The Beginning of The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
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. Imagine this, you stroll down…
Brownfields: Brown is the Next Green!
by Meru S. 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…
Oldest Active Astronaut Returns Home from 220-Day Mission
by guest author Jonathan David Don Petit, the current oldest active astronaut, returned to Earth on his 70th birthday froma 220-day mission on the International Space Station. He spent many hours on scientificresearch in the areas of 3D printing in space, water sanitation, plant growth and fire behavior inmicrogravity. This was his fourth mission, totaling…
Interview with DGC Director Ken Abrams
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…
Yosemite’s Fall of Fire
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…
Julie Packard Retires
by guest author Jonathan David Julie Packard, head of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, hasannounced her retirement. She is now a head on the board of trustees, so she continuescontributing to the Monterey Aquarium, while she “hands over the reins” as CEO. Here are afew facts about Ms. Packard: Her favorite organism in…
Air and Naval Power in WWII – What Were Its Effects and Was It Worth It?
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 Interview With Author Millie Florence
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…
TVE Promotion & Graduation Ceremony 2024
by Olive Pea & Lydia I. Martinov This year’s Graduation and Promotion ceremony was fantastic. We had many promotions, and 5 seniors! It took place at the San Ramon Community Center in the elegant fountain room. A green patch of Central Park, and the Community Center fountains, were visible through the windows. The crescent shape…
Kids Against Hunger – Let’s eradicate childhood hunger
by Ava Amara Salado A non-profit humanitarian group called Kids Against Hunger works to feed underprivileged children and families locally and globally by providing them with wholesome meals. The group wants the meals to give recipient families a reliable nutritional foundation so they may transition from hunger or food insecurity to self-sufficiency. The organization’s strategy…
A Night at The San Ramon Symphonic Band
by Meru S. The evening was cold and windy—so unusual for a late Californian May—as we drove to the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center. A blanket of gray clouds obscured the sky. For just a few moments, a barely visible drizzle sprinkled our car’s windshield. When we pulled into the Dougherty Valley High School parking…
Enchanted Forest – 2024 Teen Formal!
by Olive Pea This year’s TVE Teen Formal took place in Rancho, San Ramon on a sunny Saturday. It started at 7:00, right at that time when sun began to set. The gentle sunlight filtered through the glass windows and onto the navy blue backdrop covered in a twinkling layer of lights that mimicked the…
Monarch Butterfly Life Cycles!
by guest author Ayah Haimor Butterflies are amazing creatures. They do so much for the earth. Today I will be telling you about Monarch butterflies. Let’s get started! First I will tell you about one type, or species, of butterfly. There are many different kinds of butterflies, but today I’ll tell you about the monarch…
The Resent Total Solar Eclipse
by Lucas David Last week, I flew to Texas to see the total solar eclipse, only to find the sky obstructed by heavy clouds that blanketed most of Texas. The forecast showed the possibility of blue sky in a couple different directions, hours away from us, but we couldn’t know for sure which of them…
Solar Eclipse Facts!
by Layal Hilal Have you ever seen a solar eclipse? Solar eclipses are amazing phenomena and are once-in-a-lifetime experiences…or twice-in-a-lifetime! In fact, during a time period of about four minutes, a solar eclipse will occur on April 8th, 2024. And in order to properly prepare for this eclipse, I will be sharing some facts about…
What is Dundracon?
by Lucas David DunDraCon, (short for Dungeons and Dragons Convention), is a four-day celebration of role playing games that has come every President’s Day weekend since 1976, and is still recurring today. For the past three years, they have utilized the Santa Clara Marriott, converting hotel rooms and meeting rooms into game rooms and Live…
Poetry Challenge! – February
by Olive Pea POETRY CHALLENGE! The Lighthouse hopes everyone had a wonderful winter break! I don’t know about you, but I’m still getting back into the groove of things. New year, new articles, school (for those who took winter break), and… NEW POETRY!! Surprise! It’s poetry challenge time, people! In this February poetry challenge, you…
Current Sustainability Problems in the Bay Area
by Ava Salado To shed some light on what pollutants exist in the San Francisco Bay area we have to take into consideration both the air and the water. Pollution such as home chemicals, gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers, rubbish, and legacy harmful pollutants are washed into the Bay untreated or unfiltered when it rains. Rainwater is…
Contra Costa Water District: Behind the Scenes
by Meru S. Take a drink of water from your kitchen faucet. Have you ever wondered where that water is coming from? Clean water is essential for our everyday lives. We use it for drinking, showering, watering our gardens, cleaning our clothes, washing our dishes, and for many other daily tasks. Contra Costa Water District…
Harvest Dance – 2023 –
by Olive Pea HARVEST DANCE 2023 WAS A BLOWOUT SUCCESS This year’s Harvest Dance was the most attended dance of year (possibly ever) with over 230 costumed enthusiasts in attendance! It was a slightly overcast Saturday evening (4:30pm, to be precise) when the volunteers arrived for setup. In an hour, lights, electric candles, bunting, and…
Fall Art Challenge!
