The Wordle craze continues

by Majed ElAlfy, 801

Ok, so you’ve heard of Wordle, the hit game where you have 6 guesses to guess a random word each day. But have you heard of Worldle? Mathler? These are two of the many spin-offs of Wordle (If you don’t know what Wordle is, there is an article about it in the February issue), and through this article, I will be going over the variations that I know of, but there are plenty more for us to find and solve (the links to all of these games are at the end of this article)

Let’s first start with the ones closest to Wordle, in Quordle and Octordle. These three are all word guessing games, but as you might be able to tell from the names have more words for you to guess. Both are played in the exact same fashion as Wordle, guessing words with green yellow and gray to indicate where letters are in the word. In Quordle, there are 4 words you have to guess, and you are given 9 tries to do so, and in Octordle, there are 8 words to guess with 13 attempts. Just as a note before we continue, most of these spinoffs have practice modes, so even after you complete the daily mode you can still continue playing.

Squardle is the second one I will talk about, as it is fairly complex. The goal is to solve a 5x5 grid with 6 words (image below), and are given 10 guesses to do so, but every time you get a word right, you are given another guess. The different colours and rules are also explained below, though with the arrows displayed it can be somewhat self-explanatory.

The last game that actually revolves around guessing English words is Squabble, which is exactly the same as Wordle, except you are put head-tohead with others trying to guess words fastest. Each word you guess correctly, you gain time on your timer, and if you guess words incorrectly, you will lose time. You also lose a point per second, so you can’t think too long about it. There are two different modes, blitz and Squabble royale, which are the same format but the time and number of opponents changes between the two. There’s even a two-player co-op mode in ‘Wordle off,’ where you and a friend can join together to try and find the word!

Lastly, I will talk about some other Wordles that follow the same format but are on different topics.

For our music lovers, there’s Byrdle, a game where you guess different musical-related words from around the world (choir, Zadok, and motet to name a few). Then there’s Squirdle, a Pokémon version of Wordle, and Dungleon, which is a sort of dungeonstyle Wordle; it’s best explained by playing it.

There are two different math Wordles: Nerdle, and Mathler. Both follow the same concept, using digits and operations instead of words, with the only difference being that in Nerdle, you also guess the answer—another layer of difficulty.

Lastly, there are two geographybased Wordles, Globle and Worldle. In Globle, you have to guess the country based on colour-coded proximity on the globe displayed by the website. Next, in Worldle, there is a silhouette of a country that you have to guess, and with each guess, you can see how far away it is, the direction of where the correct country is, and how correct your guess was compared to the answer.

Due to the insane popularity of Wordle, there will be many spin-offs and variations as people copy the success of Wordle, but ultimately there will likely not likely be another game that reaches the same level of success. They are definitely fun to play as a variation to Wordle.

https://www.byrdle.net/ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/ https://www.quordle.com/#/ https://squabble.me/ https://globle-game.com/ https://octordle.com/ https://www.dungleon.com/ https://squirdle.fireblend.com/daily https://fubargames.se/squardle/ https://nerdlegame.com/ https://mathler.com/ http://wordle.jonyork.net/

Wr iting Prompt Stor ies

Sentence-starter prompt: The night bore many secrets, secrets that I am about to tell you…

@theHelm writing prompts by Ahana Kulkarni (604) and Alisha Hemani (702)

Entry by Sabrina Kiung, 703

It all started with an unplanned family road trip. Dad had told Maya and I that we were going on an “unexpected and fun adventure!”. Obviously, my sister thought it was normal, since she’s only six, but I was a little skeptical, especially since it was 10 o’clock at night. Of course, I still agreed to go because nothing could go terribly wrong… right? “Have you guys packed your bags?” Dad asked with a forced smile. His face was pale and sweat dripped down the sides. “Um… yeah, but why do we need to pack clothes for three days?” I asked him while studying him carefully.

“Oh, it’s just in case we decide to stay overnight somewhere. No big deal!” “Alright then” “Let’s go already!” Maya whined. Dad chuckled, “You guys go to the car. I’ll just grab a few more things!” Then he immediately turned away from us to head to his room. “What are you hiding from us, Dad?” I thought to myself. I was debating whether or not I should follow him, but Maya grabbed my sleeve and yanked me outside, clearly oblivious to the situation. We got into the car and threw our bags into the back seat. My mind was still holding up a defensive barrier making me question Dad even more. My instincts were telling me to scan the entire car for any clue of where we were going, which I reluctantly did. I searched for a solid ten minutes and all I found was a key that I’d never seen before. I saw my dad through the rearview mirror locking the front door, so I quickly shoved the key into my pocket. I sat back down into my seat and pretended to be on my phone. (to be continued…)

Entry by Nischal Amin, 703

Free Verse Poem The night bore many secrets Secrets that I am about to tell you The Dark Side of the Earth unravels Unleashing Daunting Beasts that wander through the night Every night trembling and screaming occurs Beast that are CONSUMING HUMANS Or passed by the title, Demon After consuming, unpleasant actions occur Gaining energy gives demons the power to produce minions The more humans they abduct the stronger they get The unknown continues and the more deceasing it gets Will eventually be the end

HSC INTERVIEW

with Mrs. Ayotte

by Saejin Yoon (703) and Willow Norman (705)

Today, we’ll be talking with Mrs. Ayotte, HSC’s Learning Commons Coordinator. As Grade 7 students, we visit the Learning Commons for creative learning activities about a variety of topics. One of our favourites was the Bookish Escape Room in December, but Mrs. Ayotte does so much more than that! She works with students, sets up book displays, coordinates super-fun events (like the Scholastic Book Fair that took place before the break), and oversees everything going on within the Learning Commons. We thought it would be neat to ask her a bit more about her job and her experience at HSC!

