VOL. 3 ISS. 3 President Yasmin Zainalabdeen Advisor Mrs. Gonzalez NHS is an exclusive, nationally recognized, volunteer group held to high standards. With nearly the entire school quali-fying, and many send-ing in applications, it can be quite a chal-lenge to narrow it down, perhaps even more to stand out. Every year, this school’s NHS gets

fifteen to twenty new members, with about forty active members total. Yeah, it’s pretty selective. This means one might need a bit of help getting an idea of what’s necessary to prep.

The process, though long, isn’t hard to grasp. After application packets are passed out to those who have a 3.5+ GPA, it has to be completed and turned in before the due date. Teachers will objectively review the application, pass it along, and after three weeks those who got in will be notified.

One should also understand the basics. What are the four pillars of NHS and what are they looking for in each? They are based on grades, volunteering, leadership, and moral character.

The first pillar, scholarship, is pretty simple. To receive an invitation, a minimum of a 3.5 GPA on the 4.0 scale will be needed.

Service, the second pillar of NHS, is quite easy to achieve. Volunteering is quite easy to do, and different types are not viewed that differently. It’s also nice to see someone who is devoted to something. Long-term com-mitment, if possible, because NHS will become a long-term commitment, should you get accepted. With service, that doesn’t mean that only “official” volunteering counts. Something as simple as helping your neighbor by babysitting for free every Wednesday, counts too.

The same goes for leadership. They’re looking for people who are “resourceful, good problem solvers, and idea contributors,” according to their official website. A list of things one might want to strive for: being a club

officer, student representative, part of a sports team, etc. Though it might look like the only way to get that type of experience is by being club leader, being a role model works, as well! NHS likes people who show initiative, help others, and share creativity. A student mentor, for example, would be doing just that.

The last one, character, is incredibly obvious. Just be a nice person. Their official website says that a student should be one that’s “cooperative, demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability; shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others, and generally maintains a clean disciplinary record.” Be an honest, loyal, moral, rule follower. Make sure to have good relationships with everyone. Moral character will be evaluated by a faculty-led committee. NHS also likes a confident person. This is not a requirement, but when most of the student popula-tion is applying, it might do one good to heed advice to make an applicant stand out.

There are also things to watch out for when fill-ing out the application—short answers that don’t get elaborated on, very few leadership items, volunteer infor-mation, or bad moral character. Obvious ones include things such as lack of responsibility, terrible attendance, a history of academic dishonesty. These are things that will put a dent on one’s chances.

Here are some tips on getting into NHS from officers and the sponsor:

“Don’t be afraid to apply just because you think you can’t get in.” - Treas. Britney Bailey

“Be you and be proud of what you’ve done.” - Sec. Mon-ica Rodriguez

“Be the best person you can be, whether you’re being watched or not.” - Pres. Noah Ortiz

“Just because you didn’t get [an invitation] at first, doesn't mean you’re out of the picture.” - VP. Seth Wil-son

“Try again. Find out what it was you were lacking.” -Sponsor, Mrs. Harden

-Sophia Sierra-Quintero

Series Spartan

iSchool’s National Honor Society: How to Get In

False Alarm in Hawaii

On January 13th of this year, the people of Hawaii went into a pan-

ic due to a false missile alarm that was sent out. Initially, it was said that a

worker mistakenly clicked the wrong button from a drop-down style of

commands. Later, it was revealed it was part of a missile alarm drill in the

facility. However, as the alarm in the facility rang out “THIS IS NOT A

DRILL” after the initial announcement of the drill, an employee thought it

was real, not hearing the initial message, causing him to turn on the alarm

and cause chaos for the residents of Hawaii. This horrible scenario lasted

for 38 minutes, where all residents and visitors were notified to seek shelter

because of the incoming missile and that it was not a drill. The man who sent out the false report, though claiming it

was an honest mistake, was fired from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Not only that, but Hawaii's

state adjutant general, Major General Joe Logan, resigned after all the commotion. It was released in the FCC report

of the incident that there were many issues in the system that needed to be fixed, not only in Hawaii, but everywhere.

It is said that there were a multitude of problems that needed to be brought up and advised for 23 new factors to pre-

vent any future problems.

