March 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS IN A WAY YOU'LL LOVE

WORDLE APRIL FOOL'S DAY NOBEL PRIZE 2021

THE RUSSIAUKRAINE CONFLICT

SHOULD SCHOOL LUNCHES IN THE USA BE FREE?

Sahithi Lingampalli founder art co-director

Ashmita Annamalai

vice executive public relations co-director

Geethikaa Tarra

art & media, opinion codirector

Evelyn Chen

art co-director

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Taruni Manam

Kavya Gurunath

vice executive lifestyle co-director

vice executive science co-director

Samita Pandit

Uday Lingampalli

lifestyle co-director

Mia Grace

editing director

Cindy Zhang

politics & world events codirector

opinion co-director

Juee Deshmukh

Aathmika Radhachandran

science co-director

public relations co-director

Helen Bian

layout director

meet the directors @theaffairmag theaffairmag@gmail.com Published monthly by The Affair.

All Rights Reserved.

COVER ART BY SAHITHI LINGAMPALLI DESIGN BY HELEN BIAN

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meet the staff

WRITERS: Brooke Huppert Rachel Adams Mia Grace Gunkriti Kaur Kavya Gurunath Shabdika Gubba Taruni Manam Samita Pandit Thejo Tattala

ARTISTS: Sahithi Lingampalli Mia Kim Cal Shin-Koh

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EDITORS: Uday Lingampalli Harshvir C Geethi Tarra Jeet Parikh Nitya Baratam Taruni Manam Mia Grace Kavya Gurunath Juee Deshmukh Jashan Mehta Cindy Zhang Tanishka Gangavelli Samita P

LAYOUT DESIGNERS:

Helen Bian Sahithi Lingampalli Harini Akurathi Mikaela Cadiz Shoffana Sundaramoorthy

contents

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ART AND MEDIA

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Wordle

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AIDS and Art

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Kanye West and Pete Davidson

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politics and world events

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The Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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The Stock Market

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science

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Novel Prize 2021

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Sleep and Science

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lifestyle

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Meaningful Jewelry

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April Fool's Day

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Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

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Opinion

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Should School Lunches in the USA Be Free?

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Should High Schools Have a Uniform?

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WORDLE Wordle is the word game that has taken the world by storm. Let’s learn how to play Wordle, and the inspiration behind it, its meteoric rise, benefits, and more!

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AIDS AND ART An overview of a few art pieces made with regards to the victims of AIDS.

KANYE WEST & PETE DAVISON From cryptic rap lyrics to rather intense Instagram rants, Kanye West is still processing his split from Kim Kardashian. His first step?

Taking direct attacks on Pete Davidson..

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W O R D L E

“Wordle”…chances are, if you’ve spent any time at all on the internet lately, you’ve seen it mentioned more times than you can count.

To help gain a better understanding of the game, let’s examine the origins of it. Josh Wardle, a Welsh-born, Brooklyn-based software developer, began working on a prototype of “Wordle” in 2013 (with around 13,000 available words to guess!); however, the “Wordle” we know and love today was mainly developed in January 2021.

Wardle cites his girlfriend, Palak Shah, as the inspiration for “Wordle.” During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City, Shah and Wardle, with nothing else to do, played “Spelling Bee,” a word game by The New York Times. Players in “Spelling Bee” create as many words as possible out of a set of seven letters; this brought them closer together as a couple. Noticing his girlfriend’s fondness of word games, Wardle took it upon himself to create an original game “that she would enjoy” (Victor, 2022). Shah helped with the development of Wordle by reducing the amount of words available to guess to approx. 2,500. Originally, Wardle kept Wordle private, and only he and his loved ones had access to it. However, after seeing how much everyone enjoyed the game, he decided to ddsfsdf

WRITTEN BY RACHEL ADAMS

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release it to the public in Octob In late January 2022, the game more than 2 million daily playe 2022), subsequently leading to T York Times (NYT) purchasing Wardle for over $1 million (Smith

The essential premise of the that you have six tries to gues letter word that changes every directions on the New York website state that “after each gu color of the tiles will change how close your guess was to th (Wordle, n.d.). A green tile sign a letter is placed in the right yellow tile indicates that a letter word, but incorrectly placed, an tile indicates that a letter isn word. The NYT website keeps key statistics, such as the perce games you’ve won, and how attempts it’s historically taken correctly guess a word.

The game has become so pop foreign language variants of been created, like Dactle (A Sign Language), Wortle (Afrika Mot (French), Termo ( Portuguese), Par Le (Italian), an further increasing its global reac

Interestingly, there are psych reasons as to why we’re all ho Wordle. dfsdds

EDITED BY JUEE DESHMUKH, JASHAN MEH

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# 1 Since Wordle is only playable once every 24 hours, it triggers a social psychology phenomenon known as scarcity. Essentially, scarcity is the principle that “humans place a higher value” on, and are more attracted to, things that there are limited quantities of (Tauer, J.M. ,2007).