Q: How long have you been working at HSC?

A: Over 5 years.

Q: What are some of the big differences between being a librarian and being head of the Learning Commons?

A: We work as a team in the Learning Commons including the Elementary Learning Commons, Senior Learning Commons, Living Room, and LaunchPad. A few examples of things I am responsible for include the accounts, scheduling and planning. Q: How has your job changed since the pandemic started?

A: During the first year when we were at home, we had to shift to only online resources, so we had to ensure we had enough additional online resources at all levels when we were at home, like meeting with students over Zoom instead of the classroom. When we were back on campus, we created a book delivery which will continue after the pandemic because it has worked out really well.

Q: Do you prefer teaching younger children or older grades?

A: I actually like variety. Different age groups present different needs. I like seeing different ages of students here.

Q: What do you love most about your job?

A: I love seeing all the different students from the different schools, which is unique to the librarians as most teachers only see one level of age at school. I also love being a librarian as well, obviously!

Q: What struggles have you encountered throughout your career?

A: I don’t know if I’d call it a struggle but there's a constant switch of resources and how resources are available. I find it very important to teach children about technology and online safety, making sure they use proper resources.

Q: How have your kids changed your job?

A: I think that one of the things that have helped as they have gotten older, they give me a better understanding of what they like to read, etc. and they have helped me with other students as well.

Q: What was your favourite school subject growing up?

A: I always liked math even though it wasn’t my best subject, I loved doing it. I also liked English.

Q: What is your favourite book?

A: A couple of books I love are called The Giving Tree by S. Silverstein and The Kite Runner. Those are two of my favourites, but I love them so much!

Q: Who’s your favourite author?

A: I like different authors depending on my mood or the period of time. There are things I’ve chosen to read at certain periods of time which I couldn’t read at others.

Q: What’s the most treasured book in the library?

A: I think that any books that have spread kindness would be very treasured.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to become a librarian?

A: I decided after I did my undergraduate degree. A couple years after graduating university.

Q: What book would you most recommend to a middle school student?

A: I think that’s different for every student, so when I recommend a

book, I like to know what their interests are, favourite genres, books they’ve read in the past, etc. So it would be different for everyone I see.

Q: Who is a person you look up to at HSC? Or do you have any other role models in your life?

A: I would say I’m inspired by the students here and what they do everyday.

Q: Our class loved the escape room you prepared for us a few months back! Where do you find the creativiA: I like being creative in different ways, and I like to try new things. I have also done escape rooms previously, and I try to find new ways students can learn best while having fun as well.

Q: What did your job look like when we were doing at home learning?

A: My job was sort of split time between meeting with students online and having various classes online, meeting with students individually, as well as updating our resources so that students could access them online.

Q: Do you think that you will be working at HSC until you retire? If so, do you think you will continue in the same position?

A: Yes, I think probably both. This is actually the last year I have children at HSC, so I know that it will be different, but yes, I hope that I will be here until I retire.

Pearl Zhao (middle #1!)

Student Spotlight: Pearl Zhao

A big congratulations to Pearl Zhao (703) on her gold-medal win for Skate Ontario! Pearl won a gold medal out of 51 other skaters at a competition for Skate Ontario on February 13 in Brampton.

Keep training hard, Pearl—way to go!

Gallery by Elly Chen, cont’d...

Photos by Pearl Naik, 803

Photo by Pearl Naik, 803 “Flourishing Flower” by Annie Collins, 702

Stay tuned for more information about art galleries, music performances, and the Middle School Musical

“Atsushi” (above) and “Akutagawa” (below) sketches by Elly Chen, 803

Drawings by Tabetha Grant, 503

Tabetha Grant, 503

Clara Tiong, 602

Marcus Chen, 702

Angela Xiong, 801

1 Source link

par Mme Cheikh Ali

Photo source link Photo source link

A Lost Foghorn

Part 3

by Juliet Finley, 705

As Peter sank, he saw other people trying to escape the freezing water. Why was I sent here? Peter wondered, why here, why now? Was I supposed to die? Peter wondered these things as he sank farther from the surface.

Suddenly, Peter stopped falling. He felt two strong hands on his back, and then he began to head up towards the surface of the water. Peter didn’t know who was doing this, but whoever was doing it was a strong swimmer. Suddenly, he broke through the surface of the water, coughing and gasping for air. Whoever had pushed him up put him onto a raft, then dived back into the water. Time and time again, the person came up with boys from the ship; soon, all the boys were on the raft, and the person who saved them swam them to shore. They were all placed on the sandy shore. The person who saved them stood up, and Peter saw that it was Paul.

