Loading

Spring 2022 Edition

By: Delilah Torio, Simrah Shaikh, and Sophia Brine

Are Leprechauns Real?

According to legend, the leprechaun is a mischievous elf of Irish folklore usually believed to reveal the hiding place of treasure if caught. And this tricky little creature in an outfit of green has spread quickly through the world as people try to take his treasure. Is this tiny monster real? Or have we all been making traps for a fake?

If you have ever tried to trap a leprechaun, you know that they are masters of illusion and always seem to outsmart you, no matter how clever your traps are. But have you ever wondered if these miniature demons are real? Of course, they often leave evidence. Spilled gold or green sparkles, you can tell they were there. But is that evidence really them? Or is there someone else behind the scenes?

I myself have tried and failed to capture my leprechaun. One year he even left a note. It uh… wasn’t that nice. If I didn’t know better I’d say leprechauns are jerks. Many people believe this practical joker really comes to your house at night. But who else could it be? Parents? SIblings? Santa Claus? Or is it really a leprechaun? Most parents won’t write their child a rude note signed leprechaun, plus they typically like to rest. But I’m sure your big brother wouldn’t hesitate to make you mad! However, you’re sure you saw them sleeping. Besides, both those people are too big to set off leprechaun traps anyway. So… does that mean it’s really a leprechaun?

To get another opinion, we interviewed a few people about their thoughts on these tiny Irish men. Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Let’s find out.

Question: Do you believe in Leprechauns? If so, do you make traps, and do they work? What is your favorite part of this holiday?

Heidi Yan: No, I don’t believe in leprechauns. I’ve never really made traps for them.

Nella Gallant: Yes, I believe in Leprechauns. I do make Leprechaun traps, and my parents say they work, but… My favorite thing is designing leprechaun traps because they are so fun to make.

Mr. Hilt: Yes, I do believe. I have never made a leprechaun trap, but I have looked for gold at the end of the rainbow. But a trap is a good idea! My favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day is dressing in green.

Sounds like we’ve got some diversity here. Some people believe in leprechauns, but others don’t. Do you?

Artwork by Sophia Brine
By: Nella Gallant, Delilah Torio, and Charlotte Wolf

Once upon a time, there was a Llama named Fred. Over winter break, he was really mean to his parents, so they got his meanness sucked out of him. Now, the meanness has returned and wants revenge.

Fred the Llama woke up on April 1, not to remember it was April Fools Day. Just making his way to the kitchen for breakfast, he had encounters with Silly String, Whoopee Cushions, and rubber ducks. The ducks still gave him nightmares. When he got to breakfast, he discovered it was rubber pancakes.

“Just having a little fun, honey.” said his mom. “NO REASON TO DO ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS THEN! ONE WAS ENOUGH!” Fred yelled, as his mom gave him his real pancakes.

“What are you talking about, Fred? I didn’t set anything else up. Maybe it was your meanness.” His mother said. Then she laughed. “As if! You got rid of it!”

But Fred was still wary. Maybe the meanness had come back. Maybe it did set those traps. Maybe it was still roaming around, waiting to strike. But Fred pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He had a bunch of plans to prank his friends, after all. The Meanness would have to wait.

In meanness’ mountain lair, he cackled with glee. “I have so many tricks planned to prank one unfortunate Llama. He’ll never know what hit him! BWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!” Then his doorbell rang. “Oh! My sushi!! Even Mean souls have to eat.”

Back at Fred’s house, he checked all his prank stuff to make sure he didn’t forget anything. “All good!” said Fred. He had whoopee cushions, silly string, joy buzzers, fake eggs, and more! He had a lot of fun going around from house to house pulling pranks on the people he knew. But when he got back home and laid down on his bed, he heard a collective POP! Someone put bubble wrap under his bed! Just then, The Meanness jumped out of the shadows and shouted: “HA-HA!!” Fred was stunned.

“You’ve been behind all this?” asked Fred.

“Yes. It was all me.” announced Meanness. “I wanted to get back at you for stopping me from ruining Christmas. It was my master plan. I-”

“AAUUHRRRGGGG!!!!!!” shouted Fred. Meanness ducked and Fred turned around, trapping the meanness under a hamper by dumping out the dirty clothes. He took the trapped meanness to the scientists who got it out of him, and Meanness was destroyed.

But just after Meanness was destroyed, Fred woke up! That’s right, it was all a dream.

By: Morgan Allesee, Sophia Brine, Freyja Langrish, Mikhael Shaikh, Jeffrey Laing, and Elise Segovia

Why Spring is the Best Season by Freyja Langrish

Photograph by Mikhael Shaikh

Every year, HPI has one week off during spring. However, I believe that the break should be longer. With all the lovely things about spring to enjoy, it is hard to cram them all into seven days. Summer is three months long, and everyone is always boasting that it is the best season by far. In this article, I will prove why spring is the best season and why summer just isn’t very good.