# 2 There is a built-in feature on the NYT website that allows users to easily share their score on the Wordle of the day on social media sites. As a result, it has sparked viral discussions on Wordle, that even celebrities like Jimmy Fallon have contributed to. The simplicity, accessibility, and shallow learning curve of the game have also contributed to its popularity. After I found the word found the word “vivid” particularly hard to guess, I went to Twitter to complain and found a variety of memes poking fun at the word’s difficulty to guess. I felt a sense of connection among my fellow Wordle players. This sense of community, feeling like you’re “in on the joke,” like you’re part of something bigger than yourself, is a source of comfort in our socially distanced world.sdfsdfsdfs

TA, GEETHI TARRA

ART BY CAL SHIN-KOH

# 3 According to British psychologist Lee Chambers, Wordle stimulates “both the language and logic processing areas of our brains,” leading to a “release of dopamine” (Bradley, 2022). Dopamine is the chemical associated with happiness and reward in our brain, which it constantly seeks. He also claims that with the pandemic being unpredictable, having a sense of routine and familiarity (which constantly seeing the same yellow, gray, and green squares of Wordle create) can comfort us.

In a world with TikTok trends encouraging teens to deface school property, huff dry protein powder, and precariously balance on milk crates, let’s appreciate this harmless, positive, brain-boosting trend and hope it isn’t a passing fad.

LAYOUT BY HELEN BIAN

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Written by Brooke H Editied by Taruni M, Geethi T, Nitya B Layout by Harini A

To understand AIDS-related art, you must first understand the historical context of the disease. The year was 1981, and a strange new “cancer” had been discovered in New York; however, it seemed to only affect eight gay men.

From this moment on, although AIDS would go on to infect and kill millions, regardless of sexual orientation, it would be known as a “‘gay disease”.

This stigma clinging to this association would be deadly. The traumatic experiences that individuals went through as a result of stigma and shame would lead many to create art as a means of coping through creative expression.

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John Boskovich’s 1997 piece is an old, white, square fan surrounded by plexiglass, with cutouts to circulate air.

The piece’s plexiglass case is connected to a pair of wheels that can be used to move it. The fan is plugged in, allowing viewers of the piece to feel the cool air.

This art piece can be best described as conceptual; the idea behind it is the most important part. After his lover died of AIDS, Boskovich returned to Stephen Earabino’s apartment to find that almost all of his possessions (except for the fan), had been taken by Earabino’s family. Bolskovich’s art piece perfectly encapsulates the grief and anguish of those whose loved ones fell victim to the disease, as well as the pain that stigma against gay men caused those already in mourning. It has also been interpreted as how an entire existence could disappear during the AIDS crisis.

Félix González-Torres’s artwork can best be described as a large pile of multicolored, individually-wrapped candies. Interestingly, the art is interactive; viewers are encouraged to take a piece and eat it. However, It isn’t just any random pile of candy, the art piece contains a much deeper meaning.

When the piece was first installed, it weighed 175 pounds, the exact weight of the artist’s partner when he was healthy, before he succumbed to AIDS, and subsequently, death. As viewers take pieces off the pile, it symbolizes the decay of his partner’s body as the disease worsened. As the piece has been installed in multiple museums over the years, museums can either choose to replenish the pile or let it wither.

Those who eat a piece of candy are complicit in the shrinking of the pile, a metaphor for the public’s complacency as thousands died from AIDS. The piece can currently be found at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the largest piece of folk art ever created. It weighs in at around 54 tons. The quilt was created in 1985 by gay activists, with panels dedicated to those who passed away from the disease. The art piece was first displayed at the national mall, where it covered a distance larger than that of a football field. The piece was immensely popular, garnering enough attention for it to embark on a world tour. The tour was immensely successful, raising half a million dollars for victims of AIDS. At its core, the quilt stands as a memorial and a call to action. The thousands of names inscribed on it serve to remember those who many did not care about enough to remember. The attention drawn to the disease through the names of those who have died acts as a call to action, as well.

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Kanye West & Pete Davidson Written by Mia Grace Edited by Harshvir Chahal, Jashan Mehta, Geethi Tarra Layout by Shoffana Sundaramoorthy From cryptic rap lyrics to rather intense Instagram rants, Kanye West is still processing his split from Kim Kardashian. His first step? Taking direct attacks on Pete Davidson.

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Amidst the issues of divorce between Kanye (Ye) and Kardashian, another person rises to stir the pot - comedian Pete Davidson of Saturday Night Live.

Recently, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have been seen together out and about, going on classic restaurant dates and more luxurious Bahamas getaways. On February 7th, Davidson officially referred to Kardashian as his girlfriend, confirming rumors that had been circulating about the pair (People (The TV Show!), 2022).

2022). He began cutting off relations with friends who were additionally close to Davidson. In an Instagram post (that is now deleted) directed towards Kid Cudi, he said, “FOR YEARS CUDI ALWAYS MADE IT SEEM LIKE IT WAS ME AND HIM AGAINST EVERYONE NOW THAT IM FIGHTING FOR MY FAMILY HE NOT BY MY SIDE THIS IS BIGGER THAN MUSIC''. Kid Cudi responded on Twitter, stating, “We talked weeks ago about this. You’re whack for flipping the script and posting this lie just for a look on the internet. You ain’t no friend. BYE” (Cudi, 2022). West also crossed out Davidson’s face in an image from 2019 at Cudi’s birthday dinner. Ye was present at the dinner.

