Winter break is here!

By Sreevatsa Gottada
Entertainment Editor

For those who have been counting down on their calendars, the widely anticipated day is here! After countless hours of studying for tests, doing homework, and not resting well because of school, students now have the ability to be care-free for about two weeks.

While winter break can be very relaxing, it is a time that could be used for many beneficial things. For juniors or some seniors, it is a good time to study for your SATs as you'll have to take them next year. Not only that, but if you are behind any of your classes, it is a great time to catch up. Turn those C's into A's!

However, it is called a break for a reason. So, go ahead and have some fun! Enjoy the fact you are not required to do homework, and have the ability to get enough sleep on any given night.

There are many things to do over winter break, so be sure to utilize your opportunity. You could take up a sport if you did not have the time to do so when school was around or you could take a class on a hobby you would like to participate in. These are just the tip of the iceberg when considering all the activities over winter break, so take note of the fact this is a golden opportunity to do many things that you were not able to do during school days.

Anyway, the main thing to remember about winter break is to relax. Don't do nothing, but don't overwork yourself. Use this opportunity to rest, do activities you did not have the ability to do, etc. Have fun Falls Church. Enjoy the holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you may celebrate. We'll be back next year, so happy new year in advance!

Source: http://barnardreslife.org/

Places you must see by Yancy Garcia

Life passes by and we see and visit the same places everyday and we have yet to see the other side of the world or even the other side of the town. There are many places that exist that are so surreal that you have to see and experience.  These places are carved by nature itself or made by man himself and are just breathtakingly beautiful that all we can do is just take it in and smile. One of those places that are just mind blowing is the Zhangye Danxia landform in Gansu, China. The landform has a rainbow formation which means that the whole landform is just covered in an array of colors. This was formed over 24 million years ago when minerals and sandstone were pressed together and then pushed together by tectonic plates. The swing at the “End of the world” in Banos, Ecuador is a sight which attracts people because a tree house over the edge of a nearby active volcano has a swing attached to it with no harness, and only the bravest risk takers will get on it to enjoy a swing or two. The sea of stars on Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives is just another place where you feel alive because you can’t believe you are there. The sea of stars gets its name because it appears as a mirror of the sky above, the bioluminescence in the water is due to the phytoplankton. At night the effect they have on the shore is stunning which is why they bring many people and is known to be a romantic area. In interesting place is the Salar De Uyuni in the Potosi and Oruro departments of southwest Bolivia. It would be an interesting place to go to because it is the world’s largest salt flat and when the rainy season comes it becomes the world’s largest mirror. The haiku stairs of Oahu in Hawaii, United States also known as the “Stairway to Heaven” is a risky place but worth every second many people have claimed. It is 3,922 steps crawling up Oahu’s Koolau Mountain Range; it was closed down to the public in 1987, but many people still go up there because of the scenic voyage.  All these places are just marvels of the world and should be enjoyed right now because there is nothing like these places.

 

* These are just some of the places that i've mentioned*

Christmas Shopping Disaster By Sabrina Arauz

Christmas is finally coming up. Everyone is happy during this time knowing that they are able to spend Christmas time with their families. Christmas is packed with listening to classic Christmas music, admiring the gleaming bright lights on houses and the Christmas tree, kissing under the mistletoe, drinking sweet hot chocolate, and lastly, the gifts. Both receiving and giving gifts on Christmas is quite an important aspect to appreciate. Many people may say, “It’s not all about the presents,” but we all know how important it is to actually buy gifts for your coworkers, friends, and family.

Giving is very important on Christmas, so what do we stress ourselves with at this time? The answer is Christmas shopping. The first place to run to Is nonetheless, the mall. With malls closing at around 11:00pm during this time, people have a better chance to go out and shop for others. There are multiple great discounts at many different stores which makes this a great opportunity for everyone. Everything seems easy right? WRONG.

It’s very difficult to make a visit to the mall because on the way there, there is more traffic than there usually would be on the way there. That is only the first part. Another point is that the parking is impossible. With patrols all over the streets, it is much more challenging to just drive through the lot. Hundreds of cars fight for parking spaces which may also cause accidents.

Inside the mall, there is what seems like millions of people. Getting to one certain store may be a mission with all the people. In the stores, there are items running out of stock. When there is only one small sized shirt left and two girls need it, cat fights may go down.

Be careful everyone. Have a safe Christmas!