by Olive Pea The Lighthouse has an art challenge for you! Even though Halloween has just passed, the fall spirit is still here! The leaves in the trees are still painted with fall colors, and the invisible wind sweeps away those that have fallen. The moon shines brighter than ever, only to be blocked by…
The Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off
by Lucas David The Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off is a competition hosted in Half Moon Bay on Indigenous People’s Day. Competitors travel from all around to have their pumpkins weighed for a chance at first place, where the pumpkin is purchased at nine dollars per pound. The record-setting pumpkin receives an additional 30k, and immortalization as…
Danville Grange No. 85 Turns 150 Years Old
by Meru S. You may have been to the annual TVE Harvest Dance that took place just a few weeks ago. You might have even participated in the Knowledge Fair this spring, but have you ever wondered about the history of the building in which these events take place? This year, on October 25th, the…
Get Ready for the Harvest Dance! – 2023
by Ava Salado Hello TVE Community! I think it is safe to say the fall has officially…fallen. Isn’t it wonderful? Leaves of all shades of orange line the streets and the tidemark smell of autumn is finally out. So you know what that means? TVE’s Harvest Dance is here! Join us for our annual Family…
Navarathri — The Festival of Nine Nights
by Meru S. The Hindu festival of Navarathri begins on the new moon during mid-September to mid-October. In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, nava means nine and rathri means night, so Navarathri translates to Nine Nights. It is also called Dussara, or Ten Days, in Hindi. During these nine nights, three legendary goddesses of…
What is El Día de los Muertos?
by Ava Salado What is the Day of the Dead? We have probably all heard of it once or twice, especially around Halloween. Well, it’s actually a traditionally Mexican holiday where families welcome back the spirits of their deceased relatives for a short reunion. The festivities can include food, drinks, partying and celebration, singing, dancing,…
The Legion of Honor
by Lydia I. Martinov Do you love art? Well be sure to visit the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, CA. It is filled with stunning pieces of art that are sure to catch your eye. Artists in need of inspiration can treat themselves, and their families, to a field trip at the Legion…
The Not Back to School Year Picnic -2023-
by Olive Pea This year’s Not Back to the School Year picnic was full of friends, family, and back to school fun! The event was held at Athen Downs park in San Ramon, and began at 1:00 o’clock on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. A majority of the adults made conversation at the picnic tables in…
The History of Halloween
by Aleena Haimor Boo! It’s that time of year again: Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a lot of fun to dress up, eat candy and have fun with your friends. This year, I’ll be dressing up as Sophie Foster from Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.…
Another Year, Another Promotion – 2023 –
by Olive Pea This year’s Graduation and Promotion Ceremony took place at the Rustle Room at Rancho Amador, San Ramon. It started at 3:30. The graduates arrived at 2:45 for rehearsal. After rehearsal, the graduate’s families and friends arrived to watch. The MC, Nicole Pate, made an opening speech. After the opening speech, “Pomp and…
A Teen Tropical Paradise – Formal 2023 –
by Olive Pea On a slightly breezy Saturday (May 6th to be precise), this year’s Teen Formal occurred. It started at 7:00, and ended at 10:00 at the San Ramon Community Center. There were many large, round tables shrouded in black tablecloths located within the center of the room. They were surrounded by black folding…
May The 4th Be With You!