West has not been taking this budding relationship well, bringing threats upon Davidson and overall creating a hostile environment. While he was in a new relationship with Julia Fox, he was focused primarily on his feud with Kardashian and Davidson (Bustle,

Ye did not stop here with his attacks directed towards Davidson. The rapper publicized a conversation with Davidson where the comedian had said, “As a man, I’d never get [in the] way of your children. That’s a promise” (Bustle, 2022). West captioned the texts,

alongside images of Davidson in Calvin Klein underwear, with, “NO YOU WILL NEVER MEET MY CHILDREN” (Capital FM, 2022). On the day of the superbowl, West once again made claims toward Pete, writing, “HOLD YOUR SPOUSE CLOSE MAKE SURE THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE AND APPRECIATE THEM BECAUSE THERES A SKETE LURKING IN EVERY DIRTY A** ALLEY WAITING TO HELP DESTROY YOUR FAMILY AND WALK AROUND IN CALVIN KLEINS AROUND YOUR CHILDREN” (West, 2022). He additionally included lyrics targeted towards Davidson in his song “Eazy”.

Later, he released a controversial music video for the song in which he violently depicts Davidson.

After sending his followers to, “SCREAM AT THE LOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER” if they saw “SKETE” in public, Kardashian intervened, letting West know that he was creating a toxic and dangerous environment for Davidson. West took down his posts on February 15th and apologized for his slew of posts., “I've learned that using all caps makes people feel like I'm screaming at them. I'm working on my communication. I can benefit from a team of creative professionals, organizers, mobilizers and community leaders.

Thank everybody for supporting me,” said West on Instagram. (People, 2022).

comments on West’s comments, but upon creating a new Instagram account, included a sneaky video in his bio. The clip is from The King of Comedy, taking viewers straight to Rupert Pupkin who says, “Better to be a king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime”. Davidson, however, has deleted the account after only a week, after Ye fans took to his comments and, according to Ye himself, “ran Skete off the gram” (Bustle, 2022). Davidson then used the Instagram of Dave Sirus, a collaborator on “King of Staten Island”, to post a conversation between him and Ye, as well as a now-viral image of himself shirtless in bed with a peace sign and tongue out. What made this image viral, however, was the new “Kim” tattoo that could be seen on his chest. It turns out his lovers’ name has been permanently branded onto his chest.

Kardashian filed for a divorce in February of 2021, and until recently of this year, this request was not granted.

In March of 2022, however, West and Kardashian officially split and Kardashian became legally single (Sky News, 2022). This was a win for Kardashian, but a loss for Kanye, who still hopes to reunite his family. In February, in a post that has since been deleted, Ye posted, “GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY BACK TOGETHER”.

Davidson has made no direct

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WORLD POLITICS THE RUSSIAUKRAINE CONFLICT With the declaration of invasion and subsequent attacks on Ukraine, many questions come to mind how did this war come to be?

What is the history between these two countries? How are countries around the world able to help?

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THE STOCK MARKET We all hear the stock market is facing an inflammation, but we don’t know what a stock market is? Let’s try to understand what facilitates and accommodates the stock market.

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the

RUSSIA UKRAINE

Ukraine and Russia have had a tense relationship rooted in a long history between the two countries. From being a part of the Soviet Union, to gaining independence, to the annexation of Crimea, and finally, to present day occurrences, Ukraine has faced numerous ups and downs at the hands of Russia.

1991 August 24, 1991 marked the day that Ukraine officially declared independence from the Soviet Union (the U.S.S.R).

Anti-communist sentiment was spreading across Europe, and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic changed its official name to Ukraine. Ukraine had been the second most important country within the Soviet Union, after Russia. Now, it was finally independent.

2008 President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko worked to bring Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. By becoming a member of the alliance, Ukraine would be supported by its .........

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fellow members, comprising thirty countries.

Ukraine faced mixed reactions when working towards membership, as countries held different perspectives based upon their relations with Russia, which has and continues to oppose Ukraine joining NATO. In the end, Ukraine did not join the organization - the country was told that it could eventually join, but was not ready.

2009 On January 1st, Ukraine stopped receiving natural gas from Russia. This decision not only impacted Ukraine but the rest of Europe as Ukraine’s gas pipelines were essential for these countries. Tymoshenko and Putin came to a conclusion, and the gas returned to Ukraine (Sullivan, 2022). Though this conflict only lasted around twenty days, it was an example of the many tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

2014 President Yanukovych refused to bring Ukraine into an agreement with the European Union regarding free trade.

According to NPR, “he cites pressure xxxx

CONFLICT

from Russia as a reason for his decision.” This brought upon protests across Ukraine; these protesters came to be known as Maidan protesters, a part of the Maidan revolution. It became a bloody ordeal, with more than 100 deaths. Following these events, Russian soldiers arrived at the Crimean Peninsula and seized the peninsula, annexing Crimea. Violence arose in the region of Donbas, where Russian troops gathered. (NPR, 2022).

