The Owlery by The Fourth Estate

CONTENTS 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 19

FEATURE 12, 13, 15, 18

NEWS

10, 11, 14, 16, 17

OPINION

All submissions from our third grade writers and artists and our MS writers and artists were appreciated, unfortunately, due to a combination of technical and style challenges not all submissions appear in the Owlery. We did attempt to include all submissions on our website along with MS entries called “Humans of Laguna.” To see entries please visit the Fourth Estate website at http://www.thefourthestate.net. Thank you for participating in this Cross Divisional Journalism Project. We appreciate your contributions and your patience in getting this magazine published. Yours truly, Trish McHale and the Owlery Editors

2 • Contents thefourthestate.net

THE LETTERS ANNA ALLDREDGE

BROOKE GREEN

TRISH MCHALE

THE EDITORS

With the Owlery, my creative and thoughtful MS writers have enjoyed being “in the middle”: they’ve guided the third graders, and have been guided by the high school staff of The Fourth Estate. Through this PBL process, journalism has come alive for them. My students now view themselves as journalists, and have discovered the passion, professionalism, and purpose of this field. Big thanks to my inspirational colleagues Ms. Green and Ms. McHale, and of course, a huge wave of gratitude for these talented young journalists in our midst!

I think adding the cub-edition collaborative journalism project to the third-grade curriculum embodies everything I believe is essential to the teaching and learning process. When students are presented with choice, social and collaborative opportunities, and real-world relevance and context, they become invested in their learning. Projects like these allow for students to not only become better journalists and learn about the writing process, but it also helps them build important life and curricular skills such as collaboration, organization, creativity.

The Owlery represents a year-long cross-divisional journalism project, which united students in Lower and Middle School with staff members of the Upper School Fourth Estate staff in an effort to build curiosity for journalism as well as a community connection. The Fourth Estate editors are ninth graders and are themselves brand new to journalism and the production process. They learned on the job. Working on this magazine gave them a powerful lesson in leadership and allowed them a macro-view of what it takes to produce a magazine for publication.

After making the decision of switching from a newspaper format to a magazine, we tasked the middle school students with the job of raising money to make the dream of a glossy magazine into a reality. This experience allowed us to look at the art of a journalist from an entirely different perspective. We were able to see third graders and middle school students adapt to learn the skills to write and design a magazine. We all learned to work as a well-oiled machine as we edited each other’s pieces and worked to design the pages and graphics.

THE EDITORS

THE TEACHERS

THE MS STAFF

THE LS STAFF

Frances Carlson

Anna Alldredge

Tracy Cao

Catie Fristoe

Brooke Green

Noah Dehli

Madeleine Nicks

Trish McHale

Max Deveze

Maritt Blabey Juliet Bradley Ezren Colson Abby Connor Grace Costner Kaden Engel Sydney Fraser Garrison Goldberg Grace Goldberg Jojo Hereford Saige Mastro-Stern Lorelei Tate Paisley Thomson Paloma Tyler Brandon Weaver

THE STAFF

Amara Murphy

Nikita Nautiyal

Ava Rice

Jayla Provence Sophia Samuels Mikaella Van Zutphen

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Contents •

Animal Facts

Animals and Their Habitats Are at Risk

WORDS BY JAYLA PROVANCE

Here are ten cool facts you may have never known about these animals

1 3 5 7

Every octopus has three hearts. A group of ferrets is called a business. Zebra stripes work as bug repellent. The heart of a shrimp is located in its head. A snail can sleep for three years. Giraffes have no vocal cords. Sharks kill fewer than 10 people per year. Humans kill around 100 million sharks per year.

Male Gentoo and Adelie penguins “propose” to females by giving them a pebble.

9 4 • News

Reindeer eyeballs turn blue in winter to help them see at lower light levels.

Warmer weather causes more female turtles to be born than males.

