at the tick tock 

And start where this fairy tale truly began, in the tumbling hallows of life, the blooming flowers of remembrance, as they let their seeds bloom in the mind of their host.

—

???: “Did you hear? The royal family finally had a girl!”

///: “It only took 6 boys first though, you tell me, would you wanna have 6 sons then one girl? Plus, you know what I heard? She’s not even pretty!”

???: “That can’t be true! Look at her parents, king and queen, they’re gorgeous, no way they had an ugly child, plus, she’s only days old right now, all babies are ugly are they not?”

///: “I suppose you make a fair point, though the real question is what even is her name? I swear, what’s the point of telling the whole angel society you’ve had a child if you’re not gonna tell us the name? ugh..” 

???:” You seriously don’t know her name you dumbo? I swear you really are stupid…  Fine then I guess i'll tell you, the name of the princess of life is Siene.”

— 

88: “Your eyes…how gorgeous, you’ll make for a perfect princess, I can just tell”

The lady you see there, she’s beautiful, isn’t she? She looks nothing like me.

she’s my mother…besides her is my father.

God of the heavens, God of life, God of the universe split with the God of death. 

Both of them ruling side by side but the sands of fate will change that rulership to be hand in hand.

What do I mean? You’ll understand young one, not now, but you will one day, I must be off, now you will watch the clock of my life tick and tock till the time is just right, at least when you deem it right. 4 years into this life is where one shall begin”

— Start

A small young girl in a frilly, snowy dress sits by the bank of a shallow river, beautiful locks of hair draped down her back they were similar to the colour of a vivid moon on a crisp clear night and her eyes were a beautiful light blue, so light it could be mistaken for a calm river mirroring the reflection of the sun on its surface. Pigmented puffy pink lips to match her chubby face, hands reaching into the water, celestial, dainty wings stemming from her back, slumped down, not properly folded on her back, expensive jewellery adorned her. Her wrists were plump with baby fat as she played with the water the soft sounds of splashing could be heard and so could the soft sounds of padded footsteps, ones trodding towards the young girl, she paid them no mind, ignoring them, already knowing the person wouldn’t harm her, more like she knew they couldn’t. 

After a couple of moments, a young boy who looked slightly older than the girl enjoying herself in the water appeared, he had dark hair with two long horns protruding from his head, they were a set of dragon horns they boy had absolutely stunning features, 

Long and thick lashes, eyes that looked like they were plucked from the cosmos, a beautiful dark viola with fair and clear skin, plump pinky lips to compliment the rest of his features 

“What are you doing?” spoke the boy, his voice one of jest, almost like he was mocking the little girl 

“Playing with water!” the little girl exclaimed, as she looked back at him wide smile splayed across her face, droplets of water dripping from her wet arms as she took her hands out of the water, wings puffing up slightly as she turned her head calmly to face him

The boy stares at her before looking towards the small crown on her head indicating she was the princess of heaven.

“Agh, you’re the princess Siene, I’m Zephyr! I’m the crown prince of the dragons” Zephyr outstretched his hand, waving to her and smiled down at her, waiting for her to respond to him

A moment of silence passed, a light breeze passing by the two before a voice spoke, she had spoken.

“...lizard….you look like lizard” she stated as she looked towards his tail, reminding her of the lizards she’d see when playing in the garden as she usually did, little Siene didn’t mean her words in a rude or harmful way but little did she know, that was just one of the worse insults she could give.

“WHAT?!, EXCUSE ME?!” shouts erupted from the dragon's mouth as he got compared to a lizard, dragons, the warriors of the universe, some of the most feared creatures, being compared to a mere lizard, the young dragon's tail trashes around in an attempt to display how annoyed yet flustered he felt.

“Stop yelling, Zephyr. She didn’t mean any harm and she’s only four years old, you’re seven! Be respectful!” A sharp voice came yelling, it was a tall man with the same features as Zephyr, and it was obvious the man was Zephyr’s father, he wore expensive jewels all over his body, they glittered under the suns gaze as he stood there a heavy crown adorned his head, it was fitted so that his horns weren’t an issue, the dragon had sharp and cold eyes, almost like he had planned everything around him out, he looked dead with ghoulish pale skin he was a lot unlike his son in that regard, Zephyr despite looking like an almost exact replica of him who just had more purplish hair. He also had a sense of vitality to him, his eyes were full of life and happiness, while Zephyr's father was the opposite, his had a sense of necrosis to them, his were almost those of a dead man. 