2019

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected to be president of Ukraine. He was a comedian and actor and had no prior experience in politics. One of his characters on television was a strong president, whom he was inspired to represent in real life.

written by Mia Grace // edited by Mia Grace, Cindy Zhang & Tanishka Gangavelli // art by Sahithi Lingampalli // layout by Helen Bian being used to fuel a malicious agenda against the Ukrainian people. The United States and other countries are unable to get involved in the war through sending troops as doing so could have devastating effects for the entirety of the world, potentially resulting in World War III and intense nuclear warfare. Yet the United States is still trying to help; sanctions on Russia have been increasing to impact the country’s economy and the oligarchs in attempts to influence Putin.

As of March 7th, 2022, Ukraine continues to fight against Russian troops with strength. The battle is not yet over.

2022-NOW

On February 24th, 2022, Russia officially began invading Ukraine. Putin claimed that the goal of this military invasion was to ‘denazify’ Ukraine and liberate the people of Russia who were facing genocide in the country. This is blatant misinformation and propaganda

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THE STOCK Written by Gunkriti K layout by mikaela c

MARK

We all hear the stock market is facing an inflammation, but we don’t know what a stock market is? Let’s try to understand what facilitates and accommodates the stock market.

WHAT ARE STOCKS? The term “Stocks” are used to describe the ownership of an organization. They also represent a fractional claim on company assets.

Stocks are also referred to as equities.

WHAT IS THE STOCK MARKET? The stock market is where buying, selling, and other such financial activities occur. This is a legalized way of trading that any class or type of investor can take part in.

WHO ARE THE STOCKHOLDERS? The stockholders are the people who own shares of a company or organization. Stockholders can claim the assets.

HOW DOES THE STOCK MARKET WORK? The main function of stock markets is to trade stocks This action is facilitated in a safe and legalized manner.

There are two main components crucial to understanding the stock market: the primary market and the secondary market.

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KET THE PRIMARY MARKET The primary market is where the initial stocks are sold to the public from the companies so that the company can increase their capital [define capital]. To sell the shares, the company needs to divide the ownership of stocks into small parts of shares. In order to validate this activity, the stock market provides a marketplace to the company where they can trade easily.

This marketplace is also known as the new issue market since the trading happens for the very first time.

SECONDARY MARKET Here, the sellers sell the alreadyowned stocks; that is, they have greater chances of profiting as the process keeps on fluctuating with the demand. An example of this is the New York Stock Exchange.

THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE STOCK MARKET Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the stock market has fluctuated wildly. U.S companies are shutting down their branches in Russia as the world is experiencing inflation and is unlikely to recover from it anytime soon.

The capital which was being used has lowered the stock prices of many big MNCs (Multi National Company) which has resulted in a declining of the currency rate.

According to analysis of data, since the war between Ukraine and Russia started, there has been a large fall in the share prices of big companies as well as the shutting down of small businesses.

In conclusion, there has been constant fluctuation in the market.

The stock prices are falling down day by day.

ART by SAHITHI LINGAMPALLI EDITED by miA G, CINDY Z, TANISHKA G

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Nobel Nobel Prize Prize 2021 2021

The Nobel Prize is a yearly award given to exceptional people all over the world. This article will explain the winners for 2021 in physics and chemistry!

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It is said that a good night’s sleep is needed to have a refreshing start to your day, why is that? Let’s learn about the science behind it.

SCIENCE SCIENCE

Sleep Sleep and and Science Science

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physics physics syukoro manabe He has a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Tokyo.

He was a research meteorologist at the U.S. Weather Bureau and used physics to make weather models.

In 2005, he joined Princeton University as a lecturer, eventually becoming the senior meteorologist at the university.

He developed the first model that coupled the ocean and the atmosphere, which eventually became an essential tool in studies about global warming and general meteorology.

He won the Nobel Prize for making models that demonstrated the effect of carbon dioxide on Earth’s rising temperatures. In one model, he used a 25-mile high column of air and tested it with different levels of gasses to see the effects. Requiring hours of work, it allowed him to realize that if the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is doubled, the temperature would rise two degrees celsius (Guarino, 2021).

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klaus hasselman He has a degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Hamburg.

He has a Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen.

He was a professor at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

He has spent many years studying global warming.

He won the Nobel Prize, like Manabe, for his work toward global warming. He showed how small events, such as weather, can affect climate at large. In addition, he created tools and conducted studies which have allowed researchers to figure out the differences between climate variability and humancaused climate change. His work has been essential to much of the climate change studies published today, specifically how humans cause climate change (Rafferty, 2021).

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a degree in chemistry from e University of Berlin. eceived a doctorate in try from Goethe University of rt. a post-doctoral fellowship at ripps Research Institute and came an assistant professor nstitute.

David W.C. MacMillan He has a degree in chemistry from the University of Glasgow.

He got his doctorate at the University of California, Irvine.

He did postdoctoral work at Harvard and became a professor at University of California, Berkeley.

Both MacMillan and List worked on asymmetric organocatalysis, which makes molecules without the use of metals or enzymes. Metals and enzymes are typical catalysts (used to speed up chemical reactions).

Asymmetric organocatalysis allows the creation of molecules without any damage to the environment because no harmful metals are used. It also allows specific molecules to be created. Sometimes normal catalysts form two types of molecules that are mirror images of each other, when we only want one of the types. Asymmetric organocatalysis allows the creation of the specific type of molecule that we want (Gregersen, 2022).

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S

leep a

It is said that a good night’s sleep is needed to have a refreshing start to your day, why is that? Let’s learn about the science behind it.