4 6 8

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“We are amidst the largest period of species extinction in the last 60 million years. Normally, between one and five species will go extinct annually. However, scientists estimate that we are losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal rate, with multiple extinctions daily. Multiple species will disappear before we learn about them or the benefits they bring to our planet.” National Institute of Environmental Health Science WORDS by JAYLA PROVANCE ART by AVA RICE

The Amur Leopard The Amur leopard is the most critically endangered according to World Wildlife. Scientists estimate there are only 84 remaining highly endangered Amur leopards in Russia and China. “There are now 41,415 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction.” This includes both endangered animals and endangered plants.

Many more species are becoming endangered and in danger of becoming extinct if we don’t act quickly to conserve them. Endangered species have had a big impact on the environment. If extinction comes to one animal

in an animal food chain, it will affect the whole chain. The reasons for a species becoming endangered include habitat loss, pollution, poaching, disease, and illegal killing among others

EXTINCTION RISK RANKINGS

EX EXTINCT

No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died

EXTINCT IN THE CRITICALLY ENWILD DANGERED

Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population

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ENDANGERED

VULNERABLE

NEAR THREATENED

Facing a high Facing an exrisk of extinctremely high risk tion in the of extinction in Wild the Wild

LC LEAST CONCERN

Does not Facing a high risk of extinc- Likely to qual- qualify for ify for a threat- Critically tion in the ened category Endangered, Wild Endangered, in the near Vulnerable, future or Near Threatened News • 5

Sea Creatures Sea creatures range in size from small to large from friendly to deadly in every ocean in the world. SEA ANGEL One of the smallest sea creatures in the world is the sea angel. Its scientific name is Gymnosomata. The sea angel is actually related to a sea slug and is extremely hard to find. It lives in the Arctic ocean at about 500 meters (1,600 ft) below the water. It can be found not only in cold or warm waters. There are many sea angels in the world but they are especially hard to see because they are actually translucent and shell-less. They don’t use flaps or wings but their feet to go around in the water. They can only grow to about 5 cm (2 inches).

WHALE SHARK One of the friendliest sea creatures in the world is the whale shark. Now you may not think that a shark, with a 5-foot wide mouth (142 cm) and more than 3,000 teeth would be very friendly but it is, in fact, it is one of the most friendly sea creatures in the world. They are a gentle species and pose no threat to humans. If you were to find one in the wild you would be lucky not only because they are so friendly. Sadly, they are an endangered species due in part to the impacts of fisheries, bycatch losses, and vessel strikes. Even though they have a large mouth there is no way for them to eat you because their throat is only the size of a quarter and they only eat microorganisms. If you come across this beautiful whale, the most amazing thing you can do is swim alongside it and observe it.

BLUE WHALE The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales (Mysticeti). At 30 meters (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (1000 kg every metric ton) or more, it is the largest animal to have ever existed. Unfortunately, the blue whale is said to be near extinction due to whaling. In 2002, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimated that there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide. IUCN successfully breeds the blue whales and keeps them safe. We now have close to 25,000 blue whales, but before whaling there were 239,000 in the Arctic. The blue whale is endangered but its numbers are going up.

STONE FISH

One of the most dangerous sea creatures is the stonefish. Like most venomous fish, it is close relatives to the scorpionfishes. Stonefish are masters of camouflage and blend in so perfectly with their surroundings that their prey, predators and SCUBA divers have trouble seeing them. They rest perfectly still on the sea floor or in their preferred habitat of coral and rocky reefs and their colors are often a perfect match the floor surface or rocks. Some have been observed with algae growing on them. While camouflage gives them protection from predators, its primary purpose is to allow them to ambush their prey. They eat reef fish and bottom-dwelling invertebrates, but they do not pursue these. Instead, they wait for dinner to come to them. Their powerful jaws and large mouths create so much pressure that they are able to suck down unsuspecting prey and swallow it whole.

