Category: News

Arts and Culture, News, Stories, Student Life

Love – A Creative Writing Collection of the Moments we Love in Life!

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Sunset by Sienna Griffey

Songbird is visiting me today.

I couldn’t be more excited.

I close up things in the library (putting away any lingering books, cleaning up the front desk, and doing a quick sweep of the floor), then I brush off my hands and head up the secret staircase to my living quarters atop the library. 

There wasn’t much to tidy up here, as I had already cleaned it this morning, so I just opened up my current read—one of the ones Songbird had recommended to me—sat before my window, and waited.

We loved to recommend books to each other, it was one of our oldest traditions. While I was slow to get to their suggestions, they never disappointed. They always found the best stories, and always knew which ones I would love.

After some time had passed, I paused my reading to open the window, something I had forgotten to do. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to get in. A cold autumn breeze swept into the room as I swung the window panes open. A shiver ran over me, but I was smiling, inhaling the crisp scent of evergreens and the tinge of brine from the nearby ocean.

This time of year also made me think of them: all warm reds and browns and golds, early sunsets, and honey-like sunlight—with cool and crisp breezes as invigorating and refreshing as their spirit.

Looking outside, I could see the clouds painted orange and pink, the sun beginning to fade on the horizon, coating the world in fiery orange and gold. 

This was the time of day that reminded me most of them. Not just energetically, but we always called and met up at this time. Our schedules worked out best for this, for me to conjure a communication spell for us to be on calls well into the night, the moon high in the sky by the time we finished. Then, on the rare occasions I was able to visit their river town, my wagon always got me there late afternoon or dusk. In my mind, this was their time of day.

With the natural light fading more and more, I decided to light some candles. Slowly making my way around my room, I set alight each candle I came across around the space.

Fire, which burned bright and lively, like Songbird’s creativity and humor. Fire, the element of the Sun, whose warmth was that of their words of comfort and care when my worries and fears arose. Fire, which lit up my room like Songbird lit up my day whenever we called.

The candles were all burning when the sky developed to deep oranges and purples. The Moon was showing herself more, now, sharing the sky with the Sun for a few moments. I smiled.

Sun and Moon, the ancient opposites. Yet, they danced in tandem, stories of old depicting them as siblings or lovers, but always connected—always tied to each other in some way.

And in that moment, looking up at the two celestial bodies, flashes of our history flitted before my eyes, in my mind, and in my heart.

The very first time we met, we were young and both in a class of storytellers, you always making me laugh during those meetings, you reaching out first, our first message to each other outside of the group, two years of learning and talking excitedly through just our words on paper about our favorite books and shows and movies. 

Our first confrontation, where I was so afraid of losing you but knowing we had to have that conversation or we could not move forward, things being even better than before after that, our first call after years of only messaging, feeling shy and nervous but oh so excited to talk with you—and before I knew it, a whole new door of our friendship was opened. 

To where we went beyond knowing our favorite books and shows, to learning about our siblings and them learning about us. To learn of our other friends, crushes, analyzed our social groups and each other. Listened and comforted and offered words of encouragement through heartaches and heartbreaks. Laughed over butterfly clips breaking and candy being left in the wash, fell in love with each other’s characters, and cried over our fears and insecurities.

An ebb and flow, light and dark and everything in between. Never a friendship that was all-consuming or obsessive, but instead soft and sweet and gentle and loving and beautiful.

I smiled to myself, tears welling in my eyes as the last of the Sun’s rays faded from the sky, feeling so full of Songbird’s warmth and joy, so full of gratitude for them being in my life, so full of hope and excitement for whatever our futures held and knowing that, no matter what, we’d always have each other through it all.

It was then that a songbird flew up and landed on my windowsill. It looked to me, chirped once, then twice, before dissolving into golden sparkles. The sparkles blew into the room on a breeze and Songbird materialized in a sunburst of light in the middle of my room.

“Hi!” Songbird, you, grinned, your aura golden like the sun on grassy plains.

“Hi!” I crushed you in a hug, and it was the reunion of the day and night.

Thank you, Songbird, for being the best friend the Moon could ask for. 

Strangers by Harper Smith

When I was eleven, my neighbor wrote me a poem. 

It was early afternoon, and it also happened to be my birthday. My mother and I were on our way down the driveway to our car, while the neighbor was watering her flowers across the street. I don’t remember where we were going, but it must’ve been somewhere very important, because I was decked out in my finest attire and skipping around like I owned the place, because of, you know, birthday girl privileges. We waved; she and my mom chatted a bit. I remember shouting across the street that it was my birthday, and then we said bye and got in the car and left. It was a small moment, a simple one, and one I most certainly would have forgotten if not for the fact that when I came home, my dad handed me a small piece of paper. 

Something I learned after that day is that my neighbor, the sweet old woman across the street always hunched over her garden, is actually a renowned local poet and creative. I’m serious, you can look her up, her name is Nina Serrano, and she’s one of the only people I know who has her own Wikipedia page. She’s an amazing writer and activist who’s published books, poetry collections, worked on films, and co-run a podcast, but I didn’t know any of that at the time. At the time, I was a child standing in my kitchen, clutching a piece of paper that read Poem for an eleventh birthday, and not realizing that this one small act of kindness would be the thing that carried me through many of my hardest moments. 