Sleep is an important and valuable life activity which takes up almost onefourth of a person’s lifespan. Sleeping not only improves your brain’s functioning but also helps you perform tasks more efficiently.

The human body and all living beings are associated with different tasks in life cycle, hence this results into sleep being a process where conscious and subconscious mind store valuable information. Not only the things we feel we don't forget, they all are stored inside our mind. Even the small details, the thoughts that come very deliberately inside our mind, all of them are stored within the nerve cells. So, this results in a relationship between science and sleep.

Phases Of Sleep

There are 4 phases of sleep, consisting of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep.

These phases are crucial to maintaining proper functioning of the brain.

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Stage 1: In this stage, we are in between sleeping and being awake.

The heartbeat slows and the body relaxes.

Stage 2: In this stage, your body starts to lose its senses, your body temperature starts to drop, and you are in light sleep. Your eye movement stops. While the body and your brain prepares for deep sleep, the brain also starts to send in rapid brain waves, which helps the brain to understand the memories of the previous day.

Stage 3 and 4: In these stages, the heart rate increases and breathing is irregular, you start to leave the exhausting state behind, relax your muscles, the body then starts to dream and the eyes constantly move. During these stages, the brain releases slow waves known as “delta waves”, where you are in your deepest sleep. At this stage any noise or activity around you may not wake you up.

and Science

Why is sleep important for life?

The central function of sleep is to progress memory and consolidate it.

Not getting an adequate amount of sleep affects one’s self to work or ability to multitask. Sleep deprivation, specifically, impairs memory and other brain activity. It also causes further damage to your body and health.

Not getting enough sleep also causes physical health damage. Elder people who tend to not get the sleep required can have serious conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

By Gunkriti Kaur Edited by Uday Lingampalli, Kavya Gurunath Layout by Shoffana Sundaramoorthy

correct information their behavior changes. Children, teens and young adults need at least 9.5 hours of sleep per day, but most teens have a very unbalanced sleeping schedule, which is the reason why most students are unable to concentrate in life. This also causes them to not stay focused.

These major reasons cause a very unbalanced sleeping pattern. This results in major life threatening issues of genes, the world tends to take sleeping issues very lightly but later on they grow into serious ones, which happens because of negligence and no one to teach proper sleep patterns.

Mental health and sleep have a varying relation, in that when a person goes through any sort of mental instability, they tend either sleep a lot, or get no sleep. This causes them to not understand their surroundings well, due to nerve cells not transmitting the

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Lifestyle April Fool's Day

April Fools’ Day, also known as All Fools’ Day, is an annual custom celebrated on April 1st of every year. The day is celebrated by playing pranks and making jokes about friends and family.

Although we do not know the true origins of the tradition, it has been observed over hundreds of years.

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Meani Jewe

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jewelry is worn, it ne’s personality, or little touch to the not have gender nor marks of it being a yourself. At times, order to remind you or as a symbol of positive attitude in

Strawberry Shortcake

A recipe guide for making homemade strawberry shortcake to enjoy in the spring!

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April Fool's Day April Fools’ Day, also known as All Fools’ Day, is an annual custom celebrated on April 1st of every year.

The day is celebrated by playing pranks and making jokes about friends and family. Although we do not know the true origins of the tradition, it has been observed over hundreds of years.

It is proposed that the tradition may have started in France with the Edict of Roussillon, where Charles IX decreed that the New Year would no longer start on Easter Day, but instead would start on January 1st. Another theory is that the custom is associated with Hilaria, a celebration in Ancient Rome. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking citizens and magistrates. The holiday was said to be inspired by the Egyptian Legend of Isis, Osiris, and Seth. Another such theory is that the custom is tied to the idea of the Vernal Equinox, where the changing of weather and temperatures between winter to spring becomes confusing, therefore fooling people.

While this day involves pranking others, there are a few variations as to how this is done in other countries. In France, the fooled person is called “poisson d’avril,” which translates to “April Fish” which symbolizes young fish that are easily caught. This is celebrated typically by young children who pin paper fish to others' backs. Other countries have their own specific ways of pranking others as well.

Here are a few harmless prank ideas you can try on your friends and family:

Balloon Room Fit a bunch of balloons into your target’s room. Fill the room up until the balloons reach the door. Make sure that all these balloons have helium in them.

This way, when your target tries to enter their room, a bunch of balloons will welcome them! Your target will have to find a different room for the balloons afterward.

by Taruni Manam & Samita Pandit Edited by Juee Deshmukh & Jashan Mehta Layout by Sahithi Lingampalli 27

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ank inspired by The Office. In e of this famous show, Jim he entirety of Dwight’s office wrapping paper. A special eets Dwight when he tries to efcase on his desk, but it o the ground. Jim’s wrapping ’s desk was just an illusion. cause a great laugh for the east if you don’t fake wrap

fetti Storm

at handful of confetti on top gs of a ceiling fan. Make sure of the confetti falls from the t. It’s important to assert the surprise for this prank. Once t enters the room and turns on, they’re going to be with a confetti storm! this may make them pretty u might have to clean up the , this really only works if it’s l Fool’s. An alternative would ance a bucket filled with top of a half-opened door. target opens the rest of the ter the room, they’ll have a nal confetti storm.

