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New! APG Advice Column: Ask Ada

11/12/2020

 
Dear Ask Ada,

    I hate the pandemic. I miss going to lots of places and I feel like I can’t connect to my friends through distance learning. I talk to them over hangouts or on the phone sometimes, but it never really feels right! How should I connect with the people I care about if I’m not even allowed to see them in person?

Thanks,
-Lonely in SF

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Dear Lonely in SF,
    
    I agree that sometimes social distancing can be hard, but there are lots of ways to stay connected. Here are some tips for beating the loneliness during the pandemic:

  • You can try to meet with people in person, but keep distance or wear masks. Outdoor places like the beach and the park might be safer to go to. If you or your parents are uncomfortable meeting people in person, you can instead propose that you find one friend that you really like, and hang out with that person and their family only. Make a quaranteam! I do this sometimes, and it’s a good way to build relationships!
  • If live hangouts aren’t allowed by your parents either, then you can try to interact more with your friends virtually. For instance, you can join the same clubs, or you can play cooperative games on HouseParty or Among Us together. Setting up Google Meets and Zoom meetings outside of school to chat would be cool too!
  • Try and have fun with the people that you can see! Bonding with your siblings over water guns or board games, and helping your parents cook dinner could be really fun! This is also a good way to get closer to the people that you love.
  • You don’t have to be in the same place at the same time to have a physical connection with your friends. How about having a postal mail pen pal? You can exchange puzzles, cards, or letters! This can be a really fun way of speaking to your friends. Or maybe you can do a collaborative art project: get some chalk and find a spot like the reservoir, or in front of the library, where you can both work on the same mosaic at different times.
  • Last but not least, you can try a book exchange. Personally, when quarantine hit, I got really bored of reading because there was nothing new. With the libraries and bookstores closed, there was no way for me to get new books. Exchanging books with friends is cool because you can read new material, but also get rid of old things.

Hope these ideas helped,
-Ask Ada

History Column: WHy were the Ancient Egyptian pyramids built?

11/12/2020

 
Picture
By: Liliana Khachaturyan

Ever wondered why the famous Egyptian pyramids were built? The Egyptians had strong beliefs and believed in the afterlife.  The pyramids of Giza were royal tombs built for three different pharaohs.  Once a king died, the people took out his organs and left only the lungs. They thought the brain wasn’t needed, so they plucked it out of the nose and threw it away. They kept the heart because they thought the gods used the heart to judge the person’s soul. The youngest king was King Tut and he became King at the age of 9! I know it sounds too crazy to believe but he became king at age 9! Sadly he died at age 19. Some say it was because he was riding his chariot and fell off and snapped his leg in half, with the bone.  In 1922, November 26, Howard Carter found the body of King Tut. The young king’s coffin was moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum and his body was first displayed to the public in 2007.  That’s all I got folks, Happy Thanksgiving!


To Trick-or-Treat or Not to Trick-or-Treat

10/28/2020

 
by Isabelle Huang
Should you go trick-or-treating this year? With Halloween around the corner, some people decide to stay home this year but others rather go out and participate in their normal Halloween traditions. Due to this year’s circumstances, people are troubled about what they should do. Online resources  about the Covid-19 pandemic suggested that you should avoid going trick-or-treating in your neighborhood and handing out candies, even if you wear a mask and follow the guidelines published by CDC, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. However, the majority of people felt that they have been quarantining long enough that it would be fine to trick-or- treat as long as you take all the proper precautions. 
    Even though the pandemic is still going on, some people believe you can still go trick- or- treating. A good number of citizens say that as long as you wear a mask, social distance, and simply avoid contact such as dropping down the treats for the trick-or- treaters to pick up, along with following precautions, trick- or-treating is still considered safe and as doable as ever. Families can trick-or-treat at trusted family and friends’ homes or staying in their own neighborhoods.
    On the other hand, a lot of people say that you should avoid trick-or-treating even with the procedures of a mask and social distancing. Also, people proved that they can find other ways to stay at home and celebrate halloween safely such as going on Zoom and carve pumpkins with each other or find a game where you can do in-game trick-or-treating. Another reason why people decide to skip trick-or-treating this year is because it would help contain the virus as it can potentially spread from person-to-person by touching the same candy bowl.
    In conclusion, Halloween this year will for sure be different.  But in the end, it is up to you on how you want to celebrate it. If it's resuming your normal Halloween traditions or staying at home, be sure to stay safe and follow all the guidelines! Happy Halloween!