Ed Cochrane

Sandy Hook, Never Forgotten

 

                        This upcoming Saturday is the one year anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is still hard to believe that twenty six innocent people were shot to death twenty of them children. This event seemed to shatter America’s false sense of security because of how simple it was for Adam Lanza to break into an elementary school and kill twenty six people. Now the only things we can do are protect ourselves and our loved ones from shootings and remember those that have passed. Recently I wrote article in the Falls Church High School newspaper about Americas growing insensitivity towards gun violence fortunately the shooting that occurred in Sandy Hook was an exception, the media and the majority of America is still memorializing this tragic event a year later but it takes more than just remembering those who have passed. I believe that we as Americans did not react correctly we stood there in shock when we should have been securing our schools or passing laws to prevent gun violence or finding ways to treat people like Adam Lanza who are mentally unstable.  The parents of the children that died during the shooting have done numerous ent gun things to prevent gun violence Allisa Parker started an anti gun violence blog called The Parker Five, Allisa Parker collaborated with Michelle Gay another parent of one of the victims to form Safe and Sound Schools a nonprofit organization that teaches schools and parents about safety during deadly situations, and Nicole Hockley who now leads the Sandy Hook Promise a website against gun violence. As we remember this tragedy we must also pledge to take action and prevent gun violence whether it be educating people on safety, treating mentally ill people like Adam Lanza , or passing laws that prevent gun violence.



The Death Of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary (a resistor to the system of racial segregation that was enforced by government). He also served as the democratic President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and as the President of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997. Mandela faced racism and discrimination throughout his whole entire life and he chose to devote his life to fighting against it. He led his government against racism, poverty, and inequality. He was the first to be elected in a multiracial election as the first black South African to hold office.

                At first, Nelson Mandela believed in not-violent protests, but later, he took part in founding a militant group used for violent protests in 1961. Nelson Mandela was arrested and imprisoned for short periods of time on many occasions. In 1962, he was sentenced to life in prison for leading a bombing conspiracy against the government, but he only served 27 years.

                Mandela spent much of his later life focusing on helping with charity work. He even has his own foundation, the Nelson Mandela Foundation. His foundation is dedicated to fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS. He received countless awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, but that is only one of more than 250 awards. In his home in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is known as the “father of the nation.”

On December 5^th, 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away at home after battling a long illness. He was 95 years old. It is a tragic loss that he has passed on, but now he is at peace. He was an extremely influential figure in the lives of many people. Nelson Mandela brought peace to the people of South Africa who now deeply mourn the loss of their father.

Paul Walker's Death

        Paul Walker and Roger Rodas passed away on November 30, 2013. Paul Walker died at the age of 40! Walker was attending a charity event in California, to help those in the Philippines. It was sad to see that he died after he was doing something kind. He died in a car accident, and the car burned into flames. Witnesses say that the car hit a tree, and then hit a light pole. Nothing could be done to get them out of the car, because it happened so fast. The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was the car that he was in. This car is extremely hard to drive. This car has no stability control, really fast, and it has a lot of horsepower.
Walker was an actor and was famous for his Fast and Furious movies. Fast and Furious 7 has been postponed, and they don’t know when it will release. The movie is not done yet and the producers don’t know what to do with Walker. Since Walker’s death they still haven’t filmed. After Fast 7 will they still continue the series? Walker is in a movie called Hours and it’s scheduled to release next week. An interesting story happened a couple of years ago. A couple that were in the jewelry store were looking at rings. They liked one ring but they couldn't’couldn't afford it, so Walker told the manager that he would pay for it. He told the manager to not tell them it was him. After Walker died, the manager told the couple it was Paul. The couple is grateful because of what he did. The manager said “To do something like that to a perfect stranger is unbelievable.” This describes the type of person Paul is.
What the Fast and Furious cast has to say about Walker:
Tyrese Gibson said “I will keep your energy with me forever.” Gibson couldn't believe that his friend died and he was crying when he arrived at the scene.
Vin Diesel said “Thank you for coming down here and showing that angel up there how much you appreciate him.” Diesel was really close to Walker and he was like a brother to him.
Dwayne Johnson said “All my strength, love and faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength is hi light. Love you brother.”
Sung Kang said “Missing my brother…”
Ludacris said “Your humble spirit was felt from the start, you blessed your presence you always left a mark.”
Paul walker will be truly missed by everyone.

By Christian Marcia