“Did anyone else survive?” Paul asked. “Has anyone seen my older brother?”

Everyone shook their heads and then Paul sat down and began to cry.

“Why didn’t the lighthouse keeper turn the light on?” Paul asked. No one answered.

“I think he just didn’t do it because he was too lazy,” said Paul, jumping to his feet. “I’ll kill him. My brother died, and the lighthouse keeper will die.” Peter jumped up and stopped him. “Don’t,” Peter begged. “You told me “That was different,” Paul insisted. “You didn’t do anything wrong. That light house keeper is a murderer.”

“But if you kill the lighthouse keeper, you’ll be as much of a killer as they are,” Peter said. “You saved my life twice and I won’t let you have blood on your hands.”

Paul didn’t listen and headed towards the lighthouse without a look backwards.

“Paul, wait!” Peter cried. “Listen to me and then I won’t try to stop you.” Paul stopped and turned around to face Peter. “Go on, but I don’t think you’ll change my mind.”

“You saved my life twice, and the first time you told me you weren’t a murder. You said if you can help someone and you don‘t, you’re killing them. But if you go and kill the lighthouse keeper, you’ll be a murderer. I owe you my life and I’m not going to let you kill someone because they caused an accident. I know the person was silly and deserves to be punished, but if you kill them, you’re going to punish yourself. Don’t harm anyone. You’re not a killer—you’re a boy. I won’t let you do anything that could harm you.”

“You were telling me something when we were on the boat earlier,” Paul said. “What is it?”

“You might want to sit down,” Peter muttered. “The boat was going to sink. You know that now, and you were supposed to be the only survivor, then you go and try to kill the lighthouse keeper, but you die in the process. That’s why I don’t want you to do it, I don’t want you to die.”

Paul stared at Peter. “But my brother,” he said sadly, “what about him?” “Would he want you to die trying to protect his memory?” Peter asked.

Paul didn’t say anything. “Fine,” he said. “I’m doing this for my brother. Wait, Peter, you're from the future?”

“Yes,” Peter mumbled. “I flicked on the light in the lighthouse and suddenly I was in this time.”

“If you flicked the light again, then would you get sent back to your time?” Paul asked.

“It’s worth a try,” Peter said.

So Paul and Peter climbed up to the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper lay on the ground, asleep, and the light wasn’t on. Paul looked angrily at the lighthouse keeper and Peter put his hand on Paul's chest. “Don’t try to do something you don’t want to do.”

Paul nodded. ”Okay, Peter,” he said. “Flick the switch.”

Peter stepped forward, but Paul stopped him. “I don’t know if I can let you go,” Paul whispered. “You aren’t letting me go,” Peter said. “I will never forget the boy who saved my life, you’re the only reason I’m alive. Thank you, Paul. I’ll never forget you.”

Peter stepped forward and flicked the switch. Again the room got foggy and Peter was thrown onto the floor where he fell asleep.

Peter woke up, lying on the floor, in the lighthouse, but the lighthouse was different from when he had first come to it. It was well kept, and there was someone polishing the light.

“What are you doing here, Pete?” The keeper asked when he saw Peter. “The twins are on the beach.” Peter walked down to the beach and when he got there he saw two boys in the water, both laughing and playing.

“Hey Pete,” one of the boys called. “Come on in.”

Peter ran into the water and began to play with the boys, but he got a really close look at one of them and stopped. They were both splitting images of Paul.

“Hey Pete,” one of the boys said. “Come to our house for dinner, we have something to show you.”

That night Peter went to the lighthouse, and learned quite a bit about what his life was like. His friends’ names were Paul IV and William, their father was the lighthouse keeper, and Peter lived with his parents and his brother in a cottage near the lighthouse, Peter had never met Brian, and Paul IV and William were descendants of the original Paul, who had saved many boys’ lives when he became lighthouse keeper, and named his son Peter.

Peter ate dinner at his friends’ house and laughed and joked with them. After dinner they went into the lighthouse and explored.

Peter found a box, shoved deep in a closet, on it was written: For Peter

Peter opened the box and inside was a note and a sailor's cap—the one Paul had worn the night the ship went down. The note read:

Peter, I have married and had a son. I am a lighthouse keeper now, and I never sleep on the job. I don’t know if this note will reach you, but if it does, I want to thank you for saving my life.

Yours, Paul

Peter read the note again and again. As he read it, he could hear Paul’s voice talking and laughing, and he once saw Paul walk across the room.

Now Peter has grown older, and he has a wife and three children. He still spends a lot of time with William and Paul IV. His children love his tales about the original Paul. His youngest child is named Josephine, his next to youngest child’s name is Oliver. His oldest is named Paul, and he owns the sailor’s cap that Paul I left Peter. Peter’s eldest son is not named after Paul IV as everyone thinks, but after Paul I. The boy who risked his life to save Peter.