Hurricanes

10/28/2020

 
By Juliette de Clapiers

Hurricanes can destroy millions of homes, along with lives! They hurt people, and leave a lot of damage behind them. Hurricanes have seasons which is when there are the most hurricanes although there can be hurricanes other times. The hurricane season is different for each ocean. The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th, and the Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15th to November 30th. An average hurricane can dump 6 inches to a foot of rain across a region and they can also produce tornadoes… For a hurricane to form there needs to be warm ocean water and moist, humid air. Once there is humid air, it flows upward into a zone of low pressure that is over the warm ocean water, the water releases from the air creating the clouds of the storm, and while it rises the air in a hurricane rotates. They can travel 15-20 miles per hour.
    When a hurricane is formed, it is seen by a special satellite that is monitored 24/7, and then is told to the people that they think might be affected by it. People take action to protect their homes the best they can. There are different types of ways to protect yourself, and here they are, listed: 
Pre-Season Preparation:
  • Enter the season prepared.
  • Know all evacuation routes if you live close to the coast.
  • Make sure your home meets building codes for withstanding hurricanes, and they have storm shutters.
  • Have proper tools, supplies, and a first aid kit.
  • Have plenty of batteries and flashlights
  • Always have plenty of non-perishable foods on hand.
When a Watch or Warning is Issued:
  • Leave low lying areas.
  • Protect windows with plywood boards, or storm shutters.
  • Secure outside objects.
  • Make sure you have plenty of fuel and water.
  • Have several days' supply of food and water for each family member.
  • If called to evacuate, do so immediately.
Before the Storm: 
  • Be ready to put your plan and preparation into action.
  • Pay attention to local weather reports on radio, television, or the internet.
  • Have the house boarded up, or have storm shutters in place.
  • Have plenty of food and water.
  • Make sure all your tools, supplies, and first aid kit are available for use.
  • Have a secure room available.
During the Storm: 
  • Stay in a Secure Room.
  • Stay away from windows.
  • Do not use the phone, or candles.
  • Monitor Weather and Civil Service Bulletins on either regular or NOAA radio.
  • Have supplies on hand.
  • Remain indoors when the eye moves over your area because the storm will resume shortly.
After the Storm: 
  • Make sure that all is definitely clear outside, and the storm has completely passed before going out.
  • Report downed power lines, and stay away from them.
  • Use stored water and food.
  • Be patient. Things will take a while before they get back to normal.
    Let us take a real hurricane into count: “The National Hurricane Center reported that hurricanes can destroy: 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm: 1 in Kentucky, 2 each in Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, 14 in Florida, 238 in Mississippi, and 1,577 in Louisiana.”  In total hurricanes are bad and here are some facts to help support that opinion by using Hurricane Katrina as an example: 
  1. Hurricane Katrina was the largest and 3rd strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in the US.
  2. In New Orleans, the levees were designed for Category 3, but Katrina peaked at a Category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 175 mph. 
  3. The final death toll was at 1,836, primarily from Louisiana (1,577) and Mississippi (238). More than half of these victims were senior citizens. Keep seniors safe and sound, and help them plan for hurricane season.
  4. The storm surge from Katrina was 20-ft (six meters) high.
  5. 705 people are reported as still missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
    ​In conclusion, hurricanes are really bad for the environment and people’s lives. Why it is bad for the environment is it causes flooding, damage to habitats, and takes the lives of animals. For humans it is bad because it destroys homes, lives, and facilities, along with jobs.

OPINION: Lowell Lottery school

10/28/2020

 
By Kimaaya R. Mehta
​

When Lowell High School turned into a lottery school many opinions came up. Both positive and negative. Here is my opinion on Lowell turning into a lottery school.
    Lowell High is one of the best high schools in San Francisco. Dare I say the best. Having an older brother in Lowell, I know how hard people work to get in. So isn’t it a good thing to turn Lowell into a lottery school. It takes pressure off peoples' backs and gives other people a chance to go to Lowell. I disagree with this. 
    Firstly, many people worked hard to get into Lowell. You may be thinking. Well Lowell is now just a regular public school. OF course the admission has changed but both the teachers and the environment haven't. Lowell has always been a school where you have to work hard. Slacking off is not an option. But, especially during online learning, slacking off can sometimes occur often. As I know Lowell does give a lot of work and even if some teacher changes the workload a little the environment wouldn’t change as much. As for in Lowell you do get a lot of work and that can lead to pressure. So if you thought the pressure of getting into Lowell is gone, well once you are in Lowell it would be a whole new story. 
    Although this thought doesn’t really occur to people. As Lowell is a very prestigious school, kids from Lowell may have a better chance of getting into good colleges.  Not that kids from other schools don’t have a good chance at all, but more kids from Lowell aim to go to school like the Ivy Leagues. As this may affect the schools reputations in colleges, it isn’t such a problem.
 There is no doubt that kids who go to private schools do have a better chance to get into a better college. Many kids do aim to go to great colleges. But private school is very expensive and hard to afford. Lowell gives people who don’t have enough money to go to private school a chance to achieve their admarations.  Now that Lowell is a lottery school this may change. Kids who do want to go to the Ivy League school are in a lottery to get into Lowell. In may opinion this in terrible
In conclusion, Lowell gave people a motive. Aspired them to achieve high goals and make them reality. Most of that is down the drain now. Mission to make Lowell disagree with the decision to make Lowell a lottery school, and I strongly disagree to make it a permanent lottery school.

The History Column: Halloween

10/28/2020

 
You’ve heard of Halloween. You’ve heard of All Hallows Eve. But have you ever heard of Samhain? You haven’t? Great, now you have a reason to read this article. 
    You probably recall the holiday in which you dress up in a scary costume and walk door to door in hope of getting candy (unless you don’t celebrate Halloween). But you probably don’t know about the old Celtic festival called Samhain. What is it you ask? Well, it was a festival where the Celtic people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare away ghosts. Hmmmmm. That sounds a lot like another holiday I know. 
    Halloween's origins date all the way back 2,000 years ago which was when the Celts celebrated the festival. The area in which the Celts once roamed is now known as Ireland which is known for a different holiday called St. Patrick's day (which we will talk about in the future) where leprechauns search for gold, The united kingdom, and northern France. Samhain celebrated the end of summer and the harvest and the start of winter, where it was cold, dark, and crops would run low. Because of this, many people would die which is why the Celts believed this was when the dead would once again roam the earth. And on the night of October 31st, they would start the celebration. 
    DO you wanna know more about the history of Halloween? Then check out this link to learn more.  Halloween: Origins, Meaning & Traditions - HISTORY.  Well, I will see you soon! 

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