First of all, in springtime temperatures and daylight hours increase allowing plants and flowers to bloom and grow. According to Ornamental Products, “Foliage plants grow best between 70 degrees and 80 degrees F.” But, that's not all. According to Perrysburg Weather Averages, while spring temperatures are pleasant the temperature can reach over 80 degrees fahrenheit in the summer, and that's on average! In fact, last year on June 29, 2021, the temperature reached a scorching 96 degrees fahrenheit. If we didn’t have spring, we wouldn’t have all the amazing flowers and plants (We would also overheat).

Another reason why spring is way better than summer is because spring makes us happier. According to a study by Lisbnet, “The arrival of spring brings more daylight, so we can enjoy the energy that is no longer needed to fight off drowsiness. The increased light also triggers the release of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps us feel happier.” This piece of evidence proves that you are more happy during spring time. On the flip side, Morgan Griffin discovered that summer can make you depressed. According to WebMD, “For some people, summer depression has a biological cause, says Ian A. Cook, MD, the director of the Depression Research Program at UCLA. For others, the particular stresses of summer can pile up and make them feel miserable.” This can affect 4% to 6% of the USA population. That’s about 10 million Americans! If I had to choose between being happy during spring, or depressed in summer, I definitely would choose spring. But that’s not the only reason why spring beats summer.

Did you know spring is called the season of new beginnings? It is called this because of all the renewing life. In spring, animals return, flowers bloom and are pollinated, and fruit and vegetables begin to grow. Without spring, we wouldn’t have any of these wonderful things! Without spring you would have to say goodbye to the baby birds, and their cheerful songs in the morning; there would be no beautiful flowers to marvel at; we’d have barely any fruits or vegetables, a very important part of a healthy diet, because bees wouldn't be there early enough to pollinate them. Do you want that to happen? Without spring, the season of new beginnings, there would be no harvest!

Have you ever read the sonnet 98 by William Shakespeare? Well did you know this very famous sonnet is about spring?. With its amazing description, it's hard not to like. What’s more, poems about spring represent nature, innocence, and childhood.

Sonnet 98

By William Shakespeare

From you have I been absent in the spring,

When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,

Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,

That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him.

Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell

Of different flowers in odor and in hue,

Could make me any summer’s story tell,

Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew:

Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,

Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;

They were but sweet, but figures of delight

Drawn after you, – you pattern of all those.

Yet seem’d it winter still, and, you away,

As with your shadow I with these did play.

Spring is an incredible season that should be enjoyed and celebrated. From baby animals being born to the lovely temperatures that have inspired the incredible poetry written about it, what’s not to like about spring? However, when I think of summer, all I imagine is scorching heat. During spring you can easily enjoy an ice cream on a nice warm day. In summer, you have to run to the car while trying to save your ice cream in the burning heat. Spring is the best season by far, and we all need to realize that.

Here are some poems we have written on the subject of spring:

Thy Editors Note:

Snow melts away,

Into a new day,

The flowers are blooming, blossoming today.

Do you feel it?

The feel of the air,

The scent of the flowers,

The taste of fresh tea.

Or is it just me?

Cold air rushes down from Canada,

Warm air rises takes its place,

The days longer,

And growing stronger,

With every turn of the Earth.

The chirping returns,

And with the flowers, the bees.

Or is it just me?

Or is it just me?

Thy Reporter’s Note:

The buzzing bees,

The swaying trees,

Flowers growing,

Spring has sprung.

Temperatures rise,

Sunnier skies,

Butterflies,

Spring has sprung.

The days getting longer,

The trees standing stronger,

Birds flying without hunger,

Spring has sprung.

Wind is blowing

Not knowing where it’s going

No signs of slowing

Spring has sprung

The wind in my hair,

Without a care,

Cannot compare,

Spring has sprung.

Why Summer is the Best Season by Elise Segovia

Photograph by Mikhael Shaikh

Have you ever caught fireflies? Went to the beach? Celebrated once school is over? Camped? Ate ice cream? Well, if you have, you have experienced the glory of summer. Running around in the night playing tag, splashing in the ocean and building sand castles, or enjoying a cold bowl of ice cream, all of it is summer.

Summer is great at night. Unlike in spring, summer has late nights, and you can catch fireflies, or just run around, having fun. When you catch fireflies, it feels awesome to have achieved something so hard, and you can catch them in a jar or if you are lucky, they will stay close to you and they are fun to play with. If you for some reason haven’t tried catching fireflies, then you will be fascinated by this experience (and if the fireflies are attracted to you, you can trick your siblings into having a competition with you). Also, when you run around the yard on a warm, peaceful, yellow night playing tag, eating a popsicle while running in the sprinkler, or holding a sparkler celebrating the 4th of July, you can enjoy summer and enjoy being a kid.