-Gabriela DelaPuente

U.S. Government Shutdown It’s no secret that our own government is in turmoil, which is why recent troubles ended in a shutdown not

once, but twice—the second time shorter than the first, however. Unfortunately, the government shuts down when

no one can come to an agreement about funding. The government’s last shutdown was in 2013, where, as per usual,

many things were closed off, including public places where tourists flock to daily—places like NASA, the Grand

Canyon, and different national parks. All “non-essential” workers of the federal government were not paid (Though

different from that of this year’s shutdown, the country’s armed forces were still paid). The topic of the 2013 shut-

down was Republicans in the House of Representatives wanted to pass a spending bill, eliminating funding for

PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The Senate did not agree with the bill and sent it back. Con-

gress went back and forth until the Republicans finally backed down and stopped fighting.

This time around, the issue centered around DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival). Democrats and

Republicans argued over whether or not to end it. Without DACA, people who were brought to the States when they

were young children would no longer have legal protections. In search of someone to blame, the finger was pointed

mainly at the Democrats. After going back and forth, the Republicans decided to make a deal with the Democrats to

fund the government for two and a half more weeks, and if nothing was done about DACA before then, they would

create a new bill for them. Since this time, a much shorter second shutdown was said to have been caused by Senator

Rand Paul. He interfered with an agreement that prevented Congress from voting on the proposal, opposing the large

budget deal. Congress was able to vote and approve the short-term funding bill almost six hours after the start of the

shutdown. Will we soon face another?

-Michaelis Thompson

World News

World News

Planet 9

Planet 9 isn’t officially a planet. It hasn't even been found, and there’s great debate over whether or

not it even exists. Planet 9, sometimes called “Planet X”, is a theorized ninth planet (sorry Pluto). The hypo-

thetical Planet 9 is supposed to be twenty times the size of earth, just about the size of Neptune. It was initial-

ly theorized almost three years ago by Caltech astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, based on

some anomalies of clustering objects in the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is located right outside Neptune’s

orbit and “disc-shaped region of icy bodies,” according to Bill Dunford on the official NASA website. Now,

Planet 9 might not be the most relevant and exciting thing to happen, but in a world where the Doomsday

Clock has been placed two minutes to midnight, maybe a little bit of space can cheer us up.

-Sophia Sierra - Quintero

Artwork By: Owen Wilhelmsen

Movies & TV

Black Lightning | Superhero/TV

Black Light-

ning is the latest of

DC comics line of

superhero shows on

the CW network.

The TV show fol-

lows a man named

Jefferson Pierce

who had donned the

costume years be-

fore but put it away

for a normal life

with his family.

However, that

doesn’t last as he

finds his two daugh-

ters being pulled

into the life of heroism and crime. The area they live

in has a large gang named “The 100” that ruins daily

life for many people, terrorizing innocents, and even

trying to recruit Jefferson’s daughter, as well. Black

Lightning really is a big step in terms of superhero

shows because though only a few episodes have

aired, it has and plans to deal with police brutality

against black people, civil rights, gang violence, and

racism, all while keeping relatable family themes

throughout the show. Black Lightning has also start-

ed to show signs of his daughters having powers,

who in the comics each don superhero names—his

oldest taking Thunder and his youngest taking Light-

ning. This keeps the trend of DC comics having

sidekicks in the shows and developing many of the

characters from the comics. The show in itself is in-

credible in having plans to deal with so many social

issues. It’s inspirational and a great watch for any-

one.

-Gabriela DelaPuente

Black Panther | Superhero/Movie (Trailer)

Black Pan-

ther is the upcoming

Marvel movie based

on one of their more

iconic characters.

With February 16th

being the release

date, Black Panther

has sold the most pre

-sale tickets for any

other superhero film

ever. This is only

likely to be broken

by Infinity War.

With all this hype,

we decided to do a

small trailer analysis.

Spoilers for Captain America: Civil War. From what

we can tell, T’Challa, or the Black Panther, is going to

have a hard time adjusting to his newly inherited king-

dom and will be mourning the death of his father. Be-

cause of this, he’s going to mess up in one way or an-

other, whether the people will disagree with his actions

or he messes up in a big incident—we’ll see. Trying to

fix his mistake or in an attempt to save Wakanda, he

might leave his kingdom unprotected by the Black

Panther. Erik Killmonger, the clear antagonist, will

take it as an opening to usurp power, or at least he’ll

try. It’s our prediction that T’Challa will step down

from the throne and give it to someone else so that he

can protect Wakanda full-time.

