February 2021

Editors:

Aamira Dayatar, Mythili Madhusoodanan,

Aarti Rao, Ryan Samaroo, and Aarav Sanghavi

Black History Month

WRITERS: Mudit Champaneri & Aviraj DasguptaINFORMATION TEAM: Wannia Syed & Kena DarjiPHOTO TEAM: Jay Chauhan & Manav Shah

February is the month where we honor influential Black Americans. Black History Month was first recognized and founded in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. We celebrate leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Carla Hayden, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, and Marian Anderson because they changed the world and made the world more fair for everyone.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential leader who had marches with people to stop slavery and to let everyone have freedom. He held speeches and his “I Have a Dream” was the most famous speech he ever said. He was sent to jail many times but he never gave up and kept on fighting for justice.

Carla Hayden is the librarian of Congress and she is the first African American. She was the first woman of color to have this job. She worked in the Library of Congress which is the official library of the U.S. Congress. Hayden was named librarian of Congress in 2016.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson changed history as the first African American to play major league baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Another notable icon of Black History is Rosa Parks who spent her life fighting for equal rights that would make sure all people are treated fairly. In 1955, Parks is famously known for being arrested in Alabama when should would not give up her bus seat to a white person. Her brave act helped change unfair laws.

Additionally, Marian Anderson was a famous singer. In 1955, she became the first African American to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. She also was the first African American to sing at the White House. These are just a few examples but research for yourself and you’ll find countless examples of even more inspiring people continuing to contribute to Black History.

Valentine's Day

WRITERS: Emaan Shazad & Dami OyinkoladeINFORMATION TEAM: Janvi Patel & Arya GhaitadkePHOTO TEAM: Atharva Mhatre & Juhi Varghese

We all know what Valentine’s Day is, right? Do you know how it started though? Well, leave this up to me and I will tell you about its origins. In the 3rd century BCE, Rome had a powerful emperor named Claudius II, who was very greedy for power. He realized that men who weren’t married would make for way better soldiers because they didn’t have families to take care of and would then be more devoted to protecting their country. Unlike unmarried men, married men focused more on taking care of their families, and while they were in the army, they kept thinking about their loved ones instead of focusing on the battle. In Claudius’ opinion, this made them weak soldiers rather than strong soldiers.

Therefore, Claudius II decided to outlaw marriage so he could build a stronger army. St. Valentine, a bishop of Rome, didn’t think Claudius’s actions were fair because he thought women and men would be happier with families. So, he decided to marry all of the young couples so they wouldn’t feel discouraged. Eventually, Claudius discovered something very interesting and captured it which was St. Valentine. He was then furiously taken to jail where he was tortured and brutally injured. Claudius then beheaded him outside of Rome, but the story doesn’t end there, there's more to it.

Some people say that before his death, Valentine fell in love with a young woman, who might have been the jailer’s daughter, and sent her a letter, signing it “from, your valentine.” This was the first-ever known Valentine. Now, because of that, we celebrate Valentine’s Day to honor St. Valentine’s heroism and bravery for his actions. So be thankful that we live in a peaceful world where we are free to marry and make sure to make a meaningful Valentine for someone special. Happy Valentine’s Day!

100th Day of School

WRITERS: Om Chauhan & Pranathi MaddigapuINFORMATION TEAM: Maanvi Tyagi & Aditri GargPHOTOGRAPHERS/ARTISTS: Jessica Shrivastav & Ananya Sriram

We celebrate the 100th Day of School because it signifies the 100th day of the school year, 100 days of knowledge and education. This occasion is different from other school days because it has special activities that set it apart from a routine day. One 100th Day of School activity is having students draw a picture of what they will look like when they are 100 years old. Some students even got the chance to dress up as hundred-year-olds! Even though this year was a little different, there are many activities that celebrate the 100th day of school.

Here are some of those activities and ideas: 100th Day of School Activities & Ideas or 100th Day of School Concepts and Celebrations.

Super Bowl LV

WRITER: Aarav Sanghavi & Azan Adeel

INFORMATION TEAM: Kayla Clavijo, Tarun Vazirani & Pranav Pradeep

PHOTO TEAM: Shlok Dekhtawala & Aarav Ashar A.

It was February 7, 2021, and the day finally arrived. The day for the Super Bowl LV. Which is also known as Super Bowl 55. I had been waiting for a long time for this, but this year was the most tempting year of all. It was the oldest quarterback against the youngest quarterback. A huge amount of people thought that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to win easily. It was also Tom Brady’s 10th Super Bowl and 7th Super Bowl win surprising any other player. That’s crazy! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing in their home stadium which is making it the first time a team had played in their stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. I had everything ready for the game, starting from the TV to the delicious food as well as my cozy blanket. The game finally started at 6:30 pm. It felt like I was waiting forever!