Going to the beach is another popular summer activity. Between the sand on the beach and the water just waiting to be splashed, it's obvious why people love it so much. In the summer, you can go to the beach and enjoy the excitement of building sand castles. Whether you are simply making a mound with a flag on top or crafting an extravagant sea palace, sand castling is a fun activity to pass the time. Some people even make large sculptures out of sand! Here’s a tip: use wet sand. Dry sand can fall over too easily, and doesn’t make good building material. Running around in the water on a warm summer day is also an enjoyable activity. You can splash, swim, and--one of my favorites--ride the waves! Take a boogie board and let the water take you up and down, and sometimes you go through the waves!

Ice cream is also something that summer blesses us with. When you have an ice cream in hand on a hot summer day, everything just clicks. Some popular ice cream places in Perrysburg include Mr. Freeze, Twisty Treat, O-Deer Diner, and Lola’s. The top 10 most adored flavors are Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Mint Chocolate Chip, Butter Pecan, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies n’ Cream, Rocky Road, Coffee, and last but not least, Chocolate Chip. Ice cream doesn't have to be in a cone or a cup though. You can have it in a popsicle, in a cake, in a cookie sandwich, and the list goes on. Ice cream is perfect for summer because in summer it can get pretty warm, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing because of ice cream (and the beach/pool which I already mentioned). Ice cream cools you down, and tastes good to top it off. It also doesn’t hurt that ice cream simulates the brain and gives you more energy to run around and be a kid before school starts again.

In conclusion, summer is amazing, but there still are factors to why it's the best, other than there is no school. You can play outside late at night, you can go to the beach, eat ice cream, and lots more. Catching fireflies is a summer only activity, and so is swimming in the pool or beach. Ice cream is year round (who can ignore its stupendousness?), but is best in summer. Summer is awesome.

Thy Editors Note:

Summer,

Hot and dry,

Overheating,

Do not go to Florida.

Far to sunny skies,

But when there is rain,

Life blooms.

Ticks are complained about,

Bugspray does not help,

Summer.

Artwork by Sophia Brine
By: Kara Luce, Delilah Torio, and Morgan Allesee

The Chronicles Of Narnia

By: Delilah Torio

Chances are, you’ve heard of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But did you know that there are 9 other books, starting with the Magician's Nephew? They are all super interesting and can keep you busy for a while. Plus, completely family friendly! But beware! These books are all British English. AKA hard to read! But they are totally worth it! Tons of different stories in the same world, they really catch your interest!

These books are amazing works by C. S. Lewis. They’re awesome! To Narnia and the North! ALL HAIL ASLAN!

By: Kara Luce

City Spies, by James Ponti, is about a group of secret agents that work for the British agency MI6. But the thing is, the group is a group of misfit kids. The book starts off when Brooklyn, the group's hacker, is being put in court for hacking into the juvenile detention center, and her lawyer isn't actually a lawyer. He works for MI6, but the British adult MI6 group doesn't think he's alive after a fire, but he is. Brooklyn then gets to meet Rio, Paris, Sydney, and Kat (they are all named after the city that they are from). They are trying to track down Le Fantome, who is the supposed leader of a bad group called Umbra, at the world wide youth summit. The group has suspicions of who it is, and think that the host of the summit is Le fantome. They come up with a plan of how to stop Umbra from spreading a deadly virus, and it is actually really smart.

They end up having to face fears though along the way. At the beginning they didn't really trust each other, in the end, they end up being great friends and naming their group the City Spies. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 because it is so good, and it has a lot of humor. It also teaches many things about friendship, creative thinking, and it also is very intriguing. You should read this book. I never wanted to put it down.

By Emma Novinsky, Delilah Torio, and Jeffrey Laing

Volleyball is a very underrated sport. It takes A LOT of skill to play and not many people recognize that. So, that’s why I interviewed four people who have played volleyball. I asked them questions all about volleyball and here is what they said!

Josie Swanson, Sixth Grade Orange

I asked Josie what teams or programs she has played for, and she said that she has played for Volley Jackets, travel Volley Jackets, and any camps she can find. She told me she has played volleyball for around three years, and she decided to start playing volleyball because her mom played in college. She loves everything about volleyball, but her favorite thing about it is playing all the different positions. Her all-time favorite position to play is front hitter. The final question that I asked Josie was what brand of volleyball equipment is her favorite, and she replied with Nike.

Harper LaGrange, Fifth Grade Red

I interviewed Harper and asked her what programs or teams she played for, and she told me she has played for some Perrysburg teams. A tip she recommended for volleyball players is to always listen to your teammates, and always pay attention. She just started playing volleyball this year, and she decided to play volleyball because both of her sisters played as well. Her favorite part of volleyball is that everyone gets to bond. She doesn’t have a favorite position to play, and her favorite brand of volleyball equipment is Nike.