WORDS by MIKAELLA van ZUTPHEN and TRACY CAO ART by AMARA MURPHY

Animals in the Media and Fashion A look at popular online animal viral challenges and the animal print in fashion WORDS by JAYLA PROVANCE PAGE by AVA RICE

Viral pet challenges. A trend that has most recently flooded millions Instagram feeds. Whether you are posting your dog’s nose on the #snoot challenge, or the #whatthefluff challenge where pet owners use sleight-of-hand to confuse the heck out of their pets or just rocking your animal prints, there is a growing audience for posting animal Instagrams. The snoot challenge tagged #snootchallenge is all over Instagram both in photos and videos. Videos include humans holding their hands into a circle and allowing dogs and cats to place their snoot, and sometimes entire head, through a hole. Here’s an experiment you can try at home. Have your dog sit upright then place your hands

The Snoot Challenge thefourthestate.net

in a circle in front of your dog’s nose and repeat. Hopefully you will find success and get an Instagram-worthy shot, which is a challenge. If you are on the market for a cute Instagram video to blow up your feed, the #whatthefluffchallenge may be perfect. All that you’ll need is a blanket to hide behind, and then you pretend to disappear. Basically, it is a play a game of Peekaboo that ends with your “surprise” reappearance. The goal is to baffle your pet and to catch their reaction and create footage in hopes that it will go viral. Most of the videos are heartwarming. The beauty of this viral challenge is that it requires absolutely no training,

What the Fluff Challenge

and it gives you a sense of what your pet thinks of you — are they happy or sad you seemed to have disappeared? No time to make viral videos of your pet? No problem. Maybe you would rather share your animal passion as a fashion statement. Animal prints are making a come back. Check out The Zoe Report and pop on a cheetah jacket, snake skin pants or a snake print bag. Not made with real snake skin of course. We all love our animals, and the time we spend with them can be creative. Whether we create viral videos of them doing challenges or show our love for animals through our clothes, the options are endless. So what are waiting for?

The Zoe Report News • 7

A Day in the Life of Ivy WORDS by JULIET BRADLEY and ABBY CONNOR

A Day in the Life of a Veterinarian: Veterinarians take care of animals from wild animals to domestic animals. They work with animals of all sizes that live in all types of habitats. WORDS by KAREN BLUMENSHINE and SAIGE MASTRO-STERN

M Ivy is a chestnut-colored quarter pony who is 25-years old. She lives at the Irons Farm in Goleta, CA. On Saturdays she wakes up and eats her breakfast. She lives with another horse named Copper. Sometimes Cooper chases her around. After she eats breakfast, she has a lesson. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, Juliet Bradley, a third grader at Laguna Blanca School, rides her. She canters and does jumps called cross rails, poles, and cavalettis. Juliet gives her a lot of treats for being so good. Her favorite treat is dandelion greens. When Ivy is done with her lesson, she gets groomed. After she gets groomed, she has lunch. Then she hangs out with Cooper for

y aunt’s name is Karen Blumenshine, and she is a veterinarian with a unique specialty— SKUNKS! She lives in the foothills of Santa Barbara, and she began working with skunks because she lives in an area with a lot of wild animals by a giant farm. She doesn’t only work with skunks; she also works with the endangered Santa Cruz Island fox, opossums, horses, raccoons, bats, and birds. In fact, she travels all over the world to help horses. Once she traveled to Japan to deliver a million-dollar horse to a government official. One of her most challenging experiences as a vet was with a horse. The horse was running far away, and it jumped from a high cliff, and fell on a post. A bone came out, and the horse began itching itself and then the bones started coming out. My aunt had to patch up the wound and the horse had to stay in the Emergency Room. After quite a long time, the horse eventually got better and went back to its home. She has helped animals in Mexico, China, and Chile. Not only does she help land animals, but she has

Veterinarian Dr. Karen Blumenshine pictured above with one the many animals she helps.

also helped underwater mammals, including seals and sea lions. She has encountered sea lions with cancer, and has conducted research to help animals with diseases. My aunt has been a veterinarian for 41 years, and hopes to be a veterinarian for the rest of her life. While she doesn’t have any pets of her own, she has the ones that come to her door. She helps the ones that appear to be sick or injured. One time, a skunk came up to her door and its arm was deformed. Dr. Blumenshine gave it an artificial arm, so it could walk with greater ease. When asked about the experience she said, “Being a vet is a lot of work. It can be tiring, but it’s rewarding and always worth it. It’s the right job for me because doing what makes you happy is the best job.”

a while.