Salty Tea Call some guests over for a tea party!

Have them serve themselves to the sugar, but replace it with salt. You will be able to see the guests make a weird face when they try the tea. For more of a salt impact, place some honey in a jar, but salt the honey as well. You and your guests will be laughing at this.

However, you will probably have to throw out the tea.

Showering Love For the ones who want to just show their love for the person they're targeting, tape a bunch of paper hearts onto popsicle sticks. Put these sticks in the person’s lawn or backyard. Your target will be extremely confused, but at least they’ll have a smile on their face for the rest of the day!

Remember that the end goal of the prank is to have a big laugh. Have fun trying these pranks on April Fool’s!

april fools with the layout!

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Meaningful Jewellry

When a piece of jewelry is worn, it subtly highlights one’s personality, or even adds a nice, little touch to the outfit. Jewelry does not have gender nor does it have the remarks of it being a way to not love yourself. At times, jewelry is made in order to remind you of a loved one or as a symbol of enlightenment and positive attitude in life.

When a piece of jewelry has a story, it automatically begins to have some sort of significance. It can start as a gift from someone or as a family heirloom.

The smallest earrings in the world, or the largest set of necklaces, might simply be something you can never let go.

Gemstones Ahh!! Pretty stones on your jewelry are not there to look aesthetically appealing, but they also carry personalized meaning to the person wearing them.But why exactly are gemstones considered to have noticeable value in them? The most gracious way to bring physical and

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mental stability to your life is by wearing jewelry consisting of gemstones. It has been scientifically proven that when gemstones are worn, the most prestigious spirits enter into your seven chakras and remove negative energy from your body.

Individuals wear them to amplify the meaning of their souls and create positive energy. Some gemstones of different meanings are:

Written by Gunkriti Kaur Edited by Samita Pandit, Nitya Baratam Layout by Shoffana Sundaramoorthy

1) Diamond: brings positivity captivates our thoughts

and

2) Aquamarine; releases anxiety and fear but also to keeps your mind calm and soothes you 3) Rose Quartz: brings calmness towards love. It promotes peace and calmness in relationships and restores harmony after conflict as well.

4) Ruby: promotes love and protects one from misfortune

People & Memories The way a piece of jewelry can put a smile on your face by looking at it is also a reason for it to hold significance.

Does looking at a bracelet remind you of a certain place? Does touching the necklace in your neck remind you of someone important? Has it ever occurred to you that the anklet you are wearing was made just for you? All these questions make jewelry memorable and make you smile.

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Layout by Mikaela C Art by Mia K

6-7 cups quartered strawberries ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup heavy cream

6-7 cups quartered strawberries ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup heavy cream

Large bowl(s) Food Processor Stand mixer with whisk or hand beater Stirring utensil Spatula Measuring cup(s) Measuring spoons Rolling pin Baking sheet/parchment paper Pan Pastry brush Pastry cutter Biscuit cutter/3 inch circle cookie cutter Oven

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STRAWBERRY

REC

A recipe guide for making homemade stra

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a large bowl or food processor, mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add cubed butter and cut into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or by pulsing into coarse crumbs in the food processor.

2. Add buttermilk and use a rubber spatula to fold until a shaggy and crumbly dough is formed. Pour dough out onto a floured workspace and use your hands to gently bring together.

Use hands or a floured rolling pin to gently flatten into a ¾ inch thick rectangle. Fold one side into the center and then the other. Turn the dough horizontally and gently flatten into a ¾ inch rectangle. Repeat three more times.

Y SHORTCAKE

CIPE

Add heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat on mediumhigh speed until soft peaks form.

awberry shortcake perfect for springtime!

3. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits. Re-roll or flatten remaining scraps and cut more circles. Repeat until you have 10-12 biscuits.

4. Arrange the biscuits such that they are touching each other on the a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the biscuits with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or buttermilk and sprinkle the coarse sugar on top. Bake for 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before assembly.

Add strawberries and ¼ cup sugar to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator to allow strawberries to release juices.

Slice the biscuits in half and gently layer the strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Be sure not to overwork the biscuit dough as it can cause your biscuits to become tough.

Use generously floured hands and flour in the workspace to ensure the dough does not stick.

Written by Thejo T & Samita P Edited by Taruni M, Mia G, Jashan M.

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OPINION should school lunches in the usa be free?

33

should high schools have a uniform?

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Should school lunche Should school lunches be free? The short answer is yes. The United Nations has ruled that food is a human right.

But what does that really mean? To summarize, it means that all individuals are entitled to access to adequate food.

This does not necessarily mean that all food should be free, but it should be in the case of school lunch. In America, about 38 million people reported struggling with food insecurity, meaning that this right to accessible food was not met (Chen, 2020). School lunches could help to fix this problem.

An example of how free-lunch programs can be implemented can be seen in California. The state recently launched a new free school lunch and breakfast program in all of its public schools. Although districts in other cities have offered programs, California took the step forward towards free lunch for students on a state level.

Although not everyone qualifies, as qualifications are based on income, the program lifts a massive weight off the shoulders of many Californians.