Lily Johnson, Sixth Grade Blue

I asked Lily what teams or programs she has played for, and she told me she has done Volley Jackets here at HPI, and she has recently done TVC (Toledo Volleyball Club). This is her second year playing volleyball, and a tip she has for new volleyball players is to focus on learning the skill, you don’t need to master it, but you need to have the right form. She decided to play volleyball because she did some camps in the summer, and she really liked it, so she decided to continue doing it. Her favorite part about volleyball is setting and serving, and she likes to play back row. The final thing she told me is that her brand of volleyball equipment is Nike.

Mrs. Davidson, Assistant Principal

I interviewed Mrs. Davidson, and asked her what teams or programs she has played and coached for. She told me that she played in college for Indiana University, then she coached Perrysburg Varsity for seven years. She has also coached Perrysburg High School, Junior High, and club volleyball. She has played and coached volleyball for over 20 years. She became interested in volleyball because when she was young, her dad put her in a lot of different sports, and then when she went to Jr. High, she discovered that she was good at volleyball. Her favorite part about volleyball is the team aspect of the sport, for you need six people to work together. Her favorite part about coaching is developing all of the players as people and athletes. She said her favorite position to play is middle blocker and hitter at the net. She doesn’t have a favorite brand of equipment, because she uses different brands for different things.

By: Simrah Shaikh, Delilah Torio, Riley Flores, Olivia Boice, Kara Luce, and Morgan Allesee

We all love Summer. Pool Parties, Vacations, and best of all, NO SCHOOL!

Many people do many different things. Some chill at home, some take trips across the world, and some spend time with family and friends. Some even do all three! What are you going to do on your summer break? What memorable experiences/traditions have you had from past Summers?

Emma Novinsky: Some of my favorite traditions are going to Disney World and Las Vegas.

Abby Van Dam: This summer I’m going to Tennessee, although I usually don’t travel. Typically I just relax!

Charlotte Wolf: I have summer camp every year, I go up to my family’s cabin, and we usually have a vacation. There’s also a swim team!

Olivia Boice: I usually go on a vacation and go to summer camp. This year I’m going to Florida.

Morgan Allesee: This summer I’m going to WIsconsin to visit family, and we’ll probably swim a lot. A few summers ago we went to New York.

Kennedy Saito: Last summer my sister came over with her husband and her baby, and we went to the pool a lot, plus we played outside.

Freyja Langrish: One of my summer plans is in the last week of school we’re going on vacation to South Carolina which will be fun. One of our traditions is every year we go to the display of fireworks.

Kara Luce: This summer I’m going to have a reunion with my family on my dad’s side. We do that every two years. Gymnastics Nationals are this year. We’re hosting!

Aryanna Moore: I’m probably going to be playing with friends and going up north to visit my grandparents.

Lia Bandeen: My summer plans are to go to my church's BDS, go to the Perrysburg rec, and go to the choir encore camp.

Eleanor Adams: My summer plans are to go to Texas and live there. I’m moving!

Kayden Morgan: My summer plans are that we’re probably going to go over to Kentucky and Florida.

Elise Segovia: I think we’re going down to Disneyland. Hopefully!

Grant Seymour: I don’t know yet, I don’t really have plans. We’re probably gonna go to Washington D.C.

Devin Switzenberg: We’re going camping and boating.

Anya Gloeckler: We’re going to Germany for two months. That’s pretty much it.

Colsen Ward: I’m going to my uncle's lake in July. I usually go to my friends’ houses every day.

Vivian Josias: For summer plans this year I’m going to Florida to see my family and Disneyworld.

Sophia Brine: I think for summer we’re going to Pigeon Forge, plus me, my sister’s, and my brother’s birthday!

Aidan Zechman: I usually go to the Perrysburg Rec and do activities there, I also go swimming a lot.

Paul Baz: For vacation this year we’re going to Naples, Florida. There’s a golf course at the resort.

Delilah Torio: Me and my family got the Cedar Point Pass, so we’ll be going there a ton.

Riley Flores: We usually go up to our lake cottage in Michigan, and we usually go for a week in Michigan to a Ranch called Wolf Lake Ranch.

Paris-Pearl Abia: I am going to Cedar Point, and I am going to try to make a rubber band ball as big as the one in Mrs. LaFountain's room.

Jeffrey Laing: I am going to try to play Dungeons and Dragons and read many books.

By: Anya Gloeckler, Abby Van Dam, Riley Flores, Morgan Allesee, and Jeffrey Laing

Mr. Andrews: 5th Grade Math, Red Wing

Mr. Andrews is a math teacher in 5-Red. He is a great teacher, and so he has been nominated for Teacher Spotlight! According to his students, he is a great math teacher. When he’s out of school he watches movies and plays with his band. And he plays the lead guitar! He also hopes to play a lot of guitar this summer and take a trip somewhere. His favorite part of the year is watching his kids develop math skills. His daughters went out to college this year, and he misses them very much. He hopes to next year improve on teaching his students number sense. Something you might not know about him is that he used to work for NASA. Mr. Andrews is certainly a good teacher, and the students' friends!