8 • News

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News • 9

Our Acidic Oceans: Fish Drowning in Acid

As we continue to consume and waste, excess Carbon Dioxide fills our atmosphere not only disrupting our climate but poisoning our oceans. WORDS and ART by AMARA MURPHY

1. Recycling (recycling one aluminum can saves 90 percent of the energy required to make a new one)

2. Solar Power (Each solar kilowatt-hour offsets more than one pound of carbon dioxide)

ver the past 200 years — beginning roughly at the start of the industrial revolution — the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has drastically increased due to the burning of fossil fuels, boosted car emissions, and deforestation. As carbon emissions have escalated, the pH levels of surface ocean water have fallen by 0.1 pH units, which translates to an approximate 30 percent increase in acidity. The ocean absorbs around 30 percent of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, and as levels increase so do levels in our oceans. When Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by seawater, a sequence of chemical reactions takes place resulting in an increased concentration of hydrogen ions. This increase causes seawater to become more acidic and less abundant in carbonate ions. Carbonate ions are a vital building block in structures such as seashells and coral skeletons. Decreases in carbonate ions make the building and maintaining of shells and other calcium carbonate organisms such as oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals,

deep sea coral, and calcareous plankton. The pteropod is a small sea organism the size of a pea. Pteropods are eaten by organisms ranging in size from that of a tiny krill to whales, and they are a major food source for North Pacific juvenile salmon. Scientists recently conducted a study in which they placed pteropods in seawater with pH and carbonate levels that are predicted to become normal in the year 2100. After 45 days, the shells had completely dissolved. Researchers have also discovered severe levels of pteropod shell dissolution in the Southern Ocean. While these tiny creatures may seem unimportant to our daily lives, their disappearance from the marine ecosystem it would be devastating, not only to the marine ecosystem but to the way our diet looks. What’s worse is the harrowing fact that these changes in ocean chemistry can affect the behavior of non-calcifying organisms as well. When subjected to lower pH levels, certain fish like pollock and clownfish lose their chemosensory ability to distinguish between their favored protective environments among

reefs and unfavorable habitats such as mangroves. Additionally, the increase in acidity impairs their ability to distinguish between predators and members of their own species. These two factors create an increased risk of predation. When these organisms are at risk, the entire food web is put in danger. Ocean acidification is not a localized issue. It is currently affecting the entire world’s oceans, including coastal estuaries and waterways. In today’s world more than a billion

people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as their primary source of protein and 20 percent of the world’s population derives at least 1/3 of its animal protein intake from fish. Not only do we consume fish but many jobs and economies in the U.S. and around the world depend on the fish and shellfish that live in the ocean. While countless hours of time and effort have been poured into creating large marine sanctuaries and protected areas to keep endangered species safe, little to no action has been taken to

counteract ocean acidification, a problem that could leave our oceans lifeless. So the question becomes: what can we do to help? I n order to save our marine environment, the entire population will have to work together. While scientists have already poured millions of dollars into finding a long-term solution, we cannot wait to take action. Everyone can take steps to reduce their carbon footprint, from carpooling to reduce emissions to switching to clean energy in order to cut the burning of fossil fuels.

4. 3. LED light-bulbs (New LED light bulbs give the same light for 15 perfect of the electricity. Using them can reduce your carbon footprint by 6 tons per year)

Planting Trees (One tree’s shade can save the same amount of energy that 10 air conditioners need to run for 20 hours per day)

Snail Have Social Issues, Too! Just like humans, different groups react differently to certain situations. WORDS by NOAH DEHLI ART by MADELEINE NICKS