-Sophia Sierra - Quintero, Owen, Andi Doty, Jake Leach

Artwork by: Owen Wilhelmsen (left),

Michaelis Thompson (right).

Music Upcoming Concert: Bon Jovi In 1983, Jon Bon Jovi and his band of five opened

the world to a new level of awesome when WAPP

103.5FM, a New York radio station, aired their instant hit

song, “Runaway”. In only a few days, every local radio

station was playing it. Bon Jovi’s* first and second albums

both landed in the top 40 of the Billboard Top 100. Their

third album, Slippery When Wet, really marked Bon Jovi’s

claim to fame. Dominating the Billboard 200 for eight

weeks straight, it was clear they had struck gold in the rock

genre. Not only that, but the songs "You Give Love a Bad

Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer", both landed the top spot on

Billboard 100. From then on, they have been a name to

remember.

The original lineup was altered soon after their hit

“Runaway” made Billboard’s top 40, creating the classic crew of Jon Bon Jovi (lead vocals and “posterboy”), Da-

vid Bryan (pianist), Tico Torres (drummer), Richie Sambora (guitarist), and Alec John Such (bass player). Since

then, Sambora left the band, replaced by Phil X, and Alec John Such was dismissed and replaced by Hugh McDon-

ald. This leaves the band that takes the mantle of the name Bon Jovi today.

This legendary band is well worth listening to—at the very least, the world thinks so, considering they’ve

sold more than 100 million records worldwide, placing them among the best of American rock bands. You can find

their CDs in stores everywhere, and hear their tunes on platforms like Spotify, iHeartRadio, etc. On Friday, March

23rd, Bon Jovi will be on tour at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/detail/bon-jovi

*The band name was planned to be “Johnny Electric” but took the name Bon Jovi due to the success of other bands

with the same syllable layout, such as Van Halen and Def Leppard.

-Owen Wilhelmsen

Album Review | Fall Out Boy: M A N I A Fall Out Boy’s seventh album had its complete release on

January 19th of this year. Many fans will notice it is a divergence

from their typical sound, which has led to discourse. Fans can defi-

nitely hear an influence from their earlier albums, such as AB/AP in

songs like “Stay Frosty”. Long-time fans will argue that their sound

has, up until now, had a much more alternative, punk rock vibe and

less of an electric, almost dubstep, sound. Though, it’s absolutely lu-

dicrous that anyone could think that a band that has been around for a

decade and a half would never experiment. Guys, they’ve been

around since the Bush administration. Their band is as old as this

year's freshmen class. MANIA’s sound is experimental and all over

the place, but I love it for that exact reason. I love the idea of them

evolving and changing and trying out all kinds of things. Some folks

can’t groove with this sound and that’s alright. I’m not gonna tie you

to a chair and force headphones in your ear. Personally, one of my all

time favorite Fall Out Boy songs is on this album.

-Sophia Sierra-Quintero

‘Upcoming Concert: Bon Jovi” Artwork By: Owen Wilhelmsen

Fashion & Beauty

Fashion & Beauty - Best & Worst of Paris Couture Spring 2018

Maison Valentino - The show opened with a floor-sweeping saffron evening

coat and a truly spell-binding headpiece made of turquoise feathers, one of

several Philip Treacy–designed headpieces in the show. Some were feathe-

red, while others mimicked leaves and flowers blooming around the models’

heads, and all of them came in a vibrant jewel tone to complement the richly

colored clothes: mint with aquamarine, deep red with lime, neon pink with

blush. The notion of powerful clothing has been a major talking point at the

couture shows; at Chanel, it came in the form of a bridal tuxedo, and, at

Dior, it was in the nods to the Surrealist artist Leonor Fini. Piccioli’s take

included several items you don’t often see on a couture runway: chinos,

trench coats, and even a sweatshirt. He called it “a haute couture of present

times”—i.e., for busy women who aren’t just attending galas and balls. But

there were plenty of strictly gorgeous couture-isms, too: tons of feathers,

opera-length gloves, voluminous taffeta gowns, ruffles, bows, and stunning hand-embellishments that put the

atelier’s work on full display. As the final show of Couture week, I have to say it was a perfect way to end it.