‘Strangers’ is the name of my favorite song, and it is also the title I was instantly called to when I found out about this month’s collection. It may seem like an odd title for a story about love, and maybe it is–after all, I’m sure I’ll find the rest of my peers’ pages detailed with heartwarming stories about grandmothers and pets and girlfriends, connections and friendships, rather than random people met on the street. Which, obviously, is fair. Love is generally categorized by closeness and intimacy, something that’s impossible to achieve with someone you barely know–like, say, an across-the-street neighbor that you’ve spoken to once in five years. But what if it wasn’t? What if the closest connections are actually the ones you make in an instant?

Love is in the little things. It’s how they know your coffee order without having to ask, how they’ll wrap their coat around you when they see you shiver out of the corner of their eye. It’s your best friend’s nickname for you, it’s your mom making your bed for you every day of finals week, it’s your little brother letting you spoil the plot of shows that he hasn’t even seen long past his bedtime. It’s platonic and romantic, singular and plural, it’s intimate and expansive. It’s being seen by the people who love you most, and loving the people you know well. So yes, it’s those things, a hand in yours, a secret shared, but it’s also the even littler things. Like the weary nod of solidarity between early-morning commuters on the subway, the face of the store grocer when you make her laugh as she loads your bags, the kind smile of the boy who bent down and handed you the pen you dropped. Let me ask you, have you ever been in a room where somebody is butchering something so badly that you were united in long-suffering eye contact with somebody you’ve never spoken to before in your life? That is it. That is love. Thanks to Jimmy C’s terrible choir performance in the ninth grade, you and a person you know nothing about were, for one moment, connected by something powerful: mutual understanding. 

In the world we live in today, it is so easy to forget that we are all the same, really. Well, okay, not really–I have blue eyes and you have brown, I can play guitar and you know piano, not to mention all the details and imprints of our psyches that will never resemble another’s in a thousand years, but you get what I mean. There’s so many labels and categories and different types of people you can be that it makes it seem like moments like the ones I described are meaningless in the flood of it all. But I don’t think it’s meaningless at all. In fact, I’d argue it means quite a lot. We all cry. We all feel alone. We all lie awake in our beds at night wishing someone would see us for who we really are, truly, and ignoring all the people who are right in front of us waiting to be seen as well. In the same vein, we all also smile. We all love someone deeply, with the depths of our hearts, and I’m willing to bet there’s not a person reading this who hasn’t laughed so hard they’ve cried at a funny cat video even once in their lives. Try me. We are all human, perfectly, imperfectly human. We blink and breathe and stare at the stars, and we are all so alike and so different at the same time, but when it comes down to it, we are one. 

It’s so easy to feel so hopeless. It’s so easy to convince yourself that nothing really matters, that your existence has no mark on anything at all, that maybe it would even be better if you vanished completely. But it does matter. You matter. If you were not here, the girl who you gave your extra piece of gum to on the train when you were twelve wouldn’t have that memory to cling to when things get hard. The people that watched you trip into a geyser at Yellowstone wouldn’t have a story to pull out at every family dinner over the years (even if that was your most embarrassing moment. I get it, trust me.) You have made a million marks on a million people that don’t even know your name, and they’ve done the same to you. Take a second and think about all the people you’ve met in your life. Take a second and remember those people who you will never see again, but who brushed up against you for one second in time and in that way, added the smallest stroke of paint to the canvas of your life. Let yourself find the strangers, and remind yourself that you are not alone. 

And sometimes, maybe your story isn’t over once you’ve exited someone’s life. I haven’t spoken to my neighbor Nina since probably 2021, after exchanging a few poems with her in an effort to repay her for the beautiful one she wrote to me. She told me I was an excellent writer–Nina, look at me now! I don’t remember what I wrote; I don’t even know if she still has them. But I still see her. I saw her yesterday, getting out of her car with her husband, and we waved. She’s about 92 now, and I’m about 16, and it’s been five years but I still have that paper in the same spot on my wall. Art has come and gone around it, even a whole loft bed has framed it at one point, but it is still there. A reminder to me that, no matter what, for one day I was what made someone write something beautiful. Do you understand how special that is? I haven’t ever told her all this, but tomorrow I’m going to print out this story and walk over to her house and give it to her, because she deserves to know. I have an amazing woman living right across my street, and I’ll be damned if I let my life go by without the chance to let her know how much she changed it. 

For Nina xoxo

The Cello – An Explanation By Iliana Kim

Did you know that before the endpin was invented, people had to hold their cello
between their legs? The cello is usually made out of wood and is shaped like a violin.
The thing is you could fit two or three violins in one cello. I was introduced to the cello
when my family started listening to the Bach cello suites. I was amazed by the deep,
mellow sound that it produced. I love the way the cello calms me down and I see that
other people are affected that way too. I like the several ways the cello is played, like in
solos, duets, and orchestras.


I think the sound of the cello can create a nice and calm environment for the
people who are listening. I really like the fullness of the sound and the level of volume
the cello has. The sound of a cello makes me feel like I’m floating and I think it’s very
relaxing. With certain songs people could feel happier, more energetic or stronger like I
sometimes do.


In the one and a half years I have practiced the cello, I have played in solos,
duets, and a few orchestras.The first time I played in an orchestra I felt it was easier
than doing a solo or a duet. Solos feel like one ant trying to make a rather large ant hill
all by itself with no one to help. But if you are doing a duet it’s easier because it’s like
making an ant hill with fifty ants. Then again it’s better to build with a hundred ants than
anything else.


I hope you and everyone who reads this will get to enjoy the magical sound of
the cello, whether in-person or online, as a solo, duet or orchestral performance.