Not just humans and apes are alike, but that all living things have very similar patterns, which could say some Dr. Sarah Dalesman interesting things about people. “We often think of social isolation as a human problem, but it can radically alter a snail’s cognitive functioning,” says Dr. Sarah Dalesman in an article entitled, from an article in the independent “How lonely snails could change how we measure human intelligence.” Wait a minute, snails? How would that have any effect on humans? Well here’s an answer. In many animals, brain power, learning ability and memory can all be affected by stress. Everyone has had that day where there are hours upon hours of studying or work to get done. By the end of the day, you’re pulling your hair out in frustration! “Take pond snails, for example,” said Dalesman. “They, just like other animals, remember things about their environment.” This is very similar

to how you can navigate your house in the dark, because of the amount of time you have spent there. But here’s the catch, “Not all snails are equally good at remembering. Some snail populations, originating from different rivers or ditches, are much better at forming memories than others.” And it doesn’t refer to individual snails. The entire group is “smarter” in certain colonies. According to Dalesman, some colonies have one-day memories, while others can retain things for up to seven days. From this information, we could gauge how people remember things, which could contribute to us being able to remember more. Dalesman tested the snails operant conditioning memory—which is a sort of strategy that teaches the testee to identify the ‘good’ or the ‘bad’ by remembering certain cues—in eight different populations. Both were examined when they were grouped together, and also for a week-long period of isolation afterward. Like humans, Dalesman found that in groups, some snail populations formed strong memories, but others formed weaker memories. Interestingly, in the period of isolation, the snails who had formed weak memories when

they were in groups were seemingly unaffected. “However,” Dalesman writes, “the smart snails failed to form long-term memories when isolated. The snails that normally formed the weaker memories appeared to be the smart ones.” This has interesting implications for us learning how some people might feel more alone or sad when they are “alone”, either physically or mentally. It could be useful for psychologists to help their patients better. First of all, this research explains that for snails—and across the board of all living things— all individuals are different. Second, is that our conclusions of “smart” individuals may lean heavily on the environment in which they are tested. This could lead to so many promising things. It could help us better understand the minds of animals, which could help anyone studying, working with, or taking care of animals. It could even lead to us better assessing human psychology, which could lead to us being more effective at treating disorders that people have, make therapists more effective, and so much more. And it’s all just from snails! By studying tiny creatures, we have opened a giant world of possibilities.

12 • Opinion thefourthestate.net

A World Without Elephants Follow the eye-opening journey of the documentary “Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story” and the effect it has had on the world by exposing people to the secret cruelty of the trekking and logging industries. In the last three years, the general elephant population has decreased by 50 percent worldwide, but the species facing the greatest threat is the Asian elephant. Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants, have no tusks and grow small patches of hair on their heads. Their smaller and less aggressive appearance is what puts the Asian elephant in such great danger. They are categorized as less aggressive and even tame, which is why they are predominantly sold into the trafficking and logging industries where they work in gruesome conditions for the rest of their lives. The one thing that Asian elephants have in common with other elephants is the desire and need to live in a wild habitat. Asian elephants sold into trekking and logging industries undergo the same horrific process that forces them into submission — the crush box. The crush box, or “the crush,” is the practice of binding elephants and forcing them into a small box. Once secured in the box they are beaten for a 24-four hour period to break the bond between the elephant and their mother. If the process is not successful the first time, it is repeated until the elephant surrenders by following the human instead of its herd. Once they have passed the crush, elephants will begin training where they endure the punishment of bull hooks and knives anytime they act out of line. These creatures are subjected to not only inhumane treatment

but live in environments where they might not move more than five feet per day. The cruelty of these industries is something world-renowned elephant activist Lek Chailert has fought hard to end. Chailert's desire to help elephants began when she was just a young girl growing up in Thailand, a country with no animal rights. As a young girl, Chailert worked with a missionary group in the forest of Thailand. She witnessed logging sites that use elephants to tow lumber and the brutality experienced by elephants in the industry. According to Chailert, hearing “the screams” of an elephant being beaten followed her — she had to act. She got a job at a bowling alley, saving the money she earned and returned to the lumber site with medicine to help the wounded elephants. Chailert was not afraid to use her voice, publicly speaking out about the abuse elephants were enduring. She became an enemy of the state and was disowned by her family, leaving her with nothing but a growing passion for helping elephants. Chailert started a sanctuary named The Elephant Park, where she works to rescue and rehabilitate elephants that had been in the trekking or logging industries. She was recognized by Time Magazine for her work and soon became well known in the elephant activist community. After meeting Chailert and hearing about her incredible

work, actress Ashley Bell produced a documentary, "Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story," which follows the rescue of a partially blind, sick, 70-year-old Asian elephant on a 500-mile transport. The documentary gained significant footing not only in the US but Thailand as well. The movie spread awareness of the secret cruelty of industries with its greater goal to discourage people from visiting circuses or establishments where elephants are held in captivity for human enjoyment.