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Written by Br Edited by Uday Lingampal Layout by Shoffan Not only would offering a free lunch problem aid the issue of food insecurity, it would also help schools educate. It is widely known that eating a nutritious breakfast and lunch is vital to brain development and learning abilities. On the subject of malnutrition and learning, Public School Review reported that “Malnutrition can result in long-term neural issues in the brain, which can impact a child’s emotional responses, reactions to stress, learning disabilities, and other medical complications.” By providing free lunch for, school districts would improve the quality of education for their students.

es in the USA be free?

rooke Huppert lli, Geethi Tarra, Tanishka G na Sundaramoorthy If schools do not provide a free lunch option, they may be unconsciously neglecting the needs of their students, as well as making it harder for them to learn. By looking at proper nutrition through the lens of helping students to learn, it is clear that by providing a nutritious lunch, schools will be actively making learning environments more equitable and fair for all students.

It can be argued that providing a school lunch isn’t affordable for school districts or that schools aren’t

responsible for the nutritional needs of students.

It is undoubtedly the responsibility of schools to provide for the needs of their students. If this wasn’t the case, then what dictates that schools must provide textbooks or even teachers? It is evident that just as classrooms and desks are needed to learn, so is food. Therefore school districts should provide them.

California is undoubtedly paving the way for other states to provide their schools with free lunch programs.

However, California’s program costs $54 million yearly (Sheffey, 2021).

When you crunch the numbers, this $54 million only adds up to around .021% of the state’s annual budget of 258 billion (2021). Running a program in one of the most highly populated states will undoubtedly be expensive, but so will everything else, from transportation to medicare. The fact of the matter is that students have a right to a good education and access to good food.

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N O I Should High N I P Schools Have A O Uniform?

Yes, High schools must have a dress

Wearing school uniforms also makes

code. As a 10th grade student studying

things easier on students too —

in India, I don’t have the option to wear

instead of having to spend time

anything else but school uniform. Do I

considering what outfit to wear, they

hate it sometimes? Absolutely. But

can simply put on the school uniform

does my uniform still give me the spirit

each morning, allowing them extra

of unity in school? Absolutely.

time to sleep or do other things.

There are many benefits to wearing

Wearing school uniforms will also

school uniforms. When everyone wears

help to reduce the economic pressure

the same uniform, it is impossible to

on low-income parents to buy their

bully anyone for their clothing or style.

kids stylish or seemingly trendy clothes

It helps in understanding a person

for school.

better beyond their sense of style, and

In conclusion, having a uniform

allows them to feel equal to their

helps not just the school, but parents

peers, helping them to understand and

and the students as well.

socialize with each other better.

Written by Gunkriti K, Edited by Cindy Z, Tanishka G, Sahithi Lingampalli, Layout by Harini A. 37

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REFERENCES FOR ART & MEDIA WORDLE Bradley, S. (2022, January 18). Wordle: Why a Simple Word Game Went Viral, According to Experts. Insider.

Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.insider.com/wordle-game-viral-experts-psychology-sharingtwitter-2022-1 Hall, R. (2022, January 12). Wordle creator overwhelmed by global success of hit puzzle. The Guardian.

Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/11/wordle-creatoroverwhelmed-by-global-success-of-hit-puzzle Smith, G. (2022, January 31). The New York Times Is Buying Wordle for More than $1 Million. Time. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://time.com/6143832/new-york-times-buys-wordle/ Tauer, J.M. (2007). The Scarcity Principle. In R. Baumeister & K. Vohs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Tomky, N. (2022, February 4). The story behind Wordle—the wildly popular online word game. Chron.

Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.chron.com/culture/article/story-behind-wordle-16825701.php Vick, K. (2022, February 1). Wordle Creator Josh Wardle Talks NYT Sale, Game's Success. TIME. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://time.com/6143715/wordle-sale-josh-wardle-interview/ Victor, D. (2022, January 3). Wordle Is a Love Story. The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/technology/wordle-word-game-creator.html Wordle. (2022). The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html from: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/tom-brady/ AIDS AND ART Berardini, A. Close-up: Inside Out Andrew Berardini on John Boskovich’s Boskostudio 1996-2006. Artforum.

Retrieved from: https://www.artforum.com/print/202003/andrew-berardini-on-john-boskovich-sboskostudio-1996-2006-82220 Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The Art Story. Retrieved from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/gonzalez-torresfelix/ The History of the Quilt. National AIDS memorial. Retrieved from: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/quilthistory KANYE WEST & PETE DAVIDSON Clevinger, N., Quinitchett, K., Ellenbogen, R., & Rosier, J. (n.d.). Why do Pete Davidson and Kanye West have beef? The Sun. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.thesun.com/entertainment/4679420/pete-davidson-kanye-west-beef-explained/ DeSantis, R. (2022, February 15). Kanye West Says He Takes 'Accountability' for Now-Deleted Instagram Posts 'Harassing' Kim Kardashian. People. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://people.com/music/kanyewest-takes-accountability-instagram-posts-harassing-kim-kardashian/ Kanye West Leaks Private Message From Kim Kardashian's Boyfriend Pete Davidson - Capital. (2022, February 14). Capital FM. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.capitalfm.com/news/celebrity/kanye-west-message-kim-kardashian-pete-davidson/ Pete Davidson Calls Kim Kardashian His "Girlfriend" for the First Time | PEOPLE. (2022, February 8).

