EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM WITH YOUTUBE
By Ruanne Brinker-Ownn, senior staff writer
YouTube is one of the most consumed forms of media today due to its convenience and variety as a platform. Most any niche interest you have has been thoroughly covered in a YouTube video for your own enjoyment. But we often forget that YouTube can be both equally educational and entertaining. Many YouTube creators make intriguing science videos that are geared to be entertaining to people of all ages. I highlight four of the most entertaining, thought-provoking and unique.
The first is Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer who now focuses on sharing his scientific knowledge online. A large percentage of his videos center around scientific experiments such as “Egg Drop from Space” and “Testing If Sharks Can Smell a Drop of Blood,” and many more. Another staple aspect of his videos is engineering, such as “Beating 5 Scam Arcade Games with Science,” where Mark builds gadgets to win arcade games using physics. Mark is continually creating new videos with creative ideas that can captivate for hours that are well spent learning new information.
If you’re looking for some shorter content to view, JaDropping Science is a great choice. The channel mainly focuses on a series of 60-second videos that follow the formula of two truths and a lie with scientific facts. It can be quite tricky. Even if you think you’re knowledgeable when it comes to science, I encourage you to go watch one of his videos. You will be surprised by some of the fun facts you learn.
If you’re searching for content on the longer side. In that case, NileRed is your match. With videos usually lasting about an hour, NileRed dives into the complexity of chemistry in a fun and intriguing way. Did you know you can turn plastic gloves into soda? If you are just as bewildered as I was when I read the title of his video, “Turning plastic gloves into grape soda,” I encourage you to check out his channel and give it a view. He performs many other experiments with equally intriguing results.
Perhaps the most entertaining creator out of the handful I’ve presented today is Michael Stevens, better known as VSauce. His videos center around hypothetical scientific questions, with some of his most popular titles including “What If Everyone JUMPED At Once?” and “Is Your Red The Same as My Red?” Other content created by him can be more fun-fact-oriented than science, but his content consistently has roots in educating others through his quirky personality about the wonderful world around us.
Many other science-based creators on YouTube make equally excellent videos for you to browse at any moment. Screentime can truly be educational if you know where to search. I encourage you to check out some of the people I listed and learn something new about the world around you. Hopefully, you can discover a new way to pass the time productively.
Visit some of the channels mentioned with the links below:
- Mark Rober: https://youtube.com/@markrober?si=aQm34_aX_eIXKn5H
- JaDropping Science: https://youtube.com/@jadroppingscience?si=cjExxqHvGOfyUVZv
- NileRed: https://youtube.com/@nilered?si=qghd8B5CufLIb_ni
- VSauce: https://youtube.com/@vsauce?si=Lttou5r7L7Xy3ARw
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOCUS: NEELE WIRTHS
By Henry Kalloff, sophomore, staff writer
This school year marks a new milestone for the sophomore student from Germany, as Neele Wirths is ready to accomplish new goals in her year at Panorama Community Schools. Although she is looking forward to completing goals, such as improving her English and being able to meet new people, it will take a lot of time to adjust to being away from home and having to move away from the ones she grew up with. In the first few weeks of school, she has become part of the cheerleading team for Panorama and has mentioned the big differences between American schools and schools in Germany. For example, the option of choosing subjects and that the length of school was different between both countries’ schools.
In her short time living in Iowa, she has talked about the positivity amongst those who area a part of the community and at school. However, she is not looking forward to the winter due to the excessively cold weather. When asked about why she made the decision to take a year as a foreign exchange student, she said it was because she had wanted to attend an American high school and wanted to live like an American teenager. She has also been to several other countries in her lifetime including Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Canada.
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CROSS COUNTRY OUTLOOK
By Leah Kastner, freshman, and Brooklyn Haines, junior, staff writers
Mr. Thompson has coached cross country since 1998. He said he has been looking forward to this season. His goal for this season is to get four kids to the state meet individually and a team to go to state and for each athlete and to grow personally and athletically. Mr. Thompson has 10 high school girls, five high school boys, five junior high girls, and two junior high boys participating.
The first high school cross country meet was Aug. 29, and the first junior high cross country meet was Sept. 12. Mr. Thompson’s favorite parts about being a coach are the relationships that are built with the team. Mr. Thompson keeps his athletes motivated by focusing on their personal growth. When difficult situations arise, he talks to the coaching staff and administration and relies on his past experience. If someone were to ask Mr. Thompson about cross country, he would tell them “JOIN CROSS COUNTRY! It will be hard at the beginning, but it will be worth it.”
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PANORAMA HOMECOMING IS THIS WEEK
By Holliday Mertens, sophomore, and Leah Kastner, freshman, staff writer
Sunday, Sept. 22, was the beginning of Homecoming week kicking off with the Iron Games. The game is on Friday, Sept. 27 against Southwest Valley. There, the homecoming king and queen will be crowned. To cap off homecoming week, the dance is on Saturday, Sept. 28. Tickets will be available starting Sept. 23. The cost will be $5 if paid in advance, and $10 at the door on Saturday. If you want to register out-of-town visitors, the deadline is Thursday, Sept. 26.