Mrs. Lark: Jacket Reading, Blue Learn Lab

Mrs. Lark is our Jacket Reading teacher in Blue Wing! She deserves to be chosen because she is benevolent and hard-working! This past year, she loved learning about her students, but she doesn't see them enough. She plans on running a stand at a farmer's market this summer! She loves to see lots of people, and she likes to get to know them! Mrs. Lark loves to play guitar, draw, and paint. She would love to make a new club next year, so if anyone’s interested, sign up! Students and Staff may not know that she worked as a production engineer for Channel 11 news! Students that have Mrs. Lark next year will be in for a treat!

Mr. Hunsinger: EXCELS ELA, 5th grade, Green Wing LL

Mr. Hunsinger is a great 5th grade Accelerated ELA teacher for students all over the school. He has been chosen for Teacher Spotlight because of his fun attitude, and because he has always made the class fun for his students. His plans for the summer are hanging out with his son, going to the pool, and reading. He says his favorite part of the year was the escape rooms he makes for his class. He said they were very high energy and fun. His least favorite part of the year was Covid and the impact it had on school. His hobbies include running, playing with his nine-year-old son, Max, and playing with his new dog, Oliver. He is preparing for a big project, as he is working on something called Pop-Up books for his students next year. Something you might not know about Mr. Hunsinger is that he works at the Stranahan Theater and The Centennial Terrace. So congratulations to Mr. Hunsinger for being an amazing teacher!

Mr. Ferrara: 6th grade Science, Orange Wing

Mr. Ferrara is a science teacher in 6-Orange. He has been chosen to be a spotlight teacher because of his hard work to make kids happy and have fun in school. He works very hard every day to get to school and he said that the hardest part of his day is getting up and let’s be honest, he’s not wrong! His plan for the summer is to do lots of gardening, sleeping, and camping. His favorite part of this year was the Halloween science day, but he says that next year he wants everything to be bigger and better, so buckle up current 4th graders! He said his hobbies are Brazilian jiu-jitsu, gardening, and woodworking! The 6th Orange wing students are certainly lucky to have such a great science teacher!

Mrs. Kuns: 5th grade Social Studies, Orange Wing

Mrs. Kuns is the 5-Orange Social Studies teacher. She has deserved a spot in our Teacher Spotlight for a long time now because she is kind, helpful, and hard-working! She said teaching in 2021 has been hard, but as long as we are all here, that’s what matters! Her summer plans are to go to Florida. To be honest, I think everyone wants to go. Her favorite part of this year is getting to meet and grow close with her new group of students. She recently ran the Boston Marathon, as she loves to run. She also enjoys baking and playing with her kids. She hopes her students will learn about ancient civilizations, and make models of stuff they learned. Her students (or others) may not know that she grew up on a sheep farm! Social Studies will not be dull next year with Mrs. Kuns.

By: Vivian Josias, Lia Bandeen, Eleanor Adams, Cole Ward, and Delilah Torio

For our school newspaper we wanted to have an article that focuses on the students. We have some students that we wanted to focus on in this article and their names are Kara Luce, Colin and Connor Bagdonas, Kyle Meyers and Kyla Miller.

Kara Luce - 6 Green

The first person we would like to start off with is Kara Luce, as she got one of the lead roles in the choir musical. We asked her how she learned her lines and things like that. The way she learned how to learn her lines is she just kept practicing. We also asked her what she did when she figured out she got one of the lead roles in the musical, and she said she was at home and she got the email and she was jumping around and screaming with joy.

Colin and Connor Bagdonas - 6 Blue

The next people that we wanted to interview were Colin and Connor Bagdonas, before we interviewed them, we learned that both of them did very well at the state competition for their age group placing first and second in the same weight class. Now for the interview part, we asked them how excited they were when they figured out what place they got, Colin said that he was very happy and excited, Connor said that he was very humble and excited about it. We also asked them how they practiced for their competition and they both said when they get to practice they would just go on the mat and practice as much as they could.

Kyla Miller

We also interviewed Kyla Miller. During the interview, we learned that she went to the Cincinnati Newport Aquarium on her spring break, We also learned that she got to walk over sharks and she got to go zip lining, another thing that we learned that is so cool, is that she got to go see kangaroos jumping all over the place.

Kyle Meyers

The other person that we wanted to interview is Kyle Meyers. We learned that he is involved in many clubs that are outside of school. He said that he was in some exercise ones and game clubs and he was in scouts. He also told us that he gets to go camping soon because of scouts.