by Aleena Haimor May the 4th be with you! Today, May 4th, is the official, annual Star Wars day! Star Wars is a popular movie series, and, personally, one of my favorites. There are three movie trilogies: The original, the prequel and the sequel. Here are synopses of the three trilogies: 1. The Original Trilogy…
Springtime Art Challenge – Results! –
by Olive Pea We are already halfway through spring! There are so many colorful flowers in bloom. In fact, there are so many flowers in bloom that this spring was officially announced to be a Super Bloom, the first Super Bloom since 2019. So many flowers! It is starting to feel a little bit like…
Upcoming Teen Formal 2023 – Tropical Paradise
by Ava Salado It’s that time of year again! Prom season! A very common misconception about homeschoolers is that we don’t have proms or formals, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every year, TVE hosts its annual Teen Formal! If you are a homeschool student, aged 12 to 19, then you are formally, cordially,…
TVE’s Annual Knowledge Fair – 2023
by Lydia I. Marinov Gaining knowledge is fun! Especially at the TVE annual Knowledge Fair! From real birds, to a heart model, to coding and digital art, the 2023 Knowledge Fair had a lot of amazing facts and presentations demonstrated. People began to arrive and set up at 10:00am on March 29th inside the Danville…
Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr
by Aleena Haimor Before you read this, here is a glossary of Arabic words: It’s time for Ramadan! This is the holiest month for Muslims because it is a time to reflect and be conscious of our actions through fasting, prayer, charity, and remembrance of Allah (Arabic for God). My family does so many things…
Springtime Art Challenge!
by Olive Pea Spring is right around the corner! The days are getting longer, and the sun is shining brighter. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and everything is becoming more vibrant and alive! One of the most exciting parts of spring is watching the flowers bloom. They come in such a variety…
5 California Wildflowers to Look Forward to this Season
by Ava Salado Spring has almost sprung. And you know what that means… wildflowers! Yes, it also means debilitating allergies for some lucky folks but the beauty is worth it. Soon we will see oceans of lovely colors floating above our bay area fields. In fact, the northern California area has some very unique wildflowers.…
Let’s have a Conversation about Conservation!
by Meru S. My local 4-H club recently invited a guest speaker from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to talk about water conservation. He spoke about the most common ways water is wasted in everyday life, and how we can use less water to conserve it. Even with the rain that we have…
Valentine’s Day, Parkday, All in One!
by Olive Pea Wow! It’s already February! We are officially a whole month into the new year. I’m still trying to break the old habit of writing 2022 whenever I write down the date. Since a whole new year has started, this means that the cycle of TVE’s holiday events is starting over! Actually, the…
How to Become a Guest Author
by Ava Salado Do you want to publish one of your papers, essays, or creative writing but don’t have time to join The Lighthouse, no problem at all! Just become a guest writer! Email us at: thelighthousetve@gmail.com with your completed work, and we can publish it on our website. As you might have noticed, we have…
Poetry for You and Me
by Olive Pea First off, Happy New Year everyone! Our Staff hopes all of you had a wonderful holiday season. Now that a new year has started we should all look back to see how far we have come and give ourselves a high-five for all we have accomplished! Don’t just look back, look to…
The Terrific Train of Lights
by Lydia Martinov Winter time? Check! Cars? Check! Hot Cocoa? Check! Thousands of lights? Check! With holiday decorations inside and out, the Train of Lights is ready to choo-choo down the tracks. The antique coaches are quite a sight, especially in the open cars which feature wonderful views of the train. This one and a…
Poetry Submission Competition!
by The Lighthouse Staff Hello TVE Kids and Teens! Time for a poetry challenge! The staff of The Lighthouse (TVE’s own student-led newspaper) invites one and all to take part in our first ever poetry competition! Don’t be afraid to let your creative ideas run wild and why not show them off? We look forward…
Tesla’s Optimus: A State-of-the-Art Robot or Another Impractical Toy?
by Lydia I. Martinov The future is here! Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has finally unveiled the Optimus (also known as the Tesla robot). This epic piece of machinery contains AI (Artificial Intelligence), meaning that it can perform tasks that usually require a human mind. The Optimus was unveiled by Elon Musk on September…
Diwali — The Festival of Lights
by Meru S. Deepavali (or Diwali) is the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated on the new moon that occurs between mid-October to mid-November, according to the Lunar Calendar. The word Deepavali is a combination of two Sanskrit words — Deepa, meaning lamp, and Avali, meaning rows or series. Therefore, Deepavali means rows of…
One Harvest Dance, Comin’ Right Up!