Dior - Maria Grazia Chirui continued to use art as an inspiration for this co-

llection, this one focusing on the idea of surrealism and the artist, Leonor

Fini. Surrealism is an art style that was started in the 30s, included in both

art and literature. Today we associate “surreal” with absurd combinations

like those experienced in dreams. Some of the key characteristics of surrea-

lism artwork are a willingness to depict images of perverse sexuality, scato-

logy, decay, violence, and the desire to push against the boundaries of so-

cially acceptable behaviors and traditions in order to discover pure thoughts

and the artist’s true nature—and to emphasize the mysterious, marvelous,

and irrational in an effort to make art ambiguous and strange. And let’s be

real—Maria Grazia could not ever do mysterious, interesting,unique, marvelous, mythological, irrational,

violence, eschatology, sexuality, decay—ever. The idea of surrealism is never going to be Maria Grazia’s

friend; it created an expectation of freeform and boundary-breaking clothing which was never going to be

delivered upon—we were never going to get that—so why did you do that to us? The reference to Leonor

Fini also seemed off. All of his work was bold and full of color while a majority of the pieces that came

down the runway, while pretty, were very dull and grayscale. This collection proves that Maria Grazia conti-

nues to hide behind different artists work in order to push her collections.

-Rhea Eckenrod

Men’s Fashion Week

Men's Fashion Week occurred during the month of January this year and the

most common sight on the runway was beanies! Keeping you feeling warm but loo-

king cool, beanies have come into popular style in 2018! Beanies in dark colors, in

particular, have been chosen by some of the hottest brands, such as Christopher

Raeburn and Phoebe English Man.

-Shelby Wisdom

Conspiracy Theories

Amelia Earhart Conspiracy Theory

We all know about the famous Amelia Earhart and the mystery surrounding her and her co-pilot’s dis-

appearance—but what if I could tell you that maybe it isn’t the mystery you think it is? The theory is she did-

n’t crash-land into the ocean but rather into the Marshall Islands where she was then taken prisoner by the

Japanese Army. She and her co-pilot disappeared somewhere near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean on

July 2, 1937. Three weeks later, an S.O.S in the mid-Pacific was picked up by two men. Unfortunately, when

they went out to search, nothing was found. The exact reason is unclear, but for some reason, Earhart could

send signals, she just couldn’t receive them. It is believed she was imprisoned by the Japanese Army on the

island of Saipan. The amount of eye witnesses to confirm this is tremendous. First, various U.S. military per-

sonnel believe they found Earhart’s briefcase on the island. Also, other witnesses claim her plane was there

until the U.S. Army came and destroyed it. Bilmon Amaron, a Japanese medical worker serving on Jaluit in

1937, was interviewed in the 1980s. He stated that he was called to the Koshuia Japanese seaplane tender

docked in Juliut to check on Earhart’s and Noonan’s wounds. It should be noted that at the time he did not

know who they were. One U.S. veteran says he saw the letters “A.E.” written on a jail cell in Garapan, and

another eyewitness, a Saipan villager, says she saw a white female prisoner being driven to a nearby tree

where she was then forced to kneel in front of a pre-made grave and then executed. Recent documents found

in the U.S. National Archive reveal pictures and papers about Amelia Earhart. A forensic scientist tested the

photo for authenticity and said he was 99% sure it was her. For more, watch: Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evi-

dence documentary on the History Channel.

-Aly Alvarado

Sports

The Super Bowl

On February 6, Super Bowl Sunday, the Eagles not only attended their first Super Bowl game, they also beat the five-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Although the Eagles starting QB, Carson Wentz, was injured, the backup QB, Nick Foles, led them to victory. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Eagles have now pushed the Patriots record 5-4.

During the big game, many Patriots “choked”. For example, the kick-er, Stephen Gostkowski, missed not one, but two easy field goals. Also, ironi-cally, the quarterback, Tom Brady, missed a catch thrown to him. Also, dur-ing the game, Brandon Cooks, had to be “ejected” from the Super Bowl due

to a head injury. In contrast, the Eagles made several great plays. One in particular was the trick play. Basi-cally, the ball went from the QB, to the running back, to the tight end, who then threw it to the QB, Nick Fo-les, who then scored a touchdown.