WORDS BY AMARA MURPHY AND JULIANNA SEYMOUR GRAPHICS BY AMARA MURPHY

The Importance of Pets

Save the Bees The bee population continues to decline. We are on the verge losing hundreds of native bee species. Along with other worldwide issues like pollution or climate change, humanity is experiencing a dramatic deficit in the number of bees and bee colonies throughout the continent. Starting in 2018, 30 percent of bee colonies have been lost each winter, dropping to 23 percent in 2013 and 2014. These significant declines are occurring because of a variety of reasons. To start, chemical exposure from the pesticides in contaminated crops can reach the bees through pollen, nectar, eating, drinking, and even through the air. Effects of this exposure include compromised immune response, shortened adult life cycles, impaired memory, and learning and raises the potential of death. Also, parasites can develop as a result of pesticide use. Examples of parasites, such as Varroa Destructor and Nosema Ceranae, pose a severe threat to the bee population, mainly hurting the colonies. New viruses and pathogens are likely to result in the loss of bee colonies in the future. Despite the well-known fact that pesticides are extremely harmful, producers continue to create and use toxic options. Climate change is an additional cause for a dramatic decline of bee colonies. The increasing temperature, changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather events can affect pollinators individually or their whole community. While all of this might seem daunting, this issue extends beyond the harm of only bees. Eventually, the entire bee population faces extinction. Bees are responsible for 30 percent of the world’s crops, and 90 percent of the worlds live plants, the world would experience an immeasurable change in agricultural products and availability. Bees have experienced significant changes in their overall well-being, and by taking notice of these effects,

and making changes, there is a potential of raising the bee population once again. Now is the time to act to protect bees. Individuals and institutions can get involved in this effort. The Farm Club intends to design and plant a drought-resistant bee garden in wine barrels that will be dispersed above the Middle School raised beds. “We hope to incorporate this project into our quarter four Swoop Group curriculum and to get the school community involved,” said Farm Club president Natalie McCaffery.

WORDS by FRANCES CARLSON AND RUTH BECKMEN GRAPHICS by BEAU GLAZIER

Having pets can improve your life and make you happy.

WORDS by MARITT BLABEY and SOPHIA SAMUELS GRAPHICS by MADELEINE NICKS

ets are important to people for many reasons. When you are sad, they can cheer you up. When you get home, they are happy that you are there. They can help you if you are blind and if you have special needs. They are a happy part of life. Pets are like family to many people. When pets come into your life, you love them forever. My family has two cats named Max and Sonsie. They make me

feel happy when I come home. They are usually at the door, waiting for me. Max is typically meowing at the window. I like to play laser with my cats. They think it’s a mouse! When it’s hot outside, they come outside and walk around with me. They try to catch lizards. This is fun to watch and be a part of. I interviewed Finn, a kindergärtner about his pets. Finn has a fish and a Border Collie

named Electron. Finn shared that his pets are important to him because, “They are a part of nature, and they are alive.” He likes to be nice to his pets and play with them. He plays fetch with his dog, and he watches his fish flip to its food in the bowl. When I asked Finn what he thinks his pets do while he is away at school, he said, “I think they read Harry Potter and eat food.”

Cats or Dogs? Students polled in this endless debate about whether cats or dogs make the best pets? It’s time to put an end to this eternal debate, so we sent out a poll to students. The poll asked which animal, cats or dogs do they like best and why. Here are the results. Dogs won! Here’s what the students have to say about it: While most students prefer dogs, there were some who stuck by their love for cats. Referring to cats, one student said, “You have to work towards gaining their affection, strengthening the bond between owner and pet.” Another cat owner said, “They are clean and sanitary and can take care of themselves!” As for dogs, one student said, “It is not without reason that dogs are called ‘man’s best friend.’ They are loyal, obedient, and also protective. Even if their attempts at protection are sometimes unnecessary, at least they try.” thefourthestate.net

68.1% 38.9% Opinion • 15

Q&A

Being a student on the Middle School campus, one often sees one of the many dogs roaming around the Middle School quad which makes the day especially bright. We sat down with Ms. Rose Steeber, the Upper School Latin teacher and coordinator of academic services, to talk to about her therapy dog, Cicciu, and his training.

