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Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival
By: Natalie Carvalho Nashville's 11th annual Cherry Blossom Festival is right around the corner! On April 13th, the Public Square will be filled with Japanese food vendors, cosplayers, martial arts demonstrations, and much more. The Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration of Japanese culture and the beauty of spring. There will be a nature walk featuring beautiful cherry blossom trees donated by many businesses across and outside Tennessee. The walk begins at 9:00 AM, an hour before festivities kick off at 10:00 AM. The festival ends at 5:00 PM. Festival-goers can look forward to learning more about Japanese culture and the celebration of Spring. There are many different forms of art in Japanese culture, ranging from dance to painting, that visitors can learn about. One of the most appealing aspect of Japanese pop culture for teens is anime. At the festival, many people bring the characters to life in their cosplay, and are encouraged to sign up for the cosplay contest. If you are interested in attending the festival, more information and directions can be found on the official website: http://www.nashvillecherryblossomfestival.org  World Malaria Day
By Siera Millard Photo by military.com Often called one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases, there were 216 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2016, with 445,000 deaths. Malaria comes from a parasite living within the infamous wasp. With the abundance of the pesky things, it is clear why there is such an epidemic. In fact, the most infectious and disease-ridden type of mosquito (the Anopheles gambiae) is the most abundant in Africa. This poses a problem in a less developed nation, as they do not have the same resources to help those affected by it and thus the horrendous circle continues. World Malaria Day occurs on April 25th this year. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the epidemic in Africa and nearby countries in order to raise funds and support to help those severely impacted by them. On this day, choose to learn a little bit more about the world you live in, or choose to tell others about what you learned so that they too may step out of that cave of ignorance. Choose to donate money or time or some amount of effort to make the world a better place by helping those that fight Malaria directly. This World Malaria Day, be thankful that you live somewhere without malaria, and help those who do not. Sources https://www.againstmalaria.com/downloads/RBMBurdenMalariaAfrica.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/malaria/index.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/01/08/committee-study-health-effects-malaria-drugs-taken-us-troops.html  Stress Less!
By Siera Millard Picture by welldoing As the school year is drawing to a close and testing looms near, stress levels are sure to increase astronomically, no matter if you are that person to start studying months before finals, or that other, more common person trying to cram everything into a week, or even that person who pulls an all-nighter the day before and crams everything from a year into twelve hours. Whatever your style is, stress is an undeniable fact of life and one that is unhealthy to ignore. In fact, “Nearly half of...students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis and 31 percent reported feeling somewhat stressed” (nyu.edu). Additionally, studies have shown that girls often report stress in greater numbers than boys. Despite any preconceived notions, stress is something that affects all people and should be treated effectively. The month of April is Stress Awareness Month, so be aware of what makes you stressed, how to fix it, and how to prevent future stress. The following are several ways to relieve it:
Sources Akaragia. “Learning How to De-Stress.” Learning How to De-Stress | Pavlis Honors College Blog, blogs.mtu.edu/honors/2016/10/12/learning-how-to-de-stress/. Nyu. “NYU Study Examines Top High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms.” NYU, www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/august/nyu-study-examines-top-high-school-students-stress-and-coping-mechanisms.html. https://welldoing.org/article/why-do-some-people-get-more-stressed-than-others-alice-mcgurran Dandy Dandelions and their Children
Written by: Ashton Jenks The dandelion had been recognized as the official flower of the military child as it symbolizes their tenacity and constant movement around the world. One study found that the average military child moves 6-12 times by the time they graduate high school. That’s a lot, and shows how military children develop extreme resilience. To honor this commitment of the children of military members, April is designated as the month of the Military Child. Defense secretary Caspar Weinberger named April as the Month of the Military Child in 1986. Ever since then, it has been celebrated throughout military (DODEA) schools on a yearly basis. So, what can you do to celebrate the month of the military child along with many of your classmates who may have a family member in the military? Firstly, you can wear purple on April 19 to support Purple Up Day! The color purple was chosen because it represents all of the colors of the different military branches. For military kids, some places on Ft. Campbell will be offering discounts to students wearing purple to show support. Another thing that you can do to support the month is to talk to you military friends about their experiences. It’s pretty tough moving so often and always feeling displaced so having someone show interest in them is always appreciated. You may even learn something, like what the inside of a C-17 cargo plane looks like!. In conclusion, although the month is generally not met with much fanfare, and has existed for just under 40 years, it is still an important part of American history and deserves recognition. How will you honor the children of American soldiers this month?  It’s Prime Time to Get Down on Some Prime Ribs
By Siera Millard Picture by Martha Stewart April 26, 2019. On this day in history Americans will celebrate one of their favorite traditions...eating delicious food! Just imagine that mouth-watering scent and taste of a perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly marinated prime rib. How, you may ask, does one make such a delicious meal? The following recipe answers that question succinctly. Ingredients
National Prime Rib Day occurs this year on a Saturday, meaning that you have all day away from school or work to eat ribs for every meal. Ribs and eggs for breakfast, ribs sandwich for lunch, and classic ribs and baked potato meal for dinner. Are you hungry yet? Sources https://www.marthastewart.com/343283/prime-rib https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221958/chef-johns-perfect-prime-rib/ |