“Greetings Princess Siene, I’m Zephyr's father please excuse my babbling son”

As his father spoke Zephyr sunk further into himself, tail wrapping around his thigh, tightly hugging his thigh as if he was trying to cut it off, he’d been caught yelling. How shameful for the up-and-coming God of Dragons, he was supposed to be respectful to the princess of life, kind even, even if she was 7th in line to the throne, “she must be treated with respect”, one that you’d give to someone who commanded you for that is exactly what Sienes family did, they ordered their stars, the strongest, to fight for them and them alone. 

“Now, Zephyr, what do you say?” His father's voice came, shattering Zephyr out of his thoughts.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just…you called me a lizard…harlot”

“What does harlot..?” crap. Siene heard him and parrotted what he said, crap. 

 “mean?” why did this always happen to him?

“I DIDN’T SAY THAT FATHER SHE’S LYING” shouts of horror erupted from the young prince, it almost was like he had a speaker in his throat, how was it possible for him to be so loud? Pondered Siene, she stared at him, even though she was only 4 even she couldn’t deny he was pretty but he was making her ears hurt, who knew that the so-called silent warrior’s prince could also be so loud?

“Zephyr, Let’s go.” His father's voice came, cold and harsh, commanding Zephyr almost exactly like how he commanded armies into war uncaring for what becomes of the soldiers knowing that they can be replaced. 

Zephyr's mouth opened in response, almost like he wished to speak but his mouth quickly sealed as he let his father drag him off, leaving the young princess alone, she’d never meant for that to happen, to the sweet little angel lizards were cool! They were so fast and some of them had pretty colours! She once even saw one with the same purple colours that Zephyr adorned! How was that an insult? 

The young princess stared at the Father and son leaving, before pushing both her hands down onto the soft grass pushing herself up swiftly before almost falling backwards back onto the grass before stabilising herself, her two hands and wings jutting out underneath her in an attempt to keep herself from falling before she looked back towards Zephyr and his father, her legs moving and carrying her towards them before she runs in front of them. 

“I- YOU’re PRETTY! AND PURPLE!” shouts erupted from the young princess, despite the vocabulary not being the best due to the young princess only being 4, at least it was understandable, Sienes arms thrashed out, her wings puffing to the biggest she could make them, stretching them out to their full length, they were her attempt to make her small frame seem bigger, make herself as imposing as possible in an attempt for them to listen, to look at her like she was worth the time

“...is he now..?” a smirk, a devilish one on the king of dragons appeared, looking at his son with a side glance before his tail whipped to Zephyr, pushing him forward towards the princess, letting the young whelp stumble slightly as he caught his footing 

“.. I’m pretty?” a small flush, a charming pinky hue gracing his cheeks, dusting across them as he caught himself, standing straight and looking at the 4-year-old princess in front of him, eyes widened slightly as he blinked his wings puffing up slightly and his tail whipping back and forth like a lovesick puppy 

“Very pretty!” a smile tugged onto the young princess's lips as she gazed up at him, eyes gleaming with joy

But before the princess or the whelp could say anything a harsh voice rang out, the king of dragons, 

“Well then, I’m glad to see you have sorted yourself’s out, Zephyr be nice… I’ll..be back” spoke the dragon, a contemplating glint behind his violet eyes before he stalked off, flicking his tail to create a portal behind him before quickly leaving the two and going off on his own, leaving the two younglings behind in the gardens

—

“May the feast begin for this joyous occasion!” a boisterous voice rung out , applause roaring through the dining hall. 

Seine’s small self seated on a man who looked like her, similar features, the same puffy wings stemming from his back, luxury clothing gracing his body, a hand wrapped around his daughters only thing different was the pronounced gold tips on his wings, something that emphasised his divinity , locks of snowy hair cascading down his slim and dreamy features, a lady next to him, the same puffy wings but with silverish tips, on each wing a singular gold tip, signifying her relation to him as the queen of the heavens, ethereal features gracing her, lips weakly glimmering under the sun’s setting gaze