By: Kara Luce, Olivia Boice, Kennedy Saito, and Aryanna Moore

The History of Cinco de Mayo

What do you think of when it's the 5th of May? Do you think of tacos? Or a large battle? (Or Star Wars? Sorry, but that's not what we are going to talk about.) Well if so, you're probably thinking about Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is the day when the Mexican Army celebrates their victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. The people of Mexico still celebrate it as of today. If you don’t celebrate it, maybe this year you could! But the history is the most interesting part of Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo is a popular holiday that commemorates a single battle. According to History.com, “Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception.” Like it is said in the quote; Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican Independence day, it is the celebration of a large battle that the Mexicans won. “At the time, the country was in financial ruin after years of internal strife, and the new president was forced to default on debt payments to European governments'' (also History.com). The same website also stated that the French, British, and Spanish governments then responded by sending naval forces to Mexico demanding repayment. Kinda harsh right? Then a war flared up. According to Kiddle, it lasted for two full years and was also known as the “Reform War.” History.com later stated, “...when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash.” That’s crazy! No wonder the Mexicans won!

Some of the ways people celebrate Cinco de Mayo are:going to parades, parties and listening to mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing, and eating things such as tacos and mole poblano (google). We’ve heard of some ways that the Mexicans celebrate, but now we’re going to hear how you and some of your teachers celebrate this Mexican holiday!

Aurora Moreno: Usually my family goes to this Mexican restaurant in Michigan called El Pueblo. Then we go to a Mexican store to

get Mexican bread. We finally go home and watch Spanish movies.

I asked Mrs. Rosebrock some questions about Cinco de Mayo because she studied Mexican history in college!

What are some things that you know about Cinco de Mayo that you would like to share?

Mrs. Rosebrock: Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican Independence holiday. It was a battle between the French and the Mexican population. The French had weapons, the small city of La puebla were all farmers so they had limited weapons and pitchforks, but they won the battle.

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Rosebrock: Yes, my birthday is on Cinco de Mayo.

How do you celebrate it?

Rosebrock: I don’t celebrate it for the Mexican holiday, but I celebrate it for my birthday.

Was it hard to learn about Mexican history?

Rosebrock: I took Spanish in college, as well as Mexican history, so all of the books were in Spanish. So, on top of learning about the history, I also had to learn Spanish.

We also have some students that lived in Mexico and they celebrate Cinco de Mayo! I asked them multiple questions. You might know them. They are Jose Luis Prado Trejo and Angel Adair Medina Gonzalez.

How long did you live in Mexico?

Jose: 10 years

Angel: 10 years

How do people in Mexico celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Angel and Jose: We have parties, and break piñatas with candy in them. A lot of families come together and eat together like enchiladas, pambazos, chicken tostada, Jamaican water, and horchata Sometimes they wear traditional clothing and special clothing, they can choose if they want to. They also get the day off school. Every town has a parade as well. The bands play music.

How do you and your family celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Both: Parties with pinatas. Their favorite thing is the food. Tacos are also a popular Mexican food they eat on Cinco de Mayo.

What does Cinco de Mayo mean to you?

Angel and Jose: Fireworks, the battle of Puebla 1862. In Mexico the first most important holiday is their Independence day and Cinco de Mayo is their second most important holiday. Both these holidays are more important than Christmas or many other holidays.

Pictures of Cinco de Mayo
By: Charlotte Wolf, Morgan Allesee, and Olivia Boice

The students at HPInteresting voted on their favorite candy. Here are the results:

This is a pie chart of the final data. (If you like that sort of thing.)
By: Aidan Zechman, Paul Baz, Devin Switzenberg, and Grant Seymour
By: Aidan Zechman, Grant Seymour, Paul Baz, and Devin Switzenberg
By: Delilah Torio and Emma Novinsky

Coco: A Movie of it’s time

By: Delilah Torio

Coco was a movie that changed Disney itself. It recognized a holiday not known to many Americans, the Day of the Dead. In this movie, a young boy is born into a family where music is banned, thanks to an accident regarding his great grandpa. But the problem is, Miguel loves music! On the day of the dead, he steals a cursed guitar and slowly begins to die. Because he is dying, he can enter the world of the dead, and not only become human, but meet his long lost grandfather, and a past he never expected.

This movie is a work of art, with beautiful colors and amazing backgrounds regarding the place it is set in, Mexico. This must see musical is loved by many families who have watched it.

By: Aidan Zechman, Devin Switzenberg, Paul Baz, Colsen Ward, and Grant Seymour
Officer Sims
Perrysburg Mayor Tom Mackin
By: Kara Luce, Jeffrey Laing, Delilah Torio, Charlotte Wolf, and Sophia Brine

Have you ever looked outside and seen the beautiful flower buds starting to bloom? Or felt the green grass under your feet? This all happens because of science(Genetics, DNA, and so on). Plant growth and pollination are essential for the plants and animals to grow. How does it happen? Butterflies, bees and many other animals are spreading the pollen from plant to plant, and water, carbon dioxide(CO2), and sunlight are making the plants we see outside grow.