Links to music:

Grieg Holberg suite (Orchestra)
https://youtu.be/kJ6AaBArhRw?si=5ztDP-Ud733CGjmf

Bach Cello suites ( Solo played by Mischa Maisky)
https://youtu.be/mGQLXRTl3Z0?si=6QH-zEV5AGhp8AU5

 Stray Kids by Sloan Correnti

Something I love is the band Stray Kids! Stray Kids is an eight member K-Pop boy group created by renowned music label JYP Entertainment! They were first discovered through a TV show called Stray Kids, on which many K-Pop trainees competed in teams for the chance to debut as JYP’s newest band. In 2017, Stray Kids won and released their debut ep I AM NOT, beginning their rise to stardom. 

The Stray Kids members are split up into three main units aka rachas; 3Racha, Danceracha, and Vocalracha. 3racha consists of Han, Bang Chan, and Changbin, and is responsible for producing and writing most of the band’s music! Dancracha is made up of the three main dancers, Lee Know, Hyunjin, and Felix. They choreographed some of the group’s dances, and Lee Know was even a back up dancer for super famous K-pop group BTS! Vocalracha is I.N and Seungmin, the main vocalists! Stray Kids used to have nine members, but their old lead vocalist Woojin left the band in 2018 for personal reasons. 

Since their debut, Stray Kids have released over 300 songs and have collaborated with many popular music artists like Charlie Puth, DJ Snake, and Troye Sivan! They have also won over 100 awards including the Billboard Music Award for top K-Pop album for their 2023 release 5-Star.  

Their latest project is The dominATE Experience, a movie about their dominATE tour.  It will be kind of like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie, but with more behind-the-scenes footage.  The movie premiers in theaters on February 6th, 2026!  I’m going to watch it in theaters on the 7th, and I’m so excited!  

Stray Kids is an awesome group, not only because of their fun and interesting music, but because of the members’ great personalities and kindness towards fans! I think they’re all amazing people, and I hope you do too. GO CHECK OUT SOME STRAY KIDS MUSIC!!!

From left  to right: Felix, I.N, Hyunjin, 
Han, Lee Know, Changbin,
 Seungmin, Bang Chan.

Thank you for reading this beautiful collection of works by these incredible guest writers and Lighthouse staff alike. We hope that their work has brought you joy in this season of love. We challenge you to openly admire and appreciate the things you love in life. The people, the places, the adventures and moments. The things that make you…you. Because, at the end of the day, love is what makes us, all gathered together in this lovely yet messy world…us. And as for the world, we must remember that we can never have too much love, understanding, and empathy for the people around us; our triumphs, our small moments, our shortcomings, those are what make us so human and those are the things that should be celebrated. So finally, say “hi!” to your neighbor, pet your cat, and treat others with the love that I know our hearts so deeply crave each and everyday. 

Sincerely,

The Lighthouse Staff 

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

The Beatles, 1969

Arts and Culture, News, Stories, Student Life

“For the love of…!” A Love Themed Creative Writing Opportunity! 

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by Ava Amara Salado

‘Tis the season of love and growth. For many, that can be quite an unsettling thought. The continuous and often subconscious pressure that one must receive a box of chocolates, a neatly wrapped bouquet of roses tied together with shiny metallic ribbon, find yourself a dinner and movie date, etc. Although well intentioned the, at times, commercialized Valentines Day can be troubling. It can make the lead up to February 14 feel like a doomsday counter rather than a season that should be filled with appreciation and kindness. 

So, we at The Lighthouse wanted to offer a different perspective on the day. 

Romantic love is important, it’s wonderful, it has withstood the trials of time, giving us beautiful moments in history. Some say it’s what makes the world go round, shaping the most lovely parts of life. But there are other types of love too! And that’s what we want to hear about…

Come one, come all! We welcome you to write a short story, paragraph, or even poetry about something you love in life! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic sorta’ love, it could be the love of one of your passions or hobbies, your pet or family member, your best friend, your rock collection, or even your favorite food! Truly, anything is welcome! 

Submit your work to thelighthousetve@gmail.com by February 4th, 2026.

All submissions will be posted in our February 6th publishing! 

We cannot wait to see all of the lovely things you incredible writers cook up! 

Much love,

The Lighthouse Staff

“What is done with love, is done well”

V. Van Gogh

Arts and Culture, News

The Beginning of The Great Dickens Christmas Fair

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by Ava Amara Salado

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is taking Bay Area locals and tourists alike on a journey back to the heart of Victorian London. For just five weekends every holiday season, they graciously bring back the sights, sounds, and even scents of that beautiful period to history.

Image by San Francisco Chronicle

Imagine this, you stroll down narrow streets dotted with unique and authentic carnival games, English pubs with heaps of hot food being made before your eyes, and specialty shops selling handmade goods from all over. From street sellers and chimney sweepers singing carols, to characters like Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, & Future, and even Mr. Dickens himself, will wander the alleys. The streets of the fair are crowded and bustling with people dressed in elaborate 1800s costumes, including sailors and seamen, businessmen, suffragists, thieves, and nobility. Numerous stores filled with presents, books, jewelry, textiles, artwork, and apparel pass by as you wind through neighborhoods and roads that have been meticulously recreated. You can smell hot, candied cinnamon almonds, pine and burnt wood, hot toddies, and musk. All of this, and just in the heart of the Bay Area, San Francisco.

Image by Fifty Grande

The fair, which has been a much beloved Bay Area institution for now 55 years, is still one of the most intricate and detailed Victorian Christmas events in the world. The Cow Palace is the site of The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, a long-standing Daly City facility that holds a variety of events, including concerts and even rodeos. It has opened its doors to the public since 1941, being the site of many of the historic conventions and moments for California. But once you enter during the holiday season, you time-travel back to Victorian London, completely forgetting that only 20 minutes ago you were struggling through thick 101 traffic.