22,000 people were watching the game in person and about 100 million total viewers online! Wow! This year a lot of celebrities came in person. Some of them are DJ Khaled and Lady Gaga Everyone thought that this year it would be intense but the Buccaneers destroyed the Chiefs! The final score was 31 - 9. This year Tom Brady made 3 touchdowns in the first half! Only one player had scored enough to win against the Chiefs. At first, the Chiefs had gotten a field goal which is basically when a team kicks the ball and gets in it the goal. A few minutes later Rob Gronkowski, a player from the Buccaneers ran down the field passing the defense and got the first touchdown in the game. This was just the start of what Tampa Bay was going to play. Another few minutes later, Rob Gronkowski had gotten another touchdown, which made me want to jump up and down on my couch because the team I want to win is scoring. After that, the Buccaneers were taking the game away from the Chiefs. The Buccaneers were getting so many points now. It was almost unbelievable! When it was half time the Bucs already had 21 points! Then once the 3rd quarter started they kept on bringing points in and increasing their score. Now it was 31-9. The fourth quarter was pretty boring because none of the teams got any points. Just like that, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl! The Buccaneers won by a lot but the game was still very exciting this year! Did you enjoy the game this year? Also, who did you want to win the Super Bowl!?

ALL THIS SNOW!

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WRITERS: Prabhnoor Kaur & Aamira Dayatar

INFORMATION TEAM: Joshita Sadu & Ryan Samaroo

PHOTO TEAM: Siddharth Rayachoti & Zimbabwe Lorde

It seems like we are getting a lot of snow in New Jersey this winter! Also, it looks like there’s more heading our way! It has snowed 2-3 feet in the first snowstorm, and even more in some places. The most snow we have gotten was since 2016! With all this cold weather the snow won't be melting for a while in most places. With these high winds from the polar vortex that's hitting New Jersey from the North pole as well!. As atmospheric conditions remain consistent, and the combination of a really weak polar vortex and a huge mass of frigid air circulating tightly around the North Pole. The cold air is mostly coming down, and the winter storm track hovering over the state has all been the driving factors for the winter storms we have seen this winter.

The snow is very compact and hard to break. Cars, trucks, and many more vehicles have been buried in the snow. There also have been many car accidents on highways because of snow!. At least kids can play in the snow! But, get your shovels ready cause more snow is on its way! It's starting to seem like every other day, that New Jersey will see another winter storm that will bring us a good amount of snow. In fact, forecasters from the National Weather Service and private meteorologists are now tracking three potential storm systems heading our way. That is likely to produce more snow accumulation. Ice rain is also adding to the snowstorms we have gotten in New Jersey this winter! Also, all those big piles of hard compact snow might not be melting till spring they say. This is a brutal winter. This snow is so much that it is making up for the past 2 years. Be ready to shovel more snow that’s heading our way!

Chinese New Year

WRITERS: Risha Varma & Dyuti Hira

INFORMATION TEAM: Viha Varma, Akshita Kothapalli & Ananya Arun

PHOTO TEAM: Aavni Agrawal & Azlan Tumkur Arief

Chinese New Year is here! It’s is a time of festivity and fun! This festival is held for at least 2 weeks. It starts on February 12th. The first day combines the elements of the Chinese New Year Festival with a standard American parade. The holiday originated from the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century. The Chinese calendar was ‘ruled’ by Yin and Yang. The day was held to honor the time for a new calendar.

It is a holiday, so of course, there’ll be a ton of festivals, fun, and food! The food there all has a symbol. You may think that the noodles, dumplings and tāngyuán rice balls is all there for show, but all of them are there for a reason. The noodles represent a long life if you eat them. So, advice time! You should eat noodles on Chinese New Year. Next the moon-shaped dumplings; it represents the family uniting and of affection. So you might wanna eat some dumplings if you want to get away with stealing $20 from your sibling. Fish is also a symbol, and it means a wish for abundance. Abundance means a large quantity of something.

So you probably have never heard of this but there is a such thing as Zodiac Animal signs! A Zodiac sign is an animal that represents a year. The year you are born in reflects what your zodiac sign will be. Like, how amazing is that? There are 12 animal signs. And now by looking below, you will find out which is yours!

Presidents' Day

WRITERS: Jia Arora & Amee Patel

INFORMATION TEAM: Dyuti Hira & Ananya Arun

PHOTO TEAM: Keertana Maturi & Eshaan Yadav

This year, Presidents' Day is on the 15th of February. Every 3rd Monday of February, Presidents' Day is celebrated. What is Presidents' Day, you might ask? Presidents' Day is a day where we celebrate all of the Presidents of the USA. That is why we respect this day by having no school on the 3rd Monday of February. We also celebrate George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday in the month of February, usually on or around Presidents' Day. George Washington’s birthday is on February 22nd and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is on February 12th. His birthday is used as a remembrance of his death. Abraham Lincoln's death is marked by laying a wreath in Kentucky. They also do this in Washington D.C. at Lincoln’s Memorial. We hope that you enjoyed learning more about Presidents' Day!

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