Pollinators are helping everyday in simple ways. They just collect the pollen and spread it. According to Michigan University, “When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees' body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces. Stiff hairs on their legs enable them to groom the pollen into specialized brushes or pockets on their legs or body, and then carry it back to their nest.” This means that bees are able to collect pollen on their legs and then carry it back to their nest, spreading pollen along the way. The website Sciencing states, “When a hummingbird inserts its beak into a flower to drink the nectar, sticky pollen grains cling to the side of its beak. When the hummingbird visits its next flower, some of the pollen grains are transferred, and if both flowers are the same species, pollination occurs.” Hummingbirds mostly pollinate red flowers, for bees are color blind to red and green, so they think that the flower is just the stem. We don’t get many hummingbirds here in Ohio though(there is only one species that migrates to this area). As you can see, pollinators, such as bees and hummingbirds, help in simple ways to carry pollen from flower and plant, to another flower and plant.

What combines to help plants grow? Well, a little bit of water(H2O), carbon dioxide(CO2), and sunlight(photons + Energy). Think of it like a recipe and you’re baking a plant cake(glucose free). “In plants, the cells are like millions and millions of tiny compartments stuck together, like Legos.”(you just don’t hurt your foot as much) “When plants have the right balance of water, air, sunlight and nutrients, their cells grow and divide, and the whole plant gets bigger and bigger”(pressconnects). This is how plants grow. This process is called photosynthesis. Therefore, photosynthesis is like a recipe.

Pollinators and photosynthesis are essential to plant growth. Some examples of pollinators are hummingbirds, bees, birds, and butterflies. They all help by spreading pollen. Photosynthesis is the process for plants growing, it’s like a recipe. Think of it as water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight coming together to become a (glucose free) plant cake. On a finishing note, Butterflies, bees and many other animals are spreading the pollen from plant to plant. And water, carbon dioxide(CO2), and sunlight are making the plants we see outside grow.

Albert Einstein

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein! If you were alive, you’d officially be 143 Years old! Chances are, you’ve at least heard the name Albert Einstein. And if you have, you probably heard him mentioned with the words E=Mc2. This means that Energy equals mass at the speed of light. In regular, non-science English, that means that an item with even a small amount of mass has an enormous amount of energy. But back to the point!

Well, Albert Einstein's birthday was about a month and a half ago, so it’s time we honor him. Albert Einstein probably had the greatest mind ever from 1879 to 1955. He came up with incredible theories, including Avogadro's Number, the theory of Relativity, and the Quantum Theory of Light.

There’s quite a few stories about Albert Einstein, and I’m about to tell you which ones are true, and which ones are myths. For one, no, Albert Einstein did NOT go through a wormhole. The first space launch wasn’t even until two years after he died. Although he predicted they existed, no one ever found (or ever has found) an actual wormhole. Well, ok, that’s not true, but was Albert Einstein failing in school? Well, Yes! Yes, he was. Although he was possibly the smartest person in the entire school, he was never paying attention. This one is actually an exaggerated truth! (Exaggerated because he didn’t fail math, but everything else. . .).

Ever wondered why Albert Einstein’s hair was crazy, well, according to Google, Some have speculated that the genetic quirk is what gave Albert Einstein his unruly hair, although the idea has never been put to the test (besides, he was famously a bit of a slob anyway, and his hair didn't look as insane when he was young).

THINGS YOU WILL THINK ARE CRAZY THAT OLD Al’ DID

He didn't win his Nobel prize for the theory of relativity.

He was unsuitable for employment.

There was a bounty on his head.

His brain was stolen when he died.

He couldn't swim.

No one knows what happened to his first daughter.

He offered his wife his Nobel Prize as part of their divorce settlement.

The FBI spied on him for decades.

Einstein urged the building of the atomic bomb—and later became a proponent of nuclear disarmament.

He was asked to be president of Israel.

So, that was Albert Einstein! Hope you enjoyed it!

By: Nella Gallant, Delilah Torio, Emma Novinsky, Jeffrey Laing, Devin Swtizenberg, Mikhael Shaikh, Anya Gloeckler, and Charlotte Wolf

Chocolate Bunnies: The Easter Candy All-Star

By: Charlotte Wolf

All Easter candies are delicious, but the chocolate bunnies are the nostalgic, yummy candy that seals the deal for easter. Every Easter I get a chocolate bunny. It never fails at being my number one favorite Easter candy. I mean, the peeps can sit and rot in the corner, because I eat the chocolate bunny first.

The delicious chocolate bunnies we all know and love were created in the 1890’s. The creamy bunnies were made in Germany in the mid-19th century. Chocolate bunnies come in many shapes and sizes. Each chocolate bunny is different in the way one may have a dent, one may be a cowboy.

I start to eat my chocolate bunnies from the ears, how do you eat your chocolate bunny? If you start to eat the delicious bunny anywhere else it would be rounded. If you break it into pieces it is easier, but you would have to find a way to save it. So, I think my strategy is the best.