by Olive Pea Hello TVE Community, and hello fall! Isn’t it just so nice to finally have a few not-100-degree weeks? Geez! That sun of ours can be so mean sometimes! Well, now that there isn’t a sizzling noise when we walk onto our front porches, the sunset-colored trees are dropping their leaves at the…
We invite you to join us at The Lighthouse
by Ava Salado Hello future journalists! Have you ever wanted to write? Let me elaborate, not just write short ‘thank you’ notes for those gifts your friends gave you at your birthday party or long, drawn out essays about George Washington for school. I mean writing stuff that you are interested in! From Leaping Blennies,…
The Death of a Queen
by Ava Salado “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” This was posted on a small, framed piece of white paper outside Buckingham Palace at precisely 6:30, September 8th, 2022. One can only imagine that some…
Growing Up in the Soviet Union
by Lydia I. Martinov I interviewed my grandfather, Yuri Manirko, who grew up in the Soviet Union. He lived in the city of Odesa located in Ukraine. 31 years ago, this country was one of the republics of the Soviet Union. Yuri moved to the United States at the age of 36 in 1994, in…
A Crash Near Alcosta
by Lydia I. Martinov Crash! A huge, high-speed car accident occurred on the freeway. Poof! The airbags emerge! Lilly*, a 5th grade homeschooler, was in a car crash on Friday, April 22, 2022, just after 4:15pm. It was on the 680 freeway, near Alcosta Boulevard. 4 cars, other than the one she was in, were…
The Spring Fling Thingy 2022
by Olive Pea The Spring Fling took place at the Danville Grange on February 19, 2022 from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. It was a drizzly Saturday evening and was hosted by TVE. The TVE leadership team and a few members of the TVE community arrived at 5:00pm to set up. There were bright rainbow banners tied up…
2021 TVE Graduation
by Ava Salado Homeschooling takes a village, and on June 5th, 2021, our TVE village was very proud to present 11 extraordinary students graduating from their own respective grades. The future is bright for these young (not so much anymore) kids. Let’s start by congratulating our students promoting up to middle school! Olive Pate: Olive…
Who was Judith Love Cohen?
by Ava Salado Here is the story of a woman who helped the world in so many ways and helped show that women deserve a place in the engineering space in her time (1950s and 1960s). Growing up in a time when it was almost impossible to find respect in the work she was in,…
In Honor of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
by Ava Salado It has been a sad couple days for the royal family, for Great Britain and for the world. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away April 9th 2021. The royal family made a statement to share the news on their official website this Friday. They report that he passed “peacefully” in Windsor…
In Memory of Christopher Plummer
by Ava Salado On February 5th, 2021, the world lost another one of it’s greats. Christopher Plummer passed away at the age of 91 with a very full and celebrated career behind him. His work in film, television, and theater has changed how we think of many historical figures. Plummer has been in at least…
Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Performance
by Emma Ruggiero On Wednesday, January 20th, at the inauguration of Joe Biden, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman surpassed all other inaugural performances when she delivered her show-stopping poem, The Hill We Climb. Using her exceptional skill with words, the young writer crafted a poem combining unison, hope, and justice with current events. She even managed to…
The Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
by The Lighthouse Staff On January 20th, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into their new roles as President and Vice President. The ceremony took place in front of the capitol building, with spectators observing on the lawn below. Sonia Sotomayor– the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice– swore in Kamala Harris, after which Lady…
A Crash Course on the 25th Amendment
by Olivia Brazier Well, it’s happening again. This time, Donald Trump has been impeached because of his words which incited the violent insurrection at the capitol. Although the impeachment process has started, other options were initially discussed for getting rid of the President. One of them was the 25th amendment, which Mike Pence could have…
How has this Election Affected Students?
by Ava Salado Given the current times, does this 2020 election affect non-voting age students? More specifically, how has this election affected these youth? Could someone under 18 years old even really care about these things, let alone be affected by it? I interviewed a 16-year-old, named Zephyr Depew, to see what she thinks in…
Insights From a First Time Voter
by Blake Killion Every election cycle is a pivotal moment in American history, to help the country decide who will become the next president, to elect officials for different government positions, and to cement in new laws and propositions. This year especially has had special significance with what appears to be a major voter turnout…
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