After the Super Bowl, the injured starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, proposed to his then girlfriend, now fiancée—SHE SAID YES!!!

-Cortez Rodriguez

A Modern Picnic | Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls Recipe

Since spring is approaching quickly, I thought this month’s food column should focus on a new take on picnic foods. A traditional picnic includes foods such as finger sandwiches and potato chips. Instead of writing an article on foods many people eat on a daily basis, I decided to re-imagine picnic foods. Coming from a predominantly Asian background, when I think of finger foods, I think of spring rolls. So, on the next page is a new take on finger foods!

Culture Corner

Located in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is home to “King-sized” jeeps. Not only is Dubai the place to be at if you just happen to have some free time and a bank account that resembles a phone number, but it’s also the place to be for some great views. Number one on the list of the best views is the Burj Al Arab Hotel—it accounts for enough gold to cover the Mona Lisa painting 46,265 times! It’s no surprise that The Burj Al Arab Hotel is the most luxurious hotel in the world and is perhaps the world's only 7/5 star hotel.

Need another reason to visit? Try the Burj Khalifa Fountain, also known as the Dubai Fountain. The largest choreographed water show attracts plenty

thousands to view it annually. Some popular songs played at the fountain were Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. Last month, for the first time ever, EXO, a famous South Korean boy band also made its debut at the fountain, playing its popular song, “Power”.

In addition to the plentiful amount of sights to see, Dubai is just about the safest country in the Mid-dle East! Due to stricter laws, crime is kept to a sophisticated low. So, pack your bags, grab a plane ticket, and “borrow” some money from a family member and take a vacation to Dubai!

-Eryn Powell

Food

Food

Ingredients:

• 7 - 14 sheets of 22cm/8.5" round rice paper

• 11 small cooked prawns/shrimp (about 12cm/5" in length, unpeeled including the head)

• 50g / 1.5 oz. dried vermicelli noodles

• 7 lettuce leaves - use a lettuce with soft leaves, like Oak or Butter Lettuce

• 14 mint leaves

• 1 cup bean sprouts

Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce:

• 1 tbsp. peanut butter, preferably smooth (crunchy is ok, too)

• 2 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce

• 1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar (or lime juice)

• 1/3 cup milk (any fat %) (or water) (Note 3)

• 1 garlic clove, minced1/2 tsp crushed chili, sam-bal oelek or other chili paste, adjust to taste (optional)

Instructions:

1) Combine the peanut dipping sauce ingredients. Mix briefly (it won't come together), then micro-wave for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Set aside to cool. Adjust sour with vinegar, salt with salt and spiciness to taste. Thickness can be adjusted with milk or water once cooled.

2) Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water for 2 minutes, then drain (or follow packet instructions).

3) Peel the prawns, slice in half lengthwise and devein.

4) Remove the crunchy core of the lettuce leaves.

5) Tip - LETTUCE BUNDLE: Place some vermi-celli noodles and bean sprouts in a lettuce leaf, then roll it up, finishing seam side down. Repeat.

6) Fill a large bowl with warm water. The bowl doesn't need to be large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go.

7) Place two rice papers together (if using 2). Note which side is the smooth side - this is supposed to be the outside of the spring roll. Submerge the rice papers into the water (both of them at the same time, together) for 2 seconds. If your bowl isn't large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go, that's fine, just rotate it and count 2 sec-onds for each section you submerge into the wa-ter.

8) Place both the rice papers (one on top of the oth-er, they will stick together) on a board or the counter with the smooth side down.

9) On the top part of the rice paper, place 3 prawns with a mint leaf in between, as per the photo be-low.

10) Place the lettuce bundle with the seam side down onto the middle of the rice paper.

11) Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in, then starting from the bottom, roll up to cover the lettuce bundle. Then keep rolling firmly. The rice paper is sticky, it will seal itself.

If you placed the ingredients on the rice paper as per the photo above, your rice paper rolls should look pretty with the prawn and mint leaves on the smooth side of the roll and the seam on the side or underside of the roll.

“Spring Roll” Artwork by: Andi Doty -Rhea Eckenrod

Vietnamese rice paper rolls are packed with bright, fresh flavors and served with an insanely addictive Viet-namese peanut dipping sauce that takes just a minute to make.