The History

  • Image of Ron & Brian Patterson

But where did this incredible tradition start? The majority of visitors to Dickens London are likely unaware of its unique origin at a very different kind of fair in Los Angeles in the 1960s; Renaissance Faires. The birth of wide spread Renaissance Faires in America were arguable all thanks to the work of Ron and Phyllis Patterson. The Pattersons, still on the high of their successes in early “novelty themed” fairs made the decision to throw a small but special holiday party at their Hollywood Hills home in the winter of 1968, for their closest friends and family.

Image by Marin Mommies

They moved away from their tried-and-true Renaissance roots for this occasion and looked to Charles Dickens’ works and late 19th-century history for inspiration. The occasion’s costumes, food, décor, and activities were so enjoyable to the Pattersons and their guests that they proposed holding the event annually, possibly on an even larger scale.

In the meantime, the Pattersons had extended their Renaissance Faire productions to Marin County in Northern California, hosting it in the historic brick warehouses along Fisherman’s Wharf in nearby San Francisco. The scenery was reminiscent of the covered marketplaces of Victorian London, and the experience served as the inspiration for an extravagant Victorian Christmas Fair open for the public to enjoy. What started out as a house party was transformed into a large indoor fair for the Bay Area community. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair (or Pickwick Comic Annual, as it was once known) soon was born. In December 1970, the Anchor Works, a historic warehouse next to San Francisco’s waterfront Embarcadero neighborhood, hosted the first Dickens Fair for only three weekends. At the time, a newspaper article poignantly compared the Fair experience to walking onto a movie set. 

Image by Marin Mommies
Image by San Francisco Chronicle

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair has changed over the course of its over 50 year run because of the participation of three generations of the original Patterson family, a big multi-talented ensemble of performers and artists, and thousands of loyal patrons and visitors. The only festival of its sort in the entire globe, it has grown to be one of the most cherished and eagerly awaited yearly events in the San Francisco Bay Area! 

What to Look Forward to

From traditional English pantomimes and juggling acts to music hall concerts, sea shanties, and scenes performed from “A Christmas Carol” across the venue, there is always something to see. With numerous stages and activities, you can never really be bored. You can sing along with boisterous performers at Mad Sal’s Dockside Alehouse, learn a new dance at Fezziwig’s Warehouse, or even just listen in on the goings-on of the streets. The hand-powered Adventure Carousel, “Punch and Judy” puppet shows, Victorian fairy home crafting, and, of course, a visit from Father Christmas are just a few of the magical moments that await at the fair. And you are welcome to dress the part too. Costumes that are appropriate for the time period are not necessary, but they are highly encouraged. 

Image by Secret San Francisco

By inspiring the resurgence of local art, food, community, and music, the idea of living history fairs give back greatly to our beautiful Bay Area culture. We find connection in creation, and that cannot be lost. So, if you need a break from the hustle and complications of today’s world, take a trip to somewhere that brings you joy and warmth, for many that is The Great Dickens Christmas Fair. They offer a chance for playfulness, an opportunity to be both a performer and the audience, a reason for coming together to, just for a moment, emphasize the true spirit of the holiday season; connection.

Below a collage of photos by Sheri Salado

News, Science

Brownfields: Brown is the Next Green!

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by Meru S.

A Brownfield – Courtesy of University of Illinois Chicago

A property can be considered a brownfield and not just an abandoned building when the local city detects contaminants underground beneath the property. Additionally, it can be regarded as a brownfield even if there is only a possibility of pollutants, since in both circumstances, it would be unsafe for prolonged human activity or residence. Brownfields are generally previously occupied plots that are no longer in use.

Sites that may possibly become brownfields in the future include gas stations, industrial buildings, and older houses. Leakages in subterranean gas pipes can toxify the land around gas pumps. Similarly, chemicals can seep into the area around factories, resulting in spaces that are hazardous to residences. Homes that were built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead, particularly in the paint. Therefore, when these houses dilapidate over time and layers of paint peel and decay, it releases lead into the surrounding yards. We can prevent brownfields by repairing gas and chemical leaks, and safely renovating old homes.

         Once remedied, brownfields can be redeveloped, providing environmental, aesthetic, and security benefits. After toxins are identified and eliminated, the site can be transformed into parks, shops, and other functioning premises. The decontamination contributes to the health of the environment. When new buildings are constructed, preexisting structures and roads can be incorporated into the new development, inhibiting sprawl. This process of including prior derelicts is called infill-development. Finally, brownfields are often neglected and unattractive, instigating higher crime rates in the local neighborhood and dissuading people from moving to the area, so restoring these plots restores the city’s status as well. 

Redeveloped Beacon – Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
News, Science

Oldest Active Astronaut Returns Home from 220-Day Mission

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by guest author Jonathan David

Don Petit, the current oldest active astronaut, returned to Earth on his 70th birthday from
a 220-day mission on the International Space Station. He spent many hours on scientific
research in the areas of 3D printing in space, water sanitation, plant growth and fire behavior in
microgravity. This was his fourth mission, totaling 590 days of space time. His main job on the
team is flight engineer.
In an April 28th interview at Johnson Space Center he concluded by sharing, “ I could
look out the window and just enjoy the view. But, when I’m looking out the window just enjoying,
its like, ‘Oh, Wow. A meteor. Oh, wow, look at that. Man, there’s a flasher. What’s that? And, oh,
look at that. A volcano going off? It’s like, okay, where’s my camera? I got to record that. And
part of this drive for me is when your mission is over, it’s photographs and memories.’”
Thank you for reading this article. Stay tuned for more NASA news! Special thanks to
ABC News for interview information.