He is a particularly calm dog, so he compliment[s] the high energy [level] in the Middle School. Q: Is Cicciu your first therapy dog and how hard was it to train him? Yes, he is my first dog. He was easy to train because he naturally doesn’t like to jump up on people. He is pretty obedient and wouldn’t take food out of people’s hands. They also test to make sure that loud noises or wheelchairs won’t startle the dog.

Q: What is a therapy dog? A therapy dog is also known as a comfort dog. Therapy animals are used to alleviate anxiety or help their owners through difficult situations. Q: What do therapy dogs provide? They help patients in hospitals or nursing homes. People who are feeling an overwhelming amount of stress [especially] in airports and students in college during finals week. There is even a program for elementary school kids to practice their skills by reading out loud to the dog. These are just some examples, [of their many benefits]

Q: Any other fun facts on the topic of therapy dogs? Cicciu was certified by a non-profit company called Therapy Dogs International. I also had to pass a test as his handler! Therapy dogs are different from service dogs because service dogs are used to help people with disabilities and the training for those pets is much more intensive.

Q: How difficult is the training? Not difficult at all. Any dog who can pass a good citizen test can pass the training test. They have to sit, stay, come, [avoid jumping] and not startle easily. Q: How can a therapy dog impact a school campus? Studies show that animals help [the population] with stress and anxiety. Cicciu is a perfect [antidote for] when things are worrying students or [when] they need a [ friendly] smile.

Snapshots of a Future Veterinarian

WORDS by JALEYA CALLOWAY ART by CATIE FRISTOE

Therapy dogs add to the tightknit community of our school, are easy to train, and serve as great human companions for people living all over the world. Cicciu brings a calming presence to the Middle School campus.

enior Isabella Sabino is taking on the challenge of becoming a veterinarian. “Of course I love the science behind it and the idea of working with animals. I also really like the idea of making the world a better place by helping animals.” Izzy is currently working on a project in the school’s fairly new STEM program, in which she is trying to uncover the reasoning behind Pulmonary Hemorrhage, a disease that can cause a horse’s lungs to burst. Izzy was inducted into the Cum Laude Society as a junior in 2018. In terms of her overall picture, she thefourthestate.net

hopes to go to college, veterinarian school and then get internship, possibly in Alamo Cantado. “What I have learned so far is that shadowing veterinarians is a fantastic way to go. It has been such a wonderful experience; not just learning the science behind everything, but also how to interact with your patients and how to deal with patient owners, which is often quite tough,” she said. “Also, you can volunteer at local shelters, which is a fantastic way to get out there and learn.” For her Senior Research Program, Izzy dove into research with Dr. Phoebe Smith an equine

internal medicine specialist in Santa Ynez. Being a veterinarian takes real training, and one of our students is doing exactly that by taking following her dream to help better our equine companions. “I started shadowing small animal vets in addition to Dr. Smith. I can’t wait to attend college so that I can continue on this path, learning more with every article I read, experiment I run, and animal I meet.” WORDS by NOAH DEHLI ART by CATIE FRISTOE Feature • 17

Kill Them With Kindness WORDS by NIKITA NAUTIYAL

GRAPHIC by MADELEINE NICKS

erriam-Webster Dictionary defines ethics as a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values. According to Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow (ADAPTT), at a minimum, 56 billion animals are killed each year. The United States, China, and Brazil together consume 46 percent of these animals. Furthermore, the U.S. alone accounts for roughly 20 percent of this number even though we take up only 5 percent of the Earth’s population. Is what we’re doing ethical? According to Laura Goldman from Care2, in the last century, 10 species have been hunted to extinction. Gone forever. But it is not just the hunting, it is the consumption and the abuse, it is everything we do to diminish them and treat them as inferior. And what about the word “animal”? Originally, it came from the Latin word “anima” meaning “a breath or soul.” Indeed, humans are also animals. However, we have begun to use the word animal as a condescending term toward humans who act in a way not considered “civilized.” In the past, when certain words became considered derogatory toward a specific group, change was made. I believe it is time for another change to be made. As stated by the U.S. Depart-