The theme for this year’s homecoming is “Panorama’s Got Game,” based on popular board games. Monday is based on Jumanji, and students should wear camo outfits. Tuesday is based on The Game of Life, where students dress up as different decades. Each grade is given a decade to dress up as: 6th – 1990s, 7th – 1960s, 8th – 1980s, 9th – 2000s, 10th – 1990s, 11th – 1980s, and 12th – 1970s. Staff will dress in the decade they graduated high school. Wednesday is Candyland day, which is also pajama day for students and staff. Thursday is Twister day, where each grade is assigned a color: 6th – neon, 7th – red, 8th – purple, 9th – yellow, 10th – green, 11th – blue, 12th – pink, and staff – black. Finally, game day is based on Battleship, where students should simply wear Panorama Panther attire or colors to show pride.
Let’s make this Homecoming week a good one and always GO PANTHERS!
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Ava Thorn, Miyah Small, Nella Rivas, Jessica Randal, Maci Bauer, Lexi Wasson, Maddy Carstens, Elizabeth Snyder, Berkley Schwartz, Hadley Fitch and Cali Knudsen.
PANORAMA DANCE TEAM HITS THE FIELD
By Berkley Schwartz, freshman, staff writer
This year, the Panorama dance team has performed at two football games. The first dance they did was a mix up of jazz, hip hop, kick and pom. The latest dance they did was a mix up of pom, kick and hip hop. This is something new the dance team is doing, and it is a good way to pep up halftime and get everyone ready for the football season.
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOCUS: PAULA LOPEZ NAVARRETE
By Holliday Mertens, sophomore, staff writer
In a new city, Paula Lopez Navarret misses her family, friends and the food from back home in Spain. She notes how she can choose her subjects and school is shorter. She names the Spanish omelet as her favorite food from her home country. She is a 15-year-old sophomore and has a 12-year-old brother. She is participating in cheerleading this year. She says Iowans are nice and helpful to her. However, she dislikes the harsh winter weather in the state.
She became a foreign exchange student in the United States to learn about our culture and traditions. She also wants to improve her English and experience new things. Crumble cookies are her favorite food here in America. She finds it difficult to be away from her family and friends. Her main goals are to improve her English and get to know American culture. Finally, outside of Spain and Iowa, she has been to Finland, Scotland and France. She has also been to New York.
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HELPING OUT ELEMENTARY KIDS
By Nerea Gimeno-Perez, sophomore, staff writer
A group of volunteers decided to help by refereeing football games for elementary school kids. By volunteering, students not only earn service hours but also ensure that the children have a blast and enjoy themselves. Part of their goal is to show interest in football among the young boys so that they continue to play as they grow older. The students aim to inspire the young kids to explore new activities, such as football. This holds tremendous value for the children as it facilitates physical activity, fun, outdoor engagement and, most importantly, allows them to revel in the joy of childhood.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BUS EVACUATION DRILLS
By Henry Kalloff, sophomore, staff writer
Last Wednesday morning at the Panorama Secondary School, students in both middle and high school were told to go through the bus evacuation drill. It takes a few moments for the bus driver to go through the safety precautions about a school bus in case an emergency situation were to happen. Students are required to wear a seatbelt as newer school buses have them installed on all seats on the bus. There are also eight ways to get out of a bus in case of an incident, including both the front and back doors, four windows and two roof hatches in case of a rollover.
While this makes sense for those who take the bus to get to and from school, the question was raised as to why this matters to those who don’t ride the bus. As someone like me who usually walks home, I will say that it is about as important for someone to know all school bus policies whether they ride the bus or not. For example, in case we go on a field trip, you have to ride the bus to go to somewhere from the school during the day. Another can be if someone plays sports and Panorama plays somewhere out of town, a bus is needed to transport players to that place. Finally, if someone decides to drive buses for a living, either public or school transport, they will need to know the policies to tell the younger people about it.
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MIDTERMS: WHAT TO DO TO BRING GRADES UP
By Holliday Mertens, sophomores, staff writer
With midterms coming up, students might start to panic about their grades. The term is already halfway through, and if a kid is failing, he or she might worry about bringing grades up. There might also be kids who are passing but worry about flunking an assignment or test and failing by the time the term ends. Maybe a kid is barely passing and wants to have a comfortable grade at the end of the term. Here are some tips to bring grades up before the term ends.
First, it is important to know what you are learning. Study cards can help one lock the information into memory. A study card is a medium-sized card where a student writes down all or almost all the information learned in a class to study later. School isn’t the only place a student can study. If students are worried about their grades, then they should take time to study at home to prepare for tests and get their grades up. Quizzing is also a great way to study. Taking a quiz about what one is learning in class to better understand the material. Quizlet is a good website to do quizzes on. Finally, the most important thing to do is pay attention to the teacher and comprehend what he or she is saying. If students do this, they will increase their chances of getting a passing grade by the end of the term.
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Malia Jacobsen swimming 500 Freestyle: 7:33.59, 4th place, Personal best time, dropping 3.88 seconds.
A PANTHER ON THE BLUEJAY SWIM TEAM
By Leah Kastner, freshman, staff writer
Malia Jacobson is a freshman at Panorama who swims for the Perry swim team. I asked her how she is liking it so far.
“I really like it so far, and I really like the team,” she replied.
Malia’s favorite race is the 100 breaststroke, although her best race is the 50 breaststroke. I asked her what a few of her accomplishments were for this season so far.
“I am swimming varsity. I started swimming the 500 and I have PRed (personal record) in a few races.”
I also asked about her goals for this season.
“My main goal for this season is to get down to six minutes for the 500,” she said.
Thank you, Malia, for your time and good luck on your swimming season.