News, Student Life

Interview with DGC Director Ken Abrams

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by Lydia I. Matinov

Lights? Check. Audience? Check. Voices? Check! Next is the conductor! I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Ken Abrams, the artistic director of the Danville Girls Chorus. Since 1992, Mr. Abrams has been conducting singers of all ages, and has won multiple awards, as well as, competitions. I am very excited to share his inspiring story.

Why did you choose choral conducting and performing arts as your career?

I didn’t choose it at first. I chose to be a music major, and then, after I graduated, somebody said, “Hey, you’ve worked with my high school choirs, and you did really well. You should consider being a teacher.” That’s when I said, “Maybe”. Right after college is when I made the choice to do that.

What is your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part is getting the students prepared and working through rehearsals. Then, watching them soar in a concert.

What challenges have you faced throughout your career?

Many challenges. Financial is the first one. Not getting any money for my program, or my accompanist, and having to sell candy, and do everything possible to have a choir to direct. That was one of the hardest things. There’s been a lot of cutbacks in the schools over the years. They’re facing more this year.  That was always difficult, when they were laying people off, or told me they do not have a job. And three, sometimes just having a rotten-egg student can be a real pain. It’s the good ones that make it all worthwhile.

What was the most valuable thing you learned while studying choral conducting?

One of the things somebody said was “Expect, and communicate, and you will not be disappointed.”, and I’ve always remembered that. If you give them the expectation; tell them what you want, how to do it, and what you’re expecting, more often than not, they will come through with flying colors.

What advice can you give to anyone who would like to pursue a career in musical arts?

Just make sure you have all the training you can get. Musical arts is a big field, but if you want to be a teacher, learning how to play piano helps a lot. If you’re in musical arts, then you must try singing the absolute best you can and learning to read music. And, if you’re going to be in musical theater, add dancing to that, as well.

You have received many prestigious awards, and your choirs have won numerous competitions. Can you comment on your incredible success and have you ever imagined that you would be such a highly sought after artistic director?

Never. Never imagined that. It just kind of happened, and I got better and better the older I got, and I got Teacher of the Year for California. Two years ago, my choirs won many-many awards and competitions, but they had to work really hard to do that.

Can you share a funny or interesting story that happened sometime during your career?

There were a lot of funny stories. We did musicals every other year, and there was lots of fun stuff that would happen: a lot of silly things with kids falling off the risers, or sneezing, or fainting in the middle of a song.

Is there anything else you would like people to know?

What’s wonderful about being in a choir is that singing is something you can do your whole life. It’s something that you don’t have to have an instrument for. You can just do it by virtue of your body helping you accomplish singing. I hope that my singers with Danville Girls Chorus and the ones that I had in high school use it, value it, and continue exercising it their whole life long.

For more information regarding the Danville Girls Chorus, visit danvillegirlschorus.org.

The Danville Girls Chorus

News, Science

Yosemite’s Fall of Fire

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by Layal Hilal

Have you ever seen a waterfall on fire? If you have, you’ve probably been to Yosemite and seen Horsetail Falls in February, where the waterfall “lights on fire” a few times every year. The illusion of it becoming a literal “river of lava” is caused by the sun setting at the right time in the right place, and it has attracted hundreds of visitors across the country, including me and my family! 

Facts about Yosemite’s Horsetail Waterfall Firefall:

  • Horsetail Falls, a waterfall on the eastern side of El Capitan, literally attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country coming to see the fake “volcano eruption”. Of course, the waterfall doesn’t actually light on fire; it’s just the sun’s rays hitting the falls from the perfect angle at the perfect time that causes the illusion. 
  • From mid to late February, this amazing phenomenon occurs in Yosemite National Park about ten minutes before sunset every day. 
  • It is known as the ‘firefall” and visitors travel thousands of miles to capture it on camera.  
  • The first person to ever take a picture of this was a man named Galen Rowell, who happened to be driving through Yosemite Valley in 1973, glanced up, and saw a lava waterfall.
    • Galen Rowell was born in 1940 and died in 2002.
    • He was a well-renowned American photographer, climber, and mountaineer and took the first shot of the firefall occuring, becoming the man who made it famous. 
  • For the firefall to happen, the water has to be rushing down the cliff, there has to be a clear or mostly clear sky with few clouds, the sun has to set at just the right angle, and, of course, it only takes place in about the last two weeks of February.
  •  If you decide to visit this waterfall in the last few days when you can (or you can just do it next year!), try to go on a weekday, since you need reservations on the weekend, get there really early, bring a lot of snacks, have a plan for what to do before sunset, bring a really good camera or your phone if you don’t have one, do your research to try and get the best viewing spot, and set up your blankets, chairs, and camera where you’re viewing the falls about two to three hours before it starts, because yes, people come that early
  • DISCLAIMER: No matter how many videos and photos you see, nothing will prepare you for a tiny, almost invisible waterfall to turn bright orange in the time before sunset. Your breath will still be taken away, you will still scream, ooh, and ahh, you will still take millions of photos in the hope at least one will do it justice, you will find yourself scared to blink, for fear that it will end in the moment you close your eyes, and you will be filled with a consuming disappointment as it returns to its normal color. 

