Peirce Middle School’s Student News Quarterly P a g e 2 Summer 2017 Inside this issue: Cover Art by Nivi Anton Overcoming Our Fears by Althea Mae Hutchinson 3 Equal Rights, 2017 by Nolan Prochnau and Althea Mae Hutchinson 4 The Evolution of Science by Mithra Sarkari 5-6 Protons, Electrons, and their Charges by Althea Mae Hutchinson 7-8 A Bear’s Perspective on Henlopen by Meredith Young 9 The Dog Days: Keeping Dogs Safe by Elizabeth Brennan 10 Some Summer Reading Suggestions 11 Summer Fun on a Budget (Plus: Mini Vacations Close to Home) 12-13 Life Hacks for Students by Abheya Nair and Marcela Bernal 14 What are Shadow? By Althea Mae Hutchinson 15-16 Summer Recipes by Gabi Fernandes 17 America’s Treasures: Our National Parks by Elizabeth Brennan 18 The Not-so-Daily Doodle by Braden Lieberman 19- Summer Puzzle 20 By Althea Mae Hutchinson Worry is a weird thing, a thing we find ourselves worried about. We find ourselves worried, then grow concerned because we can’t identify the cause of our worry. We talk ourselves in circles, through worry, to concern, and past fear, and back again. We worry about nearly everything, and use the word interchangeably with fear. We wonder what people will think of us, about small things: if our hair looks okay, if our clothes are al- right. We worry about bigger things that affect our survival: if we have enough money, if we can truly trust our friends, if we will be accepted by the group. We fear judgement above all else. Where does this fear come from? Is it instinct? Is it learned? Either way, how can we move past it and live a life of contentment? Anxiety is a normal part of growing up. When there are so many possibilities and unanswered ques- tions, it is natural to feel some fear of apprehension about one’s place in the world. Furthermore, kids need to feel accepted by their peers. The fear of rejection is a strong influence on teen behavior, and when it goes be- yond fear and becomes reality, it can be life-changing. If someone experiences a snide comment made by a friend on an outfit another friend is wearing or a rude summation told blatantly to someone’s face that he or she doesn’t look half as good as the person originally thought, it can be incredibly painful. Beyond criticism of surface things, lies the things that are integral to who we are. Through hearing conversations condemning things we believe in, through hurt, we learn to fear. Sometimes that’s good. Fear is natural, it keeps us alive. It keeps us safe, it reminds us to lock our doors and watch our belongings and make sure we blew out that candle in the living room, even if we’re going to be late because of it. When we are little kids, we trust anyone, until we learn not to. At first, we fear only strange things, things that we do not understand, and when we get hurt by them, whether ‘them’ is the play- ground bully or a thunderstorm that takes us by surprise, we deem them scary and learn to avoid them to pre- vent being hurt. Worry leads to fear, fear to hurt, and hurt to worry. And we live our lives in this cycle, embarrassed by small things, trying too hard to determine a judgment that doesn’t really affect us. And many of us, most of us, pretend to be above all that. “The people who matter don’t care, the people who care don’t matter,” is saying often repeated, in variations and dialects and stories. But really, if they don’t matter, why do we care so much? It is important to understand the basis of our fears, and not let those fears hold us back from learning and experiences the good things that life has to offer. A lot of these experiences help us to build our character. While we are learning to navigate the people and events in our lives, we gain wisdom from times that we are able to overcome difficult situations. Realizing how to avoid pain is important, and understanding how to get past that pain and emerge as a stronger, healthier individual is part of the process of growing up. Summer 2017 Pa ge 4 Texans vs. LGBTQ Rights: The Introduction of Texas House Bill 3859 By Nolan Prochnau and Althea Hutchinson National child welfare agencies have Seventy years ago, during the World War II "condemned the bill in a letter to lawmakers.” Hu- era, our country, along with other developed nations, man Rights Campaign writer Nick Morrow stated in forced LGBTQ+ people to suppress their 'feelings' his article, “HB 3859 is just the latest bill in a slate by either arresting them, or requiring them to take of unconscionable anti-LGBTQ bills being pursued medication. These practices were discriminatory and by the Texas legislature, which is undertaking a sys- damaging, and many individuals suffered due to tematic effort to roll back the rights of LGBTQ Tex- these unjust laws. Today, however, in our so-called ans, piece by piece.” land of the free, this same level of hateful discrimi- Upon reading the law transcript, we found nation has resurfaced. Texas recently passed a bill that the bill states nothing about LGBTQ individuals through Senate: House Bill (HB) 3859. HB 3859 in particular, but instead highlights conflicting reli- will legally allow child welfare organizations in Tex- gious values held by the provider. However, some as, including adoption and foster care facilities, to religions and/or denominations of said religions are turn away qualified parents, including LGBTQ cou- against LGBTQ people; therefore, they are also ples. HB 3859 will also allow families to force their against otherwise qualified parents who would be children into conversion therapy, once thought to be able to adopt or foster a child in need. a thing of the past. This law went into effect May 24, as stated in HB 3859 forbids the state government to can- the bill Chapter 45, Section 10, Subsection 2. How- cel a state contract with one facility. That facility has ever, passing this law in the Texas State Senate was a policy to subject LGBTQ kids to the abusive no small feat. The Senate voted 21-10, just over the 'conversion therapy.' This practice is not only sup- required ⅔ of the 30 senators present to pass through ported in Texas, but as far up the totem pole as the Senate. Vice President of the US, Mike Pence. The practice The discriminatory practices passed by this is to try to convert LGBTQ kids, in a mandatory bill are damaging to parents and children, and as 'special school' that does horrific things to those chil- such, it has been met with fierce opposition. Still, dren, forcing them to convert to their ‘normal’ orien- with the political support the law has in Texas, it tation, which can be traumatizing, if the child even doesn’t seem like it’s going away anytime soon. survives. THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE By Mithra Sarkari Science is how we define reality. Whenever we want the answer to anything our first idea is to explain it logically through facts that we know of, regardless to how much it defies our world. From Aristotle’s first beliefs of how matter went through four main phases, thus defin- ing the original elements, to Dalton’s theories about atoms, science has changed basic human perception to the point where the only limits we see our those we put on ourselves. It is fascinating to contemplate how this style of empirical thinking evolved. How did our brains develop from thinking about survival to having thoughts on multidimensional planes and universes in our spare time? All of this comes to down to a few simple mechanics about how life on Earth has changed and the basic human ideology and philosophy we have lived by over the centuries. Where do people do most of their thinking? At work? Before bed? During their shower? It’s dif- ferent for everyone, but the principal of thought draws down to when we have the most time, or when our brain is not fully focused and can drift off on to random subjects. But why was that not possible earlier? Why could none of the ancient philosophers, mathematicians, and, in general, scientists think of what we think today? There are two central reasons for this: belief and survival. Many of the world’s greatest thinkers were influenced by some beliefs, whether religion or family teachings. It always comes down to what that brilliant mind believes in. The Greeks believed in the gods of Olympus and many other myths. Thus, their scientists also stemmed their theories off of how the gods could control the weather, marriage, war, and even going to the extent of creating life and death. Though this civilization brought on an era of prosperity never before seen by mankind, it was relatively short lived. This is due to the other reason: survival. The Greeks, though powerful, lacked unity. They would quarrel amongst themselves, creating discord that caused the fall of every empire known to man. After the death of Alexander the Great, the Greeks divided what lands they had conquered, and never again would they become the great civilization they were. What does this have to do with science? The Greeks divided for another reason as well: survival. In times of great need and when humans have been at their most peaceful, science has flourished.