YouTube. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyBl96pLsk Rodriguez, K. (2022, March 14). Kanye West and Pete Davidson: A Complete Timeline of Their Feud.

Complex. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/kanye-west-petedavidson-feud-timeline/eazy-video

Selleck, E. (2022, March 13). Pete Davidson has Kim Kardashian's name tattooed on his chest. Page Six. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://pagesix.com/2022/03/13/pete-davidson-has-kim-kardashians-nametattooed-on-his-chest/ Sisavat, M., & Mantz, A. (n.d.). Why Did Kim Kardashian File For Divorce From Kanye West? POPSUGAR. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/why-did-kim-kardashian-and-kanyewest-break-up-48175514 Tilchen, J. (2022, February 18). A Timeline Of Kim Kardashian, Kanye & Pete Davidson's Relationship: Kim Made It Official On Instagram. Bustle. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/kim-kardashian-pete-davidson-kanye-west-relationship-timeline

REFERENCES FOR politics & world THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT Finnis, A. (2022, February 25). What NATO is, the countries in it, and what it stands for amid Russia-Ukraine tensions. inews.co.uk. https://inews.co.uk/news/world/nato-what-members-countries-list-stand-formeaning-russia-ukraine-explained-1415791 Povey, O. (2022, February 24). Did Russia Declare War on Ukraine? where are the explosions in Ukraine?

AS.com. https://en.as.com/en/2022/02/24/latest_news/1645703480_866376.html Shanker, T. (2022, February 24). Aug. 24, 1991: Ukraine votes for Declaration of Independence. chicagotribune.com. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-ukraine-votes-for-independence-199120220224-spfhbm7xsnhmlofpktomgt43w4-story.html Sullivan, B. (2022, February 24). Russia's at war with Ukraine. here's how we got here. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/12/1080205477/history-ukraine-russia THE STOCK MARKET Kramer, L. (n.d.). Understanding Primary vs. Secondary Capital Markets. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/012615/whats-difference-between-primary-and-secondarycapital-markets.asp Stock Market Definition. (n.d.). Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stockmarket.asp#tochow-the-stock-market-works

References for science NOBEL PRIZE 2021 Gregersen, E. (2022, January 7). Benjamin List | Biography, Discoveries, Nobel Prize, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-List Gregerson, E. (2021, October 8). Giorgio Parisi | Biography, Discoveries, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giorgio-Parisi Guarino, B. (2021, December 5). Nobel Prize in physics awarded to trio who described climate change, other complex natural systems. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2021/10/05/nobelprize-physics/ Rafferty, J. P. (2021a, October 11). Klaus Hasselmann | Nobel Prize, Model, Facts, & Biography. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Klaus-Hasselmann Rafferty, J. P. (2021b, October 11). Manabe Syukuro | Nobel Prize, Education, & Biography. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Syukuro-Manabe Rogers, K. (2021, October 19). David W.C. MacMillan | Biography, Facts, & Nobel Prize. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-W-C-MacMillan SLEEP AND SCIENCE Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. (2019, August 13). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep The Science of Sleep: Understanding What Happens When You Sleep. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-science-of-sleep-understandingwhat-happens-when-you-sleep Walton, A. G. (2016, December 9). 7 Ways Sleep Affects The Brain (And What Happens If It Doesn't Get Enough). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/12/09/7-ways-sleep-affects-the-brainand-what-happens-if-it-doesnt-get-enough/

References for lifestyle APRIL FOOL'S DAY April Fools' Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes - HISTORY. (n.d.). History.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day Dubin, A. (2022, February 10). 15 Best April Fools' Pranks 2022 - Safe April Fools' Jokes. Good Housekeeping.

Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/g31094996/best-april-foolspranks/ Silverman, D. J. (2022, February 1). April Fools' Day | Origin, History, Meaning, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day MEANINGFUL JEWELRY What Makes a Piece of Jewelry Meaningful? (2018, February 14). Karin Jacobson. https://www.karinjacobson.com/blogs/news/what-makes-a-piece-of-jewelry-meaningful STrAWBERRY SHORTCAKE Recipe Homemade Strawberry Shortcake. (2017, May 22). Sally's Baking Addiction. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-homemade-strawberry-shortcake/

References for OPINION SHOULD SCHOOL LUNCHES IN THE USA BE FREE? 2020. Hunger Quick Facts for 2020. Food Research and Action Center. Retrieved from: https://frac.org/hunger-poverty-america G, Chen. 2020. How Diet and Nutrition Impact a Child's Learning Ability. Public School Review. Retrieved from: https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/how-diet-and-nutrition-impact-a-childs-learning-ability A, Sheffey. 2021. Free School Lunch is now an Option for 6.2 Million Students in California, Regardless of Income. Insider. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/free-school-lunch-california-studentmeals-budget-surplus-first-state-2021-7 2021. Overview of the Spending Plan. Legislative Analyst’s Office. Retrieved from: https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4448#:~:text=As%20the%20figure%20shows%2C%20the,revised%2 02020%E2%80%9121%20level SHOULD HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE A UNIFORM? What are the benefits of the school dress code. (2019, December 24). Bonneville Academy. https://bonnevilleacademy.org/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-school-dress-code/

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