Go to Horsetail Falls. Watch it turn orange. Take a million videos. Revisit the memory in your dreams. Wish it lasted longer. If you can’t go this year, go next year. Even if you watch it from your car, parked illegally on the side of the road because you came too late, starving because you forgot all your food, with trees and clouds partially blocking your view and your camera forgotten at home, you won’t regret it. And if you do…keep going until you don’t. 

News

Julie Packard Retires

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by guest author Jonathan David

Julie Packard, head of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, has
announced her retirement. She is now a head on the board of trustees, so she continues
contributing to the Monterey Aquarium, while she “hands over the reins” as CEO. Here are a
few facts about Ms. Packard: Her favorite organism in the ocean is Giant Kelp. The reason for
this is that she researched seaweed ecology for her Master’s degree. She and the aquarium are
famous for taking care of orphaned sea otter pups.


“Early on, we got involved in rescuing and caring for orphaned sea otter pups, but it was
very difficult to keep them alive,” she shared with New York Times journalist, Franz Lidz. Under
Ms. Packard’s leadership, the aquarium is famous for allowing fully grown surrogate mom otters
to teach the pups. Ms. Packard further explained, “This was a breakthrough because, no
surprise, the female otter is a much better mom than a human trying to show an otter what to
do.”

As I wrap up this discussion, I will suggest that you be sure to watch the movie at the
aquarium theater, Luna: A Sea Otter’s Story. It will teach you all about the rescue of the orphan
pup otter, Luna. Please visit the aquarium and see its wondrous displays, from jellyfish that float
around the surface, to mysterious creatures that haven’t even been named yet! I’m thankful for
Ms. Packard’s work to conserve our oceans.

News

Air and Naval Power in WWII – What Were Its Effects and Was It Worth It?

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by Emery Pugh

The 1900s were a period of military technological revolution. The airplane changed the scope of warfare and was constantly improved upon since its invention. Radar and sonar were introduced during WWII. Battleships gained more and more firepower and had cannons that could launch projectiles farther and farther. Aircraft carriers were emerging as an extremely important asset in naval tactics. So how did the airplane and the warship impact World War II?

Air forces and navies were used as auxiliaries to enhance ground operations. If you had naval or air parity with another country, it meant that neither country was able to destroy enough air or naval assets of the enemy to gain an advantage. Superiority meant that you could attack enemy ground troops with little worry of opposition, and supremacy meant total control – you could do whatever you intended in that realm with almost no resistance because you had destroyed all or nearly all of the enemy’s assets (planes or ships) in that realm and their industrial capability to produce more. Air power was used to target the enemy’s industrial capacity by using strategic bombers, such as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress (see image below). Tactical and attack bombers could provide valuable support to land operations, and fighters patrolled the skies to attempt to shoot down enemy bombers and other fighters. Naval power could be used to bombard coastal military bases and industrial factories. Each type of ship was generally specialized for one or two purposes. The main types of ships are: aircraft carriers, which were used as mobile airbases, battleships to counter surface threats with their immense firepower, battlecruisers as a lighter and more mobile version of a battleship, destroyers for scouting and neutralizing enemy submarines, cruisers mainly for anti-air with some surface combat elements, submarines for stealth and surprise, and support ships for resupplying oil, food, and other resources.

Image of a B-29 Superfortress strategic bomber

How did each military of the six major powers in World War II – the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan – use air and naval power? The Germans had huge initial successes against its neighbors with its army-focused military, though they did have an air force and a navy. The German Luftwaffe, the name for the German air force, was highly lethal at the beginning of the war. The German Kriegsmarine (the German navy) consisted primarily of U-Boats, also called submarines. Despite how effective the Germans were against its neighbors like France, though, they couldn’t seem to dominate Great Britain or any of the other Allied powers the same way. That’s because the German military could only fight efficiently against enemies a short distance away. The German air force did not have very many long-ranged bombers like the United States or Great Britain. In fact, they did not build a single four-engine bomber throughout the entire war. Once they realized the importance of aircraft carriers and how far behind they were in the production of aircraft carriers, the Germans started mass-producing hundreds of submarines to compensate for the lack of aircraft carriers. Not the right move.

Image of a German U-Boat

Militarily, Italy usually took a back seat to Germany. For the Italians, the main battlefront was in North Africa against the British and later the Americans as well. Italy’s navy and air force didn’t play a major role, but the navy was mainly used to protect supply routes and maintain superiority in the Mediterranean. Both Italy’s navy and air force were outmatched by the British and Americans in technology and coordination. Italian officers were often overly cautious because of Italy’s limited resources available to produce military assets.

Japan’s naval strategy was aimed at one goal: to defeat the American Pacific Fleet as fast as possible. Japan knew that they would lose in a war of attrition against the United States, since the U.S. had far more industrial capacity. To begin with, Japan actually had a more powerful navy and air force, in terms of numbers. The Japanese not only had industrial shortcomings, but also the lack of the ability to train enough pilots. Japan used island bases as “unsinkable” yet immobile aircraft carriers. These islands created a ring of defense for the Home Islands. Yet they had a major problem: they could not supply their military with enough fuel and across such great distances between the Pacific islands and their sources of oil. However, American submarines intervened in Japanese shipping routes to disrupt their stratagem. Japan’s air strategy was built on surprise and quick yet sharp strikes, like at Pearl Harbor. Later in the war, Japan shifted to a more defensive stance and opted for kamikazes (suicide by crashing into enemy ships with planes). They hoped that enough people would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the survival of Japan and the kamikazes would be successful so as to sink a sufficient number of American ships to have a chance at winning the war.

