1
Reedley College Reading & Writing
Center presents...
Spring, April 2019
Spring Celebrations
By Ronnie Coates
1
Earth Day
By Paola Valenciano
2-3
Titanic Remembrance
By Evelyn Felipe
3
Librarian Day
By Maddie Dominguez
4-5
Memoir
By Iman Alamri
6-7
Grammar Corner
By Elizabeth Kleinkramer
7
Comic Con
By Stephanie Duarte
8
Creative Non-Fiction
By Savanna Duncan
9
Memoir
By Lucio Rodriguez
10-
11
CalWORKS
By Brandon Cooper
12-
13
Fiction
By Rosa Corocles
14
Crossword 15
Poetry
By Laura Hand
16
RC Men’s Golf
By Isaiah Tigler
17
Safari Days
By Monse Hernandez
17
Clubs, Services, &
Calendar
18-
20
Table of Contents
By Ronnie Coates
Spring Celebrations From Around the World
March 20th, 2019 is the date that
marks the end of winter and the begin-
ning of spring. The weather is becoming
warmer, and flowers are beginning to
bloom. People are embarking upon ad-
ventures with friends and family mem-
bers ranging from road tripping across the
state to hiking to the top of Yosemite
Falls. Some are cleaning their homes and
are getting rid of unused items to honor
the tradition that is spring cleaning. Chil-
dren are looking forward to decorating
hard boiled eggs and going on egg hunts
with their families. While spring cleaning
and egg decorating are common in the
United States, other cultures and religions
have their own unique celebrations to
mark the beginning of the spring season.
It is common for people of Catholic
and Protestant faiths to celebrate Easter
during this time. For them, the holiday of
Easter represents the day in which Jesus
Christ was resurrected. The Catholic
Church and some Protestant denomina-
tions will reenact Christ’s death and res-
urrection during the early hours of Easter
day. Some individuals even choose to
give up something sentimental to them
for a tradition called Lent. Lent is a way
to pay remembrance to the forty days Je-
sus fasted in the wilderness before begin-
ning his ministry.
Jewish individuals celebrate the holi-
day of Passover during the spring. This
celebration typically spans seven to eight
days, depending on the branch of Judaism
that is practiced. Passover is a time where
Jewish people pay remembrance to the
Hebrew people that were freed from slav-
ery in Egypt, a movement thought to have
been led by the biblical figure Moses.
Jewish individuals share a meal with their
families and recall stories of the struggles
their ancestors faced while being held
captive in Egypt.
In India, people of the Hindu faith
have a spring celebration known as Holi.
Participants of this celebration will splash
each other with water and coat each other
with colored powder to signify the idea
that good supersedes evil. In addition,
participants will consume sweets and
dance to folk music. Holi takes place on
the day of the last full moon of the Hindi
Lunisolar calendar month, which usually
falls in March.
Many people living in the Middle
East and parts of Asia celebrate the holi-
2
day Nowruz, or what is sometimes referred to as the
Persian New Year. Typically, celebrators of Nowruz
will clean and declutter their houses and will proceed
to eat a meal with their families. The meal consists of
seven foods, all of which start with the letter “s” in the
Persian language. Each of the seven foods are symbol-
ic for a specific value, such as rebirth, that Nowruz
celebrators hold dear. Some families will exchange
gifts with one another or attend festivals as a means of
celebrating.
People residing in Thailand ring in the Thai New
Year by celebrating Songkran. Celebrations of
Songkran begin on April 13th and typically span three
days, but the length of the celebrations may vary de-
pending on local customs. Thai people also place em-
phasis on renewal and cleansing during Songkran cel-
ebrations; the cleansing is represented symbolically
using water. Water is poured over statues of Buddha,
in the hands of seniors, and may also be used for
house cleaning or water fights.
These are just a few examples of celebrations that
occur in the spring. Spring celebrations are common
across the world, but the customs that are practiced
vary greatly depending on the region. No matter how
you plan to celebrate, we can all look forward to
warmer weather and spending time with our families!
Spring Celebrations Continued...
***********************************************************
“Only when the last tree has died, the last river
has been poisoned, and the last fish been caught will
we realize we cannot eat money” -Native American
Proverb.
Earth Day is held on April 22nd every year. The
purpose of this event is to promote environmental
awareness and to advocate for the protection of our
planet. One can celebrate this day by being outdoors
and performing acts of service to the earth. Such ac-
tivities include planting a tree, picking up garbage,
conducting programs to recycle and conserve, and
even petitioning our representatives to take action to
lessen the pace of global warming through regulation.
However, people caring about their actions to-
wards the earth’s preservation for just a single day is
not effective. For example, Valentine’s Day consists
of people in relationships treating each other extra
‘special’ for just one day and are less appreciative the
rest of the year. Universally, partners should treat each
other with respect, care, and love year round and thus,
it must be this way with how we treat our earth. We are
living in this planet and simultaneously destroying it. It
is important for everyone to be aware of how we are
destroying it. Did you know that something as simple
as lighting a candle for whatever purpose causes small
amounts of air pollution? Beyond that, there are also
pollutants from vehicles, fires, and even water waste
that deteriorates the ozone layer. This is why Earth Day
should actually be every day. We should not do some-
thing just for one day and ignore these problems for the
rest of the year.
This day should ultimately remind us that we are
only here for a short amount of time, and we should be
the generation that takes control and responsibility over
the treatment of our planet.
We need to show political leaders that we care
about our earth, what is being done to it, and that we
want mindful behavior to stop. We need new policies
and legislation to be passed that lessen our footprint on
the planet that we should be cherishing.
By Paola Valenciano
3
Earth Day should bring everyone together. Race, gender, age, or economic
status does not matter when it comes to giving life back to our planet. One should
come in this life with a purpose and leave with it, and this purpose should be to
keep our beloved planet habitable for the future generations to come.
Whenever you are about to litter, light a candle, or even just go for a drive for
fun, you should consider the impact your actions can have on the enviornment. Do
you want to live in a planet filled with air, soil, and water pollution? If not, then
remember: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
****************************************************************************************
Titanic Remembrance Day By Evelyn Felipe
Titanic Remembrance Day is celebrated on April
15th. This ship is very memorable because of its size
and the unfortunate event that took place. This day is
dedicated to the 1,500 individuals who lost their lives
on the Titanic.
The builders of the Titanic took pride in the interi-
or and exterior look of the ship. It was the largest
ship built at that point of time. It reached almost 900
feet in length. In total, it carried 2,240 passengers and
crew members. To board the Titanic, the price of the
ticket ranged from $2,500 for first class passengers to
$40 dollars for the third class. The Titanic gained a
lot of attention, which led a lot of people to buy a
ticket to board the ship. The inside of the ship was
known to be luxurious for first class passengers be-
cause it included a grand staircase, contained the Ritz
Restaurant, and had many more features. The ship
was