I’m lucky if my chocolate bunny lasts nine days. How many easter candies are sold every year? Well, each year the world spends $2.26 billion on Easter candy. Can you imagine how many chocolate bunnies could’ve been bought with $2.26 billion?

Why Reese’s Eggs are the Best

By Nella Gallant

It’s Easter. You're sitting in front of a basket stuffed to the brim with candy. You reach in. What do you pull out first? A Reese’s Egg.

You’re not alone. All over the country kids and adults alike are munching on this Easter classic. Why? Reese’s eggs are becoming the most popular Easter candy! Local 10 says, “Here is what their team discovered:

Most Popular Easter Candy:

Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Eggs: 26%

Jelly Beans: 24%

Cadbury Eggs: 20%

Chocolate bunnies: 16%

Peeps: 14%” (Lopez-Alvar 3).“

As you can see, Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Eggs are by far the best.

Another reason is that they are a perfect size, without too much sugar. (Looking at you, Peeps.) While Easter Bunnies can be as big as your face, Reese’s Eggs are a perfect size. They have better consistency than normal Reese’s, which have ridges that ruin the whole vibe.

All in all, I hope when you choose another candy out of your Easter Basket, you reach past the chocolate bunnies and Peeps. And grab a Reese’s Egg. You know it’s the right choice. So make it. #NotSorry

By: Devin Switzenberg

Mrs. Swanson is the Teacher of The Year

By: Anya Gloeckler

Pictured from left to right, A representative from the Perrysburg Schools Foundation, Mrs. Butts, Mrs. Cribbs, Mrs. Swanson, Josie Swanson, and Mrs. Rosebrock

Each year, the Perrysburg Schools Foundation selects an amazing teacher from each school to win Teacher Of The Year. This year, they chose our amazing Mrs. Swanson to win! Mrs. Swanson says she feels honored and that she feels like she wouldn’t be where she is today without the other Red Wing teachers. She said that this will motivate her to be a better teacher. Her role model was Mrs. Eagen in the 6th grade. She helped Mrs. Swanson love learning. Her favorite memories from school are the Camp Michindoh trips and when she taught in South Dakota she went to a Wooly Mammoth dig site. Other students really like her too. Devin Switzenberg said she is a good teacher and he likes how she has a lot of hands-on experience for us. Maddy Roope said that Mrs Swanson is an amazing teacher who definitely deserves the award. She said she is incredibly nice and makes science fun everyday. Mrs. Swanson definitely has earned this award for making her students happy and making classes fun!

By: Colsen Ward

(Author's Note: Thank you to all of the people who submitted. I was only able to get so many photos with the time that I had.)

The Prankantor!

By: Kayden Morgan, Lia Bandeen, Aryanna Moore, Abby Van Dam, and Eleanor Adams

Director's Note

By: Paris-Pearl Abia

“Fortune favors the bold.” A famous quote by Virgil. I would not consider myself bold. Does that mean I am unlucky? No. It means that if one is bold, they will get the best opportunities in life. That’s what I learned as I watched this HPInteresting Newspaper get written. The three reasons we succeed in HPInteresting is that we speak up, we consider other people's ideas, and we communicate.

We at HPInteresting speak up and make sure to bring out our problems. If no people brought out their problems then HPInteresting would be a mess. Imagine, people would have problems with their font and and have trouble with ideas and no one would be able to help them. Speaking up is vital towards the success of HPInteresting. That is why we succeed.

The second reason we succeed is because we consider other people’s ideas. In fact, in the beginning of creating an article, we all just shout ideas for the newspaper. We make sure to make everyone feel included. Someone who might seem as not important might have the best idea. Considering other people’s ideas is needed for our success.

The third reason we succeed in HPInteresting is because we communicate. If something wrong happens we point it out. If we have a new idea, we point it out.

Communicating gives us a big advantage. Communication is key towards our success.

In conclusion, We at HPInteresting are succeeding not because of one person's work. We succeed because of our teamwork. We succeed because we speak up, we consider other people’s ideas, and we communicate. There is no “I” in the word team. There is no “me” in HPInteresting.

Thank you to our Semester 2 Group! We hope you all have a wonderful end to the school year!

HPInteresting Semester 2 Group:

Paris-Pearl Abia, Freyja Langrish, Kara Luce, Elise Segovia, Olivia Boice, Abby Van Dam, Anya Gloeckler, Riley Flores, Kennedy Saito, Nella Gallant, Grant Seymour, Kayden Morgan, Lia Bandeen, Aryanna Moore, Eleanor Adams, Jeffrey Laing, Aidan Zechman, Paul Baz, Devin Switzenberg, Emma Novinsky, Mikhael Shaikh, Simrah Shaikh, Vivian Josias, Colsen Ward, Sophia Brine, Morgan Allesee, Delilah Torio, and Charlotte Wolf.