The Puzzle Piece February 2021 Top Stories from the month of January- Daniel Smith On January 6th, Protesters stormed into the capitol building in D.C. Joe Biden was Inaugurated on January 20th, as the 46th president of the United States. The Covid vaccine rolled out and it has been treating people across the world. The college football playoff Championship took place in Miami, Alabama defeated Ohio State 52-24 to win its 7th national title. - Game Review-Sheldon Eads Pros: ​Great graphics, Great music, Decent level design, Decent %100 bonus Cons: ​Some level segments looked unpolished. Lack of save feature. New Super Mario Bros. DS​ review ​ ​A Super Comeback I have recently replayed ​New Super Mario Bros.​ on the Wii U’s Virtual Console. It’s a revival of 2D platforming for ​Mario​ which prior to it, were just ports of classic ​Mario​ games to the Game Boy Advance. It was released for the Nintendo DS in 2006. For Mario’s first new adventure in a while it was a nice comeback, though it does have serious problems. The level design itself isn’t bad nor average, I just don’t think it’s fantastic. While the game is home to great levels (Look at World 4 and World 7 for instance), a lot of them have extreme flaws that prevent me from calling this a great game. The game’s save feature is very limited and only works after you finish a Tower, Castle, or using a Warp Cannon leading to a new world. The Wii U Virtual Console release remedies this by giving you save states but the original game had no reason to not make it where you can save anytime which is a feature you only get after finishing the last level. In terms of level design, my big problems are certain things that could’ve easily been fixed with a few tweaks, such as extreme vague secrets that require a guide. Some levels also lack checkpoints which isn’t a good idea. The Blue Shell (a power-up which is satisfying to use), is restricted to red Flying ‘?’ Blocks and Hammer Bros. that appear on the world map. This wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t needed to collect Star Coins (a collectible for 100% completion). On the positive side, I find many of the levels to be decent. World 4 and World 7 are the best worlds in the game as they are home to great level ideas. One level relies on you riding a giant Wiggler whose Japanese name is Kyodai Hanachan (translates to Giant Wiggler) and avoiding enemies who ride on its segments. World 4 has two levels where you ride Dorrie through bodies of poison and he occasionally dives into the poison, making you climb on top of the terrain and avoiding Koopa Troopas and Paratroopas. So would I recommend this game? That’s a tough question for me. I do enjoy this game but it does have serious flaws. If you’re fine with a platformer game with a lack of saves and simple gimmicks, then I would recommend it. It’s easier than the other games so it could work well as a kid’s game. Still, I would probably recommend​ New Super Mario Bros. Wii ​or ​New Super Mario Bros. U​ over it. Teacher of the Month-Ryan Stotler Mr. Stark- Social Studies Teacher Q:​ What’s your favorite part of the job? A:​ Being able to work with students everyday and teaching students about current events and history. Q: ​Why did you decide to become a teacher? A:​ I started tutoring students when I was in high school and I enjoy helping students discover new things. I especially enjoy educating students on understanding current events. Q:​ What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? A:​ Well, my top character strengths are judgement and fairness and my lowest character strength is zest. Q:​ Describe a situation in which you aspired to reach a goal. What obstacles did you confront along the way? What did you do to overcome them? A: ​I always had the goal of being a history teacher but I was not sure where I wanted to teach. Xavier gave me the opportunity to teach at a variety of schools but, I didn’t find myself truly enjoying teaching at any of them. While in college, I began working here in the Ready, Set, Work! Summer program. When the opportunity arose, I took the chance to teach here full time and have enjoyed it ever since! Q: ​How do you think staff and students would describe you? A:​ I think they would describe me as a focused and laid back teacher. I think my strengths are being able to build relationships with students and having a lot of passion for what I teach. Fun Facts-Ijah Whitfield ● Some religions, such as Romans, don’t consider January 1st as New Years Day, but rather March 1st. ● Although New Years dates back to 2000 BC, it wasn’t accepted as Jan. 1 until 46 BC by Julius Caesar. ● The people of Denmark throw dishes at others’ doorsteps as a belief to bring in new friends. ● New Year’s Eve has a special name in Belgium: ​Sint Sylvester Vooranvond. ● Dutch People celebrate New Years by burning Christmas tree bonfires; this signifies the purging of the old and welcoming the new. Transition Update-Grant Isaacs With Mrs. Bialon Q:​ What are you doing this month in the Transition Program? A:​ The Heidt Transition Program is gearing up for Valentine’s Day consumer service sales. Each tier will be working on a specific craft project. Those items will be up for staff and parents to purchase in early February. Q:​ How are the students adjusting to being back at school after winter break? A:​ Our interns are transitioning back into their work after winter break. It’s always an adjustment getting up and moving again but schedules help! Q:​ What type of “community service” projects are you guys doing this month in the transition program? A:​ Our interns are continuing to work 2-3 days a week in Got-Special KIDS. Here they process and ship orders and assist with the inventory process. We also received a project from our community partner, Crayons to Computer. The interns are counting and bagging scissors for the teacher free store. Q:​ What is the one thing most kids struggle with in the transition program? A: ​Transition from high school to adulthood is an exciting time. Our interns typically do very well with tasks in the classroom but they are learning how to apply those skills in a real life work environment Memes of the month- Tom J., Jeremy N., Christian F. Memes of the month- Tom J., Jeremy N., Christian F. Art of the Month- Lara Pulliam Thanks for reading The Puzzle Piece ​ We will see you again next month! .