implemented as when adopting a child—inquiry about background, home life, financial situation. The goldfish given to kids at school carnivals that dies within a week, should not happen. Dogs that are given shock collars to prevent them from doing something or the straps put on their mouths to keep them from opening it. Those things are not okay. At this point releasing all pets would lead to chaos as they have already been bred to a domesticated lifestyle. However, we can still make a change. It is the extra one-second rub, the one extra treat that adds up to millions of more tail wags. It is the time you missed a party to stay home and focus on the “pleasure” of your pet companion. For every person who becomes a vegetarian, can save 100 of innocent beings every year. If we could get just 100 people in our community to become vegetarians we A minimum of have the chance to save 10,000 lives. It’s worth a shot. 56 billion People in this century have been animals are killed extremely vocalized about calling for change in society. We have each year made movement on global pollution and women’s rights. What’s to say we can’t add anicies at the top of the food chain? According to the Insurance In- mals rights in there too? They are formation Institute 68 percent of a group that has experienced sohouseholds in the U.S. have a pet. ciety’s unjust ways, yet they don’t I’m not sure if that’s okay, or if that have a voice to express themis in the best interest of the animal. selves. Let’s make it our priority to The problem is not just owning be their voices and their change. a pet. Every 10 seconds an animal Let’s kill them with kindness. in this country is abused. If we look up the definition of a pet we find “a domestic or tamed animal kept for companionship or pleasure.” What defines tamed? What about the “pleasure” of the “animal”? Is it all just another form of slavery? This does not mean that I am totally against having pets; in fact, I have a furry friend at home too. However, owning pets should not be for everyone, and the same amount of attention should be ment of Interior, 101.6 million Americans over the age of 16 hunts. So how many lives are actually being ended? Animal Matters reveals the devastating truth: 100 million animals are killed via hunting in the United States each year. So — is hunting ethical? “Animals” such as Harambe, a gorilla that was shot in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden after he grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into his enclosure. Yet, when a deer or bird is in the face of a rifle, there is no one there to protect them. During “hunting season,” pictures of friends holding the heads of dead animals pop up on our social media feed as a symbol of triumph. But is ending a life something to be proud of? Is this part of human nature? Our birthright as a spe-

18 • Opinion thefourthestate.net

Seafood Challenges for Landlocked Countries Landlocked countries rely on importing seafood but what about landlocked countries that cannot afford to import seafood? WORDS by NOAH DEHLI ART by FRANCES CARLSON

It is common for mostly landlocked countries with large populations — and countries that have small fishing industries — to import massive amounts of seafood. Take Germany for example, it does not have direct access to fish in most parts of the country and it spends more money on seafood than other countries that has ocean access. Germany relies heavily on foreign suppliers to meet the demand for seafood. In 2013, Germany imported $5.7 billion worth of fish and seafood products, which consists of mostly smoked Pacific, Atlantic, and Danube salmon.

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) , “Germany is the most important fish and seafood buyer for U.S. exporters.” U.S. sales from Germany increased to nearly $193 million in 2017. Germany also relies heavily on imports of Alaska Pollock, salmon, cod, live lobsters, dogfish, and others. The seafood industry, particularly on Germany’s northern coast, thrives from northern Germans who favor seafood like fresh, smoked, and pickled fish. One popular dish, specifically in northern Germany, is nordseekrabben which is a small gray or brown shrimp that is fished

off the coast of the Germany. Being in a landlocked country like Germany presents challenges, but in poor countries that cannot import seafood, it is an even bigger challenge. Without access to the ocean, developing countries are affected by famine and as the ocean is a large producer of food for many countries. This could develop into a serious problem, beginning with time and over-fished seas. In many places, natural —or even processed — fish will be hard to come by.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

- Anatole France