The Soviet Union did not have a major air force or navy. About 80% of their military personnel were in the army. Russia did not have motivation to have a sizable navy or air force, since the only goal of their military was to stop Germany from taking Moscow. They were more likely to invest their resources into making an artillery unit or a tank than a strategic bomber or a battleship, for example.

Great Britain had the largest and most powerful navy going into World War II. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was also arguably superior to all other air forces. Britain’s approach to fighting the war was defensive for the first couple years. Its air force engaged the German Luftwaffe in the famous Battle of Britain, successfully preventing the Germans from launching an invasion of the British Isles. The RAF launched strategic bombing campaigns against the Axis Powers in Europe (primarily Germany) and provided intelligence on German troop movements. Elements of the RAF were stationed across the world (mostly in Europe), such as Norway and Greece, to help defend those countries from Germany and Italy. Their navy was critical in protecting transport ships from their colonies, such as Canada, Australia, and India. Near the end of the war, combined British and American naval forces gained naval supremacy (complete control over the seas) in relation to the European Axis powers, which allowed them to execute Operation Overlord, also known as the amphibious landing at Normandy or D-Day.

Last but certainly not least, we come to the United States of America. The United States entered World War II with a comparatively small constable force to the major European powers, since they had no reason to have a large military – it’s not like the U.S. was planning to invade Canada or Mexico, and we didn’t want to get involved in WWII, although we sympathized with the Allies. At the outset of the war, the United States had around 1.4 million active-duty troops. After WWII, that number increased to over 12 million, which was the largest mobilization ever performed in the history of warfare. America’s air force had only around fifteen hundred planes when they entered World War II in 1941. Four years later, they had a staggering 80,000 planes. Similarly, the American Navy also experienced rapid expansion in the extreme: in 1941, the United States had approximately 790 ships and 8 aircraft carriers. At the end of WWII, they had a mind-blowing 6,800 ships and over 100 aircraft carriers, an unimaginable industrial feat. The naval tonnage (how much the navy weighs) of the United States exceeded that of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan combined after 1945. Yet a highly productive economy was not the only reason why the United States was able to become such a great military power. While Japan’s admirals had vaunted reputations due to the empire Japan had established in the Pacific, they did not adapt to the new style of naval warfare that was taking hold. Admiral Yamamoto’s tactics were based on outdated and conventional teachings. He wished to engage the Americans in classic style with battleships. On the contrary, most American admirals, such as Chester A. Nimitz and later Arleigh Burke, recognized the importance of aircraft carriers and preferred more mobile ships such as destroyers over the clunky and slow battleship. In both the European and Pacific theaters, the United States supported ground operations (in the Pacific, U.S. Marines to take islands) and had strategic bombing campaigns to destroy the Axis Powers’ ability to produce enough naval and air assets to fight back.

Image of an Essex Class aircraft carrier

So, going back to one of our original questions, was air and naval power worth it? For the United States alone, approximately 90,000 airmen and 62,000 naval crewmen died. Hundreds of thousands of airmen and naval crewmen died from all countries engaged in World War II. More than 20,000 ships and submarines were sunk, and over 100,000 aircraft were destroyed. Accounting for modern day inflation, the budget for WWII was over $4.1 trillion for all countries combined. Air and naval power accounted for a significant portion of that amount. Despite all that, in my opinion, air and naval power was worth it. Because without it, the Allies would likely not have won World War II. Many lives were lost, but at the same time, many lives were saved. If air and naval power were not as preeminent as they were, ground forces would have to fight many more fierce battles, resulting in far more casualties than what actually happened.

You might be thinking: if air and naval power reduced casualties, why does World War II have the most casualties of any war, including World War I? That’s a good question. To explain the immense amount of death and injuries, you can turn to Germany and Japan. The German and Japanese armies were not just conventional armies; they were slaughtering machines, instructed to kill anyone in sight whether in a military uniform or not. Approximately nineteen million Russian civilians were killed by the Germans (excluding the 8 million military deaths), and around 15-20 million Chinese civilians were killed by the Japanese (this estimate varies: some say around 7 million, others as high as 50 million). Russia and China weren’t the only places of mass killing, though. Japan committed war crimes all around the Pacific, killing millions from whatever territory they happened to conquer. Germany had thousands of infamous concentration camps, where millions of people were sentenced to death (primarily Jews). As you can see, a major part of deaths in World War II were not caused by battles. Air and naval power, in the end, saved lives.

I’ll wrap it up with one of the most debated subjects in World War II: the droppings of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some think of it as an inhumane war crime. Others call it a show of power to scare the Soviet Union. Still others think it was used as a method to quickly end the war. Yet another viewpoint argues that it was a way of getting back at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor and the other atrocities the Japanese committed. There are countless different perspectives on this topic, but I don’t agree with any of those listed above. Japan had refused to surrender for months and stated that they would fight until the end. The United States had three options: execute a ground invasion of Japan, continue to fire-bomb the Home Islands, or drop nuclear weapons. A ground invasion of Japan could potentially cost tens of millions of lives (especially due to the suicidal nature of Japanese soldiers and civilians), and fire-bombing Japan would similarly cost millions of lives. The atomic bombs killed at most half a million people (accounting for deaths caused by aftereffects), which stands in sharp contrast when compared with the other two options. Nobody supports the use of nuclear weapons, and half a million lives is still a lot, but there was no other better option at the time. The U.S. dropped the second bomb only because Japan still refused to surrender. Based on this reasoning, I think the real motive of the United States dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was simply to save lives.

Arts and Culture, News, Student Life

An Interview With Author Millie Florence

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by Meru S.

Millie Florence is the author of three middle-grade novels including Honey Butter, which she wrote and self-published at the age of thirteen.

Honey Butter is a simple yet vividly descriptive tale of joy and sorrow, lightheartedness and contemplation, anger and love. The storyline follows Jamie Johnson, a young girl with a passion for collecting paint cards, and her friend Laren Lark, who, at nearly thirteen, is several years older than Jamie. 

As I read this book, I did not notice a completely perceivable plot. Instead, I felt as though I had entered the lives of the characters and was observing the typical events of their days. Nevertheless, I was gently gripped by the book without the need for dramatic occurrences or twisted mysteries. 

Other novels by Millie Florence are Beyond Mulberry Glen, which will be released in early 2025 from Waxwings Books, and The Banter of Ashton Harper, published in 2023. 

Having read Honey Butter, I decided to interview the author of this book. I had heard that she was homeschooled, as am I, a fact that inspired me to email her with a few questions. 

What was your inspiration to write Honey Butter?

I got the idea for my first book, Honey Butter, while waiting for my parents in a paint store. Somewhat bored, I began reading the names of the paint cards.

Vivid jungle, cherry soda, bubble bath.

I was amazed how, with only two or three words, the titles painted a picture in my mind. I began to take the cards home with me until I had a small collection sitting on the edge of my bookshelf. Then I asked the first question:

“What if I wrote about a person who was obsessed with collecting paint cards?”

From this question, the character of Jamie Johnson began to take shape, and the story of Honey Butter slowly formed around her.

That’s how my ideas usually come about–a small spark of interest followed by a lot of questions. I find those sparks in paintings, overheard conversations, nature, history, the dictionary, antique shops, or a door-knocker on a house in Oxford that was shaped like a dragonfly.

I notice the world. I look carefully and pay attention to the things that interest me. Then I ask questions about them. A story is born from curiosity and good questions.

In Honey Butter, the protagonist, Jamie, has a hobby of collecting paint cards. Was that something you enjoyed doing when you were working on the book?

Yes! My collection got large enough that I kept it all in a shoebox, just like Jamie! The brand of the shoebox was “Piper”, and one day, while trying to think of a name for Erica’s friend, I looked over at the shoebox, which had “Piper” written across the top in big, pink letters, and I thought “That’s perfect!” 

Since the book has been published, people will often give me paint cards as gifts at author events. At one school visit a class gave me a box full of paint cards that they had all written on–thanking me for coming and telling me their favorite parts of the book. To this day it’s one of my favorite reader gifts.

After an idea for a storyline comes to you, what is the first step you take to begin writing a draft?

My writing process has changed slightly with every book. It’s always growing and evolving. I used to jump in headfirst as soon as I got an idea and write my first drafts without an outline. I felt as though outlines held me back and made my writing feel more unnatural. However, more recently I’ve discovered an outlining method that works well for me, developed by K. M. Weiland. It involves stream-of-consciousness journaling about your story idea, which I love, because it allows me the messy creative freedom I need, without requiring the massive structural rewrites to fix it later. I outlined the entire story of my current work in progress before I wrote a word of it, and it went very well!

So these days, the first step I take is to scribble down everything I know about the story so far, whether that’s a few disjointed scene ideas, a bit of funny dialogue, what I want the theme to be, or a long list of paint card names!

Do you have any techniques for overcoming writer’s block?

First of all, I don’t think writer’s block is as common as we writers would like to pretend. Much of the time, I think we can cry writer’s block when in reality we feel unmotivated or uninspired.

The trouble is, if I only ever wrote when I happened to feel inspired, I would write maybe five days a year.

Sometimes you need to take a break, especially when you’re tired or you’re genuinely not sure how to proceed with the story.

But a lot of the time, you won’t feel inspired until you actually start writing. There have been many, many days when I sat down to write, completely uninspired. But once I started writing, after about half an hour, suddenly I was excited about the project again. I started getting new ideas and really enjoying myself.

So what do I do when I feel uninspired? I write anyway. The act of writing in and of itself can be an inspiration.

That said, I did have major writer’s block for a year after my second novel came out. It sold more books in a month than Honey Butter had sold in a year. That was exciting but also terrifying. Suddenly, I was worried. None of my new ideas seemed nearly as good. What if I could never write something better than that? The thought was a bit irrational, looking back, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the emotions of the moment.

I harshly judged everything I came up with, writing drafts, and then discarding them. It was a very difficult time for me creatively. The way I finally found my way out was to stop putting so much pressure on myself and write because I loved it, not because of what other people might think–after all, that was why I started writing to begin with. That experience led me to write The Balter of Ashton Harper, which is all about finding joy in the act of creating.

The word Balter means “To dance artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.” But it applies to more than just dancing.

To fend off writer’s block, try to write artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.

When you publish a book, how do you celebrate?

Privately, the tradition has been to have a tea party with my family and friends! It’s no secret that I love tea, and baking, so I love to combine the two while spending time with the people I care about. Usually my family also buys me flowers.

I also celebrate with my readers all throughout the release with author events, live streams, giveaways… In many ways all the marketing I do for a release is just celebration!

I’ll be celebrating the release of my newest book, Beyond Mulberry Glen, on January 7th 2025. It’s already available for preorder, which means you can reserve a copy, along with some awesome pre-order goodies, inducing a signed bookplate. You can find out more on my website: millieflorence.com